New to Princess...

[Jen&Rich]

My DH and I just booked our first Princess cruise on the Carribean Princess for April 15th-22nd (eastern carribean) we have cruised with HAL and Celebrity....are the pretty compariable? Can we bring wine on board with us like on HAL? What are the "dont miss" things to do on the ship? Is the food better, worse or the same then HAL or Celebrity? Thanks for any info you might have!! WE ARE SUPER EXCITED!!!:D

[bubbadog]

congrats and welcome:))you will have a great time on princess,and will have plenty to chose from for things to do,yes you can bring some wine,and yes the food is comp,so just relax and enjoy your cruise:))):p

[JimnKaren]

We have not done HAL, but sailed on Celebrity twice. In February, we will be going on our 6th Princess. Might return to Celebrity some time, but the itinerary is the thing for us, not the cruise line. We also enjoyed Carnival and NCL, each has their own good points.

 

Princess does a great job, and is very similar to Celebrity. We have not sailed on Caribbean Princess but have some close friends who did and they have gone back twice!!

 

Jim

[marinearchit]

The CB is a very nice ship. I was on her over Thanksgiving. (First cruise ever.) People I was traveling with had also been on Celebrity and HAL. They said it was better than Celebrity's Centuray and basically even with HAL's Veendam. The ship was never crowded (And she was sailing at full capacity.) We will be cruising on CB or a similar Princess ship whenever we cruise again.

[marinearchit]

Ugh...I posted twice.

[GloriaF]

We've sailed HAL Westerdam once, and all the others on Princess.

 

We thought HAL's beds were the best, as was the ability to have room service from the dining room menu without being in a suite, as Princess requires. The cabins and bathrooms are better on HAL with a sitting area and a bathtub in almost all HAL cabins.

 

Princess's strengths are in the production shows and entertainment in general. Much, much better than what we experienced on HAL. And the Skywalkers night club on Princess is a one-of-a-kind to Princess. Don't miss the view during the day from Skywalker's, too!

 

Be sure to make your reservations for MUTS and Sabitinits and/or Sterling's early .

[DeltaDL]

You have to make reservations for MUTS? When/How do you do this?

[mollyanne]

You have to make reservations for MUTS? When/How do you do this?

 

You no longer need reservations.

 

mollyanne:)

[Jen&Rich]

Which resturaunt's charge an additonal fee?? And how much? Princess's website leaves alot to be desired!! Anyone have any pictures of the casino? Or link that does...and what about the ice cream does that cost more too?? Not used to that :confused: What about tipping? Is it $10 a day pp like on HAL? Wow sorry thats alot!! But would be nice to know THANKS!!!:D

[cruzin2paradise]

Which resturaunt's charge an additonal fee?? And how much? Princess's website leaves alot to be desired!! Anyone have any pictures of the casino? Or link that does...and what about the ice cream does that cost more too?? Not used to that :confused: What about tipping? Is it $10 a day pp like on HAL? Wow sorry thats alot!! But would be nice to know THANKS!!!:D

 

Can't give you a whole lot of answers as we've never cruised Princess before, but hey, I gotta try to help a fellow Kansas Citian, right?

 

I've read that there is free ice cream at the buffet (in the "closed" section) from like 3:30-4:30 in the afternoon. As for the tipping, I also believe it's $10 per person per day and put on your account automatically. I believe you can have that removed and tip the appropriate people accordingly with cash instead.

 

Not much help -- go to http://www.webshots.com and look for your ship . . . then just start scrolling through the pictures until you see what you want.

 

Happy Cruzin!!

[Cruisin' Chick]

Can't give you a whole lot of answers as we've never cruised Princess before, but hey, I gotta try to help a fellow Kansas Citian, right?

 

I've read that there is free ice cream at the buffet (in the "closed" section) from like 3:30-4:30 in the afternoon. As for the tipping, I also believe it's $10 per person per day and put on your account automatically. I believe you can have that removed and tip the appropriate people accordingly with cash instead.

 

Not much help -- go to www.webshots.com and look for your ship . . . then just start scrolling through the pictures until you see what you want.

 

Happy Cruzin!!

