Caribbean Princess 12/10 - 12/17/23 Real-Time Cruise Report

[PammyMouse]

Hi!

We were refunded port fees for Grand Cayman last week - check your account.

PM

[IndyKid]

2 minutes ago, PammyMouse said:

Hi!

We were refunded port fees for Grand Cayman last week - check your account.

PM

I just checked, it appears they did refund those also. Thanks!

[Worldcruiser1983]

6 hours ago, IndyKid said:

Well, so much for a day in the Dominican Republic, our stop at Amber Cove was scuttled due to weather. Right now we're back in the room, I'm sitting on our balcony watching as the coastline slowly fades away. 

 

Our captain said winds are currently 25 knots, and expected to increase to near 35 later on. I get it that safety of the ship, passengers and crew is Job 1, but it still ticks me off☠️☠️☠️. 

 

I think they need to go beyond just refunding our excursion fees, perhaps also returning our port fee as well?

They didn’t refund our port fees after a skipped port in New Zealand on Majestic Princess. They should have.

[blue cow dog]

Would it be possible to let me know if any of the bars carry Canadian Club whiskey?   Thanks 

 

[IndyKid]

1 hour ago, blue cow dog said:

Would it be possible to let me know if any of the bars carry Canadian Club whiskey?   Thanks 

 

I've not seen it. The only Canadian whiskey I've seen is Crown Royal.

[RandomPax]

It looks like the Carnival Horizon was able to dock at amber cove today. What could be the reason that one ship would skip and another would be able to dock? Is there different technology that allows ships to make a port in rougher weather? Is it easier for a larger ship to dock in bad weather?

https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9767091

[IndyKid]

10 minutes ago, RandomPax said:

It looks like the Carnival Horizon was able to dock at amber cove today. What could be the reason that one ship would skip and another would be able to dock? Is there different technology that allows ships to make a port in rougher weather? Is it easier for a larger ship to dock in bad weather?

https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9767091

Not sure. I thought the seas were calmer today than earlier this week. The Carnival Vista was supposed to be at Grand Turk yesterday, same day as us, but they abandoned it. We got in just fine, as it was on the leeward side of the island. Not sure why we made it and they did not.

 

I think bigger ships have the disadvantage of their larger profile acting like a sail, making it harder to control. And many ports don't have tugs to assist, we had 2 assist us leaving San Juan.

Edited December 15, 2023 by IndyKid

[RandomPax]

10 minutes ago, IndyKid said:

Not sure. I thought the seas were calmer today than earlier this week. The Carnival Vista was supposed to be at Grand Turk yesterday, same day as us, but they abandoned it. We got in just fine, as it was on the leeward side of the island. Not sure why we made it and they did not.

I don't see carnival vista on the schedule for grand turk yesterday. But they were apparently there last Friday. Carnival vista was at amber cove on Wednesday.

 

Maybe these bigger Carnival ships are easier to dock?

 

https://www.ambercove.com/Port-Schedule.aspx

https://www.grandturkcc.com/Port-Schedule.aspx

[snoozecrooze]

1 minute ago, RandomPax said:

I don't see carnival vista on the schedule for grand turk yesterday. But they were apparently there last Friday. Carnival vista was at amber cove on Wednesday.

 

Maybe these bigger Carnival ships are easier to dock?

 

https://www.ambercove.com/Port-Schedule.aspx

https://www.grandturkcc.com/Port-Schedule.aspx

It's possible that both Amber Cove and Grand Turk's websites both remove the ships that abandon docking. Notice the Caribbean Princess is missing from Amber Cove's website even though it was scheduled for docking today. Carnival Vista was supposed to dock at Grand Turk on the 14th, as per other travel agency websites, but it's not showing up there.

 

@IndyKid, so sorry about all of the mishaps that have driven a bit of a wedge through the cruise. I really hope you get to experience another Princess cruise that goes off without a hitch. Wishing you a very splendid balcony dinner this evening; you all deserve it!

[IndyKid]

Thanks @snoozecrooze. They're here now preparing it. 

 

Would it be appropriate to tip these fellows?

