Pros & Cons of Caribbean Princess

[Working 2 Cruise]

Princess, PLEASE bring the Ruby back to FLL.!!!!

 

Sorry, that "ain't" happening! We're keeping her!

 

To the OP, soot on the aft balconies seems to be minimal. Maybe you'd like to try Carnival? They have deep, big balconies on their ships... soot free!

[blkspy]

I've cruised on the Caribbean Princess 11 times and love the ship. She feels like home :)

 

Things which cost on the Royal/Regal and a few other Princess ships are still free on the CB.

I enjoy using the steam room which is free in the locker room. The Thermal Suites actually have heated beds and was at a reasonable price.

 

The separation of the MUTS area and the other main pool area allows you to really watch a movie.

 

The spa pool area is free and eliminates the need to pay the overpriced fee of the Sanctuary.

 

No it doesn't have bumper cars and rock climbing walls or robots making drinks. If these are things you're lookng for, Princess isn't the cruise line for you :)

 

The CB is fine ship

Edited June 6, 2015 by blkspy

[avalong]

We were on the CB a couple of weeks ago on a 2 week mediterean cruise. Loved the cruise, the staff and no sewage smells that I noticed. If a stain on a carpet or a small nick on woodwork or some balcony rails in need of varnish bothers you the CB is not for you. The only complaint is with the theater you have to get there early for seats and the air conditioning was awful. Very very warm.

 

STILL??? This air conditioning problem on the Caribbean Princess is one I've been reading about off and on for ages. For this reason alone I'd never book it.

[blkspy]

STILL??? This air conditioning problem on the Caribbean Princess is one I've been reading about off and on for ages. For this reason alone I'd never book it.

 

Never had a problem on my eleven trips. Which ship in your opinion has the best AC?

[stoneharborlady]

Crown Princess will be back in the Caribbean in 2017...

 

Just curious, How do you know it will be the Crown?

[OCruisers]

Correction: It is Crown Princess, not her sister Emerald!

 

Thanks to all for the comments. We are considering CB for January of 2017 because Crown won't be doing Caribbean cruises in 2017 until March.

 

Caribbean schedules thru April 2017 are on the Princess sight.

 

LuLu

[Pjran]

I've cruised on the Caribbean Princess 11 times and love the ship. She feels like home :)

 

Things which cost on the Royal/Regal and a few other Princess ships are still free on the CB.

I enjoy using the steam room which is free in the locker room. The Thermal Suites actually have heated beds and was at a reasonable price.

 

 

The spa pool area is free and eliminates the need to pay the overpriced fee of the Sanctuary.

 

The CB is fine ship

 

Please, please tell me more about the Thermal Suites, charges and spa pool area. We are on the CB in a few weeks time for a Norwegian Fjords cruise, thank you. I'm not sure I wish to pay $40 a day for the Sanctuary area.

Edited June 6, 2015 by Pjran

[Jo and Rob]

I've cruised on the Caribbean Princess 11 times and love the ship. She feels like home :)

 

Things which cost on the Royal/Regal and a few other Princess ships are still free on the CB.

I enjoy using the steam room which is free in the locker room. The Thermal Suites actually have heated beds and was at a reasonable price.

 

The separation of the MUTS area and the other main pool area allows you to really watch a movie.

 

The spa pool area is free and eliminates the need to pay the overpriced fee of the Sanctuary.

 

 

No it doesn't have bumper cars and rock climbing walls or robots making drinks. If these are things you're lookng for, Princess isn't the cruise line for you :)

 

The CB is fine ship

 

We are cruising Royal Princess then Caribbean Princess in August. What will cost extra on Royal but not on Caribbean Princess?

[mellon1]

Thank you to everyone who posted. While we were quite nervous...we feel much better about booking. We were on her when she first came out and loved it then, but it was new.

 

We are huge fans of the Emerald and so sorry that the grand class ships will not be in the Caribbean.

 

I am so thankful that all of you are so knowledgeable out there and help out.

 

Thanks again.

 

Mary

[Tracey/Thom]

We loved the Caribbean Princess, didn't notice any problems with the air conditioning in the theatre, or flooding, or sewage problems. It's a beautiful ship, the staff were very friendly and accommodating, embarkation and debarkation was orderly, efficient and quiet. Would definitely return to her for another adventure!

