CB Review - 12/10-12/17/06

[dsfitz]

My wife and I took a cruise on Caribbean Princess from December 10-17 to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We chose this ship because we had cruised on Princess before and wanted an itinerary that included the island of St. Martin, since we spent our honeymoon there. Because of the occasion, we decided to splurge and book a “premium suite.” To assist others who might be considering booking a suite on Princess to celebrate a special occasion, I have included a lot of comments on the various suite “perks” and how valuable we considered them to be. The review is long and quite detailed, since I have seen many questions on cruisecritic.com – hopefully I will cover yours in this review – if not, please feel free to email me.

Pre-Cruise: We flew down from Dulles on Saturday afternoon and overnighted at the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. This is a very nice hotel in the middle of the upscale shopping and dining district. We enjoyed the hotel very much. On Sunday, we had the hotel call us a driver to the pier – this cost $20 for the two of us.

Embarkation: Based on reading posts from other cruisers, we arrived at the pier at 11:30 AM. The waiting area was outside of the building, but was covered by an awning, so had it been hot and sunny we would not have been in the direct sun – as it was it was overcast and not that warm. For this particular sailing, the doors did not open until 12:20 PM. Once the doors opened, we went through the security line, checked in and received our cruise card, posed for the obligatory picture, and were on the ship by 12:45 PM. Because of recent norovirus outbreaks, we were required to submit a signed form saying we had not exhibited any symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea) for the past two days. If you had these symptoms, then the ship’s medical staff had to evaluate you. We did not come across anyone who had this done, so I do not know if anyone was denied boarding as a result of this or not. One note, on embarking the ship we noted an older lady pushing her husband in his wheelchair onto the ship. As the gangway slopes upward, this required significant effort as her husband was not a small man. I took over the wheelchair pushing duties from her, and got her husband onto the ship. This led to my christening as this couples’ “Good Samaritan” for the day. No one from Princess seemed to notice this lady struggling to push her husband, which surprised me since Princess is known for being quite accommodating in this area. Suite Perk Comment: Being in a suite entitles you to “preferred” embarkation. This has no effect until after you have passed through security and are presented with a row of booths representing the different decks of the ship (Aloha, Baja, Caribe, etc.). In addition to booths representing the different decks, there are two that are marked “preferred.” However, the lines at the “preferred” booths were equivalent to those of the various decks, so there was no real benefit there. We thought it possible that the agents assigned to the “preferred” booths might be the more experienced and polished, so we opted for that line. However, our experience with the agent at the preferred booth indicated to us that agents there are no more or less qualified than any of the others. Overall, this “perk” was of little value – since the majority of the time we spent waiting was in the line to get in and go through security, and the “preferred” embarkation has no effect on that process.

Our Suite: As others have mentioned, Princess does not provide any escort to your stateroom (even for suite passengers), but being experienced cruisers, we had no difficulty locating it. It is one of four suites aft on the Caribe Deck. On this ship, the suites have names (ours was the “Nevis Suite”), however, the actual cabin number is what is used to identify the cabin for all practical purposes. There are two suites “inboard” (towards the middle of the ship) and two “outboard.” We had one of the inboard ones. Although I did not see the interior of the outboard suite, its balcony is smaller and has a rather large structural support in the middle of it, leading to awkward furniture arrangements. Our balcony was huge (about 18’ by 9’) and had a table and four chairs as well as two loungers with a small table in between. It was very nice and right over the wake of the ship. There is a large ventilation exhaust next to the balcony (on the other side of the divider) which is fairly loud, but with all of the noises on the ship we didn’t find it excessive and also did not notice any odor from it (a previous poster had complained about this). The suite itself consisted of a sitting area with a small sofa (can make into a berth for a third person), two chairs and a table, a TV with DVD player, a wet bar, and a good size refrigerator in the cabinet. A large heavy curtain could be used to separate this area from the bedroom with queen size bed, dressing table, and plenty of storage. The bathroom is divided into two separate rooms, one with full size tub with whirlpool jets as well as a full size shower, and the other with sink and toilet. Both of these rooms had very nice floor tiling. The bed was outstanding with a very comfortable mattress and great pillows and a duvet. There were no complaints about this cabin at all – it was everything we hoped it would be. Suite Perk Comment: Princess advertises various enhancements which I will address here:

Luxury Mattress: it was very comfortable to us

Luxury bed linens: we were very impressed with them and they were quite comfortable

Luggage Protector on Bed: it was there although we have frequently seen this on other lines in cabins of every category

Luxury Bathrobes: these are very nice and heavier than those we usually find

Luxury Towels: they are ribbed and quite heavy, very absorbent and nice

Pillow Menu: we took advantage of this and obtained feather pillows – the ones in the room when you arrive are the foam rubber ones