 

yes on the free ice cream...in the Horizon Court in the mid afternoon (homemade flavors usually with toppings). Also in the dining rooms during lunch and dinner...all sorts of flavors.

 

As for tipping, if you remove the auto-tips, any tip you give directly to crew members are then handed over. Then those tips are divided up in the pool for that position. Also, removing tips could reflect badly on the crew members. So you are really penalizing them. It's much better to leave the auto-tip on. If you want to reward them further, keep on the auto-tip, and then hand over an envelope (available from the passenger services desk) with any extra cash to the crew member. They'll have to hand them over temporily until your account is checked. Then they'll get back the money.

[spongerob]

Here's my perspective, FWIW, from someone who has cruised with Princess exclusively but has (and is) considering both X and HAL as possible future alternatives. I see X's strength in their dining, and HAL's strength in their selection of cabins. Both lines have ships that are generally smaller than Princess Grand-class ships, which is also something that I think is a plus. Specialty restaurants on both lines are probably a notch above Princess two offerings. Princess strength, I think, is their ability to appeal to a much broader cross-section of the cruising public, their range of ships in various classes, and their itineraries.

 

I usually get flamed when I say this, by the same people that accuse me of cheerleading for Princess, but for someone coming from either line and trying their first Princess cruise, my advice would NOT be to choose Caribbean Princess. It's a fine ship and you can enjoy yourself immensely on board, but I consider it to be a sort of Princess-Lite designed to compete solely for the budget-minded family cruise market. Therefore, that ship is positioned to go head-to-head with RCI and Carnival. The big change versus the previous generations of Grand-class ships is that the passenger load was increased by 20%, with no increase in staff. I believe that shows in some of the services that are not offered - such as "real" room service in the morning. Caribbean Princess only does 7-day cruises. Of course, this is just my opinion and is subject to the old adage, Your Mileage May Vary.

 

As I say, you can have a perfectly good time and I hope you do. If you like Caribbean Princess, then you'll love the rest of the fleet. If you find some things lacking, then you might understand why I'm posting these comments. I believe that some of the defficiencies I experienced on CB have been corrected with CB's sister ship, Crown Princess, so I'm not totally down on that class of ship.

[serene56]

http://www.cruisingthecaribbeanprincess.com

 

this is the best site on the web for Caribbean Princess (thanks Bill)

[GloriaF]

I must agree with Spongerob about Carribbean Princess. I started to post something to that effect in my first post, then erased it because I just didn't want to deal with the flaming.

 

The BEST ships in the Princess fleets are the Coral and Island, the Regal, and the Sun Class (Sun, Sea, Dawn) ,IMHO. and many others!!

 

BTW, sorry for the bad advice about MUTS - I've avoided ships with MUTS since my one experience and wasn't aware reservations were no longer required.

 

The alternative restaurants that cost extra are Sabitinis, Tequilas, and Sterlings. Prices keep rising, but here is what it was the last time I checked.

 

Sabs costs approx $25pp and is a multi-course Italian meal that takes 2.5 to 3 hours to finish. Each course is served with a sampling of several foods, then the next course is slowly served the same way. The only choice you have to make is for the main entree. It is a fun experience, but once was enough for me. We did it way back in 2001 and haven't been tempted to go again.

 

Tequilas and Sterlings are a steakhouse - approx $15pp. Tequilas used to be SW/tex-mex but changed - they may still have a few of the original offerings. People that have gone say the steaks are wonderful - but since you can get steak in the dining room any night under the Always Available on the bottom left of the menu - I haven't paid the extra $10-$15pp for a steak. We did go when it was SW (something Rose &Tequilas were the names then, depending on which ship) and it was good.

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise. Just remember you are not sailing on the cream of the cruise line on CB.

[WiscCruiser]

Try this site for pictures of the Casino and other areas on the ship.

 

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/

[willysgrandma]

I've never cruised HAL, but I will say the food on Princess doesn't touch the food on X - X was much better.

 

BUT - I loved the Crown (the ship, not the food) and Princess has the best itineraries IMO of any cruise ship. The rooms were large and comfortable and there was plenty to do on the ship.

