azbirdmom

We used this company two years ago and got our passports back very quickly: http://www.mybrazilvisa.com . The Visas do last for 10 years if you want to go back.

They are apparently not missing Cozumel. They have a new itinerary:

 

Roatan (Tuesday 1/14)

Belize (Wednesday 1/15)

Cozumel (Thursday 1/16)

 

I assume the moved Cozumel from Monday to Thursday because of the virus?

It's good that Princess is juggling the schedule due to the late start to at least make an attempt to get to all ports. Hope it all works out!

Saw the Super Bowl the last two years on the Star. It was on MUTS and two years ago in the Princess theater and last year in the Vista Lounge. We were on the Caribbean Princess over New Years and they not only had football games on MUTS and in the casino, but they also published the channel so you could watch it in your cabin. Hopefully that will continue.

The bus will get you to Miraflores which is a safer area with shops and hotels. There is also a bus that a jewelry store has waiting at the docks that will get you there for free, but we opted to pay for the Princess "on your own" bus. The area that you will go through on your way to Miraflores is not safe, and it can take an hour or more to get there as traffic is miserable.

Eggplant parmesan appetizer on Italian night

Fettuccine Alfredo in the parmesan bowl

Bow tie pasta & veal

French toast in Sabatini's (although on our most recent cruise we asked for it in the MDR and it was good too)

Unfortunately, it's unlikely. We were hoping he'd still be there when we board on Jan. 18th but, unfortunately, we got a message that he will likely be leaving on the 11th. :( I'll let you know if we get any different information.

Wow, he wasn't on the Caribbean Princess for very long! We were fortunate to sail with Brett a year ago on the Diamond and then again over New Year's. He's one of the best CD's if not THE best that we've encountered. It will be interesting to see where he lands.

Thanks for keeping us updated - we are scheduled for next week. I was wondering if you could tell me what the weather was like for the entire cruise...warm, hot, rain, choppy water, etc? Hope you had a great cruise!! Lori

We were on the New Year's cruise and before we left, the forecast for every port was 80 and rainy. It turned out to be warmer than that and the only rain stopped before we departed the ship for our excursion in Belize. Very humid in every port and it didn't get nasty until our last sea day when we had rough seas and force 7 winds. The forecast per the patter was 75 that day but it didn't get above 55.

Last week we were on our balcony on the port side when the ship slowly backed into the rear position at the dock at Mahogany Bay. It did take quite a while and we both remarked how precise docking needed to be given the buoys and other boats so close off the starboard side. It really is a shame that it's so difficult to get into as Roatan is a gem of a stop, and we're glad that we were some of the lucky few cruising on the Caribbean Princess who made it there.

On the Caribbean Princess last week, I was surprised when I didn't get the usual $10 in free play after accumulating 1000 points on the slots. Although it's not a lot, I asked the casino host about it and he said they have a new promotion where you will get $240 in cash on your next cruise if you earn 3000 points on the slots in 6 days. You either need to have a booked cruise or book one within 30 days and cruise within 210 days. There are additional comps beyond that if you earn more, but I didn't get the info on the required thresholds for those rewards.

We were in D737 in March for 16 days and loved it. The balcony is huge and the beam was a non issue. The inside of the cabin wasn't as large as the Caribe deck suite above us but our balcony was larger. We wouldn't hesitate to grab that one again.

Thanks for the review azbirdmom, we appreciate your taking the time to share your experience. How did you find the dining and entertainment?

Will write a longer review when we return home. The ship was fully docked at 6:52 and the walk off people disembarked on time. I don't know if they did more because this was a holiday cruise but the food was a notch above other Princess ships we've been on this year. Hawley Magic was great, the comedian was very funny, and the two production shows we saw were average.

Weather is cold in Houston, but clear. Everything still look good for an AM arrival?

As far as we know, we're still due in on time. It's very clear right now but cold. It's been 53 for hours, but at least the wind and waves have died down. I did jinx things when I spoke of the great weather as we were rocking and rolling all last night with seas officially rough and force 7 winds until around noon today. The pools were halfway drained and the water was still splashing high in the air! Plenty to do on the ship though, and you wouldn't know that we were disembarking in the morning with all of the activities tonight. Fun cruise and I sure hope the folks boarding tomorrow have a great trip!

Thanks for the good wishes! We did get some clouds today but it didn't stop the festivities around the pools.

