Caribbean Princess - Thanksgiving Cruise - 11/20-11/27

[pxgrant]

Well - we are BACK! :(

 

We had a fantastic time with a few bumps in the road - but what can one expect when the Ship was completely sold out. You have to expect some delays.

 

Pre-Cruise on Thursday and Friday 11/18 and 11/19 - we stayed at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper in Fort Lauderdale - AWESOME - we had a room in the tower that was right on the beach - room overlooking the water - what a way to start our vacation. The employees there were wonderful also - couldn't do enough for you. We ate in the Dining Room and we went to the bar when they had happy hour from 5-8 with entertainment - no cover. It was great.

 

Saturday we figured that if we got to the Port at 1:00 that we would be able to walk right in - clear customs - and be in our stateroom quickly - WRONG. Again, ship was sold out so that was the reason, I believe, for such a long wait. However, Princess has it VERY organized by deck so it really wasn't so bad. We were on board by 2:15 - it just seemed longer. When we sailed Costa 3 years ago it took us almost 3 hours to get on board, so it was OK.

 

The Get together at Tradewinds really didn't materialize but we did meet some nice people and then prepared for sailaway with our Cocktail of the Day - Jamaicaman Sail away Punch in our Hurricane Glasses. Was great.

 

Our Stateroom was fantastic - Mini Suite on Dolphin Deck with uncovered balcony - was great. Our Steward "Lito" was awesome too. He kept our room stocked with towels, ice, anything that we asked for and we had his pager # in case we needed anything.

 

Everyone that was Princess related-from room service - dining room - steward - VERY nice. Everyone had a smile on their face. Was perfect.

 

San Juan was AWESOME. We got off the ship and there was a tour leaving for $15 per person. He took us all around Old San Juan - new San Juan - to the Capital Building and gave us a great commentary. Very enjoyable.

 

St. Thomas - also great - we did the Godfrey Tours for $20 per person. We didn't need the beach - however my grown daughter and her friend stopped at Magens Bay for the 2 hour beach time - she said it was great.

 

St. Maarten - I wouldn't care if I ever stopped at this port again. We probably should've gone to the French Side but we went to Phillipsburg to do some shopping. I would rate it a 3 out of 10. But, some people think it is fantastic - again, a matter of opinion and what you like to do.

 

The balance of the sea days were wonderful. We had Anytime Dining also and had absolutely NO problem with going in and having dinner. We mainly used the Coral Dining Room - we had awesome waiter and assistant waiter. I would give them a 10 out of a 10.

 

Horizon Court was good - buffet style - plenty of choices. Caribe Cafe was excellent - we did that Friday night because we had gone to Sterling's for Friday lunch and were still full.

 

Sterling's - OH MY GOD! If you are sailing on the Caribbean Princess - it is well worth the $15 charge. This was a real treat and I am so glad that we did it. We had the best steaks that we have ever tasted. I had the 8 oz. Filet Mignon and my husband had the 16 oz. Porterhouse. TO DIE FOR. AND they make you feel like you are the only person in the restaurant - 10 OUT OF 10.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze - we had an 11:15 flight out of Lauderdale and we were in the airport by 9:45. Princess made sure that we had the first colors off the ship. It was great.

 

We had one other bump in the road - we had problems with toilets in about 8 cabins the afternoon we came back from St. Maarten but Princess fixed it very quickly - some time of leak. I just went down to Deck 7 a few times and it was fine.

 

So - as you can see - We had a great time. We were celebrating my husband's 60th Birthday and he really enjoyed it. If you have any questions please feel free to E-Mail me anytime at peggy_grant@putnam.com.

 

Happy Sailing and Happy Holiday Season.:)

[Discount-Eyewear]

Are you sure it was 16 oz Porterhouse? I was on a few weeks ago and it was a 22 oz LOL Glad you had a good time I am going back soon.

[TorontoTL]

I'm so glad to hear you had a wonderful time. I was getting worried about my booking on the 29th of Jan. So many posts had negative comments that it made me wonder about the CP.

[pxgrant]

OH - you are probably right - it probably was the 22 oz. Porterhouse. It was certainly very large, but VERY tender.

 

Oh - you will absolutely LOVE your cruise in January - just remember that some people just can't be pleased no matter what you do for them. Every cruise is what you make it - if you want to dwell on the negative you make yourself miserable.

 

As Princess said for the survey they pass out the day before you leave - they had grades from Poor to Excellent but they said to keep in mind that Excellent DOES NOT mean perfect - it means that they met or exceeded your expectations. Most everything that I rated was either Good or Excellent. They TRY HARD.

 

Enjoy your future cruises. Ours will probably be on the Golden in April of 2006 to the Southern.

[Rustynail]

Thanks for such a positive review. What night should we book Sterlings?

[pxgrant]

Do yourself a favor and book Sterling's as soon as possible after getting on the ship.

 

End your cruise with a Special Dinner - it will be so memorable for you and end what is already a perfect vacation. I would say Friday night. That way you won't have to miss either formal night.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the gorgeous Caribbean Princess.

 

Peggy

[mandiecandie5]

Thanks for the review! I'm definately booking Sterlings. Did you just call that reservation in when you borded? Thanks :D

[IKE]

Thank you so much for you review of "Caribbean Princess". We just booked her today for this coming Feb. Looking forward to it. I take reviews with a "Grain of Salt" as there are so many negative cruisers out there. There is no such thing as "Perfect". People should be happy they can enjoy the luxury of a Cruise. So many people in the world have nothing. We should be happy We have this luxury.......Life is short so We should make the most of every minute.

[Ziggy7]

What is the dress code like for Sterling on a casual night ???

We dont care if we need to dress up but we would like to dress they way others are :)

[Ziggy7]

What is the dress code like for Sterling on a casual night ???

We dont care if we need to dress up but we would like to dress they way most others do :)

[pxgrant]

1 - Sterling's books up VERY quickly. After your sail-away party and when you are relaxing in your room - call the Reservation in right away. You will be GLAD that you did.

 

2 - Dress - I wore white pants with a black blouse. My hubby wore an Island shirt and a pair of chinos, my daughter wore a pair of slacks and a blouse and her friend wore chinos with a nice shirt. No ties, No formal wear - be comfy (NO SHORTS though).

 

I absolutely KNOW that you will be pampered big time - you will have a waiter and his assistant that will serve you well.

 

ENJOY. Hope you have a wonderful cruise experience. She is the BEST.;)