Massage shower head: Yes, and the water could be selected to quite hot, unlike other cruise cabins we have had

Luxury amenities (soap, shampoo, etc.): These were from the spa and were nice, though they didn’t seem that special to me

Facial mist: we didn’t notice and wouldn’t have used this even had it been there

Slippers: We had them and took them home with us – they are the standard slippers you would get at any hotel, nothing special

Fresh flower arrangement: It was there when we checked in and remained in good shape for the entire cruise

Corsage and boutonniere: Delivered for the first formal night as advertised, both were pink roses

Mini-bar set up: It was there, you could use everything for free, but if you wanted replacements, you had to pay the standard charge.

DVD/CD Player and Library: Available, though it took quite a bit of time for the steward to find the library menu and provide our requested DVD.

Halo Light Mirror: Very nice

Upgraded Room Amenities: These were all present, and not that interesting, with the exception of the leather cruise card wallets. We actually found these quite handy and will probably use them on future cruises.

Tote Bag: This arrived later in the evening and was on the small side. It sold in the gift shop for $20.

Umbrella: We never saw this, but never had a need for it. Had we asked, I am sure that we would have received it.

Dining: This was probably the weakest area overall on our cruise. On our previous cruises (on Princess, Carnival, and Norwegian) we have been consistently wowed by the food. On this ship, most things were good, but the wow factor wasn’t there. My wife had fish the first couple of nights, and noted it was quite dry and tasted a little old. I had beef a couple of times that was excellent. Soups were very good, as were desserts and salads. We certainly didn’t go hungry, but weren’t as impressed as we had been previously. Note: The “Caribbean Night” menu (Tuesday) was the least impressive of all – I would recommend a specialty restaurant on this night. We had “Anytime Dining” which had plusses and minuses: we enjoyed the fact that we ate with different people each evening as opposed to the same people every evening because that way we were able to meet more people, and of course we didn’t have to eat at the same time each evening. However, eating at different places and times made retrieving our wine bottle a challenge, on two occasions it took the staff over 30 minutes to find it (a couple of courses into the meal). Also, there were frequently lines to get into the dining rooms. The “Palm” dining room was generally better, as it is all the way aft and can only be accessed from the aft staircase; unlike the “Coral” which can be accessed from the atrium area. We ate at “Sterling’s Steakhouse” one evening – it was very good. The steak was outstanding and the shrimp cocktail’s shrimp were huge, much bigger than the ones you get in the regular dining room. The menu is quite limited in scope, but it is a great experience and worth the $15/person cover charge. We did not try Sabatini’s. Suite Perk Comment: One of the suite perks is “preferred anytime dining reservations.” One would expect that to accomplish this there would be some sort of concierge or special phone number available to suite passengers to make these arrangements, but Princess does not have any kind of special concierge. In order to do this, you must go to the dining room in person, request to see the Maitre D’, and identify yourself as a suite passenger. Then, in the words of one of the maitre d’s, they will “work with you.” It worked the one time we tried it (for Sterling’s) but I think that Princess could come up with a better system. If you call the regular phone number for the “Princess Concierge”, being in a suite offers no advantage. Of course, if you plan ahead and make all of your reservations immediately upon boarding, you could avoid this situation, but we wanted more flexibility. If we had to do it over, we would have made our reservations right away.

Other Suite Perks: The welcome glass of champagne was actually a welcome bottle shared between the two of us. The canapés were delivered every afternoon at the time we requested – there was a choice of 8 or so different items, and you could mix and match however you wanted for a total of 6 pieces. The complimentary internet access was very nice, and contrary to other reports I have seen, I found the connection speed to be quite reasonable. We made use of the complimentary laundry/dry cleaning several times, and since it is complimentary, we generally requested and received same day service. We made use of the room service for breakfast – there is an “extended” menu for suite passengers which is more extensive than the standard breakfast menu, but is not the same as the dining room menu. However, we requested and received the dining room menu and ordered from it with no problems. We did not try lunch and dinner, but I imagine that you could make any arrangements you desired. Room service was not particularly polished – often one or more items were forgotten, and the service normally consisted of just setting the tray on the table (e.g. the coffee wasn’t poured, etc.). We made due, but if you are imagining white glove service – we did not experience that. We enjoyed the thermal suite in the spa – it has some steam rooms, a sauna, warm “stone beds”, and a couple of special showers.

