CARIBBEAN PRINCESS Jan 11 2014-Photo and video review

[Bimmer09]

 



 

 

This shot of the manatee I got by ducking my head underwater as the boat was zipping along at 30 knots. One second after I took it the manatee and I butted heads. This might have been the point where I lost my sunglasses....

 

No manatee sightings that day, alas, but we have seen them many times in clearer water in Marco Island, Florida.

 

[Bimmer09]

My knowledge of Belize City is scant. I ran the camcorder as we drove back to the port and want to share my view from the window as we sped along. It's the 3rd World mixture of going businesses next door to buildings where the owners have either gone or given up on maintenance and resigned themselves to decay.

 

I know money is in short supply and don't expect a lot of painting going on, but I know that no matter how poor financially I was, I would find a way to clean up my yard through my own efforts even if it meant dumping all my junk into the neighbor's garden and saying to him the next morning-" What? You slept through the Tsunami last night?".

 

The poor people watching our bus go by can't imagine-unless they have computers and browse Beyondships.com-how luxurious (flushing toilets! Lights!

Food!) a ship can be furnished. They're standing on a street corner, getting through another listless day like the one before, waiting for their ship to come in, unaware that we are soon going to be having afternoon tea on our balcony, eating fresh food that has been created in sanitary kitchens to Government specifications of hygiene, overseen by the CDC. (CB got a 98% in her last surprise inspection)

 

We know where our next meal is coming from and we expect it will be damned good. Then we might take in a show before bedding down in crisp clean sheets after a nice hot shower. No bowl of rice and peas by candlelight for us. No concussed Manatee steaks in our future.

 

Here's the bus video......

 

 

Norris

in Michigan

[Bimmer09]

There's a song playing in the first scene of this video that has been running though my head since I heard the instrumental version of it (on accordion) a year ago on Ft. Lauderdale beach....if anyone knows the title please tell me!!

 

It began to drizzle as we approached the CB on the tender and it stayed that way until we left an hour or so later. It nixed any hope of an on-deck sail away for the passengers.

 

Last scene in the video is Vlada, my bar waitress from Ukraine. Sorry she is in silhouette...fading light.

 

Norris

 

http://www.youtube.com?watch?v=OWxj8dvl_Ok

[monakayk]

I can help here!

It is very close to walk. I thought it was farther bc of the chair lifts. It's so close. You first go through a few shops under a shaded area and then you go over the bridge (by the dolphins) and get to the beach. Yes it is free. There are pay for cabanas and massage tents too. Lots of bars and restaurants. There is a pier at the far end where you can snorkel off of. Not sure where you can rent snorkel equipment though.

 

whataboutport,

 

Thanks for this additional info.:D

[Bimmer09]

Here are a few photos in Belize as we were heading back to the ship. I took several of the ships at anchor as the tender grew near but am unable to locate them on my computer right now (simply too many!). Ho hum.

 

Some street shots from the bus then the jetty where we boarded the tender...

 



 



 



 



 



 

[Bimmer09]

 

Slight soft drizzle on the way back to the ship and that would set the pattern for much of the evening until after dinner.

 

Dinner was booked for the Crown Grill tonight as we remembered it fondly from the Crown Princess and were in the mood for a good steak. After that was a comedian who had just come on in port, appearing in the Princess Theater.

 

I was one of the few people on deck during sail away. It was early seating for Traditional Dining in the dining rooms (3 of these-the Palm, Island and Coral which switched to Anytime at 7 pm) and it was damp.

 

We followed Carnival Legend through the twisting channel back out to sea.

 

Norris

[ar1950]

........

 

Norris

 

http://www.youtube.com?watch?v=OWxj8dvl_Ok

 

Link not working correctly or is it just me? :confused:

[Bimmer09]

Try this....