[majortom10]

Sorry if this upsets anyone but can only say how we feel. We are currently on Caribbean Princess to the Baltics and we have sailed many times on Princess and are Elite and have also previously sailed on Caribbean Princess. This cruise is the worst cruise we have ever done with Princess and the service in bars and International Cafe very poor where we have waited consistently over 30 minutes to be served with drinks and the staff seem so surly and miserable and the service in Horizon is very poor compared to our last cruise on Emerald last September. We were considering booking a British Isles cruise on Caribbean Princess for 2016 but will not be doing so now and will probably take a lokk and consider Celebrity.

[jackieo]

Sorry if this upsets anyone but can only say how we feel. We are currently on Caribbean Princess to the Baltics and we have sailed many times on Princess and are Elite and have also previously sailed on Caribbean Princess. This cruise is the worst cruise we have ever done with Princess and the service in bars and International Cafe very poor where we have waited consistently over 30 minutes to be served with drinks and the staff seem so surly and miserable and the service in Horizon is very poor compared to our last cruise on Emerald last September. We were considering booking a British Isles cruise on Caribbean Princess for 2016 but will not be doing so now and will probably take a lokk and consider Celebrity.

 

 

I totally agree with you. We are also Elite and have travelled many times on the Caribbean Princess. Our 7 day cruise on her in May was the worst cruise we have had. Really bad service in bars and cafe. The saving grace for us was the head waiter in the dining room who was brilliant! Extremely disappointed. We have now booked with Celebrity for the first time.

[shredie]

I totally agree with you. We are also Elite and have travelled many times on the Caribbean Princess. Our 7 day cruise on her in May was the worst cruise we have had. Really bad service in bars and cafe. The saving grace for us was the head waiter in the dining room who was brilliant! Extremely disappointed. We have now booked with Celebrity for the first time.

 

Service problems can happen on any ship. I think the OP is more interested in problems with the ship itself, plumbing, etc. I last sailed her in 2013, but I remember no problems with the ship or the service. In fact, the service was extra good that time. :)

[RDC1]

I totally agree with you. We are also Elite and have travelled many times on the Caribbean Princess. Our 7 day cruise on her in May was the worst cruise we have had. Really bad service in bars and cafe. The saving grace for us was the head waiter in the dining room who was brilliant! Extremely disappointed. We have now booked with Celebrity for the first time.

 

Good luck. Celebrity used to be our primary choice in cruise lines. After our last couple cruises on them, together with all of their recent changes, I doubt we will be back. On the other hand was on Caribbean Princess a couple of months back, will be on her again in October.

[Roadrunnerelephant]

Hi,

 

Been reading this thread with interest. We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess Norwegian Fijords cruise tomorrow from Southampton.

 

We've been on several cruises with Princess and found them to be uniformly excellent and good value for money. I was starting to seriously worry about this one but then positive reviews started to be posted and I became assured that standards hadn't slipped. Then more negative reviews.... hhhmmm

 

So I will be approaching this trip with an open mind and do as I normally do - enjoy, enjoy enjoy! Unless something is seriously amiss lol.

 

However it goes, I'll be posting a review.

[*source*]

Hi,

 

Been reading this thread with interest. We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess Norwegian Fijords cruise tomorrow from Southampton.

 

We've been on several cruises with Princess and found them to be uniformly excellent and good value for money. I was starting to seriously worry about this one but then positive reviews started to be posted and I became assured that standards hadn't slipped. Then more negative reviews.... hhhmmm

 

So I will be approaching this trip with an open mind and do as I normally do - enjoy, enjoy enjoy! Unless something is seriously amiss lol.

 

However it goes, I'll be posting a review.

 

Please do - I will be on her when you get back home and would be really interested to know how it was for you :)

[Roadrunnerelephant]

Will do :)

[Mrs Monkey]

Hi,

 

Been reading this thread with interest. We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess Norwegian Fijords cruise tomorrow from Southampton.

 

We've been on several cruises with Princess and found them to be uniformly excellent and good value for money. I was starting to seriously worry about this one but then positive reviews started to be posted and I became assured that standards hadn't slipped. Then more negative reviews.... hhhmmm

 

So I will be approaching this trip with an open mind and do as I normally do - enjoy, enjoy enjoy! Unless something is seriously amiss lol.

