Just off Caribbean Princess Christmas cruise, any questions?

[Infi]

Just off the Caribbean Princess Christmas cruise this morning. This was our 5th Christmas cruise with Princess and I turned elite on this trip also. I may write a short review later with the major points from the cruise, but for now, just as few thoughts.

 

 

--Crew was very good, very friendly and always willing to help however they could. Can't say enough good things about the staff. It seemed like a lot of the crew was just beginning their contracts, so they'll be onboard for awhile.

 

--CB is in good condition. After reading all the posts on CC about her showing her age and being in poor condition, I half expected the ship to be held together by band-aids. Thanks to CC, I was more sensitive to looking for damage than I normally would be. :rolleyes: Honestly, the ship looked just fine and was well-maintained. You would see occasional wear and tear in heavy traffic areas, but nothing unusual or really terrible.

 

--No problems with AC or hot/stuffy areas. This was another issue I was expecting going into this cruise and was pleasantly surprised. The ship was cool, even too cool in some areas (dining rooms). Disclaimer: we don't spend much time by the Lido pools/Horizon Court, where I imagine most of these complaints must come from.

 

--No propulsion problems this cruise. Although on the third night onboard the captain did announce that we were running behind schedule, we arrived in Curacao on time. Still think this problem with the engines was never fully rectified and Princess should really make sure this ship is fixed when it goes in for drydock. This engine problem has gone on for too long and I don't think it was the wisest decision to put this ship on a demanding 7 day Southern run.

 

--We had over 700 kids onboard. This was our fifth Christmas cruise so I am more than used to having kids onboard over the holidays, but unfortunately, we saw a lot of bad behavior and parents on vacation from parenting. We love the Christmas cruises, but this will be the first and last one we take that's only 7 days.

 

--Most traveled passenger had 588 days, second and third with about ~250 days each. Only 75 elites and 225 platinums on this trip. Lots of first time cruisers with Princess and first time cruisers in general.

 

--Not a fan of the new menus or the new entertainment schedule with shortened shows, but I'll save those comments for another post.

 

 

 

If anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

[TFM70]

We did the Caribbean Princess Christmas cruise in 2007. That was my first and last Christmas cruise. I don't know if there were 700 kids, but there were a lot and HUGE families.

[mamaboss]

Thanks Infi! I suppose the beds are still sagging? We will be in C428 with a twin configuration so I am hoping the bed I take is not sagging! Lol:D

[loge23]

Fellow Christmas cruiser with Infi - don't believe we met.

Agree with Infi's comments (particularly the kids), but we were very happy with the MDR this time around and generally OK with the shows. We did the backstage tour and Scott (Male Lead singer) mentioned that the new ships will have a larger stage which will allow for Broadway shows similar to the RC venture with Hairspray - probably the trend going forward.

But as Infi noted, what a crew! Easily one of the very best we experienced on Princess.

Congrats, Infi, on reaching Elite! The laundry is a great perk, among the others!

[genmasjoy]

Glad to hear that you had a good time and the ship condition is all right. We are on the January 5 cruise, picked the date to relax after the holidays and hopefully, most kids will be back in school.

[NeptuneSeas]

Re Crew: do you recall who the Maitre D' was & do you know how long he's been onboard or if/when a change is due please?

 

Congratulations on becoming Elite! Guess you used laundry & minibar drinking regularly! We like those perks, especially the tender service.

 

Thank you for answering questions & Happy New Year. :)

[compozer]

Did you get a chance to met Camelia - the blonde waitress in the Crowne Grill?

 

We did a Christmas cruise last year. We had a great time but our steward was terrible. I blame it being on a deck where there were four passengers in almost every cabin - inside and out. He worked his tail off and was always in a bad mood. Usually in a suite we have had outstanding ones. This guy was never around and we had to ask repeatedly for things. I also made the mistake of giving him a big bonus on Christmas morning - that really seems to be when service started getting worse. Never will I give tips early again.

 

At first we said never again at Christmas but I did book next year on the Royal. I still could change my mind. I think the staff is just overworked - it has to be hard being away from their families - also large groups of people in the MDR and the more they drank, the louder and more demanding they got. You just have to weight the pros and cons. Our son teaches so that is the only time he can join us for a cruise in the winter and prices are sky high - cruises and flights. But it was so festive on the ship.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review.

