SeaPA
May 3rd, 2004, 10:02 AM
I just returned from a week on the Caribbean Princess (onboard for the week of April 24 thru May 1). Our travel party consisted of my wife, our 1 year-old son, and I. We thought the ship was beautiful and had a wonderful time. We have only limited cruising experience - a 4 night trip on Carnival Jubilee, two 3 night trips on Disney Wonder, and several trips on a little ship that used to run as the Regal Empress that now runs out of Lauderdale as the Imperial Majesty, and 1 drunken week on the Windjammer Flying Cloud. Compared to all of those ships, the CP is simply gorgeous.
Thoughts on the ship in general:
It is huge, but I thought laid out nicely. Plenty of elevators, so the wait time for them was minimal, even during peak-use times. The lobby area and the glass elevators were very nice. There are plenty of bars with a variety of atmospheres. Also a bunch of pools & loads of deck space; after a day or so, things had shaken out such that those who wanted a certain atmosphere had congregated into various areas (i.e. younger, party-hard crowd in one area, those looking for calm & quiet into a different area, those with kids into another). Princess has moved away from “suggested tips” with envelopes in the room to a setup where they automatically put the tip on your account unless you go to the pursers desk & have it removed. I understand & appreciate that this is to help ensure that the staff doesn’t get stiffed, but I’m not altogether sure that I like the approach. The staff was friendly, but not nearly as friendly/helpful as I’ve experienced on my other cruises.
General Thoughts on the Room:
Not much to say, we had a lower, inside cabin – basically the cheapest cabins on the ship. The steward was wonderful. The room was small and, of course, dark since there were no windows. In the room, you have no earthly idea if it is 3 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. I would suggest bringing a lighted clock, especially if you’re in one of these rooms (the only clock in the room is an lcd display on the room telephone). Shower only (no bathtub). The baby had big fun pulling the Kleenex out & throwing them on the floor. I kept taking the box out & putting it up on the shelf, & Willie (the steward) kept putting it back in the holder (under the sink) when he’d make up the room. After a couple of days of this, I explained to him why I was taking it out; not sure he quite understood since we repeated this game throughout the trip. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
General thoughts on the Food:
Since we had the baby, we chose to eat at the buffet instead of risking a dinner-wrecking meltdown (our son is a very happy, well behaved child, but no child can be expected to sit still in a highchair for as long as dinners take on a cruiseship). So the only times we ate in the dining room was breakfast on several days; the breakfasts were quite good - far better than the few days we had breakfast at the buffet. Pancakes, eggs & such just don’t keep well under a heat lamp, IMHO. For lunch we mostly ate at the outdoor places by the pool. The pizza place is very good, churning out NY style pizza (pepperoni, cheese & the pizza of the day). The grill offers burgers, hot dogs, brats, knockwurst, veggie burgers & on some days grilled chicken breast. I only tried the burgers from here; they were quite good. Wifey had a brat one day, it needed to be cooked a bit longer for her tastes. I noticed that those wanting the veggie burger (why would anyone want one of those things????) were waiting awhile (they start out frozen, while everything else is thawed). Dinners for us were primarily at the Caribe Café and/or the adjoining buffet. They had a very nice variety of foods from one night to the next. We found the food to be quite good – not “oh my god this is the best thing I’ve ever had” good, but quite good nonetheless. I am a very fussy eater and I never had any remote problem finding something that I enjoyed (there were typically 6 or 8 main course choices, lots of side dish and appetizer choices and a full salad bar). Bottom line is you’ll find something you’ll enjoy; I especially enjoyed trying the different “island-style” dishes, and the prime rib on Friday night was excellent.
