Caribbean Princess review 7/8 - 7/15

[TwinCruiserMom]

Just posted this review and wanted to share it with this board. You were all so helpful in planning our cruise and I cannot count the times I used information I learned here. I felt like I had "insider" information and it sure made our vacation much smoother and easier. If anyone has any questions, please ask away.

 

Our family of 5 (DD17, twin DS12) just returned from a fabulous week on the Caribbean Princess! This was our first cruise and will definitely not be out last.

 

Embarkation: That port is huge and we were glad that we were not the ones driving. :eek: It is a madhouse near the drop off point with busses and taxis everywhere. We arrived at 10:15 which may be too early as there were still people disembarking. We did find a nice port worker who directed us to the check in area. We were quickly through security and received #2 tickets. At noon, number 1 was called and 5 minutes later it was our turn. Went to Plaza desk and were first in line. Quickly received our cruise cards and were off to have our picture taken and then on to the ship. Easily found our rooms and then left to explore.

 

Stateroom: We had side by side inside cabins and thought they were great. The bathrooms are tiny and so are the showers but they were more than adequate. We have a travel trailer so the size of the cabin and bath were fine for us. The closet and shelf space is huge! Our steward was terrific and our room was always spotless. We immediately asked for and received egg crate mattress pads and robes. Also had him remove the horrible bedspreads and had him add a top sheet under the duvet. Beds were very comfy. The Plaza deck cabins are very quiet and the movement you feel is a gentle rocking not the vibrations you may feel in the aft.

 

Dining: Ate every night in the dining rooms. We all enjoyed dressing up. First night at the Palm and it was shaky and we felt the vibrations too much so the next night we went to the Coral. We got a terrific table by a window that night and also had the best waiter and jr waiter ever, so we requested that table for the rest of the week. We ate at 6pm each night since you cannot reserve between 6pm and 8pm. On Monday, after dinner, we reserved for Tuesday and Wednesday and on Wednesday they open the booking for the rest of the week. They do not guarantee you will get the particular table you want, but we gave them the table number and it worked out for us. Never had to wait for our table.

 

The menus were terrific and we always were able to find something delicious. The kids loved the fettucini for an appetizer since some of the appetizers are a little bizarre. Mostly skipped the soup (it was HOT outside!) but we did have delicious French onion soup one night. Lobster night was great, the crab legs were OK. You can always order a garden salad if you do not like the salad selection of the night. You can also order extra of things you like. (like lobster!!) Our children were treated with the highest respect from our wonderful waiters and they enjoyed ordering off the adult menus. Never had to order off the kids menu. I was proud of them for trying so many new dishes we don't eat at home. We looked forward to our wonderful table and wait staff each night.

 

Breakfast was room service or the buffet. The made to order omlettes are good. The Horizon can be very crowded so we usually sat further back in Cafe Caribe.

Lunch ranged from pizza to cheeseburgers to horizon court and we even ate in the dining room twice. Still like the dining room best as there are so many people on this ship and the buffets can get so busy.

 

Entertainment: Would have loved to enjoy MUTS but it was so hot during the day! We did watch a bit of this and that. The Caribbean Caliente show was very lively with lots of energy. We loved the cooking show on Saturday (the kids did too). The head cook and maitre d were like a comedy routine as they prepared the selections. So funny with their beautiful Italian accents! Afterwards, there was a tour of the galley which was fun for all of us to see.

 

Ports:

 

Princess Cays - A lovely beach break. We walked all the way to right when we got off the tender and found a nice shady place. Very rocky beach - water shoes are a must. The BBQ lunch was nice and the fruit carving demonstrations were fun.

 

Jamaica - booked a private tour with wonderful Marva Shaw! Went to Dunn's River Falls which was beautiful and a real workout. Marva took us for a drive around the real Jamaica and it was an eye opening experience. We are all much more grateful for what we have after seeing the poverty that these people endure.