[KKB]

The Star is comparable to the CP...

 

We felt the food was very good. Did not do select restaurants; others at our table did, said it was fine, but not worth the extra (and that cost has gotten out of hand...$10pp is reasonable, $25 is not, IMO).

 

We loved bingo (thought I was much too young to say that!), pool, casino (you know you've been gambling/drinking too much when they no longer need your room # for the drink receipt in casino....!), Skywalkers for daytime views & nighttime dancing. Saw some comedy/Newlywed game. Fun.

 

We enjoyed breakfast & dinner in dining rooms very much; lunch of pizza or burgers at pool. Also being from midwest, we were astounded at how terrific the burgers were!

 

My parents have said Celebrity has been food/best overal cruise experience. They are on the Coral in Feb.; will be curious to hear their comparison.

 

We feel that Princess/Disney provide a very comparable adult experience. Princess as better dining room food but Disney has PALO for adults...maybe best food I've ever had. Disney's beds super comfy, Princess not so much. Disney had great sports bar, but virtually no night life. Princess had small sports bar, but great nightlife.

 

I think you may find the average age slightly lower on Princess. I'd say 80% were 40s-60s. (that is just my impressions from these boards on Celebrity & HAL...!)

 

Tipping is $10pp/day--that is traditional amount for cruises ships, and simply should be part of your budget. You can leave it on account, or have it removed and tip in cash. (but the amount should still be around $150 pp for all crew members total...or more if crew has been good)

 

No worries, almost ANY cruise is a good cruise!

[Jen&Rich]

Which pool is the adult pool on the carib. princess? I had thought it was the terrace pool...but read something that made me wonder if I was wrong. Does the Caribi cafe cost additional too? Excited to eat there...We are going to miss HAL on this cruise due to their OUTSTANDING service...but eager to try a bigger ship with more things to do. Hows the motion on the Carib. princess? I tend to get sea sick even while taking Bonine and wearing my sea braclets....Thanks so much again for everyones help!:D ( we arent worried we know we'll have a great time, just dont know much about Princess and Im the type that wants to know all she can lol)

[stoneharborlady]

Which pool is the adult pool on the carib. princess? I had thought it was the terrace pool...but read something that made me wonder if I was wrong. Does the Caribi cafe cost additional too? Excited to eat there...We are going to miss HAL on this cruise due to their OUTSTANDING service...but eager to try a bigger ship with more things to do. Hows the motion on the Carib. princess? I tend to get sea sick even while taking Bonine and wearing my sea braclets....Thanks so much again for everyones help!:D ( we arent worried we know we'll have a great time, just dont know much about Princess and Im the type that wants to know all she can lol)

 

 

Both the Terrace Pool and the spa pool are adults only. Even though connected to the spa, the pool is free. Even if you have dinner in the dining room sailaway night, do stop in to Caribe Cafe before or after for a plate of shrimp, and crab claws . Too good to miss!! No extra cost at Caribe Cafe.

[karen2cruz]

Having cruised Hal this past summer and Princess a few times since 2001, I would agree with the above posters who have said that the Caribbean Princess is not the best example of Princess. This is a huge ship with an extra passenger deck from the norm of the Grand Class. A smaller class Princess ship would compare better to HAL.

 

The beds are heavenly on HAL, and the room service menu cant be beat. I would rate the service, dining room food and entertainment equal on HAL and Princess. HAL buffet is definitely better than Princess. The mini-suites on Princess have no comparison with HAL, but HAL has better bathrooms on their ships. Love HAL's disembarkation policy, like NCL, to be able to stay in your room, something I wish Princess would change.

 

Having said this, Princess tends to have better itineraries with more ships.

 

Oh, Princess past passenger perks (Captains Circle) are much better than HAL, even HAL enthusiasts admit this.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Try ginger for the seasickness. there's different forms (I use the candied ginger that I can find in my local grocery store and ginger flavored Altoids that I can find at Target; but you can also get capsules). If you're on any medication, first check with your doctor.

