Back from 5/1 Caribbean Princess... any questions?

[Rob & Tam]

Just back from 7 glorious days. Will post a review later but does anyone have questions that haven't been answered by previous Caribbean Princess cruisers?

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Coming Soon... Caribbean Princess 5/1/04

[spongerob]

How is Anytime Dining working out now that the Palm dining room is being used? As much as we like traditional dining, we might have to go with Anytime when we make our return visit so that we can visit with friends.

Completed:
Sea Princess, Royal Princess, Grand Princess (3X), Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04
Caribbean Princess redux 6/25/05

[Rob & Tam]

We had Traditional late dining so I cant say from experience but I didn't hear or see any problems... other CC'ers we knew on this cruise didn't ever say this was the problem we read about before the cruise.

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Coming Soon... Caribbean Princess 5/1/04

[BluIDblonde]

If you did the western trip, can you tell me where the ship was docked in Cozumel? Thanks.

[Rob & Tam]

Sorry BluID... we did Eastern...

We did the ULTIMATE BALCONY DINNER and have absolutely nothing but awesome reviews.... words reallt can not describe it with any justice... the staff ( 3 staff to wait on us) is attentive, accomadating, and wonderful. They made us feel like we were the only passengers on board. Food is more then you could possibly eat and presented like nothing else on board. THE MOST Romantic, incredible thing you can do while on board... the best $100 you can spend!!


Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???

[This message was edited by Rob & Tam on 05-08-04 at 05:15 PM.]

[This message was edited by Rob & Tam on 05-08-04 at 05:16 PM.]

[spongerob]

Thanks! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Completed:
Sea Princess, Royal Princess, Grand Princess (3X), Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess
Coming up:
Tahitian Princess Oct 14/04
Caribbean Princess redux 6/25/05

[sanemb]

Which night is Italian night? As we would like to go to Sabatinis that night... Just love all the info coming in about the ship....... http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif


Sandy
Caribbean Princess 6/12/04

[sunnyv]

What Dining room is used for Traditional seating now?

What cabin did you have and did you like it?

Vicki

12/26/04 Caribbean Princess to Eastern Caribbean
Princess Star 8/03 Alaska
Princess Coral 3/03 Panama
Disney's Wonder 12/01 Bahama's
RCC Majesty of the Seas 11/99 Southern Caribbean

[Rob & Tam]

Sandy,
I cant remember which night was Italian night... it would be the best night for alternative dining though, nothing spectacular.
I think it was the night we were in St Thomas so Tuesday would be my guess.

Vicki,
We were in Island Dining room for Traditional and we were in cabin B751... Stern BB cabin. I can tell you that the first two nights were awesome in the Cafe Caribe... wished we had gone there... first night had lobster claws and Crab. Second had Grilled Lobster... in fact both formal nights had Lobster in the Cafe Caribe.

Sterling was good but nothing that special.

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???

[CKandJK]

Was any kind of drink offered for free other than tea and coffee? We are sailing on her 9/25, need to know if I need to budget more for something for hubby to drink, as he does not like tea (he liked the fruit punch on Carnival)

Thanks!

Candi

[Rob & Tam]

Candi,
That was the most disappointing thing of the whole cruise... just iced tea and coffee available for free... Soda card was $20 and although we didn't really need it one of them for both of us was a nice fall back just in case.

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???

[CKandJK]

Thanks for the quick reply http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Kind of a bummer, but will figure something out (or he will just have to drink water all week hehe)

Candi

[stoneharborlady]

Hope your cruise was wonderful. Any recollection of what was on the regular room service menu? (not breakfast) Did you like the coffee?

[Rob & Tam]

We had room service deliver coffee and danish most days and I thought it was good... not Starbucks but nothing to complain about!

Room service was excellant! order whatever you want and they will bring it... I did hear of one CC'er that had a problem getting dinner brought to their room but we had no problems. Room service is who does the balcony dinner which was awesome!

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???

[Maurita]

How was the entertainment?

[roe2ship]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Did you really like the aft cabin? Any motion, vibration, other than normal? Would you book an aft cabin again? Thank you.

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04
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[Princess Di]

Hi, Candi,

DRINK MILK!

A Smile is just a little curve that sets a lot of things Straight.
Fair Winds and Following Seas!

[psupa]

Thanks for your comments. Looking forward to your review. Do you have a picture of your cabin you can post online? We are booked in B754 Aft on Baja Deck. How big is the balcony and is the balcony fully covered. Also, what kind of furniture was on the balcony. Does the room have a bath with shower or only the shower stall.

