AriesLV Posted March 26, 2008 Author #26 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Wow thanks for the honest review.. the good the bad the ugly it helps us who are yet to know...! Do you remember any specials regarding excurisions? and what about spa deals? I am hesitant to book lotus spa just yet as on the carnival cruise the offered 'one time daily' deals.. every day but they were discounted. My best friend of about 25 yrs and I are doing the Single Cruise thing but very interested in mingling with all the cruisers! Thanks Tam Hi Tam - I don't remember any specials regarding excursions; I'm pretty sure I'd remember too. You could still book excursions on the boat though, if there was room. There were, however, daily spa specials. I mentioned the 20-20-20 deal in my review, which we thought was a good deal. They also had something like "women's specials" and "men's specials" a few times. The women's was offered on formal nights I remember. Hope that helps! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriesLV Posted March 26, 2008 Author #27 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Thanks for the review. We were just assigned cabin D615. Across the ship and down a little way from you. We thought the Dolphin deck was very well situated. There wasn't a lot of traffic (you know, lots of people talking in the hallway and such), but a quick walk down the stairs to levels 5-7, where you find the theaters, dining rooms, casino, and most of the other stuff. Hope you enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrinaLC Posted March 26, 2008 #28 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Wonderfully written and engaging review! We sailed the week before you and it brought back memories! Especially the sadness of pulling in on Sunday ... The only thing I'd differ with you on was the food. We found it to be really quite good - and I do like spicy/interesting food. We did try lots of different small portions, so maybe that helped. But really did enjoy the buffet, found it to be much higher quality than experienced on NCL/RCCL/Carnival. (I bet our expectations were lower than yours!) One question though - the Dolphin balconies are completely exposed I think. Did that make them less usable/enjoyable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriesLV Posted March 26, 2008 Author #29 Share Posted March 26, 2008 I knew that the balcony was going to be exposed, even though my travel agent "assured" me that they were not (got much better info here than from her!). In many ways, all the balconies are exposed. Just as anyone could see what we were doing on ours, we could simply look up and see very clearly into the balconies of decks 10 on up. I did feel a little exposed at times, but it didn't stop me from enjoying (immensely!) our balcony. On the plus side, I think our views of the docks and ocean was a little better than on the other decks. I wouldn't hesitate to do the dolphin deck again. We had really easy access to decks 5-7 (the atrium area) by stair - and lord knows we needed that exercise! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMargie Posted March 27, 2008 #30 Share Posted March 27, 2008 We are sailing in less that 2 weeks and from what I've been reading I was getting a little nervous. My husband surprised me 1 week ago with a 25 year anniversary cruise. I'm getting pretty excited now thanks to your review. Do you remember what movies were shown on MUTS? That is my absolutely favorite thing to do on this ship. We have sailed twice on the CB and this will be our first balcony. Cannot wait. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriesLV Posted March 27, 2008 Author #31 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I agreer - MUTS is pretty awesome! Here are the ones I can remember: Finding Nemo (playing the afternoon we left Ft. Lauderdale), Bourne Ultimatum, U2 Vertigo, Michael Clayborne (not in MUTS - it was shown in the theater), Herbie Fully Load, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, MI-III, Batman Begins, Superman Returns, Night At The Museum, Wild Hogs, Shrek III, The Devil Wears Prada, Grease, ET, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I Can't Remember Any More :) Congrats on 25 years - a major achievement!! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time. Vacations are more about the people you are with than anything else, so I'm sure it'll be wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Boat Dream Posted March 27, 2008 #32 Share Posted March 27, 2008 You have a great attitude! I enjoyed reading your review. i'll be on the CB in 97 more days. I'm so glad you are a new convert to our cult! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&F Posted March 27, 2008 #33 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Great review! One can tell it was written by an English professor. Such colorful and descriptive language! We will be on her (CB) in July. I am hoping it is just as good as, or actually exceeds, our cruises on the Crown the last two years. My Princess cruises do seem to get better and better each year, so I'm sure we will have a blast. Thanks again, Freddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriesLV Posted March 27, 2008 Author #34 Share Posted March 27, 2008 How are the perks for return cruisers? We were a little curious about that. Do they really make it worth your while to keep coming back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeBeGone Posted March 27, 2008 #35 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Loved your review. We're going on