Caribbean Princess Made all Ports!

[bhopal21]

Personally I think Brett has a huge future as he is easily the best CD we have ever experienced

 

Mike:)

[rdsqrl]

So who was the "okay" comedian? The "dreadful" duo? The good piano player in Crooner's?

 

[piper28]

So who was the "okay" comedian? The "dreadful" duo? The good piano player in Crooner's?

 

 

The comedian was Glenn Hirsh (not positive on the spelling of the last name, but something like that). I thought he was reasonably decent myself.

 

Hawley Magic on the otherhand, personally I'd call them adequate at best. The three tricks they did in the intro show were all pretty basic, and relatively obvious. Their main show they did was at least better, but still, nothing that really stands out from the crowd of adequate magicians out there. They also seemed to do an awful lot of their tricks hiding back in the shadows. Personally I'd say the fact that their in the final four for entertainer of the year for Princess to be sad commentary on the state of entertainment on Princess. They were decent enough for 45 minutes or so of entertainment, but nothing to write home about.

 

Rude awakening to come home though and be clearing lots of snow off my driveway after having been in the warmth a couple days ago.

[C Cruise Dude]

Has there been an issue with CB making the ports? :confused:

[Mary Ann 2]

Has there been an issue with CB making the ports? :confused:

 

Yes! We were on the Thanksgiving cruise and didn't leave Houston until the next morning due to weather (and tugs not being ready for us at 4 then weather came up and delayed us) causing Roatan to be cancelled and Costa Maya to replace it. Then we didn't get into Belize either. So out of 3 ports scheduled, we only made Cozumel and it wasn't on the day scheduled (we had to contact the beach club we were going to and reschedule).

 

Still made the best of it and had a good time. Would always rather be at sea anyway!

[satxdiver]

Will write a longer review when we return home. The ship was fully docked at 6:52 and the walk off people disembarked on time. I don't know if they did more because this was a holiday cruise but the food was a notch above other Princess ships we've been on this year. Hawley Magic was great, the comedian was very funny, and the two production shows we saw were average.

 

We were on this ship for her first cruise out of Bayport and noticed that the food was better than the last Princess cruise we were on. Glad to hear it is still better as we will be sailing on her again in March.

 

We loved the piano player in crooners and spent every night with him. I hope he will still be there when we sail. Yes they had to set up extra chairs in the hallway for pax wanting to listen to him play.

[Ebvette]

January 18th could not get here any sooner, facing cold about 22 degrees below zero tomorrow with wind chill in the DC area, VERY cold for this part of the country.....come on time need this to pass quickly, very excited about trip....:D

[Projunior]

Nice cruise - our seventh on Princess and nineteenth overall.

 

Both food and service in MDR were great (late seating, fixed, Coral Dining room). Buffet was good. Pizza fabulous as usual. International Café very good. Cappuccinos everywhere were woefully weak - be sure to request a double if you want any hope of tasting a hint of coffee flavor.

 

The New Year's Eve "deck party" was a joke. Given the way the fares are jacked up for the holiday sailings, I was expecting something a tad more exciting than people standing around watching a midnight countdown timer on the MUTS screen. I think Princess could have at least offered a glass of champagne; instead, they had it for sale. Not a morsel of food available. Now that I know what NYE is aboard Princess, I will book a mid-December of mid-January sailing and pay half (or less) of what I did for this one.

 

Embarkation was a mess as has been noted (although the version of the rumor we heard mentioned four stowaways). There were no more chairs available to accommodate people in the main terminal and the overflow was directed to an outside tent containing a couple hundred folding chairs. There were no more chairs available in the tent either. We stood around for two hours waiting to board.

 

Going home we departed out of Houston Hobby on Southwest. We arrived at the airport via Princess transfer at around 10:30AM. There were hundreds and hundreds of people waiting on the sidewalk in a line outside the airport waiting to check their bags at the outside check-in counter. Inside the terminal was a second line, also with hundreds of people in it; they were waiting for the inside ticket counter. We shuffled along for 90 minutes in the outside line (luckily it was not raining or cold) to check our bags.

 

The duo in the Wheelhouse (my favorite watering hole) was dreadful.

 

I completely disagree. We danced every evening in the Wheelhouse. We found the Sundown Duo most enjoyable. As ballroom dancers we also appreciated the dancing opportunities available during the cruise in the Explorers Lounge and Fusion Lounge.

 

Recorded Christmas music still playing non-stop at the pool two days after New Year's became a bit wearisome.

 

Fun cruise overall.

[Clay Clayton]

Going home we departed out of Houston Hobby on Southwest. We arrived at the airport via Princess transfer at around 10:30AM. There were hundreds and hundreds of people waiting on the sidewalk in a line outside the airport waiting to check their bags at the outside check-in counter. Inside the terminal was a second line, also with hundreds of people in it; they were waiting for the inside ticket counter. We shuffled along for 90 minutes in the outside line (luckily it was not raining or cold) to check our bags.

