Princess Cruises Announces Multi-Million Dollar Caribbean Princess Renovation

Good to see some details about the renovation. Glad they're spending money on this ship. Thanks for the link.

Hope they get the deck plans updated showing the connecting cabins. I'm one that does not enjoy having a connecting cabin. It would also be wishful thinking that they provide more seating area in the Atrium. Never enough seating in the Atrium when doing a transatlantic when the weather is cool. The art gallery, IMHO, is wasted space. :D

Very different rollout schedule than previously posted. The previous listing showed the March 18, 2018 cruise as the first with the medallions. This release says:

The newly renovated Caribbean Princess will start her Europe season with a Transatlantic sailing on April 6th, continuing throughout the summer in the British Isles. Guests can visit iconic Edinburgh to delightful Dublin to the wonders of Paris, and marvel at the natural splendors of Iceland and the remote lands of the North Cape at the top of the world.

She will then to the Panama Canal in October, transiting the new Agua Clara locks, spending the holiday season in the Caribbean.

Additionally, for the first time in four years, Princess Cruises offers Summer Caribbean cruises, including Panama Canal transits in 2018. The Caribbean Princess returns to sail on a full summer season of voyages ranging from seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean to a 20-day Caribbean and Panama Canal Explorer.

I have to wonder if the medallions will be active on those earlier cruises or if this is more "market speak". I really wish they would give definitive answers and stick with them. If the medallions are actually in use in those earlier cruises I won't be sad as they will have fully trained crew by the time my cruise rolls around in March 2018 and any "growing pains" should be fully worked out by then as well. I won't count on this being an accurate release of info though. I've seen too many premature and poorly worded press releases by companies in the past.

EDIT: Just checked the OCEAN page and it does indeed now show a bunch of earlier cruises that are listed as Medallion Class. They must have really managed to move the refit schedule up a lot.

Great news. I can't wait to see her in June.

Thanks for looking the Ocean up. I'm off to see if my cruise Jan 13, 2018 made the list! If it works as advertised I will enjoy it because it will make it easier to find my husband!

Darn, it still shows March 18, 2018 as the first sailing. I wonder why they are waiting so long to roll it out after the ship is fitted with the hardware. Maybe a lot of work left to do after dry dock or maybe for availability of the medallions themselves. Well, I'll be one of the first to see it anyway on the Regal in December.

Beyond the failure to update the deck plans, there's this from the release on the connecting cabins:

Interconnection (sic) Staterooms & Upgraded Accommodations

With family travelers in mind, Caribbean Princess debuts 87 interconnecting staterooms, offering more room and comfort for all family members to enjoy.

How can there be an odd number of connecting cabins? Unless what they are trying to say is there will be 87 pairs of connecting cabins (thus 174 total with the new doorway).

Beyond the failure to update the deck plans, there's this from the release on the connecting cabins:

 

 

 

 

How can there be an odd number of connecting cabins? Unless what they are trying to say is there will be 87 pairs of connecting cabins (thus 174 total with the new doorway).

Maybe they'll have some that interconnect three cabins? Or just have several cabins in a row. You can have an odd number that way. Gives flexibility as to which cabins you connect..

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2254503

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2472119

Thanks for looking the Ocean up. I'm off to see if my cruise Jan 13, 2018 made the list! If it works as advertised I will enjoy it because it will make it easier to find my husband!

 

Darn, it still shows March 18, 2018 as the first sailing. I wonder why they are waiting so long to roll it out after the ship is fitted with the hardware. Maybe a lot of work left to do after dry dock or maybe for availability of the medallions themselves. Well, I'll be one of the first to see it anyway on the Regal in December.

D'Oh! Sorry, the earlier sailings that show aren't on CB. My bad. (You know how old people are... ;p)

Maybe they'll have some that interconnect three cabins? Or just have several cabins in a row. You can have an odd number that way. Gives flexibility as to which cabins you connect..

I am not seeing all the interconnecting cabins as a plus. I like my cabin without a connecting door. I'm hoping the one I have booked in March isn't one of the "upgraded" cabins that connects to another cabin. The cabins are small enough as it is and the only way to make them interconnected while maintaining privacy is to have a door on each side (such as is done in hotel rooms) and that means the wall has to be thick enough to accommodate two doors which will probably result in slightly smaller cabins. I wonder just how long it will take them to update the online deck plans.

