Bad reviews

[byanks7]

I was very excited about a possible cruise on the Carribean Princess in December before reading the negative reviews about bland food in the MDR. Are there any past CP cruisers that can dispel those bad reviews?

[Colo Cruiser]

I was very excited about a possible cruise on the Carribean Princess in December before reading the negative reviews about bland food in the MDR. Are there any past CP cruisers that can dispel those bad reviews?

 

 

 

I take reviews with a grain of salt.

Have never let a bad review stop me from cruising Princess.

 

The CB is a fine ship. ;)

[neverbeenhere]

Reviews are *****. Enjoy your cruise and make your own decisions.

[antsp]

Reviews are *****. Enjoy your cruise and make your own decisions.

 

Every time I I book another princess cruise, the thought crosses my mind that it's all gone down hill since my last and it will be terrible, maybe I read cc to much

[wheezedr]

I was very excited about a possible cruise on the Carribean Princess in December before reading the negative reviews about bland food in the MDR. Are there any past CP cruisers that can dispel those bad reviews?

Food is such a subjective issue. Is it bland? Probably a little for my taste but I love spicy things. I also know that they are trying to satisfy 2500-3000 palates. It is easy for me to spice up what I want when I need to. Also do not expect Michelin starred meals on a cruise ship. Over the years I suspect many would say and I would agree that food has declined as lines have looked for ways to control costs (lobster night used to be 2 tails, now it is one with 2 jumbo shrimp). DW and I can generally find items we enjoy and are satisfied with. We have never gone hungrey. We have had some absolutely bad meals. As a tip if that happens do not sit by idly and then complain 2 weeks later on CC (check these boards), instead let the waiter know and get a replacement meal. They are trained to do that and it is perfectly acceptable. I have had mis or undercooked meals in shoreside restaurants and I certainly let the wait staff know there so why would I not do it on board.

[moki'smommy]

We were on the Caribbean Princess in December 2015. This was a "try out" for Princess and for this particular ship. We have 30+ cruises and well over 300 days on other lines.

 

Suffice it to say that after our one week "try out," we booked 4 additional cruises on Princess, 2 of them on the Caribbean Princess.

 

Food...everyone is different. I didn't care for any of the Curtis Stone entrees, and no one else at our table liked them either. But I only ordered one....we started trying and rejecting each other's. Other than that, the food at dinner was always good.

 

I had one fish dish in the MDR at lunch that I didn't care for to the point that I sent it back. It was promptly replaced with a different selection. But that was the only item the entire week that I considered not edible. Everything else I would rate as good to very good.

 

Was it our favorite cruise ever? No. Was it a perfectly good cruise in every way--absolutely.

[geoherb]

Food on all the major cruise lines tends to be bland to my palate. I would like more fresh herbs, citrus, peppers, and garlic. Princess does as good a job as the other major cruise lines. Occasionally there will be a knockout dish, but most of the time I'll settle for pretty good.

[Shogun]

Hi

 

You will not starve on a cruise, do not be shy in asking for extra spices vegies etc

 

or if you want you can mix and match from the menu

 

yours Shogun

[Pam in CA]

I was very excited about a possible cruise on the Carribean Princess in December before reading the negative reviews about bland food in the MDR. Are there any past CP cruisers that can dispel those bad reviews?

Food is very subjective. One person's"Yum!" is another's "Yuck!" I don't like salty, spicy or gravied food so I guess you could say I prefer bland food. Others might prefer very spicy food. That doesn't mean either is bad. It's a matter of taste and preference. Unless someone is far more specific about their preferences or experiences and perhaps photos, I disregard all food reviews. They're worthless.

 

FYI, if you're looking for reviews of food on the "CP," you'll get them from the Sea Princess. That's the Princess abbreviation for the ship. The Caribbean Princess is CB.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Pam in CA

[moki'smommy]

Many lines make their initial offering less spicy. They can always add spices on request; they can't remove them.

 

Don't hesitate to ask for more spice if that is your desire.

[OCruisers]

Almost everything is subjective -- food, entertainment, decor, etc.

 

We like Caribbean Princess and are looking forward to sailing on her again in January for 22 days. :D

 

LuLu

[byanks7]

I feel better about booking the cruise. I have only cruised once, on the Disney Dream. Is princess the same way, if you cant make up your mind which entree you want, they will bring both?

[neverbeenhere]

yes.

 

 

However, if you don't finish your entire meal you have to stay after to wash dishes. This is how Princess keeps your cruise price down.

