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View Full Version : Carribean Princess Review 5/15


Wumba
May 22nd, 2004, 01:55 PM
Just got back a few hours ago and figured I would write this while most things are still fresh in my mind. This is my wife and I third Princess cruise on a Grand Class ship. We did not do any excursions, but did get off in all ports of call (St. Thomas, St. Martin, and Princess Cays).
Embarkation seemed a ltiile off on this trip. We arrived at 1215 p.m. and did not get on the ship until 120 p.m. The lines to check in moved very slow, while the x ray lines moved like lightning. It had been the exact opposite on our other cruises. The previous timers we were on board on about 20 minutes. We thought getting there a little later might help, but it did'nt.
We stayed in room E730. Great room. It was spotless and the room steward, Isaac, was excellent. He made us animal towels every night and was always there should we have had a question or request. The best we have had on Princess. As many of you have wanted to know, yes, there was a decent amount of noise bleed from Club Fusion below us. It was more of a vibration noise you get from bass. We could'nt hear voices per say, but you definitly had noise bleed through. This lasted ususally til about midnight. It was'nt a problem for us, but for some it might be.
The rest of the ship was incredible. Yes, it is basically the same build as the Grand or Golden, but several areas now have Carribean themed decorations, like the main atrium area. Eveything was brand new and in perfect condition. As far as people go, even with the addition of the extra passenger deck, there was never any overly crowded areas. You could always find a nice quiet spot to relax if that was what you wanted. Deck cahirs were abundant. Yes, if you wanted to sit right by the pool, you need to get there early. if your just looking for some sun and fresh air, those chairs were easily found.
Another thing alot of people wanted to know about was the dining rooms. Yes, they will get crowded at peak times. We choose Personal Choice dining and only had to wait one night in the Coral Dining room for about 20 minutes. This was at about 730 p.m. If you are at all worried about this, then just call ahead and make a reservation. As for food, we thought the food was very good. Although it seems the protions were a little smaller, the quality was still very good. We also ate in the caribe Cafe on night and found it excellent. A very wide variety of food was found there. The staff in the caribe Cafe were very attentive and friendly also. Now for some of the bad news. We found the Horizon Court to be just alright. I don't want to nit pick, but several times we seen people in line with no shoes or shirts on (males obviously http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif ). This is kinda gross and the policy needs to be enforced here. If you wanted toast with your breakfeast, then you had to wait in line with about 10 other people to use the only toaster available. Scrambled eggs were soupy and the bacon was very salty. After seeing and tasting this, we ate in the Coral Dining room for breakfeast daily, which we found to be excellent. Also lunches in the main dining rooms was very good. Another policy that was not enforced was shorts in the main dining rooms for dinner. This was common and nobody said or did anything about it. We also had a waiter two times by the name of Benjamin. this guy was the epitomy of being slow and unorganized. One night my brohter in law got his main course while we were given our appetizers. Dinner the other night took almost two hours. We whatched laughingly while otheres came, ate and left after us, and we were still waiting for our meals. We asked him a few questions about desert ingredients, and all he replied was "Excellent!" several times. It's actually pretty funny now, and kind of a catch phrase we use. On another night they tried to seat us with Benjamin again, and we kindly told the Maitre D', no thanks. He apologized and promptly seated us elsewhere. The service there was impeccable. Luck of the draw I guess. We also ate in both Sabatini's and Sterling Steakhouse. Sterling was awesome. We (4 of us) ordered all differnt cuts of beef anf ound them to be wellprepared and very tender. This is a must try. Service was not great, but not bad either. Sabatini's was also excellent. The last 2 cruises we also ate there. It seems this time they served less food though. Make no mistake, this is still a huge meal. We just remenber the other times we were offered different pastas and other things that were'nt offered this time. Excellent service here though.
Ports of Call were great. We did all kinds of shopping in both St. Thomas and St. Martin. We found the people in St. Thomas to be a little pushy and constantly wanted to take you on a tour ride (which we did) or pull you into their shops. Not our cup of tea. Very nice shops though. The tour we did was about 3 hours long and very scenic. We got some great pictures and some history of the island as well. St. Martin was great. The poeple were very friendly and laid back. The deals we got on jewelry here were incredible. Some of the same items in St. Thomas were well above what we paid in St. Martin. My wife was in shock ( as was I when I signed for all the bills) at what she got for the price. We wish we had more time in St. Martin as we could of had a heyday. We thought this port was the highlight of our cruise. Princess Cays is also great. No shopping, just a great day relaxing on the beach. Go to the right when you get off the tender, as you will find great seats and views, with a lot less crowds. The food was typical cookout type stuff, but very well made.
We went to the art auctions, as we have in the past. My sister was specifically, and my wife, looking for Thomas kinkade artwork. Unfortunally, none was to be had, as they said they were sold out. The second art auction had a Thomas Kincade placed out in the lounge and we put a requsted notice on it. Upon noticing the art was there, the art director "Mitch" quickly snatched it up and had it removed. My sister asked what was going on, and he said it was a "mistake" that it was brought out. Very starnge. We did purchase an animation cell that was great.
Overall, we found the cruise to be very good but not great. I know some of the things I mentioned might seem like nit picking, but they are just our opinions. Ohter than a select few, the staff seemed to be just going through the motions and not as friendly as we have found them to be on past cruises. Make no mistake, we had a helluva time. your cruise is what YOU make of it. I check these boards pretty often, so if anyone has any questions they need answered, just post em and I'll answer them as quick as I can. I also wanted to thank the many others who have written reviews in the past for others to read. That's what makes this site what it is. Happy Cruising