[The Cruisaders]

Thanks Infi! I suppose the beds are still sagging? We will be in C428 with a twin configuration so I am hoping the bed I take is not sagging! Lol:D

 

Hello Mamaboss!

 

We were on the CB in a mini-suite (D616) the week before Christmas. I don't know if it was the category of stateroom that we were in, but this bed and the linens were the best of any of our five previous cruises. Nice duvet cover and very comfortable mattress.

 

Holly

[Hulagirl]

Hi Infi:

 

Glad the two of you had such a nice cruise. We have been thinking about you and I looked every day to see where you were. I would have been second most traveled on the ship if we had been with you!:cool:

 

Saw that embarkation was a mess. Got the text about it. I'm sure you were happy to get on and ready for sailing out of town.

 

Love the picture of the atrium and the gingerbread houses. Has to be the cutest display of them I've ever seen. Hopefully you can post that here on CC. Usually it is just on a table spread around and that is it. How cute.

 

Looked like you had nice weather for the cruise. It was beautiful in Florida the entire time you were gone also! We have been watching it since it has rained here the entire time since Lindsay got home. I think she is anxious to get back there in a few days.

 

Good to see your post and that the ship was in such good shape. Remember last year we did the Crown over Christmas and it was those 7 day cruises that were also a 14 day cruise. The week of Christmas was so much better than the week before. Agree, I think the 10 day trips are really so much better. Maybe next year you can find one of those that will work.

 

Hope everything at home was fine. Will talk to you soon.

[Infi]

Thanks Infi! I suppose the beds are still sagging? We will be in C428 with a twin configuration so I am hoping the bed I take is not sagging! Lol:D

 

We were on Emerald, so I can't speak for Caribe, but our beds were in good condition. The thing that killed me was the pillows - it was like those things had been run over repeatedly with a steamroller. Just terrible. The pillows could definitely use a refresh.

 

Fellow Christmas cruiser with Infi - don't believe we met.

Agree with Infi's comments (particularly the kids), but we were very happy with the MDR this time around and generally OK with the shows. We did the backstage tour and Scott (Male Lead singer) mentioned that the new ships will have a larger stage which will allow for Broadway shows similar to the RC venture with Hairspray - probably the trend going forward.

But as Infi noted, what a crew! Easily one of the very best we experienced on Princess.

Congrats, Infi, on reaching Elite! The laundry is a great perk, among the others!

 

Sorry you experienced the badly behaved kids too. The worst for me was how they would run up and down the halls screaming and yelling. So obnoxious! I would wake up multiple times in the night because of that.

Interesting about the shows, I hadn't heard that. The shows onboard this cruise were pretty good, as we finally got to see some new (to us, anyway) ones.

I agree that the crew was excellent, just so pleasant and helpful. They really deserve credit for dealing with a full ship so well!

[Infi]

Re Crew: do you recall who the Maitre D' was & do you know how long he's been onboard or if/when a change is due please?

 

Congratulations on becoming Elite! Guess you used laundry & minibar drinking regularly! We like those perks, especially the tender service.

 

Thank you for answering questions & Happy New Year. :)

 

The Maitre D' is Jose Florencio. He's excellent, very funny and charming - we have sailed with him before and we were pleasantly surprised when he remembered us. Not sure how long he's been onboard, so sorry that I can't help you out there.

 

Thank you for the congratulations. I have to admit, it's silly but I was excited to get the membership packet with the new card on the last day. I've been looking forward to that free laundry for a long time! ;)

 

 

Did you get a chance to met Camelia - the blonde waitress in the Crowne Grill?

 

We did a Christmas cruise last year. We had a great time but our steward was terrible. I blame it being on a deck where there were four passengers in almost every cabin - inside and out. He worked his tail off and was always in a bad mood. Usually in a suite we have had outstanding ones. This guy was never around and we had to ask repeatedly for things. I also made the mistake of giving him a big bonus on Christmas morning - that really seems to be when service started getting worse. Never will I give tips early again.

 

At first we said never again at Christmas but I did book next year on the Royal. I still could change my mind. I think the staff is just overworked - it has to be hard being away from their families - also large groups of people in the MDR and the more they drank, the louder and more demanding they got. You just have to weight the pros and cons. Our son teaches so that is the only time he can join us for a cruise in the winter and prices are sky high - cruises and flights. But it was so festive on the ship.

