Live from the Caribbean Princess 5/26/2014

[lor74]

The DW and I are on our way to FLL for a one week vacation including 2 nights in Fort Lauderdale at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66, and a 5 night cruise on the CB. We are in the air as I type this; it is our first time flying with Westjet. I had booked the flight with airmiles, and paid $45pp for the plus seats (There is no first class, and the first 3 rows have more leg room and come with food & drink). I am 6'3", and there is enough leg room for me, but there is less room than an emergency exit row. It is 3 seats per side, and I am a little uncomfortable because of the head rest which is in my upper back instead of my head. There are TVs in the chairs, but none of them in our row are working.....we could move to the other side which is empty, but we don't want to watch anything, so it is not a big deal. We are able to order anything from the menu which includes sandwiches, snacks, and drinks (no alcohol at this hour). Ro (DW) had a coffee and oatmeal; and I had a ham&cheese croissant with a coffee. I also got a can of Pringles with a water bottle for later. It is smooth flying, and we will be in sunny Florida in 3 hrs :)

 

We landed early, grabbed our luggage, and hopped into a taxi. It cost $20 to get to the Hyatt. This is our first time staying at this hotel. I chose it because I wanted a nice pool area, and the price was right. I booked using our CAA membership, and our room includes the breakfast buffet. Our room is a standard Marina room. I had read some reviews which stated that it is better to stay in the Tower because the property is huge and the rooms can be very far away.....they weren't kidding! We arrived before noon, and were lucky to get a room immediately. We received a map of the property which showed us how to get to our room. It felt like we walked a mile, trying to find it, hauling our bags with us...hot, tired, needing the bathroom....how much longer? Finally we get there, then discover we took the long way around....sigh! The room is big enough with a Queen bed, 2 tables, chair, flat screen tv, safe, iron with board, balcony, and a large bathroom. It is nice and clean, including the bedding. After getting settled we put on our suits and headed to the pool. The Hotel is designed like a courtyard, with a large pool club in the middle surrounded by outer rooms connecting to the tower.

 

more to come...

 

 

 

 

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[I object 2]

We are so looking forward to your review. We board Caribbean Princess in a few weeks. Enjoy your cruise!

[LarryF]

We board the CB next Saturday! Looking forward to your review...

[lor74]

The pool area is quite busy, but I was lucky to find a chair with an umbrella and some shade. Towels are available, but you need to sign them out. There is a restaurant/bar on site with live music. Several servers are walking the pool area, and the drinks are flowing.....vacation has begun!

 

After spending some time at the pool, I went back to the room to relax, then it was time for supper. There are some restaurants on site, but we decided to order in from a pizza/Italian place ( Dough Boys) which was not too far away. We sat in front of the hotel and people watched while waiting for the food. It was a non stop parade of comings and goings. It took around 30 minutes for the food to arrive. I had a calzone, and Ro had eggplant parm. There was also salad, fries, pasta and bread. It was all good. After dinner we watched some tv and went to bed. The room has a working air conditioner, but because of where it is placed, you don't feel it that much in the bed. I did manage to sleep, but was warm and spent the entire night on top of the covers. Thankfully the bed is comfortable and I was not tossing n turning.

 

 

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[Colo Cruiser]

A great start to the trip.

We don't like the rooms in the 2 floor area at the Hyatt, we found them to be in bad shape as well as a hike anywhere so we try and stay in the tower too.

 

Did the cab driver take the long way to the Hyatt? $20 is a bit steep.

 

Looking forward to the live! Nice to get down there early. :D

[cubfan63]

A great start to the trip.

We don't like the rooms in the 2 floor area at the Hyatt, we found them to be in bad shape as well as a hike anywhere so we try and stay in the tower too.

 

Did the cab driver take the long way to the Hyatt? $20 is a bit steep.

 

Looking forward to the live! Nice to get down there early. :D

 

 

$20 is pretty good to the Hyatt, which is on the other side of the bridge. I paid similar amounts in the past for the rides to the Embassy Suites and the Renaissance, and that wasn't on a Saturday (when there are ships in).