 

 

Norris

[rgmacm]

I find it amazing that you thought Houston traffic was light.... haha! However LOVING this review so will continue to read :) By the way, you WILL get a bill for the toll road. (Unless hertz is just covering it for you) They now have a national registry...our last bill from TX (where our daughter went to school for a year) was $75! :)

[Bimmer09]

I find it amazing that you thought Houston traffic was light.... haha! However LOVING this review so will continue to read :) By the way, you WILL get a bill for the toll road. (Unless hertz is just covering it for you) They now have a national registry...our last bill from TX (where our daughter went to school for a year) was $75! :)

 

I drove I59 from the airport on Friday afternoon and the road was wide and traffic so light that I could have driven at 120mph without having to weave a lot. The highway was baby's-bum smooth. We have toll roads here in Chicago and there are always cash lanes so when I saw"toll road" in Houston I expected cash lanes.

I wish Hertz had alerted me as I hate to be a desperado on the lamm.

 

I've already changed my address and grown a beard so I may get away without paying any fines.

 

I also drove from League City to Hobby on the day I got off the ship and thence to Texas St downtown without having to slow down for traffic and then from the Hotel Lancaster to IAH in under half an hour on Houston Marathon Sunday.

 

I think avoiding rush hours is the key.

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

After the excitement of the airboat followed by afternoon tea and a damp sail away, we were very much looking forward to a slap-up feed in the Crown Grill.

This was our 5th cruise but only our 2nd time in the Crown Grill : the first fittingly was on Crown Princess 2 years prior.

 

Note to self-always dine at least once in CG when there is one to dine in.

The Coral didn't have one, nor did the Diamond-they have Bayou Grill and Sterling Grill respectively and neither can match the CG.

 

 

I'm going to cheat here for the benefit of readers not familiar with Crown Grill on Princess Ships and post photos of the CG from another vessel-in this case the Ruby Princess as I seem to have missed a photo-opportunity in the CG on the

CB. These are to give you the ambiance and give a taste of the decor, the low lighting and the rich polished wood.

 

Crown Grill is a steak house and I hear you say "but I can get a steak in the MDR without having to fork out $50 for two". Yes you can but the steaks are not as good in the MDR and the ambiance there is no Crown Grill. It's much quieter, softer-lit and the service is more attentive, more personalized. It's the best steak dinner you can get anywhere for $25 a person IMHO.

 

Ambiance....

 

 

 



 

 

The artwork on the Ruby showed London, a city I lived in for 11 years but on the CB it showed New York City scenes.

 

We were surprised and delighted to see upon entering and claiming our reservation that the wait staff was the same waitstaff from our Sabatini's Breakfast. We were guided to our requested window seats and on the way spotted Cindy and her family! Small world onboard such a big ship.

 

Our waiter was Florin and when I told him we were going to the show later (almost two hours later) he said he would expedite the orders. My bottle of Malbec was retrieved from the MDR wine lock-up and we settled in for an anticipated feast...

[Bimmer09]

The kitchen in the Crown Grill on the Caribbean Princess is right as you walk in. It's an open kitchen where you could watch the chefs sizzling' the steaks if you had nothing better to do. The smells of seared bovine flesh hit you as you walk in.

These are savory smells, people.

 

Like all the kitchens on Princess Ships the place is a gleaming stainless steel affair.

 

The steak cuts are brought to the table for your selection, wrapped in Saran Wrap and labelled- NY Strip, Porterhouse, Filet etc.

 

A savory black onion soup is very popular as a starter. Instead I had some Tiger Prawns while Carol had a salad.

 

The waiter asked how I would like it prepared and I said "dimly lit and not too photogenic, please"

 

 

I blame the Malbec, myself, as it was sliding down a treat and hitting the spot.

 



 

This is a rib-eye steak, the one with the marbled fat (gives it flavor)

 

 

I ordered some extra lobster tails. Yummy but very small lobster, not the lobster you imagine when you think "lobster". Not some giant-clawed denizen of the deep who wrestles submarines for fun. Not an icy-cold-water swimmer from Maine. The Princess ones are Brazilian and are petite. But you can have as many as you want.

