Excited. However.....

[Worn out mailman]

Hi Princess cruise lovers. 

 

My 2012 Southern Caribbean sailing on Caribbean Princess was canceled due to engine problems. Shortly thereafter, I learned that Princess would no longer sail from San Juan (my preferred departure port), so, I was disappointed, and remained so for 12 years, until 3 weeks ago. 

 

It was then that I read an article on my electronic drug (my cell phone) which stated that Princess would finally resume sailing from San Juan!! Hooray!! Not only that, but the sailings are on a ship which I've always wanted to sail (Grand, without the Riviera deck which causes all those ships to be slightly overcrowded). I waited the two weeks until the stated date that the sailings would become available. On that date, I checked Princess' website all day, and at around 5 pm E.S.T. Voilà, there the sailings were.

 

Without wasting a moment, I purchased my sailing for March 2026. That purchase trumped my Brother's knee replacement as the most important thing that happened in my world that day. 

 

So, now, I'm dying to chat about it. Thing is, other than Princess.com nobody seems aware of these sailings. There's no roll call yet (indeed, there's an existing roll call for my date for a Southern Pacific sailing). The sailing isn't showing availability on any of the travel sites. When I finally do see my sailing sold elsewhere, I'll know it's real and I'm not just dreaming.

 

So, I figure I'll boast here and see if any fellow cruisers say hello. 🙂

[dickinson]

Yes, start the roll call yourself.  Also keep in mind that the sailing is two years away so it will take a while for people to book.  Some roll calls never get very active though.  

[Rick&Jeannie]

Very simple to start a roll call...I've done it myself 3 or 4 times.

[phabric]

We have a Roll Call for August 2026.  It is never too early to start one.

[warthog2608]

57 minutes ago, Worn out mailman said:

So, I figure I'll boast here and see if any fellow cruisers say hello. 🙂

Hello!  Maybe there isn't much action on the Cruise Critic boards yet but in the meantime, I say enjoy the anticipation. You’ve got nearly two years to plan, dream, and maybe even pick up a few Spanish phrases for your "Grand" return to San Juan. ¡Olé!

[Worn out mailman]

49 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Very simple to start a roll call...I've done it myself 3 or 4 times.

I have as well. I just want to see the sailings on sale elsewhere so I know Princess hasn't changed their mind before I do this. 🙂

[Worn out mailman]

1 hour ago, dickinson said:

Yes, start the roll call yourself.  Also keep in mind that the sailing is two years away so it will take a while for people to book.  Some roll calls never get very active though.  

I know, and some do. It's very interesting how that goes. 🙂

[JGmf]

@Worn out mailman That's awesome you booked your most-desired embarkation port and ship. Sustaining excitement for a cruise two years from now, well, that will be interesting. 

 

You may need an interim cruise, perhaps, on another Princess ship to maybe fine-tune expectations, likes, dislikes, so the 2026 cruise experience and anticipation is maximized.

[reedprincess]

The corresponding South Pacific sailing roll call is essentially closed as Grand is being redeployed to San Juan. All the sailings Down Under on Grand have been cancelled and rescheduled to Caribbean sailings from SJ. 

You can definitely start a roll call for your sailing.   I expect it'll take a while for word to filter through the Princess universe that they are going to be sailing San Juan again,even with the press releases and sailings on sale.  Heck, lots of the Princess universe still hasn't gotten the memo that Princess will be sailing from Port Canaveral shortly either, and instead choose to "correct" those asking about hotels, transportation, etc.  Go figure.

 

Have a fabulous sailing!!

[doghog]

4 hours ago, Worn out mailman said:

Without wasting a moment, I purchased my sailing for March 2026. 

 

So, now, I'm dying to chat about it. Thing is, other than Princess.com nobody seems aware of these sailings. There's no roll call yet (indeed, there's an existing roll call for my date for a Southern Pacific sailing). The sailing isn't showing availability on any of the travel sites. When I finally do see my sailing sold elsewhere, I'll know it's real and I'm not just dreaming.

 

So, I figure I'll boast here and see if any fellow cruisers say hello. 🙂

Start the roll call for your cruise. Others will join in. BTW, I just checked one of many  cruise travel websites and the Princess March 2026 cruises out of San Juan are showing.  

[Worn out mailman]

57 minutes ago, doghog said:

Start the roll call for your cruise. Others will join in. BTW, I just checked one of many  cruise travel websites and the Princess March 2026 cruises out of San Juan are showing.  

Oh good! Thank you. 🙂

[MJC]

Am so glad to hear this as we have wanted to sail from San Juan at some point.

