Cafe Caribe on the Crown

[twinky53]

I was on Expedia checking reviews of ships and came across this comment by Bonnie Wach -

 

Café Caribe

With morning pastries and a varied dinner buffet that highlights themes from Curry Night to a German Bierfest, this is the unsung hero of Crown Princess restaurants.

 

 

 

I could not agree more. I wonder how many posters who have made negative comments about the buffet realize that the Cafe Caribe, located aft of the Horizon, served entirely different food from the Horizon. We had dinner there four nights and enjoyed it so much more than our experiences in the dining rooms. We loved being able to secure a lovely table by the window each night, and we certainly appreciated the beverage and wine service and the linens and the general ambience of the place. Only on the last night was it full. I had prime rib that night that was as good as what I was served in the dining room on our first night.

 

I am glad Princess offers so much in the way of options for diners. No other line does that. DH and I are not very formal people, though we both dressed up for our night at the Crown Grill, a wonderful dining experience we both will always remember. I will not consider any other line now other than NCL or Princess, because both take the feelings of ALL of their passengers into consideration. NCL is more set up to honor them, but Princess is certainly pleasing more people, particularly the traditionalists who love formal nights, while NCL favors more, I think, the casual cruisers. I wish more lines would adopt either freestyle or anytime dining as alternatives.

 

We stayed away from cruising for years because of a so-so first experience cruising and came back because of NCL. Now we are happy we have found Princess as another alternative. And we will look back at our experiences at the Cafe Caribe with very fond memories as a wonderful experience. Certainly NOT just buffet food.

[Nana G]

Thanks for the great comments/review! We sail in April 2007 on the Crown. Do you need reservations for the Cafe Caribe? Is it only evenings for dinner? We have 12 cruises with Princess and love the idea of the anytime dining but, feel the Crown is so much more ready to meet our expectations.

[2boyzmom]

I'm confused- is this another buffet area or a sit down served meal?

[serene56]

Im confused too because what I have been reading is that the Cafe CAribe is something different from the buffet and both are not opened together... one is closed for cleaning and the other will be opened.

 

Does this serve the same food as the buffet or is it a different dining experince?

[-Lew-]

The only time Horizon Court is open for dinner is the first evening. Caribe Cafe is open for dinner every night.

 

Actually they are nearly connected and flow into one another. For lunch we would quite often make selections from both buffets. The salad bar at Horizon Court has much more variety, while the one at Carib was quite difficult to use. The salad items near the back of the buffet line were very difficult to get.

[Leafpeeper]

We just got off the Crown Princess and noticed that the Cafe Caribe is a great location in the aft of the ship. If you want to eat outdoors, there are automatic doors to the back of the ship from the rear of Cafe Caribe. We sometimes walked up the flight of stairs back there and ate at the glass tables in front of Sabatinis because the chairs had thick cushions and it was very quiet. Great place to read in sunlight or watch the stars and wake at night.

 

The only complaints on this ship was the airconditioning--especially midship on deck 11 (Baja). We had no problems in the aft of the ship, but could not use the duvet at night because it wasn't cold enough. We requested extra sheets so we could take the duvet off at night. The only complaint in the aft cabins was the noise from the airconditioning equipment. However, the balcony was huge--almost as big as the ones on Caribe Deck.

 

I am a bit melancholy this week--wishing I was back onboard. More pools on this ship than any other we've ever been on with a great layout on the Lido Deck for everyone. If you want a quiet pool, go to the one beside the santuary spa, or one of the two aft pools and hot tub.

[TinaLee]

I'm confused- is this another buffet area or a sit down served meal?

 

It is still a buffet area, but the tables are covered in linens and there is beverage service (read waiters) and the silver is already on the tables, etc. It really is a nice area to go to for dinner. No reservations are required.

 

It does serve different food from the Horizon Court at lunchtime too, so be sure to wander back there and see what they are serving if you don't see anything you like on Horizon. It's the same food for breakfast, however.

