A Perfect Cruise - Western Caribbean - Houston

[Retiring cajun]

What princess ship were you on?

 

 

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[RocketMan275]

There were two formal nights - one the first sea day and the second on the sea day after Belize. Most men wore suits with ties and there were several sports jackets. I did not see any tuxes. I did see a few men with open neck sport shirts with no coat and even a couple with t-shirts. One man dressed in a US flag shirt with a stars and stripes stovepipe hat - looked a lot like Uncle Sam. I know little about women's fashion, but will say that they all looked very well-dressed, anywhere from long gowns to stylish dinner dresses or pant suits. Lots of jewelry.

 

Thank you, that is useful information specific to CB which is what I wanted. Thanks again.

[RocketMan275]

They do offer breakfast, but at a price range of $15 to $20 for a basic egg/bacon/toast breakfast, we opted to go with a coffee and muffins from the shop in the lobby. There were several food items and drinks available. We felt that the small snack would hold us over until we reached the buffet on the ship, which is what we did. We were in the buffet by 1:30. I might add that there are no restaurants near the Marriott, but one could take the train back to the airport for the food courts, just a few minutes' ride. We ate dinner the night before in the Marriott grill. Good food and service, but a hamburger and fries will cost you @$15.

 

That's consistent with what I had heard and expected.

 

Question. The food court. Is it inside or outside of the security perimeter? In other words, should I choose to return to the terminal food court, can I get to it without going through security? The airport maps are less than useful for this.

[QueenofEverything]

i was on the same cruise and i wish i could agree with your review but as a first and last Princess cruiser I was disappointed.

 

the embarkation and debarkation processes were the best i have ever seen. kudos to Princess on that.

 

the weather was great the entire cruise with moderate seas on a couple sea days.

 

the ports meant nothing to us but the shore excursion in belize was above average. we were on this cruise just to try out Princess.

 

the entertainment was quantity over quality. i don't expect much on ships and Princess did not surprise. holiday inn lounges in mid size cities are just as good. the big shows would not make it anywhere but a ship. the cd said the entertainers could work west end' date=' broadway, or vegas but chose Princess...sure.

 

loved our cabin and the steward could not have been better.

 

food was generally pretty good, as was bar service. never encountered so many unhappy employees though. several told us how much they were looking forward to ending their contracts and not coming back. almost all were just doing their jobs. a downer as we are used to happier ships.

 

buffet was a charlie foxtrot on day one. made no sense, entrees and salads and deserts on one stand then different combos on the next. never went back.

 

specialty restaraunts were ok but not worth the extra. crown grill in particular you can get a better steak wherever you live.

 

we only went to the specialty joints to avoid prom nights.

 

international cafe in the piazza is the best thing on the ship. loved the pastries.

 

main dining rooms dark and claustrophobic with low ceilings. the whole ship was dark except the piazza.

 

pool areas were strangely dark and congested, like some motel.

 

although the ship is dated it was well maintained in areas passengers can see.

 

the whole ship was much too crowded for my taste. i also don't care for passengers walking around in muscle shirts, tank tops, tats, cut offs, yelling "whoo" at every opportunity. these clowns were in the minority.

 

best place to escape was the Wheelhouse lounge. classy furnishings, good service, and rarely crowded.

 

and the smoking. i cannot believe in this day and age that Princess has such a smoking tolerance. i guess they figure they have to accept smokers to fit their target demographic market but the casino is useless as a result as is deck 6 forward.

 

officers non existent publicly. never saw a one. i am used to visible officers. when we debarked no one said thanks for cruising with us at the gangway. even discount airlines do that. felt like i was stepping off in a bus terminal.

 

to each his own and i know from reading these boards the Princess loyalists will brandish their swords. but if my only cruise experience was this, i would never cruise again.[/quote']

 

Hmm...interesting take on the same cruise. Have you been on other cruiselines that you enjoyed?

[Colo Cruiser]

Several crewmembers told you how much they were looking forward to the end of their contracts and that they were not coming back?

I must say in all the years cruising Princess I have not had a crew member share with me details like that let alone several.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[Edarrich]

This was my third cruise on the Carribean out of Houston and it was great!!!!!!!

 

As an elite Criuser with princess line I have traveled the world with Princess and have never been disappointed.

 

If you have any problems or issues they will immediately correct them because they are the consummate host.

 

If your issues were not resolved it was because you did not voice them.

 

The crew go out of the way to help everyone and will contact their supervisor to correct any issue if they cannot correct it themselves.

 

I am on 5 more cruises this year on 5 different ships and have never had any problem unresolved by the crew in the past or in the future.

 

I have traveled on several cruise lines to identical ports and have always had more fun on Princess.

 

Princess lines is simply the best!!!!