[doghog]

Glad to hear/read Princess is cruising out of OSJ. We use to cruise from SJ. All were B2B cruises. The best thing for us cruising out of SJ was the intinaries. They are port intensive. We aren't huge sea day fans. Our last SJ cruise was a B2B with RC March 2022. We no longer book cruises out of SJ as we no longer like the long flights and for us we did red eyes as that was the best way to get in SJ at a decent time. Always did a pre cruise hotel stay. Maybe someday, again. 

Edited May 23 by doghog

[jeromep]

11 hours ago, dickinson said:

Yes, start the roll call yourself.  Also keep in mind that the sailing is two years away so it will take a while for people to book.  Some roll calls never get very active though.  

I think I started a roll call for an Alaska cruise this summer.  There was no existing roll call as early as February, and the roll call has been pretty quiet.  This sure has surprised me because almost all of the roll calls I've been part of in the past have been pretty active.

 

Well, you have nearly 2 years to think about this cruise.  Have fun.

[SKCruiser007]

12 hours ago, Worn out mailman said:

Hi Princess cruise lovers. 

 

My 2012 Southern Caribbean sailing on Caribbean Princess was canceled due to engine problems. Shortly thereafter, I learned that Princess would no longer sail from San Juan (my preferred departure port), so, I was disappointed, and remained so for 12 years, until 3 weeks ago. 

 

It was then that I read an article on my electronic drug (my cell phone) which stated that Princess would finally resume sailing from San Juan!! Hooray!! Not only that, but the sailings are on a ship which I've always wanted to sail (Grand, without the Riviera deck which causes all those ships to be slightly overcrowded). I waited the two weeks until the stated date that the sailings would become available. On that date, I checked Princess' website all day, and at around 5 pm E.S.T. Voilà, there the sailings were.

 

Without wasting a moment, I purchased my sailing for March 2026. That purchase trumped my Brother's knee replacement as the most important thing that happened in my world that day. 

 

So, now, I'm dying to chat about it. Thing is, other than Princess.com nobody seems aware of these sailings. There's no roll call yet (indeed, there's an existing roll call for my date for a Southern Pacific sailing). The sailing isn't showing availability on any of the travel sites. When I finally do see my sailing sold elsewhere, I'll know it's real and I'm not just dreaming.

 

So, I figure I'll boast here and see if any fellow cruisers say hello. 🙂

Hello! I was on Caribbean Princess out of San Juan the very week the engine went down in 2012. We were stranded in St. Maarten for a night, then returned to San Juan for the rest of the week...the ship was our hotel. The compensation package was fair. Our travel mates, to this day say that was the best vacation ever! 

 

I was so excited when I heard that Princess is sailing from San Juan again that I started checking at least twice a day until the sailings showed up for sale. I booked our favorite mini suite on Emerald deck. We can't wait for January 2026.

 

We'll do our best not to break the ship just before you're supposed to sail from San Juan again.

[Worn out mailman]

51 minutes ago, SKCruiser007 said:

Hello! I was on Caribbean Princess out of San Juan the very week the engine went down in 2012. We were stranded in St. Maarten for a night, then returned to San Juan for the rest of the week...the ship was our hotel. The compensation package was fair. Our travel mates, to this day say that was the best vacation ever! 

 

I was so excited when I heard that Princess is sailing from San Juan again that I started checking at least twice a day until the sailings showed up for sale. I booked our favorite mini suite on Emerald deck. We can't wait for January 2026.

 

We'll do our best not to break the ship just before you're supposed to sail from San Juan again.

Oh cool. It's neat to talk to you. In my excitement over my (soon to be canceled) sailing right after yours, I was on Cruise critic a lot, so, I was reading all about the troubles on your sailing, and had a funny feeling. Then, I got the email from Princess. 😑

 

My then girlfriend took charge and got us on the kind of new Allure of the Seas. It was double the cost, but our cruise vacation wasn't scrapped. In 2013 we sailed on Caribbean out of Ft Lauderdale. That shopping cart handle...just blech. 

 

In 2020, a different lady and I were 3 days from sailing on Norwegian Epic. Same deal....I found out thru Cruise Critic about our sailing being canceled, this time due to the pandemic. Of course, I got a full refund. Took a soak on our airfare tho. So, I've endured two cancelations. Someday, maybe (tho at this point not likely) I'll cruise on Norwegian. 

 

I'm glad you got to salvage your vacation that once. I'm also glad you didn't jump on a sailing in November '25 when the SJ sailings start. Jan-March is the best time to sail for sunny skies. 😊🌞