Back from Caribbean Princess 02/18 - 02/25

[serene56]

Our 9th cruise-- 1st with Princess.

 

Tina Turner says it all--- Simply the best.

 

For now-- Im looking for the Lido deck somewhere to find something to eat. We will report fully when we return

[Hanah481]

This post makes no sense at all...

[JanMD]

We got home today even with the snowstorm in the bwi area. We were very lucky to arrive home. A lot of the flights from bwi to fll were cancelled.

 

It was the best Princess cruise I have taken in a very long time. There were about 900 kids. There were a ton of teachers on board. Didn't know that new england schools were out for the week. It was great to have the teachers on board.

 

For the people that were on board, we all heard it- if I hear the name Joseph Sullivan again..

The teenager never bothered to report in with his parents for 1.5 full days. Yes, the parents never even looked for him until 4:00 a.m. He got the captain/staff captain/ all the top people up out of bed. The brother finally went to the parents room at 4:00 and said I haven't seen my brother. Thus- from the bridge at 4:15a.m. on Friday morning. This was after 2 port days! They announced the name of the teenager and said to call the pursers desk. Then at 4:30 a.m. the pursers desk said it again and he finally called. He had found other teenagers and was staying in their cabin.

Well- as we were trying to leave Princess Cays- at 4:00 p.m. guess who they were looking for again!! Friends from dinner said that the mother was up by the pool and was laughing over what the Princess was doing.

We all hope that they are not allowed back on Princess again.

Yes, we are elite and have cruised alot. Have never had that happen before.

 

The cruise was perfect- had an excellent cabin stewart- we had a minisuite and it was perfect. We found a good waiter down in the palm dinning room and that turned out great.

Sab. dinning room on Wednesday night was excellent.

The weather was great except for St. Martin rain shower hit in the afternoon.

 

The only issue was the shopping person on board. We are pretty sure that in St. Martin when they sized the rings- they switched the stones. In St. Thomas a couple of jewerly places all said the same thing. When we got on board on Thursday at 1- we asked to talk to her- nothing. At 7:00- they said she was off duty. fine. Friday- at sea- they had told us to call down and they would page her to fill out paperwork. She would not answer the page- and finally the pursers desk said she was in meetings all day long. Finally on Sat. at 4- she finally filled out the paperwork. I didn't realize that she is making so much money and how that all worked until this cruise. She is being paid from the places that she plugs on the ship, etc... That was the only negative person that we even had on this ship.

 

The crew was very postive/the ship was very clean.

The ship this week was being sold out by one certain group.

 

Enjoyed sailing on the Caribbean Princess.

[GldnRm01]

would you reccommend anytime dining or a set time to eat?

[Kerry&LuAnn]

We're sailing in a couple of weeks. Can you tell us what entertainment was onboard during your cruise?

[JanMD]

I would recommend the anytime dinning.

 

The entertainment- had the piano man, Bert was still on. There were a couple of other people- didn't have time to see all of them.

Jan

[serene56]

Sorry if the post made no sense to you, It was a VERY nice relaxing week. We just got back-- wanted to post that it was "Simply the Best" cruise ever.

 

A lot of people "hear" rumours that carnival being rowdy party boats so they chose not to cruise carnival for that reputation. For me Princess has a reputation of being "Older" How Princess kinda dies out before midnight. People who sail Princess are snobby. We decided to take the plunge 16 months ago and booked the Caribbean Princess.

 

We booked PRincess based on anytime dining. Wanted to see if cruising based on a time schedule puts us out. So we booked anytime- so we can eat anytime we wanted. Past cruises we booked excursions etc around the dining time. This cruise- no rushing to get ready for dinner.

VERY relaxed. Only ate dinner in the dining room one night- Friday-- the second formal night. ALl the rest was done at the HOrizon COurt or Cafe Caribbe.

 

Airfare from Phl to FLL for this week was very expensive. Boat show. Daytona 500. Winter break for most schools etc etc. Next time I check and see if its a holiday sailing before I book.

 

We stayed the night before in the Ramada. Cheap and does its purpose. We arrive after midnight so a place to sleep is all we need.

The hotel does offer a free shuttle but wasnt leaving until 11:30.

We took a cab to the pier at 10:45. 10 minute ride and were at the pier by11:00 Through security and got #2 boarding pass.

#1 is given to people in wheelchairs. At 11am there was about only 25 people who have arrived. By 11:45 #3 was given out. (this is when we would arrive using the free shuttle) 11:20 #4 was given.

Checkin will start at noon.