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess
Next Up: 5/15/04 Carribean Princess
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S.S.Oceanlover
May 22nd, 2004, 02:30 PM
Wumba,
Thanks for taking the time to post your review. My worries which WERE the problems in the dining rooms sound they have been corrected which make me a happy camper.

Sounds like we should wait until St.Maarten for jewelry shopping. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Would you mind if I posted your review on my website?

Bill

http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43/1a.jpg


Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean cruise page (http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43)

roe2ship
May 22nd, 2004, 03:15 PM
Thanks for your review. When you were at the Coral Dining room, did they offer you a pager for that 20 minute wait? What were the other times you arrived in the dining rooms? Also, how many people did you have in your party?

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04
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Wumba
May 22nd, 2004, 03:45 PM
Oceanlover, post away!

Roe2ship- yes they did issue us a pager.

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess
Next Up: 5/15/04 Carribean Princess
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=8b0000&cdt=2004;05;15;12;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

MoodyMin
May 22nd, 2004, 03:49 PM
Hello,

I was on the CP May 8th...when we ate at the Horizon Court, we didn't notice anyone with no shoes and shirts, but I just guess it is the class of some people on the ship. Would you recommend the Eastern trip? We just got back from the Western and can't wait to get back on the CP again, we were going to try both itinerarys next time.

dramamama
May 22nd, 2004, 03:51 PM
Love your website and know it will be helpful to many of us. I sail on the Caribbean Princess on 7/3 and will be getting aboard shortly after you deapart. Aren't you jealous?

dramamama
May 22nd, 2004, 03:53 PM
oops! depart......and to think that I was a teacher for 35 years!!!

SF
May 22nd, 2004, 03:57 PM
Wumba:

Great review, thanks. I was wondering if you could answer some question for me.

1.We are thinking of booking an inside cabin for the kids directly across from our BA cabin on caribe deck but from the brochure it looks like there is an "inside" hallway to get to the inside cabin, is this true or are the doors to both the balcony cabin and inside cabin facing each other in the main hallway?

2.What type of food did the Cafe Caribe have in the evening if you wanted a snack after the late shows?

3.Were there a lot of lounges by the pools that are in a shaded area? I know Golden and Grand had plenty but I've read that Caribbean doesn't have as many in the shade, is this true?

Thanks for taking the time to help us all out. It's appreciated. Glad to hear you had a great cruise.

