Just back from Caribbean Princess

[nick1234]

To Tips

Get a balcony
Bring your own pillow
Try Cafe Carib instead of the Dining Room
DO NOT USE PC DINING

Definatly go to Sabatinis and Sterling more
than once

Ever afternoon fill a plate of cheese crackers and fruit. Make a drink and sit on your balcony and enjoy the view!!!!!!!!

[roe2ship]

So I guess you had a balcony, had a lousy pillow, loved Cafe Caribe and what now is wrong with PC dining? I thought it was getting better.

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04
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[nick1234]

We had to wait forever for a table! And the food was so skimpy. One piece of brocolli??? And they rushed you out. We were there exactly 45 minutes on Formal Night!!

[srphnx]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nick1234:
To Tips
Two?.. Too?... there are 4 er hem 5 "tips"

Get a balcony
ok
Bring your own pillow
I agree, had to buy one in a Mexican Walmart
Try Cafe Carib instead of the Dining Room
The Internaitonal on Diamond wasn't as good as Horizon-cafe caribe.
DO NOT USE PC DINING
That is just crazy talk, it was very good.

Definatly go to Sabatinis and Sterling more
than once Also a good point.

Ever afternoon fill a plate of cheese crackers and fruit.

And ask for berries as dessert with dinner in addition to anyother dessert you like.

Make a drink and sit on your balcony and enjoy the view!!!!!!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Life is at it's best when your address floats
<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>
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<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>
Century 12/97
<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>
Century 9/96

[nick1234]

Sorry TOP TIPS

[nick1234]

Very tired

[nick1234]

PC dining was a NIGHTMARE!! Where were you on this cruise?? We waited forever and were rushed out of the room. We hated it. We talked to others who said the same. We all get our opinions

[Poohsmommi]

Nick,

I have heard MANY people complain of the PC dining, both on this board, the AOL Princess board, and the Cruisemates message board. I thank you for your review. The purpose of a review is to get different viewpoints from different people. Those that slam you because they do not agree with you do a great disservice to this board, not you. I personally would rather hear individual opinions - not want the majority wants to hear.

Thank you for your review. Tell me, what was wrong with the pillow?

Caribbean Princess 3-12-05
http://cruise-forums.com/countdown.php?month=03&year=2005&day=12&hour=8:00

[mek]

Exactly how do they rush you? Do they try to remove you plates before you are finished? We had PC on the Star back on October - I loved it, and we're taking the Caribbean Princess in November and want to do PC again.

[CaribbeanIsland]

I also love PC dining - can you comment further.

[mycruiser]

I was on the CP 4/24 cruise to Eastern Carib. My husband & I enjoyed PC dining. No wait. Why, because if you are flexible, as a twosome, ask for any size table and you're open to sitting with anyone, there is no wait. We went to PC around 7:15PM-8:00PM. Never had a problem. No one rushed us along. As a matter of fact, we lucked out. The conversations at the table were so good, no one left once dessert was finished!

[Mona Lisa]

We were on the 5/1 sailing as well. I personally loved the overstuffed pillow. I know that Bert Stratton even remarked about them as part of his crazy improv (he apparently didn't like them either).

PC dining wasn't PC. It was who can make their reservation the quickest to get the best time. Definitely agree with Nick on the specialty dining--certainly worth the money.

Lisa

[mandiecandie5]

Nick, what time did you go to PC dining rooms to eat?...And what did you like about Cafe Caribe? Thanks for the other tips, we are debating moving up to a balcony or not.

[nick1234]

mandiecandie Definatly get a balcony. You will want to escape to your room to get away from the crowds. The balcony afternoons with ordurves and drinks was the best!

The pillows were like rocks. as was the bed.I posted a longer review under" Review"I was half asleep when I started the post!

We wanted a table for 4 every night. Maybe that is why the wait was so long. We had to pick up our appetizer to let them put down our main cource. Cafe Carib had awesome food. We ate there almost everynight

Ali

[mandiecandie5]

Thanks Nick, I read your other review also, I appreciate your honest opinions. Could you fit four people out on your balcony comfortably?

[nick1234]

Sure could. We did every afternoon with our friends. Thank You for appreciating my opinion. Those of us who take the time to post a review should be appreciated for just that. I kept a daily journal so I could answer all questions. Didnt have to but I knew how much I was looking for info before our cruise.
Ali

[johnmik1]

Not to belabor a point,but every Princess passenger had PC dining which is made up of Traditional or Anytime dining in the dining rooms and the buffet in the Horizon Court.

[CaptData]

Thank you for your comments on both PC and pillows. Do they have egg shell toppers for the beds that you can request? On the Dawn when they gave one pillow I did not like I asked for another and my room attendent got me one. I was in an inside cabin for the disabled (maybe he took it from the medical section?).

