I don't want to write this review...

[rgr33]

Hi All, Just back from a 14 day, 8 island Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess, and thought I would attempt my first ever written review. First, let me state that we have been on 8 cruises, 6 of them were on Princess ships.

They have always been the cruise line that all others are measured against.  We alternate approx. every other year with a land based vacation, all inclusive, condo rental etc.

It’s been about 6 years since we were last on a Princess cruise, and we were excited to return to them after choosing other family vacations recently.

 

Sadly, a lot has changed on Princess ships, and mostly at the expense of their clientele. So as not to get too detailed (boring), I will list a few areas that disappointed my wife and I, followed by a list of things we still found to be top notch.

 

-the over riding theme on this list is the constant practice of cutting corners, at the passengers expense,  removing much of what made Princess stand out to us as our favorite cruise line.

-The buffet was just a shell of what it was on our previous cruises, the food choices were very weird, pork and beans for breakfast, runny, slimy casseroles of some sort. The French toast was made of the same heavy, dense blob of dough that the donuts contained. Pretty much exactly the same things served in the buffet every day, for 14 days straight Not good enough effort here.

 

-Here again, cost cutting shows it’s ugly self. Gone is the normal portion size, my carrot side dish for example, was the size of one small carrot stick cut into 2 pieces. Caesar salads were very small. Over all, the food in the MDR was excellent, but the choice of entrees was not. In my opinion, chili should not be offered as the main course  in the MDR menu. That is below the menu expectation for Princess MDR, but it’s cheap to make, so draw your own conclusion there. Where is the pasta course? The gelato offering?  The caviar appetizer? Gone.

 

Why in the heck is the pool not heated anymore? Almost no one braved the ice water pool for the first 3-4 days. It never did get much use through out the cruise. Too cold.

 

-          No more movies in the theater during the daytime, with one or two exceptions, might have been just on sea days, not sure. They played movies during the day on MUTS, but no one could hear the dialogue in the pool area. Most people ignored it.

 

-the last 2 are big ones for me, really disappointed in poolside service on this cruise. Day after day, I watched the servers hang around the bar, joking it up with the bartender, and other servers. Very poor service, Princess is leaving a lot of money in the passengers pockets here, doubt if the management would have been happy to see that.

 

-Servers in the buffet. They mostly kept themselves on a short leash, and never journeyed more than 60 to 70 feet from their stations, 90% of the time, we gave up and served ourselves. Is that the new normal now? Maybe it is, but it caused a traffic jam in the beverage area, as passengers milled around trying to find juice or coffee.

 

 

Some things seemed as though they never suffered at the hands of the cost cutter gang

 

-The employees on the ship were as thoughtful, and gracious as the ever were. Princess is lucky to have them, as the nearly make the cruise worth while all by themselves. Never seen better at any other vacation resort.

 

-The ship is older, and maybe a bit smaller than some, but it is well cared for and just beautiful, inside and out.

 

-the stateroom, and the beds were very, very nice, and the movie selection on the in room tv was great. Room steward was excellent.

 

I know this was long, and it didn’t make me happy to write most of it, but I am hoping the management team at Princess wakes up and does a course correction. I would rather pay a higher price up front, than be that disappointed in my favorite cruise line.

Unfortunately, this will be our last Princess cruise, and I absolutely hate that it’s come to this, but we will  be booking future vacations on a cruise line that still offers  the Princess experience we used to expect.

 

The bean counters appear to be in control everywhere these days, and it’s not adding anything positive

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your comments.

I agree about the buffet and pool service.

This irked me to no end and a prime example was the staff in Skywalkers during the PSE lounge everyday.

Even the supervisor stood around BS...ing with the bar/wait staff.

When there were less than 10 people they would still never come and sell/serve drinks.

 

In our experience and on our Princess cruises pools were never heated.

[Griller]

7 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Thanks for your comments.

I agree about the buffet and pool service.

This irked me to no end and a prime example was the staff in Skywalkers during the PSE lounge everyday.

Even the supervisor stood around BS...ing with the bar/wait staff.

When there were less than 10 people they would still never come and sell/serve drinks.

 

In our experience and on our Princess cruises pools were never heated.

The more passengers who get free or prepaid beverage packages the less the bar staff feel they have to work for their gratuities on drinks in my opinion. 

[Colo Cruiser]

1 minute ago, Griller said:

The more passengers who get free or prepaid beverage packages the less the bar staff feel they have to work for their gratuities on drinks in my opinion. 

Good point.

[whatcruiseisnext]

We were on this cruise with you and I couldn’t agree with you more.  Your review is spot on. 

 

We were extremely disappointed in the World Fresh Marketplace.  My hubby and I joked that Princess must have bought stock in a chili flake or spice factory. Everything was spiced to the hilt and chili flakes added to everything.  Pears and peaches served sprinkled with chili flakes. Beets and Feta cheese which I love... not on that ship because they were mixed with chili pepper flakes. Everything had Asian spices. And what’s with all the ore-made stuff and served in little cardboard containers? Most things served this way were dried out and awful tasting.  The premise salads served in containers either had way too much dressing already on them and were wilted and limp or they were seasoned to the high heavens. 

