Caribbean Princess - May 21-28, 2005 - Review

[hurwitz5]

My husband and I had cruised on the Caribbean Princess in January 2005. We had such a good time that we decided to ask our grown children to join us for a family cruise to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We are in our mid-fifties and our 3 grown children, and my son's wife range in age from 23 - early 30's. The six of us had a fabulous time on this sailing.

The weather and seas were the best we have had on 14 cruises. It was sunny every day - no rain. Most of the cruise, the waves were at 0 feet - or just rippling. You can check sea conditions on one of the cruise TV channels in your cabin.

 

Embarkation: We arrived at the terminal at noon and it was very crowded - the line was outside the door. It took us about an hour to get on board. The line moved, and the Princess employees were efficient and friendly. In January, we had flown in (from NJ) the day before because of the possibility of snow storms, and we arrived at the terminal by 11:00 a.m. However, this time, we flew in the day of the cruise and arrived at noon. Our later arrival made our embarkation time longer - bigger crowds. Also, on Friday, May 20, I received a call from our cruise agent who told us the cruise was oversold. We were asked if we could postpone the cruise until June 4 and we would receive upgrades and ship board credit. If we didn't have our kids joining us, we would have taken the offer, but it would have been too difficult to make this change at the last minute with our other family members.

 

Our Cabin: We always book an inside cabin. We find the cabin space well laid out and comfortable. By booking inside cabins we have been able to cruise 3 times within the past year. Our only problem with the cabin was that the wake-up call feature did not work on our phone. I reported this to the purser's desk, but this was never addressed during our cruise. I was told we had to be in the room to have this fixed by the technician, but we didn't want to waste our time in the room dealing with this issue. We like the Lotus Spa amenities in the bathroom - including the Eucalyptus Lotion which was good for soothing sunburn and dry skin.

 

The Food: We found the food even better than in January. The Caribbean Princess has an extra buffet called Cafe Caribe and the food is interesting and tasty and from all parts of the world. We are adventurous eaters and like trying all kinds of food. The first night at the Cafe Caribe included cold shrimp, lobster claws and king crab legs. On another night, there were broiled lobster tails and warm king crab claws. Every night there was a theme - creole, Germanfest, Asian, etc. You can also order food from a limited menu from 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. in the Cafe Caribe. We find the food in the dining room to be of very good quality. Anyone who equates the food offered on the CP to eating at Bennigans or Old Country Buffet is frankly out of their minds (from previous posts), and/or has no sense about food, or dead taste buds. We have eaten at many very fine restaurants all over the country and Princess does an excellent job of providing tasty and varied foods for 3000+ passengers. We ate at Sterling's Steak House one night and found the meat to be of very high quality and comparable to steaks served at fine steak houses, such as Ruth's Chris or Peter Luger's. The shrimp cocktail contained 4 very large shrimp - about 3 times the size of those offered in the dining room. We felt that the $15 per person charge for this special dinner was well worth the price. I enjoyed the omelets prepared at the Horizon Court buffet. Princess has a very smart system - if you want an omelet - go to the omelet area of the buffet - there is a sign offering different types of omelets or you can make up your own. One of the chefs will take down your omelet order, hands you a slip, and tells you to return in 3 minutes. I then picked up the other items that I wanted from the breakfast buffet and when I was done with that, my omelet was ready. I thought this system was far superior to waiting on an omelet line on many other ships. We also enjoyed the pizza from the grill. We are from New Jersey, where there are many good pizzerias - Princess pizza compares favorably with NJ pizza. With regard to the coffee, it is drinkable. However, at least once a day, we splurged on the cappucino (regular or decaf) - $1.75 per oversized cup. It is well prepared and worth the money. The same cappucino would be $4.00 in most restaurants.

 

The Drinks: The pina coladas and margaritas are reasonably priced and better than those I have had on land. The various types of martinis, at $4.95 each, are a good deal. The champagne - Korbel - was very good at $22 per bottle - one bottle was enough for the six of us to have an anniversary toast.

 

The Shows: I love the production shows on most cruise lines. Caribbean Caliente and the new show, Piano Man (which premiered on this saling) were very well done. The performers, sets, costumes, special effects and music made for an enjoyable show. Piano Man, which includes the music of Billy Joel, Elton John, Barry Manilow, Neil Sedaka and Liberace was very entertaining. We saw two comedians, who were OK - good for some laughs. We loved MUTS (Movies Under the Stars). There were 4 evenings that had MUTS - during our January sailing, there were only 2 MUTS nights. We watched National Treasure on MUTS - a very entertaining movie. Other MUTS movies this week were: Meet the Fockers, Wedding Date, and another movie that I can't recall. MUTS is a winner - watching a movie outdoors, while at sea, lying on a padded lounge chair with free popcorn, is a great experience.

