Just Back~Caribbean Princess~Cabin B753

[InternetDiva]

Hello.....we just returned from the 4-22-07 to 4-29-07 sailing. Our cabin was on the Baja Deck~Aft Cabin~B753. This was our 2nd time on the Caribbean Princess. We were on the May 21st, 2006 Western Caribbean Sailing. We had Anytime Dining and did not eat in any dining rooms this time. I did miss that a bit but it was nice to eat when I was hungry not when it was time to go to dinner etc etc.

 

We flew in a day early from Chicago, IL. We were in our room, at the Hampton Inn on 12th Avenue, by 12:00 p.m! We had a very early flight from O'Hare. We called the hotel number and a van came and picked us up promptly. There is some confusion regarding where the hotel vans pick up people at the FLL airport. I think we had to go to an area that was for "hotel van parking only" or something like that...anyway, the hotel operator told us to go to a different place and it was confusing but we made it there. The driver of the van was very informative and hotel guests can be driven anywhere within a 5 mile radius of the Hampton Inn. We wanted to go to the Hard Rock Hotel/Casino so the front desk called us a shuttle. The driver was John and he was great! Our Stay was nice at the Hampton. Free Shuttle from the airport, when you check-in the front desk assigns you a time to be shuttled to the pier(free also). The free breakfast was standard...cereal, juice, bagels, toast, egg bagels, fruit..... The Hampton Bed was heavenly!!!. This was our first time staying at a Hampton Inn. Our friends who were traveling with us work for the Post Office and got us a nice discounted rate!

 

We left the Hampton at 11:30 a.m. for the Pier. There was a long line outside of the terminal. We have always gotten to the pier early and have been 4 of the first 200 people to get on the ship. Once the line started moving it went fast. Make sure you have all of your forms filled out prior to checking in! You will also need your passport, credit card that you used to register online, Bahama Forms, and the health questionaire(they hand these out while you are standing in line waiting) to give to the different people inside the terminal.

 

We booked an Aft Balcony Cabin B753. Some people have asked questions about this cabin. The cabin is larger than the cabins on each side but the Balcony is Smaller. We were able to fit 4 comfortably on the Balcony by bringing the chair from the room outside. The balcony had 2 chairs, a table and 1 lounger that stretched horizontally. It was fine for us. I used my balcony every day. I love to sit outside and listen to the ocean....and it was great for leaving a port!

Our room steward was Noli. He wasn't the best we have had. Didn't seem to spend much time in any of the cabins cleaning...and it was obvious. Our friends were in Baja Cabin#716-Inside and they had a great cabin steward.

 

We all thought the food was just great. We didn't have to cook or clean up and there was a nice variety of different types of food at the Cafe Caribe/Horizon Court. The breakfast choices were pretty much the same each day with a few changes each day(different baked goods, scrambled eggs, different soups etc). I feel when people complain about how "horrible" the food is in the buffet they often forget that there are people from many different countries on board the ship and each country has different tastes and foods they normally eat. So...I think that Princess offers many different food choices....some that we think would be horrible to eat because that type of food is not a "normal" food that we would eat at home.

 

All 4 of us made a nice "donation" to the Casino! We had luck the first couple of days(sea days) but it was downhill from there!:eek: Our friend did win $850 on Let it Ride. He was dealt 2 (9's) and the dealer had 2 (9's) for 4 of a kind. That was the 2nd 4 of a kind for the day!! Dan is ALWAYS LUCKY!! but he probably lost waaaaay more than he won! It was fun anyway! We like to play the slots.