 

We were onboard and at the Horizon Court by 12:30.

 

Once onboard this ship trully does have a WOW factor. Every where we looked it was like "wow" It is amazingly beautiful-which is trully an understament.

 

We did not miss the bar waiters hawking drinks every second around the pool that first day. Never encountered it during the week either.

Soda Stciker stations are located through out the ship the first day. (after that any bar will sell you a sticker. ) the sticker sells for 27.00 plus 15% gratutiy. No Florida tax is not paid because we were in a US port. Princess soda stickers are very affordable when comparing to Carnival and ROyal whose cards are about 45.00 each.

We got soda stickers and they give you a insulated cup. Saw a lot ofpeople with the cups the first day but after that you dont really want to carry them around. Soda stickers are for a glass of fountain soda-- you dont get cans with the stickers. But the glasses are larger then whats offered on the other cruiselines.. (12 oz) So we got our monies worth.

Another thing with the soda sticker from Princess- we got soda while eating at the buffet all week. A waiter asked us if we needed anything to drink- and bought us sodas within a few minutes. (Always thought we had to go to the bar to get a soda. Will never get a soda card from Carnival again - too expensive and was VERY hard to get a soda using a card)

We had excellent service during the first part of the week with the card.

About Thursday the service for the card dropped off greatly.

Took about 30 minutes in the show room to get a soda. People buying drinks were served more then once while we waited.

 

Dinner at horizon Court buffet featured shrimp, crab legs, Claws. I hear people around saying the smoked salmon is the best. If you never tried it before now is the time.

We are dinner at the buffet about 6pm. It was very crowded and seates were hard to come by. I can only imagine the dining room was empty at this time. We took a round table for 6 people and when a couple willbe looking for a seat we asked they join us. Found two couples that were willing to share.

 

We went tothe Welcome onboard show. Have read if you want good seats go early. We arrived 10 minutes before showtime and got two seats. I dont think there are any bad seats in the Princess THeater.

Welcome onboard show is done by the Cruise Director Kelvin Joy. (He was leaving the ship on Sunday) This show featured a preview show of the production dance team. And a presentation of the Comedian Steve Moris. Very funny show-sometimes was hilarious. His real show was sceduled for Tueday in the Explorers lounge.

The welcome onboard show is dont at 8:30 and 10:30 we did the 8:30 show,

[serene56]

would you reccommend anytime dining or a set time to eat?

 

 

It would depend on what you are looking for for your cruise. We ate one time in the dining room. The rest of the week we did the cafe caribbe since it was more relaxing.

We ate in the dining room on Friday- the second formal night. Arrived at 6pm and got seated right away for a table for 2. We left at 7:30 and there was a waiting outside for 20-30 minutes.

 

If you are a large group- say about 6-8 people you will want to do Traditional seating- this way your group will know they can sit together most nights.

 

I liked anytime. Even though we didnt use the dining room knowing i didnt have to be there at a set time was great.

[spongerob]

Thanks for your review. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your first Princess cruise.

 

I got your Lido deck comment in your first post. We sometimes try to hang one of those room service cards on our door at home, just hoping that maybe breakfast will magically appear...ya gotta dream. :)

[serene56]

I got your Lido deck comment in your first post. We sometimes try to hang one of those room service cards on our door at home, just hoping that maybe breakfast will magically appear...ya gotta dream. :)

 

 

I tried that this morning--- and nothing-- I even had my 2.00 ready to tip the person. I Didnt care who delivered it. But on the other hand-- I actually got a "real" coffee this morning once I arrived at work- Boy did I miss that.

 

 

Coffee for me was not good at all. Tasted mildly of Maple syrup. Joe says that since I read "EVERYthing about Princess before the cruise-- the power of suggestion that the coffee is made from syrup kinda gave me the taste I was expecting. I paid for a 16 oz coffee each morning at the Lobby bar. 1.00 plus 15% gratutity ($1.15) not bad

 

Another thing to note-- the tvs in the cabin are not equipped to do regular programing so dont expect to see "24" American Idol, Survivor or anything you normally see each week.

 

Lots of princess channels advertising their stuff. Lots of empty channels with the Sea witch in the middle. Cnn in English and Spanish. 2 kids statitons with lots of cartoons. biography channel and a channel that did reruns of shows like Simpson, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier.

[Martin and Lindsey]

Can you tell us what the different evenings are?

 

Which days are the formal nights etc.? :)

[ebonybee]

Your Suite...covered or uncovered? Fighting with DH now. He wants a mini-suite and I don't because all that's available are uncovered

[serene56]

Can you tell us what the different evenings are?