 

Houston based cruiser here. Just wanted to let others who might read this post know that this long wait at Hobby isn't typical (at least in my experience). We flew out on the Saturday before Christmas on a 9:30ish Southwest flight. We arrived (earlier than planned) at Hobby at 7:40 and were shocked to see lines similar to what Projunior describes. Since I am "A List" (thank goodness) we didn't have to wait but according to a fellow who I spoke with in the terminal who missed his 8:30 flight, it took him 2.5 hours to make it to the gate. It was crazy. While I don't want to suggest to anyone that they should lollygag, I also wanted to let folks know that typically there isn't a huge wait to check bags at Hobby...this seemed to be a holiday related issue.

[WisCruiser2]

Hope you're right, Clay! If we miss our flight due to delayed disembarkation OR lines at Hobby, we may just come stay with you :D

[cruzysuzy]

I completely disagree. We danced every evening in the Wheelhouse. We found the Sundown Duo most enjoyable. As ballroom dancers we also appreciated the dancing opportunities available during the cruise in the Explorers Lounge and Fusion Lounge.

 

I have no problem with dance music. While I have zero training in dance, I did study music (vocal and instrumental) for a number of years. My problem was with their execution of said dance music. But it probably worked well for the dancers.

[Clay Clayton]

Hope you're right, Clay! If we miss our flight due to delayed disembarkation OR lines at Hobby, we may just come stay with you :D

 

Just remember that our daily service charge cannot be removed from your ob-board account and please don't expect chocolates or towel animals at bedtime!:D

[Springchicken]

Hope you're right, Clay! If we miss our flight due to delayed disembarkation OR lines at Hobby, we may just come stay with you :D

Mary, I think you have quite a few friends already who will take you in...but no towel animals at our house either! :D

[tango55]

Can someone confirm that there were actually chocolates on the pillows and towel animals? I've heard rumours that these have been taken away. Hope not - it's a little thing but I like them both!

 

Only 9 more sleeps til we leave!!

 

Terry

[5:00_Somewhere]

Can someone confirm that there were actually chocolates on the pillows and towel animals? I've heard rumours that these have been taken away. Hope not - it's a little thing but I like them both!

 

Only 9 more sleeps til we leave!!

 

Terry

 

As others will no doubt tell you, Princess does not typically offer towel animals. There are exceptions, but they are rare. It is primarily dependent upon your cabin steward. In 20 cruises over the past 13 or 14 years, we have gotten towel animals from only 2 cabin stewards. That's fine with us: it was a nice treat, but not anything I personally care strongly about; although I certainly understand why people enjoy them.

 

On the other hand, in all 20 cruises, we have gotten chocolates on our pillows every single night. Now THAT is something I care about. :D

 

Happy cruising!

Edited January 7, 2014 by 5:00_Somewhere

[doggiedad]

Just want to say thank you to projunior and others who are submitting reviews or feedback about their trips. A lot of us are looking forward to our upcoming cruises, and it's nice to hear some of the good comments you guys have. Not to say that we don't want to hear anything negative, but feedback is great in choosing dining and excursions. We had signed up for anytime dining, but after ready a review I think we will change to fixed late seating.

 

As for towel animals, well most of us have been on several cruises, and I think we have seen just about every towel animal out there. Of course everyone loves chocolate, but I don't think I will miss the extra calories! Anyone have anything to say about the specialty restaurants? We love a good steak and seafood....

 

Did anyone find a part of the ship they really liked to hang out in?

[sminfiddle]

Did anyone find a part of the ship they really liked to hang out in?

 

The crew leaves the Monkey Bridge open even on sea days, closing for night or extra windy conditions.

This is the mini deck on top of the Bridge, accessed from the far forward end of Deck 15's hallways. No loungers but great views.

 

I liked Skywalker's for good views in indoor comfort.

Promenade Deck has a lot of comfy seating all along the starboard corridor.

I especially like the sofa/benches just outside Club Fusion's starboard door, I don't know why, guess it is out of the way without being TOO quietly isolated.

 

Deck 17 Aft hot tub is a nice quiet soak with a view. Never saw anyone else in that one.

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

Edited January 9, 2014 by sminfiddle

[whataboutport]

The crew leaves the Monkey Bridge open even on sea days, closing for night or extra windy conditions.

This is the mini deck on top of the Bridge, accessed from the far forward end of Deck 15's hallways. No loungers but great views.

 

I liked Skywalker's for good views in indoor comfort.

Promenade Deck has a lot of comfy seating all along the starboard corridor.

I especially like the sofa/benches just outside Club Fusion's starboard door, I don't know why, guess it is out of the way without being TOO quietly isolated.

 

Deck 17 Aft hot tub is a nice quiet soak with a view. Never saw anyone else in that one.