St. Martin: We enjoyed this port. The ship docks at a pier about a mile from town, but there is water taxi service fairly close to the pier that is available for a $5 flat fee all day. The water taxi drops you off in the middle of Philipsburg, which is mostly jewelry stores and casinos, with a few other shopping venues. We did the horseback ride excursion. Surprisingly, the stables are pretty much in a suburban area, and the trail goes past an electrical power plant and through some brush up a hill. There is a view of the beach, but the trail is not particularly scenic. The beach itself is about 50 yards wide. The unique feature of this ride is that you ride the horse all the way into the water such that the horse is completely submerged except for its head (as a result, you are completely submerged from the waist down). The guides encourage you to force the horse to go so far that it is swimming (i.e. its hooves are not touching the bottom) and you are on top of it. Most of the horses, however, were not too keen on doing this and one actually threw its rider off into the water. It was definitely a unique experience, but I don’t think I would do it again.

St. Thomas: Here the ship docks about 1.5 miles from the main shopping area. You can take “taxis” (mostly pickup trucks with benches built into the beds) for $4 per person each way, or just walk. Shops here seemed a little more varied than those on St. Martin. We did a kayak/snorkel/hike trip which we enjoyed, though the snorkeling was not that impressive (snorkeling on Princess Cays was MUCH better). The kayaking was fun and the guides were very knowledgeable and entertaining. The excursion dropped us back at the ship about 10 minutes prior to sailing – I think we were the last ones onboard!

Princess Cays: Very enjoyable time on the beach here. The snorkeling was outstanding – water was very clear and a large variety of fish, sting rays, and live coral (coral on St. Thomas was all dead). You are only here for about 6 hours – make the most of it. If you order a drink, they are about three times the size of those on the ship – though they are the same price. Very nice. Food was hamburgers, hotdogs, salads – very nice for a beach barbeque – though the hamburgers were not as good as the ones on the ship. Suite Perk Comment: You get “priority tender tickets” which we took with us. However, at about 9:30 AM we walked right onboard the tender and had no need for them. At other times of day, maybe they would be useful.

Disembarkation: Extremely smooth. From hearing our number called to arrival at the airport was about 20 minutes. Porters are in abundance and are worth the tip as they speed you through the whole process and know exactly where to go. We had an 11:00 AM flight and were at the airport at 8:45 AM. No problems whatsoever, so I wouldn’t sweat having a flight in the morning of arrival day. Of course, there are no guarantees and anything can happen, but it seems like the likelihood of that is low. Suite Perk Comment: You get the use of the “Platinum Embarkation Lounge” which is Club Fusion on the ship. There is coffee and newspapers available. Not really a big deal.

Other observations:

Lemonade is NOT one of the free beverages onboard, which seemed to be reason enough not to cruise with Princess again for one of our dinner companions.

Coffee is not Princess’ strong suit. The regular stuff is not very good, and the “specialty” coffees aren’t much better (with the exception of the cappuccino in the dining room which wasn’t bad). We got a “coffee card” which costs $24 (plus 15%) for 15 specialty coffees (normally they are $2 each). You can get one at any of the bars – but they don’t push them like they do the coke stickers. If you expect “Starbucks” quality – you will be sorely disappointed. You wouldn’t think making good coffee would be that hard.

We enjoyed the trivia sessions – normally 2 per day, one around 11 and one around 4. Note: people are EXTREMELY competitive; this is not trivia for the faint-hearted. Some people walking by the area shouted out answers a couple of times – I feared for their safety.

Shows were fun – we saw Piano Man, Caliente, and a couple of variety acts. A word of advice – if you want a seat at the 8:30 show, arrive NO LATER than 8:00. The late show normally had seats.

The casino was nice – it has a completely computerized Texas Hold’Em table that seemed to generate a lot of interest. Also 3 Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, and Blackjack –as well as craps and roulette and lots of slot machines. I don’t play slot machines but those that did seemed to think that they were tighter than usual.

Overall: We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and would do it again tomorrow. If you go for the suite – do it for the cabin and not for the “perks” – they are not really worth the premium price. But the suite itself was heavenly. Hopefully, they will bring the overall dining experience up to the level we have seen on other ships. Of note, the Captain (Captain Romano) is very well-liked and respected and the crew really likes him, so I am sure that they will continue to improve.

[luvtojump]

DSFITZ,

 

Thank you for your review. We will be embarking on the 24th for our first Princess cruise. I found your summary quite helpful.

 

Can you tell me if there are CD players in the rooms. We would love to bring some Christmas music.

 

Welcome home.

[Clutterlady]

Thank you for a well balanced review!:)

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

One question, we had just left the CB when you all were getting on. We headed down to the Pats/Dolphins game and came back to FLL after. We noticed that the ship was still in port and was just leaving. It was around 6ish I think.

 

Was there a problem? Doesn't the ship usually leave around 5? Just curious as to the reason for the delay.

 

Thanks!

