Caribbean Princess Sept 25-29 Short & Sweet

[A1A]

Our 4th cruise on the Caribbean Princess and this was the shortest and perhaps the sweetest! 5 days, 4 nights with a stop in Princess Cays. How could a short cruise pack so much fun and be so memorable? there were many elements that lead to our decision that short can be sweet!

 

Ship was 80% capacity, according to the head waiter and assistant cruise director! Now I have always read on Cruise Critic, that no Princess ship sails with empty cabins, but this one had over six hundred. Time from being dropped off curbside to cabin 12 minutes, or it sure seemed like it was that short. Muster in the Princess Theater that was only 2/3 full. Poolside lounge chairs everyday. Palm Dining room only half full each evening for late dinner. Staff that seemed well relaxed and happy.

 

Perfect weather, not knowing what weather would present itself we rolled the dice and came up winners again. No hurricanes, tropical storms or rough seas. It did rain on the ship as we left Ft. Lauderdale but apparently that was it during the daylight hours. Perfect weather with plenty of sun!

 

$400.00 on board credit, that made things very easy to accomplish; Liquor purchased to bring home, ultimate kids package for pop and all the mocktails one could handle, buckets of beer, sailboat rental on Princess Cays, make-up and perfume for the wife, gratuities paid in full, casino credit. Although we did not try to cash out credit, we did cash out our winnings and made a few bucks after everything was said and done.

 

For some reason we had $800 OBC posted to our folio on the second and third day of the cruise, but it mysteriously disappeared on day four. We figured it must have been an oversight or mis-posted form another passenger, wondered if this happened to anyone else? Lines at passenger service desk were some of the longest I have ever witnessed on Princess.

 

This was our second Princess cruise since the institution of the Ultimate Drink Package and since it was a short one attracting many Floridians (like us) looking for a long weekend blow out with many enjoying a $400 OBC, I though the perfect opportunity to pay attention to the level of alcohol related shenanigans and rowdiness. I knew that I could witnesses somewhere if I looked hard enough, but I did not.

 

Having sailed this ship when she was only a few years old, I also knew there would be opportunity for wear and tear that may be evident. Perhaps I did not look hard enough or perhaps I was to relaxed to care, but all looked great to us and she still is in great shape. Upgrades made to this ship several years ago made a difference in her overall appearance.

 

Since we had seen most shows previously that were in the theater we did not attend any shows. We did not do much of anything which was really quite nice. We did make the Captains Circle happy hour and took advantage of our free drink coupons, nice to visit Skywalkers. One event we did attend was a Tribute to Mowtown and it was a bit of a letdown as the DJ apparently did not know what Mowton was as he played Donna Summer, Rick James, and Lionel Ritchie.

 

Food was well prepared, tasted good and was satisfying. The International Cafe was more of the same but very good and the buffet served its purposes well for breakfast and lunch.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze as we did carry off this cruise for the first time. We were actually allowed to depart anytime regardless of the time that was designated. The color coded luggage tag folks also received the nod for early departure in the platinum lounge.

 

Overall a great trip, with nothing that would have left one with a sour taste. Would we do this trip again? Absolutely! in a minute!

Cheers!

Edited September 30, 2014 by A1A

[Pam in CA]

Glad you had a great experience. Princess seems to be unable to give the short cruises away. They had major problems selling them last year and it appears that hasn't changed.

 

When you live near a port, a short cruise is a great getaway.

[eskiemom]

Thank you so much for all the information. I was just on this ship in June and am so looking forward to a cruise before the holidays and winter. Plus the idea of a not full ship. Sorry Princess. SUN PLEASE!!

 

I could probably search this but heck I am asking you--on the 5 day, were there formal nights? And as far as the offerings on the ship, entertainment, food, etc, what are the main differences between the 5 day and the 7 day? I have never been on such a short trip but am really excited.

 

Thanks for any and all information

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[geoherb]

I could probably search this but heck I am asking you--on the 5 day, were there formal nights? And as far as the offerings on the ship, entertainment, food, etc, what are the main differences between the 5 day and the 7 day? I have never been on such a short trip but am really excited.

There is one formal night on 5-day cruises but none on the 4-day ones. There's not much difference in what's offered. We were on a 5-day on the Ruby in March and a 7-day last month on the Caribbean Princess. The 5-day had two production shows and the 7-day had three. We even had the same guest entertainer on both cruises--the magician Landon Swank. The comedians were different.

[Host CJSKIDS]

The ship did seem fairly empty. There were times when it felt like we didn't see many people!

I booked the cruise at the last minute because of the great deals.

