CB Review 3/16-23, Avoid Cabins R616,R618, &R620

First let me say that the 3400+ passengers were the nicest, most considerate, polite group of people I have ever spent a week with. We were truly amazed. Of course there were a few (I could only think of 3!) that forgot their manners. It was truly a pleasure. :)

This was our first Princess cruise and to be honest I have mixed feelings about the experience. Because of the design of the ship (3 different pool areas, 3 different buffet areas, small theater, many, many lounges and bars), there seemed to be more intimate groups rather than large parties. Also the timing of many of the events made it so you had to decide between activities. I didn’t feel we got to enjoy everything the ship had to offer. We usually enjoy the larger ships. We liked the Caribbean Princess but we didn't love it. However I would rather sail with this group of passengers on any ship.

I’ll make this short. For the most part we didn’t find the ship crowded. Embarkation and disembarkation were pretty painless. It was nice to sit and wait rather than stand in a crowd like a cattle call. With 800 kids on board we rarely saw any of them. The dining room food was very good, not great. The breakfast and lunch buffet food was pretty good with enough selections. The shows were comparable to others we have seen which were good. The MUTS was great and the sound system is so much better than on the Carnival ships. I was surprised how few announcements there were compared to other cruises we’ve been on. The only ones that really annoyed us was the captain. He seemed to ramble on and on. The adult only pool area was wonderful. I was a little surprised they put the kiddie’s pool in the same area. Kind of defeats the purpose. We found the staff friendly and helpful for the most part. Most of the areas were smoke free which was a pleasure for us. Even in the smoking areas it wasn’t bad, just a faint smell unless someone was actually smoking next to you. Lots of activities and the movie selections were very good.

There were only a few negatives:

For whatever reason they shortened our time on St Maarten from 7am to 10am. It was after 11 before we were able to get off the ship. That was not enough time on the island for a 3 stop cruise. The time change was decided before we left Fort Lauderdale (it was in the original Patters). On this day they only had 1 buffet open for 3400 people! :eek: Are you kidding me……… This was the only time we experienced long lines and chaos.

The buffet at night, what there was of it, was terrible. Of course I really didn’t need to be eating at that time anyway! ;)

Avoid booking rooms R616, R618, R620 which are on the Riviera Deck.

I booked this cruise over a year before and had my choice of rooms. I actually changed them 3 times before deciding on these. I carefully checked what was above us before I choose these rooms. What a mistake. We always book on the floor just below the buffet. We expected random footsteps, chairs scraping etc. but because the area is carpeted for the most part it doesn’t bother us. I even searched this board for comments on these rooms. Well these rooms just happen to be right under a large tiled area outside the middle entrance of the Horizon Court. All day and night there would be dish carts, cleaning carts, and food carts rolling over this area. As soon as they hit the tile there would be a bang, bang, and then rolling sound across our ceiling. I’m not talking about once in a while; I’m talking about 5-6 times an hour even a night. And guess where the dishwashing area was……That’s right, the dishwashing area in located on the Riviera deck directly across from the doors R616 and R618. All night we would hear the banging and clanging of dishes being washed. I would guess the rooms, on the other side of the ship, in this location experienced the same problem. I actually spoke the officers in charge of the Horizon Café about the noise. They sent me to the service desk who in turn just asked me to fill out a comment card. I’m sharing this information so that no one else has to experience this. Especially my friends on Cruise Critic. :D So avoid these rooms!

Just another note, if you are going to open the doors between the balconies, make sure you bring a bungee cord. Everything slides on the floor mats so you can’t prop the doors open and they bang. I guess I didn’t pick up that information when reading these boards. I was able to find a hardware store in St Maartens and buy some.

Overall we enjoyed our first Princess Cruise and wouldn’t hesitate to take another one.

Pam

I totally agree about the people on this cruise - I had the nicest conversations with people on the elevators, while getting a soda at the bar, in hallways. I was both surprised and happy about it.

A quick story about one of those not-so-nice people. We got in a cab (van really) on St. Thomas to go to Magen's Bay. We got on with a couple, and the woman was adamant that we not stop anywhere on the way. Well, the cab driver found two more folks for the cab, and they wanted to go downtown (which is absolutely on the way, and with gas at $4 a gallon on the island, who could blame her for wanting a full van?!). This woman sat in the last of the three rows of this van, and complained for the entire ride. When we got to Magen's Bay, and the cab driver asked for the $4 admission fee to the beach from each of us, this woman actually shook her fist at the driver. The driver leaned over to me (I was in the front passenger seat) and whispered, "that woman, she got a demon."

I almost peed my pants laughing.

 

Avoid booking rooms R616, R618, R620 which are on the Riviera Deck.

