Review Caribbean Princess 7/26-8/4

[GrammieK]

Just got home from the Brooklyn pier after a 9 nite on CB in R404 (full suite). Many things were absolutely fabulous, on the other hand, some things were not.

The fabulous:

Boarding: Being in a suite, be were entitled to priority boarding. Unfortunately, the clerk directed us to the regular lounge, but we realized before it was too late and were able to take advantage of it. Smooth and seamless - a big plus...Were among first few on board and headed directly to the....

Santuary - Without the sanctuary, we may not have had such a great time. Deck chairs ( as reported on this board) were often "reserved" with a book or t-shirt for the day. It is true that you could get a deck chair somewhere, but often far removed from the pool or amenities. The Sanctuary was everything I read about and more. Ari and Mark (and others) were the best at knowing what you wanted even before you knew!! The spa lunches, the never-ending water, the face spritz, the cushy chairs, the "Peace and Quiet" made it seem that the ship was empty. The $270 was worth every penny. We prefer a smaller ship and tried this cruise because it left from NY, so the Sanctuary was a blessing!

Sabatini's for breakfast - another suite perk - another necessity for us - never had to stand on line in the buffet and were served a sumptuous and leisurely breakfast every morning. Don't know how I will start my day tomorrow without it!!

Sabatini's for dinner: a tasty treat, but the style of dining there does not really warrant more than one visit in the same cruise.

Skywalkers cocktail lounge: Suite perk - 5-7 each day - great munchies and an even better view. Have never seen anything like this view and so often it was almost empty!! What a shame it is so underutilized.

Lotus Spa: Clean facilities, excellent services, punctual with appointments. Worth a try. Enjoyed every minute of it!!

Crown Grill: The food was excellent! On par with Ruth's Chris steak house and good, if not better than, any steak house on any cruise we have ever been on. The service was not as good as Sabatini's, but in all fairness, our waiter was doing double duty because his assistant was new and not really pulling his weight yet.

Chef's Table: Words can not describe - the galley tour, the attention, the champagne (did I mention the champagne???) the food, the cookbook - all wonderful!! Kudos to the head chief and the maitre'd!!! The only thing better would be the Ultimate Ship Tour which leads me to "the not so fabulous"

Ultimate Ship's Tour: We were really looking forward to this tour, we were #1&2 on the list. We were told that it would be a lottery and we would be informed. When we hadn't heard after the deadline, we assumed we were not chosen. Oh well, not a deal breaker. When we returned to our suite on the day of the UST after lunch - there was the letter - you have been chosen,blah, blah, along with a message on our phone - be here at 1:45 - the time now 1:45. I was upset, because we were just sitting around in the Sanctuary, but we couldn't hold up the group and informed the proper people. No one said - if you don't go you will be charged, however when we checked our bill later that day, we have been charged $150.00 each at 8:01 a.m. that day! It took two days to straighten that out (a surly rep wanted to know why I thought I should be reimbursed when I didn't show up). Three visits to the front desk, many phone calls and two days later, a credit was issued. Bummer, I really wanted to go. Which leads me to the next not so fabulous....

Front desk communication: Princess has a great product, obvious when the ships are oversold and waiting lists exist, but if the person answering the phone or greeting you at the purser's desk (not everyone) are not friendly, helpful or kind, people will get turned off. I really don't want to start a riot here, but I overheard a few conversations while on line that were condescending and downright unfriendly. Not everyone was that way, but one person not putting Princess in the best light is too many. After the aggravation I needed some.......(wait for it, another not so fabulous, hell it was disgusting...)

COFFEE!!!! How does Princess get away with serving that swill??? The coffee card is the biggest joke - you have to pay to get the free coffee???? That being said, we promptly bought our coffee cards and trompted from the 14th deck to the 5th deck many times each day. Charge me more for the cruise and give me good coffee!!!!

Overall, the cruise was great - but just wanted to point out some of our pitfalls in the hopes of warning others. I want to thank all of the cruise critic member who answered my questions and provided information so that I could enjoy my vacation fully.

Another big plus was the cruise critic group (go Brooklyn 25'ers!!) we had an active group; on the board and on board. What a pleasure it was to meet the people that I had communicated with for so long!

If anyone has any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask. That's all for now - I hear my washing machine calling...

Kathie

[Caribbean Sunsets]

Thanks for your review. How unfortunate that you were notified to late to enjoy the UST. Glad you were able to get the charges reversed.

[804]

Thanks for a lovely review of the CP.... We will be on her in Oct and wonder whether you can tell me if they still have a band in the Wheelhouse lounge in the evenings. It used to be 5:30 until late.... It was great for dancers. Thanking you in advance for you help

[GrammieK]

We were in the Wheelhouse on two occasions (and passed by numerous times) and always heard music. Had drinks there one evening and there was a 3 piece band with a male singer (jazzy, bluesy, standards) that was good - (sorry, didn't pay attention to name) and another band went on after them. Enjoy!!

