What's going on?

[pcsunlover]

Our cruise was a 4-day that departed on Dec. 4th. It was our 1st experience on a cruise shorter than 7 days and I was a little leery about it becoming a huge party boat. But, I really need a break, the price was right, and we had the time for a weekend cruise.

 

My observations:

 

The ship seemed "empty". We never had a problem finding prime seats at either Lido pool at any time of the day, never had to wait for a table in ATD, open seats were plentiful in the theater for the shows. We laughed because 9 out of 10 times had an elevator all to ourselves, even during peak times. Big plus.

 

We felt short changed on entertainment. Unless you wanted to spend your evening in the smoky casino or hear piano playing every night, there didn't seem to be much going on. Big minus

 

Passenger demographic seemed a little more mixed. The average age seemed much younger and we noticed many different ethnicities than we have seen on previous sailings. Plus

 

More families which was nice to see if the children were being supervised. When they weren't, we noticed much more noise in the hallway outside of our cabin.

Plus & minus

 

We noticed a few more adults than usual who were obviously enjoying a drink package. But, they looked like they were having fun and no one was overly obnoxious so didn't impact us at all. Neither plus nor minus

 

Other than those few things, we didn't notice much difference and would consider another short cruise if the price was right, and if we only wanted relaxation, not entertainment.

[Woobstr112G]

I'm looking forward to my first cruise on the CB in September. She might be getting on in years, but I'm sure I will have a great cruise. Constant turn over and being in the water & at sea 24/7 is a very harsh environment. I may find some worn carpet but that won't make me not have a good time. On all of my previous cruises, I have seen constant maintenance being done during the cruise. When we sailed on the Golden in 2011, she was already 10 years old. I thought she looked fantastic.....:):):)

 

Bob

Edited January 11, 2015 by Woobstr112G

[Vacationdreamer<><]

I just did a five night on CB in November with my BFF. We had a blast. Our dining experience was excellent. Our sun deck time was exquisite. The staff was attentive.

 

The beds were terrible.

 

We'd be on it again tomorrow if we could arrange it.

 

It cost me a fraction of what DCL cost me and the ship seemed neither better or worse.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Vacationdreamer<><

[IECalCruiser]

Comments about entertainment are interesting. We did a 4 day on the Sapphire last January and instead of the rather lame Welcome Aboard show the first night, we had a full show! The entrainment options were as good as any other cruise. We will be doing another 4 day on the Crown next month and it will be interesting to compare. The sea is tough on ships and we saw rust spots on the Regal in September, less than six months after launch. Maintenance on board is a continuing battle with the sea. If there is an issue with that on the CB then it should be addressed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[Coveguy4]

Can you bid for the Princess contract? :)

 

I WISH !!!!!!! Then I could afford to cruise much more often... It took me 30 years to reach elite on Princess.... lol :D

[pablo222]

I agree and it's an insult to combine 2 short cruises and call it a 9 day Caribbean Sampler or what ever other marketing catch phrase they want to use.

 

I did this in November. I found the turn-around day in Ft.

Lauderdale to be a total waste.

[janacin]

As a loyal Princess fan, I must admit that one of the reasons we stay with Princess is because of the loyalty perks we get. I feel that Princess needs to update it's image a bit. I don't mean that they should build megaships with parks and bumper car rides or skydiving simulators or rock climbing walls. I mean that each ship should have it's own character and not be a cookie cutter copy of the last Princess ship you were on. As an example; The cheap looking brass table lamps on the night stands and the tacky wood molding near the ceiling of your room, the trays near the bathroom mirror that try to hold your toiletries but ultimately fail, or the bad lighting above the sink or at the vanity table. The rooms could use some happy color either from the bedspreads or the carpeting.

 

But, please Princess, don't change your great standard of service, your good food, your relaxing atmosphere and your great destinations. We'd like to stay with you but things are getting a bit boring.

Edited January 11, 2015 by janacin

[zaos]

I just got off the CB several days back.

 

Generally, the comments above about the ship's condition is accurate. It's not a brand new ship - and you'll find the odd worn item here and there. Some of the deck chairs up top are older, and look it.

 

Service vary depending on who you get - In the MDR for example, our early dining waiters were great, but the anytime waiter we got wasn't. A fellow diner asked the helper if we could get some service around here - main waiter was slow and didn't even come around to ask if the food was okay.