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=2325FF&cdt=2004;9;25;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500 
Caribbean Princess Sep 04

[dramamama]

Rob and Tam
Thank you for posting so soon. I suppose you know that many of us check these boards each day searching for new information. So happy you enjoyed the balcony dinner. We are sailing on 7/3 and reading these posts just gets us more anxious to board the beautiful Caribbean Princess. Thanks!

[nancyrg]

Rob & Tam:
I am booked in B751 & I have one question. Are there loungers on the balcony?
thanks
Nancy

[Rob & Tam]

Roe,
Entertainment was good... almost too much, because almost every night you have to choose between several different shows. There is something for everyone.

Psupa,
We will have a picture soon ... B754 will be different balcony though, the first two aft/stern balconies from each side are quite a bit larger then the rest. it looked like B753 and B755 had regular chairs and small table on their balcony which should be similar to B754.

Nancy,
B751 has one lounger but just ask steward for another and another will appear.... hopefully Rose will still be the steward when you sail, she was fantastic. The only thing about that cabin is there is a large support beam in the middle of the balcony. Not a real issue though you just will have to re-arrange the furniture the way you want, for us having the table and chairs in front of the beam and two loungers closest to the sliding doors worked best. We should have pictures loaded some time tommorrow
Rob

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???

[MrBill64]

Welcome home. We too have cabin B751 booked for an upcoming cruise and also cabin B749. Is it possible to open up the divider on the balcony between those 2 cabins?

Thanks for posting and looking forward to the pictures.

Bill

[rc9000]

Thanks for your comments on the balcony dinner!! I have tried to get some response from someone who actually experienced it. Did the dinner also include drinks and Champange as well as a photo?

[nick1234]

Monday night was Italian night. Skip it.
Ali

[Casey12]

Thanks for the information on the dinner -- sounds wonderful. Could you get things other then Lobster?

[bidro]

B751 is my cabin!!!!

Please tell me more.

[Rob & Tam]

Hi- this is Tamie- just filling in for Rob-

Bill- you can open the divider betwwen the two cabins. BTW you have the two best for size and location... Actually, the divider was open on our last day between us and our neighbors. We didn't know them so it was a bit awkward. Our cabin steward was able to close it for us though.


RC900- the Balcony dinner included one cocktail each and a split of champagne. When you place your order for dinner they will ask which cocktail you would like. We had brought our own wine on the ship. They happily opened it for us without a corkage charge (for the balcony dinner only).

Casey- There were three entrees to choose from for the balcony dinner: lobster, surf and turf or steak Diane. We ordered the surf and turf and found it to be more food than we could ever eat! and the presentation made you almost not want to it!

Bidro- we loved being on the back on the ship, while there may have been more motion than the middle of the ship, neither of us felt seasick. (Everyone was complaining about the amount of motion since the winds were pretty high last week.) Watching the wake from the balcony was mezmerizing- I could sit out there for hours.

I will write up a separate post of the balcony dinner in the next day or two. I also took photos of each course if anyone is interested.

Tamie

PS. Call Room service as soon as possible to schedule the night you want because they will only do 2 per night... so far they have not done more then 4 per cruise because they aren't really advertising it, but as the word gets out who knows.
Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???

[This message was edited by Rob & Tam on 05-09-04 at 08:03 PM.]

[This message was edited by Rob & Tam on 05-09-04 at 08:05 PM.]

[Zoey1]

Hi Tamie,
Thanks for the great review. I have a couple of questions.
1) what is this balcony dinner, I have not heard about this before.
2) my children(really young adults) are in the room next door, you mentioned you can open the balcony in between the two, can you explain
3) what did you do in the ports?
Thanks for the info. Would love to hear other suggestions for ports of call (Eastern caribbean)

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2003;5;17;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0500

[Rob & Tam]

Zoey,
(Rob typing)
The Balcony dinner is labeled "The Ultimate Balcony Dinne" it is $50 per person. Basically it is a Lobster dinner seved on your balcony with Flowers, Champagne, and a photo. But it is so much more... imagine feeling like you own a 900 foot yacht and you are being served a dinner designed for your tastes... that is only the beginning... we would say this is a MUST DO for anyone looking for a special moment with someone special that you wil never forget (and a photographer will come to capture)

The partition between balconies has a locking door that your room steward can open for you allowing access to both cabins.

