**Live on the CB** Mutiny?

[edzachary]

I frequent these boards for up-to-date information before every cruise we take. I consider this a very valuable resource. As I write, we are on the Caribbean Princess en route from Boston to New York, having to skip Newport tomorrow due to tropical storm Hannah.

 

I wanted to write a review of our week now while I’m still onboard and while many of these things are fresh in my mind. Quite honestly, like many here I was concerned in the months leading up to the cruise about the condition of the CB and the number of negative reviews we have seen from those cruising on her.

 

We are, by nature, pretty easy cruisers. When we cruise we do it to relax. We like cruising because the destinations come to us and once aboard there is little in the way of detail we have to worry ourselves with. We consciously choose to avoid most typical cruise activities -- such as formal night, onboard entertainment and activities etc because we like things really unstructured. By nature we are patient consumers and tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. In fact, if I had to rightfully describe ourselves I’d say we’re just a poor couple from Utah with 7 kids who cruise every now and again to “escape completely”, which means NOT stressing whether or not things are perfect on our cruise. We roll with the punches pretty well.

 

That being said, be prepared for another critical review of the CB. We have had a good time overall and that’s just because we were going to have a good time regardless. Princess really could have contributed to that if they were on top of things. But things are, frankly, slightly off on the CB.

 

Embarkation: Smooth as silk. Princess has this down compared to other cruise lines. We breezed in within minutes and were by the pool by 1:15pm on departure day. The ship by all initial appearances looks great. Yes, there are areas where time and use are showing. Perhaps that is why dry docked is scheduled. But as you read below, there are clearly other issues with this vessel.

 

Accommodations: For the first time ever we spent a little money. We didn’t get a suite but we did get a Lido deck room with a balcony. On the whole, this has been well worth the money. We find the level of service we get here on top versus what we have had over the years down around the Plaza level to be much better and more attentive. We like the convenience of being near everything and the views have been spectacular. Our one complaint about the rooms are the worn beds. Yes, our steward -- Hedy, for those keeping track -- has met our every needed expeditiously and with a bright, cheerful countenance. We have shared many laughs with her and will reward her good attention. But despite the extra pillows, the egg crate mattress topper, etc she can’t make up for the fact that the beds cause scoliosis. C’mon Princess, replace the dang beds. Also, the much rumored issues with the air conditioning are very much real. We have been fine for the most part keeping our door open during extended stays in the room. But day and night we have endured ship maintenance personnel servicing rooms around us in the hallways and in other staterooms. We returned from dinner one night to find him in our room leaving a note explaining that our air was now “all fixed”. I told him that I hadn’t complained, that we were just living with it. He apologized when he realized that he had clearly serviced the wrong room. I did tell him that we had issues, so that his time wasn’t wasted but in a small fit of frustration he admitted that he was simply worn out from all these air conditioning issues. Our itinerary has kept us pretty cool -- but the air conditioning is definitely an issue here on the forward areas of the Lido deck.

 

Food: This is my largest area of complaint with this cruise. Overall, we feel compared to past Princess cruises we have taken this is by far the most disappointing experience we have ever had on a cruise ship. Part of the problem stems from the fact that this ship is sold out. There are approximately 3100 people, not counting the crew, aboard, we are told. And the sheer logistics of that are not being managed well by Princess. On Sunday I tried making reservations at various venues -- the only thing available then was Friday night (tonight!), which is a formal night. Since we’re conscientious objectors to formal night we tend to lay low on those nights and stay in our room anyway. But every other night we have tried to use either of the dining rooms we have had one option only -- eat after 9:30pm or wait an hour or more. In fact, we had to laugh on Monday during the first formal night as we headed dutifully to the buffet we found lots of gowns and tuxes ahead us in line. My wife nudged me nervously and suggested that we had missed something because we had never seen formal wear in the buffet before. But a lady overheard us and told us to relax -- that they gave up waiting to get into the dining rooms and headed upstairs to just eat at a reasonable time. They were sorely disappointed and we heard this from many that night.