Yes I will be interested in the new connecting cabins and where they will be located. Would be great for our family of five. The CB is a great ship, we were on her in Norway two years ago and can't wait to check out her new additions for summer 2018.

Glad to know there is something new to expect this Sept. Hope they don't include Salty Dog inside Wheelhouse Bar.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2472119

Thanks for the link...getting the new beds is the best change for me. An HD quality MUTS screen will be an improvement & I'm interested in how their food & beverages will be updated.

"In a statement, Princess said the refurb will also include food and beverage updates, which have not yet been announced".

Wonder when they'll announce those updates because the work begins soon.

If they replace the coffee from concentrate machines with the filtered coffee machines using ground coffee like on the Royal & Regal that would be a great update for me.

Thanks for the link...getting the new beds is the best change for me. An HD quality MUTS screen will be an improvement & I'm interested in how their food & beverages will be updated.

 

"In a statement, Princess said the refurb will also include food and beverage updates, which have not yet been announced".

 

Wonder when they'll announce those updates because the work begins soon.

If they replace the coffee from concentrate machines with the filtered coffee machines using ground coffee like on the Royal & Regal that would be a great update for me.

If they replace Sabatini's with Share, I will be very, very unhappy.

Very cool. Would like to do one of the summer Caribbean cruises at some point. I'm curious about what changes will be made to food and beverages.

Very happy about all the updates!! I will be on the Caribbean Princess in January for 14 days. Thrak I know you can't wait to use the Ocean Medallion. I just hope they have all the bugs worked out buy the time you get on.

Tony

I have a cruise booked on the CB next year. I plan to opt out of the medallion class or use one of those metal cases to block the transmission. I'm not a puppy who's master (Princess) needs to track me. I will also check to make sure I don't have a connecting cabin. The connecting cabins are a good idea for those who need or want them.

I suspect that the changes are a one off and are primarily due to it spending summers in the Caribbean. Thus the more family focus in the design.

Hope they get the deck plans updated showing the connecting cabins. I'm one that does not enjoy having a connecting cabin. It would also be wishful thinking that they provide more seating area in the Atrium. Never enough seating in the Atrium when doing a transatlantic when the weather is cool. The art gallery, IMHO, is wasted space. :D

Take a cruise on either the Royal Princess or the Regal...both have huge Atrium's.

I didn't see anything in the article about renovating to add SHARE. Wonder what happened to this concept? Not popular with cruisers?

I didn't see anything in the article about renovating to add SHARE. Wonder what happened to this concept? Not popular with cruisers?

If you search, you'll see many threads with answers to your question. ;)

Apparently not enough passengers are dining at SHARE for $39 and the addition to the Coral during a January 2016 drydock was canceled reportedly due to the concept not being successful. I have not heard of any other SHARE restaurants replacing Sabatini's & no longer see any big promotion of it.

The princess website seems to indicate that they will be renovating Sabatini's so it will not be replaced by Share.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just off the Caribbean Princess this week. It looked pretty good (better than the Grand in 2015), but some wear & tear noted. Some of the swivel chairs in Explorer's lounge had torn up fabric with cords sticking out of the sides and several places of dripping water into buckets and big fans drying out hallways where water had leaked.

We had a great cruise but I'm glad to hear that renovations are being done before the ship gets worn down any further.

Wonder which type of cabins will be connecting? Hope the minisuites will not be connected.

Wonder which type of cabins will be connecting? Hope the minisuites will not be connected.

I just asked this question on another CB drydock thread.

I would guess no one who is already booked wants to board their cruise and find a "surprise!!" connecting neighbor. There is nothing that I could see on the deck plans.

Other changes coming to the CB (with details for most yet to be announced):

Scoops becoming "Coffee and Cones" (this has been described on another ship on another thread)

Prego Pizzeria becoming "Slices"

Trident Grill becoming "Salty Dog Grill"

Blackbeard's Bar becoming "The Mix"

"Planks" BBQ

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/cb-caribbean-princess/drydock-2017/?cid=brand_email_promo_internal_drydock_other_pf7ms033_170325_caribbeanprincess