 

I could not believe how empty the Sancutary was, I have never seen it like that. I will say that yesterday was just about impossible to sit outside up there. Since we were moving so slowly there wasn't a breeze of any kind.

 

I also felt that the ship was in good shape. Our cabin steward was wonderful. We were in D505.

 

I will say that wifi was terrible. For the first time we were not able to get wifi anywhere in our cabin. Our son had no issues in his cabin.

 

I do agree with you, I would go back on in a heartbeat!

[RMM34667]

Thank you for that short and sweet review! Can't wait do my 5 day in 5 weeks.. And the following 4 day.

 

So you used your promotional OBC in the casino?? I also don't plan on cashing out but do plan on visiting the casino (every day!) nice to hear it was good to you!

[OCruisers]

Thanks so much for reporting back! Many of us wonder want these shorter ones are like. Seems yours was EASY and a worthwhile thing to do. :)

LuLu

[UMKCMD]

Thanks for the review!!!

[A1A]

Thank you so much for all the information. I was just on this ship in June and am so looking forward to a cruise before the holidays and winter. Plus the idea of a not full ship. Sorry Princess. SUN PLEASE!!

 

I could probably search this but heck I am asking you--on the 5 day, were there formal nights? And as far as the offerings on the ship, entertainment, food, etc, what are the main differences between the 5 day and the 7 day? I have never been on such a short trip but am really excited.

 

Thanks for any and all information

 

The main difference was the absence of a formal night. On the 4 night cruise there was an evening designated "dress to impress" this gave the opportunity to wear formal attire without feeling out of place. There were plenty of cruises that wore formal attire that night this included some even in tuxes and evening gowns! However, smart casual was completely the norm. I will defer to Geoherb for comments on entertainment. No lobster night on the shorter cruises, but do they still exist on the 7 night? I think if they are offering a generous OBC, your chances for a less than full cruise may increase. Have a great cruise!

[chrysalis]

Sounds like you had a great time, Ken!

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

The main difference was the absence of a formal night. On the 4 night cruise there was an evening designated "dress to impress" this gave the opportunity to wear formal attire without feeling out of place. There were plenty of cruises that wore formal attire that night this included some even in tuxes and evening gowns! However, smart casual was completely the norm. I will defer to Geoherb for comments on entertainment. No lobster night on the shorter cruises, but do they still exist on the 7 night? I think if they are offering a generous OBC, your chances for a less than full cruise may increase. Have a great cruise!

 

I didn't see any tuxes in the AT DR and there were only 10 to 15 guys wearing jackets. Most of the others were casual with many people wearing shorts. On the following cruise (5 day trip, AT DR) with the 1 formal night most guys had a jacket, 1 tux and no shorts were to be seen but 20 + were on casual clothing (dockers, polo shirts, Hawaiian, etc.)

Very casual compared to longer voyages.

[Host CJSKIDS]

I didn't see any tuxes in the AT DR and there were only 10 to 15 guys wearing jackets. Most of the others were casual with many people wearing shorts. On the following cruise (5 day trip, AT DR) with the 1 formal night most guys had a jacket, 1 tux and no shorts were to be seen but 20 + were on casual clothing (dockers, polo shirts, Hawaiian, etc.)

Very casual compared to longer voyages.

 

I agree, it was very casual and we only saw a few people dressed. We ate in the Crown Grill the dress to impress night and actually saw a dad and his young son in shorts that night.

 

We must have seen the same person in the tux while we were sitting in Crooners! While he looked wonderful, he stood out because everyone else was so casually dressed.

[Host CJSKIDS]

I will add that I was disappointed that they didn't do the pub lunch on the 4 night. We had 2 sea days so I really thought they would do it on the last sea day. It's always one of our favorite things and if I remember correctly they did it on the Ruby back in January on the 4 night leg.

[Britter16]

who were the bartenders at Crooners of you remember please?

[Host CJSKIDS]

who were the bartenders at Crooners of you remember please?

 

Wilson and Ana. Fantastic bartenders! Ana is leaving however right after the current sailing along with her husband who is a server. They are going for good.

 

Wilson makes the best drinks and Ana made the most beautiful martini glasses for the original chocolate martinis. Both were so kind and so attentive. As always, Princess has great crew.

[balcony bum]

HI A1A nice to read your review we will be on the caribbean princess in april good to here that she is in good shape.

Edited October 1, 2014 by balcony bum

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Wilson and Ana. Fantastic bartenders! Ana is leaving however right after the current sailing along with her husband who is a server. They are going for good.

 

Wilson makes the best drinks and Ana made the most beautiful martini glasses for the original chocolate martinis. Both were so kind and so attentive. As always, Princess has great crew.