 

Crew wise, our main waiters commented that they rotate around different ships, and his favourite was the Sun Princess. No idea why.

 

Food was pretty good. Dessert are delectable and might be the singular reason why we'll be back. 50th anniversary heart shaped chocolate dessert is to die for - guess we'll make sure to cruise again this year to get that again!

 

They never really seem to have both sides of Horizon court and Cafe Caribe open at the same time - odd.

 

Beds were good and nicely firm for me - Balcony portside midship on Caribe deck. Crack in a "queen" bed is unfortunate. Steward's a nice fellow.

 

Shows were definitely disappointing - my partner commented that it seemed like the ship was on a budget - with one comedian Miguel Washington and one magician. Can You Dance With Me - on the last day - was oddly short, at just 30 mins. And of course, the welcome show. Had no idea why they couldn't make the shows longer since it looks like the performers were already onboard.

 

Skywalkers lounge had good music, but was pretty dead and sadly not really worth visiting. Plus, the drinks were terrible and the bartender only allowed us to get the same drink - not same or lower priced drink - for the 1 for 1 happy hour. That was the first and last mixed drink we had on the cruise. We found that there was lots of older people on the ship, and by 10p, the entire ship felt pretty quiet, particularly on the last day. We never had any problem finding seats for anything, and I'm not the type to show up 30 mins prior.

 

Some guy was going around the sanctuary Jacuzzi trying to invite women to his balcony - which he thought he got for a good price of ~600 bucks for single occupancy.

Edited January 12, 2015 by zaos

[Colo Cruiser]

I just got off the CB several days back.

 

Generally, the comments above about the ship's condition is accurate. It's not a brand new ship - and you'll find the odd worn item here and there. Some of the deck chairs up top are older, and look it.

 

Service vary depending on who you get - In the MDR for example, our early dining waiters were great, but the anytime waiter we got wasn't. A fellow diner asked the helper if we could get some service around here - main waiter was slow and didn't even come around to ask if the food was okay.

 

Crew wise, our main waiters commented that they rotate around different ships, and his favourite was the Sun Princess. No idea why.

 

Food was pretty good. Dessert are delectable and might be the singular reason why we'll be back. 50th anniversary heart shaped chocolate dessert is to die for - guess we'll make sure to cruise again this year to get that again!

 

They never really seem to have both sides of Horizon court and Cafe Caribe open at the same time - odd.

 

Beds were good and nicely firm for me - Balcony portside midship on Caribe deck. Steward's a nice fellow.

 

Shows were definitely disappointing - my partner commented that it seemed like the ship was on a budget - with one comedian Miguel Washington and one magician. Can You Dance With Me - on the last day - was oddly short, at just 30 mins. And of course, the welcome show. Had no idea why they couldn't make the shows longer since it looks like the performers were already onboard.

 

Skywalkers lounge had good music, but was pretty dead and sadly not really worth visiting. Plus, the drinks were terrible and the bartender only allowed us to get the same drink - not same or lower priced drink - for the 1 for 1 happy hour. That was the first and last mixed drink we had on the cruise. We found that there was lots of older people on the ship, and by 10p, the entire ship felt pretty quiet, particularly on the last day. We never had any problem finding seats for anything, and I'm not the type to show up 30 mins prior.

 

Some guy was going around the sanctuary Jacuzzi trying to invite women to his balcony - which he thought he got for a good price of ~600 bucks for single occupancy.

 

 

Yeah they may rotate around ships after they complete their 7 plus month contract.

The shows have been 30 minutes for awhile, we think its fine, gives more time for other things.

[JustinPlusLauren]

It's been a while since I've been on the CB, though I'm really looking forward to my upcoming cruise. I didn't want to sail out of Houston, plus the price was right for this one. I hope it's a good cruise - it's my sister's first cruise and I want her to have a good first impression of cruising!

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I just got off the CB several days back.

 

Did you happen to run across either of these bartenders?

 

 

[zaos]

Did you happen to run across either of these bartenders?

 

Unfortunately not. I just got wines by the bottle the rest of the trip - the cotes du rhone was nicely spicy yet balanced and a great deal at 40% off. Works out to be $20.40 + 15%.

 

I find they may serve white or even dessert wine overchilled, but nothing that can't be fixed by cooling down my palms. :D

Edited January 13, 2015 by zaos

[Colo Cruiser]

Rommel!! :D

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Rommel!! :D

Nice to know, he's a great guy.