 

The buffets, however, aren’t being managed at all. Only one area is open at any given time. For the life of me, with more than 3000 on board, why they would ever close down the Horizon Court completely is beyond me. But they do it all the time. Café Caribe is open when the Horizon is closed, but it gets so over run that you can’t get a table and most of the food selection is nil. I’ve never seen this on a Princess ship before and it happens every night.

 

I know you can’t count on service in the buffet areas but is it asking too much for the stewards there to simply look for when you need water? We have had to ask for it every time. There are glasses on the table and full pitchers sitting at stations everywhere. But they have to be asked. Is this something new?

 

Getting a table at various times in the buffet is an experience we have never had trouble with before. I am certain it is because the Horizon Court spends so much of it’s time “down”. Breakfast, lunch or dinner it is the same thing -- everyone wants to eat at the same time but only one buffet line is open. You can’t even go to Café Caribe when one of the Horizon sides is closed. It is one line and one line only ALL THE TIME. Why? That means everyone crowds into one area and fights for tables. They won’t even open the table space in Café Caribe or the other side of the Horizon Court. They block access to those tables off. What gives?

 

We’ve never seen that before.

 

Couple that with the collective shortcomings of the passengers on this cruise (see below), and you’ve got a fascinating study in human behavior. I keep looking for hidden cameras to see if someone is in fact doing research on us.

 

Between the screwed up pile ups in the regular dining rooms and the one-sided mentality of the buffets getting a timely meal on a ship this full is an issue -- at every meal.

 

Then there is the food itself. Much of it is good. But too much of it is the same. We haven’t seen a breakfast yet that was any different from one day to the next. The same runny eggs, the same dry toast, the same Banana Museli, the same pastries are there every day. I got so desperate for something different I ordered room service for breakfast. I got cereal (sugar free mini wheats) without millk. Yum.

 

We are on night #5 of the cruise and it is the third night this week of the seafood buffet. I love shrimp and chowder as much as the next guy but can’t we shake it up a little? (You know, if they had more of those buffets running this wouldn’t be an issue…).

 

I am not one to get all giddy about the food on a cruise like some are. But

Princess has really blown it here in my view.

 

As for the other food venues -- pizza (good), burgers (not-so-good) and ice cream (great) -- they have their place now and then but when you start looking to them more than you should just to get access to something to eat then that is symptomatic of bigger issues. And for me, the food service on this ship just isn’t being managed correctly. Pure and simple.

 

Other food issues: don’t buy the soda card. I did it for convenience sake. But you cannot get a coke that isn’t flat the second it is given to you. I’ve tried it all over the ship. If you get it out of can, you’re ok. Otherwise, getting ready for flat syrupy yuck. Oh, and the guys at the bars near the pool areas -- if they know you have that sticker on your card -- they serve you last. I have endured this all week to the point of complaint -- which is something I never do. But I could only take so much of it. I’d be there standing and waiting for acknowledgement but the “paying” customers always came first. I ended up going to the passenger services desk and having a conversation about it.

 

Ports of Call: We have longed to do the Canada/New England run for a long time and it is absolutely as advertised. We especially wanted to avoid the warmer weather of the Caribbean or Mexico this time of year and we appreciated English-speaking ports. We also wanted to avoid issues with hurricanes. Alas, as luck would have it, we’re missing Newport tomorrow and heading straight into New York due to tropical storm Hannah.

 

Whodathunkit. But we cannot complain about where we have been. Each port has been exciting and we’ve been busy every day of this cruise.