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Navigator of the Seas 7/17/2004

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Jewel of the Seas 12/26/2004

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Star Princess 2/27/2005

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Caribbean Princess 7/16/2005



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njoyndride
May 22nd, 2004, 04:10 PM
Wumba - Thanks for great review ant the info on E730, we'll be in "your" cabin 2 weeks from today. Hope Isaac is assigned to the cabin at that time too. Was there a lounge chair on the balcony?

Sharon

Elation 05/98
Paradise 04/99
Destiny 10/99
Inspiration 05/00
Enchantment of the Seas 10/00
Rhapsody of the Seas 03/01
Carnival Spirit 05/01
Grandeur of the Seas 11/01
Ocean Princess 04/02
Jubilee 09/02
Carnival Conquest 03/03
Serenade of the Seas 11/08/03
Rhapsody of the Seas 02/29/04-Daughter's Wedding

Caribbean Princess 06/05/04

Cast off the ropes, cast off your cares...we're outta here
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;06;05;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500 <marquee>SUNSHINE DAYDREAM...GOIN' WHERE THE CLIMATE SUITS MY CLOTHES</marquee>

sunnyv
May 22nd, 2004, 04:11 PM
Wumba,
Did you notice what Dining room was used for Traditional Seating? I think in an attempt to clear some of the "bugs" out of PC, a couple different ones have been tried for the Traditional.

We are in E731 and wondered about the noise from below. I'm glad to hear it isn't so loud you can understand the words and sign with the music http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif Did you enjoy the larger balcony?

Thanks for the great review!

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

Wumba
May 22nd, 2004, 04:13 PM
Moodymin, We liked the Eastern much more than Western. Would highly reccomend it!

SF- yes those doors do face each other in the hallway. The caribe cafe had a HUGE variety of food. Mostly carribean flavor type dishes, although there was some Korean and Japenese (Sushi) in there as well. Large amounts of fresh fruits, and of course, loads of sweets (cookies, cakes, u name it!) That's a good point about the lounges. they all have some shade but not a lot. The ones by the pools especially on deck 15 have a large overhange type area that will keep you blocked from the sun. Most of the others tho are pretty open.

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess
Next Up: 5/15/04 Carribean Princess
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=8b0000&cdt=2004;05;15;12;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

tampa sunrise
May 22nd, 2004, 04:55 PM
I sailed on the April 24th Caribbean Princess cruise. Had a tough time finding a shady spot on deck all week. Those extra 500 cabins on the CP do make a BIG difference. I've sailed on the Golden and the Grand in the past 2 years and never encountered the crowds I found on CP.

S.S.Oceanlover
May 22nd, 2004, 06:07 PM
Wumba,
It's on my site now. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif Thank you very much!!

Dramamama,
Yes I will be a little jealous. If it weren't for the 3 days we are staying in Ft.Lauderdale I'd be a lot jealous. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Bill

http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43/1a.jpg


Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean cruise page (http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43)

cruzincurt
May 22nd, 2004, 06:31 PM
We are also just back from the 5/15 cruise. I echo most of what WUMBA said above.

In the Horizon court the eggs were always cold. Lunch in the horizon court had what I thought were few choices, (beyond the typical cheeses and luncheon meats but no way to make a sandwich) but some really wierd mixes of salads. Saw people without shirts at Horizon lunch and also shorts in the dining room, even on formal night. If you want shusi, you had to accidently stumble on it at the Caribe service line.

We had previously sailed the Golden. You can keep the movie screen under the stars and bring back the covered pool. The gym was way too hot.

We were in a Lido deck balcony, looking down saw none with a chaise lounge, only chairs and foot stools below.

Sorry to say, nary a towel animal all week. Also, filling out special events such as a birthday on the Cruise Personalizer doesn't do any good. They never recognized my wife's birthday. No record found when I called the front desk later in the day. As a booby prize, they sent up birthday and anniversary ballons (probably just in case both events were missed).

PC dining in the Palm was fine. We reserved for the week as soon as we got on the ship and could get 7:00 not 7:30 that we wanted. Still some confusion as there was not two lines for walk-ins and reservations. Felt really bad going around people in line since we had reservations for each night. Some also had reservations but the bold got seated first.