the Caribbean in May, our 11th Princess cruise but first on this ship. The "perks" of being a repeat customer depend on how many cruises you have taken but anyone who has sailed on Princess even once gets a past passenger rate which saves you money right up front. To read about all the on board perks, go to https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/jsp/memberShipBenefitsForProspect.jsp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martini cruiser Posted March 27, 2008 #36 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Loved your review, I leave on Sunday on the CB. I just read the other (negative review) from your cruise and thought oh no, I've picked the wrong one this time! After reading and smiling through your review I'm more up beat. Even though I've taken quite a few cruises this is just my 2nd Spring Break Cruise, the other was a 10 Night Southern Caribbean that left from San Juan so there were not a lot of little cruisers. I've come to the conclusion that it's 90% attitude that influences whether or not you have a good cruise experience. If the ship is over run by kids I'll just retreat to the bar! Martini's are a miracle cure for a bad attitude! The worst cruise I've ever taken was great! Martini Cruiser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencerdrivecruiser Posted March 27, 2008 #37 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I was on the CB recently and found the meat was really low grade. The buffets were good and there is always something to eat 24/7 which is more then I can say for RCL. Spencer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmpressofPurple Posted March 27, 2008 #38 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Loved your review -- I am VERY fond of long, chatty reviews that provide play-by-play of what you do all day. By the way: seafood on Princess ships is AMAZING (not so good on RCI)... however, Princess meats, not terrific (while they are excellent on RCI). I am a seafood lover, so I MUCH prefer Princess' dining offerings; so sorry you can't eat shellfish and don't enjoy other fishies... Glad you found your own space onboard, especially a spring break cruise with 800 little ones! (Though yes, it is cute when you see a bunch of them running around...) I have been cruising with my offspring since they were of the "cute tyke" age -- and they are now both legal, so we've been at this for a while -- trust a confirmed member of the cruising cult, it only gets better. Looking forward to YOUR next cruise so I can read all about it! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriesLV Posted March 27, 2008 Author #39 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Loved your review, I leave on Sunday on the CB. I just read the other (negative review) from your cruise and thought oh no, I've picked the wrong one this time! After reading and smiling through your review I'm more up beat. Even though I've taken quite a few cruises this is just my 2nd Spring Break Cruise, the other was a 10 Night Southern Caribbean that left from San Juan so there were not a lot of little cruisers. I've come to the conclusion that it's 90% attitude that influences whether or not you have a good cruise experience. If the ship is over run by kids I'll just retreat to the bar! Martini's are a miracle cure for a bad attitude! The worst cruise I've ever taken was great! Martini Cruiser! I was really surprised that I wasn't bothered by everyone's kids. We tended not to go to the 'everyone' pools though (only the two adult pools), so perhaps I just missed them. The kids I saw in the dining rooms were very well mannered, I thought, and they certainly weren't tearing up and down the hallways on the Dolphin deck, so I was happy. I agree with your comment about attitude. NO ONE was going to ruin this vacation for me, and I just laughed at the few rude people we saw (who were in such a minority from my vantage point). I was on a boat in the Caribbean - how bad could it be? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AriesLV Posted March 27, 2008 Author #40 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Loved your review -- I am VERY fond of long, chatty reviews that provide play-by-play of what you do all day. By the way: seafood on Princess ships is AMAZING (not so good on RCI)... however, Princess meats, not terrific (while they are excellent on RCI). I am a seafood lover, so I MUCH prefer Princess' dining offerings; so sorry you can't eat shellfish and don't enjoy other fishies... Glad you found your own space onboard, especially a spring break cruise with 800 little ones! (Though yes, it is cute when you see a bunch of them running around...) I have been cruising with my offspring since they were of the "cute tyke" age -- and they are now both legal, so we've been at this for a while -- trust a confirmed member of the cruising cult, it only gets better. Looking forward to YOUR next cruise so I can read all about it! :) I'm looking forward to my next cruise too - lol! We've already started looking into it more. I know what my spring break dates are for 2009, and it's clear that Princess and everyone else have LOTS of ships out at that time, with lots of itineraries. We were talking last night about it: I could happily go on the same itinerary next year and see totally different things (with lots more snorkeling!). We couldn't see a fraction of what there was to see in the time given. I'm starting a cruise jar for all our pennies :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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