Did we make a mistake?

[EbayCruiser]

We booked the Caribbean Princess for a 6 night cruise for March '25.  There are four of us (all ladies) with 2 rooms (mini-suite with the reserve package).

 

We have never cruised Princess before but I have cruised on Holland America, RCI, & Disney once.  Looking for good food and a nice, clean ship.

 

Reading the reviews and see a lot of bad ones about old ship, sewer smells and bad food.  I realize all of this is subjective but we are paying a lot for this cruise with the reserve benefits.  

 

Now I have looked at a 4 night on the new Utopia of the Seas in October '24.  I have been on the Oasis class ships 3 times and really loved them but not sure about the crowds (children) and the food.

 

Thoughts?

[smwg]

I'm going on the Caribbean Princess in June. I have no doubt it will be a fantastic ship.  I've been on plenty of ships that some say are old and looking their age, but I failed to see it.  Some definitely needed some touch ups but it was not something that effected my cruise.   I sailed on the Crown last year to Hawaii and had a Mini Suite with Reserve.  I absolutely LOVED it and would do it again if money allowed.  That being said, I am very laid back and not hard to please.  I go with the flow.  I'm not a pool person and don't have to have something to do every minute of the day.  If you really like all the extra stuff RCCL offers on their new ships, you may want to go that route with you friends.  Princess offers a lot of the same things other cruise lines do, but the big difference in my opinion is they cater more to the 30/40+ age group and Royal is more family oriented. I went on the Allure in January and absolutely loved the shows, which I think may be better than Princess.  I would not hesitate to go with either cruise line.  So, without knowing you and your personality and preferences, it's hard to say which you would enjoy more.  I wouldn't let a few bad reviews influence your decision.  For every bad review, there are TONS of good reviews that never got printed. 

[avonlady6390]

I have been on the Caribbean princess twice last was a year ago and cruise with princess regularly.  Did not have any problems with the cabin including bathroom and air conditioner.  The food is usually very good in the dining room and you will have a dedicated area for dining with reserve class.  I think you will enjoy a more peaceful cruise on princess compared to Royal those short cruises out of port Canaveral are mostly party ships and full of kids.

[akaCruiser]

If your goal is to avoid crowds (kids), then the month of March is not the best month. Instead I would suggest to either sail the prior month or the following month.

 

As for the condition of the ship, it is a lot older than the RCCL Oasis class ships, but usually Princess keeps their fleet in good condition. Previously, I've been on the Island and Crown Princess without issues and I'm booked for the Caribbean Princess in Dec, so I'm not too worried sailing on older Princess ships. 

[EbayCruiser]

Well, we are of the mature age LOL!  My daughter is going with me and she is 51 & she is the one who wants a more peaceful cruise with very few kids.  She thinks the Utopia will be full of kids and I agree with her.

 

My niece and her best friend are in the other room and they are over 65 so this Princess ship is probably the right one for us.  We are all very active though so we should have a good time.  Going to PR and Grand Turk.  Just hate it when people post such bad reviews.  

[capriccio]

5 minutes ago, EbayCruiser said:

Just hate it when people post such bad reviews.  

You need to remember that some people are more apt to take the effort to complain than praise.  Social media has given a much wider audience to the complainers.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

21 minutes ago, smwg said:

I'm going on the Caribbean Princess in June. I have no doubt it will be a fantastic ship

 

41 minutes ago, EbayCruiser said:

Reading the reviews and see a lot of bad ones about old ship, sewer smells and bad food.  I realize all of this is subjective but we are paying a lot for this cruise with the reserve benefits. 

 

we sailed on Caribbean Princess once - in 2016. I know it was refurbed after that, but even back then it was old, tired and dirty. We will not sail on her again... I'd go Royal class and younger (Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Enchanted, Discovery, etc.)

Also, March is the time for spring break in some states. There will be lots of kids, if that's something you want to avoid.

 

21 minutes ago, smwg said:

I am very laid back and not hard to please.

 

so are we, but still.

Edited April 18 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Itchy&Scratchy]

14 minutes ago, EbayCruiser said:

Just hate it when people post such bad reviews.  

why? It is my personal opinion. What's to hate about it? You may have a different opinion of Caribbean Princess after you sail, but it doesn't cancel out mine.