I must also add that we enjoyed the music and ambiance at Skywalkers Lounge. The party starts up there at around 11:00 p.m. and the design of the room and it's location (aft and very high up - deck 18) make for an exciting dance/music experience. Our family loved Skywalkers.

 

The Itinerary: Western Caribbean. We hadn't done this itinerary since 1990 (on Royal Caribbean). We had done the Eastern Caribbean in January. My husband and I agreed that we prefer the Western itinerary - more varied and interesting. They both include a stop at Princess Cays, which is a wonderful day. But, we loved Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Jamaica is a problematic island, but we still mangaed to have a decent day there. We hired Peat Taylor - a local tour guide - air-conditioned van holding approximately 20 people - $35 per person, including the $15 admission to Dunns River Falls. He picked us up at the ship at 7:45 a.m. and we were among the first group at Dunns River Falls, which is about a 10 minute drive from the ship. The falls are beautiful. My husband and 23 year old daughter climbed the falls with the guide and about 30 other people. It looked too scarey to me, so I walked the steps along side the falls and took photos of my husband and daughter. My DH and DD loved the experience. Peat Taylor then drove us around various parts of the island to give us the flavor of Jamaica, including driving through Fern Gully (a rain forest) and stopping at the Wasai Pottery Factory. We returned to the ship for lunch, and afterwards, walked to Island Village, which includes various shops and Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. The biggest problem with Jamaica are some of the residents who harass visitors; we feel uneasy walking around Jamaica. In Georgetown, Grand Cayman, we took a taxi to Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach, while has beautiful sand and water. The only negative for us was that we were dropped off at a beach where we were told we could rent umbrellas and lounge chairs, however, there were no umbrellas to rent. We walked along the beach until we saw an area with umbrellas and we proceeded to rent lounge chairs and umbrellas. Each lounge chair and each umbrella cost $5.00, so we paid $30 for 2 umbrellas and 4 lounge chairs. The next stop was Cozumel, which was our favorite stop. It has the best and most interesting shopping as well as lovely people and beaches. I had read about Paradise Beach in Cozumel, through the cruisecritic boards. It did not disappoint. There is no charge for the lounge chairs and umbrellas, which are set up on the beach, without having to ask anyone for help. The beach is beautiful. The only charges are $5.00 per person for a "fun" pass. For $5.00, you can use snorkeling equipment, uses rafts, kayaking equipment, jump on a water trampoline and climb an "iceberg" in the water. The restaurant had wonderful homemade guacemole and chips, as well as other Mexican favorites. The food and drinks were reasonable and well prepared. Tom, the owner, greeted the visitors to the beach and made us feel welcome. The bar area and bathrooms were clean and conveniently located to the beach. If it were up to me, I would skip Jamaica and stay 2 days in Cozumel.

 

Debarkation: The usual wait to be called. We found seats in Sterling's restaurant on deck 7 and passed the time chatting with family members. We didn't get off the ship until 10:15 p.m., which wasn't a problem since we had a late flight back to NJ.

 

All in all, we had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend the Caribbean Princess. We have cruised on Celebrity, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Princess - for a total of 14 cruises. Once we tried Princess, 4 cruises ago, we have continued to book on Princess. The Princess organization knows how to run a ship. There is a positive attitude among most of the crew. However, one of the biggest factors for us in choosing Princess is the anytime dining. We enjoy walking into either the Palm or Coral dining rooms for dinner, whenever we feel like it - no more rushing for an early or late seating. We did not experience delays in getting a table for 6. There was only one night when we couldn't be seated for 15 minutes in the Coral Dining Room. Since we didn't want to wait, we then proceeded to the Palm Dining Room and were seated immediately - no big deal.

 

If you have any questions, post them on this board.

[Elaine0138]

Hi Hurwitz5

 

Seems like you had a great holiday.

 

I am looking to book a b2b on Caribbean Princess next year, and I wondered if you know the charges for using the Thermal suite.

[catdancers]

Glad you had a wonderful cruise! How did you find Peat Taylor?

[ilovhywd]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed report.

 

I especially appreciated your comments and impressions about the dining venues.

 

We heard reports last year that the PC dining on some of the ships was a disaster, with everyone trying to eat at the same time and long waits for tables. But reading all the comments this year, it sounds like it is no longer a problem. They must have it organized very well.

 

Please confirm that one of the PC dining rooms is the one in the center of the ship, as I am bringing my mother who cannot walk long distances. Thanks!