 

However it goes, I'll be posting a review.

 

We are sailing on CB to the Baltic 1st August. Would be really interested to hear your views. Have a wonderful cruise 😄

[Roadrunnerelephant]

Hi,

 

Disembarked Caribbean Princess in Southampton a couple of hours ago after our Norwegian Fjords trip.

 

I can honestly say to all the negative posters on here about the ship - were you on the same vessel I was ?? The ship is uniformly clean and well maintained. The staff we encountered were without exception, polite, friendly, efficient and very, very hard working.

 

There are plenty of areas to sit and relax both indoors and out. Stupidly I got sunburnt on the 2nd day on a sunbed in the MUTS area. I really wasn't expecting the sun to be that strong) but there were loads of unused beds available. The pools were well used and the jacuzzi tubs were constantly occupied.

 

The food was excellent. Every meal we took in the MDR was typically Princess quality - fantastic.

 

A couple of very minor gripes.

 

It's a big ship and was fully occupied. At times it seemed a little crowded.

 

We like to sit in Crooner's and have a drink before dinner but it was always crowded with people reading/playing on tablets but NOT drinking. Annoying but the Explorers Bar or the Wheelhouse Bar were good alternatives.

 

Oh and I forgot to take a US/UK adapter so had to buy one on board so UK cruisers if you have tablets or phones that need charging, be aware.

 

So, a great cruise, great ship and company and no negatives worth grumbling about.

 

Enjoy.

[RocketMan275]

Nice Guy,

 

Thanks for the response. We WISH the Royal had covered balconies on the back suites and no soot and the same deep depth of balconies, along with the promenade being able to walk around, we would book that ship if those items were covered and private. My brother in law booked a full suite and said that the lounge chairs had to face each other and could not be faced out to sea and could barely get around them...this is not acceptable to us. We love being at sea and looking out at the ocean. If those items were done on the Royal or Regal we would cruise her.

 

We don't understand that the Royal/Regal are having problems with these aft suites and giving substantial refunds...how is that a good business decision? I would think they would rethink this.

 

We are afraid that 2016 on the Emerald will be our last cruise due to our liking of the covered aft suites and the Grand class ships to the Caribbean.

 

We enjoyed our CB cruise March 2013 out of Houston. Wonderful covered balcony on Baja aft.

 

Fully agree with your comments on the side facing balconies on Regal/Royal. Such miniscule balconies are simply unacceptable, particularly on a suite.

 

Don't agree with your comments about soot on the aft balconies. We were on Regal in an S2 last March and had no significant issues with soot. Sure, there was some on some days but nothing we couldn't deal with.

 

The balconies on Regal/Royal really come down to this. The side facing balconies are always unusable on Regal/Royal because of their size. The aft facing balconies may or may not be unusable. We've booked Regal again in the same S2. Wouldn't book Regal/Royal in any other cabin.

[junglejane]

We disembarked the Caribbean Princess on July 11 in Southampton after our Baltic cruise. Here are my quick comments:

 

1. The staff were excellent. Polite and professional. The entertainment was also very good.

 

2. MDR food was excellent as well. Notably better than our Christmas cruise on the Crown Princess. My brother and SIL were with us, and they were first time Princess cruisers after multiple Celebrity cruises including most recently the Solstice in Australia. They said the Princess MDR food on this cruise was much better than they had in the Solstice MDR.

 

3. We had an excellent dinner at Sabatini's. We ate at Crown Grill as well but thought it was just so-so. Horizon Court food was very good, but the seating area was so unpleasantly crowded we tended to avoid it. Too stressful trying to find a seat, and when you do, you then feel guilty as other poor souls wander past you holding plates of food, prowling for a seat. The staff do their best to turn over tables, but that creates its own issues because they seem a bit too aggressive in scooping away your plate.

 

4. My brother and SIL were in one of the covered Emerald deck mini-suites, E725. One day they came back from an all day shore excursion and found the shower running, the room full of steamy, moist air, and something that looked like black sand in the tub. They had NOT left the shower running. They called the room steward and showed him. It turned out that this was happening in their entire section of mini-suites and the poor steward had a big job on his hands to clean them. The "black sand" continued to be a problem for the rest of the cruise.

