Live Thread Caribbean Princess Canada/New England - July 19, 2011

[karatemom2]

We are enjoying our first sea day aboard the Caribbean Princess following a smooth embarkation and departure out of Brooklyn yesterday. We arrived the evening before and spent the night at the La Quinta in Brooklyn which was very convenient, less than 2 miles from the terminal. We boarded right at noon and enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the dining room. This is our first time on the Caribbean Princess and I will note that with the larger volume of passengers it does feel very full at times. We had a fairly long line for our first Anytime Dining seating, but we were seated at a table for four immediately upon entering the dining room. Dinner did take quite awhile, but our server had a very large party seated just before us so it was understandable.

 

The weather is warm and lovely with incredibly smooth seas. We had a nice meeting with our Cruise Critic group this morning and then joined them for a slot pull this afternoon which was great fun if not particularly lucrative! Tonight is formal evening and we made a point to get to the dining room early and there was no line at all. Dinner service was quick and very efficient. So far the food has been very good and the service from all of the Princess crew we have encountered has been the warmest and friendliest we have ever experienced. Truly everyone we have met has been so kind and eager to please.

 

The dress in the dining room for formal night was a bit more relaxed than some of our cruises. Mostly suits or blazers, but very few tuxes and quite a number of men without jackets or ties. Several just in polo shirts or short or long sleeve button up shirts. Not many gowns or cocktail dresses on the ladies, mostly separates with slacks and tops or skirts and tops. I mention this only for those who are interested to know what is actually passing muster in the dining room onboard. It truly doesn't bother me in the least. My boys looked wonderful in their suits.

 

We are looking forward to our afternoon in Sydney, Nova Scotia tomorrow!

[vickykay]

Hi Karatmom - we will be on our first Princess cruise in August sailing to NE and Canada although only the 7 day itinerary. We have mostly cruised on Celebrity so will be looking forward to your posts regarding the ship as well as what you did port. We were not able to book traditional seating (booked too late) so any tips regarding anytime dining will also be appreciated!

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Vicky

[HeidiLK]

We are enjoying our first sea day aboard the Caribbean Princess following a smooth embarkation and departure out of Brooklyn yesterday. We arrived the evening before and spent the night at the La Quinta in Brooklyn which was very convenient, less than 2 miles from the terminal. We boarded right at noon and enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the dining room. This is our first time on the Caribbean Princess and I will note that with the larger volume of passengers it does feel very full at times. We had a fairly long line for our first Anytime Dining seating, but we were seated at a table for four immediately upon entering the dining room. Dinner did take quite awhile, but our server had a very large party seated just before us so it was understandable.

 

The weather is warm and lovely with incredibly smooth seas. We had a nice meeting with our Cruise Critic group this morning and then joined them for a slot pull this afternoon which was great fun if not particularly lucrative! Tonight is formal evening and we made a point to get to the dining room early and there was no line at all. Dinner service was quick and very efficient. So far the food has been very good and the service from all of the Princess crew we have encountered has been the warmest and friendliest we have ever experienced. Truly everyone we have met has been so kind and eager to please.

 

The dress in the dining room for formal night was a bit more relaxed than some of our cruises. Mostly suits or blazers, but very few tuxes and quite a number of men without jackets or ties. Several just in polo shirts or short or long sleeve button up shirts. Not many gowns or cocktail dresses on the ladies, mostly separates with slacks and tops or skirts and tops. I mention this only for those who are interested to know what is actually passing muster in the dining room onboard. It truly doesn't bother me in the least. My boys looked wonderful in their suits.

 

We are looking forward to our afternoon in Sydney, Nova Scotia tomorrow!

 

 

Hello!!

Thanks for the info..:) We will be boarding the ship on the 28th. Have a great cruise...:D

[travelerbr]

We will be on the Caribbean Princess in October--can't wait. To all of you first time Princess cruisers----you will fall in love with Princess.

[Jen Radz]

Please let me know which dining room was open for lunch. I'll be there in 2 weeks. Thanks!

[wristband]

I found very few, perhaps only 20% of passengers in June on C. Princess, wearing formal attire. This seems so absurd and silly as evidenced by the overwhelming numbers who ignored the request for formal dress.

 

I experienced 0 problem not wearing a monkey suit, jacket or tie, and I was seated everywhere - bars, restaurants etc. Most people appear to hate the concept of formal nights, esp on a cruise to New England, as evidenced by so many who refused to participate.

[DesertDaisy]

Thanks for your post, my daughter is also on this cruise with two of her best friends. All three are teachers. She won't be using the internet and I will enjoy following your posts!