Kathie

[lkmamom]

Kathie, thanks for your review! Sorry you missed the UST, what a bummer and then to have to go through the craziness afterward. It sounds as if you and yours had fun though.

I was wondering how the AC was on your cruise. I have read many that have thought it extremely warm on the ship in many areas. I have also read though that Princess is working on it. Maybe the heat is getting to the front desk staff:o.

I agree Skywalker's is a beautiful view. One of our most favorite memories of cruising was very late one night in Alaska watching the water and a pod of whales were following the ship, it was beautiful and we will never forget that.

Linda

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[BratDet]

Hi,

 

I was just with Kathie on that same cruise. Didn't post sooner because we had to go out to lunch. Not used to feeding ourselves anymore...<sigh>

 

My husband liked to keep our room COLD- and it WAS!

 

The dining rooms were never warm, (uncomfortable warm) (just reverified this with my long sleeve wearing (for dinner) husband.

I carried a wrap to lunch or dinner in case I got cold since my gowns and dresses were all sleeveless.

 

I am glad I brought them.

 

Bernadette

[GrammieK]

Hey Brat,

And I am glad you brought all of those dresses, too (especially our "twin" dresses). You looked lovely in all of the ones I saw!! Thanx for the pictures - miss you already.

Kathie

P.S. You went out to lunch??? I haven't been able to eat yet!

[mrrobby]

It sounds stupid complaining about coffee, but I could not agree with you more. We love to have room service deliver a pot of coffee first thing in the morning and that coffee is pretty bad. It is drinkable, but that is about it. Going down to the 5th floor first thing, is a pain in the A.

We really enjoy Princess overall, but I have also found the Purser's desk to have some surly people working it. I guess dealing with complaint's all day long is no picnic. I would say 25% of my conversations with them, they have had an edge or an attitude or something.

Anyway, sounds like you enjoyed, we have been on the Carribean Princess 3 times and always had a very nice time.

[lkmamom]

Hi,

 

I was just with Kathie on that same cruise. Didn't post sooner because we had to go out to lunch. Not used to feeding ourselves anymore...<sigh>

 

My husband liked to keep our room COLD- and it WAS!

 

The dining rooms were never warm, (uncomfortable warm) (just reverified this with my long sleeve wearing (for dinner) husband.

I carried a wrap to lunch or dinner in case I got cold since my gowns and dresses were all sleeveless.

 

I am glad I brought them.

 

Bernadette

 

Thanks Bernadette, just what I needed to hear:)

Linda

[GrammieK]

ikmamom,

sorry for the delay in my reply (laundry, laundry, laundry) I couldn't agree more with my new best friend Bernadette about the air - our suite was plenty cool enough. Some of the main rooms do tend to get rather warm when they fill up - husband was always warm when he wore his suit. Other than that, no temperature complaints!

Enjoy,

Kathie

[GrammieK]

mrrobby,

It's funny that you use the word surly - that is just how we described it on our comment card. We did have a fabulous time, but some of the front desk personnel could be better trained. We didn't let it spoil our vacation!

Kathie

[roe2ship]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. I have not come across a friendly person at the purser's desk all four times on the CB. The staff there and the future cruise consultant are in need for some smiles.

 

I agree about the coffee, I find it horrible.

 

I love skywalkers view too and hope that one day they have daily bar service during the days.

[lkmamom]

ikmamom,

sorry for the delay in my reply (laundry, laundry, laundry) I couldn't agree more with my new best friend Bernadette about the air - our suite was plenty cool enough. Some of the main rooms do tend to get rather warm when they fill up - husband was always warm when he wore his suit. Other than that, no temperature complaints!

Enjoy,

Kathie

Kathie, absolutely no problem ;)I understand. I always do laundry for a very long time after we come home from a cruise!It is a bummer having that chore to do following vacation. That is why I always frantically clean my house before we leave for vacation so I do not have that to do too. My family just does not understand that concept.:p Thanks for the help with the temps on board.

Linda

[fathercop]

Thanks so much for your review. I have been on the ship numerous times, but not since it has been in dry dock. So, I look forward to seeing the changes when we sail on her again next June.

 

As for the coffee, I will have to try that swirl at least once. I am not a coffee drinker, but I have not heard one good thing about the coffee they serve - unless it is one of the freshly brewed kind.

[mizbear]

Just want to re-iterate Kathie's sentiments about our recent cruise on the CB. We are back today (and still doing laundry), and she is spot on about the purser's desk and the coffee. When we received our luggage, our garment bag was soaked and my daughter's gown had two large wet spots. Calls and visits to the purser's desk did not get us any satisfaction; however, our great room steward (Nick) came to the rescue and had it cleaned (for free) and returned to us in time. As for the coffee, I am most definitely addicted to coffee and at meals I drank tea because the coffee in the dining rooms is indeed that bad. The coffee card was a true lifesaver but I would rather pay a little more and get good coffee!

 

Full review coming later but it really was a great time and certainly enhanced by the "Brooklyn 25".