 

5. My family was up on Riviera deck. DH and I were in a penthouse suite and our 2 DD's were in an interior. Toward the end of the cruise, the mysterious black sand started appearing in our toilets. There definitely seems to be some sort of ongoing plumbing issue.

 

6. On sea days, the weather was not great for sunning and pool lounging (too windy and a bit cold). This contributed to lots of crowding in the indoor public spaces. The worst was the atrium area, but also the seating alongside Explorer's Lounge. Every seat was always taken during waking hours. Even trivia was super crowded. The weather on sea days exacerbated the crowding in Horizon court because nobody wanted to eat outside on Lido deck.

 

Don't get me wrong. We had a wonderful cruise. I would sail on the Caribbean Princess again for the right itinerary, timing and price. But if I could pick my ship, I'd much prefer a different one (ideally the Diamond/Sapphire). I haven't been on Royal/Regal yet so can't compare those. And I do think that on a warm weather cruise, the crowding problems on the Caribbean Princess wouldn't have been so extreme.

Edited July 18, 2015 by junglejane

[Mrs Monkey]

Hi,

 

Disembarked Caribbean Princess in Southampton a couple of hours ago after our Norwegian Fjords trip.

 

I can honestly say to all the negative posters on here about the ship - were you on the same vessel I was ?? The ship is uniformly clean and well maintained. The staff we encountered were without exception, polite, friendly, efficient and very, very hard working.

 

There are plenty of areas to sit and relax both indoors and out. Stupidly I got sunburnt on the 2nd day on a sunbed in the MUTS area. I really wasn't expecting the sun to be that strong) but there were loads of unused beds available. The pools were well used and the jacuzzi tubs were constantly occupied.

 

The food was excellent. Every meal we took in the MDR was typically Princess quality - fantastic.

 

A couple of very minor gripes.

 

It's a big ship and was fully occupied. At times it seemed a little crowded.

 

We like to sit in Crooner's and have a drink before dinner but it was always crowded with people reading/playing on tablets but NOT drinking. Annoying but the Explorers Bar or the Wheelhouse Bar were good alternatives.

 

Oh and I forgot to take a US/UK adapter so had to buy one on board so UK cruisers if you have tablets or phones that need charging, be aware.

 

So, a great cruise, great ship and company and no negatives worth grumbling about.

 

Enjoy.

Thanks for taking the time to post the review. We have 2 weeks to go till the Baltic. I'll make sure we take the sunscreen.:)

[pablo222]

We have just got off the Caribbean Princess out of Southampton. In all our cruises with Princess this one rates well below par. This ship is really not designed for cool weather deployment. There are so many extra passengers (c.500) and no additional public space. This was the first of the super Grand class ships. I think they change things on the Ruby and Emerald which gives you more upper space Like Sabatinis on the upper deck with a separate bar.

 

You would think that the name 'carribbean' would be a clue

to princess management, where they should put the ship.

 

Grand, Golden and Star have a cover over one of the main

pools, which would make them much better for cooler itineraries.

 

I think when carribbean enterered service, they hyped the

two open pools as being good for the CARRIBBEAN...

[jnc411]

You would think that the name 'carribbean' would be a clue

to princess management, where they should put the ship.

 

Grand, Golden and Star have a cover over one of the main

pools, which would make them much better for cooler itineraries.

 

I think when carribbean enterered service, they hyped the

two open pools as being good for the CARRIBBEAN...

 

We were on the Caribbean Princess on back to back cruises last Oct 20014.

For the most part, we had a good cruise, we did not have plumbing issues in our cabin, but some of the laundry rooms were closed because of plumbing or machine problems. We had to go down two decks to get a working laundry.

Our room steward was excellent, we thought the food was good in the dinning areas. But we won't do another back to back, even though the cruise we bought was sold as a fourteen day, it was in fact a back to back, and the entertainment and menus were repeated the second half of the cruise. But the ship it self was fine. But having said that, if I had a cabin that flooded and it took several days to fix, I probably would think twice about sailing in that ship again.

Cori

[Retiring cajun]

We are non smokers. Does Carribbean Princess allow balcony smoking? Hope not! I read that smoking is allowed at an adult pool?! Terrace ! That would be disappointing.