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

 

Agree! No one there at night and looking up into the Skywalkers lights was pretty neat. We also loved the Aft pool. Always loungers available on the port side just one flight of steps up (above the always seemingly closed kiddie area).

 

The viewing deck above the Bridge we never got to though. The starboard side door was locked (If I remember correctly, there is a barrier door before the one that actually opens outside. That was closed) . So we went to the port side, tried the handle and broke it off! :eek: I hope they fixed it. But in my defense I think it was already broken before we got there.

[sminfiddle]

So we went to the port side, tried the handle and broke it off! :eek: I hope they fixed it. But in my defense I think it was already broken before we got there.

So YOU'RE the one... Just kidding. It was fixed and working fine by December.

Second officer told us they leave it accessible (different ships, different policies) locking it for wind or at sundown.

I never knew the crew called it the Monkey Bridge until talking to him.

 

(OO! OO! :D )

 

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

[whataboutport]

The comedian was Glenn Hirsh (not positive on the spelling of the last name, but something like that). I thought he was reasonably decent myself.

 

Hawley Magic on the otherhand, personally I'd call them adequate at best. The three tricks they did in the intro show were all pretty basic, and relatively obvious. Their main show they did was at least better, but still, nothing that really stands out from the crowd of adequate magicians out there. They also seemed to do an awful lot of their tricks hiding back in the shadows. Personally I'd say the fact that their in the final four for entertainer of the year for Princess to be sad commentary on the state of entertainment on Princess. They were decent enough for 45 minutes or so of entertainment, but nothing to write home about.

 

Rude awakening to come home though and be clearing lots of snow off my driveway after having been in the warmth a couple days ago.

 

So far you are the only person I have read that did not enjoy the magicians. I found them terrible. I thought I read they were from America's Got Talent or something? Nothing they did was new and not overly done. And the tired 90s metal music killed it for me. I'm wondering what all other's liked about them?

[whataboutport]

So YOU'RE the one... Just kidding. It was fixed and working fine by December.

Second officer told us they leave it accessible (different ships, different policies) locking it for wind or at sundown.

I never knew the crew called it the Monkey Bridge until talking to him.

 

(OO! OO! :D )

 

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

 

Never knew it was called Monkey Bridge either!

And I swear it was already broken! No way these child sized hands of mine could have done that much damage! :o

You should have seen the looks on our faces. We tried to put the handle back so it at least looked like it wasn't broken. The next person that came p probably did the same thing! LOL

[whataboutport]

Can someone confirm that there were actually chocolates on the pillows and towel animals? I've heard rumours that these have been taken away. Hope not - it's a little thing but I like them both!

 

Only 9 more sleeps til we leave!!

 

Terry

 

We got chocolates on the first formal night. Don't know about any towel animals or more chocolate after that, as we did not have the stateroom attendant service our room after the 2nd night. The chocolate was good though.

Edited January 9, 2014 by whataboutport

[RickEk]

Just want to say thank you to projunior and others who are submitting reviews or feedback about their trips. A lot of us are looking forward to our upcoming cruises, and it's nice to hear some of the good comments you guys have. Not to say that we don't want to hear anything negative, but feedback is great in choosing dining and excursions. We had signed up for anytime dining, but after ready a review I think we will change to fixed late seating.

 

As for towel animals, well most of us have been on several cruises, and I think we have seen just about every towel animal out there. Of course everyone loves chocolate, but I don't think I will miss the extra calories! Anyone have anything to say about the specialty restaurants? We love a good steak and seafood....

 

Did anyone find a part of the ship they really liked to hang out in?

 

I had dinner in both the Crown Grill and Sabatinis. Food and service was excellent in both.

 

Here's the lamb chops from Crown Grill:

 

And the meal from Sabatini's (the pasta was extraordinary!)

 

 

 

Speaking of towel animals, my steward made a few for me. I didn't ask for them, but there they were...

 

[sminfiddle]

I thought I read they were from America's Got Talent or something? Nothing they did was new and not overly done. And the tired 90s metal music killed it for me. I'm wondering what all other's liked about them?

Heh, if you can show me anyone doing a truly new magic trick I'll give you an unpunched, unmarked Coffee Card. Seriously.

We liked the Hawleys a lot, for the pace of the show and how they presented so many illusions. 3X a night. Heh, they are such a good-looking couple that they could have been doing yo-yo routines, and DW & I would probably still have enjoyed front row. ;)

 

I may be biased though, by them coming to our entire Meet & Greet and charming the socks off of everyone.

 

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

[sminfiddle]

Can someone confirm that there were actually chocolates on the pillows and towel animals?

Chocolates are placed every night, I think I counted 3 different kinds they kind of rotate to match the day.

We got a towel elephant, with a letter of introduction (his name was Jumbo). He was found in a different place each day doing something different each time. He had such a good work ethic we left him his own tip at the end.

Only 9 more sleeps til we leave!!

 

Terry

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~