 

Grand Cayman - the most beautiful beach ever. Left the ship very early and took a taxi to Royal Palms. Did not purchase chairs as we decided to just walk up the beach a ways. Found a lovely spot and dropped our towels in the white sand. Spent at least two hours bobbing in the crystal clear water. The colors are unbelieveable! The water actually looks fake because it is so blue and aqua colored. Took a taxi back to the port and went to a couple of shops. One that is located upstairs has 15 minutes of free internet which was nice.

 

Cozumel - so HOT that day! Took a taxi to Paradise beach and we were the first ones there. Used the kayaks and floats and the kids played on the trampolines. By 11am or so it was pretty crowded. We left around 12:30pm and went back to the port. The shops in the Punta Langosta area were fairly reasonable. Bought several tshirts that were in the $5-$6 range. We were glad to get back on the ship to enjoy the air conditioning!

 

Ship: You really have to study the deck plans in the cruise books at home. We brought those deck plans with us as the little card they give you in the room is barely helpful at all. The pools are very crowded at midday with sea days being the worst. Also, for first time cruisers note that you do feel the ship moving almost everywhere on the ship. The aft vibrations can get bothersome in Cafe Caribe and Skywalkers. Even while standing at the Passenger services desk which is midship on Fiesta, I could feel the floor moving. Give it a couple of days and you do get used to the movement. Surprisingly, while laying in bed the movement did not bother us at all. It was funny, though, to watch your clothes sway in your closet! We had moderate seas on only one day and on that day I took a half of a generic bonine. Took some ginger pills the first couple of days but never needed anything by midweek. No sickness was noticeable on our sailing. We were blessed with beautiful weather - no rain!

 

Even though there was supposed to be a good many kids on this ship, I did not notice them at all. Our boys went to the kids club twice and thought it was ok. They were happy to hang out with us and explore the ship. We were so busy with excursions on most days that they enjoyed relaxing the other times.

 

Our whole family would highly recommend this ship and we are all looking forward to a future cruise. It was truly a vacation of our dreams.

[Whimsy]

Thanks for the review. Glad you all had a wonderful time. It's great when your kids get to try new things on the menu.

[g35]

Thanks for the great review! I hope that my DD (11) and DS (16) are as adventuresome in the dining room as yours were.

 

We too have 2 inside cabins side by side on the Riveria deck. We were hoping to switch keys so DH and I can have a cabin to ourselves. Did you attempt to switch keys and if so, were you successful?

 

Also, did you ever use late night the kid sitting service? We were hoping to have at least one night to ourselves after 10p!

[TwinCruiserMom]

Thanks for the great review! I hope that my DD (11) and DS (16) are as adventuresome in the dining room as yours were.

 

We too have 2 inside cabins side by side on the Riveria deck. We were hoping to switch keys so DH and I can have a cabin to ourselves. Did you attempt to switch keys and if so, were you successful?

 

Also, did you ever use late night the kid sitting service? We were hoping to have at least one night to ourselves after 10p!

 

 

I shared a cabin with my daughter and my husband shared with the twin sons. It worked out great for us. We had two lanyards with cruise cards on them. One lanyard had my card and one of my sons, the other had my husbands, my daughter and my other sons. We then were able to get in each others rooms with no problems. The kids didn't need their cards as there were not soda stickers or charging privledges on them. Whoever was leaving the cabin would grab a lanyard and go. I suppose you could do the same and leave the kids in a room by themselves. It would all depend on how reliable your 16 year old is.

 

Also, I never used the sitting service. My husband and I would go off and the kids would watch TV (they have movies and cartoon channels) or read or just hang out together. My DD17 is very mature so I didn't worry about leaving them alone. We were so tired at night after all the excursions that we were back in the room by 10pm or so anyhow.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did :D

[Martin and Lindsey]

Thanks for leaving this review. I can hardly wait for Sunday, when we fly to Fort Lauderdale to get onboard and start our cruise.

 

We're lucky enough to be doing a back to back cruise. :D

[Coolmama_1]

Great review! Thanks for sharing.

[cruzkitty]

Thanks for taking the time to post your Review-I enjoyed ! Can't wait to board her again this September!!