We are a do-it yourself type so we took a cab to Red Hook ($8 PP), caught a ferry to St John ($3PP) and rented a jeep ($72) and toured St John, started out at Trunk Bay and left before the crowds... had time for Cinnamon bay and a breif stop to look at Maho Bay... tried to get to Waterlemon but rain prevented us so we went back to Maho for a bit ... caught the 3:00 ferry back to Red Hook (again $3 PP) and cab back to pier (again $8 PP) had time to drop off equipment and shop for an hour at Havensight mall right at the pier. Would reccomend St John whole hardedly but would suggest catching the 2:15 ferry straight back to Charlotte Amalie ($7 PP) to avoid the cab at the end. St Marteen We rented a jeep at the port ($100) and toured the island... its easy to get around and you can decide where to go yourself... The Fort at Marigot and the open air market, Orient Beach and the Butterfly farm can all be done here before heading back.
Princess Cays just lay back and enjoy a day at the beach.
Rob

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???

[dorie]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise. Do they serve the balcony dinners on formal nights?

Dorie

[Lazy Lizzy]

Hi there,
Cruising on the Caribbean Princess 9/4/2004
We were upgraded from a oceanview to a balcony c608
How were the rooms I am trying to make a comparison in size to the Celebrity Century, I hope the beds will be as comfy http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Are others able to see your balcony or is it covered or something for privacy ( we are married but not dead LOL ) http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

If you have any info please share http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Lizzy

Liz & Todd

[ANNIEMAMA1]

was wondering if you went to any of the main production shows musical /dancing as we have been on several crusies on princess and keep seeing the same major production shows. was just wondering if they have invented some new shows for a new ship. thanks

[Spicey477]

To take advantage of the Movies Under the Stars, what would be the best dining time, the early or late? We like to eat late, but we didn't want it to make it so that we can't do the movie or show things...

Thanks...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> How is Anytime Dining working out now that the Palm dining room is being used? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Interesting - 'rob's post sort of infers that Traditional Dining is under utilized on this ship...which is a switch from other ships/itineraries where Traditional is wait listed. Princess Di, I hope Princess recogizes the difference!! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif

-------------------------
Sun Princess, 03/2004; Pacific Princess, 07/2003; Star Princess, 05/2003; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Grand Princess, 10/2002; Sun Princess, 05/2001; Sun Princess, 04/2001; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Sun Princess, 09/2000; Regal Princess, 10/1999; Sun Princess, 08/1998; Holiday, 05/1998; Westerdam, 09/1997; Regal Princess, 11/1996; Royal Odyssey, 09/1995; Starward, 11/1993

[Rustynail]

Great review Rob & Tamie,

The balcony dining sound fabulous! I'm going to surprise my wife with this option when we set sail in Jan 05.

How did you guys dress for this special occasion? Do you just go casual or did you get dressed up for dinner on your balcony? Is there a certain time you dine or is it up to you?

do you have to book the balcony dinner well inadvance or can you play it by ear? Could you play music from your cabin during dinner or was it just listening to the waves while dining?

Can't wait to hear all about your experience.

Thanks,

Dan

CARRIBEAN PRINCESS JAN 2005
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CARNIVAL'S LEGEND JAN 2003
CELEBRITY'S CENTURY DEC 2003

[Rob & Tam]

Dan,
We dressed casual for the balcony dinner, but it is up to you on what you do... My suggestion is that you call room service as soon as you get on the ship and ask to leave a message for the supervisor because you are interested in the balcony dinner. Hopefully it will still be Christian (we was wonderful!)and he will come to your room and go over your choices ie... time, what you want to drink, if you want a bottle of wine (we used our own) and which dinner you want. They only will do 2 per night and although it has only been done by a few so far this hasn't been a problem, it may by January. Concerning music we had an aft cabin so even though the TV has a station playing music it was tough to hear... we went with waves by default. I would think about a small portable CD player if it is important to you.

bdjam
There is a waitlist for traditional and with some of the experiences that we have heard it will probably stay popular but our seating always had empty seats.

Spicey,
Movies are 7:30 and 10:30 and late seating is at 8:30 you could always eat at Cafe Caribe on the night you want to see a movie...

Annie,
They started a new production show on our cruise... Caribbean Caliente... we didnt fit it in but others said it was great.

Lizzy,
Higher decks like Riviera and Aloha are more private then lower balconies... since you are on Caribe you will have half exposed and half private...

Dorie,
They will do them any night!

Rob

Carnival Paradise 4/01 Western Caribbean
Carnival Paradise 3/02 Southern Caribbean
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04... Is it over already???