[mtaylor04]

Thanks for posting your review Hurwitz5,

 

It sounds like you had a great time. We are scheduled to set said next saturday on the CBP. I have heard that in addition to movies they have concerts on MUTS. Do you know what the concerts were on your trip?

 

Did the ship feel crowded? Did they have the wooden horse races?

 

Thanks

Mary

[cruzinchris]

Thanks for the nice review, Hurwitz5.

 

Which January sailing were you on? DH and I were on the Caribbean Princess the week of January 21 (Eastern). Like yourself, we enjoyed it so much that we are already booked on the January 28, 2006 cruise.

 

We never got to see MUTS, and the night we were hoping to see Caribbean Caliente, the show was cancelled due to rough seas. We'll be sure to see the production shows next January. We also never ate at Cafe Caribe and will definitely check this out next time. I appreciate your comments about the overall quality of Princess' cuisine and agree with your assessment.

 

Congratulations on your 35th anniversary! DH and I are also in our mid-50s and hope to celebrate our 35th on a Princess Alaskan cruise in June, 2006. I hope you will enjoy many more anniversaries - and cruises - in the future.

Chris

[sealegs9]

Great Review, Hurwitz5. We were on the 4/23 sailing and the production show was let's rock. We did not enjoy it. We'll have to go again to see the "new one". It seems like the movies changed on this sailing, too.

In my posted review, I agreed with you about Sterlings except hubby & I think Peter Lugers is better- only Lugers- not the other steak houses :) . Sterlings was outstanding. And the shrimp in the shrip cocktail were collossal. Bigger than at Lugers.

We're booked on the Crown Princess for next August, but if we find a good deal on the CB (and airfare) before then, we're back on board.

Was going to change our Aug '05 Voyager cruise to CB, but did not want to take the chance of flying out of NY into FL during peak hurricane season. We were on the Voyager during Hurricane Frances last year and were glad we sailed out of NJ- did not have to deal with cancelled flights and closed airports.

[hurwitz5]

Here are some answers and comments regarding the above posts:

1. Don't know what a thermal suite is - therefore, don't know if there is a charge. What is it?

2. Found a link to Peat Taylor on the cruisecritic boards - destinations - Ocho Rios. We always check the destination boards for helpful advice on seeing various ports on your own - to find reliable tour operators. We have used Godfrey Tours in St. Thomas (prior cruise), and now Peat Taylor in Ocho Rios, thanks to cruisecritic recommendations. If you google Peat Taylor, his website may come up. I print out information for each cruise and before we leave the ship, I throw out all of these print-outs to make room for purchases.

3. The Coral Dining Room (Personal Choice dining) is mid-ship on Deck 6, in a convenient location.

4. We didn't watch the concerts on MUTS, but I think that Tina Turner and Beyonce are featured. Perhaps someone else saw these concerts and can comment.

5. The outside decks on the ship were very crowded on the two sea days. We found chairs on the aft decks and also on the decks near the Lotus pool -forward. The forward and aft pools are adults only, so we preferred to stay there, as everyone in our party was over 21 years old. The Princess Theater was not as crowded this sailing as it was in January - perhaps because there were a lot of young people on board - high school and college students, and they probably gravitated more toward Club Fusion and Skywalkers, than going to the Princess Theater. We also went to the later shows (10:30 p.m.) and found no problem getting seats, even 15 minutes prior to showtime.

6. Don't know if there was wooden horse racing on this particular cruise. We have seen it on prior Princess cruises - perhaps someone else can comment on this.

7. Cruzinchris: Yes, we were on the January 21, 2005 sailing and the seas were fairly calm until the last day. I recall the last night being quite rough - rough enough for the production show, Caribbean Caliente, to be canceled. Thanks for your kind wishes about our wedding anniversary. We loved sharing this special occasion with our 3 children and my son's wife. Have a wonderful 35th anniversary on your Alaska cruise. We cruised Alaska in 2002 on Celebrity's Infiniti and had a great time.

[hurwitz5]

My item 2 above needs some revisions:

1. Google "Peat Taylor Tours" and it will bring up Peat Taylor's website - to arrange for a tour of Ocho Rios.

2. Check cruisecritic boards - Ports of Call (not destinations)- for cruise passengers' information on any port. Cruisecritic's Destinations Link contains information about any port, written by a cruise expert/reporter.

[PATJUD]

:)

 

Thanks for your great review. My wife and I will be on this ship the week of September 10th with a group and I enjoyed reading your comments.

 

Judson Patten

PATJUD@AOL.COM

[izodlacoste]

My husband and I were in Ocho Rios :D in November. We had tried to e-mail Peat Taylor before we went and he did not answer. We just asked for him as we got off the ship and easily found him (all the locals know him). He was great fun. He sings bob marley songs and takes you all over the island. His bus was air conditioned and new. Well worth the money.