 

I booked this cruise over a year before and had my choice of rooms. I actually changed them 3 times before deciding on these. I carefully checked what was above us before I choose these rooms. What a mistake. We always book on the floor just below the buffet. We expected random footsteps, chairs scraping etc. but because the area is carpeted for the most part it doesn’t bother us. I even searched this board for comments on these rooms. Well these rooms just happen to be right under a large tiled area outside the middle entrance of the Horizon Court. All day and night there would be dish carts, cleaning carts, and food carts rolling over this area. As soon as they hit the tile there would be a bang, bang, and then rolling sound across our ceiling. I’m not talking about once in a while; I’m talking about 5-6 times an hour even a night. And guess where the dishwashing area was……That’s right, the dishwashing area in located on the Riviera deck directly across from the doors R616 and R618. All night we would hear the banging and clanging of dishes being washed. I would guess the rooms, on the other side of the ship, in this location experienced the same problem. I actually spoke the officers in charge of the Horizon Café about the noise. They sent me to the service desk who in turn just asked me to fill out a comment card. I’m sharing this information so that no one else has to experience this. Especially my friends on Cruise Critic. :D So avoid these rooms!

 

Now I am a bit concerned as we booked R612 on the 5/26 sailing and this is our honeymoon, so I really don't want to hear the dishwasher and rolling carts in my room! Do you know if my room will be affected? I know its above the Horizon Court, but I'm hoping it's carpeted up there and just below the seating area.

I can't change rooms as we got one of the last balconies on this sailing and it was more aft than the other room the offered us.

Now I am a bit concerned as we booked R612 on the 5/26 sailing and this is our honeymoon, so I really don't want to hear the dishwasher and rolling carts in my room! Do you know if my room will be affected? I know its above the Horizon Court, but I'm hoping it's carpeted up there and just below the seating area.

 

I can't change rooms as we got one of the last balconies on this sailing and it was more aft than the other room the offered us.

No I don't think it will affect you at all. The area is only about 10x5ft section of tile then it turns into carpet again. Also you are far enough away from the kitchen door you shouldn't hear any of that. I think you will be fine. Have a wonderful honeymoon!

I totally agree about the people on this cruise - I had the nicest conversations with people on the elevators, while getting a soda at the bar, in hallways. I was both surprised and happy about it.

 

A quick story about one of those not-so-nice people. We got in a cab (van really) on St. Thomas to go to Magen's Bay. We got on with a couple, and the woman was adamant that we not stop anywhere on the way. Well, the cab driver found two more folks for the cab, and they wanted to go downtown (which is absolutely on the way, and with gas at $4 a gallon on the island, who could blame her for wanting a full van?!). This woman sat in the last of the three rows of this van, and complained for the entire ride. When we got to Magen's Bay, and the cab driver asked for the $4 admission fee to the beach from each of us, this woman actually shook her fist at the driver. The driver leaned over to me (I was in the front passenger seat) and whispered, "that woman, she got a demon."

 

I almost peed my pants laughing.

LOL...and seriously it was out loud:D - that'll teach me for coming online while I'm at work! Good thing I'm in my own office or people would think i was nuts!:eek:

I'm glad to hear how wonderful the people are, I'm really counting down the days until my first cruise with Princess!

Thank you for a nice balanced review. Sounds like you had a pretty good time.

One of the drawbacks of cruising on a large ship for only 7 days is the fact that you really do not have enough time to see and experience averything.

That's evident as you saw only 3 swimming pools - when actually it appears that you missed the best one. The other Adults Only Pool near the Spa is wonderful.

Another drawback of a short 7-day cruise is the URGE to try to see and experience everything on the ship. Even on a large ship, that's impossible in such a short time. There is just not enough space for 3400 people to attend all the activities in that time period. That's why the cruise line intentionally places some activities head to head, and forces you to choose between them. Next time I advise that you look at a 10 to 14 day cruise - or 2 back to back cruises, This extra time really allows you to relax, while still giving you ample opportunities to see everything you want to see.

Thanks for posting your review. It's too bad you had those noise issues from the Horizon Court. Your information can help those future cruisers when booking a cabin. It's what makes CC such a great source.

The adult terrace pool is on deck 14 and the kiddies pool is on deck 16. Both are aft but not in the same area. Where are there (3) buffets??

Thank you for a nice balanced review. Sounds like you had a pretty good time.

 

One of the drawbacks of cruising on a large ship for only 7 days is the fact that you really do not have enough time to see and experience everything.

That's evident as you saw only 3 swimming pools - when actually it appears that you missed the best one. The other Adults Only Pool near the Spa is wonderful.

 

Another drawback of a short 7-day cruise is the URGE to try to see and experience everything on the ship. Even on a large ship, that's impossible in such a short time. There is just not enough space for 3400 people to attend all the activities in that time period. That's why the cruise line intentionally places some activities head to head, and forces you to choose between them. Next time I advise that you look at a 10 to 14 day cruise - or 2 back to back cruises, This extra time really allows you to relax, while still giving you ample opportunities to see everything you want to see.

Actually you are right! I missed the pool near the spa and we even took the spa tour! Oh how I wish we could take the longer cruises but right now the 7-8 days are only ones we can afford! (putting our fourth and last son through college) Hopefully in the future we will be able to take your advise.

roe2ship,

The Horizon Court is divided in two, having a port and starboard side. These buffets are not directly connected. (The kitchen is in between) Also there is the Caribe Cafe at the aft of the ship. So really there are 3 buffets areas. Sometimes we would go around and around looking for each other. Most of the time only one side would be open.

We could still hear the kids at the kiddie pool on the lower decks 14 and 15

Thank you for taking time to write a review.