[lor74]

the $20 included the airport fee and the tip

 

 

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[lor74]

Today has been a perfect day so far. We got up after 8am and went to have breakfast which was included in my rate. We were told that we could order anything we wanted from the menu, and we opted for the buffet with coffee and oj. The spread was quite nice, there was: fruit...including very nice berries, yogurt, breads, cereal, nuts, danish, croissants, bacon, sausage, French toast, eggs, potatoes, and an omelet station. A nice way to wet my appetite for Sabatinis on the cruise! After eating, we had a look at the spa & gym, then waited a few minutes by the pool while our room was being cleaned. Great timing and service all around. We then put on our suits and spent the entire day by the pool. I think we will be ordering something in for dinner again tonight. Would I stay here again....yes. Except for the initial walk with the luggage and not knowing where I was going, it has been a good stay. The service has been very friendly, our room has no issues, and I do find it cooler today....maybe it was just me. The pool area is exactly what I wanted it to be when I made the booking. The only negative in our situation is that there is nothing within walking distance except for a gas station and Dunkin across the street. We could technically do the walk over the bridge, but I would sweat too much and that would spoil my mood.

 

Tomorrow we will have breakfast at the hotel, and will then take a taxi to the pier around 11:30am so that we could get right on to the ship. We are in a window suite, so besides the security check, boarding should be quick :)

 

 

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[cbreit]

Can't wait to read it all. We did the Caribbean several years ago and going back on in November so looking forward.. Enjoy!

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for posting your live from thread. I'm looking forward to reading it.:):):)

[azbirdmom]

We are also sailing on CB tomorrow and got here yesterday. We are at the Courtyard by Marriott on the beach. Great location but it's very crowded this weekend. We're looking forward to the informal meet & greet tomorrow for sailaway and if we don't meet you there, we will probably see you one of the mornings at Sabatini's for breakfast.

[mellon1]

I'm anxious to hear about the ship. We are going in February for 30 days. They told us that new mattresses were being added like on Royal. Can you let me know if new mattresses were added and what the updates were in drydock. From reading some of the posts, it sounds like it is just carpet. Also who is the MD? Thanks and enjoy your cruise.

[helenb]

We board the CB next Saturday! Looking forward to your review...

 

Larry, we are on the June 14 cruise that is the same as the May 31 cruise. I am looking forward to your review when you board! *poke* ;)

[browneyedwoman]

Thank you for writing a review. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it since we're going on the ship in July. We're getting excited for the trip.

[azbirdmom]

Home "suite" home. We got to our cabin at 11:50. Let the vacation begin!

 

 

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[lor74]

Today we woke up early and had the breakfast buffet again. The value of the 2 days if breakfast was $96. Not a bad deal considering we paid $125 per night. I forgot to mention that the hotel has very good free wifi throughout. We grabbed a taxi around 11am ($10 w/tip), and were quickly checked in and waiting to board. There is no special room for suite guests at this pier, but it was not a big deal, as we boarded before noon. We made our way to our window suite cabin on the Fiesta deck. The cabin is not as big as the penthouse suite we had last year on the Star, but has more than enough space for the 2 of us. I am very happy to see the jacuzzi tub, and a bunch if large drawers for my clothes. I called the CG right away to make a reservation for Wed, and called room service to replace the mini bar for 2 coffee cards. We then made our way to the pool while everyone else went to eat. It is a scorcher of a day, and the water is the perfect temperature. It was just us in the pool, with a couple from Toronto who are on their 4 leg in a row on the ship. After some chit chat, I got a slice of pizza, followed by a Cuban at the IC. I met our cabin steward, and he brought us champaign. A little more time in the pool, and our luggage arrived just before the muster drill. We quickly unpacked, then went with our life jackets. After returning to the cabin, a bowl of fruit and canapés arrived.....chocolate cover strawberry....mmmmm. I have had enough sun for today, so I got myself an iced coffee and am now sitting outside on deck 7 as we sail away. Another day in paradise!

 

The ship appears to be in good condition. I don't remember what she looked like when we were on her back in Sept, but the carpets on the stairs have good bounce to them....having already gone down 8 flight multiple times today. I'll be taking pictures of the patter later. If I remember correctly, the CD is Lee Childers. MUTS has Captain Phillips, Last Vegas, Gravity, Hunger Games2, and something else I don't remember. I think the musical is Last Resort. The welcome show tonight has a duo of comedians. There is one formal night tomorrow.