 

Shore Excursions: We booked plenty through Princess and cancelled most of them. Two reasons: the after tours we had didn’t allow much time. We found ourselves rushed through them because the ship had to get out of dodge by 4pm each day. Big bummer. Also, the tour company they hooked up with, at least in Halifax, was pretty lame. We looked forward to the Titanic Museum tour but found the guide lacking severely, the museum itself had maybe ten minutes of stuff to look at and most of the cited sources for the Titanic stories told at the cemetery seemed to come from other passengers. Lame. In St. John, we set out on our own and had a fabulous time. Great stop. Bar Harbor was beautiful but what a tourist trap. Avoid the town, unless you like that kind of thing, and head out to Acadia or the other sites. In Boston our time was swallowed up by a tour of the presidential libraries of John Adams and JFK. Like the earlier tour, the guide was a real poop. But the venues were awesome and it was a good four hours spent in each place. This is a great, great itinerary and we plan to take it again to hit all the places we just haven’t had time to see.

 

Passengers: I have to make note of this. This is the 2nd time we have sailed out of New York on Princess. On the whole, we find the east coast crowd a fun bunch -- as long as they are not too old or too rich. This cruise, for whatever reason, is really, really old. We’re 44 and I swear we are the youngest on the boat. I’ve never seen it this bad before. Normally, we mix just fine with older folks but these people are just downright mean on this cruise. Some of it is inflicted by Princess’ lack of control over the food. I’ve never seen a crowd like this that prefers early dining. But given their age, I understand it. It could be a combination of the itinerary, the New York start and return, the time of year or all of this and more -- but the relaxed atmosphere you look for on a cruise just isn’t here. These people are uptight. They complain about everything -- the food, the elevators, the weather (always too hot or too cold), the sound (too low), and especially EACH OTHER. I have never seen so many adults acting like children on a cruise before. I have to tell this story. Today on the bus at the JFK library, we were rushing to get back to the ship and this couple, who had to be in their late 60s or early 70s, held everyone up taking pictures of each other in front of the library. Fine, whatever. They were the last on the bus but when they got there the old dude was absolutely wetting his pants that someone else was sitting in the same seat he occupied on the way in. It was a tour bus, open seating as they like to say. There were two perfectly good seats waiting for them once they got on board. But this guy had kittens and to the astonishment of nearly everyone he actually went to the tour guide and said “That guy took our seats!”. It was the most embarrassing thing I have ever seen in my life.

 

And I have seen things like that all week. In the dining room one night I watched a man and his wife argue about a fork. Loudly, Archie Bunker style. I’ve never seen behavior like this on a cruise ship. It amuses me more than anything else. It hasn’t ruined the cruise for me. But I’m going to think hard about the next time we want to sail New England, who we sail it with and when.

 

Unfortunately today we had a fellow passenger pass away. As we returned breathlessly from our tour and headed to get some lunch we heard them announce a Code Alpha to Deck 12. I told my wife that couldn’t be good news. Sure enough, within an hour the captain shared the twin news that we weren’t going to Rhode Island tomorrow and that we were not leaving Boston on time because of a medical emergency.

 

We were back in the room and watching, with half the ship it seemed, the drama unfold below us on the dock. We finally got out of town around sunset after the captain announced that the passenger had indeed passed away. So sad. I just hope it wasn’t one of those fighting couples whose last words to each other were bitter on a cruise ship.

 

Miscellaneous: The cookies on the cruise are great. The photographers are the least intrusive and least pushy we have encountered on a cruise. Room service is slow but they do get the details right when you ask for something.

 

I know I’ve stretched for positives here. It is not like me to complain. I won’t stop cruising but I will think twice about taking Princess again. I will definitely go back to the smaller ships if we can, as it seems we have fewer issues and a better experience overall when we do.

 

We have still had a great time and for me just being alone with my wife without the kids or distraction of work is worth it even if we had to wash all the dishes on the boat. It has still been a great time and one we’ll never forget.

 

I just wanted to give a heads up here because for months ahead of this cruise I used this board for my own information in making plans for it to be as fun as it has been. If you sail the CB in the weeks and months ahead, have a plan and have plenty of patience.

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the review.. We will be on the Star next month, not as many passengers as the CB but more than we are use to.. Hopefully it won't be as bad..