 

 

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[land lover]

Loved the review and appreciated Sailin' shoes different view.

 

Happy to learn about the Marriott connection.

 

I have been eyeing this itinerary...and reading about a lot of disappointment.

 

To me the number one thing that makes a cruise is W E A T H E R.

 

# 2 is itinerary and making ports.

 

#3 is cost...now if I pay top dollar for a suite or travel on a LUX line I expect more, alot more.

 

Do I think Princess is the consumate host......? Sometimes. But when I have had a problem they have addressed it.

 

Usually my expectations are met on mass crusie lines simply because they started out pretty low.....and I don't mean that as sarcasm, just a fact.

Edited February 17, 2014 by land lover

[audobon_tx]

hmmm

Edited February 17, 2014 by flyingshoes

[Sailin' Shoes]

If you have any problems or issues they will immediately correct them because they are the consummate host.

 

If your issues were not resolved it was because you did not voice them.

 

The crew go out of the way to help everyone and will contact their supervisor to correct any issue if they cannot correct it themselves.

 

Princess lines is simply the best!!!!

 

if one read my issues (unhappy crew, ship design, un-entertaining entertainment, too many people, some boorish passengers, no officer engagement, smoking policy, etc.) even a Princess PR type or blind loyalist would realize that the issues are not fixable by crew regardless of level. Princess product is not for me.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Sailin' Shoes

[Sailin' Shoes]

Hmm...interesting take on the same cruise. Have you been on other cruiselines that you enjoyed?

 

Yes, but to be fair they were more expensive lines.

[Sailin' Shoes]

Several crewmembers told you how much they were looking forward to the end of their contracts and that they were not coming back?

I must say in all the years cruising Princess I have not had a crew member share with me details like that let alone several.

 

guess i got "lucky"

[cruiseidaho]

That's consistent with what I had heard and expected.

 

Question. The food court. Is it inside or outside of the security perimeter? In other words, should I choose to return to the terminal food court, can I get to it without going through security? The airport maps are less than useful for this.

 

Sorry, but I can't answer with 100% assurance. I know there are plenty of places inside security, but really wasn't paying attention to food services outside security.

[Sailin' Shoes]

Usually my expectations are met on mass crusie lines simply because they started out pretty low.....and I don't mean that as sarcasm, just a fact.

 

i went on this trip with low expectations and as a trial of the Princess product. i was hoping i would be pleasantly surprised. product is not for me.

[douglinc@msn.com]

There were two formal nights - one the first sea day and the second on the sea day after Belize. Most men wore suits with ties and there were several sports jackets. I did not see any tuxes. I did see a few men with open neck sport shirts with no coat and even a couple with t-shirts. One man dressed in a US flag shirt with a stars and stripes stovepipe hat - looked a lot like Uncle Sam. I know little about women's fashion, but will say that they all looked very well-dressed, anywhere from long gowns to stylish dinner dresses or pant suits. Lots of jewelry.

 

 

It is really nice when someone answers a question instead of refering you to some other source to "look it up for yourself"

 

Doug

[Sailin' Shoes]

Sorry, but I can't answer with 100% assurance. I know there are plenty of places inside security, but really wasn't paying attention to food services outside security.

 

nothing outside security at IAH

[land lover]

if one read my issues (unhappy crew' date=' ship design, un-entertaining entertainment, too many people, some boorish passengers, no officer engagement, smoking policy, etc.) even a Princess PR type or blind loyalist would realize that the issues are not fixable by crew regardless of level. Princess product is not for me.[/quote']

 

I bet if an itinerary looks good to you u might take another chance.

 

One experience shouldn't make or break a deal.

 

BTW..princess is not my favorite crusie line.

Edited February 17, 2014 by land lover

[land lover]

There were two formal nights - one the first sea day and the second on the sea day after Belize. Most men wore suits with ties and there were several sports jackets. I did not see any tuxes. I did see a few men with open neck sport shirts with no coat and even a couple with t-shirts. One man dressed in a US flag shirt with a stars and stripes stovepipe hat - looked a lot like Uncle Sam. I know little about women's fashion, but will say that they all looked very well-dressed, anywhere from long gowns to stylish dinner dresses or pant suits. Lots of jewelry.

 

Very useful information.....thank you

[philv]

We booked this cruise of the Western Caribbean several months ago. After cruises began out of Houston in Nov., we heard one report after another of some problem - weather, delayed sailings, missed ports, rough seas, rain, noro outbreaks, cruise cut short, fog delays, missed planes, etc., so many negatives that we considered cancelling this one. Fortunately, this turned out to be one of the best Caribbean cruises we have taken.