 

More to come....

 

 

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[Lynzchat]

I love your details....keep them coming. :)

[dickinson]

lor74- I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I was with you in September although I don't remember if we met. I was in a window suite f311. Loved it. You mentioned making a reservation at the Crown Grill for Wed. With the suite you get a free night on embarkation. Did you make a reservation at CG or Sabatini's for that?

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[lor74]

the free dinner is only for cruises 6 nights or longer

 

 

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[smilz]

lor74- I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I was with you in September although I don't remember if we met. I was in a window suite f311. Loved it. You mentioned making a reservation at the Crown Grill for Wed. With the suite you get a free night on embarkation. Did you make a reservation at CG or Sabatini's for that?

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

We are not in a suite.:( Our anniversary is embarkation day. Will we have a problem getting reservations at CG?:eek:

 

lor74 Have a great cruise! Loving your review! It's been a while since we sailed on CB. Looking forward to all the details and updates. We're sailing in 3 weeks:D

[dickinson]

We are not in a suite.:( Our anniversary is embarkation day. Will we have a problem getting reservations at CG?:eek:

 

lor74 Have a great cruise! Loving your review! It's been a while since we sailed on CB. Looking forward to all the details and updates. We're sailing in 3 weeks:D

 

Probably not. After getting on the ship go make a reservation for the time you want. I love the Crown Grill. Happy Anniversary!

[lor74]

The production shows are Born to be wild, and Caribbean Caliente. Tonight we saw Alfred and Seymour. These guys are a high energy duo of black entertainers. Their act involves comedy, music and dancing. We enjoyed them, but I don't think some of the older crowd appreciated their routine....as we were walking out, the older white woman in front of us said "that was just awful", lmao...not really a surprise their with their street clothes appearance, and classic rap/hip-hop tunes. They are performing again tomorrow and I will go see the show.

 

After we sailed away, I eventually made my way back to the room, and helped myself to the jacuzzi tub. I think this one is smaller than what we had in the penthouse suite on the Star, but I pretzels my large 6'3" frame into it and hit the jets.....ahhhhhhhhh, just what my sore back needed! We went to the buffet for dinner. I had: salad, tomato soup, spaghetti & meatballs, chicken cacciatore, broccoli, a vegi spring roll and a twice baked potato. The pasta and chicken was quite good. After the show, dessert was a sampling of some chocolate items from the IC. I then went to the casino to play some let it ride. I hit a 3 card straight flush, and played with those chips for a long time....no luck after that, and I walked away with a small profit. I then checked out the basketball game playing on MUTS, but it is a blowout so I didn't bother staying. Dwight Blake is playing in the Crooners. I am calling it a night. It was a very good first day....looking forward to Sabatini's tomorrow morning :). Bon soir!

 

* the wifi is the worst I have ever experienced, it is very slow and had a lot of connection failures.

 

* I tried to post this last night but either the wifi kept crashing or the forums were down.

 

* During the dry dock, the casino tables received new felt.

 

* I head read on the forums some concerns regarding the window suites, and the proximity to the smoking lounge and people waking in the halls. This is not an issue on this ship.....the suites are in a hidden hallway.

 

 

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[m4hami]

Was the dinner buffet served in the Caribe or the Horizon? We liked Alfred and Seymour last time we were on the Caribbean. Thanks for posting.

[dorisis]

Was there any noise from the deck above you>

[Cruzingal#9]

I am excited to be reading your "live". We sail on her a week from Saturday. I have been curious to read about her "facelift" after dry dock because I had heard that she was looking pretty tired! On reading some of the reviews I have gotten the impression that people are not happy with the crew; stating they seem tired and over worked and not very attentive. This will be our third time on the CB and we have never had an issue so I am (hopefully) assuming that the people writing those are the ones that always have something to complain about! I have found that the people who take the time out of their well deserved vacation to post "lives" are more objective and accurate on their take of the cruise, so I will be waiting for your posts with great anticipation!!! Cruise on:)