[noobiecruiser]

Thanks for sharing. We are also very laid-back cruisers and have sailed on two ships with purported (and real) engine and generator problems in the past. We have managed to have a good time nonetheless. Anyway, your review and embedded anecdotes was very enjoyable reading.

[dforeigner]

I have to give it to you. This is the first time I heard that a bed causes scoliosis.

 

Regardless, thanks for taking time to write a review.

[mii]

Thanks for the review.. We will be on the Star next month, not as many passengers as the CB but more than we are use to.. Hopefully it won't be as bad..

 

Larry, I have been on the Sapphire and the Diamond as you know and I have never had that problem with that many passengers. It just seems to me that the Caribbean Princess with those extra 500 passengers is the problem. This isn't the first time I have read that about the Caribean Princess with those extra passengers.

 

Marilyn

[Mom33]

"Passengers: I have to make note of this. This is the 2nd time we have sailed out of New York on Princess. On the whole, we find the east coast crowd a fun bunch -- as long as they are not too old or too rich. This cruise, for whatever reason, is really, really old. We’re 44 and I swear we are the youngest on the boat. I’ve never seen it this bad before. Normally, we mix just fine with older folks but these people are just downright mean on this cruise."

 

Are you saying that everyone of the "older folk" was rude an obnoxious? Are you implying that "older folk" should stay home in their rocking chairs so you 40 somethings can have fun?

You say the "older folk" were whining about everything? Perhaps you should read your review again. You sound like one of us "older folk".:)

[coiran]

We have been on the Emerald which is the same size as the CB and have not had any problems with food service or diversity or quality. It seems to be a curse that exists on the CB only - maybe instead of drydock they should scuttle the ship.

Ron

[Casshew]

Where does the Mutiny fit in the OP's review?

[frofro]

Thanks for the review.. We will be on the Star next month, not as many passengers as the CB but more than we are use to.. Hopefully it won't be as bad..

 

 

It definitely won't be as bad as the OP says, I was just on this ship, it was great. I hope future CB cruisers arent getting freaked out like I did before leaving. I know he's entitled to his opinion but it sounds a tad exaggerated. Sorry, just my impression....

[usha]

It just seems to me that the Caribbean Princess with those extra 500 passengers is the problem. This isn't the first time I have read that about the Caribean Princess with those extra passengers.

 

Marilyn

I think that's exactly it. There are way too many people on that ship.:eek:

 

BTW, edzachary, I enjoyed reading your review; thanks a lot!:D

[MaryPoppinz]

I think the ship and crew are showing the wear-and-tear of years of doing 7 day itineraries in the Caribbean. ?

 

I have only seen acting out and spatting amongs passengers on a cruiseship once -- it happened three times on a sailing from NYC. We enjoyed our cruise and I love New York City, but there was something amiss that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Our weather wasn't very good for part of the trip, so that might have bothered a lot of people. The overall vibe just wasn't the shiny-happy-people thing I'm used to on vacation. I'm with the OP -- in general, negative stuff and even the most minor drama on a cruise is *very* uncomfortable for me.

 

Sorry to hear about the death of the passenger on CB this week. Very sad.

[MaryPoppinz]

I think that's exactly it. There are way too many people on that ship.:eek:

 

I have been on this class of ship four times, and I didn't feel overcrowded on any of them. I'm not into the pool scene, though, and like the OP, not that big into the production shows...so we're not as likely to be in places (other than the dining areas) that draw crowds. And this complaint seems to focus on Caribbean Princess, rather than on Crown and Emerald -- all the same size. So, I think it's got to be something more than 'too many people, not enough space.'

 

One caveat: Godwin was at the clipboard in Anytime Dining when we sailed on Caribbean Princess several years ago. He is at the top of his game in keeping things flowing smoothly there. That is a *critical* position, and Princess could solve a multitude of ills if they could clone him.

[quincytoo]

I have enjoyed reading the review as we will be on the CB in less 8 weeks. We also have friends who are on this same cruise right now and they have been enjoying their cruise very much.

