Caribbean Princess 3/19 - The Not-So-Great

This is Part II of our review of the 3/19-3/26 sailing. This part focuses on the areas we feel could be improved.

The Not-So-Great

Embarkation – Princess new embarkation system, regardless of where your cabin is, has you enter the ship on the Plaza deck (deck 5) and proceed all the way through a maze of corridors toward the front elevator bank, and then you are directed to the appropriate floor and shown towards your room. Having been on a few Grand class ships, I knew my way around and attempted to go the shortest route, but was stopped dead in my tracks by one of the attendants. Having to go all the way to the front of the ship and then all the way to the back of the ship to our cabin seemed silly. This is the only minor gripe I had with embarkation.

Food – Although we loved the food in the dining room, it is time to update the menus. Many of the items/menus have been unchanged since I first started cruising on Princess in 1995. We were also disappointed with our meal at Sterlings. We had thirteen people in our group and three of the steaks had to be sent back for being way over-seasoned. My rib-eye was cooked perfectly, but somewhat fatty. I will still eat there on my next cruise however.

Entertainment – James Lay is no Graham Seymour…and he shouldn’t try to be. Having cruised with the best, all the other cruise directors will never match up. James seems to like to hear himself talk…too many announcements over the PA system for my liking.

Personal Choice Dining – I have a love-hate relationship with this system. When we were by ourselves last year, we loved it. We never once had a problem eating when we wanted to, whether it was by ourselves or with friends we met. This time it was different. We were with a group that totaled 13 people, and we would have been better off with traditional 2nd seating dining. Even if we called days in advance, if we all wanted to eat together at two tables, the best time we could get was 8:30 PM. So, we settled for a standing reservation of 8:30 PM all week at the same tables in the Coral Dining Room. Although service was exceptional, we would have preferred to eat a little earlier than traditional 2nd seating times.

Maitre D’ Wine Tasting – We thoroughly enjoyed the wines we sampled, but the story telling by the head waiters between wines was too much. One head waiter in particular rambled on for over 20 minutes about something that had nothing to do with the wine we were sampling. He lost everyone’s attention, causing the room to get very loud.

Cocktail Service – this is one area that was seriously lacking, especially in the lounges. It was not uncommon to wait up to 20 minutes for your drink to arrive, especially in Crooners and Club Fusion. In the Princess Theater one evening, I counted a total of three servers covering the whole theater. Princess needs to better staff these areas during peak hours.

Maybe the reason they steer you away from the other elevators is because they are being used for luggage?? Glad you had a good cruise though!

We were also disappointed with our meal at Sterlings. We had thirteen people in our group and three of the steaks had to be sent back for being way over-seasoned. My rib-eye was cooked perfectly, but somewhat fatty. I will still eat there on my next cruise however.

Les

I thought the extra 500 people made the Caribbean Princess seem too crowded in many areas. and waiting excessive times for drinks was one of the areas. Princess added an additional 500 pax with what seems to be no additional service crew.

And we agree, the Cafe Caribe does make a nice addition to the dining choices.

I thought the extra 500 people made the Caribbean Princess seem too crowded in many areas. and waiting excessive times for drinks was one of the areas. Princess added an additional 500 pax with what seems to be no additional service crew.

 

And we agree, the Cafe Caribe does make a nice addition to the dining choices.

I was on the cruise the week before you, and did not even notice the extra people ... nor did we have a problem with service in the lounges. For the record - for those complaning about the rib eye being fatty - it's a fatty cut of meat, no matter where you're eating it! We did not eat at Sterlings. We did try Sabatini's and thought it was excellent!!! I was disappointed with the service in the dining room, but others had great service, so that leads me to believe it was not princess, but rather our waiter. <shrug> Still had a great cruise, though.

Funny about same menus - must be they have given all the old menus to tge Carib Princesss - we too have been cruising since 1995 and on our recent 3 cruises have seen many new items on the menu.

Ron