[CruisinEars]

We got off the Caribbean on the 19th. It was a fantastic cruise. The crew were super and the food was wonderful. I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we enjoyed ours. :)

[1 HappyCruiser]

I found very few, perhaps only 20% of passengers in June on C. Princess, wearing formal attire. This seems so absurd and silly as evidenced by the overwhelming numbers who ignored the request for formal dress.

 

I experienced 0 problem not wearing a monkey suit, jacket or tie, and I was seated everywhere - bars, restaurants etc. Most people appear to hate the concept of formal nights, esp on a cruise to New England, as evidenced by so many who refused to participate.

 

People are speaking for themselves and some are just tired of lugging the extra clothing for a few nights no matter where they cruise to.

[karatemom2]

Please let me know which dining room was open for lunch. I'll be there in 2 weeks. Thanks!

 

The Coral dining room is open for breakfast from 7 to 9 am and for lunch from Noon to 1:30 pm.

[karatemom2]

It was a beautiful day in Sydney, Nova Scotia today. We did a ship excursion to the Fortress of Louisbourg which was very enjoyable. It is a lovely scenic drive out to the Fortress and it was very interesting learning about the history of the area. The Fortress offered a glimpse into the past and it was fun to interact with the costumed staff. My only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend there. Because of the short port time it was a little rushed but still well worth the time we did have. We headed to dinner shortly after returning to the ship and service and food were once again great. The jerk chicken for entree and pineapple creme brûlée for dessert made for a wonderful meal.

 

I visited the spa this a.m. before we arrived in port for a much needed massage and was pleased to find no hard sales. Just a card with suggested products supplied in a very polite and thoughtful manner. Internet service is working really well. In fact I am typing this on my I-Pad in my stateroom.

 

Our only real complaint is that the fountain sodas have been universally flat. And we have a room next door with a group of very inconsiderate and unsupervised kids (this from the biggest defender of kids on cruises!). However one stop with a complaint to guest services seems to have quelled the problem. I hate even mentioning this because it is these types of situations that put people off cruising with kids but I am impressed that it is being taken seriously as it should. First time in 11 Princess cruises during the height of family travel time that this has ever been an issue.

 

Really looking forward to seeing the "Anne of Green Gables" house in Charlotte Town tomorrow.

[srpilo]

I'm glad you're bring us all along with you :)

 

 

 

Thanks for including us

Srpilo

[DesertDaisy]

How are your temps in Canada? Better than NY!

[karatemom2]

I think I have decided that Prince Edward Island must be one of the most idyllic places on earth. We so enjoyed our day here. The weather had been rainy and it was cool when we first departed the ship, but as we traveled around the island for the most part it was pleasant and sunny. We did a tour called Top Ten Highlights and thought it was excellent.

 

After a drive by several historic sites and some of the beautiful churches in Charlottetown, we headed to Cow's Creamery a locally famous ice cream company. We had a tour of the manufacturing area where they produce the ice cream and cheese followed by a sample which prompted a purchase of even more of the delicious stuff. We missed breakfast and I was glad because it left me hungry and ready for such a creamy, yummy treat. It really is great ice cream (even better than Princess, which I love!) After that we headed to Cavendish for some time at the Anne of Green Gables home which was especially thrilling for my daughter and I as we are big fans of the books. It was as lovely as it is described in the stories and we had time for a half hour hike along "Lovers Lane" which was so pretty.

 

We then proceeded to the charming fishing village of North Rustico where we got to photograph the lighthouse, see the lobster boats and have a lobster roll for lunch. Our last stop before heading back to Charlottetown was the Confederation Bridge, a 9 mile long bridge linking PEI with New Brunswick. It is truly a marvel. And along the way during the drive we got to relax and take in some of the most quaint and lovely scenery along the rolling green hills dotted with picturesque farms. It was a long excursion, but we were so glad we did it.

 

We had a nice dinner during our sailaway and even recognized our waiter from a previous cruise on the Diamond which was nice. I love to see familiar faces onboard. Dessert was Warm Chocolate Brownie with hot fudge and vanilla ice cream. Nuff said!! ;)

 

Two additional things I thought I would mention. First is that the one thing we have encountered on this cruise that is very unique to most of our Princess cruises is the incredibly, and I mean incredibly, long and time consuming lines to get off the ship in the morning on our two first port days. It has taken at least 20 to 30 minutes both days to exit and we were a bit nervous about meeting up with our excursion at the appointed time, but were assured they would wait. This morning in Charlottetown there was only one gangplank open for departing passengers and the line snaked around in circles for what seemed like forever!! Just a word of warning for those taking this cruise in the future - get in line before they call the all clear!