 

Carol likes the Filet Mignon...

 

 

There's a ridiculous dessert available in the CG-it's the Crown Dependence which is 5 desserts (chocolate) on a plate at the same time daring you to eat it.

As we know we will be on many Princess ships in the future, our straining belts told us to hold off on overdosing on chocolate (which is how I want to die but not just yet!) Some other time. So I had my usual standby Sambuca and a double espresso.

 

A sublime meal with great service. Florin is a superb waiter and you are lucky if he comes to your table to get your order. I of course submitted a You Made a Difference card before I left the ship (It's a way of telling Princess who among the staff made an impression upon you) The cards are kept at Passenger Services.

 

From the Crown Grill we would make our way to the Promenade deck which to us is the Super Highway to the front of the ship and the Princess Theater for the show. A stand-up comedian and boy do we like to laugh.

 

Earlier in the evening, wandering alone I had come across a band I hadn't heard on the ship to date. The Dreamboats. Some of you may have heard and liked them.

 

I'll post a video of them next...

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I spend very little time in the Piazza but of course that can change according to who or what is happening there. I didn't come across any acrobats or jugglers there as I did on other ships but that's not to say they didn't appear. The Piazza is just a place I walk past on my way somewhere.

 

I came across the Dreamboats band and ran the camcorder to catch the last song in their set.

 

[whataboutport]

Those steaks look so delicious. I've never read anyone mention before that they bring the steaks ahead of time for your inspection wrapped in Saran wrap. That's pretty cool.

[Bimmer09]

We made our way to the Princess Theater which is the last forward public room on the ship. It holds 700 people, all with good sight lines to the stage.

 

 

The seats have little airline-type tables that fold out from the arm rests so you can put a drink on them. Waiters work the aisles. (these ingenious devices have been omitted on the Royal Princess-what were they thinking???)

 

 

 

Brett Siborne, the CD introduced Tom Mc Tigue, a stand up comedian who for the next hour had us in stitches. My face was wet from tears and my jaw ached.

A lot of his routine centered on the cruise experience. Go see him if he is onboard your cruise. The house was rocking. Great energy and delivery from Tom who had just joined us in Belize.

 

Such a great day-yet another great day on our cruise. A little drizzle couldn't diminish it.

 

I fell into bed at midnight after setting the phone alarm again for 5 a.m.

 

Tomorrow would be Cozumel....

[Bimmer09]

I hadn't set foot in Cozumel since November 1986 which is when I came off the Song of Norway and began my life in New Jersey.

 

It had grown.

 

I started my day with my usual HC coffee expertly poured by Vishnu as Noro precautions were still in effect. I took it to Tradewinds as always.

 

 

Soon the sun would arrive to light the scene. We were the first ship to arrive but would be joined by Brilliance of the Seas, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Breeze and at the Downtown dock a couple of miles away, and a late arrival the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

It was windy.

 

 



 

[Bimmer09]

 



 

The ship had to back into the berth in Cozumel as you will see later.

 



 

[Bimmer09]

We had tickets for an Atlantis Submarine excursion but first breakfast at Sabatini's.

 

Brilliance of the Seas came and shared the pier with us.

 

Soon we were off the ship and on the dock met Cindy, Alice and Daniel who had just learned that their snorkeling excursion had been cancelled due to wind and choppy water. They were going back on the ship to book a half day in the Sanctuary.

 

We walked the long pier to the shopping area which is anchored by a Duty Free shop where I would shop for cigarettes and new sunglasses later. The shops and bars were all open and stuffed to the gills with souvenirs many of which may end up in garage sales in your neighborhood some years from now.

 

We all had to be back by 4.30. There was the sign we all dread by the end of the gangway saying that our next port would be the one we had set sail from-Houston. I hate to see those signs!

 

Our sub trip was at least going to be delayed if not cancelled said the tour rep on the dock. We stood by (sat on a low wall) for further developments.