Hopfully a Hawiian Cruise

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2006;12;5;11;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500&nbsp;Until we sail away on the ocean blue



Navigator of the Seas Western Crib 08/03
Dawn Princess - Eastern Carb 01/03
Dawn Princess Panamal Canal 11/02

[Cruisinforever]

I also just came home from the May 1-May 8th cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We (two of us traveling together) only had to wait longer than 15 minutes one night for PC dining in the dining rooms. The rest of the nights we got right in... we said we were willing to share the table with others, so it was no problem (except for the one night)

I loved the fatter pillows....JMO.

Loved the balcony too!

I didn't really care for the Caribe Cafe, but I went there with my friend because she was dying for the seafood, which I dislike intensely. I did find some boneless chicken to eat, though. It was OK. I much prefer the regular dining rooms.

Never tried Sabatini's or Sterling.

Loved the cruise!

JJ
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04
Star Princess 5/24/03
Sun Princess 6/12/00
Carnival Fantasy 1/18/98

[Rob & Tam]

HI JJ AND LISA!!
We never did try Cafe Caribe but the first two nights and the second Formal night the food there looked awesome!

I think pillows were a matter of opinion... we both hated them... wished we had brought our own. I would bring them next time... Just in case.

Sterling was good but the always available Sirloin in dining room was just as good.

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

[russnleanne]

I have a couple questions. Do you pay a cover charge in Cafe Caribe? Is it only at night? And do you pay for the ice cream at Scoops?

thanks Leanne

Until we Sail on the Caribbean Princess
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Monarch of the Seas 1996
Carnival Fascination 1997
Enhantment of the Seas 1998
Grandeur of the Seas 1999
Dawn Princess 2000
Sun Princess 2001
Celebrity-Summit 2002
Golden Princess 2003
Radiance of the Seas 2004
Caribbean Princess 2005

[nick1234]

Cafe Carib is free, and there was way more than seafood there. We had beef sate one night pork dishes,chinese food. I couldnt believe the variety. Scoops was a charge I believe 3.50 for a sunday very good.

Ali

[russnleanne]

Thanks for the quick response.

Leanne http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

Until we Sail on the Caribbean Princess
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Monarch of the Seas 1996
Carnival Fascination 1997
Enhantment of the Seas 1998
Grandeur of the Seas 1999
Dawn Princess 2000
Sun Princess 2001
Celebrity-Summit 2002
Golden Princess 2003
Radiance of the Seas 2004
Caribbean Princess 2005

[Ghost]

I LOVED the nice fat pillows on the Caribbean Princess. I change our pillows at home about every 6-8 months to keep that big fluffy feeling!

With all the bad reports I keep hearing about PC dining, makes me know why we continue with traditional late seating and LOVE it!

Kathy

[marlinmike]

Cruisinforever,
Thanks for your review of the PC dining. Just as I suspected, most of the problems in waiting for for the smaller tables or limited groups. We like the eat anytime, with anyone dining. Which dining room did you attend the majority of the time?

[BB5953]

Has anyone been on Celebrity Summit? I am looking for comparisons on the Summit and the Caribbean Princess. Any help would be appreciated as it looks like X will be kicking me off my cruise...

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[nick1234]

Our pillows were hard as a rock! There must be 2 kinds of pillows on board because they were not fluffy at all

Ali

[jerseygirl3]

On our recent Majesty of the Seas cruise, we felt the dining service was going too fast. We simply asked the waiter to slow it down between courses. From that point on, our courses were served in a nice, leisurely manner.

I wonder if you had asked the same how things would have gone?

caribbeanqueen3@comcast.net

[CruiseNut7]

BB5953 -

Just returned last Friday from a 7 day on the Celebrity SUMMIT. Also sailed on the STAR Princess last September. As you probably know, the STAR and the Caribbean Princess are sister ships and almost identical.

If your SUMMIT cruise falls through, I would have no reservation in recommending Princess. On the STAR, we enjoyed fine service, excellent food, wonderful entertainment and particularly personal choice dining.

On the SUMMIT we experienced the same, but the deal breaker for us in future bookings will be the personal choice dining. Although many cruisers enjoy traditional, my preference is to have my meals at a time of my choosing. With that in mind, Princess Cruise Lines best suits us!

Hope this helps in some way! Happy sailing. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

_____________________________
Celebrity Summit 2004, Star Princess 2003, Carnival Triumph 2002, RCCL Enchantment of the Seas 2001, Carnival Ecstasy 2000, Norwegian Majesty 1998, Carnival Ecstasy 1998, Grandeur of the Seas 1997, Regal Princess 1995, Carnival Holiday 1993, Emerald Seas 1991, Dolphin 1990, Britannis 1989

[nick1234]

I thought the sister ship to the Carribean Princess was not built yet. I think the problem with PC dining on the Carribean Princess is the extra 500 people, and the fact that so many people wanted private tables ( 2 to 4 ) We waited 35 to 40 minutes the 2 times we went to the dining room
Ali

[soozaay]

I'm going on the Caribbean Princess in September...I have always traveled on RCCL, and have never experienced PC cruising...can someone explain to me how it works (or is supposed to work http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif )

Thanks!