Primary entertainment has been Hawley Magic and they are very good. The production shows have been Do you Wanna Dance, Caribbean Caliente, and Born to be Wild. Saw the middle one and it was so-so. There's a comedian billed too but he must be on for our final night.

The accidental stowaway was rumored to be a man in a wheelchair who fell asleep in one of the lounges. When they noticed that all hadn't disembarked, they had to perform a full search of the ship. They had checked in 1000 people and then stopped that when they weren't cleared by the authorities to board. We got here at 1 and stood in the cold for about 1.5 hours. We were in our cabin 2 hours after getting to the ship and we were some of the lucky ones. It was a mess, but the cruise has been wonderful enough to erase most of the those memories.

The parking lot did not seem to be full, and we stared at it long enough to notice that. We arrived by bus as we do not live close enough to drive.

As for the Wheelhouse, last Sunday the events were at 9:30 and 11:30 AM, and both were spa seminars (acupuncture and restylane). The next event was at 2:15 and that was the Princess Pop Choir sign up. You didn't mention what time your M&G was scheduled for but I hope that covers it.

And New Years was great. They had parties on deck and in the Piazza. We attended the latter and there was dancing and a balloon drop, with a count down projected on a screen on deck 6 which also showed the festivities around the pool.

Will definitely write a review of this when we return home!

We have had a spectacular cruise thus far. We are sitting in Belize which is the last of our ports and the final tardy tender is depositing passengers. The water is like glass and it is clear, but very hot and humid. We have had clear weather in Roatan and Cozumel as well. Other than a delayed departure due to what was rumored to be an accidental stowaway, it’s been a wonderful cruise. Just thought I’d post to let folks know that it is possible to have a great cruise on the Caribbean Princess out of Houston, and I sure hope I haven’t jinxed things! Back to enjoying wine on our balcony and the lovely sailaway from Belize where the water is like glass, so calm!

Thanks for sharing! We will be there next week.

That is interesting...our steward acted like she had never heard of such it being attempted. Maybe she was trying to avoid the extra work?

Well they are advertised as non-convertible twins. The steward we had on that cruise was one of the best we've had on Princess, and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't offer to create a queen for his passengers.

Nice to see the sign for D737 which is where we were in March. We actually took a peek inside the one you stayed in and it was made up as a queen. The steward said that most people asked him to change the twins to a queen. It was definitely a different layout than the other minis.

Not true for us...might be true for Princess Air people? Wait in line just for a list of available hotels close to HOU and IAH. No queue system for outgoing calls so dial for satellite service, get busy signal, hang up, repeat and repeat...cruise smile definitely gone and we are not the worst off...one couple has been rebooked tomorrow on two flights that are four hours apart.

 

Raoul

Definitely not the way to end a nice cruise. What is the earliest you can disembark? I'm wondering if those with flights this evening still might be able to make them, or if it might be worth going to the airport and standing by. If there's weather disruptions in other cities, there might be missed connections and empty seats available.

Can they give free drinks? Which is what they should consider for PR.

Princess is likely out a lot of $$ already for these continuing wind / fog / weather events that are out of their control.

http://cruiseoutlook.com/position/55-princess-caribbean-princess

Thanks for the link. I've already set up a report for our next cruise which happens to be next Saturday on the Caribbean Princess. I've already told DH not to be too disappointed if we miss a port, or if we experience delays as those seem to be a weekly event with this itinerary.

Hope those of you currently on the ship are able to make alternate arrangements that allow you to get home as quickly as possible, and that those about to board are able to find lodging for tonight. What a mess!

For our cruise at the end of the month, the Princess options were: Marriott $178 + $13.44 tax and Four Seasons $258 + $18.44 tax.

We'll be in E720 over New Year's. Sure hope the bass doesn't make the balcony wave like it did in that YouTube video!

I like the fact that he comes across as very genuine. Some CDs act very fake.

He was new to the Diamond when we boarded in January and I agree wholeheartedly with your comment, Coral. We tend to sit up front in the Princess theatre. Brett would always arrive early for the shows and would always walk around the audience to greet passengers and ask how they were enjoying themselves. Or up on deck, he would always stop to talk. Genuinely friendly and definitely at the top of his game.

Not everyone checks in on the Internet in advance and thus knows which terminal to go to. United has flights out of three terminals at IAH.

Well that certainly must make it interesting! We are booked on a 3 PM United flight out of IAH following our New Year's cruise and will make a note to check the terminal on line before disembarking.

Have a great time! We're on the same cruise over New Year's so I will be very interested in reading your observations.