[snoozecrooze]

5 minutes ago, IndyKid said:

Thanks @snoozecrooze. They're here now preparing it. 

 

Would it be appropriate to tip these fellows?

I've never done the UBD so I'm not familiar with if the crew helping put it together are the ones also waiting on your cabin tonight for the dinner. But tipping is always at your discretion.

[IndyKid]

[triple7tahoe]

We will be joining in less than three weeks. Could you please, tell us who the Captain is? We think it is Marco Fortezze but my DW made friends with another Captain's wife (Olga) who claims she was going to be aboard while we were. I wonder if there will be a change of command at the end of the year? Thanks

 

[GonzoWCS]

23 minutes ago, IndyKid said:

Looking good!

 

Cheers

[IndyKid]

26 minutes ago, triple7tahoe said:

We will be joining in less than three weeks. Could you please, tell us who the Captain is? We think it is Marco Fortezze but my DW made friends with another Captain's wife (Olga) who claims she was going to be aboard while we were. I wonder if there will be a change of command at the end of the year? Thanks

 

It's not Mr. Fortezze, I saw the display across from Crooners, it was an Italian fellow but his  name escapes me. I'll be down there with the wife after our awesome balcony dinner.

[snoozecrooze]

31 minutes ago, triple7tahoe said:

We will be joining in less than three weeks. Could you please, tell us who the Captain is? We think it is Marco Fortezze but my DW made friends with another Captain's wife (Olga) who claims she was going to be aboard while we were. I wonder if there will be a change of command at the end of the year? Thanks

 

Captain as of the preceding voyage was Vincenzo Lubrano.

[IndyKid]

Just now, snoozecrooze said:

Captain as of the preceding voyage was Vincenzo Lubrano.

That's It!

[triple7tahoe]

Just now, snoozecrooze said:

Captain as of the preceding voyage was Vincenzo Lubrano.

Thanks-It is my old age catching up me 🙂 Captain Fortezzee used to always be on the Caribbean Princess but has moved to the Sky- We will see  him later this year-Maybe ?

[IndyKid]

So we had our Ultimate Balcony Dinner last  night, it was AWESOME! I highly recommend it. We couldn't even finish the dessert, they are still in our room for us to enjoy today. We each had a filet and 2 lobster tails, I guess because they were a bit on the small side?

 

Today is our last full day of the cruise 😞. We did receive some good news this morning; when I got up there was a letter from our captain under the door stating that we were being given an additional $75 credit since we missed 2 of our 4 stops this week. So between that and our refunded excursions and port fees the UBD was paid for, and I still have a refundable credit coming to me. 

 

The weather tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale could make docking a little interesting. I don't suppose we could skip that one? At least for a few days? 😄

[IndyKid]

We passed this ship going the opposite direction as we made our way up the north side of Cuba, I apologize as it was quite a ways off and the light wasn't that good. Anybody recognize it?

[IndyKid]

They built this nice display in the Piazza. Someone did a lot of work on this for sure!

[chrysalis]

44 minutes ago, IndyKid said:

We passed this ship going the opposite direction as we made our way up the north side of Cuba, I apologize as it was quite a ways off and the light wasn't that good. Anybody recognize it?

Looks like the RC Liberty of the Seas to me....

[flying boat]

possibly Explorer of the Seas

[loge23]

6 hours ago, IndyKid said:

The weather tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale could make docking a little interesting. I don't suppose we could skip that one? At least for a few days? 😄

Tough stretch of dismal weather in Florida this week.

The muck should be clearing out of South Florida this evening/night, and hopefully the seas will quiet down a bit for your arrival. Sunday looks much clearer and drier. 

Enjoy the cruise while you still can and safe travels home!

[IndyKid]

19 minutes ago, loge23 said:

Tough stretch of dismal weather in Florida this week.

The muck should be clearing out of South Florida this evening/night, and hopefully the seas will quiet down a bit for your arrival. Sunday looks much clearer and drier. 

Enjoy the cruise while you still can and safe travels home!

Thank you. Yes, today is very rainy and breezy, everybody is inside drinking, shopping and gambling. I'm in the room with a good John Grisham novel and a brandy.