Susie & Harry

Days Until Our 1st Anniversary Cruise on the Caribbean Princess...
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Navigator BACK-TO-BACK! 5/31/03 & 6/7/03 (Honeymoon!)
Enchantment of the Seas 11/4/01 (Got Engaged!)

[Marlene & Jim]

Just got back from the May1-8 Caribbean Princess. PC dining was great. You can eat any time between 5 and 10 pm and don't have to feel like you are tied to the clock. Depending on what your day is like, you can choose to eat early so you can catch all the shows or you can take a nap, eat later, and stay up late. The food was excellent. Never felt we needed to pay for the Sterling Steakhouse. The ice cream bar cost money, but several afternoons the buffet served ice cream with sauces and toppings for free! Look for it before you pay for ice cream at Scoops.

Marlene & Jim

[Marlene & Jim]

Another thing, in response to the person who said they were stingy with the food, ARE YOU KIDDING??? Every time we commented how good something was, the waiter wanted to bring us more.

Marlene & Jim

[roe2ship]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nick1234:
I thought the sister ship to the Carribean Princess was not built yet. I think the problem with PC dining on the Carribean Princess is the extra 500 people, and the fact that so many people wanted private tables ( 2 to 4 ) We waited 35 to 40 minutes the 2 times we went to the dining room
Ali<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I thought they started to hand out pagers now for the PC Dining just like they do on the Grand Class ships? Did they not offer this to you, or maybe you have to be the one to ask? Any others on Caribbean Princess with PC that know about this?

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04
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[Cruisinforever]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by marlinmike:
Cruisinforever,
Thanks for your review of the PC dining. Just as I suspected, most of the problems in waiting for for the smaller tables or limited groups. We like the eat anytime, with anyone dining. Which dining room did you attend the majority of the time?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

marlinmike, we started off eating in the Coral (I think... I think the Island is for traditional) and that is the dining room that we did seem to wait for, and we felt that we waited a bit longer for our drinks there. About mid-cruise we ate in the Palm dining room, and loved it. We felt the service was a notch better, and we always got in right away when we said we'd share the table.

Robert from Poland was my favorite waiter! Funny and very sweet.....

roe2ship: yes, we did use the pagers twice when we ate at the Coral dining room. Never had to have one at the Palm.

Even when we did have to wait for dinner at the Coral dining room, it wasn't a bad thing nor am I complaining. It was not any different from waiting here at home for a table when a restaurant is busy, except that I had more fun on the ship! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

JJ
Caribbean Princess 5/1/04
Star Princess 5/24/03
Sun Princess 6/12/00
Carnival Fantasy 1/18/98

[roe2ship]

JJ, thanks, that is what I thought. Then I don't understand why some are so upset about their wait.

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04
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[nick1234]

We did get pagers. But still waited .We put our name in at one resturant. The one on the same deck as the purser, then when we got beeped we went to that dining room and they brought us downstairs to the other one. Sorry cant remember the names of the resturants they all looked alike!I feel our problem was we only wanted a table for 4.

Ali

[soozaay]

Roe2Ship~

What a small World....I see you live in Brick, NJ....I live in Lakewood...right off of 70 at Vermont Ave.

Susie & Harry

Days Until Our 1st Anniversary Cruise on the Caribbean Princess...
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Navigator BACK-TO-BACK! 5/31/03 & 6/7/03 (Honeymoon!)
Enchantment of the Seas 11/4/01 (Got Engaged!)

[Pam in CA]

I didn't know a sister ship to the Caribbean Princess was even planned. I thought it was going to be a one-and-only. Anyone know more about that? (The Star is a Grand-class ship, not Caribbean.)

Song of Norway & Song of America, 1986-88; Royal Princess 2/99; Sun Princess 1/00; Ocean Princess 12/00; Royal Princess 4/01; Grand Princess 12/23/01; Sea Princess 2/9/02; Explorer of the Seas 12/21/02; Coral Princess 8/9/03; Nordic Empress 12/27/03.

-- Regal Princess (4/20/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=2573008957)
-- Caribbean Princess (12/26/04) -- Roll Call (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=9323078957)
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0099FF&cdt=2004;12;26;12;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800
-- Royal Princess (4/21/05)
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[spongerob]

The announcement that a sister to Caribbean Princess was in the works was made during the Captain's Circle gathering. I think the expected date is during 2006.

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

[roe2ship]

Hi Soozaay,

We are about 5-7 miles away. We live right next to Brick Hospital. Sure is a very small world.

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04
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