 

We LOVE the Movies under the Stars. I don't get to the movies much at home so I watched 3 different movies. "Happy Feet"(I have seen this many times but LOVE it), "The Queen" was slow moving but good. I fell asleep during the last 1/2 hour but went back for the later movie and watched the rest....LOL!!! and "The Devil wears Prada". All great movies!! and watching them outside, from the sundeck, was just great!!. They offer popcorn but I had a huge soft serve waffle cone from Scoops! mmmmmmmm

 

Entertainment was good....enjoyed Bert Statton for a bit, not so newlywed game,had a couple who had gotten married 7 hours earlier, as one of the couples playing.....very funny questions. Wandered around the ship and took pictures one day. Loved the pools and hot tubs. Didn't visit the Spa this year or the Fitness Center. Bought a few things on the ship.

 

Internet Cafe~the internet was veeeerrrry sloooooowww. They reduced the per charge minute from .75 to .25 because it was hard to get a connection through the satelite. I sent one e-mail, from the ship, after trying 2 different computers. There is now a $3.95 charge the first time you sign on. When I went to pay with my cruise card the person before me did not logoff and my time went with theirs. There was no way for us to know how much time I used so my charge went to the other person's shipboard account. I wasn't on very long.....but MAKE SURE you log off at the end of your session.

 

Alternative Restaurants~We signed up for The Sterling Steakhouse for Friday Night. On Friday morning we received a "reservation" card that had us book for Sabbatini's. We called and they Steakhouse was book for Friday & Saturday so we couldn't switch. Just a note to make sure they have you at the right restaurant! We wanted a steak, not Italian Food.

 

We took a cab to downtown St. Thomas. It was Carnival in St. Thomas. Lots of LOUD music, people everywhere tailgating, cooking food, partying. They start at 4:00 a.m. We were told that St. Thomas hadn't had rain for weeks....we'll it poured the day we were there so we bought an umbrella and made the best of it.....it only rained for a bit..then clear up..then rain some more...but got sunny in the afternoon. Some shops didn't open at all that day, some opened late and we were told that on Friday 4/27 and Saturday 4/28 that ALL OF THE SHOPS were CLOSED to celebrate Carnival~they didn't open the shops for Cruise Passengers. That would be a HUGE disappointment if I was on a Cruise that went to St. Thomas and found out all the shops were closed:mad: . Something to keep in mind for future cruises!

Docking at Crown Bay was different.....a $4.00 cab ride to town~going through a different part of town we had never seen before~but there are some shops open at Crown Bay now and they want to build up the area to be a Havensight Mall 2. You do have to take a taxi if you want to go anywhere on St. Thomas. Hopefully, in a few years, it will be another booming area!

St. Maarten we walked around, shopped and went to the Casino to play penny slots! I had wanted to visit Orient Beach, again, but our friends didn't want to go to the beach that day.I e-mailed from St. Maarten, at one of the internet cafes, for $5.00 for 30 minutes. Great Deal..clean,fast connection, had cans of soda, perrier for $1.00 a can etc. It was right across the street from the Coach Handbag store.

Princess Cays...it was overcast and I was going to stay on the ship to enjoy our last day:( but decided to get off and go for a swim in the ocean. The tenders were fast getting passengers to shore. The ocean water was cold and smelled of sewage...so I didn't stay there long at all. Walked around and took a tender back to the ship. My husband stayed on the ship and our friends got off the ship earlier.

 

Overall the ship is still beautiful. There was no sign of norovirus but I bought some Saniguard Spray that I saw on a website on this board. I called the guy and he sent me the spray out without payment. I think his name was Mark?? Can't remember right off hand. I sprayed it in our cabin for extra protection. I think the ship needs to be drydocked soon though. Some areas more clean than others. We made sure we used the hand sanitizer at all times. We don't drink alcohol but I did get a virgin mocktail and the charge was 2.25 plus 15 percent gratuity. We didn't buy any pictures this time. We didn't go to the Art Auctions or Bingo. I did notice in the Caribe & Horizon Court they had servers pushing carts with Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice for an extra charge and "Premium Coffee" for an extra charge. Watch out for the "rushing staff". I had a wait person, run into my from behind, and he was carrying a tray of drinking glasses:rolleyes: and sometimes the bar staff would be "rushing" somewhere they would just run right into you...