[twinky53]

I'm confused- is this another buffet area or a sit down served meal?

 

They serve you drinks and fill your water glass, but you get the food. They have themes for the dinners, like the dining rooms did. A full breakfast is served in the Horizon Buffet until 11:30. I know this because we are very late risers, so we always managed to miss what I heard is a continental breakfast served in the Cafe Caribe from 6 A.M. to 10 A.M. They kept it open so you could sit in the Cafe Caribe in the morning for breakfast with your selections from the Horizon. They do flow into one another.

 

I have never really had good buffet experiences, so that is why I was so shocked and surprised at the quality of the food served in the Cafe Caribe. I also loved the breads and rolls served on this ship - they tasted extremely fresh. I can thank one of the posters here for recommending Cafe Caribe, where she also ate and enjoyed the sunsets. Was it you, TinaLee? Sorry but my memory fails me, but I did remember the positive remarks about the Cafe.

 

Like Leafpeeper, I am feeling melancholy that our trip is over. It is so beautiful today here in the Hudson Valley, but we both miss the warmth of the sun in the Caribbean. I just wish we had been able to visit Bermuda. It made the trip seem less complete, but these things happen all of the time, what can you do. We can only afford one a year, but at least planning is so much fun! I would totally go on this ship again or another Princess ship or NCL for that matter. I hope more lines look into a more liberal dining policy.

 

I wish all future cruisers on the Crown Princess a lovely time!

[tigerlilycruiser12]

Twinky53 and Mary

 

We found that wonderful spot to. It was one of my favorite places to relax. I really enjoyed the cafe caribe and that wonderful bread. It was the best. There was a large selection of food that if you did not feel like dressing up to go to the dinning room, you still could have a wonderful dinner there. We snacked there often. I would sail on the Crown again in a heartbeat.

 

The lobster tails in the dinning room were wonderful. After we ate we took a walk and found ourselves near the cafe caribe and even though we were full, we enjoyed even more lobster there. I had 4 claws with melted butter.

 

Boy it is so hard getting back to our normal eating.

 

Marie

[helpmesailaway]

I agree with you Marie - it certainly is hard to go back to normal eating after the wonderful cruise. My husband and I were on the Sept. 30 Crown and I miss some late night popcorn from the MUTS area. It was popped fresh and really delicious - and just where are my midnight cookies????

[RlrCstr]

Yes!! I ate there all but one night.

Relaxed, unobtrusive service, and good selection of food.

[bluefintuna]

Look at all of us 9/30 Crown Princess cruisers wanting to go back and do it all over again. I had fried eggs and hash browns for dinner, topped off with applesauce...pitiful. Cafe Caribe was great for lunch also. We loved the sushi, ginger and spring rolls. We asked for sheets over and under the duvet, mainly to keep it clean. We take the bedspread off during the day (since there is no couch in the rooms on Princess). Also loved the International Cafe and their great friendly staff. Sigh, to all future Crown cruisers: you are in for a treat, smooth sailing everyone.

[bluefintuna]

Look at all of us 9/30 Crown Princess cruisers wanting to go back and do it all over again. I had fried eggs and hash browns for dinner, topped off with applesauce...pitiful. Cafe Caribe was great for lunch also. We loved the sushi, ginger and spring rolls. We asked for sheets over and under the duvet, mainly to keep it clean. We take the bedspread off during the day (since there is no couch in the rooms on Princess). Also loved the International Cafe and their great friendly staff. Sigh, to all future Crown cruisers: you are in for a treat, smooth sailing everyone.

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

Look at all of us 9/30 Crown Princess cruisers wanting to go back and do it all over again. I had fried eggs and hash browns for dinner, topped off with applesauce...pitiful. Cafe Caribe was great for lunch also. We loved the sushi, ginger and spring rolls. We asked for sheets over and under the duvet, mainly to keep it clean. We take the bedspread off during the day (since there is no couch in the rooms on Princess). Also loved the International Cafe and their great friendly staff. Sigh, to all future Crown cruisers: you are in for a treat, smooth sailing everyone.