[Whimsy]

So sorry that your cruise isn't going the way you like. I have been on the CB 3 times and always have had a mostly positive experience. Hopefully your last few days will be better.

[resstation]

I have cruised an average of one or two times per year for the last 30 years. I have never sailed on Princess. Our cruise is next month on the CB Canada/New England itnerary. I have to say this is the first time where I am actually wondering if I made the right decision in choosing this cruise line/ship. Of course, the other lines I have sailed have had their negative posts on CC, but the posts regarding the CB and all of it's problems (especially in the dining rooms) are many. I don't think the posters are ALL complainers. The OP on this thread sounds to me to be quite objective and not stretching the truth. He is just recounting his observations.

 

I'm nervous!

 

I also don't think he meant ALL older folks are rude and obnoxious - but just like SOME teens and younger children that get painted with the same brush, lets admit that some older folks certainly have their own quirks! Yes, we all do at every age, but we all know what he is talking about, don't we? I sure do. I've lived in Florida for most of my life. Enough said! LOL

[NthernLgts]

So sorry that your cruise isn't going the way you like. I have been on the CB 3 times and always have had a mostly positive experience. Hopefully your last few days will be better.

 

I have sailed twice on this ship in the last three years (05 & 07). While I would agree that both experiences were definately positives, I would also say the overall experience slipped noticably from the first to the second time around. Food quality having slipped the most. Staff overall was not quite as attentive the 2nd time around too. And the beds, well, you've read all that before. I will sail this ship again, but definately will wait until after the overdue drydock. When this ship and crew has it "together" they can successfully pull off 3100 pax. With a ship in need of drydock, having noticable mechanical problems, and food quality slipping, they will have trouble making even 2600 people "escape completely".

[margeg]

I think that's exactly it. There are way too many people on that ship.:eek:

 

BTW, edzachary, I enjoyed reading your review; thanks a lot!:D

 

We sailed on the CB the year it was new, and we have said this right along. Too many people. Very very crowded. We will be on the Canada cruise 9/21, and we will try to be patient.

[dcrow72]

are the Crown and Caribbean the same size as far as dining and public spaces go? There seems to be a common theme here all summer long about the dining situations. We sailed Crown last year out of New York and never had to wait more than 5 minutes between 6:30 and 7:30. What is making the CB dining so difficult? I know a few have posted that things are wonderful on board but the vast majority raise critical and valuable points about problems. There's a few repeat posters who then jump all over them. People are entitled to their opinions and that what the boards are here for; opinions.

 

Thanks for your opinion of how things are going for you while on board. It's obvious that you're not alone as many threads on this board are reporting the same exact things. The Crown was our first Princess experience last year and have absolutely nothing negative to say about our week on her; we fell in love with Princess and booked this year's cruise while on board. I pray that our CB adventure next month will be the same. I definitely won't be happy with 1 hour+ waits to get into the dining room or long lines at the buffet or a lack of a/c while in the Caribbean-those things can ruin a vacation for some of the most patient of passengers especially when you're paying for 5 people and work hard for your money. I like the heads up given on the boards along with the suggestions on how to get around the problems. It seems from this OP's experience, going early as was previously suggested, didn't help this time.

 

As far as the age and disposition of the passengers goes, older folks in general have less patience and I can see where having to wait over an hour for dinner would make them less than happy. Standing in lines isn't fun for them either due to medical conditions, etc. Sounds like circumstances that are avoidable could improve the disposition of some of the passengers and make for a better time for everyone. Princess had better examine the issues on this ship and make some changes to improve their product quality before the naysayers outnumber the loyals. I'm still looking forward with an open and more educated mind to our next adventure on the CB. Thanks for the info.

[NthernLgts]

DCrow, IMHO the food quality slipping is a cost/cutback issue and nothing else. I do not think this is anything exclusive to the CB, or even Princess. The other issues merely magnify it. If you have anytime dining, make a reservation when you board. It should help reduce wait times.