 

They do make a wonderful team! I was lucky to spend 12 days with them in early September. They truly made my cruise special. I know Ana and her husband say they are going home "for good" but once the sea is in your blood it's hard to escape it. I wish them both the best. Thankfully Wilson will be onboard when I return on 10/27 to spend another 14 nights on the lovely Caribbean Princess :D

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for the review. Fabulous that you had such a wonderful time. I am really enjoying reading the positive reviews of the shorter cruises. I'm on a 3 day in November. I can't wait:):):)

[lovevacadays]

Glad you had a great experience. Princess seems to be unable to give the short cruises away. They had major problems selling them last year and it appears that hasn't changed.

 

When you live near a port, a short cruise is a great getaway.

 

Pam, they sure are a great getaway. I wonder if Princess will continue to offer these cruises in the future. Two years of problems one might wonder if Princess will rethink these short cruises.

[lynwar]

Hi

We originally were going to book for the 5 day but when we called about something were told of the 9 day, so we opted for that. It was a great price. 9/20-29/14.

This was our 10th anniversary of sailing on the Caribbean Princess. We were last on her 9/18-25/04-during Hurricane Jeanne week! This time, the weather was great most of the time after leaving during a thunder storm in Ft. Lauderdale. Lots of sun last week outside of a couple of brief morning showers.

This was a getaway for us, too, since we live in Central Florida. We did not program anything to do, but managed to make some trivia groups and spend much time in the Casino with the "Little Devil" slot. We were thankful to leave with some cash. It didn't take long to use up the $400 allowance over the 9 days.

The entertainment seemed good, all around. I did spend the last several evenings in Crooners with Bert Stratton, and became one of his "groupies" up front. He is a magnificent musician beneath his showmanship during his performances.

It would be great to sail on the CB about every month or so, but unfortunately we can only handle once a year. We were very satisfied, but next time I will want a window in the cabin,again. :) These cruises are great for the locals, but there were folks from all over the world on it so good deals are good deals.

We attended the formal dinner in the dining room; I wore a pants suit and hubby wore a collared shirt and tie, no jacket, as word came before sailing that a jacket wasn't necessary.

 

Happy Sailing, Everyone. Lynne

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Hi

 

We attended the formal dinner in the dining room; I wore a pants suit and hubby wore a collared shirt and tie, no jacket, as word came before sailing that a jacket wasn't necessary.

 

Happy Sailing, Everyone. Lynne

 

I agree, it was very casual and we only saw a few people dressed. We ate in the Crown Grill the dress to impress night and actually saw a dad and his young son in shorts that night.

 

We must have seen the same person in the tux while we were sitting in Crooners! While he looked wonderful, he stood out because everyone else was so casually dressed.

 

The dress to impress night was filled with people in shorts in the AT DR and the next cruise with a formal night I sat near the door & saw 1 guy turned away with shorts on. They seem to step it up a notch on formal nights. :D

Although there were many people dressed up there were still many in casual attire with Hawaiian, Polo short sleeves & long. A very casual trip, even more so than a 7 of 10 day one.

Also- we always get a table for 2 & on the CB they just let us walk in & select the table we want without being escorted. Strange. They do watch where you'll be sitting but it's the first cruise where they've done that. We We had a cocktail party last night in place of the Sabatini's comp dinner for the top 20 last cruise and top 40 this one. The cutoff has been around 390 or so.

[trixiegal]

I was on the same cruise but I have mixed feelings. Overall, a nice value-priced vacation but Princess did not impress me like I hoped they would. I've been on all the popular cruise lines, except Celebrity, so I'm fairly experienced. I thought this cruise would be a step above Carnival but not really across the board. At least not the Breeze or Dream that I experienced.

 

Mini suite was spacious and I really liked my aft balcony. Steward was good but I had to stay on top of him to get follow through on some requests. He was nice but seemed annoyed ( though he hid it fairly well) that we wanted anything from him. Probably overworked but I don't like feeling like I'm imposing when I ask someone to do their job.

 

The Crown Grill was a total waste of $, except out waiter was fun and made my birthday feel special. The Maître D was a real jerk and he could've cared less that it was my birthday. I had to stop myself from complaining about him so I didn't ruin my day. Loved the International Cafe but I wished it had more seating. The breakfast at buffet was plentiful. Pizza was excellent! Rest of dishes were typical cruise fare but forgettable. Nothing stood out as delicious.

 

Fell head over heels for beauty of Princess Cay but so disappointed in short time for lunch buffet and bars. Still can't understand who in corporate thinks it's a good idea to leave people on an island with no food or drinks at 2 pm when last tender is at 4:30 pm??? So crazy!