 

We had a GREAT TIME on the Caribbean Princess. This was our 10th Cruise. We have been on 7 Royal Caribbean Cruises, 1 Celebrity and 2 Princess. Each Cruiseline has something unique to offer but I think Princess has different things to offer...Movies under the Stars...adult only pools/hot tubs where the rules are followed. We didn't see too many unoccupied pool chairs, there weren't many children on this sailing, and Princess has the fastest Embarkation & Disembarkation Procedures! Very computerized and Organized. We did have to go through immigration at St. Thomas. We were delivered pre printed forms to our stateroom the day before to bring with us. Last time we did this was on Royal Caribbean....and it took a long time standing in line. Princess is very organized. The weather...it was a combination of wind/rain at times. The first 2 days at sea it was rocky. 35 mph winds plus we had to sail through an unavoidable storm on Tuesday Night. Some people were seasick. My suggestion that has worked for me: Start taking BONINE a few days before you leave for the cruise. I take it at night because it can make you a bit drowsy. By the time you start the cruise; the medication has had time to build up protection in your body. You are trying to "Prevent" Seasickness. Still take the medication while you are on the ship. The seas calmed after a few days...and I didn't feel sick at all since I started taking the medication BEFORE I leave for the cruise. As always, check with your doctor/pharmacist to make sure you can take this medication with any other medication you may already take.

 

Any questions feel free to ask....I may not be on as much but I will try to get back when I can!!

 

We are so blessed to be able to go on a Cruise once a year. Vacation is a MUST for us. We all need time to rest, relax, self-nurture ourselves. Cruising is the best way to take care of oursevles in a relaxing environment....away from cell phones, bad drivers, too much stress!!!!!!!Smooth Sailing!!!

 

Kelly:cool:

[Vanilla]

Thank you for taking the time to write a review... helps those of us who are cruising in a few weeks get more excited.....:)

[Whimsy]

Great review, thanks for posting.

[Paticakes]

We also just got back from the CB 4/22-29. We had a nice cruise and Princess did a good job overall. Embarkation was smooth. Our cabin was decent and had lots of hanging space and storage. Bathroom was small but adequate. Balcony had table and two chairs and was covered. It was fine for the two of us.

 

The food was good. The dessert selection was limited and thought they could have offered more of a variety. We had anytime dining and ate in the dinning room most nights. We had the German buffet one night in the Caribe Cafe and it was excellent. Had reservations for Sabatini's and enjoyed it very much. You pick your entree and the bring you all the courses on the menu. I think you end up with about 12-15 items overall. Way too much food.

 

We also did the first wine tasting for 9.50 per person and had a great time. Lots of fun and very informative. Would recommend this. Only went to one show - Comedian Sarge - Very entertaining.

 

Loved Movies Under the Stars. It was the highlight of the ship. Good choices on movies. The casino took all of our money and seemed pretty limited on slot machine choices. I am sure if I had won some money I might have given the casino rave reviews!! The heated pool was wonderful and was a nice area to get away to. Princess Cays is a nice way to spend the day. We enjoyed the beach and BBQ and fun looking at the local vendors wares.

 

I have been on several lines and overall Princess did a good job. The ship had a small ship feel to it and definately did not feel like a mega ship. The dining rooms and entertainment venues were smaller than most ships I have been on although they didn't seem crowded. Nothing about the ship had the "WOW" factor to me. While everything was good nothing was great or nothing was bad. Kind of an easy relaxing cruise. No high pressure sales on photos or drinks. Wait staff and cabin steward were good. Again, nothing outstanding but nothing bad either. I think this would be a great cruise for a first time cruiser or someone used to small ships and wanting to try a bigger ship. Every cruise is what you make of it and for us a relaxing time was just what we needed.

[Jeal]

Thank you for posting about your cabin - B753 is the cabin our son and his financee have for a September sailing. So far, all I have heard is postive things about it.

I am glad you had a good cruise.