 

Kathie, I'm sorry we never got together to play pinochle!

 

-Mizbear

[DonnaK]

Sounds like I missed a great time!

[rdsqrl]

Thank you for your review; glad you had a good time despite some hiccups. I've never sailed on the CB, but have to agree with you that in my experience, no matter the ship, the Purser's Desk is almost always the weak link service-wise. That is such a disappointment about the tardy notification for the UST. Obviously you'll have to take another cruise very soon to get another shot at it!

[Randi S.]

Can you tell me about this coffee card? We enjoy good coffee with our meals. If you get the card, can you bring the coffee in the dining room? :confused: Is it good other places on the ship?

[barbaragrace]

Sounds like I missed a great time!

 

 

Donna we missed you! NOW you have a great trip to look forward to!!

So Kathie, THIS is where you are hiding. It was so nice bumping into you on the ship (I did seem to have at least 3 glasses of wine in me every time we met at night! :eek:)

You are right about the coffee! Why pay lots of $$ for a cruise and then extra for a decent cup of coffee?

I just posted my ship tales:

Click here: 13 August 2009 Cruise out of NY ? - Page 51 - Cruise Critic Message Boards

[BratDet]

I did carry my to-go 16 ounce cup of coffee into the morning dining room.

 

I did appreciate they served in to-go cups if desired. Heck those little cups they use- I own a bunch from my dinnerware & I packed it all away years ago because the 6/8 ounce size is too useless. Carrying that thru the hallways would not be smart.

 

We enjoy lemonade/iced tea mix and only for the last few days did we ask for lemonade in Horizon and mixed our own Arnold Palmers...

 

Be careful of the super hot water for tea in IC. I was carrying two cups with lids and it splashed on my chest and caused a burn. I should have had the spout part turned away....$W%$%^%$&. Dumb me.

The hot water in Horizon is less dangerous to transporters. <grin>

 

The last full day I got a defective lid and got coffee spilled on me TWICE. Again, I thought it was my fault till the second spill by the front desk....

and realized it was the lid. Ruined my shirt. WAHHH

 

 

BTW- I wore EVERYTHING I brought with me to wear EXCEPT two pairs of socks!!!

 

Woo hoo....

 

Bernadette

[BratDet]

Hi all,

 

I know Linda had a hard sided garment bag- ours was soft sided.

 

My husband hung all his shirts for dinner in them. When we got to our room it was completely left upside down and not laid across our bags. We thought that was awful and it was not an isolated incident as we saw others in the same carelessly tossed position in the hallways.

What would it have taken to lift from the top and then place in a careful manner? Lesson learned....

 

When we left, my husband refused to give it back to them for transport. The bingo man remarked to my husband- Oh you are walking off...cause we had plenty in our hands

hahah we said no...

 

another tip- we had bought 7 bottles of liquor. We used a rollie bag for it- but I re used the 3 pack liquor sturdy cardboard box we had been given to transport off the ship the more fragile gifts we brought back with us. I then tossed it into a handled shopping bag- and off I went!

[mizbear]

FYI, I brought my travel coffee mug with me and had that filled when I went to the International Cafe -- I would carry it around with me and it was much easier than their cups (and it was larger).

 

Also, if you get iced coffee or any other iced drinks from the International Cafe, they do not have lids for them.

 

-Linda

[Lobez]

We were on the same cruise with a group of 22. I have to agree that the pursers desk, for the most part, was not very helpful. When boarding, the ship had a computer problem that switched 3 of our rooms around. I understand that things like this happen and should be easily corrected. It took 4 trips to the Pursers desk over 2 days to settle, with 3 out of the 4 employees not helpful at all. When the rooms were finally straightened out, I had gone from a platinum member to blue, with the pursers staff telling me there was nothing they could do. After refusing to leave the desk, it was eventually corrected, but I was not happy with the attitudes I received from the staff.

 

On another note, for those carrying liquor on board, wine was fine. No questions asked, however the security personnel did inspect each bottle. I observed the security confiscate liquor and beer. Supposed to be returned on disembarkation. I only had wine so can't say what happened from there. This was a change from San Juan where almost anything went.

 

The Ultimate Kids Package was great. All the mocktails, milkshakes, soda etc you could want. They sold it to anyone, with the sign saying it was for kids from 1 to 102. Cost was around $9 per day and well worth it.

 

The ice cream at scoops is still free. I found that the buffet changes to a lite snack menu at 4pm, and they have the waffle station there. I got a nice hot waffle and went to scoops where they put ice cream on it. A great afternoon treat. All my boys loved it.

 

Overall the cruise was great. I didn't let the pursers desk bother me or ruin the trip, but some improvement there could be made.

[GrammieK]

Lobez,

Glad you had a great cruise - we did too. Didn't let the front desk spoil my vacation - but as we agreed - they need some help. That may be a new career for us - or maybe they need a Dale Carnegie Course (are they still around??).

Kathie