 

We were here told that the servers at the pool were supposed to wait until people ordered drinks with their mediallion app and not go around and ask if anyone wanted a drink. That being said... hubby and I watched more than once as a pool bar staff server went round and round being deck 15 and 16 at the pool looking for someone who had ordered via the Medallion app... all the while the frozen drink melting in the heat. 

 

Edited February 14, 2019 by whatcruiseisnext

[4cats4me]

1 hour ago, Griller said:

The more passengers who get free or prepaid beverage packages the less the bar staff feel they have to work for their gratuities on drinks in my opinion. 

 

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Good point.

 

This is what happened on Celebrity when they went to the all-inclusive model.  

We used to get great service, but now that the bast majority have s beverage package included, the drinks aren’t that good, and the bartenders are overworked and unlike on Princess, there was hardly anyone serving drinks poolside.  

[floridalover5623]

I can agree with views on the CB, especially the food. 😠

It's one of the Princess ships that will never consider cruising on again until they change their ways.

 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments.

Very informative.

[Coral]

I think because you had been gone for 6 years - you noticed the difference more than those who cruise once a year (or more) and gradually adjusted to the changes. You had a more contrast in what you had previously vs now.

[bemis12]

7 hours ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

 

We were extremely disappointed in the World Fresh Marketplace.  My hubby and I joked that Princess must have bought stock in a chili flake or spice factory. Everything was spiced to the hilt and chili flakes added to everything. 

 

 That is certainly a pleasant break from the people who have been complaining that the food is too bland. 

[CruisinFinsUp]

Thank you OP for your review.  We too were disappointed with WFM last July on CB. Head chefs told me it was an ongoing work in progress - they still hadn't found what worked ... 

Other ships went into drydock after CB and were refitted with Coffee &Cones and Slice, etc but nothing was done to Horizon Court and they didn't get Planks & Steamers.   All a good decision in my opinion.  I'd rather have the prior options than what they put on CB.  

 

 

 

8 hours ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

We were here told that the servers at the pool were supposed to wait until people ordered drinks with their mediallion app and not go around and ask if anyone wanted a drink.

 

This I find very interesting.  And frustrating.    We will not be bringing our phones/ ipads poolside so we can use medallion to order drinks.   Ridiculous.   

 

Should we find ourselves on a medallion cruise, we'll be finding (and tipping) a waiter to take care of us.  We have noticed fewer waiters on deck in general over the past 3-4 years on all ships.  If its worse with medallion that is pretty awful.  

[voljeep]

9 hours ago, Griller said:

The more passengers who get free or prepaid beverage packages the less the bar staff feel they have to work for their gratuities on drinks in my opinion. 

that's why we always tip/bribe $1 for the first drink at a pool bar / vines / crooners ... works for us

[Cruzin Grandma]

We too were on this cruise.  I have to agree with OP and others about the food.  Unusual choices and combinations.  The carving station rarely had beef. I had read about the food in containers before sailing so I was not surprised, I did try it a couple of times and as others have stated, it was very dry from sitting out.   Having been advised prior to sailing the new dining times, we opted for 7:15 late seating, however once on board we found out late TD seating was 7:45.  We made do as we do not always go to the dining room.  We were not too excited about the choices in MDR, but when we went there, we always found something we liked.  We did enjoy UBD twice, it was awesome! Best quality food and service we had all week.

 

 I believe I was the person waiting for the drinks, we waited over 50 minutes for our drinks, the we finally went to the bar where our drinks were charged to find out what was going on.  Apparently the medallion thought we were in or near Planks but in fact we were in Skywalkers. 

 

Absolutely loved the high speed internet.  I know many people like to “unplug” while cruising and I certainly respect their opinion, but I enjoy staying “connected”!  

 

Overall this ship provided us with the best service we have ever had (over 25 cruises).  I just felt special the entire 2 weeks!  

 

We will be sailing this same ship, same itinerary and same cabin category in 2020.  While I wasn’t impressed with the food, I never went hungry!

 

[Coral]

9 minutes ago, Cruzin Grandma said:

We too were on this cruise.  I have to agree with OP and others about the food.  Unusual choices and combinations.  The carving station rarely had beef.

I saw beef on my last few cruises on the carving station - it was meatloaf. 👿

[ABoatNerd]

Thank you OP for your thoughtful and precise analysis.

 

Another poster noted that  the larger the gap in cruise experiences, the greater ability to compare and contrast.

 

This analysis is not flattering to Princess.

 

I would note though that many of the same comments are also being posted on the Celebrity board since 2015 or so.

 

I certainly would not book Princess based on this analysis. 

[Xport]

12 hours ago, rgr33 said:

 

-The buffet was just a shell of what it was on our previous cruises, the food choices were very weird, pork and beans for breakfast

 

Thank you for review...  Not my thing but please know that "pork and beans" are viewed as an essential component of a "Full English Breakfast" and are frequently offered at cruise ship buffets [for instance, Celebrity has an English Breakfast station] or as a "side" on cruise ship "sit down" breakfast menus regardless of where ships are sailing...