 

Unfortunately, no, we didn't get a chance to go to the Crowne Grill. We always dine there once per cruise and when we tried to make reservations on the second day for later in the week, we were told it was all booked up by families for the rest of the cruise and there was no room on any night. I have never had that happen before and it was a big disappointment for us. I guess according to the Crowne Grill, two people don't count as a family. That comment really bothered me all week and still doesn't sit right. :mad:

 

I agree that the Christmas cruises are packed and it does put a strain on the staff. You can see it in all the expanded tables in the dining rooms, the crowded pools and lounges, etc. To their credit, the staff on the Caribbean never let it show and did an excellent job under the circumstances. I know it can't be easy dealing with all those big family groups and a clientele that is often more demanding that usual.

[shredie]

Where was the evening Plat/Elite lounge? Was it Skywalkers?

[Infi]

Hi Infi:

 

Glad the two of you had such a nice cruise. We have been thinking about you and I looked every day to see where you were. I would have been second most traveled on the ship if we had been with you!:cool:

 

Saw that embarkation was a mess. Got the text about it. I'm sure you were happy to get on and ready for sailing out of town.

 

Love the picture of the atrium and the gingerbread houses. Has to be the cutest display of them I've ever seen. Hopefully you can post that here on CC. Usually it is just on a table spread around and that is it. How cute.

 

Looked like you had nice weather for the cruise. It was beautiful in Florida the entire time you were gone also! We have been watching it since it has rained here the entire time since Lindsay got home. I think she is anxious to get back there in a few days.

 

Good to see your post and that the ship was in such good shape. Remember last year we did the Crown over Christmas and it was those 7 day cruises that were also a 14 day cruise. The week of Christmas was so much better than the week before. Agree, I think the 10 day trips are really so much better. Maybe next year you can find one of those that will work.

 

Hope everything at home was fine. Will talk to you soon.

 

Hulagirl - so good to hear from you! I got your email this afternoon. I'll either have to write soon or give you a call and tell you all about the cruise. We thought of you all often and wished you were cruising too - just doesn't seem right to be cruising at Christmas without you. See, you should have joined us, maybe then you could have been the most traveled! We know what an honor that is. ;)

 

The embarkation was just so poorly organized. I guess I expected too much from them remodeling the terminal for all those months, because now it's even more poorly laid out than it was before. The staff was all over the place and one hand didn't know what the other was doing. Even the traffic outside is terrible. Must say though that disembarkation was a lot more organized and the staff was leaps and bounds better then. We had a snafu with the suitcases (mine, of course) and they couldn't help out enough. It was like they replaced the others with a whole new team, they were so much better.

 

The atrium was really pretty and that display was very impressive. I agree, I've never seen one that nice, usually it is just all arranged on a table. This was so creative and it also kept people from touching it and ruining it. Crissy did the gingerbread house building contest again this year so we also had our own gingerbread village in our cabin. :cool:

 

I remember you saying last year that the atmosphere onboard changed from that first cruise to the actual Christmas one. Most people were very nice on this cruise - of course, there's always a few bad apples but you just have to ignore them. I had my concerns about doing a 7 day, and sadly, I was right to worry. From now on it's 10 days or more at the holidays. Just wish Princess would come up with some new 10 day itineraries or bring back the old true 14 day Caribbean one.

 

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas at home despite the weather and an early Happy New Year to you all, too. Will talk to you soon!

[CruisewhenWecan]

Where was the evening Plat/Elite lounge? Was it Skywalkers?

 

Yes, Rey is one of the waiters, very good memory and personable. Also most travelled person had over 700 days, but did not make it to the captains circle party the captain mentioned.

 

Food was good in MDR, lots of kids (to many)!

[compozer]

Yes Hulagirl, would love tohave you on another cruise. Still cabins available next Christmas on the Royal

[Kerry&LuAnn]

The Maitre D' is Jose Florencio. He's excellent, very funny and charming - we have sailed with him before and we were pleasantly surprised when he remembered us. Not sure how long he's been onboard, so sorry that I can't help you out there.

 

On our recent cruise, we attended the cooking demonstration with Jose and Executive Chef Antonio Cereda. Jose was hilarious!

[jrzebird]

On our recent cruise, we attended the cooking demonstration with Jose and Executive Chef Antonio Cereda. Jose was hilarious!

 

Jose was the Maitre d' on my b2b 'Sandy Cruise', October 27th to November 10th. He was so nice, and the first time a MD was that personable. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him each night and out and about during the day.