Caribbean Princess Sept 25-29 Short & Sweet

[pablo222]

The associate was apologetic but it was ridiculous how long the lines were, especially when I witnessed trivial arguments over charges for $20 or less.

 

When I was on carribbean, there was a gent trying to get

a partial refund on liquor he had bought on board, after he

saw the same in Cozumel for less.

 

He wanted $3.00

[Griller]

The dress to impress night was filled with people in shorts in the AT DR and the next cruise with a formal night I sat near the door & saw 1 guy turned away with shorts on. They seem to step it up a notch on formal nights. :D

Although there were many people dressed up there were still many in casual attire with Hawaiian, Polo short sleeves & long. A very casual trip, even more so than a 7 of 10 day one.

Also- we always get a table for 2 & on the CB they just let us walk in & select the table we want without being escorted. Strange. They do watch where you'll be sitting but it's the first cruise where they've done that. We We had a cocktail party last night in place of the Sabatini's comp dinner for the top 20 last cruise and top 40 this one. The cutoff has been around 390 or so.

 

The 4 day cruise 25th to 29th September 2014 on Caribbean Princess I was told by the CC lady that the Most Travelled Passenger cutoff was 467 days, a little higher than usual.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

The 4 day cruise 25th to 29th September 2014 on Caribbean Princess I was told by the CC lady that the Most Travelled Passenger cutoff was 467 days, a little higher than usual.

 

I just checked what I had written down & it had to be 392. If it were 467 days we would have missed out on being in the most traveled group.

At the rate some of the most traveled people are sailing on these short cruises I wouldn't be surprised to see much higher numbers in the future. ;)

[lynwar]

Hi,

I enjoyed myself in Crooners with Bert Stratton playing. He is a very serious and talented musician beneath the sing a long show.

 

The one smell I did detect was up on the 16th deck in the wee hours as we were pulling into port. I'm usually up there to see the ship arrive. It was a combination of diesel and trash compactor, I think, and wasn't very appealing.

 

We were on this ship 10 years ago when she was new and I forgot how much standing water there was when it rained or when it was cleaned. But, it was nice to revisit her. We were on the Royal Princess last year and we could certainly see this ship's age, now. It was a thrill to see Skywalkers up on the bar, and the CB was the ship that introduced MUTS. Yea, 6 football games in a week! :)

 

Next time we will get another cabin with a window, at least. While our interior was cozy, I missed seeing the outside when I arose in the middle or see the waves at night.Our steward was very pleasant.

 

Our dining experiences consisted of one time in the dining room on formal night. We encountered two delightful ladies in front of us and we four ate together and had a wonderful time. The food was okay. The rest of the voyage was spent up in the Horizon Court, Caribe Cafe and eating by the Outrigger Bar. We also had some snacks at the International Cafe.

 

We attended one show in the Princess Theater on the final night. We were up too close to appreciate the overall performance that seems better being back further. The one male singer, not the blond, was quite good.

 

The majority of our time was spent in the Casino-bad for us every time we get on a ship. We don't gamble all year and then the sounds of those slots just draw us in. The cost of the cruise was fantastic, but those expenses drove up the cost. Thankfully we came home with a good amount of cash out money. The biggest complaint? The smoke. We'd end up at a machine where smokers would sit down on either side of us. When it was smoke free night-we were doing other things. Nothing against smokers, we've grown up around them, but now that we're older, we can't tolerate the smoke as much.

 

The cruise was fine for us, as it was what it was-a get away. We live in Florida, and Hubby wanted to get out of town for a few days. Our original five day turned into a 9 day 9/20-29. There were no high expectations, we had a great roll call group, met some neat people during the week and admired some fun entertainment. It was tough to leave because of that. I'm ready to go again! (This was our 10th Princess cruise).

 

I'm sorry that some of you had a disappointing time and I trust that your future cruises will be better no matter what line you are on.

 

Take care. Lynne

[lorenzod]

Our 4th cruise on the Caribbean Princess and this was the shortest and perhaps the sweetest! 5 days, 4 nights with a stop in Princess Cays. How could a short cruise pack so much fun and be so memorable? there were many elements that lead to our decision that short can be sweet!

 

Ship was 80% capacity, according to the head waiter and assistant cruise director! Now I have always read on Cruise Critic, that no Princess ship sails with empty cabins, but this one had over six hundred. Time from being dropped off curbside to cabin 12 minutes, or it sure seemed like it was that short. Muster in the Princess Theater that was only 2/3 full. Poolside lounge chairs everyday. Palm Dining room only half full each evening for late dinner. Staff that seemed well relaxed and happy.

 

Perfect weather, not knowing what weather would present itself we rolled the dice and came up winners again. No hurricanes, tropical storms or rough seas. It did rain on the ship as we left Ft. Lauderdale but apparently that was it during the daylight hours. Perfect weather with plenty of sun!

 

$400.00 on board credit, that made things very easy to accomplish; Liquor purchased to bring home, ultimate kids package for pop and all the mocktails one could handle, buckets of beer, sailboat rental on Princess Cays, make-up and perfume for the wife, gratuities paid in full, casino credit. Although we did not try to cash out credit, we did cash out our winnings and made a few bucks after everything was said and done.

 

For some reason we had $800 OBC posted to our folio on the second and third day of the cruise, but it mysteriously disappeared on day four. We figured it must have been an oversight or mis-posted form another passenger, wondered if this happened to anyone else? Lines at passenger service desk were some of the longest I have ever witnessed on Princess.

 

This was our second Princess cruise since the institution of the Ultimate Drink Package and since it was a short one attracting many Floridians (like us) looking for a long weekend blow out with many enjoying a $400 OBC, I though the perfect opportunity to pay attention to the level of alcohol related shenanigans and rowdiness. I knew that I could witnesses somewhere if I looked hard enough, but I did not.

 

Having sailed this ship when she was only a few years old, I also knew there would be opportunity for wear and tear that may be evident. Perhaps I did not look hard enough or perhaps I was to relaxed to care, but all looked great to us and she still is in great shape. Upgrades made to this ship several years ago made a difference in her overall appearance.

 

Since we had seen most shows previously that were in the theater we did not attend any shows. We did not do much of anything which was really quite nice. We did make the Captains Circle happy hour and took advantage of our free drink coupons, nice to visit Skywalkers. One event we did attend was a Tribute to Mowtown and it was a bit of a letdown as the DJ apparently did not know what Mowton was as he played Donna Summer, Rick James, and Lionel Ritchie.

 

Food was well prepared, tasted good and was satisfying. The International Cafe was more of the same but very good and the buffet served its purposes well for breakfast and lunch.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze as we did carry off this cruise for the first time. We were actually allowed to depart anytime regardless of the time that was designated. The color coded luggage tag folks also received the nod for early departure in the platinum lounge.

 

Overall a great trip, with nothing that would have left one with a sour taste. Would we do this trip again? Absolutely! in a minute!

Cheers!

We as well as our friends onboard both saw the $800 onboard credit one night and the next night it dropped to $400 OBC. There must have been a glitch in their computer.

Marsha:D

[miched]

When I was on carribbean, there was a gent trying to get

a partial refund on liquor he had bought on board, after he

saw the same in Cozumel for less.

 

He wanted $3.00

 

I was in the duty free liquor store and talking to one of the sales personal. