Caribbean Princess, Grand Turk 4/27-5/1 (Very long review)

[klmonline]

We just came back from our first cruise ever, sailing on the Caribbean Princess from April 27 to May 1. The itinerary was Fort Lauderdale to Grand Turk, Princess Cays, and back. Since I got a lot of great information from the posts here on CC, I thought I would scribble down my impressions in the hope that they might help others as well. Some of this information duplicates things you may find in other posts, but I don’t feel like doing a comprehensive search before starting to write.

 

My impressions are naturally influenced by my experiences, preferences, and background. So to fill you in on where I’m coming from:

 

A) I am a 46-year-old male with a long-term exclusive partner. She is a 53-year-old female. We have no kids. We’re both in good health and active.

 

B) I was a domestic and international tour guide and tour director for five years and I have traveled extensively around large chunks of the world for business and pleasure. I’m used to doing lots of research and being in control of my traveling arrangements.

 

C) I’ve had the opportunity to stay at really nice hotels and eat at really nice restaurants. So I can be a snob about those things. I’ve also hitchhiked and spent a year traveling around Europe in a camper van, eating heated beans out of tins. So I am not turned off by a lack of conveniences.

 

So much for the preliminaries. On to the specifics.

 

 

ARRIVAL AND EMBARCATION:

 

We took a cab from FLL to the pier. If I recall correctly, Princess was charging $10/person for their airport shuttle bus and the cab cost about $16 for both of us. And we didn’t have to wait around while they filled seats and loaded/unloaded luggage. Highly recommended. Same thing going back... Cabs were immediately available and convenient.

 

We got to the pier around 1:00 or so and found a long line waiting to get inside through the identity check. But it moved quickly and was covered for protection from sun or rain. Once inside, you are met by a bank of check-in booths that look like the old scramble system I remember from college to sign up for classes. Or like check-in at a really big convention or trade show. The lines are shorter, but move much more slowly. You get your room keys/cruise cards, have them swipe your credit card for charges, and make a determination about how you want to leave the ship. You can cart your own bags off or have them ported down to the bag claim area. You also select a time when you want to disembark, based on your return flight times or other plans. See my notes later in the DISEMBARCATION section.

 

 

CABIN:

We had cabin C701 on the Caribe deck (deck 10), starboard side, aft of midship. These balconies have both a covered and uncovered portion, and like other posters here, I appreciated the flexibility and extra room. The people below us had only open balcony, with no shade. If they were out there, I could look down and see them. The people above us had only covered balcony in shade. We could move between sun and shade, which was nice. I could also lay out swimsuits and snorkel gear to dry in the covered section without making an eyesore for people above us.

 

The room isn’t huge, but is fully adequate for two people without feeling cramped. We had the queen bed option, which was plenty of sleeping room. Our mattress was exceedingly firm, which she liked but I didn’t. There is more storage space than I had expected. A full open closet area had lots of hangers. A vertical set of shelves next to it had a door to keep things out of sight, along with a small safe (no usage charge) to store valuables. You wouldn’t be able to get a laptop computer into it though. There were also drawers in the nightstands on each side of the bed and a desk with more drawers. We had storage space left to spare.

 

The bathroom has a few open shelves for toothbrushes and the like and they supply standard plastic bottles of hotel-type shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, along with round bar soaps. The scent of choice in the toiletries was eucalyptus. They replenish supplies daily. The toilet, sink, and shower are all in the same small space. As has been noted on these boards, the shower is very tight. Don’t plan to have romantic 2-person showers, you newlyweds! Don’t plan to turn around in it, overweight people! But there is plenty of water pressure and hot water. It uses a shower curtain, rather than a door.

 

You also have a mini refrigerator that you can use for your own storage. Ours never got very cold.

 

 

FOOD:

Deck 15 (Lido) has three buffet areas. You can pretty much find at least one of them open at any time, and all three work the main dining rushes. I had visions of classic long tables spread with white tablecloths and giant fruit towers, ice sculptures, and petit fours. Instead, they are laid out like a high school cafeteria, with steam trays and sneeze guards. I read horror stories here of not being able to collect your foods through the milling crowds, but I never had a problem with that. Yes, tables around the buffet areas can be scarce during the rush hours, but people often would take their plates out to the deck chairs by the pool. I also liked the nice wood bar and stool eating area on the stern landing behind the Caribe Café.

 

There are drink stations where you can pick up regular or decaf coffee, ice tea, or water. Any other choice is an extra charge and brought by an attendant. Food in the buffets was mostly a matter of availability in favor of quality. It tended to suffer from large-scale mass preparation and time spent in transit and sitting in the serving trays. It was certainly edible and adequate, but not a memorable gustatory experience.

 

There are also three sit-down menu restaurants. They all feature the same décor and menus, so there is no significant reason to choose one over another. But I’ll mention that my partner found the Palm restaurant at the stern to be too susceptible to wave action for her dining comfort. The Island and Coral are midship and don’t rock as much. We used the anytime dining plan and never had a wait for a table. They will attempt to accommodate requests for a private table for two, but these go quickly and you may have to settle for a shared group table or have a wait if that is important to you. Our favorite menu items were the “always available” fettuccine alfredo and salmon fillet. The Caesar salad wasn’t bad either. We each tried a beef dish and decided that the meat was simply not of a very high quality and didn’t try again.

 

We also spent the extra $20/person cover charge to eat at Sabatini’s Italian restaurant one night. The experience is fun and you get a lot of different food items. But we weren’t blown away by the quality. Don’t expect the same food you would get in a fine dining restaurant on land in a major restaurant-oriented city. I did like the fact that if you buy a bottle of wine and don’t finish it during your meal, you can leave it in the restaurant with your room number and call for it the next time you go into any other restaurant on the ship. By the way, don’t discount the advice others have given about signing up for the specialty restaurants immediately upon boarding. We waited two hours before signing up on the Lido deck by the pool and the only convenient dining times remaining were for the first night. Reservations go incredibly quickly!

 

We tried out the free pizza and the free hot dogs by the pool and found them to be convenient and adequate as a filler, but not top taste examples of either food type. I bought a cup of ice cream at Scoops and was tremendously disappointed to find that it was the soft-serve plastic flavored stuff reminiscent of a “Frosty” at Wendy’s. Not recommended for the extra money.

 

Yes, the standard free coffee is processed and rather weak. I found I could drink it, but I didn’t get much “coffee enjoyment” out of it. The coffee bar on deck 6 midship served up better coffee drinks, and they aren’t very expensive. Brewed coffee is a buck, with unlimited refills while you are sitting there. Espresso drinks such as cappuccinos are $2-3, which is quite reasonable for the extra quality. And the bartenders/baristas are nice to talk to.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

The ship’s singing/dancing production show “Piano Man” featured the music of Billy Joel, Elton John, Neil Sedaka, and Liberace. Obviously trying to satisfy a wide age range in the audience! The young singers and dancers were energetic and talented, but are saddled with some very cheesy choreography and costumes.

 

The Beatlemaniacs was a marginally adequate impersonator show. Our McCartney and Lennon were up to the task, but George and Ringo bore no resemblance in looks, voice, or style to their sources. Fortunately the Beatles music withstands a lot of abuse and gets toes a-tapping no matter what. The performers give a lot of energy towards getting the crowd involved and you should walk away smiling. Warning... The amplification is cranked up on this show to full concert volume. I felt sorry for audience members with hearing aids, as they must have suffered some awful feedback problems on certain frequencies.

 

Sarge (a much beloved standup comic on this ship) performed twice with different shows. We saw his second show, which featured a packed house and audience members standing along all the back and side walls. He is obviously talented in his delivery and quick interactions with the audience, but there was some tired, derivative filler material in that show. When I hear a standup fall back on “The difference between men and women” jokes, I roll my eyes a bit.

 

The theater is open seating and we found that arriving 30 minutes before show time was more than adequate to get a good seat in almost any spot that appeals to you. Several people brought books to read while waiting for show time. You should also be aware that the theater is in the bow of the ship and thus is more susceptible to pitch motion from waves. Take an extra pill if you’re that kind of person.

 

I stopped by the lounge one night as Bert Stratton was finishing up his nightly set with a marathon rendition of “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera. He was giving it a full Anthony Newley styled over-emotive reading. A little too much schmaltz for my tastes, but he has a good voice and good keyboard skills. He also had the audience hanging on his every syllable and I watched one woman sniffling away tears at his production. Not a bad place to enjoy your late night drinks.