[dsfitz]

On the CD players - there was a combined DVD/CD player in the suite - I do not know if the regular cabins or minisuites have them or not, but I do not believe that they do. I don't actually remember seeing any speakers - so I guess if you played a CD the music would come out of the television set - but I am not sure about that since we didn't bring any audio CD's with us.

 

You are right - we left around 6 - there were several ships on the way out and we were the 4th one I believe. I am not sure if the ship waited for some late-arriving passengers, or it was just the harbor traffic. There were no problems associated with Caribbean Princess that we were aware of.

[huskerdan25]

Thanks for the thorough and balanced review!

 

I did want to ask you about the Sailaway Buffet which I believe contains cold seafood dishes and I believe the 2nd day is the one with the warm seafood dishes. Did you eat at either and if so, how was the food? Also, if you did eat at either, did you do this in place of eating in a dining room? Or did you do both? It seems odd, especially for those of us with traditional dining to miss out on dinner in the dining room on the first night.

 

I can't wait to get on the CB in less than 5 weeks. Again, thanks for the excellent review!

 

Dan

[rinse82]

Could you expand a bit about the computerized texas hold em table?

 

Not really sure what you mean by that, but it sounds very interesting.

[dsfitz]

Could you expand a bit about the computerized texas hold em table?

 

Not really sure what you mean by that, but it sounds very interesting.

 

The table seats about 8 players I believe (it might be 10). You have to purchase a card with credits on it that you use to play. There are no actual cards and there is no human dealer. Each player has his own touch screen, and there is a large screen in the middle where the common cards are displayed.

 

Individual cards are shown to you on your screen only (they kind of fold up just like you see players doing, so no one can peek and see what you have). The computer does all of the blinds and when it is your turn it lets you know what your options are: call, fold, raise, etc. You cannot make a mistake because the computer will not let you.

 

I don't remember exactly how the credits correspond to actual money, the game seemed to feature bets of $100 and up which I doubt people were actually betting. I think they went to this system because it is less intimidating to new players - since you interact only with your touch screen, not with a human dealer. You don't have to be afraid of doing anything wrong because you can't. I am also not sure how the house gets a "cut" of the pot.

 

It seemed to be in use most of the time in the evening and people enjoyed playing it. On one evening they had some kind of tournament with it with a $100 buy in - not sure what the prize was.

 

Hope that answers your questions!

[dsfitz]

Thanks for the thorough and balanced review!

 

I did want to ask you about the Sailaway Buffet which I believe contains cold seafood dishes and I believe the 2nd day is the one with the warm seafood dishes. Did you eat at either and if so, how was the food? Also, if you did eat at either, did you do this in place of eating in a dining room? Or did you do both? It seems odd, especially for those of us with traditional dining to miss out on dinner in the dining room on the first night.

 

I can't wait to get on the CB in less than 5 weeks. Again, thanks for the excellent review!

 

Dan

 

We enjoy the dining room experience so we typically don't eat at the buffet much. I know there was a cold buffet on the first night because we walked through that area and people seemed to be enjoying it - they were eating crab legs, shrimp, and the like. Not sure about the second night. The Cafe Caribe buffet had a different theme every night - I know there was a Mexican, Oriental, Italian, and German at least but we didn't eat it so I don't know how it was. Other passengers we talked to seemed to enjoy the food at the buffet though.

 

There probably are people on the ship that eat at the dining room and at the buffet, but that's not us - we felt stuffed just eating at the dining room. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[TbirdTraveler]

Thank you for your review. It was very informative and similar to the same trip (including suite) that I took a couple of years ago on the Golden Princess. I left that cruise with a satisfactory feeling and look forward to seeing how the Caribbean Princess compares during the trip I'm booked for in February.

 

I have a quick question that I haven't seen brought up anywhere here. Since you mentioned the DVD player on the televison in the suites, I plan to bring my Mp3 player with me. Do you know if there are jacks on the front of the television to plug in the Mp3 player so that I can play music in the room?

[dsfitz]

Thank you for your review. It was very informative and similar to the same trip (including suite) that I took a couple of years ago on the Golden Princess. I left that cruise with a satisfactory feeling and look forward to seeing how the Caribbean Princess compares during the trip I'm booked for in February.

 

I have a quick question that I haven't seen brought up anywhere here. Since you mentioned the DVD player on the televison in the suites, I plan to bring my Mp3 player with me. Do you know if there are jacks on the front of the television to plug in the Mp3 player so that I can play music in the room?

 

There are jacks in the TVs but they are older TVs. I am not technologically savvy on Mp3 players - if it uses the same kind of simple plug jacks that something like a VCR uses - you could probably use it - if it's some kind of special port, that may not be available.