**Live on the CB** Mutiny?

[caribbean blue for me]

I understand the comments on older people. I have worked with seniors myself. Yes, they can be testy. However, I question including this in a "review". The passenger demographics are not something the cruiseline can control.

[resstation]

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.

 

I don't think he wanted Princess to do anything about it. I think it was good information for those who are "elderphobics" just as it would be if someone reminded us that the cruises are full of kids during Spring Break (duh) for those who can't stand kids. This kind of information could be useful for some people who are trying to figure out which cruise line is best for them.

[dcrow72]

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

 

 

I guess I'm getting closer to old now versus middle aged myself, but I could care less about the ages of the passengers. We had a great group of folks on the Crown repo last year of all ages. The CD did comment that the prior week's cruise everyone was in bed at 10 and he was happy to see such a fun group! Maybe it's just the itinerary (Canada/NE)? I don't know.

[DanJ]

When we were on the CB in January, both sides of Horizon Court, and Cafe Caribe were open at breakfast. I did find the one line only thing happening outside of those hours though. It did strike me as strange that HC was closed off, and most of the seating area blocked off, at dinner the one time we went up there.

[scubamargie]

Thanks for the very funny review. I read it aloud to my DH and we both laughed 'til we cried! I do understand the challenges of cruising with the elderly. We took the Tahitian Princess out of Tahiti a few years back and were amazed at the demographic -- people who could barely walk, on oxygen, I kid you not! Now on the whole it's not a problem for us, we're rapidly approaching the senior years ourselves, but everything from tendering to moving through the buffet is greatly slowed, and that can get irritating for Type A personalities like us. I sure hope they fix the food service & air conditioning problems before our November cruise on the CP. :(

 

One more comment that will probably get me in all kinds of trouble -- on the whole I think people from the south, midwest & west are far more amicable than Northeasterners. I'm not sure if it's the crowded way they live in general -- always fighting for their due -- or if it's just that rudeness is a way of life. Every time I've traveled to NY I cringe at the way they treat each other -- that would never be acceptable here in Texas. ;)

[MaryPoppinz]

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...:)

 

I beileve it was Halloween of 2006, but it may have been a little bit later that year. They are starting to blend into one great whole. (hole? LOL!)

[scubamargie]

My apologies for any offense my former post may have caused. I hate stereotypes -- you can imagine we Texans are saddled with quite a few. I have met many wonderful people from the Northeast on previous cruises -- but maybe the exception proves the rule ;) ;)

[crusdiva]

I beileve it was Halloween of 2006, but it may have been a little bit later that year. They are starting to blend into one great whole. (hole? LOL!)

 

I hear you! ;)

[Fairport]

One more comment that will probably get me in all kinds of trouble -- on the whole I think people from the south, midwest & west are far more amicable than Northeasterners. I'm not sure if it's the crowded way they live in general -- always fighting for their due -- or if it's just that rudeness is a way of life. Every time I've traveled to NY I cringe at the way they treat each other -- that would never be acceptable here in Texas. ;)

 

 

 

I live in Upstate NY, and I think that once you get out of the New York

City Boston corridor you will find people tho be pretty much like Texans, only with a different accent.

 

As for the Caribbean Princess, we sailed on her last November and do agree that that the AC needs attending, and the wait at the dining rooms were lengthy. We did have a wonderful cruise and wouldn't hesitate to book that ship again.

[frofro]

"One more comment that will probably get me in all kinds of trouble -- on the whole I think people from the south, midwest & west are far more amicable than Northeasterners. I'm not sure if it's the crowded way they live in general -- always fighting for their due -- or if it's just that rudeness is a way of life. Every time I've traveled to NY I cringe at the way they treat each other -- that would never be acceptable here in Texas. "

 

I've lived right outside Manhattan almost forever, and I can assure you, rudeness is not a way of life here. :eek:

[cruzinchris]

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

 

I wondered that myself :rolleyes: I opened the thread thinking that there was actually some type of uproar taking place onboard the vessel.