 

Second, I had to call again last night regarding the unsupervised kids in the cabin next door and not only did the Night Manager respond immediately and address it with the parents, today we received a note of apology and a plate of chocolates as well as a phone message letting us know that they wish to hear from us right away if we have any further problems. Very nice touch Princess!!

 

Sea day tomorrow which is good because I could use the rest!

[Cruzinnana47]

Enjoying your comments on the cruise--particularly how you seem to have been quite taken with P.E.I. -- very special to me as my Dad was born there--isn't it a lovely place? Our daughters enjoyed visiting "Anne of Green Gables" also a number of years ago.

 

Sounds like you are having a great trip (with the exception of those unruly kids in the next-door cabin--shame on those parents).

 

We agree that Princess does a great job. Thanks for "sharing" your cruise with us.

[DesertDaisy]

Again thank you for your live post. This is a cruise I dream about! You answered my question about weather. I hate hot! I won't hear from our daughter until she is back in the country, but have been following the itinerey. This is your last sea day, and I'm sure you will enjoy it, and need it! Today would have been the highlight of her cruise, like you she is a fan of the books! Can't wait to hear from her, but you are making it easier!

[Ann262]

Wow! Thank you for the daily updates. We will be cruising in October and have been busy making our shore arrangements. Good to know about the lines getting off. I will keep that in mind when booking with tour operators

[julia]

KMom:

 

Very enjoyable and informative review! Thanks so much!

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for your reports. Sounds like you are having a good cruise. Hope you are enjoying your sea day today.....:):):)

 

Bob

[karatemom2]

We had a very relaxing sea day today. The weather has been so nice and the seas very calm. In all of our cruises I believe that so far we have had the smoothest seas for this sailing. I hardly know I'm on a ship at times. We slept in late and just lounged around catching up on some reading and doing a couple loads of laundry.

 

DD and I went to afternoon tea which was lovely as always once we managed to make it through the longest line I have ever seen for afternoon tea. Waited in another long line for dinner tonight. Lines seem to be something very commonplace on this particular cruise. Fortunately we are pretty patient, some of our fellow passengers not so much though. I understand the theater and lounges have been standing room only for most of the entertainment and have heard a few complaints, but we haven't attempted to go to any of the shows this trip so I can only share what I am hearing. My son has had a very difficult time trying to get a seat at the comedy show tonight. I think he finally made it in for the last show.

 

Dinner was really great again. The dining room food has been wonderful on this cruise. We have only been to the buffet a couple of times and it has been OK. International Cafe is always good, especially the warm cookies. Dinner tonight was surf and turf - Filet and Prawns and Mango Creme Brulee for dessert. The chilled soups have also been excellent.

 

We have an early day tomorrow with a 7:30 a.m. excursion in Halifax. I have been a little bit stressed about the idea of standing in line to get off the ship to meet on the pier as instructed on our tour ticket based on the experience the last two days. I was relieved to get a notice tonight that the meeting place has been moved to the Princess Theater and we will be escorted off from there. Much better!

 

Well off to bed so I can get up at the crack of dawn!

[rdsqrl]

Thanks so much for your reports on this cruise; I'm really enjoying reading along. I had hoped to do the 7-day NE in August but the only date I could do was sold out before I could commit. So I'm really enjoying this vicarious cruise along with you.

Do you think part of the lines issue is that the weather is too cold for people to be outside by the pools or enjoying MUTS or the pizza/burger grill?

Hope you have a great day in Halifax tomorrow!

[Ski619]

:confused:We are doing the Caribbean Princess' Repo cruise from NYC to the Caribbean on Oct 29-Nov 8 & was wondering about the condition of the ship since its going into drydock right after our cruise ends??:rolleyes:

[Sanz]

Thank you for this report. We are leaving for a 7 day up north in 2 weeks. What do you think we will need to wear to watch MUTS during the evening?

Hope that you enjoyed your day in Halifax.

[mmptmp]

Karatemom,

Thanks for your updates. My best friend, 2 DS, 1 DD, 1DIL and niece and I are all taking the 7 day cruise in 2 weeks. We can't wait. Love our updates and that your ipad is working. So there is an International Cafe? That is my favorite! Will look forward to hearing your excursion reports. Are you taking Princess excursions or private? Thats for the helpful info. :)Mary

[vickykay]

Would love to hear about your excursion in Halifax and which one you went on.

 

Thanks!