 

You will have read plenty about the Movies Under The Stars big screen by the pool, but you might not know that they also show more adult-themed movies in the interior. I was surprised to see them show “No Country For Old Men” and “Sweeney Todd” on our cruise, as both movies feature extreme violence, blood, and death. The outdoor movies of course are family friendly.

 

 

GRAND TURK:

 

I can’t tell you too much about island-based activities, as I spent my time scuba diving. You walk down a long concrete pier to a complex of souvenir shops. There is a Margaritaville restaurant right there with a large swimming pool. You can easily walk on and off the ship during the day as desired.

 

I booked my diving independently with Blue Water Divers. It’s a short $5 cab ride to their offices. I used my own snorkeling gear and rented the BCD, reg, and wet suit. They convinced me to go with a full suit instead of a shorty, and I’m glad I did. The submerged temps at the end of April were still very cool. Their gear was in excellent condition, their dive master was friendly and competent, we had a small boatload of 8 divers, and conditions were excellent. I have no hesitation in recommending them based on my two dives.

 

There are some walls not very far offshore and it’s a short boat ride to dive sites. We saw the usual colorful reef fish, grass eels, sea turtles, and a small two foot shark trying to take a nap in a coral outcropping. The coral was vibrant and in good shape... no signs of bleaching.

 

 

PRINCESS CAYS:

This is a short stop on a sandy stretch of private beach at the southern tip of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Getting to and from the island involves a short ride on overly crammed runabouts. There is a lot of waiting in lines and walks up and down stairs to get to the boats. I found no need to reserve beach accomodations. There were plenty of chaise lounges spread all around and you could easily drag them in or out of shade as desired.

 

There was also no need to pre-reserve snorkeling gear. You can walk to your left from the dock, past the buffet area, to the “Davie Jones” rental office and get anything you need quickly and easily with your cruise card. There is a long stretch of reef that is marked off with a float line for safe snorkeling, and you can continue along the reef on your own as far as you want. It is very close to shore and there was no perceptible current on our visit.

 

Make sure to plan your time for lunch on the island, as it is only served from 11-1 and the lines are very long and slow. Typical hot dogs, burgers, and ribs, with plenty of fresh fruits and melons as well.

 

There are some cheap little souvenir shops and hair braiding stations, but nothing that requires more than a few minutes browsing time.

 

Don’t think of this port as anything more than a family outing to the beach. It’s just fine for that, but offers nothing more.

 

 

SHIPBOARD CONDITIONS:

I have spent a fair amount of time on smaller boats and I’m not usually bothered by wave action. This is a massive ship and it would take a lot to get it seriously rocking and rolling. I never found the motion to be more than marginally noticeable. But different people have different susceptibilities to motion sickness and you’ve got to realize that no matter how big the ship, you are still bobbing around on a moving liquid surface. If you expect it to be the same as a hotel on land, you are going to be disappointed. My girlfriend gets motion sick extremely easily and she felt better with a once-a-day Bonine tablet in her system. You can definitely feel the pitching more easily at the bow and stern. Think carefully before booking one of those nice big stern-facing cabins. Note that there are very few railings to hang over and heave if the mood hits you. You’ll have to find a public restroom if you are out and about, and they aren’t always in close reach.

 

The passenger demographics on this ship are all over the place. I was astonished at the number of families with babes in arms. There were some young adults and senior citizens, and plenty of every age in between. I noticed that the maitre d’ at each restaurant was subtly consistent about placing you at shared table with others in a similar age range.

 

You will be bombarded with people taking pictures from before you ever step on board through each night, and even on the gangplanks at port stops. They are usually quick about it and you can politely but firmly refuse and they won’t hound you anymore. Pictures end up on a big board for you to look over and elect to buy or not. There is never an obligation or sign up at picture-taking time.

 

On this itinerary, there was one formal night, and most men wore dark suits with ties. I only saw a couple of tuxedos. Women tended to wear nice dresses... There were very few full-on gowns. That’s a nice night to have your picture taken at one of the formal settings. The stationed photographers are professional and good at their business.

 

Onboard shopping includes lots of cheap “trinkets” for the ladies... Purses, scarves, watches, and costume jewelry. There are a few higher-end shops as well. The ship also features a “fine art” auction with a lot of paintings that failed to impress me.