Chris

[Mom33]

I don't think he wanted Princess to do anything about it. I think it was good information for those who are "elderphobics" just as it would be if someone reminded us that the cruises are full of kids during Spring Break (duh) for those who can't stand kids. This kind of information could be useful for some people who are trying to figure out which cruise line is best for them.

 

Cruise ships are filled with people of all ages and if you are going to cruise a ship that holds 3000 people then you should expect different ages and attitudes onboard.

This OP singled out elderly people as one of his dislikes on the cruise.

 

How wonderful that aged people are still healthy enough to travel instead of wasting away their sunset years in front of a TV in a nursing home.

How sad that there are people who wish they would as it ruins their good time.

I hope when I become aged, I still have my health to cruise and travel.

Respect and consideration all around the ages would go a long way to making a cruise a pleasure.

[caribbean blue for me]

Cruise ships are filled with people of all ages and if you are going to cruise a ship that holds 3000 people then you should expect different ages and attitudes onboard.

This OP singled out elderly people as one of his dislikes on the cruise.

 

How wonderful that aged people are still healthy enough to travel instead of wasting away their sunset years in front of a TV in a nursing home.

How sad that there are people who wish they would as it ruins their good time.

I hope when I become aged, I still have my health to cruise and travel.

Respect and consideration all around the ages would go a long way to making a cruise a pleasure.

 

I could not agree with you more. I was very offended at the reference and it takes a lot to offend me on a message board. I will never understand the attitudes people take toward seniors. If everything goes the way you hope it does, we ALL will be seniors one day.

 

I enjoy talking with people of all ages but I especially enjoy talking with seniors. They often have much to say about their 80+ years on this planet. It's an interesting perspective that is worth hearing. Personally, I would have made a lot of friends on a cruise like that.

 

BTW- I am 39.

[flag fan]

A very useful post--thanks for all the information about the pros and (mostly) cons of this ship and this itinerary; it came a little too late for me since I'll be on a New England cruise on the CB next month. Actually, I'm still looking forward to it, but it's good to know some of the problems so I can be prepared for them--my main concerns are the air conditioning, the bed, and the noise (my cabin is under the lido deck); I'll see how it goes soon enough.

 

A couple comments on the demographics. I do not think the OP was being disapparaging of older people (I'm in my mid-50s), but reporting on her experience. For those who noted that it's not Princess's fault or there's nothing Princess could do about it, that's true (stop rushing to Princess's defense, no one said it was the cruise line's fault), but there is something we passengers can do--pick an itinerary or ship that is more likely to have a demographic mix with which we are comfortable. My understanding is that longer cruises and more expensive cruise lines are more likely to have older passengers and short cruises on certain lines are likely to have young and single passengers and cruises during certain periods are likely to have children or partying college kids (spring break). Some cruise lines and some itineraries have an international mix of passengers. There is nothing wrong with trying to pick a cruise that is more likely to have a passenger mix that you enjoy spending your vacation with; what mix that is will differ from person to person (some people like spending time with people like themselves, others enjoy new experiences or appreciate a variety of people.

 

Personally, I wonder if the general crankiness of the passengers is due to their age, their being New Yorkers, or the ship problems itself which sound like they can put a lot of people in a bad mood. I'm from upstate New York originally and have noticed that some New Yorkers (city, not state) can be pushing and demanding. It's a general stereotype, like the stereotypes based on age, so obviously it won't apply to everyone and might be unfair, but that's been my general impression. (And I love New York City (in small doses).)

[bellasorella]

Re: The Princess food quality issue:

I can't speak for the waits -- did not have them on Crown, my most recent Princess cruise, but I can say that the drop in food quality and dining room service in general is noticeable and has been a gradual decline for our past several cruises -- both on Princess and on Celebrity which have long vied for the 1-2 positions in dining excellence. I think budget and the economy have a lot to do with it, and I fully expect to see more of the same (and I, fear, a worsening) on our next Princess cruise in November. Nonetheless, I guess a drop from excellent to good is acceptable and we were spoiled on our first several cruises. Clearly, it has not stopped us from booking for the future. Just another sad result of the economic environment. BTW, although we took anytime dining on Crown and had it work out beautifully for us, we tend to stick to traditional (late) seating so we can have some control of timing and the level of service.

