Caribbean Princess Anxiety

[LarryTheCorndog]

Hi all!

 

Over the past couple days & weeks, there has been a lot of negativity on here regarding the Caribbean Princess. I'm trying to see if we can confirm or put down these rumors once and for all. I've got two separate upcoming cruises on her out of Houston and I want to make sure she's up to Princess's standards while I still have the option of cancelling. Everyone sound off and let me know what you think!

 

P.S. We took sailed on the Emerald Princess last year and had a fabulous time, how does the Caribbean Princess compare in condition, amenities, service, etc....

[PhoneGoddess]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this ship. You can see from my signature how many times I have sailed her, most recently in October of last year. Yes, she is a bit older but still has all of the things that I love about Princess. The crew, service and food have always been fantastic!

 

If you go on your cruise expecting or looking for things that are wrong, you will probably find them. If you go with an open mind and an anticipation of having a wonderful time, then I believe that you will. :)

Edited September 11, 2015 by PhoneGoddess

[Musky Ike]

In my opinion, it is not the ship, but the potential problems sailing out of the port of Houston that should be of greater concern. Especially if you are flying in/out.

[wickedwitchofthewest]

Sailed aboard her last two weeks of August. There was nothing about her that would make me cancel a cruise aboard her.

yes there was the odd occasion that we had a sewage smell but nothing major. Internet wifi sucked but again not a major problem. Would happily board her tomorrow for another cruise.

[4x4bob]

In ten days we will be boarding the CB for the 3rd time and we are looking forward to seeing her again.

 

You should be more concerned about Houston. We flew in two days early just to be on the safe side. Sat around and took it easy with no worry about missing the ship.

 

Coming back the Captain announced that he had just been contacted by the Port Authority who reported that the Port would be closed at Midnight. We were scheduled to arrive at 2:00 AM. The Captain then stated that he was going to put the pedal to the medal an try to beat the fog. We docked at 11:00 PM just as the visibility went to zero.

 

So, do work on your Plan B since you are using Houston.

 

Bob

[5:00_Somewhere]

I agree with the others. You can also see how often I have sailed on the CB (since she was brand new - most recently January 2014), and we have loved her each time. Our last sailing was out of Houston, and I have to agree with the others that the greater concern for us was weather issues. I was a nervous wreck in the weeks leading up to our cruise, as almost all the sailings had been delayed either getting out or back into the port. We were fortunate that we were only delayed a few hours departing, and the Captain high-tailed it back on that last day so we were able to slip in early before the fog rolled in. Many of the sailings after ours also had weather-related delays. If you live close and/or can be flexible on your schedule, then this may not be an issue for you. But, as for the ship, she's a gem. ;)

[Pam in CA]

All ships get "reviews" that there's rust, plumbing problems, rude staff, and so on. On every single cruise, you will have people having completely opposite experiences.

 

When you live near the ocean, you know that sea water and even the air has a major effect on your home, car, etc. You may find yourself repainting two sides of your home, for instance, every few years while the other two sides need it only after a decade or more.

 

I don't sweat the small stuff. I've had major plumbing issues (non-working toilet for days at a time) on several ships on Princess and other lines (it's not just Princess) and still had a nice/great cruise.

[Matcodixon]

Just remember that some people take the name "cruise critic" a bit too seriously. Still it is human nature to voice complaints but when it comes to praise, not so much.

[LarryTheCorndog]

Would anyone happen to have any recent pictures of the interior of the Caribbean Princes from any of their recent voyages? I'm trying to judge the condition of the ship compared to the Emerald

[sammybonny]

We were on the Caribbean Princess last week and found the ship to be in good condition in most places and this was after being on Royal Princess a few weeks before.The crew were friendly and very efficient.

I would definitely book another cruise on her if there was an itinerary that interested me.I don't understand why there are so many negative reviews.

[shredie]

Would anyone happen to have any recent pictures of the interior of the Caribbean Princes from any of their recent voyages? I'm trying to judge the condition of the ship compared to the Emerald

 

You won't see any differences in photos. This CB hysteria has reached ridiculous proportions, IMO. Back some time ago, someone made a bad review of her and, for some reason, it just snowballed. There is NOTHING major wrong with the ship (which the realistic reviews will tell you.) This situation has reached the point of comic farce.

[msmoger]

I don't have pictures, just great memories of two weeks on her last April.

 

As others have said, if you're looking for "flaws" you're sure to find them, not just on the CB.

 

Relax and have a great cruise. :)

[caribill]

Both the Caribbean and the Emerald are great ships. Crews are great. Food and entertainment are to the usual Princess standards.

 

The onboard experience will be a little different as the Emerald has the Adagio Lounge and the International Cafe has gelato. The Caribbesn has neither the Adagio or gelato.

 

Also, only two of the four aft elevators go down to the aft dining room or up to Skywalkers on the Caribbean.

Edited September 12, 2015 by caribill

[elaine5]

no photos, but we had 2 cabins and both were fine--no missing tiles, no torn or stained carpets in rooms or any hallway/public areas that I noticed. They were replacing indoor/outdoor carpet on the main pool deck. I had seen reviews of the ship looking old, but I really could not find any old/worn out areas. Service was excellent, food excellent. We got a great deal, so I could have lived with less than perfect. All 7 of us thought it was a great cruise. Princess is just below Disney now as our favorite line.