 

We got the GO signal after 30 minutes wait and soon were in a line of people marching down the dock to away the boat that would take us out to the sub.

 

[Bimmer09]

We posed for a photo prior to embarking the catamaran that would take us on the 20 minute ride to the sub. The photo of the sub would be added on later by the photographer just in case you were thinking we posed underwater.

 

 

Sub excursions are not for everyone. You will have to step from the bobbing boat onto the bobbing sub and then climb down a hatch backwards to the viewing deck. Once down there you will have a seat with a big porthole to watch the fish through. Everything will look blue and murky as in this case the reef is protected and lights are not used by the sub to show the amazing colors of the fish which are depicted on an identification chart at each seat.

 

Also at each seat are seasick bags and the lady next to Carol made good use of them from the moment we submerged. Luckily there was a spare seat and Carol was able to move away from the poor woman. She pretty much spent the whole 40 minute dive with her eyes closed and the bag to her mouth.

 

 

I am only going to show a handful of photos to give you the gist of the tour as they are endlessly blue.

 



 



 



 

[Bimmer09]

 



 

 

The sub made it's way to the edge of the island where Cozumel ends and there is a plunge into the darkness of the deeps (think a very dark blue!). 130 feet was our maximum depth and soon to the strains of Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (used in the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey and before Elvis concerts in the 1970's) we made our ascent back to the surface and the waiting boat.

 

The next group of submariners were already on the boat and once we cleared the sub they got on for their dive. A model of efficiency and a well-run enterprise.

[Bimmer09]

Here is a short video of my first sighting of Cozumel.

 

At 1 min 41 seconds I thought it worth a shot to upload in 1080p to youtube and after 30 minutes of uploading I checked the video on youtube only to find a black screen and my voice-over. Ho hum, back to 720p we go.

 

Norris

 

[sminfiddle]

I came across the Dreamboats band and ran the camcorder to catch the last song in their set.

 

 

That's 80% of the Dreamboats actually. In that video they're missing Judith who'd normally be singing the backup vocals - Jessica is singing lead and backup, which shows the talent and versatility that endeared this young band to us.

 

This photo shows Judith... but the dude in the middle isn't a Dreamboat.

They let me play Bass for two songs! Talk about unforgettable memories.

Edited February 5, 2014 by sminfiddle

[enidcruiser]

Norris,

I was thinking about you posting your German trip on CC.

Toward the bottom of the main Cruise Critic Message Board Forms page is a section called Friends of Cruise Critic.

 

Trainman-2 has a section that he has put on there about his home and all the things going on in their life while not cruising.

That would be a perfect place to tell us about your non-cruise adventures. Look at his and you might get the right idea.

Just an idea. Would love to see your trips posted there.

[JF - retired RRT]

I am curious about the dolphin enclosure near Mahogany bay.. can you do an encounter there? We are planning on doing it at Anthony Key, but was wondering why I have never seen the one at Mahogany Bay advertised or talked about??

 

We watched some people do the encounter. Part of it included a "ride". The participant went to the far corner of the pen with a float. The dolphin came up behind and pushed (really fast) back to the little deck where the trainer stood. Looked like fun.

[JF - retired RRT]

I can help here!

It is very close to walk. I thought it was farther bc of the chair lifts. It's so close. You first go through a few shops under a shaded area and then you go over the bridge (by the dolphins) and get to the beach. Yes it is free. There are pay for cabanas and massage tents too. Lots of bars and restaurants. There is a pier at the far end where you can snorkel off of. Not sure where you can rent snorkel equipment though.

 

Snorkel equipment was available at the booth where chairs, floats, cabanas were for rent.

We did the ship excursion which included the chair lift ($12 pp w/o excursion), 2 floats ($10 each), and a clam shell lounger for 2 (not sure of the cost). Cost was $35. Probably the best priced "excursion" Princess offers.