Caribbean Princess Review 5+ Stars

[dag144]

I get more useful information in the forum section than from the review section so I will write my comments here. We just got off (today 7/14) from an Eastern Caribbean seven day. This was cruise number 50 for me and the seventh Princess cruise.

 

Reading all the poor reviews of this ship, I was a bit worried. Conclusion - the cruise was wonderful. Embarkation was a breeze. Living in Fort Lauderdale we chose to follow Princess' advice and arrived about 2:00 pm. Got right on the ship and up to our cabin Caribe 306. This is a wonderful room (for a balcony). While not large, the verandah is very large, even bigger than the min-suite balconies on the older HAL ships. We had drinks and some pizza at the bar by the large pool. Since there are four pools, getting space was only difficult on the final sea day,but it was hot so we were happy to go to the pool in the rear at about 4PM and got some shade.

 

The cabin was immaculate and kept that way throughout the week by our great steward, Jeffrey. It was great to have the cabin made up within an hour of vacating each morning.

 

We ate in the Pearl dining room, fixed seating at 8PM. Had a large table for the two of us which could have accommodated four. The food was excellent as was the variety. I would describe it as excellent country club food, not what one would get in a fine restaurant for $100/couple, but the value was there. Servers were great. We liked that they got to know our likes which can be harder in anytime dining. On the last night we went up to the Cafe Caribe which offered a very nice buffet. Breakfast and lunches some of which we had in the Horizon Court were also good and the Horizon Court staff could not have been more attentive. I think that the complainers don't realize that Princess and its competition offer a real bargain compared to a land vacation for a comparable time.

 

We had drinks each night in the Wheelhouse Bar. The husband/wife combo could have been better, but the bartenders could not have been any better. They were great. Contrary to what I have read from some who must have been a bit hard of hearing, there was music (live that is) all over the ship.

 

The ports were fine except for Grand Turk. I can understand why the Turk left decades ago. His replacement Margarittaville is sad. Instant fun based around canned music, on a man-made beach which needs more sand trucked in. The other ports including Princess Key which is for younger folk made up for this disaster. Love the full days we had in St. Thomas and San Juan.

 

Getting off the ship was a breeze. Princess is efficient and well organized.

 

One last thought. Lots of kids on the ship. I thought that I would not like this, but the kids were so enthralled with the ship that behavior was fine, even in the dining room. Princess has a great program for kids of all ages which made this cruise a pleasure for all ages.

 

Go Caribbean Princess!!!!!!

[sunsetme]

thanks, one more week for me!

[NaplesKnitter]

Hi - thanks for a fun review! We have 3 weeks to go. Do you remember which nights were formal and what the dining themes were each night on your cruise- we are trying to decide what nights to go to Crown Grill and Sabatini's ! Also what was Cafe Caribe like. Thanks

[zacc]

We have sailed on her three times and enjoyed every time. In fact we will be on her again this October for time number 4! By chance do you remember who was playing in Crooners?

Edited July 12, 2014 by zacc

[TracieABD]

Thank you for your review! So glad you enjoyed your cruise!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your comments.

Never heard of the Pearl DR.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[metairiegal]

Oh great. We're on a 4-nighter that ONLY goes to Grand Turk. This will be our 1st time going there.

[jrzebird]

Great review, and thanks for confirming that there is live music all over the ship. I thought I had lost my mind when I saw a few of those comments about how boring it was.

 

Do you by chance mean that you had dinner in the Palm Dining room (you know, the one you can't get to from here and need a map to find?). That's where I always dine and I love it. I haven't ever heard of the Pearl, so I assume it was Palm. Hey, it starts with a "P", and that was close enough for me!

 

Maureen

[islandatsea]

Thank you for your review. Sounds like you had a great time. We will be on that ship in 28 days.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your review. Nice to hear you had such a great experience.

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. We'll be on the same itinerary leaving in three weeks. We have been to all the ports before, so I already know what to expect. I'm planning on getting off the ship late in Grand Turk--after the passengers on the Carnival ship that's leaving before us will be gone. I figure we will enjoy a bit of time swimming in the ocean. I'm bringing my water shoes for there (and for Princess Cays). I cut my foot last time we were at Princess Cays. Not seriously, but enough to hurt for a few minutes.

[LindaJSteele]

I'm happy to read that your cabin steward was great. In our experience of 50+ cruises our cabin steward was the worst one we've ever had. He wouldn't bring us towels, pool towels, or ice. He didn't clean our room..not even the bathroom. We ended up going to Guest Services about 4 times. I was disappointed in the production shows; when did they start being so short? Our dining staff in the Palm DR was fabulous though! I agree that the food was good to very good.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[kendon]

One week to go! Thanks for the great review!

[jnc411]

Thanks for the review, we will be on the CB in Oct. , looking forward to relaxing.

Cori

[Coolmama_1]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing.

[custompcsys]

Thanks for taking the time to post and glad you had a good time. We will be on board in 5 weeks, really looking forward to it :)

[suejoe]

Thanks for your review. We have 27 more days until we are on the CB (my 5th time :D).....can't wait!!

Susan

[dag144]

The two formal nights were night three (the the sea day) and night five after San Juan. The Palm Dining room is on deck six at the aft of the ship. Loved having the same serving team each night and enjoyed the food especially the roast pheasant. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Mullwi]

Just want to second this opinion. I just got back the 14th as well. I am platinum on Princess and diamond on RCL so feel I am a pretty good judge. My daughter was really worried about previous reviews. We stayed in an inside cabin on Deck 11 and got a great price. The overall service was by far the best that we could all remember. Beverage and table clearing service in Horizon Court was incredibly speedy and everyone very friendly. Our waiter and assistant and our cabin steward was also fantastic. We gave all of them a very good extra tip which we have not found ourselves doing in quite awhile. We LOVE Movies under the Stars and they had great choices. Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit, Non-Stop, Divergent and Draft Day. Also several good kids movies-- Frozen, Lego Movie. I had a soda card and got very quick service at all time. The diet coke does not taste great from the fountain at some bars, but still worth it to me. Anyone going will have a great time!!

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your review! Glad you enjoyed the ship and had a wonderful cruise! :D

LuLu

[Luvmyrotti]

Thanks for sharing such a positive review. We will be onboard the CB in 10 weeks and are very much looking forward to it!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report! Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[WEGL81]

Thanks for sharing. Am going on the CB in 6 weeks. Glad to hear you had a good time. We're doing a B2B but the last leg goes to Grand Turk. We're just doing the HOHO bus to look around the island. Wasn't really very much listed to do and your review confirms it. We'll have fun, though.

[cdngrl]

so glad to read a positive review. I was on the cb this past spring and had a wonderful cruise and I don't usually care for the big ships.

[jean s]

I was also on the CB this past February and was very impressed. The service, the food and the entertainment were all great. I had read some negative reviews but went hoping for the best. I was very happy with my cruise and would not hesitate to sail on this ship again.