[atlasali]

This was our first Princess cruise and the first one on such a large ship. I had some misgivings; especially after our cozy delightful Celebrity Zenith experience last year. But, I loved it. Our obstucted view room had a surprisingly great view. The ship with 3473 passengers did not feel crowded except for viewing the champagne fountain. Way too many passengers in the atrium trying to see. My suggestion to Princess=do the champagne fountain in the Princess Theatre.

Food-We never did eat at Stirling's steakhouse. Our week, the menu was changed, so there was no Island Theme night. There were numerous choices every meal that I wanted. However, CruiseCritic friends from Nebraska did eat there and they said it was great. They described a tender and very thick filet for a $10.00 charge that was equivilent to the expensive steak houses. I liked the Veal, the Tournedos, the Fettucini Alfredo, the Pina Colada soup. And their ice cream /gelatos were delicious. The waiter offered seconds on the twin lobster tails, but no room. Christmas week is different in the dining rooms due to many large groups of people who want to eat together. We did not have a problem with anytime dining. We ate at the Palms dining room around 7:00pm and our party of 3 just walked in. However, there was usually a wait after 8:00pm. I thought the sit down breakfast was nothing special, so we ate the rest of our breakfasts at the Horizon buffet. I like to sample some of the different foods offered. Once we went to Scoops Ice cream bar to purchase an ice cream treat. The person working there nicely sent us inside the Horizon for the free ice cream instead.

 

Favorites-Thermal Sanctuary at the Spa. Used it or at least the showers every day. The view from the Terrace pool area in the day. Watching the water and the ships go by (around midnite last nite of cruise) on the promenade deck (deck 7). Entertainment and Production shows - Piano man and Caribbean Caliente. The Youth Security and Pool staff were excellent at keeping the children and especially the preteens under control. I have been on other cruises where groups kids have just run wild. My thanks to their parents, too. St. Maarten was a great port, beautiful beach and cheap shopping. Christy (ship shopping advisor) told me where I could find my favorite souvenier a cheap Virgin Island Orbit watch. The layout of the ship made it feel smaller than it actually was.

 

My disappointments-I thought that the ship shops were lacking. Now they had a great line of $10.00 items (purses wraps, etc.) but I couldn't buy a regular sized package of antihistime pills, only a package of 2 or 4 tablets. I couldn't find a small item like a CB Christmas ornament. The hawking of drinks in Skywalkers and the cookbook while on the galley tour was annoying. Yet I do not think that I saw the cookbook for sale in the store. St. Thomas and especially Docking at Crown Bay! That location took away at least 2 hours of island touring time. I HATED the taxi cabs! The drivers treated everybody like cattle. We were herded into these monster cab things where we had to wait until it was full before it would move. It took us climbing off before the driver decided it was not worth waiting for another 2 passengers. Although we were first, we were driven all over the island to drop off the other passengers at their locations before we were delivered to our destination. And the downtown shopping was a horrid experience. Too many people for those tiny sidewalks and the street was filled with the obnoxious cabs and their drivers yelling for passengers. And no shops at Crown Bay dock. Tip to St. Thomas - make one of the streets a pedestrian mall. Unless changes made, St Thomas will definitely be either a "ship's excusion" day or a day to stay on the ship. I'll spend my money in St. Maarten.

Sorry this was way too long. Look for my review in a few days.

[Jen&Rich]

What about life boat drill...what can we expect there? Celebritys muster drill was kinda a joke...meet inthe casino have a seat and thats about it. HAL however you go to your assinged deck and they call staterooms to see if your there. I am cruising with my dad and his g/f newbies to the cruise world so all the info i can get will better help me to prepare them..thanks again!

[willysgrandma]

What about life boat drill...what can we expect there? Celebritys muster drill was kinda a joke...meet inthe casino have a seat and thats about it. HAL however you go to your assinged deck and they call staterooms to see if your there. I am cruising with my dad and his g/f newbies to the cruise world so all the info i can get will better help me to prepare them..thanks again!

 

Princesses drill on the Crown was the same way - we went to the theater. I happened to prefer it - I hate being lined up like cattle on the decks. Of course, I really did wonder if something happened on the ship, whether all those people are actually going to go to their muster station in the theater or try to jump in a lifeboat.....