[Lisaanne]

Thank you for your great review. Do you remember the names of the great servers that you had in the dining room? I would love to request them if we end up with anytime seating. We were on the Caribbean Princess when she was a few weeks old and we will be enjoying amother sail in September

[TwinCruiserMom]

Thank you for your great review. Do you remember the names of the great servers that you had in the dining room? I would love to request them if we end up with anytime seating. We were on the Caribbean Princess when she was a few weeks old and we will be enjoying amother sail in September

 

Our waiter was Willy and our Jr. Waiter was Jasper both from the Phillipines. I think Jasper is up for his two months off starting in September and Willy will be there until December. They do contracts with 10 months on and 2 months at home. The waiters rotate dining rooms. They may have one month in the Island, then one month in the Palm then one month in the Coral. I think you will find that there are many excellent waiters in the dining rooms. With anytime dining, if you do not like the ones you have the first night, try another section or restaurant. The pair we had the first night was just ok, but we were seated with Willy and Jasper the second and knew they were keepers!

 

Have a fabulous cruise!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just posted this review and wanted to share it with this board. You were all so helpful in planning our cruise and I cannot count the times I used information I learned here. I felt like I had "insider" information and it sure made our vacation much smoother and easier. If anyone has any questions, please ask away.

 

Our family of 5 (DD17, twin DS12) just returned from a fabulous week on the Caribbean Princess! This was our first cruise and will definitely not be out last.

 

Embarkation: That port is huge and we were glad that we were not the ones driving. :eek: It is a madhouse near the drop off point with busses and taxis everywhere. We arrived at 10:15 which may be too early as there were still people disembarking. We did find a nice port worker who directed us to the check in area. We were quickly through security and received #2 tickets. At noon, number 1 was called and 5 minutes later it was our turn. Went to Plaza desk and were first in line. Quickly received our cruise cards and were off to have our picture taken and then on to the ship. Easily found our rooms and then left to explore.

 

Stateroom: We had side by side inside cabins and thought they were great. The bathrooms are tiny and so are the showers but they were more than adequate. We have a travel trailer so the size of the cabin and bath were fine for us. The closet and shelf space is huge! Our steward was terrific and our room was always spotless. We immediately asked for and received egg crate mattress pads and robes. Also had him remove the horrible bedspreads and had him add a top sheet under the duvet. Beds were very comfy. The Plaza deck cabins are very quiet and the movement you feel is a gentle rocking not the vibrations you may feel in the aft.

 

Dining: Ate every night in the dining rooms. We all enjoyed dressing up. First night at the Palm and it was shaky and we felt the vibrations too much so the next night we went to the Coral. We got a terrific table by a window that night and also had the best waiter and jr waiter ever, so we requested that table for the rest of the week. We ate at 6pm each night since you cannot reserve between 6pm and 8pm. On Monday, after dinner, we reserved for Tuesday and Wednesday and on Wednesday they open the booking for the rest of the week. They do not guarantee you will get the particular table you want, but we gave them the table number and it worked out for us. Never had to wait for our table.

 

The menus were terrific and we always were able to find something delicious. The kids loved the fettucini for an appetizer since some of the appetizers are a little bizarre. Mostly skipped the soup (it was HOT outside!) but we did have delicious French onion soup one night. Lobster night was great, the crab legs were OK. You can always order a garden salad if you do not like the salad selection of the night. You can also order extra of things you like. (like lobster!!) Our children were treated with the highest respect from our wonderful waiters and they enjoyed ordering off the adult menus. Never had to order off the kids menu. I was proud of them for trying so many new dishes we don't eat at home. We looked forward to our wonderful table and wait staff each night.

 

Breakfast was room service or the buffet. The made to order omlettes are good. The Horizon can be very crowded so we usually sat further back in Cafe Caribe.

Lunch ranged from pizza to cheeseburgers to horizon court and we even ate in the dining room twice. Still like the dining room best as there are so many people on this ship and the buffets can get so busy.

 

Entertainment: Would have loved to enjoy MUTS but it was so hot during the day! We did watch a bit of this and that. The Caribbean Caliente show was very lively with lots of energy. We loved the cooking show on Saturday (the kids did too). The head cook and maitre d were like a comedy routine as they prepared the selections. So funny with their beautiful Italian accents! Afterwards, there was a tour of the galley which was fun for all of us to see.