[Colo Cruiser]

are the Crown and Caribbean the same size as far as dining and public spaces go? There seems to be a common theme here all summer long about the dining situations. We sailed Crown last year out of New York and never had to wait more than 5 minutes between 6:30 and 7:30. What is making the CB dining so difficult? I know a few have posted that things are wonderful on board but the vast majority raise critical and valuable points about problems. There's a few repeat posters who then jump all over them. People are entitled to their opinions and that what the boards are here for; opinions.

 

Thanks for your opinion of how things are going for you while on board. It's obvious that you're not alone as many threads on this board are reporting the same exact things. The Crown was our first Princess experience last year and have absolutely nothing negative to say about our week on her; we fell in love with Princess and booked this year's cruise while on board. I pray that our CB adventure next month will be the same. I definitely won't be happy with 1 hour+ waits to get into the dining room or long lines at the buffet or a lack of a/c while in the Caribbean-those things can ruin a vacation for some of the most patient of passengers especially when you're paying for 5 people and work hard for your money. I like the heads up given on the boards along with the suggestions on how to get around the problems. It seems from this OP's experience, going early as was previously suggested, didn't help this time.

 

As far as the age and disposition of the passengers goes, older folks in general have less patience and I can see where having to wait over an hour for dinner would make them less than happy. Standing in lines isn't fun for them either due to medical conditions, etc. Sounds like circumstances that are avoidable could improve the disposition of some of the passengers and make for a better time for everyone. Princess had better examine the issues on this ship and make some changes to improve their product quality before the naysayers outnumber the loyals. I'm still looking forward with an open and more educated mind to our next adventure on the CB. Thanks for the info.

 

 

Yes Crown/Emerald/Caribbean/Ruby are all similar with decks, pass counts, and venues. ;)

[caribbean blue for me]

I am sorry that the OP is not having a great cruise. I have been on the CB and did not feel it was crowded. I also never had trouble getting into the dining room for a meal.

 

However, my one complaint about the review is the reference to the older people on the ship. WHAT, pray tell, do you expect Princess to do about that? Should they limit the number of people in certain age groups?

 

It reminds me of people who include reviews of the weather. If it rains on my next cruise I will never book with Princess again.

[crusdiva]

Thanks for the review.. We will be on the Star next month, not as many passengers as the CB but more than we are use to.. Hopefully it won't be as bad..

Larry, I've sailed the CB 4 times and never had these issues - not to worry you'll love the Star.;)

 

One caveat: Godwin was at the clipboard in Anytime Dining when we sailed on Caribbean Princess several years ago. He is at the top of his game in keeping things flowing smoothly there. That is a *critical* position, and Princess could solve a multitude of ills if they could clone him.

Mary, when was this? I sailed the CB 4 times from May 2004 to June 2006 and know that she was Nicola Furlan's ship and he had his own people with him. I remember that Generoso Mazzone did some training on the CB before opening the Crown but Godwin never mentioned that he was onboard, I'm bummed that I missed him. :(

You're so right about him always being on top of his game...:)

[dcrow72]

I don't think the OP was bashing older folks, but having worked with the older folks as a nurse for over 25 years, as we age our patience disappears. Standing in line is very hard on them and I can see where things could get ugly with waits for food. I personally love cruising with an older crowd instead of the young and rowdy and so do my kids. Does anyone know if they are still using a beeper system so that you don't have to stand in line for an hour? I would think that would help some.

[Mom33]

I don't think the OP was bashing older folks, but having worked with the older folks as a nurse for over 25 years, as we age our patience disappears. Standing in line is very hard on them and I can see where things could get ugly with waits for food. I personally love cruising with an older crowd instead of the young and rowdy and so do my kids. Does anyone know if they are still using a beeper system so that you don't have to stand in line for an hour? I would think that would help some.

 

The one caveat here is that the 44 year old gentleman will be one of the older folks in 11 years.:D

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the live from comments. :)