[Retiring cajun]

what's the concern on Houston port? CB out of there in January! foggy time?

[satxdiver]

We last sailed on the CB in the spring of 2014 out of Bayport (Houston). This was just before the CB went into dry dock for an update so it should be better now. We sail on her again in three weeks and have 4 more cruises on her scheduled in the future. We sailed on the CB in November 2013 and the then CEO of Princess was aboard (special veterans cruise) so I would imagine they were on their toes. We have found friendly crew on all our ships not just Princess.

 

Sea water (salt) is very corrosive and destructive so yes you can find rust even on brand new ships. The toilet system is a vacuum system unlike the centrifugal system you have at home with several cabins in line connected to the drain. All it takes is one inconsiderate pax to flush some contraband down to block the system for many cabins. Please only use the toilet for its intended purpose and dispose other items in the trash can provided.

 

We are not worried about sailing on the CB again soon and anticipate a really great cruise.

[satxdiver]

what's the concern on Houston port? CB out of there in January! foggy time?

 

Bayport is in the Port of Houston about 50 or so miles from the Gulf. The channel out to the Gulf is somewhat narrow and so reduced visibility can be a problem. Houston being near the Gulf and in the southern part of the country does get fog during the spring time when cold northern fronts hit the warm humid Gulf air. January should not be a problem as it is still winter but the spring time which starts the middle of February down here beings with it fog. I have been grounded when flying out of the Houston airports due to fog so it is just a fact of nature. You should not have a problem in January but mother nature has a mind of her own.

[Colo Cruiser]

You won't see any differences in photos. This CB hysteria has reached ridiculous proportions, IMO. Back some time ago, someone made a bad review of her and, for some reason, it just snowballed. There is NOTHING major wrong with the ship (which the realistic reviews will tell you.) This situation has reached the point of comic farce.

 

 

Yes.

[Jessejo]

You won't see any differences in photos. This CB hysteria has reached ridiculous proportions, IMO. Back some time ago, someone made a bad review of her and, for some reason, it just snowballed. There is NOTHING major wrong with the ship (which the realistic reviews will tell you.) This situation has reached the point of comic farce.

 

DH and I are booked on CB. I read a few of the latest reviews today - three 2-star reviews are written by the same person!!! So, you can throw at least two of those out

[caribill]

DH and I are booked on CB. I read a few of the latest reviews today - three 2-star reviews are written by the same person!!! So, you can throw at least two of those out

 

So did that person dislike their first CB cruise so much they went on it two more times so they could post three reviews?

[Mom33]

DH and I are booked on CB. I read a few of the latest reviews today - three 2-star reviews are written by the same person!!! So, you can throw at least two of those out

 

I would dismiss all three. :D :D

[flamomo]

I cruised on the CB about a year ago, and was very pleased with everything about her. I had no qualms about booking a 30 day B2B on her for next Spring!

[Bimmer09]

Would anyone happen to have any recent pictures of the interior of the Caribbean Princes from any of their recent voyages? I'm trying to judge the condition of the ship compared to the Emerald

 

Larry, I haven't been on the CB recently but I have a review below from January 2014 which has several hundred photos from the ship.

 

At that time in her career she was two months away from being in the sea for 10 years. For the sake of the math let's say she averaged 3,000 pax a week (max capacity is 3600) and sailed only 50 weeks a year =150,000 pax annually times 10....so by the time I took my photos 1.5 million people had "used" her.

 

There were rust stains on the anchor wells, but that's all I can remember.

 

The crew was the same as on my other Princess sailings-always working and that included the deck crew who were painting, chipping and varnishing. The ship gets continual maintenance especially in combatting rust from the salt water.

 

I enjoyed our cruise from Houston on the CB. As the review shows we had boarding delayed by 5 hours as the ship came back up the channel in fog. She was 4 hours late in docking and they had to scrub her down as Norovirus was present. This got our cruise off on the wrong foot but as soon as we boarded the ship that was no issue as the ship and crew met our expectations.

 

Roughly 240,000 more pax have sailed her since I did (using my math) and she has had a dry dock in the interim.

 

On the board right now is a live review from the CB by a regular CC contributor who "tells it like it is".

 

Apart from his thread a search would show many threads re the condition of the CB and she is always vindicated by people who have sailed her recently or multiple times in the same year-which must tell you something.

 

Houston area weather is the only thing likely to change drastically- not the condition of this ship.

 

I hope you get to sail on her and see for yourself.

 

Norris

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Would anyone happen to have any recent pictures of the interior of the Caribbean Princes from any of their recent voyages? I'm trying to judge the condition of the ship compared to the Emerald

 

I agree with others. If you are looking for problems, you will find them. I don't like comparing ships because each ship is different, yes even within the same class. My suggestion is just go with the flow and enjoy your cruise. Sometimes too much planning and knowledge leads to disappointments.

[kendon]

We've been on the CB many times over the years and had only one bad experience, and it was a general service issue. Been on her since and would go again tomorrow! Blips happen. Please don't worry.