Also, depending on where you were seated in the Palm, dinner could take anywhere from 45 minutes (with Monica, a woman of great organizational skills) to 2 hrs with others. I do have to complement the waiters on dealing with several tables of meals in different stages of completeness. And they finally found a job for the head waiters (LOL) clearing the tables to re-set for the next PC people.

Diapered kids in the pool and screaming kiddos in the dining room. Why oh why, oh great parents, do you feel the need to share your treasures with the rest of the passengers?

Captains Circle reception, poor. One pass with the drinks and never a pass with the finger snacks.

Tight slot machines. Poor payouts on video poker. Couple of good dealers though, Gus and Helen. The pit bosses were a little anal in dealing with cashiers checks and people tossing the dice. You'd athought we were in Vegas with a bunch of players trying to rip off the casino.

All in all, a typical Princess Cruise as expected. Never had a bad cruise. Hello HAL, we'll be back in November.

14 cruises so far - RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, HAL (we were on the last cruise of the wonderful Norway, still have my room key)

Caribbean Princess 5/15/04 was last.

Be brave...live free!

MoodyMin
May 22nd, 2004, 07:08 PM
Wumba,

Thanks, I will certaily go on the Eastern itinerary...

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

SF
May 22nd, 2004, 07:44 PM
Wumba:

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

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Radiance of the Seas 2/27/2005

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Caribbean Princess 7/16/2005



http://www.alcodesigns.net/cruiseshipani.gif

dramamama
May 22nd, 2004, 07:46 PM
Cruzincurt:

Seems like Princess does not run a tight ship in terms of a dress code. One of the nice things about my recent Celebrity Century cruise was the formality and decorum in the dining room. It was a nice change to dress in the evenings for dinner. Some were dressed to the max and loving it!

I'm beginning to think that the dining room might be the best choice for breakfast and/or lunch. We're waitlisted (182) for late seating. Looks like we'll be making reservations for PC dining at night.

Don't give up on Princess.

Wumba
May 22nd, 2004, 07:53 PM
The coral and Palm had PC dining, and the other, can't think of the name right now, had traditional. As far as lounge chairs, we had 2 plastic chairs with the plastic table and 2 chairs that reclined with cushions, but they were not the typical lay down type loungers. Your all very welcome for any answers your looking for. This board has helped me greatly in the past, and it's a pleasure repaying the service http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess
Next Up: 5/15/04 Carribean Princess
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=8b0000&cdt=2004;05;15;12;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

merlin71
May 22nd, 2004, 08:46 PM
Wumba,

Thanks very much for the review. I will be sailing on the eastern itinerary of the CP in a few weeks and would really like to know the order of the menu themes. I am unsure of the true order but think that it may be as follows: sailaway, captain's welcome, italian, chef's, caribbean, captain's gala, and landfall. Do you remember the actual order???

Wumba
May 22nd, 2004, 09:06 PM
Correct you are Merlin!

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess, 5/15/04 Carribean Princess

lmmn
May 22nd, 2004, 09:15 PM
Thank you for writing the reviews. Really appreciate reading both your positive and not so positive experiences without complaining. It looks to me like the Caribbean Princess could use some more fine tuning. How difficult would it be for them to get another toaster...make eggs less runny...bacon less salty...salads less funky...put the pool patrol to work...enforce the dress code...keep the workout area a little cooler...train the staff to fold a couple towel animals(I thought this was an RCCL thing)...a system to make sure special occasions are remembered? I think each of these could be easily corrected. I don't think any of these would bother me much, but it's amazing how little things really do make a difference.