 

Which days are the formal nights etc.? :)

 

 

formal nights are MOnday and Friday.

 

http://www.cruisingthecaribbeanprincess.com/menusA.html

 

the menu that is posted there are exactly the same

[serene56]

Your Suite...covered or uncovered? Fighting with DH now. He wants a mini-suite and I don't because all that's available are uncovered

 

 

I had a regular BB cabin located aft-- C753

 

Suites are uncovered and people above can look directly down.

[Hogladyrider]

I am so glad to hear you enjoyed your first cruise on Princess. Though I only know you thru these boards, I value your opinion, you do your homework!

 

We are going to book our first cruise with Princess for 2008, ready for a change since we have only sailed on Carnival.

 

I have met numerous people thru the boards who have been very helpful. I am so glad you had positive things to report.

 

I am anxious to hear how the room size and balcony size compared to Carnival.

 

I have been studying the ship layouts and they are a bit different than what I am accustomed to when it comes to selecting a balcony room, covered, not covered, bump out etc. Confusing to me as a Princess newbie.

 

I also am interested in the anytime dining and since it would be just for 2 things might work, I hear that you can also make a reservation do you know if that is true.

 

I look forward to hearing more about your great cruise and hopefully seeing some photos posted somewhere.

 

Here's to post cruise withdrawal! Join the club, we all suffer from it.

Susan:D

[CPCruiser4Life]

Could you please talk about your cabin, C753...what are the pros and cons?

 

Was it ever too hot, too windy, or too cold to stay on the balcony?

 

How loud is the wake really?

 

how were your neighbors?

 

Can you see to the side?

 

Were you facing the port (the small curved side that is)?

 

Any additional information or pictures of the cabin would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Scott

[serene56]

Scott: Do you have that particular cabin?

If you do a google search--type in caribbean Princess C753

or Caribbean Princess C752 you will get tons of hits.

 

I am an avid aft fan. Out of 9 cruises 7 of them were aft. My opinion is if I am booking a BB I want the most for my money. For us a balcony is the most important when comparing cabins we are not in the room that much.

 

Because it is on the corner you will get ocean breezes- unlike the middle of the row-

the walk to the elevators is not that bad on the CB like it is on the carnival ships-- now thats a hike..lol

 

I dont know what you mean is the wake really loud.. I found it peaceful. Joe & I sat out there numerous nights and had a conversation in normal tones without raising our voices. Slept with the door opened so we can hear. Could not ever hear the waters when sailing Carnival and couldnt understand why people leave the door open when you really couldnt hear.

 

Neighbors-- we never saw them out there. THe railings are kinda like bowed so you really have to lean over the rail to look over. The divider on the CB goes from floor to ceiling all the way across.. unlike carnival which is at an angle.

 

Seeing to the side--- out one side yes-- but not down the front of the ship. that white wall next to you will prevent that.

 

this cabin faced St MArten port. St Thomas we faced away.

It wont matter and will be different each week. I watched the Web cam of the bridge to see how it faced each week and it was always different.

In St Marten we faced the port. had good seats while everyone raced back to the ship at the last moment. It started to rain and we watched everyone actually run...lol

We were the first in the port of St MArten with 4 ships following. GLory had the first berth next to us.. Explorer behind her and Victory behind the CB.

 

Joe will upload my photos sometimes this week. WHen i get them I will post them here.

[CPCruiser4Life]

Serene56,

 

Thanks for the info. Yes, I will be staying in C752 come July. Just like hearing up to date info.

 

I am a deep sleeper and I look forward to falling asleep to the sounds of the wake. My fiance on the other hand is not...Is there a lot of motion back there?

 

Were loungers on your balcony all ready? Did you need to ask for them, or did you not even request or desire them.

 

Thanks for all your info.

 

I am so excited!!!!!

 

Thanks again,

Scott

[serene56]

Susan: Yes- -I am obsessive when booking a cruise and even more so once its booked. My homework for the CB started 18 months ago when I started reading the Princess boards to find out what cabin is the best. Didnt take long to discover that the C753-C752 is the best.

 

We wanted Valentines week but those two cabins were already booked back in Nov 2005 so I had to go the week we got. So if wanting to book one of those two cabins I suggest doing so now..