I give praise when praise is due and I do mention the bad and the ugly alongside the praise. The crew on CB was the best, but the ship itself was underwhelming and dirty. All opinions are subjective, of course.

Edited April 18 by Itchy&Scratchy

[back-at-it]

We booked on Carnival in Mar 23 for the reason of taking our Grandson on his first cruise. 

Yes it had a lot of kids on it.  But we expected it and liked it for him.  If I was looking for quite, I would not go in MAR.

[doghog]

54 minutes ago, capriccio said:

You need to remember that some people are more apt to take the effort to complain than praise.  Social media has given a much wider audience to the complainers.

I find it interesting to read both positive and negative opinions and experiences. When booking I (we) never consider anything I've read. I'll (we'll) make my own judgments based on our experiences and opinions of the cruise. 

Edited April 18 by doghog

[doghog]

42 minutes ago, back-at-it said:

We booked on Carnival in Mar 23 for the reason of taking our Grandson on his first cruise. 

Yes it had a lot of kids on it.  But we expected it and liked it for him.  If I was looking for quite, I would not go in MAR.

I disagree. We both are in our mid 70s, RDINKs and always cruise in March (RC, Celebrity and Princess). No less than 7 nights. We've never encountered out of control kids, no matter their age. Just cruised on the Enchanted. 27 March to 6 April.  We've never cruised Carnival (but who cares this is about Princess) or less than 7 nights. 

Edited April 18 by doghog

[Wishing on a star]

Many people will stand by the Caribbean Princess, because they simply prefer to sail on the smaller ships.  (and there are no newer ones at this mid price range).  My personal opinion...  I would not choose this older ship.

 

What other Princess ships and itineraries are an option for your timeframe?

 

The next question is which itinerary seems best?  Which ports are you more interested?

Itinerary is always a big factor.

 

You are really comparing grapes to watermelons when comparing the Caribbean Princess to a huge RC mega-ship.

 

March will be Spring Break...  tons of kids...  And, this is especially true on these shorter sailings!!!   if you want to avoid most of that, on a girls-trip, then a cruise line that does not cater to active young families might be a factor.  Princess will not be like Carnival or RCI, or Disney.   (But it seems that people are seeing more and more kids onboard during these prime times)

 

You have cruised these other cruise lines...  so you might have some idea on which 'vibe' or type of cruise you want for your girls-trip.

 

Priincess wil not be the more colorful active experience of Royal Caribbean.

It will also not be the more subdued vibe of Holland America.

Especially on a shorter sailing in March... there should be a good varieties of people and ages onboard.

 

 

Edited April 18 by Wishing on a star

[capriccio]

1 hour ago, akaCruiser said:

If your goal is to avoid crowds (kids), then the month of March is not the best month. Instead I would suggest to either sail the prior month or the following month.

 

Many public schools schedule spring vacation the week before or after Easter which is April 20th next year. Our daughter teaches in Fairfax County, Va and their 2025 spring break is the week of April 14. 

[EbayCruiser]

I actually LOVE the Oasis class ships.  Yes, there are a lot of kids BUT the ship is so HUGE it does not seem very crowded to me unless you are in the promenade when things are happening. 

 

My daughter has only cruised on Carnival (her 1st cruise with dear hubby on a OLD ship) and Disney with me and the kids.  I want her to have a WOW experience and feel she will not get that with Caribbean Princess.

 

I am leaning towards Utopia because it is a new ship.  

 

We are looking at a shorter cruise for personal reasons.  The 4 night seems better for me than the 6 since my DH will not be traveling and leaving him at home.

[Wishing on a star]

Thanks!!!  I see you have mentioned 4 ladies,  including your daughter... who has only cruised on an older ship.    You 'LOVE' the big RCI ships..  and you are hoping for some 'WOW'....

I could be reading this wrong...  But, something is telling me that, for THIS cruise... you might want to go with the new ship....   I would want to sail with my daughter on a new ship this time!

 

I would also recommend the new SUN Princess...  but only full week cruises.