 

Ports:

 

Princess Cays - A lovely beach break. We walked all the way to right when we got off the tender and found a nice shady place. Very rocky beach - water shoes are a must. The BBQ lunch was nice and the fruit carving demonstrations were fun.

 

Jamaica - booked a private tour with wonderful Marva Shaw! Went to Dunn's River Falls which was beautiful and a real workout. Marva took us for a drive around the real Jamaica and it was an eye opening experience. We are all much more grateful for what we have after seeing the poverty that these people endure.

 

Grand Cayman - the most beautiful beach ever. Left the ship very early and took a taxi to Royal Palms. Did not purchase chairs as we decided to just walk up the beach a ways. Found a lovely spot and dropped our towels in the white sand. Spent at least two hours bobbing in the crystal clear water. The colors are unbelieveable! The water actually looks fake because it is so blue and aqua colored. Took a taxi back to the port and went to a couple of shops. One that is located upstairs has 15 minutes of free internet which was nice.

 

Cozumel - so HOT that day! Took a taxi to Paradise beach and we were the first ones there. Used the kayaks and floats and the kids played on the trampolines. By 11am or so it was pretty crowded. We left around 12:30pm and went back to the port. The shops in the Punta Langosta area were fairly reasonable. Bought several tshirts that were in the $5-$6 range. We were glad to get back on the ship to enjoy the air conditioning!

 

Ship: You really have to study the deck plans in the cruise books at home. We brought those deck plans with us as the little card they give you in the room is barely helpful at all. The pools are very crowded at midday with sea days being the worst. Also, for first time cruisers note that you do feel the ship moving almost everywhere on the ship. The aft vibrations can get bothersome in Cafe Caribe and Skywalkers. Even while standing at the Passenger services desk which is midship on Fiesta, I could feel the floor moving. Give it a couple of days and you do get used to the movement. Surprisingly, while laying in bed the movement did not bother us at all. It was funny, though, to watch your clothes sway in your closet! We had moderate seas on only one day and on that day I took a half of a generic bonine. Took some ginger pills the first couple of days but never needed anything by midweek. No sickness was noticeable on our sailing. We were blessed with beautiful weather - no rain!

 

Even though there was supposed to be a good many kids on this ship, I did not notice them at all. Our boys went to the kids club twice and thought it was ok. They were happy to hang out with us and explore the ship. We were so busy with excursions on most days that they enjoyed relaxing the other times.

 

Our whole family would highly recommend this ship and we are all looking forward to a future cruise. It was truly a vacation of our dreams.

 

would you mind if I added your review to my website?

 

Bill

[TwinCruiserMom]

would you mind if I added your review to my website?

 

Bill

 

 

Sure, Bill, I would be honored! I love your site and I cannot count the times we read your menus and patters!!! Thank you for taking the time to keep up such an informative site!!

 

Kathy

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Sure, Bill, I would be honored! I love your site and I cannot count the times we read your menus and patters!!! Thank you for taking the time to keep up such an informative site!!

 

Kathy

 

Kathy,

Thanks for letting me post your review. It is very much appreciated.

You can find it here:

http://www.cruisingthecaribbeanprincess.com/review37Aws.html

 

Thanks again

 

Bill

[TwinCruiserMom]

Just a note for Caribbean Princess future cruisers:

 

The western menus posted on Bill's Caribbean Princess site were exactly the same as the ones we had on our July 8th cruise. I just printed them out to put in our scrapbook for our cruise.

 

Thanks Bill!

 

Kathy

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just a note for Caribbean Princess future cruisers:

 

The western menus posted on Bill's Caribbean Princess site were exactly the same as the ones we had on our July 8th cruise. I just printed them out to put in our scrapbook for our cruise.

 

Thanks Bill!

 

Kathy

 

Kathy,

 

Thanks for that confirmation. I understand new menus are being added fleetwide but don't know when the CBs menus will be changed.

 

I received the menus from Princess back in December. When they change them I'll see if they will send me the updated ones.

 

Bill