 

Joe & I have sailed Royal once on the Voyager and 7 times on carnival. We are bonafide carnival junkies. (I believe the Destiny ruined my cruising experince as it was the worse one out of the lot)

while posting here i really try not to offend anyone- and try to stay politically correct. When I read that Princess has a different class of people I always took offense to that. I also "thought" of snobby boring behavior among Princess. (as people believe the Carnival rowdy party behavior)

But what we experinced on the CB was yes a different class of people in the fact that other passengers do think of others and not only of themselves. (for example- if we are standing in the back of a crowded elevator and needed to get off at a certain deck-- princess people actually stepped out of the elevator instead of trying to sqeeze into space that wasnt there-)

(another example- on carnival no matter what ship- whole lots of people will be stopped in a major walkway and do their chatting so people have to sqeeze around them to get through. Not one time did we experince that on Princess... even as crowded as the Photo hallway got there was always a walk through.

 

 

Carnival cabins are bigger plus they offer most balcony cabins a sofa to sit on. Our cabin seemed so much smaller and no sofa to be had-- but there was a desk chair plus another comfy seat. But we spend so little time in the cabin that the sofa was not a deal breaker for us. Since nothing is on tv.. the only time we really spent in the cabin was sleeping and changing.

 

As far as the deck layout-- know that you can get anywhere from front to back on deck 7.

there are 4 elevator banks on the aft of deck 10- all 4 go to deck 15 (food-lido deck pools) but only the two end ones go to deck 16, 17, & 18 - skywalkers, mini golf..etc.

 

to go to the Lobby bar for my coffee-- I had to take the elvator to deck 7- walk forward and walk down two decks. Well worth the travel time for me...lol

 

We were allowed to make reservations in the anytime dining-- since there was over 300 people on the waiting list for traditional. The guy said that when the waiting list for tradional is very large they will offer reservations. But to make reservations is kinda defeating the purpose of eating anytime. (know the aft dining room has very little wait when comparing to the Coral dining room located midship which is easier to get to then the Palm DIning room)

 

Make reservations for Sabatinis or Sterlings on Sunday- they were all gone by Sunday night we were told and there was a waitlist.

 

Cruisewithdrawal for me dont happen. I have the CArnival Liberty booked as a group for August 2007 (only 180 days to wait) my son is gonna get married onboard.

 

We did post a Future Cruise Credit.. $200.00 for us. that we can use up to 4 years... we will get $50.00 each for cabin credit and the $100.pp will be used as a deposit.. Im sure I will take another Princess cruise within 4 years time

[roe2ship]

Serene, happy you enjoyed your first Princess cruise. Thanks for the review.

 

Scott, I will leave the light on in the cabin for you.;)

[jkudzu]

I'm concerned about the stones on your rings being switched. Any place we should look out for??? Thanks for the review!

[cricket123]

could you tell me if there was cell phone service on the caribbean princess?

[mississauga]

We're sailing in a couple of weeks. Can you tell us what entertainment was onboard during your cruise?

 

 

We were on the Feb. 11-18 sailing. Bert Stratton was great....should still be there in March. There was standing room only for all his shows, unless you got there an hour early. A great performer and a very nice man! Lovena Fox was amazing......what a powerful voice and great entertainer! Sarge, the comedian was also on for 2 shows....doesn't stay on the ship so don't know if he'll fly in for your cruise. There was also another comedian/magican by the name of John Ferrentino. The Hynotist - Fernandez will still be on until April. There was a young juggler by the name of David Dimuzio on but don't know how long he is on board for. The 2 production shows were still Caliente and Piano Man. We were on for the switch so Caliente was put on by the outgoing cast and the new cast put on the Piano Man. We have seen a better Piano Man production but to their credit, it was their first time together on the Caribbean Princess and could only get better. Heard some very positive comments about this new cast by other passengers, though. All in all we hit the jackpot for entertainment. All the entertainment was superb! You should be so lucky.:D

 

Kerry&LuAnn, I read your great review of the Caribbean Princess after your return last year. Thank you!

[serene56]

We did not have Sarge on our sailing. Did you have Steve Moris? We did have the comedian John Ferrentino and the Hynotist-- Fernadez-- no two shows of his are alike. the juggler-- I dont know his name but his act is "Juggling and useless stuff" I think he was fairly new because he kept commenting on juggling with low ceiling space kinda puts a kink into his act. Pretty goods shows.

[serene56]

could you tell me if there was cell phone service on the caribbean princess?

 

 

We have Sprint and lost service a few miles out of Fort Lauderdale and never got it back til we returned back. Depends on the service you have. May I Suggest you make a post with the subject line Cell phone question on the CB and ask your question directly-- giving the information about your cell phone. You will get much more needed responses.

 

On Embarkation day we saw lots of people using their phones around the ship but didnt see no one using them during the week- I was surprised.