Princess Newbie needing advice for Caribbean Princess

[tx121]

Hey all!

We are cruising on Princess for the very first time in March..on the Caribbean Princess: Southern Caribbean. Been on Carnival (2), RCL (7) and NCL (1).

Just wondering if anyone has done the itinerary for Aruba, Grenada, Dominica, and Bonaire...some advise on the MUST SEE and DO for those ports.

Also, how are the specialty restaurants on the Caribbean Princess?

We've cruised on RCL many times and feel we need a change....which is always needed...plus RCL doesn't stop at these ports--so it will be a good change of atmosphere which is always exciting!!

Are there any Princess activities onboard that are a must see/do?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!! =)

[dcrow72]

The CB is a lovely ship and you'll have the benefit of her drydock remodel (which she's undergoing now in the Bahamas).

 

I've eaten in Sabatini's twice and loved it each time. Tons of food, lots of different varieties. Well worth the $20 surcharge. You order your main entree and the rest is brought around on platters and served so that you can try many different things. The ricotta flan is a must! Have not tried the steak house which will now be Crown Grill.

 

Take the time to study the deck plans and wander for a while when you board; it's a little confusing at first and takes time to get used to. You'll find lots of small areas and not one huge area. The buffet area is huge and takes a bit of getting used to. There are actually 3 or 4 different buffet lines not all open at the same time. Plenty of food 24 hours a day in there. Most of it is very good. Make sure you hit the cold seafood buffet the first night on board; all you can eat shrimp, lobster claws, and king crab.

 

There are 2 main pools on Lido; both a nice size and both freshwater. One of the pools has the MUTS screen with great movies playing most of the day and night. If you don't like the noise, walk forward to the other and you won't even hear it.

 

If you have anytime dining, try going down to the Palms on deck 6. It's all the way aft and you need to take the back set of stairs to reach it. Less of a wait there, and loved the staff. Try the souffles; they are great and the fettucine alfredo.

[Av8tor]

Not sure if you've already check this, but there is another set of cruise critic boards called "Ports of Call." Go to them and read up on each of your stops for things to do and recommendations. Just remember, those posts are not Princess specific, so some cruise line-sponsored outings might not be available on your specific cruise. However, most cruise lines offer similar activities and you can always book activities on your own...

 

Happy Sailing,

paul

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We are doing the same cruise in May. We are Platinum on RCI, but are doing this cruise for the same reasons as you. I went on the Golden Princess with my Mom last January and loved it, so I felt confident taking our whole family on the CB!:)

 

We already have all of our excursions booked, all independent. I did a lot of research and found that these ports have many great options. Here are our choices. They have all been highly recommended on the Ports of Call boards as mentioned already:

 

San Juan - Segway Tour (2 hour)

 

Aruba - Jolly Pirates Sail & Snorkel

 

Bonaire - Private snorkel tour with Renee

 

Grenada - Mandoo Spice Plantation Tour

 

Dominica - Roseau Valley Treasures Tour with Levi of Bumpiing Tours

 

St. Thomas - Sunny Liston will take us directly to Sapphire Beach to chill out for a few hours on the beach, beverage in hand to relax after a port intensive itinerary. We have done Sunny's full tour in the past.

 

We are very excited about our choices. Whatever you choose, have a great time!:D

[penkitten86]

Hey all!

We are cruising on Princess for the very first time in March..on the Caribbean Princess: Southern Caribbean. Been on Carnival (2), RCL (7) and NCL (1).

Just wondering if anyone has done the itinerary for Aruba, Grenada, Dominica, and Bonaire...some advise on the MUST SEE and DO for those ports.

Also, how are the specialty restaurants on the Caribbean Princess?

We've cruised on RCL many times and feel we need a change....which is always needed...plus RCL doesn't stop at these ports--so it will be a good change of atmosphere which is always exciting!!

Are there any Princess activities onboard that are a must see/do?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!! =)

 

Sunny AZ girl,

My first cruise was also on the CB (loved it) if your into trivia games they are tons of fun. I enjoy them anyway. Don't know if the CB does but the Grand had a ice cream social around 3:30pm every day in the horizon court buffet area. I enjoy ice cream. Just relax and enjoy. Bon Voage

edie

[TrinaLC]

As someone else mentioned, the buffet area is confusing. I would recommend walking around it during a lull (perhaps before lunch gets busy).

 

Also be aware that it is divided into two parts. The front part (Caribe, I think) has a "specialty" dinner, with wait service for drinks, and a gussied up atmosphere. It also has a "theme", eg. Bavarian.

 

During breakfast, different food items are served in the two parts. As I recall, i could get Salmon in one part, but not the other, and eggs benedict in one, but not the other. So take the time to get to know these buffet areas!

[cruiser07]

We loved the CB. We sailed in '06 out of Ft. Lauderdale and planning '10 out of San Juan. We loved the Horizon buffet and ice cream at 3:30. We also loved the adult only pool up front (by the spa). There were very few people up there. As far as things to do: we did BINGO twice and I won $250!! WOOHOO! I hope you have a great trip!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I understand the Caribe Cafe is where the seafood buffet is served for sailaway. Do you know what the hours for that is?

[dbdave]

If I remember correctly, the seafood buffet in the Cafe Caribe was from 6 pm until 10 pm. I very much enjoyed it!:D

[tx121]

First..thanks all for the advice so far....it's helping me get motivated and excited about the cruise!! Only 1 month and 2 weeks away!!!! =) The seafood buffet sounds sooo good right now!! My mouth is watering--haha! Just wondering if that is worth skipping the first night in the main dining room? or maybe should we do both?!! haha! We are on vacation after all , right? lol! Sabatinis also sounds like a restaurant to try ....we usually try to do at least one specialty restaurant a cruise.

I'm also excited about the Movies Under the Stars......hopefully we get good night weather ...not too windy or wet!!

Any other suggestions to do while on the CB?

[dcrow72]

the seafood buffet was available at 5:30 PM. We went there and indulged as appetizers, waited a couple of hours and then went to the Palm and had our dinner. One of the many benefits of anytime dining! We skipped the appetizers that night! There were plenty of other options for the non seafood folks to eat at the buffet that night as well.

 

If you can't find seating inside in the am for breakfast, walk all the way back/aft and go out the doors. There's always seating out there and many times we had the entire area to ourselves.

[MXGirl]

We were on the CB for 2 weeks in December. The seafood buffet was wonderful. Lots of crab, shrimp and lobster claws. Just a note, if you have them or can get a hold of a pair, take you some crackers to eat the lobster. Without the proper equipment, they are almost impossible to remove the meat to eat since they are not cracked real well. There was a lot of people trying to use forks but they were not having much luck.

[zacc]

We sailed on the CB Sept 08 and loved her.....you will have no problem finding things to occupy your time! Just curious, we will also be on the CB-same itinerary-sailing March 8. We have a nice roll call going...if you are the same date stop in the roll call and say hello.

[JustinPlusLauren]

We did this exact cruise in December and I wrote a blog about the trip! Check it out if you're interested:

 

http://poolieandloolie.blogspot.com

 

It is from a journal I kept during the trip each day, transcribed with photos & videos from the trip!

[ShipsandDipper]

One of the things that I liked on the CB was the afternoon tea in one of the dining rooms. Scones, sandwiches and pastries served off trays by gloved servers, and of course lots of tea! Not that I needed any more food, but it was a nice break!