[InternetDiva]

Jeal~I'm sure your son and fiancee will enjoy this aft cabin! Plenty of storage space...the room is bigger and I was so happy to have a balcony cabin again! I've had inside, outside and balcony cabins.....always love having a balcony but sometimes the difference between a balcony and inside is a ton! Last year it was over $600 difference per couple. It's so nice to sit outside and watch the world go by.......on sea days!

 

Kelly

[stlwaterbaby]

 

We also did the first wine tasting for 9.50 per person and had a great time. Lots of fun and very informative. Would recommend this.

 

Would you happen to remember any of the wines that were sampled? About how many were sampled?

 

Thanks!

[kezz]

Thanks for the review.

 

We're off at begining of July and Staying in Cabin C234.

 

We were told first off all we would be in B753

 

Then she said we would be upgraded to C234 saying they were bigger. Don't know about this, as have always stayed on Baja deck.

 

Any info on this new cabin at the front of Caribe deck?

 

Looking forward to it though.

 

Thanks

 

kezz

[Paticakes]

Would you happen to remember any of the wines that were sampled? About how many were sampled?

 

Thanks!

 

I don't remember the wines but there were two red and two white. Also a dessert wine and you got to keep the glass. All were moderately priced and pretty mild. They also have a second wine tasting for $25 pp and they were supposed to use the high priced wines for that one. They will be selling it all over on the first day and can tell you the wines that will be sampled.

[stlwaterbaby]

I don't remember the wines but there were two red and two white. Also a dessert wine and you got to keep the glass. All were moderately priced and pretty mild. They also have a second wine tasting for $25 pp and they were supposed to use the high priced wines for that one. They will be selling it all over on the first day and can tell you the wines that will be sampled.

 

*Thanks*

 

:)

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[Nan-L]

I have B753 on an up coming cruise. My question is does it have 2 loungers, as we spend a lot of time on the balcony napping. All the other afts I've had had 2. Is there room for 2 if it didn't have it on your cruise..we can always ask for them.

Thank you for any info

Nan

[CPCruiser4Life]

Yes, You can have TWO loungers, but many times you have to ask your cabin steward to bring it to the balcony.

 

I hope this helps.

[Liv4Beach]

Was there any obstructed view? The deck plan states there is.

 

Thank you

[Kartgv]

Was there any obstructed view? The deck plan states there is.

 

Thank you

 

Did you realize this thread is from 2007? You might do better to start a new thread asking specifically about the obstructed view.

[Liv4Beach]

We have this stateroom booked and when I went to view the room on the website it stated in had an "obstructed view." Can someone who has had this stateroom let me know if this is a problem? Thank you

[myfuzzy]

We have this stateroom booked and when I went to view the room on the website it stated in had an "obstructed view." Can someone who has had this stateroom let me know if this is a problem? Thank you

 

Again, you should re-post on a new thread. This thread is almost 10 years old and a lot has changed since then.

 

I last sailed on her three years ago, sailing in a few weeks, and I am sure there are new things I haven't seen yet.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Lucky TGO]

Thank you nice review. I am happy to hear Bert Stratton is back he is a great entertainer. We once went on a cruise just to see Bert and his show again.

Tony

[caribill]

We have this stateroom booked and when I went to view the room on the website it stated in had an "obstructed view." Can someone who has had this stateroom let me know if this is a problem? Thank you

 

See picture at http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showpost.php?p=43987493&postcount=604

Edited October 8, 2016 by caribill

[richsea]

Again, you should re-post on a new thread. This thread is almost 10 years old and a lot has changed since then.

 

I last sailed on her three years ago, sailing in a few weeks, and I am sure there are new things I haven't seen yet.

 

Do you think they moved the room? What difference does the date of the post make as to wgetger or not the room has an obstructed view?

[myfuzzy]

Do you think they moved the room? What difference does the date of the post make as to wgetger or not the room has an obstructed view?

 

Here we go again, another non solicited pointless post