Explorer of the Seas ~ 10/02
Majesty of the Seas ~ 1/03
Majesty of the Seas ~ 8/11/03
Navigator of the Seas ~ 10/11/03
Serenade of the Seas ~ 1/31/04
Caribbean Princess ~ 8/14/04
Adventure of the Seas ~ 1/30/05

marye
May 23rd, 2004, 06:31 AM
Stangely, we were on the same cruise and got balloons right on the morning of our anniversary. Cesar our room steward was right at our door wishing us a Happy Anniversary that morning. I wonder if that part was due to your room steward not getting the message? I do agree that Horizon Court was not up to Grand standards. Eggs, and hash browns- and other hot items were cold. Bacon was ok, maybe a little salty, but being an Oscar Meyer fan, if it ain't that it all tastes the same to me. The only hot eggs were omlettes made to order. There was surely less selection for lunch, and I couldn't help but compare it to my three Grand cruises for variety. I also noticed no more packaged butters, jams, syrups, and the change in brand of yogurts to a more gelatin type. Also the variety of desserts available there was more repetitive than I recalled from previous cruises. I also agree about the salads, there were obvious efforts to use leftovers, but the combinations were "unusual". One other thing was that there seemed to be a few less staff on duty in the Horizon clearing items, but that could have been because there were more people on the shop and the staff was running all over the ship finding items left outside, etc. (Or could it be that they were giving more staff off?-Nah!)Still had a wonderful time and again while in comparison things were different, it is a beautiful ship, service was top notch - didn't notice any declines in the dining rooms (Palm or Coral). Noticed the captain everywhere - I don't think that the man ever sleeps. Don't worry all, the ship is great!

marye
May 23rd, 2004, 06:36 AM
PS I forgot to mention that while I noticed the difference in comparison to the Grand, there is still more than enough food to choose from on the Horizon buffet, just a little less variety of main dishes. Salad selections were abundant. Also as mentioned above the dining room lunches were great, and don't forget the Pizza and grill as alternatives. (didn't want to leave the impression that I was left starving - on the contrary, if they weren't using the freight elevators for luggage, I am sure that it would have been recommended that I leave using them!!!)

SANDYJABS
May 23rd, 2004, 09:17 AM
Thanks for sharing. On another board I read a review of the same sailing and they complained of the air conditioning not working- especially in the public crowded areas? They said by the 3rd day their cabin cooled off. This observation was shared by another cruiser as well.

As for the dinning room attire- It sounds like anything goes for formal night, or for the most part does everyone dress for dinner? I am just wondering if I really need to go through all the misery of planning my dresses etc...(as a female I tend to want to be fashion savy)

I also filled out the personalizer for our anniversary. I hope that ours is recognized without having to jump through hoops when I get there.

We sail in 20 days! 6/12 (sold out)
We are on Emerald deck (cat FF) not over Club Fusion but some Piano bar I think, I wonder if we will have some noise from below too.

Thanks again for your review.
Sandy

S.S.Oceanlover
May 23rd, 2004, 10:11 AM
Wumba,
Thanks for clarifying the order of the menus. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Also were there many tuxes during formal nights?

Bill

http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43/1a.jpg


Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean cruise page (http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43)

UK Cruiser
May 23rd, 2004, 10:25 AM
MoodyMin - are you looking at doing the two itineraries back-to-back? If so, may I suggest if possible doing the Western first, then the Eastern? We did Eastern then Western and had a fantastic time. This meant however that we spent Friday and Sunday at Princess Quays. By changing the order of the itineraries this would split those days to opposite ends of the cruise.

Wumba
May 23rd, 2004, 10:54 AM
Sandyjabs- do yourself a favor and dress up for formal night. Those that did'nt were a very small minority and stood out like a sore thumb.

Oceanlover- I would day there was about a 60-40 ratio of suits vs. tux's, 60 being dark suits.

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess, 5/15/04 Carribean Princess

SWEETSEA
May 23rd, 2004, 12:43 PM
We were on the 5/15 cruise also...I agree with everything CruisinCurt had to say. I wondered if CruisingCurt could hear piano music in their Lido deck room too. We were in L301 and heard it every night. Not too load, & actually kinda nice. Still we wondered where it could be coming from. The Piano Bar (Crooners) was on deck 7. Lido was deck 15! Seemed odd. The slot & Blackjack tournaments were done differently from any other cruiseship I have ever experienced. Not very exciting.

cruzincurt
May 23rd, 2004, 02:19 PM
Sweetsea,

We were in L250 and never heard any music. But we often didn't hit the sack until 12:00 or 1:00 after the casino. The pillows were like small rocks, probably since they are new. Did hear people running on the deck above.

