Home from Caribbean Princess 2/1-2/8

[IDKaren]

Off the ship after a mostly great cruise. it DID get off to a rough start..our sat departure did not happen to Sunday. if we would have gone in time I think we would have been ok??went to muster at 415 and it was clear..after the fog was moving in...we had to hang around and wait for passengers who were quite late..but due to the fact they had Princess air the ship waited..OOOPS to late to go!

Embarking was great! We got to the pier at 12:00 on a Princess transfer and we were checked in and in our room by 12:50! no crowds..minimal waiting..one of the quickest check ins I have seen,

 

We had A406 balcony cabin..the cabin was nice sized, clean and had a big enuf balcony for two chairs and a table. I think I would not have wanted a lower deck and balcony as we could look down on the next two decks...guess no nude balcony sitting on those decks :-)

 

Bought a coffee card from International cafe so I could start the day out with a yummy latte and oh my..the place had THE most delicious donuts in the morning and pastries all day! Watch out for sugar poisoning...yikes..overload,

 

Had been looking forward to watching Super Bowl on big screen..on Sunday..it was way too windy and chilly but they had it in lounges and stateroom tvs.

 

FOOD...it is a subjective thing! I had read a lot of bad things about buffet..but I must say we enjoyed eating there! The food was varied and nicely seasoned..and again...oh my the desserts! We ate breakfast in the dining room twice and dinner...anytime dining..twice. THIS was really the only disappointment! We usually like a table for 2...not antisocial..just can't hear that well with surrounding noise and fine small talk with six strangers forced..again--JUST me! We DID want to do Lobster night..got to anytime dining at 5..started at 5:30..already people then..asked for table for two and I am sad to say interacted with the rudest Maître d I have encountered in fifteen cruises! basically attitude was..you want a table for 2? Tough luck..here is your pager..go wait..which is fine but his attitude sucked! After waiting 30 minutes another couple near us..and Elite cruisers asked about it..the response? " I told you you need to wait..you CHOSE single table and would not share..so you need to wait". WOW..we wound up sharing a table for four with the nice couple who were also not happy! Ah well...in the bigger scope of life..you cannot let Mario ruin your food journey!

 

Due to the late start we were sad to hear we were going to miss Roatan..one of the main stops we wanted as we had a huge duffel to deliver to the schools and a private tour planned:-(. However..we got off at substituted Costa maya and a nice taxi driver helped..took us to a school and the children were SO delighted as was the principal! Very rewarding..then off to the beach! wee love Majuhal so it was ok!

 

Belize had snorkeling tour with the ship...a prev poster had warned but we did it anyway. NOT fun..toooo many people..especially inexperienced snorkelers in the area..did not know to watch for fellow snorkel ears..got many a hand and fin in the face..plus with tours in am and pm..fish were too disturbed and sand and silt were plenty so it was not great I am sorry to say. Don't usually do ship excursions so live and learn!

 

Cozumel...sooooo many shops...nothing I needed so we returned early to ship.

 

NORO...not sure we had any outbreaks..I did not hear of any. Servers in buffets served everything first three days and then they let us do our own. Lots of sanitizes around..EXCEPt in casino which I found odd. They were constantly scrubbing all around the ship and making great efforts"

 

 

Read many prev comments about condition of ship being bad...I really felt she looked pretty good...looked clean..not really worn and for her age doing good :-)

 

Ok..my novella is complete! for all of you on future CB cruises....go with an open mind and a fun filled heart and u will have a great time! :D:D

[nailsmhc79]

Thanks for the review, hopefully when we cruise in April the fog will no longer be an issue.

[slc22]

Ok..my novella is complete! for all of you on future CB cruises....go with an open mind and a fun filled heart and u will have a great time! :D:D

 

Hi, glad you had a great cruise! I admire your upbeat attitude. Great advice! I'll be following it in 2 months, and totally expect to have a wonderful cruise, too...

Edited February 9, 2014 by slc22

[IDKaren]

DO save some room on Friday afternoon! In the Caribe Cafe they have an ALL dessert buffet from 12 till 2! No wonder I feel sick:-). also forgot to mention that I have NEVER seen a nicer bunch of people than the Houston On ground Princess cruise and the Customs..NICE people..AND the disembarkation was SO organized and smooth!

[douglinc@msn.com]

Thanks for the review, we will be on her 3-29.

 

Doug

[RocketMan275]

DO save some room on Friday afternoon! In the Caribe Cafe they have an ALL dessert buffet from 12 till 2! No wonder I feel sick:-).

 

Now that's great to know. We're on CB in just 20 days (but who's counting?).

 

Question. Been trying to find out if there is a seafood buffet. I've heard there used to be but that it's no longer done.

 

Question. I do understand there is a German/Bavarian buffet. Can you verify?