 

Guest services is disorganized and harried. We were given totally wrong info about our bank declining charges and wasted hours trying to figure it out. Delayed our early morning departure for no reason. The associate was apologetic but it was ridiculous how long the lines were, especially when I witnessed trivial arguments over charges for $20 or less.

 

Ship is immaculate but there was a definite funky and musty smell that comes from standing water in certain areas. Even in our bathroom at times. Yuck! There are lots of servers willing to get drinks and clear tables. Most are not too friendly even though they are efficient.

 

Didn't go to entertainment in Theatre because it didn't seem appealing but I caught a few musical acts. They were for an older demo, which is fine but left us 40 and under kind of bored. DJ in Skywalker was a joke. Anytime you hear "This is How We Do It" you know it's amateur hour. I missed the fun atmosphere and genuine connections I've made on my last two Carnival cruises. Also missed the comedy club. Just wasn't a fun cruise but it was relaxing.

 

 

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[Host CJSKIDS]

I was on the same cruise but I have mixed feelings. Overall, a nice value-priced vacation but Princess did not impress me like I hoped they would. I've been on all the popular cruise lines, except Celebrity, so I'm fairly experienced. I thought this cruise would be a step above Carnival but not really across the board. At least not the Breeze or Dream that I experienced.

 

Mini suite was spacious and I really liked my aft balcony. Steward was good but I had to stay on top of him to get follow through on some requests. He was nice but seemed annoyed ( though he hid it fairly well) that we wanted anything from him. Probably overworked but I don't like feeling like I'm imposing when I ask someone to do their job.

 

The Crown Grill was a total waste of $, except out waiter was fun and made my birthday feel special. The Maître D was a real jerk and he could've cared less that it was my birthday. I had to stop myself from complaining about him so I didn't ruin my day. Loved the International Cafe but I wished it had more seating. The breakfast at buffet was plentiful. Pizza was excellent! Rest of dishes were typical cruise fare but forgettable. Nothing stood out as delicious.

 

Fell head over heels for beauty of Princess Cay but so disappointed in short time for lunch buffet and bars. Still can't understand who in corporate thinks it's a good idea to leave people on an island with no food or drinks at 2 pm when last tender is at 4:30 pm??? So crazy!

 

Guest services is disorganized and harried. We were given totally wrong info about our bank declining charges and wasted hours trying to figure it out. Delayed our early morning departure for no reason. The associate was apologetic but it was ridiculous how long the lines were, especially when I witnessed trivial arguments over charges for $20 or less.

 

Ship is immaculate but there was a definite funky and musty smell that comes from standing water in certain areas. Even in our bathroom at times. Yuck! There are lots of servers willing to get drinks and clear tables. Most are not too friendly even though they are efficient.

 

Didn't go to entertainment in Theatre because it didn't seem appealing but I caught a few musical acts. They were for an older demo, which is fine but left us 40 and under kind of bored. DJ in Skywalker was a joke. Anytime you hear "This is How We Do It" you know it's amateur hour. I missed the fun atmosphere and genuine connections I've made on my last two Carnival cruises. Also missed the comedy club. Just wasn't a fun cruise but it was relaxing.

 

 

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I will have to say that I agree with you about the Crown Grill. Our first time this sailing was great but the second time there was terrible. Our service was awful and we waited an hour before any food came. The Maitre D just seemed extremely unhappy. This was a first for us as it has always been so amazing on every other ship.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

 

Fell head over heels for beauty of Princess Cay but so disappointed in short time for lunch buffet and bars. Still can't understand who in corporate thinks it's a good idea to leave people on an island with no food or drinks at 2 pm when last tender is at 4:30 pm??? So crazy!

 

 

Didn't go to entertainment in Theatre because it didn't seem appealing but I caught a few musical acts. They were for an older demo, which is fine but left us 40 and under kind of bored. DJ in Skywalker was a joke. Anytime you hear "This is How We Do It" you know it's amateur hour. I missed the fun atmosphere and genuine connections I've made on my last two Carnival cruises. Also missed the comedy club. Just wasn't a fun cruise but it was relaxing.

 

 

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I don't know how they could provide food right up to the last minute on the island? The guys have to clean up the setup & haul everything back to the ship. As it was they served food from 11:30 to around 1 PM and that seemed sufficient for most people to get what they needed. I'm not sure when the bars closed as we never stayed that late to find out.

 

Skywalkers on Princess isn't noted to be a hangout for the younger crowd although I'm surprised that it wasn't more crowded on that cruise since the crowd was much younger than the typical Princess crowd.