 

A final note: Fully booked ships, no matter which or when, always cause "issues" in service and some negatives in fellow pax' behavior. Thats why we try to avoid holidays, most of the summer, and spring breaks. But we are lucky to have that flexibility. Recognize that many are not.

 

And a hearty "I agree with you!!!" to Mom33.

 

 

Happy cruising all!!!

[bjkTX]

We had similar views on our fellow passengers when we took the Canada/New England cruise a few years ago. It was our first cruise and we were awestruck by just about everything. We were on the Golden Princess in a mini suite and thought we had died and gone to heaven. We elected anytime dinning since I prefer to eat based on the timing of my daily activities.

 

Our first evening we went to dinner and we were asked if we wanted to sit by ourselves or join a larger table - we joined the larger table.

 

Our table mates were all ladies, all older than we were (by a lot - and I was in my late 50s), and all from the East coast. It was pretty obvious they had all buried two or three husbands and were now spending their days cruising - if they didn't get off another cruise to get on this one, they were going on another as soon as we got back to NYC. They entire cruise we felt like the youngest people on board - not a bad feeling!

 

I have never heard so much bitching and complaining in my life. The ship, the waiters, the food, the weather - you name it, they found something wrong with all of it.

 

We were enjoying our first dinner on the ship, amazed at the selections, the service and the room - while they complained. When we got done my DW and I both said at the same time "I wonder where they eat dinner when they aren't on a ship?"

 

That one experience made sure we would never select traditional dinning - the thought of getting stuck with a table like that for a week would be too much to take.

 

Fortunately our four other cruises were totally different. We went back and did the Canada/New England cruise again as our 4th cruise and the experience was great - but by then we had found CC, had a GREAT Roll Call of fun people we spent most of the time with - so if the complainers were there we just didn't hear them :-)

[SueFrankuk]

Just a quick note to say we have just come back from the Norway Iceland cruise on the grand Princess and it was the best food ever.

This was our 8th Princess cruise and we have been on a cruise, I am trying to put this diplomatically, as being from the UK we love American cruising, but we were once on a ship where a lot of New yorkers, retired in Florida were on board and I have never heard so many complaints and disrespect to the waiters, I felt uncomfortable, it spoiled my cruise.

Still we are back to the Caribbean on the Emerald in November, so hoping all will be fine.

[resstation]

This was our 8th Princess cruise and we have been on a cruise, I am trying to put this diplomatically, as being from the UK we love American cruising, but we were once on a ship where a lot of New yorkers, retired in Florida were on board and I have never heard so many complaints and disrespect to the waiters, I felt uncomfortable, it spoiled my cruise.

 

Welcome to my world! Greetings from Florida. Try driving on the same roads - that's a forum all its own. LOL

[Sandytoes]

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.

It seems as though you were studying what others were doing \ saying then anything else. :rolleyes:

 

This cruise, for whatever reason, is really, really old. We’re 44 and I swear we are the youngest on the boat.

That is because most younger folks have children in school and are unable to cruise off season.

 

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 :cool: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 :rolleyes: had indeed passed away.

Captains nor any other cruise member never, ever announce over the

PA the death of a passenger.

 

I know I’ve stretched .......

 

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. .

 

Glad to hear that you had a great time aboard the CB.

[cruisemom42]

Just a word on the issues of the Horizon Court/Cafe Caribe closings:

 

When we were on CB in May, one of the two ship's staff who attended our CC get-together was the food and wine manager (not sure of exact title). Someone asked about the crowded buffet lines and he did mention that health code requirements specify that buffet lines have to be closed down completely every so many hours and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before they can be reopened. Thus they have a rotating schedule and I'm sure they do their best to keep as many lines moving as they can during peak hours.