Edited April 18 by Wishing on a star

[Treasure Hunter]

We have cruised Princess 35 times. You will have a great time. The reserve class dining service is wonderful. Too many kids, crowds on Royal. Food is much better on Princess. You won’t have the big Broadway shows but the entertainment is still very good. And Princess CDs are better with lots of fun evening game shows, trivia and other things to keep you busy. Don’t miss the Chef/ Maitre ‘d cooking class ( hysterical). And if they have Voice of the Ocean on your ship. We are on the Island Princess in June ( old as the hills and the Enchanted in January. 

[Potstech]

Nothing wrong with the Caribbean Princess. Have sailed her several times with none of the Problems mentioned. None.  Last time was 2 years ago. The only real way to find out the truth is to bite the bullet and take your current cruise.  Enjoy.

[capriccio]

9 minutes ago, Potstech said:

Nothing wrong with the Caribbean Princess. Have sailed her several times with none of the Problems mentioned. None.  Last time was 2 years ago. The only real way to find out the truth is to bite the bullet and take your current cruise.  Enjoy.

I could have written the same thing.  We sailed on her in January 2022 and July 2023.

[MacMadame]

2 hours ago, EbayCruiser said:

We booked the Caribbean Princess for a 6 night cruise for March '25.  There are four of us (all ladies) with 2 rooms (mini-suite with the reserve package).

The Caribbean Princess is going to be refurbished in Fall of this year so it will be a pretty fresh ship in March '25.

 

Also, the Reserve Dining room has upgraded service and included menu items not available to the rest of the passengers.

 

I mention these things because reviews of the ship and the food are impacted by them.

[555]

You better pray that they don't place you in cabin C602 if you like air conditioning. It might be OK for an Alaskan or NE trip but not in the Caribbean. 

[doghog]

4 minutes ago, 555 said:

You better pray that they don't place you in cabin C602 if you like air conditioning. It might be OK for an Alaskan or NE trip but not in the Caribbean. 

Have you cruised on the ship and in cabin C602 since your last experience? 

[EbayCruiser]

Thanks for all the replies. I love that they are doing another refurb!  I think we will stick wth the Princess cruise.

[Dani24]

I've been on 5 Princess cruises, all on different ships, over the last 20 years. I've also done one Disney cruise. People tend to rave about Disney cruises, but in my experience we much preferred Princess for their food, service, and value. Not that Disney was bad -- just we felt we get a much better experience on Princess overall. Even our daughter loved the activities on Princess for kids on our last cruise.

 

We have sailed ships that were brand new, and ships that were very old. When we went on our last cruise on the Grand I saw a lot of complaints from people about the condition of the ship, to the point that I was becoming concerned that we were going to have a bad time. After 10 days on that ship I did see some signs of wear (some couches that looking a tiny bit "lived in", and one day we noticed a small leak near the photo area that was quickly rectified. Otherwise the ship looked fantastic for her age and I saw crew constantly working on her upkeep (as I have on ALL of our Princess sailings). In no way did we feel like the ship was unsuitable, or detracted from our stellar experience. We'd sail her again without question.

 

What I have learned:

• In general, people are more likely to come back and complain about something than praise it, and are more likely to repeat their complaints over and over and over (making it feel like there are more complaints than praises).
• People who are apt to be nitpicky and complain about things in regular life are just as likely (if not more so, because they feel entitled because they "paid for" it) to complain and be nitpicky on their vacation. They'll find things to criticize that others would never care about. Some people just like to be the victim, or have entitlement issues, or like the attention when they complain, or can never be satisfied with anything. 

 

I can't speak for how you tend to approach things, but personally I have no qualms about sailing on any Princess ship. I expect that older ships will have some challenges, but I also expect that Princess will be on top of it as they always have been in my experience.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise, whatever you decide is best for you!

[MTNest93]

We did our 1st cruise on the CB last July and had such a great time we've since booked 2 more Princess cruises.  We would not hesitate to sail on the Caribbean again!!

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 hours ago, capriccio said:

Many public schools schedule spring vacation the week before or after Easter which is April 20th next year. Our daughter teaches in Fairfax County, Va and their 2025 spring break is the week of April 14. 

and around here it's usually last week of March - first week of April. And my BFF's Chicago school's spring break was March 23-30.

 

Interestingly enough, this year there were 500+ kids on Celebrity Reflection on the sailing during the last week of March, and only 200 or so during Easter week when we sailed during our spring break.

Edited April 18 by Itchy&Scratchy