[Karen1969]

Can you tell more information about the items you took for the school and how to do this? Thanks!

[seafun]

I appreciate your check-in on your cruise. This time in two weeks, it will be my turn. :) Glad to hear you made the most of it, and I will be doing the same.

First item to pack? The proverbial "good attitude." :D

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[RDC1]

Off the ship after a mostly great cruise. it DID get off to a rough start..our sat departure did not happen to Sunday. if we would have gone in time I think we would have been ok??went to muster at 415 and it was clear..after the fog was moving in...we had to hang around and wait for passengers who were quite late..but due to the fact they had Princess air the ship waited..OOOPS to late to go!

Embarking was great! We got to the pier at 12:00 on a Princess transfer and we were checked in and in our room by 12:50! no crowds..minimal waiting..one of the quickest check ins I have seen,

 

We had A406 balcony cabin..the cabin was nice sized, clean and had a big enuf balcony for two chairs and a table. I think I would not have wanted a lower deck and balcony as we could look down on the next two decks...guess no nude balcony sitting on those decks :-)

 

Bought a coffee card from International cafe so I could start the day out with a yummy latte and oh my..the place had THE most delicious donuts in the morning and pastries all day! Watch out for sugar poisoning...yikes..overload,

 

Had been looking forward to watching Super Bowl on big screen..on Sunday..it was way too windy and chilly but they had it in lounges and stateroom tvs.

 

FOOD...it is a subjective thing! I had read a lot of bad things about buffet..but I must say we enjoyed eating there! The food was varied and nicely seasoned..and again...oh my the desserts! We ate breakfast in the dining room twice and dinner...anytime dining..twice. THIS was really the only disappointment! We usually like a table for 2...not antisocial..just can't hear that well with surrounding noise and fine small talk with six strangers forced..again--JUST me! We DID want to do Lobster night..got to anytime dining at 5..started at 5:30..already people then..asked for table for two and I am sad to say interacted with the rudest Maître d I have encountered in fifteen cruises! basically attitude was..you want a table for 2? Tough luck..here is your pager..go wait..which is fine but his attitude sucked! After waiting 30 minutes another couple near us..and Elite cruisers asked about it..the response? " I told you you need to wait..you CHOSE single table and would not share..so you need to wait". WOW..we wound up sharing a table for four with the nice couple who were also not happy! Ah well...in the bigger scope of life..you cannot let Mario ruin your food journey!

 

Due to the late start we were sad to hear we were going to miss Roatan..one of the main stops we wanted as we had a huge duffel to deliver to the schools and a private tour planned:-(. However..we got off at substituted Costa maya and a nice taxi driver helped..took us to a school and the children were SO delighted as was the principal! Very rewarding..then off to the beach! wee love Majuhal so it was ok!

 

Belize had snorkeling tour with the ship...a prev poster had warned but we did it anyway. NOT fun..toooo many people..especially inexperienced snorkelers in the area..did not know to watch for fellow snorkel ears..got many a hand and fin in the face..plus with tours in am and pm..fish were too disturbed and sand and silt were plenty so it was not great I am sorry to say. Don't usually do ship excursions so live and learn!

 

Cozumel...sooooo many shops...nothing I needed so we returned early to ship.

 

NORO...not sure we had any outbreaks..I did not hear of any. Servers in buffets served everything first three days and then they let us do our own. Lots of sanitizes around..EXCEPt in casino which I found odd. They were constantly scrubbing all around the ship and making great efforts"

 

 

Read many prev comments about condition of ship being bad...I really felt she looked pretty good...looked clean..not really worn and for her age doing good :-)

 

Ok..my novella is complete! for all of you on future CB cruises....go with an open mind and a fun filled heart and u will have a great time! :D:D

 

Keep in mind that the ocean is 2.5-3 hours from the dock at the port of Houston. So even if it was still clear at the port it may have already been foggy along the channel or at the outlet near Galveston.

[JustinPlusLauren]

Thanks for the great review and I'm glad you had a good time!

 

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

[themerle]

Thanks for sharing your review! I'm looking forward to my cruise on the Caribbean Princess March 1. I agree with you on "go with an open mind and a fun filled heart and u will have a great time".:)

[planb]

We to sail in twenty days and have our happy faces ready. Only worrry is fog and hope it gets better with the time of year. But being on vacation on the sea is always wonderful. Did wonder about excursions if moved to Costa tried to see what they offered so could have a backup plan but princess doesn't let you access them. Any idea.s

[janetz]

Love the CB :)