 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-a-full-breakfast-435324

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Xport

[deliver42]

Unfortunately, the same could be said for just about all the mass market lines. If you go on their forums, the comments are almost interchangeable.

[lhsail]

We were on the CB for two weeks in December and agree with much of the OP’s comments. We were on the Regal for two weeks in September and felt the CB experience was much different. So, although it might be more apparent to the OP, we clearly felt this wasn’t our usual Princess experience. We had also been told the WFM was a work in progress, but since it’s designed basically like the Royal and Regal and has been in place for several months, it seems like the issues would be addressed. 

 

We are back on the Regal in March and are hoping for the experience we expect from Princess. 

[floridalover5623]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

Unfortunately, the same could be said for just about all the mass market lines. If you go on their forums, the comments are almost interchangeable.

That is true BUT we're sailed on the CB in Oct/Nov & recently on the Regal and the difference is night & day.

 

The Royal class ships know how people like their food & don't plan on changing it. Even the chef on the Regal was aware of the CB shortcomings & commented that they wouldn't be following the CB's example.

The CB thought it needed something different to attract a new audience at the buffet & failed miserably.

The new layout on the CB is nice proving much needed walking space but changing their food just didn't work out so good. I don't need my food sitting in cardboard containers waiting for me to arrive. When asked for a different piece of what they had prepared, they point to the items already cut sitting under the heat lamp. 

Funny thing is that the food in their DR was great. It was very obvious that there were two separate people in charge of food prep. 

[floridalover5623]

11 minutes ago, lhsail said:

We were on the CB for two weeks in December and agree with much of the OP’s comments. We were on the Regal for two weeks in September and felt the CB experience was much different. So, although it might be more apparent to the OP, we clearly felt this wasn’t our usual Princess experience. We had also been told the WFM was a work in progress, but since it’s designed basically like the Royal and Regal and has been in place for several months, it seems like the issues would be addressed. 

 

We are back on the Regal in March and are hoping for the experience we expect from Princess. 

You must have posted this while I was typing. 

I fully agree with your findings & it'll be a long time before we (if ever) return to the CB.

Oh btw- The food on the Regal is outstanding, like always. 

Enjoy. 

[BarbinMich]

Anyone have any thoughts on why the food on the CB is so poor, at least compared to the Royal/Regal?  And how is CB food compared to its more-or-less sister ships like the Crown, Emerald, etc?  I believe they added an additional deck when they built the CB.  So there are more pax, but the same size buffet/kitchens.  Don't seem to hear similar complaints about the MDRs or at least not as many.  Our last cruise was on the CB in Jan 2017 and it was ok then.

[lucy and ethel]

I don't agree about the correlation between servers and drink packages.  We have had the package and have noted that the tip is included in each drink, not just an overall lump sum.

[richsea]

Thanks for you review. We were also on this sailing and agree with your assessment. The buffet choices and preparation was the poorest we’ve ever encountered. We thoght that the beef served in the MDR was all the type that grows the more you chew it. There were many nights where I found it difficult to find a menu item that appealed to me. Agree about the water temps in the pools; never been on a ship with pool water that cold.

While we did not use the bar service around the pool, we did find that bar service elsewhere was excellent, as was the dining room service. Tried to use medallion to order drinks but each time got a message to try later. IMO, the medallion is nothing more than a novel (& expensive to Princess)way to open your door. The accompanying apps are clumsy to use and not user friendly.

Sadly, while we had an overall good time, this is the first cruise where we said that we probably said that we would not book a particular ship again. The true 14 night itinerary was great & we were looking forward to repeating it next year,  but not on this ship.

 

[floridalover5623]

52 minutes ago, richsea said:

The true 14 night itinerary was great & we were looking forward to repeating it next year,  but not on this ship.

Unfortunately the Royal class ships (with the better prepared food) do not do longer 14 day cruises like the CB. That was one of our main reasons for returning to that ship.

But as you said, not again.

I'ed rather waste a day in Ft Lauderdale during a turnaround day then put up with their bad food. 

[ProfMHC]

We did this cruise in January. Agree totally about the buffet. Breakfast and lunch items — same same same — day after day (we ate in MDR at dinner and only occasionally were frustrated by lack of interesting choices there). Agree that the “upgrades” to Planks and Steamers, particularly at lunch, were worthless. 

 

But most aggravating on our cruise was the near constant banging, drilling, and grinding that occurred as they replaced the angle iron on balconies.  Again, day after day! Three days of it.  It was so intrusive that we were just about unable to watch in room movies in the afternoon — always something we enjoy as a vacation treat.  It was literally like being trapped in a dental chair! Such a shame...the new beds are so comfortable and great for viewing!

 

Love the Regal and Royal but wanted the itinerary so went with the CB. UGH.We will experience the refitted Sapphire and Emerald next, again because of the itineraries.  Hopefully they escaped the buffet changes.  But our next Caribbean cruise.....it’ll be one of the newer ships —like the Sky — even if we have to arrange multiple BTBs.