 

He also said they have tried all different kinds of plans to help alleviate the congestion in the buffets. He didn't come out and say it, but for me the implication was that there are just too many people for the buffet to service without some waits. I think the situation is also partly due to the fact that more and more people choose to eat in the buffet rather than the dining room for all meals....perhaps a higher percentage than was planned for when the ship was constructed.

[HS2BS]

People complain because there is a reason and usually are glad to get away. As my wife says- no cooking. the food is served to me, no beds to make, and no cleaning. That why we all cruise!

[HS2BS]

We were on the 8/24 cruise and the problems are consistant, service, service, service. Ever since the cruise lines have been including the tipping in your onboard account the service has suffered. Those of you who cruised prior to this inclusion will remember when a tip ment "to insure promptness" and was rewarded.

We have cruised the Crown out of NY (06), and the Emerald out of Ft. Laudedale (08) with the same demographiccs. The CB is not fine or even that good - Princess should be looking at their team of managers, training and listen to the customers who do have valid complaints. A prime example that I can use was in Newport, where we had to tender in, was run by the female staff and they let everyone know that was why it was working - and it was. Not Like in Bar Harbor when it was backed up and seemed less organized.

On both Crown and Emerald we had anytime dining and it worked well, not on the CB? Has to be the head waiters who either have their hands out looking for the "tip" or the need to be retrained in customer service!

When service is less than expected then frustration levels rise repidly. Looking at the number of posts concerning the same problems it should be taken evident that this ship needs not only a physical overhaul but new administrative Staff to solve and correct the problems.

[resstation]

We were on the 8/24 cruise and the problems are consistant, service, service, service. Ever since the cruise lines have been including the tipping in your onboard account the service has suffered. Those of you who cruised prior to this inclusion will remember when a tip ment "to insure promptness" and was rewarded.

 

I don't mind the tips being included because I can go to the Purser's desk at any time and state my complaint and take away someone's tip if I needed to (I have never had to).

 

I prefer it this way, because the service people work hard and deserve a tip (most of the time). If tips were not included, there would be far more people not leaving a tip, not because of poor service, but because of being stingy or "running out of money" - oops. I actually read a post on this forum last week where the person had just come off a ship and had four more cruises booked in the future but refused to tip room service for bringing pizza because they charge $3 for it now. Come on. How pathetic. Granted, its a little strange that room service added a $3 charge for pizza, but I'm not going to order it if I don't want to pay $3 PLUS tip. It's free a couple of floors up if you get it yourself.

[caribill]

Anytime Dining means you can go to the dining room and line up at anytime you want during operating hours.

 

If the line is non-existent or short when you get there, you will be seated immediately or after a short wait.

 

If a large number of people decide to show up at the same time, the line and the wait will be much longer.

 

With the option of anytime, there is no guarantee that the passengers will want to eat at times throughout the evening. This may occur, or, at the other extreme, everyone may get hungry at the same time.

 

It apperars on this voyage, a large number of anytime diners want to eat at the same time, thus the lines.

[kendon]

Thanks for the very funny review. I read it aloud to my DH and we both laughed 'til we cried! I do understand the challenges of cruising with the elderly. We took the Tahitian Princess out of Tahiti a few years back and were amazed at the demographic -- people who could barely walk, on oxygen, I kid you not! Now on the whole it's not a problem for us, we're rapidly approaching the senior years ourselves, but everything from tendering to moving through the buffet is greatly slowed, and that can get irritating for Type A personalities like us. I sure hope they fix the food service & air conditioning problems before our November cruise on the CP. :(

 

One more comment that will probably get me in all kinds of trouble -- on the whole I think people from the south, midwest & west are far more amicable than Northeasterners. I'm not sure if it's the crowded way they live in general -- always fighting for their due -- or if it's just that rudeness is a way of life. Every time I've traveled to NY I cringe at the way they treat each other -- that would never be acceptable here in Texas. ;)

 

I'm from New York and I hesitate to sail with a New York crowd...I understand and I'm not insulted.