 

http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-CB-Tour-2a.html

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+the+terrace+pool+caribbean+princess&rlz=1T4ADSA_enUS509US509&tbm=isch&imgil=KzDKXI9wcCMfPM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQ4PaBNDr4jWHS-zfzHLz-w45EBRel-pKTIuZ1S1YOseHnqU5YT%253B480%253B360%253BPM-47mH4ia9tdM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fprincessshutter.*****************%25252Fcoppermine%25252Fdisplayimage.php%25253Falbum%2525253D1%25252526pos%2525253D187&source=iu&usg=__Sv6U4adfPivZxvGIoQrZus70a2I%3D&sa=X&ei=pKD3UoHhEemIyAG8pIG4DQ&ved=0CCwQ9QEwAQ&biw=1093&bih=471#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=KzDKXI9wcCMfPM%253A%3BPM-47mH4ia9tdM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fprincessshutter.*****************%252Fcoppermine%252Falbums%252Fuserpics%252FmURI_temp_62bdd1ca.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fprincessshutter.*****************%252Fcoppermine%252Fdisplayimage.php%253Falbum%253D1%2526pos%253D187%3B480%3B360

Edited February 9, 2014 by janetz

[golfb4cruzing]

Must have been same MD we had. But we refused anything but 2 top. So we had to wait about 45 minutes and then had to go upstairs as that one was for non communal tables. A little odd but went with it. Just did the buffet the rest of the week and enjoyed it better anyways.

[JF - retired RRT]

Can you tell more information about the items you took for the school and how to do this? Thanks!

 

If you make it to Roatan, you can donate $$, books or supplies to the "Sand Castle Library Bookmobile". They have a big bus (semi-permanently) parked at the main entrance to the port. Look to the right as you leave the dock area (toward the chair lift).

Haven't taken supplies myself (I forgot), but from what I have read ANYTHING is more than what most of them have...paper, pencils, books, crayons. Think 99 cent store or Dollar Store - inexpensive for us, treasures for them.

[GoVikes]

for all of you on future CB cruises....go with an open mind and a fun filled heart and u will have a great time! :D:D

Thanks for taking the time to post your review! Can't wait for our cruise!:D

 

If you make it to Roatan, you can donate $$, books or supplies to the "Sand Castle Library Bookmobile". They have a big bus (semi-permanently) parked at the main entrance to the port. Look to the right as you leave the dock area (toward the chair lift).

Haven't taken supplies myself (I forgot), but from what I have read ANYTHING is more than what most of them have...paper, pencils, books, crayons. Think 99 cent store or Dollar Store - inexpensive for us, treasures for them.

Good to know. Thanks.

[Rancher Dave]

Must have been same MD we had. But we refused anything but 2 top. So we had to wait about 45 minutes and then had to go upstairs as that one was for non communal tables. A little odd but went with it. Just did the buffet the rest of the week and enjoyed it better anyways.

 

 

May have to video that md mouthing off to guests and forward on to corporate offices to get his work schedule adjusted to sailings elsewhere. Maybe they can reassign him to the costa Concordia.

 

Thanks to both who posted about his attitude. We will make sure it's at least four of us when we show up to dine. Could be anywhere from two to six depends on who wants mdr each night.

 

Sad to hear so much negative feedback about snorkel in Belize as it is the only excursion I really want to try this time there since last time weather had all excursions in Belize cancelled. Walking around the town only took a short while. Oh well.

[caribill]

Question. I do understand there is a German/Bavarian buffet. Can you verify?

 

Was on Monday evening two cruises ago.

[curlybelle2]

DO save some room on Friday afternoon! In the Caribe Cafe they have an ALL dessert buffet from 12 till 2! No wonder I feel sick:-). also forgot to mention that I have NEVER seen a nicer bunch of people than the Houston On ground Princess cruise and the Customs..NICE people..AND the disembarkation was SO organized and smooth!

 

I agree the princess staff were great. Also the people sailing with us were nice and friendly as well. The disembarkation was very easy.

[coneill2121]

Thanks for your review. Can you confirm if you took the Sargents caye snorkel trip?

 

 

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[WisCruiser2]

We were on the week before you, & I thought it was rather odd that the salt & pepper shakers were taken off the tables but everyone signs for drinks with the pen the person before you used, AND the casino stayed open :rolleyes: DH & I were obsessive about hand washing & not touching anything we didn't need to, and thankfully stayed well.

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts on your recent cruise. I'm glad they showed the Super Bowl on stateroom TV's. On our Golden cruise to Hawaii (2011) they showed it in Explorers and on MUTS. It was not shown on stateroom TV's, I was told, because Princess did not obtain the proper re-broadcast license from the NFL.....:):):)

 

Bob

[cruisequeen4ever]

My friend was on your cruise and had the same terrible experience as you with Anytime Dining! They waited 40 min. every night!! She said the Maitre' D was very rude and did not allow any reservations!

 

 

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[bjtomko]

Can you please confirm which of the two princess snorkel excursions you did in Belize?