Would love to hear from anyone recently or currently on Caribbean Princess!!

[Sea Gypsy 2]

We will be cruising on the Caribbean Princess in April. Would love to hear any news from recent or current cruisers!

[moki'smommy]

There have been two recent threads with fairly lengthy reviews. Scroll down a bit. Here's one of them.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2596701

[cruzsnooze]

I just got off her last week. Until they fix the propulsion issues stay away. She vibrates and makes noise that are significant. We had a medical emergency so they went full speed to get to a port the next day and it was unfortunate but tolerable when it's for such a reason. After the port the vibration and noise continued so it wasn't because of the need to push hard. I was over a stabilizer, unbearable, when the propeller came out of the water and slapped back into the water it felt like an earthquake.

The crew and Panama Canal were awesome, club class dining was very attentive. I booked the Caribbean Princess for late next year AFTER dry dock where they told me she will be repaired.

[sailaway2joy]

We were on the two week circle Caribbean in January. We had a great cruise. Ship was in good shape and we didn’t notice any issues with speed. In fact we were surprised that some days we were going around 20 knots. I didn’t think that was possible according to all the info out there. It was nice to have a ship with a promenade deck to sit outside away from the pool deck noise. Food was good and typical for Princess. Staff was friendly and helpful. I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise on her again.

 

 

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[denamo]

Would you mind sharing what cabin you were in? Be on the Caribbean Princess in April.

 

I just got off her last week. Until they fix the propulsion issues stay away. She vibrates and makes noise that are significant. We had a medical emergency so they went full speed to get to a port the next day and it was unfortunate but tolerable when it's for such a reason. After the port the vibration and noise continued so it wasn't because of the need to push hard. I was over a stabilizer, unbearable, when the propeller came out of the water and slapped back into the water it felt like an earthquake.

The crew and Panama Canal were awesome, club class dining was very attentive. I booked the Caribbean Princess for late next year AFTER dry dock where they told me she will be repaired.

[OCruisers]

We were on the two week circle Caribbean in January. We had a great cruise. Ship was in good shape and we didn’t notice any issues with speed. In fact we were surprised that some days we were going around 20 knots. I didn’t think that was possible according to all the info out there. It was nice to have a ship with a promenade deck to sit outside away from the pool deck noise. Food was good and typical for Princess. Staff was friendly and helpful. I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise on her again.

=============================================

 

Agree with the above! (y)

We have her booked again for Jauary 2019. :)

[Thrak]

Sailing on March 18 and we have no concerns at all. We're looking forward to a great cruise but, then again, it would take quite a lot to make it a bad cruise for us. We sailed on Island Princess and were not pleased with what had been done to the ship and we both caught nasty colds a day or so after boarding (it was all over the ship) and we still had a great cruise. On our last cruise there was another cold going around - it happened in the last half of a 28 day cruise - and we each spent two days (different days) self-confined to the cabin. We had a fantastic cruise. We can't wait to board Caribbean Princess soon.

[paul929207]

We were n for 24 days in January & February. We had a wonderful cruise. No problems with vibrations. We had Lido 250 and Lido 259.

[Grego]

Thanks for the updates on the CB. We were on her for 27 days during September and October and are returning to her in May. The last voyage on her was very pleasant and we had no issues. The itinerary was altered to accommodate the "technical" issues with the propulsion but all in all it was a fine experience. The refit areas were very well done and the crew was outstanding.

[KCsealegs]

We spent 14 days on her over Christmas and New Years. We didn’t experience any issues with vibration. The ship was in excellent condition, food was great, staff were amazing. We’ll be back on the Caribbean Princess in May!

[jovisoul]

We were on the Circle Caribbean 14-day cruise on her in Oct and had no problems with propulsion. The ship and crew were wonderful!

 

We are booked for this October again, the only disappointment is that originally it was a Southern Caribbean itinerary and now has been changed to an Eastern Caribbean itinerary due to the on-going propulsion issues. But, we are still looking forward to it!

[smeck]

We were on the January 27th Panama Canal Cruise and we loved it. We had Club Class dining and loved it. We just got back today from a short NCL cruise which makes us appreciate the cruise experience on Princess.

[paul929207]

We did have some schedule changes due to the reduced speed. We never rushed back to the ship as she was about to sail, so the shortened port time id not bothr us

[satxdiver]

From what I have read and personal experience on the CB, the ship can achieve 18 to 20 knots. While that is not her top speed of 22 knots, it generally is fast enough. A lot of variables factor into the ship's top speed such as head wind vs tail wind, wind speed, wave heights etc. Cruise ships are not all that aerodynamic which causes the engines to work harder if they are being hit by a high headwind. As they say in many fields the ship speed has a lot of variables to contend.

[Astro Flyer]

This was posted today on another thread about the status of the Caribbean Princess.