Public area temperatures did vary thoroughout the week but they were never too hot or too cold. Room AC worked fine. One day they must have been painting near an air intake because the interior smelled of paint fumes.

Public areas were never crowded. Always could find a lounge chair, maybe not right next to the pool though. Fitting in the expanded caribe cafe caused the rear pool deck to shrink. Not too much room for deck chairs and they put in the useless wooden stepped decks.

I would have liked to see lounge chairs on the Promonade deck; a quiet, shady place to read or snooze on the port days.

Will have to say that the shower was the smallest we have ever encountered.

All-in-all, a nice cruise. However, we will probably look back to HAL for their attention to detail, like flowers in the room, better meal selections, lounge chairs on Promanade deck, chocolate milk, and more people who follow the suggested dress code.

14 cruises so far - RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, HAL (we were on the last cruise of the wonderful Norway, still have my room key)

Caribbean Princess 5/15/04 last

Be brave...live free!

P.A.
May 23rd, 2004, 03:05 PM
Hey guys! We're on CP on 10/02/04 Eastern Caribbean. Anyone else?

Also, does anyone know what is above or below cabin#BE739 balcony,on the Baja deck? 2nd room from the back of the ship.

I love these boards!!

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

~Pam~

mandiecandie5
May 23rd, 2004, 03:06 PM
Thanks to everyone for your reviews of the ship, all information is helpful! A few questions...

Wumba- Did you make standing reservations for 7pm for the whole week?

Marye- Did you put your anniversary into the personalizer or did you mention it to someone at the start of your cruise? also did you get anything else for your celebration? I've heard others say before that they got spa coupons?

Did they have sushi at lunch in the buffett? Did anyone try room service for breakfast? Anyone try to get tables for two with personal choice dining?

Sorry for all the questions, but I just love reading these boards and gathering info! Amanda.

S.S.Oceanlover
May 23rd, 2004, 03:28 PM
Thanks Wumba. Sounds like a high percentage of tuxes. Glad to hear that. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Bill

http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43/1a.jpg


Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean cruise page (http://home.comcast.net/~w.coleman43)

laurelplot
May 23rd, 2004, 04:40 PM
Also just got back...yes to the sushi question... it was "california" style...it was in Caribe on Thursday.

We had no problem in the Palm...actually got a table for four by the window....Ask for Robert and Ana (waitstaff) if you can...top notch!! We felt very taken care of. He has quite a few cruise contracts under his belt and it shows!

We did not reserve at first, but did end up reserving later in the week for 6 pm. It worked out well...finished in time for the shows.

cruzincurt
May 23rd, 2004, 04:44 PM
We made a standing PC reservation for 7:00pm for every night. We tried for 7:30 but it was booked. One night we reserved the steakhouse then canceled. The computer system had already canceled our PC in the Palm when we made the Steakhouse, therefore upon going back to the Palm that night, no reservation, but they seated us immediately.

Lots of tables for two in the Palm. Some closer together than others. Some were maybe 24" apart others farther apart.

Sushi for lunch in the Caribe Cafe section.

We had room service breakfast one morning, they came 30 minutes early. Food was fine.

If you are having a special event like a birthday, be sure to stop at the customer service desk to make sure they have the info.

14 cruises so far - RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, NCL, HAL. (we were on the last cruise of the wonderful Norway, still have my room key)

Caribbean Princess 5/15/04 last

Be brave...live free!

riverplaza
May 23rd, 2004, 05:23 PM
We are going on the CP on 10/02. Our 25th anniversary is 10/06 and we can't wait to get away to celebrate! This will be our 4th cruise, but our first Princess cruise. The others have been Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, and Celebrity Century. Any tips for this cruise?