Edited July 7, 2016 by neverbeenhere

[Colo Cruiser]

I feel better about booking the cruise. I have only cruised once, on the Disney Dream. Is princess the same way, if you cant make up your mind which entree you want, they will bring both?

 

 

Yes! Order whatever you want and more if you want. ;)

[FraudBroad]

If you've been happy with Princess in the past you will be happy with Princess in the future...there's a level of service there that most lines can't compete with. You want something different? Something changed? Speak up...someone is always willing to listen and make the change.

[Astro Flyer]

I take reviews with a grain of salt.

Have never let a bad review stop me from cruising Princess.

 

The CB is a fine ship. ;)

Definitely...if basing my decisions on negative reviews then I would never take a cruise.

 

I've read bad reviews from the same cruise that I've sailed doing the same things...all reviews are very subjective & sometimes bad reviews are a result of having unreasonable expectations by not researching what to expect on any cruise.

[moki'smommy]

I feel better about booking the cruise. I have only cruised once, on the Disney Dream. Is princess the same way, if you cant make up your mind which entree you want, they will bring both?

 

I did a comparison of DCL and Princess after our first Princess cruise. We have 30+ cruises on various DCL ships, most of them 12-14 night cruises. We've also cruised 2 other lines.

 

Each line has its own quirks, but in general there is far more alike than different.

 

Here's the review if you are interested.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2288391

[Clearlakegal]

We are bringing packets of sciracha sauce to every meal. They make everything taste better.

[Astro Flyer]

We are bringing packets of sciracha sauce to every meal. They make everything taste better.

 

Hopefully it won't be that bad. ;)

 

On a Navy ship Tabasco was a necessity but I didn't use it on cottage cheese like some of my shipmates. :p

Edited July 7, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[JF - retired RRT]

We've been on the Caribbean Princess at least 4 times. Never had any major complaints.

I always take reviews with a grain of salt, especially the ones that complain and have written very few posts on CC.

[byanks7]

Let me thank everyone who replied, you are so helpful. One of my favorite foods are snow crablegs. Are they served anywhere on the CP

[Colo Cruiser]

Let me thank everyone who replied, you are so helpful. One of my favorite foods are snow crablegs. Are they served anywhere on the CP

 

 

Snow crab was discontinued many years ago.

At the Crab Shack there was King Crab.

 

CB=Caribbean Princess.

CP=Sea Princess

[kcdancerkc]

Have not been on princess yet....next year. :cool:

Of the other lines we have been on, NCL Jewel was so bad

That I lost weight on that one!

Also the boys,

teens with us found very little that was edible.

 

That says a mouthful :eek:

 

Hoping CB is fine, and with so much island time coming up, we plan to eat island food as much as possible!

Edited July 8, 2016 by kcdancerkc

[flamomo]

I was very excited about a possible cruise on the Carribean Princess in December before reading the negative reviews about bland food in the MDR. Are there any past CP cruisers that can dispel those bad reviews?

 

We did 30 days on the Caribbean Princess a couple of months ago and definitely did not find the food in the dining room, Horizon Court, specialty restaurants, or International Café to be bland.

Over 30 days time, we had a lot of very enjoyable meals wherever onboard we decided to eat. It seemed like the chefs judiciously use herbs and spices in their recipes .... enough to enhance the food itself, but not enough to overwhelm the taste of the foods.

 

Everybody's taste bud respond differently to food .... if one is accustomed to eating highly seasoned foods, they might think the ship's food is blah.

[jsmac3]

We were on the Caribbean Princess for its May 20th British Isles cruise. I wrote a review and I believe I said the food was good but boring. It doesn't seem to me there are as many items on the menu that I like as there used to be . . . such as black bean enchilada and polenta.

 

I made a HUGE mistake and ordered the meatloaf on the final night of the cruise - it really was bland . . . but I ate it all and topped it off by going up to the Lido deck and having a chocolate milkshake.

 

If you are unhappy with the food in the MDR there are lots of other options, pizza, the grill, the international café, room service, the horizon court so you have options whereas on a land tour if you are unhappy with your meal you it will cost you extra.

 

We had three lunches in Ireland and three lunches in Scotland and they were pretty much the same thing - beef and potatoes - good but kind of bland, but those meals won't stop me from going back to Scotland or Ireland.

 

I am 66 and I know that my sensation of taste has changed so bland for me might not be bland for someone half my age.

 

So bland or not, I wish I was on the Caribbean Princess right now.