 

As I mentioned in my LIVE From (link in my sig), at the CC Meet & Greet I asked the Captain for details about the propulsion. Nothing to do with the diesel engines or generation. One of the electric motors that drive the propellers has an electrical problem with one of the windings. This results in a lower maximum RPM for that propeller, which necessitates driving the other one as the same reduced RPM. The net loss of speed is about two knots. Since this is a major repair, the Captain said it couldn't be fixed until she went into an early drydock in April of 2019, which will be relatively long, lasting 30 days. He said the problem became apparent shortly after she left her previous drydock, which is why Princess knows all itineraries are going to affected until April 2019.

[CanadianBurger]

We will be cruising on the Caribbean Princess in April. Would love to hear any news from recent or current cruisers!

 

 

 

Read my Live From... last December:

LIVE From the Caribbean Princess - New Panama Canal - Dec 10, 2017

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2572524

 

Steve.

 

 

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[skynight]

Were on board for two cruises in January. Felt the ship was very well run. Staff very nice. Did not notice any vibration from the engines and we were in some choppy seas. The new buffet layout worked very well, and there were nice selections. Liked their sandwiches for lunch. DR service was good. New selections at the pizza and grill by the pool were nice. The only issue was the theater. You have to arrive very early for the 8:00 hour shows.

[jean s]

We were on board for a Panama Canal cruising last month and had a wonderful time. We thought the food, service and entertainment were all very good. I personally loved Cartegena. We went on a Princess tour...walking tour of the Old Town and it was fantastic. The tour guide was knowledgeable and really knew how to keep everyone engaged and comfortable. I just booked another cruise for next February on Caribbean Princess last night.

[jefa]

Oooh jean s, I will be on the CB in April and have booked the walking tour in Cartagena. So pleased you enjoyed it, we are really looking forward to it! Was there enough time to do any shopping??

 

sue

[Thrak]

Oooh jean s, I will be on the CB in April and have booked the walking tour in Cartagena. So pleased you enjoyed it, we are really looking forward to it! Was there enough time to do any shopping??

 

sue

 

If shopping in Cartagena watch out for bogus "deals" on emeralds. Mr. Emerald is a reputable dealer but some of the others sell poop emeralds for inflated prices. Of course no place will be cheap. I love the "the tag says $900 but for you I will mark it down to only $600 this one time" people. Yeah, right. Lots of that sort of "deal" available. I was also amazed by the number of highly aggressive street vendors. Sheesh... I thought Mexico had a lot but, compared to Cartagena there were almost none in Mexico. We were glad we were with Dora's tours as they recognized her and "mostly" left us alone although we did have one guy actually try to climb into the van at one spot to try to sell tee shirts. Don't get me wrong though. We thoroughly enjoyed our stop in Cartagena. :D

[marco]

We were on in January. My only complaint was that the recorded music around the pool was techno/pop/rap and not at all appropriate for the demographics of the passengers. And to add insult to injury, it was SOOOOOO loud, you had to SCREAM at the person sitting next to you. Plenty of loungers on the upper level, a bit further away from the pool, but better than been close to the noise......I mean music. Several pax asked to have the volume lowered, but that never happened.

[jefa]

Thanks Thrak, I'm only looking to buy souvenirs of my trip, which certainly will not involve emeralds or any other shiny stones!!!!

[jean s]

Oooh jean s, I will be on the CB in April and have booked the walking tour in Cartagena. So pleased you enjoyed it, we are really looking forward to it! Was there enough time to do any shopping??

 

sue

 

Yes, they stopped at a couple of shopping venues. I bought a really nice (and not very expensive) bracelet that I just love. We were also able to pick up some gifts for the grandchildren.

[jefa]

Yes, they stopped at a couple of shopping venues. I bought a really nice (and not very expensive) bracelet that I just love. We were also able to pick up some gifts for the grandchildren.

 

Thank you :D

[cruisehappy001]

If shopping in Cartagena watch out for bogus "deals" on emeralds. Mr. Emerald is a reputable dealer but some of the others sell poop emeralds for inflated prices. Of course no place will be cheap. I love the "the tag says $900 but for you I will mark it down to only $600 this one time" people. Yeah, right. Lots of that sort of "deal" available. I was also amazed by the number of highly aggressive street vendors. Sheesh... I thought Mexico had a lot but, compared to Cartagena there were almost none in Mexico. We were glad we were with Dora's tours as they recognized her and "mostly" left us alone although we did have one guy actually try to climb into the van at one spot to try to sell tee shirts. Don't get me wrong though. We thoroughly enjoyed our stop in Cartagena. :D

 

Thrak,

 

I have to second your thoughts here. Years ago (2013) my Mother and I had a tour with Dora and were really glad that we chose her for the tour.

 

Did she take you by one of her former students, or something like that, who does street art where he does a painting on a mirror square while you watch??? It takes him about 10-15 minutes or so and it was amazing to watch. I videoed the piece that he did and bought it as well as a couple of others for a reasonable price. I thought that it was unique and wanted to reward his talent. She took me to Mr Emerald's store and I purchased some emeralds for my Mother without her knowing. She was a bit tired and sore and stayed on the minibus when we stopped at this shopping spot. Dora stayed with me and helped so that I could choose some surprise emeralds for my Mom. It was a great surprise for her, and she was totally caught off guard.

 

So, your advise here is spot on! We really liked Cartagena too!

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Mark