mufflogan

My wife and I have been on Princess 4 times and Celebrity 14 times. We love both. We've been on both Reflection and Caribbean Princess. All that to say we have opinions about Caribbean Princess. We were on CB in July 2023. It was our worst cruise. I know how that sounds. Cruising is amazing... every single one of them. But this one was rough. A/C - It was a very warm ship. Our room was too warm. We found ourselves choosing spots to hang out in during the day that were the coldest places in the ship. Wheelhouse Bar, Club Fusion... It was strange to walk through the ship and to get blasted by warm spots and then slightly cooler spots and then warm spots again. The A/C just couldn't keep the ship comfortable... especially our room. Smoke - The casino is right next to the atrium and throughout the day it was really difficult to find a spot to sit where you weren't constantly being attacked by the smell of smoke. Our favorite bar was Crooners... it has an amazing drink menu. But there was at least 2 times/day when we had to get up because the smell was too much for us. Again that's an "us" problem. I don't know your tolerance for the smell of smoke. Lights - Our cabin had automatic lights(in the closet area and in the bedside tables). I get up to use the restroom several times in the night and every time my wife would wake up because of the amount of light in our cabin. I brought tape to cover the sensors(which other people had recommended on CC). That helped to some degree but they would still come on... sometimes randomly too. Ship propulsion - The ship was having issues with one of its engines. We missed 2 of the 4 ports we were supposed to go to because we just couldn't get there. Also, the time we spent in the other 2 ports were reduced. And we were supposed to get off the ship in Belize but couldn't because the tender situation was ridiculous. 3 hour wait times... The cruise you are thinking about going on is that exact itinerary essentially. Sorry for the long post but I think I would choose Reflection over Caribbean Princess if it was cruising the lake in my backyard. Just my 2 cents... hope that can help.

I'm sorry that happened to you. We don't put our luggage in the taxi until we know exactly how much we're being charged for that trip from Port Everglades to FLL. It's always been $15-$20 before tip.

Will you make your 10:30am flight? There is a 99% chance that you will. But how much stress does that 1% chance of missing your flight cause you? Is it enough to move to a later flight time... that's completely up to you. My last 3 cruises out of Fort Lauderdale. 10:00am flight, 10:15 flight, 9:40 flight. We were sitting at the gate at least an hour before each of those flights. Our 9:40 flight was after the Nov. 13th Beyond cruise. We had a delayed walk off process that became a nightmare with people all over trying to walk off at the same time. People with numbers walking off. When we got into the terminal there were LOTS of bags already taken by people with numbers. Walk off was a joke on that cruise.... BUT we were still sitting at our gate in the airport by 8:40. Was I stressed while I was standing in the masses trying to get off the ship? Yes I was. Stressed enough to not book another early flight? No. Port Everglades is just so close to the airport. If time is no issue I'll always take an Uber or a Lyft. But when I'm trying to get to FLL after a cruise with an early flight I always take a cab. The cost isn't that much higher. There is no wait for a cab. I've had issues with Uber and Lyft getting into the port. Getting lost in the port area. Finding me. I've been cancelled on. So I take a cab. Like I mentioned... it's slightly more expensive but it's quick and easy. Also I have to mention I have TSA-precheck(which sometimes at FLL doesn't make much difference). Sorry for the long post. Will you make your flight? 99% of the time you will easily... but how will you deal with the 1% chance? Good luck and have a phenomenal trip... hopefully it's very soon!

I might be totally wrong but I feel like I've read on CC a few times that they do reservations for Specialty Dining completely different on holiday sailings.

Many times my wife and I have gone to grab pizza in Oceanview and had them make one special for us. You just choose from the ingredients they have and they'll make it quick and hot and fresh for you. Since it's right next to the "create your own" pasta station there are normally a lot of toppings to choose from. That pizza is always great!!

The best answer I can give you is to find someone who can make your reservations as soon as you are walking on the ship. Sometimes there is someone with a tablet right when you walk on. Sometimes you have to go to one of the specialty restaurants and there will be someone who can make those reservations for you. If you wait too long after boarding there is chance that the times you are hoping for will be unavailable. But my advice is to board as early as you can and go straight to someone who can make those reservations for you. Good luck!!

Murano - We eat here at least 2-3x/cruise because there are so many apps, entrees and desserts we love. Eden - So many great options. We loved the old menu and the new one. Wake view is lovely as well. Rooftop Grill/Lawn Club - Eating outside with the sun setting watching a port fade off into the distance can't be replicated in any restaurant at home.

I posted this exact message a little over a year ago when someone asked about the OV cabins on deck 3. "We've stayed in the OV cabins on deck 3 on three separate cruises. We loved it every single time! It was awesome being so close to so many places we wanted to hang out at... Martini Bar, Cafe al Bacio, World Class Bar, Passport Bar, MDR, etc. And we never heard noise from outside our cabin at all. The first time we were in an OV we were further down the hall from the public areas but after seeing how quiet it was we moved to the first couple of cabins down the hall from guest services. It was incredible... we were less than 100 steps from our table in the MDR! I would never hesitate to get an OV on deck 3." As far as the closing time for the casino... I don't have much experience in the casino but from what I've read recently I've seen it closing as early as 11pm and as late as "late". Not sure how to define late. Have fun on Silhouette in April. My wife and I will be there in April too for a B2B.

So this review is so great... just the right blend of humor and photos! I also love the way you roll with the minor hiccups EVERY cruise has! I don't want to take away from your time at all so don't feel any pressure to do this... but could you take a photo of the bartenders at the Retreat Sundeck Bar?? We're going to be on Silhouette soon and wondered who we might be hanging out with everyday?!?

We used Rome Cabs for our Apex TA on Saturday, Oct. 29th. Our hotel was on Via del Corso(very busy street). There was no parking by our hotel. Our pickup time was 9:45. We came downstairs at 9:35 and our driver was waiting for us right outside the door. He had parked his car with the emergency flashers on right on the street. We walked 50 feet to our car. He loaded our bags. He drove us quickly and safely to Civitivecchia. Everything was literally perfect. I will used Rome Cabs every time I'm in the Rome area. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. From their website to their email communication to our experience with our driver... absolute perfection.

We did the Mixology Class on Silhouette in March '22. There were 8 of us in the World Class Bar. Our experience was very similar to PinkSandGirl... around 1.5 hours, made 4 drinks, all off of the regular menu, different spirits and glasses, etc. It was a ton of fun! It helped that my wife and I did it with friends we had made on the cruise. There was a theme that I can't remember now but I know the last drink was Strawberry Cheesecake. Every drink was amazing and it was a great way to connect with our favorite bartenders at the World Class... we would did it again in a heartbeat!