TinaLee
May 23rd, 2004, 06:01 PM
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by P.A.:
Hey guys! We're on CP on 10/02/04 Eastern Caribbean. Anyone else?

~Pam~<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi P.A. (Pam) and riverplaza! My husband and I will be with you on 10/2/04. Actually we have a thread running on the roll call board too... here's the link.

Caribbean Princess 10/2/04 who is sailing with us?? (http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=4763056957&m=6273010377)

Pop over there and introduce yourself!

TinaLee

Sail Away on Caribbean Princess
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;10;02;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500

Wumba
May 23rd, 2004, 08:14 PM
Our reservations varied from 630 p.m. to 830 p.m. We never had a problem and we ate in the Coral dining room.

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess, 5/15/04 Carribean Princess

Johnsonclan
May 23rd, 2004, 10:51 PM
Thank you all for the wonderful information. I used this board extensively in planning our first cruise a couple of years ago and again find so much valuable information!!!

A couple questions:

What are the general impressions of 'Movies Under the Stars'?

We will be cruising with our kids ages 17, 14 and 12. We plan on dinners buffet style but would still like to attend the shows, etc in the evenings. Would it be considered offensive if we attended these events in casual attire?

Thanks again for all your wonderful input...

Grand Princess Feb 02
Caribbean Princess July 3/04

marye
May 24th, 2004, 05:32 AM
We just used the personalizer to register our anniversary, never mentioned it to anyone else. I really think that they are still working out some bugs in their systems. I have to second Laurelplot's mention of Robert and Ana, they were fabulous!

Seayalater
May 24th, 2004, 11:39 AM
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dramamama:
Cruzincurt:

Seems like Princess does not run a tight ship in terms of a dress code. One of the nice things about my recent Celebrity Century cruise was the formality and decorum in the dining room. It was a nice change to dress in the evenings for dinner. Some were dressed to the max and loving it!

Dramamama
I totally agree. We've always sailed Celebrity but wanted to do a different itinerary. Celebrity took their dining room service very seriously and I, for one, don't look frwd to eating w/ folks in shorts. This isn't Applebee's people. Class it up.

I'm beginning to think that the dining room might be the best choice for breakfast and/or lunch. We're waitlisted (182) for late seating. Looks like we'll be making reservations for PC dining at night.

Don't give up on Princess.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Century 2000
Millenium 2002
Caribbean Princess 2004

Aquarian
May 24th, 2004, 12:18 PM
This is what Princess prints on the front page of their Princess Patter.
Dress Code
During the day, sportswear and casual clothes are suggested.
Guidelines for wear from 5:30pm and throughout the evening are:
Formal: A Dinner Jacket or dark business suit for gentlemen and a full length evening gown, cocktail dress or trouser suit for ladies.
Smart Casual: An open-neck shirt and slacks for gentlemen and a dress, skirt and blouse or trouser suit for ladies. Shorts and T-Shirts are not permitted in the Dining Rooms.
I think they make it very plain what is expected in the way passengers dress. I don't think they want to be the clothes police for people who simply choose to ignore the dress code.

jisman
May 24th, 2004, 06:45 PM
P.A., riverplaza, & TinaLee - Hubby and I are thinking about joining all of you on the 10/2 sailing. Our 10th anniversary is 10/9 ... figure we can celebrate early!

Dawn Princess - 02/04, Navigator of the Seas 6/03, Grand Princess 11/02, Monarch of the Seas 8/01

Schasz
May 24th, 2004, 08:50 PM
Nice review...sorry it was not completely up to your standards; however, isn't this the ship that has the outdoor movie theater. What wasn't it available when your sailed?

Wumba
May 25th, 2004, 05:57 PM
Yes, they did have the Movies under the stars while i was onboard. My wife and i had already seen both movies that were playing, and the others was an interactive Wizard of Oz, and a Tom Jones Concert, and a Tina Turner concert. It was a nice setup tho. blankets, popcorn, etc. It was kinda hard with 35-40 mph winds tho.

01/03 Grand Princess, 09/03 Grand Princess, 5/15/04 Carribean Princess