We did attempt dinner at Sterlings Steakhouse one night; for us this was a big mistake (although in different circumstances I’d recommend it). There is an additional charge of $15 per person to eat here. Our problem was that the baby got fussy right after the main course arrived, so I took him outside while SWMBO ate, then she came out with him & I went back in to eat my meal. Huge, dumb mistake on our part, attempting to eat there with him. The steak was fantastic, one of the better steaks I’ve ever had. Tender, juicy & flavorful – just wish we could’ve eaten together. The salad was ok but not special, the appetizers were quite good, the baked potato was, well, a baked potato. The atmosphere was very nice – quiet & romantic, dimly lit, etc. In hindsight, if we had it to do over again we’d have tried the Italian restaurant, which is more of a bouncy, lively atmosphere that would have kept him entertained & where a mild amount of noise from him would not have been so noticeable (note to SaltyDawg – he would have quickly been ushered out of there, too, if he got fussy). http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Ports of Call:
St Thomas:
We were simply stunned by the amount of shopping there – jewelry stores are everywhere. We’re not much into shopping or jewelry so we just strolled around town & then took an island tour on an open-air bus. Prices on this seem to be highly negotiable. The folks seated in front of us paid $25 per person, the folks behind us paid $15 apiece. We paid $40 for the three of us. The trip went around the island & stopped at a few scenic overlooks, then up to the highpoint of the island to the little bar/giftshop there. On the way back, we could be dropped off in town or at the cruise dock, our choice. We went back in town, walked around a bit more & had a drink. Enjoyed the stay here, the island is pretty & clean, although a bit highly developed for my tastes (I prefer lightly developed locales).
St Maarten:
The island is quite pretty. The cruise dock is on the outskirts of town on the Dutch side; we took a cab to town & strolled around there for awhile. The stores/vendors/timeshare sales folks were more aggressive than in St Thomas (but less so than, say Nassau). We then rented a jeep for the rest of the day. Again prices are very negotiable for this. The guy’s first price quote was $70 for the day; we ended up renting it for $45. Basically one main road runs around the island, so it would be hard to get lost. Worked our way around to Orient Beach, which is extremely pretty. I could easily see us staying in one of the hotels near there for a week or so. Several nice little beach bars & restaurants in the area; beautiful white sand & blue water. Personally I preferred St Maarten to St Thomas, but that’s just me. On our return to the Dutch side, we returned the car & hung out at the little beach area right by where the water taxis run. There is a little bar & grill right there with prices that were quite reasonable (we had a couple of beers, a soda & an appetizer platter for about $15). The food was quite good; I especially liked the jerk chicken wings. The baby loved the conch fritters, right up until he got a bite with some diced jalapeno pepper. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif He didn’t much care for the burning sensation in his mouth. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
That’s pretty much a summary of my thoughts. I won’t waste time & space talking about Princess Cay since it’s so easy to get info on it If anyone has specific comments or questions I’ll be happy to answer as best I can. I’ve already covered “beer on the CP” in another thread.
Thoughts on the ship in general:
It is huge, but I thought laid out nicely. Plenty of elevators, so the wait time for them was minimal, even during peak-use times. The lobby area and the glass elevators were very nice. There are plenty of bars with a variety of atmospheres. Also a bunch of pools & loads of deck space; after a day or so, things had shaken out such that those who wanted a certain atmosphere had congregated into various areas (i.e. younger, party-hard crowd in one area, those looking for calm & quiet into a different area, those with kids into another). Princess has moved away from “suggested tips” with envelopes in the room to a setup where they automatically put the tip on your account unless you go to the pursers desk & have it removed. I understand & appreciate that this is to help ensure that the staff doesn’t get stiffed, but I’m not altogether sure that I like the approach. The staff was friendly, but not nearly as friendly/helpful as I’ve experienced on my other cruises.