[Firefighterhoop]

Here are some answers and comments regarding the above posts:

1. Don't know what a thermal suite is - therefore, don't know if there is a charge. What is it?

2. Found a link to Peat Taylor on the cruisecritic boards - destinations - Ocho Rios. We always check the destination boards for helpful advice on seeing various ports on your own - to find reliable tour operators. We have used Godfrey Tours in St. Thomas (prior cruise), and now Peat Taylor in Ocho Rios, thanks to cruisecritic recommendations. If you google Peat Taylor, his website may come up. I print out information for each cruise and before we leave the ship, I throw out all of these print-outs to make room for purchases.

3. The Coral Dining Room (Personal Choice dining) is mid-ship on Deck 6, in a convenient location.

4. We didn't watch the concerts on MUTS, but I think that Tina Turner and Beyonce are featured. Perhaps someone else saw these concerts and can comment.

5. The outside decks on the ship were very crowded on the two sea days. We found chairs on the aft decks and also on the decks near the Lotus pool -forward. The forward and aft pools are adults only, so we preferred to stay there, as everyone in our party was over 21 years old. The Princess Theater was not as crowded this sailing as it was in January - perhaps because there were a lot of young people on board - high school and college students, and they probably gravitated more toward Club Fusion and Skywalkers, than going to the Princess Theater. We also went to the later shows (10:30 p.m.) and found no problem getting seats, even 15 minutes prior to showtime.

6. Don't know if there was wooden horse racing on this particular cruise. We have seen it on prior Princess cruises - perhaps someone else can comment on this.

7. Cruzinchris: Yes, we were on the January 21, 2005 sailing and the seas were fairly calm until the last day. I recall the last night being quite rough - rough enough for the production show, Caribbean Caliente, to be canceled. Thanks for your kind wishes about our wedding anniversary. We loved sharing this special occasion with our 3 children and my son's wife. Have a wonderful 35th anniversary on your Alaska cruise. We cruised Alaska in 2002 on Celebrity's Infiniti and had a great time.

 

HI, Just to add to some of the comments;

 

There was NO Horse racing on the ship.

 

I agree the outside decks were crowded, but no where near as bad as some of the ships I have been on.

 

Tom Jones was another concert, featured on the first and last night.

[mill231]

We have booked Peat Taylor, but I notice you only used his services until lunch time. Can you use his services all day or only until noon?

[atlcple2]

I read on another review that there is no lemonade on this ship 24/7 like on carnival cruises (which are the only cruises we have been on thus far). We are going 9/3 on the CP. I read that they have iced tea and ice water 24/7, and that juices are only until 11:30. Are there other beverages available than tea and water? We don't really drink a lot of sodas, especially in the sun. Thanks!

[hurwitz5]

We wanted to go back to the ship to have lunch with our family. However, Peat Taylor was willing to drop people at Jamaican restaurants and pick them up later and then bring them back to the ship. Also, Peat dropped some people off at shopping areas near the ship (for example, Island Village - Margaritaville) and was willing to pick them pick later and bring them back to the ship. If you wanted to do river tubing (an additional charge), Pete was willing to transport you there and then bring you back to the ship. You can email Peat Taylor with your questions/requests, and he will email you back within a day or two - google Peat Taylor Tours.

With regard to cold drinks, the only free drinks during the day (after noon) were cold water and ice tea. There was no free lemonade or fruit punch. On a previous cruise, some of our friends made ice coffee, by adding ice to the hot coffee, adding milk, sugar, etc. You can probably make lemonade by squeezing lemons (lemons are always available near the tea/coffee station) into ice water and adding sugar or sweet and low. We ordered some of the tropical drinks - some with alcohol and some without alcohol while sitting on the deck. Princess makes excellent drinks and the prices are not that expensive - especially the drink of the day. Some of our kids bought the soda cards and enjoyed Coke, Diet Coke, club soda and ginger ale.

[atlcple2]

hurwitz5 - Making fresh lemonade is an absolutely wonderful idea! It tastes better anyway! Thanks for the info. We may end up purchasing the soda card as well.

[set2374]

I am going on the CB the first week of August. Thanks so much for the Peat Taylor recommendation. I just checked out the website and it sounds like a good deal. You said the 35 dollar (it says 30 on the site) cost includes the Dunn Falls admission? That sounds awesome. :)

[hurwitz5]

The admission to Dunns River Falls has recently increased from $10 to $15 - therefore, Peat Taylor raised his price from $30 to $35.

[mill231]

Thanks for the info. We are going with him in July so I was just wondering. Thanks a bunch!

[sammiedawg]

You really had tom jones on this ship performing?