 

We stayed one night pre-cruise in the Princess hotel (Marriott) that has its own stop on the terminal train, one of the cheapest rates ever for a Princess pre-cruise hotel. Bags were picked up from our room at 9:30 Sat. morning and appeared in our cabin at 3:00. Transfer to the ship was smooth and took about 50 minutes. Embarkation went quickly with minimum waits and we were having lunch with our group by 1:30. The temperature was in the high 30s to low 40s in Houston, but the skies were mostly sunny with no fog and the ship left on time.

 

The weather for the entire week couldn't have been better. After the first day at sea, temperatures were in the high 70s or low 80s. It was mostly sunny with occasional clouds, welcomed for their shade. I did not see one drop of rain. Of course it was humid, but we were in a jungle much of the time. The seas were the calmest I have ever experienced. On the video screen by the passenger services desk that reports facts about weather, position, etc., I saw for the first time a category on seas that said "smooth wavelets, 0.0 to 1.0 ft." Most days at sea it felt like we were docked. Upon return to Houston, there was no sign of fog.

 

The ports were very enjoyable. There was only one tender port and the ride was rather long, but it was handled by local tenders that held huge numbers and it went smoothly with minimum waits. We usually book private tours, but opted for Princess tours this time. Princess offers a nice variety of tours on this itinerary, something for everyone. Although we live by one of the best beaches in the world, we enjoyed the clean powder sands of Roatan, which has several beautiful beaches. The America's Cup race in Cozumel was great, and the tour to Lamani Mayan Ruins in Belize was fantastic. The tour guides were very informative and enjoyable. Our river boat had some engine trouble so we arrived back in port after the ship's scheduled sailing time. Of course, the ship waited for us and made our decision to book Princess excursions look good.

The entertainment was excellent on this cruise, including two candidates for Princess "Entertainer of the Year" award, Zach Winningham, and Hawley Magic, plus former Entertainer of the Year, Bert Stratton in Crooners most nights. There was also a night with comedian Rollin' Jay Moore. The lounge bands were excellent and they actually played music that was from the eras of most of the passengers. For the most part, it was music that one could dance to, but quiet enough that one could carry on a conversation with others. There were no screaming singers, no ear-splitting noise masquerading as music, and no steel drums. Of course, there were the old tried and true production shows, "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Born to be Wild" for those who have not seen them more than once.

 

The service in all areas was A-1. All of the staff in the dining rooms seemed upbeat and energetic. Perhaps it was because of such a positive cruise after so many problem cruises. The cruise director, Marahscalh Stanton was everywhere leaving smiles on the faces of all he encountered. The passengers, for the most part, were exceptionally courteous and friendly. There was hardly ever any problem finding a seat in the Piazza or the Buffet. On this cruise, there was no "Most Travelled Luncheon", rather a cocktail party with the captain and senior officers. However, the hors d'oeuvres were great and the conversations enjoyable.

 

Disembarkation back in Houston was problem free. We walked off at 7:30, met our shuttle at 7:45 and were at the airport at 8:30. Despite all the weather related problems in much of the eastern half of the country that caused airline delays and cancellations, all of our group made it home on time with no problem. Here's hoping that the following cruises on this itinerary go reasonably well and experience some of the same kind of luck that we had. Houston cruise port at this time, is a well-run operation and this itinerary is a welcome change from the tired old St. Thomas/St. Maarten/Princess Cay Caribbean cruises.

 

What was the date of your cruise?

[cruiseidaho]

What was the date of your cruise?

 

Last week - Feb. 8 thru Feb.15.

[Edarrich]

Sorry I missed you we were on the same week and it was spectacular.

 

 

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[QueenofEverything]

Yes' date=' but to be fair they were more expensive lines.[/quote']

 

Just out of noseyness (is that a word?) can you tell me which lines you prefer? We have been on a number of cruises on several different cruiselines. There are things we liked and disliked about all of them. We certainly enjoyed all of our cruises, obviously some more than others. I am just curious if you don't like Princess, which lines do you like? Thx

[Sailin' Shoes]

Azamara, Seabourn, Celebrity, Oceania. Trying Crystal this summer because I got a good deal, otherwise too expensive. Sailed on HAL twenty years ago and enjoyed it mainly for the itinerary, not sure I would like it today.

[RocketMan275]

nothing outside security at IAH

 

I was afraid of that. Looks like it's the Marriott for breakfast. Thank you for your time in answering.

[azbirdmom]

I was afraid of that. Looks like it's the Marriott for breakfast. Thank you for your time in answering.

 

If you wake up early enough, you might want to check on taking the Marriott shuttle van elsewhere. We learned ironically from a lady staffing the Princess desk in the Marriott lobby that there is a mall very close by with restaurants and apparently a place to buy bottles of wine (which is what a couple of folks on our transfer bus that we waited for were doing). If you're early risers, you can probably try that for breakfast.

[gelo7]

Thanks, for sharing your thoughts.