 

I sailed 9/12 and I'm still reading these boards and wanting to go back. We had a chance to go this coming week for less than $1000 for two of us in an inside. If only I wasn't spoiled and in need of a balcony...

We also ate at and enjoyed Cafe Caribe. We were there for both formal nights...

[twinky53]

We also ate at and enjoyed Cafe Caribe. We were there for both formal nights...

 

We did too! And did not regret it either. Our waiter performed on Crew Night - I am terrible with names, but I knew his cute face and he was very good. He was our main server each night we dined at the Cafe Caribe, making it extra special. We had our final dinner at the Cafe Caribe as well and he was quite popular by that point!

 

If anyone had told me before this cruise that I would be eating - and enjoying - our dinners at a buffet on formal night, I would have said nuts to that, but we ended up, as I said before, enjoying the Cafe Caribe much more than the dinners we had at the restaurants - except, of course, for the Crown Grill. If we were rich, I would dine there every other night, lol.

 

I like lots of windows, and I felt that the regular dining rooms were sort of on the dark side, with very low ceilings. I love space and big windows on a ship, or I feel claustrophobic. I guess that is why we are always looking for a window seat, lol.

 

I guess that is enough dreaming for now - today it is back to the real world for me. Time to start saving for our annual cruise!

 

Happy sailing to all! :D

[barbarah33]

Thank you all for the review of the Caribe. They have one on the Caribbean Princess that I would often go back to during lunch hoping to find the spring rolls they seemed to offer every other day or so. I am not a fan of buffets but they are handy if you aren't in a 'dining' room kind of mood.

 

Can any of you tell me if any of the nights were themed for Mexican? I adore Mexican food and will keep my eyes peeled if I know it's coming at some point. Thank you!

[MarkMichaels]

For those that ate in the Cafe Caribe on both formal nights, was lobster a choice on one of those, or do you have to eat in the main dining rooms for that?

 

Thanks again for the reviews!

 

Mark

[twinky53]

Mark, the second formal night we had lobster claws. I was told there was to be crab claws on the first formal night, but I did not see them. However, I remember choosing the carved meat selection that night and it was delicious. However, if you want lobster tails, it is formal night for you - I believe the second formal night has the lobster tails.

 

Barbarah, I do remember a Mexican themed luncheon at the Caribe Buffet. Occasionally the Caribe is open for lunch, but I personally did not see that listed in the Patters. Officially, the Caribe is open for dinner each night, with various themes, but I know for sure I filled my plate up with pasta - at the Caribe Buffet for lunch. And I know that they were not serving this at the Horizon, because a lady asked me "where did you get all that delicious-looking pasta?" and I told her the Caribe buffet. She told me that she was surprised as they were serving a different menu at the Horizon for lunch, and promptly filled up her plate with pasta too - all kinds of varieties! I do remember having tortillas with various fillings at the Caribe for lunch as well - delicious too! But, no mention in the Patters of this luncheon choice. We just naturally headed for the Caribe whenever we were heading upstairs to eat and were happy and surprised the days they were also serving lunch.

 

Sounds like we spent all our time at the Caribe. :D We did eat dinner at the dining rooms on four separate occasions. First night (good prime rib), French night (yummy escargot and good onion soup, but a disappointing duck dish), a night I can't recall the theme, but I know I had lamb and did not care for it and was given the Fettucini Alfredo as an alternative when the waiter saw I ate nothing on my plate except two bites and one other night where I again chose the Alfredo, and DH chose the sirloin steak, both items always available.

 

What can I say - I just loved the variety and the quality - and even the service at dinner - at the Caribe - and the view! I am a big window person and when I am on the sea I like to see the sea, lol.

 

I will shut up now. :D