General Thoughts on the Room:
Not much to say, we had a lower, inside cabin – basically the cheapest cabins on the ship. The steward was wonderful. The room was small and, of course, dark since there were no windows. In the room, you have no earthly idea if it is 3 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. I would suggest bringing a lighted clock, especially if you’re in one of these rooms (the only clock in the room is an lcd display on the room telephone). Shower only (no bathtub). The baby had big fun pulling the Kleenex out & throwing them on the floor. I kept taking the box out & putting it up on the shelf, & Willie (the steward) kept putting it back in the holder (under the sink) when he’d make up the room. After a couple of days of this, I explained to him why I was taking it out; not sure he quite understood since we repeated this game throughout the trip. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
General thoughts on the Food:
Since we had the baby, we chose to eat at the buffet instead of risking a dinner-wrecking meltdown (our son is a very happy, well behaved child, but no child can be expected to sit still in a highchair for as long as dinners take on a cruiseship). So the only times we ate in the dining room was breakfast on several days; the breakfasts were quite good - far better than the few days we had breakfast at the buffet. Pancakes, eggs & such just don’t keep well under a heat lamp, IMHO. For lunch we mostly ate at the outdoor places by the pool. The pizza place is very good, churning out NY style pizza (pepperoni, cheese & the pizza of the day). The grill offers burgers, hot dogs, brats, knockwurst, veggie burgers & on some days grilled chicken breast. I only tried the burgers from here; they were quite good. Wifey had a brat one day, it needed to be cooked a bit longer for her tastes. I noticed that those wanting the veggie burger (why would anyone want one of those things????) were waiting awhile (they start out frozen, while everything else is thawed). Dinners for us were primarily at the Caribe Café and/or the adjoining buffet. They had a very nice variety of foods from one night to the next. We found the food to be quite good – not “oh my god this is the best thing I’ve ever had” good, but quite good nonetheless. I am a very fussy eater and I never had any remote problem finding something that I enjoyed (there were typically 6 or 8 main course choices, lots of side dish and appetizer choices and a full salad bar). Bottom line is you’ll find something you’ll enjoy; I especially enjoyed trying the different “island-style” dishes, and the prime rib on Friday night was excellent.
We did attempt dinner at Sterlings Steakhouse one night; for us this was a big mistake (although in different circumstances I’d recommend it). There is an additional charge of $15 per person to eat here. Our problem was that the baby got fussy right after the main course arrived, so I took him outside while SWMBO ate, then she came out with him & I went back in to eat my meal. Huge, dumb mistake on our part, attempting to eat there with him. The steak was fantastic, one of the better steaks I’ve ever had. Tender, juicy & flavorful – just wish we could’ve eaten together. The salad was ok but not special, the appetizers were quite good, the baked potato was, well, a baked potato. The atmosphere was very nice – quiet & romantic, dimly lit, etc. In hindsight, if we had it to do over again we’d have tried the Italian restaurant, which is more of a bouncy, lively atmosphere that would have kept him entertained & where a mild amount of noise from him would not have been so noticeable (note to SaltyDawg – he would have quickly been ushered out of there, too, if he got fussy). http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Ports of Call:
St Thomas:
We were simply stunned by the amount of shopping there – jewelry stores are everywhere. We’re not much into shopping or jewelry so we just strolled around town & then took an island tour on an open-air bus. Prices on this seem to be highly negotiable. The folks seated in front of us paid $25 per person, the folks behind us paid $15 apiece. We paid $40 for the three of us. The trip went around the island & stopped at a few scenic overlooks, then up to the highpoint of the island to the little bar/giftshop there. On the way back, we could be dropped off in town or at the cruise dock, our choice. We went back in town, walked around a bit more & had a drink. Enjoyed the stay here, the island is pretty & clean, although a bit highly developed for my tastes (I prefer lightly developed locales).
St Maarten:
The island is quite pretty. The cruise dock is on the outskirts of town on the Dutch side; we took a cab to town & strolled around there for awhile. The stores/vendors/timeshare sales folks were more aggressive than in St Thomas (but less so than, say Nassau). We then rented a jeep for the rest of the day. Again prices are very negotiable for this. The guy’s first price quote was $70 for the day; we ended up renting it for $45. Basically one main road runs around the island, so it would be hard to get lost. Worked our way around to Orient Beach, which is extremely pretty. I could easily see us staying in one of the hotels near there for a week or so. Several nice little beach bars & restaurants in the area; beautiful white sand & blue water. Personally I preferred St Maarten to St Thomas, but that’s just me. On our return to the Dutch side, we returned the car & hung out at the little beach area right by where the water taxis run. There is a little bar & grill right there with prices that were quite reasonable (we had a couple of beers, a soda & an appetizer platter for about $15). The food was quite good; I especially liked the jerk chicken wings. The baby loved the conch fritters, right up until he got a bite with some diced jalapeno pepper. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif He didn’t much care for the burning sensation in his mouth. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
That’s pretty much a summary of my thoughts. I won’t waste time & space talking about Princess Cay since it’s so easy to get info on it If anyone has specific comments or questions I’ll be happy to answer as best I can. I’ve already covered “beer on the CP” in another thread.