 

The casino is relatively small. There are the usual table games of blackjack, Let It Ride, roulette, and craps. Minimum bids are $5. There is one Texas Hold ‘Em poker table where you play against other passengers. It uses an innovative touch screen computerized interface for dealing and betting. There is no dealer and no chips. I was fascinated. Smoking is allowed in the casino and the smell is noticeable. In contrast to someone who wrote that the slots are “loose”, I spent a while walking around and observing. I almost never saw a winner anywhere, at any slot. Not even small payouts.

 

General upkeep was fine. You could tell that the ship wasn’t brand new, but I never felt like I was walking around a frayed and decrepit building. We all know that the CP is scheduled for drydock and refurb, so later readers may find a lot of new features by the time they get on.

 

 

DISEMBARCATION:

You are requested to be out of your cabin by 9am. All onboard service stops at 9am as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t know this and nobody told me at check-in when I requested a late departure time of 10:15! I thought we could take it easy, have a late breakfast, and hang out in our cabin. Note that you also have to pack your bags and have them out in the hallway before you go to sleep the previous night. So it might be best to request an earlier departure time. Still, we found it relaxing just to hang out on a chaise lounge by the pool without throngs of screaming kids and calypso bands making noise.

 

They herd you into different waiting lounges based on your cabin area and departure time and then shuttle you into the gangway departure line in sequence when your time comes. Elevators are VERY hard to come by during the main departure times!

 

Being one of the last people off the boat, I may have a different picture of the process, but it was really quick and easy by the time we left. You walk down to the immigration desk and show your passport. Zero delay from those guys. Then you pick up your bag in a holding area based on your color-coded group. Ours was easy to find (but again, the masses had already gone through the bulk). You then pass Customs control, which is mainly worried about you bringing in fruits and vegetables from the ship or islands. We skipped right through, walked outside, and got a taxi. Simple and fast.

 

If you want to avoid the groupings, have more flexibility on your departure time, and keep your bags with you for a morning pack-up, you can tell them that you will carry your own luggage off the ship. The only hassle is fighting your way with your bags through the crowds and finding an elevator with room to get to the departure deck.

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

Wow! That was longer than I had planned. I hope you find it helpful. Obviously, my experiences and opinions are my own and your mileage may vary. Overall, we decided our traditional independent land-based vacations better suited our traveling styles and preferences. But cheers to all of you veteran cruisers and felicitations to you upcoming first timers. May your voyages be pleasant and trouble-free.

[jaynak]

Thanks for all you wrote - I really enjoyed your objective review... Jayna K

[sunhoney64]

Great Review. Thanks.

[Trannynanny]

Thanks for the great review. Loved the details. We're right behind you on the May 11 4-day CB cruise. Can't wait...even more excited now after reading your wonderful review!

[-Lew-]

Wow!

 

Thank you for taking the time to write it...

 

Our two cabins will be just a few doors forward of yours on our July 28th cruise. We really love the Caribe deck balconies.

 

Lew

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Great review. I was on board with you. As for the Beatlemaniac show, We though they were right on music wise and had a great time lsitening to them. Impersonating - yes - marginal, not quite 100% but we thought the music was great! It was definitely a concert like atmosphere in terms of the noise and the way the crowd was reacting.

And we did win some money at the casino - only invested $50 for the 4 days but managed to play the whole 4 days with it a little each night with it in the slots (about 30 min a pop). Loose- no - but manageable for us to play a little each night and we noticed they didn't charge us a fee like they had in the past to charge the coin to our onboard account (it used to be 3% charge - we saw no charge in our account this time).

[flag fan]

Excellent review! Thanks for posting it; one of the most useful reviews I have read about any ship--a lot of facts rather than merely general impressions and opinions. I'll be taking the Caribbean Princess this fall and you've addressed most of the things I was wondering about, like the shows, demographics, buffet, speciality restaurant, and movies. Very helpful.

[ancldaca]

Just arrived back home from the May 1 three-nighter and my experience was terrific as well. Will post my own review in due course! Bottom line: to all the nay-sayers, the Princess experience was indeed the same with just minor differences compared to my 7 day experiences.

[aarep]

;)

 

Really a great review. Thanks! It brought back memories from our cruise on the CB last year. Thanks again.

[dforeigner]

Thanks for taking time to write a review. I also have friends who have decided that cruising is not for them. There is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion.

[dtiger]

Thanks for taking the time to write the informative review. Since I will be boarding the ship next month it was helpful.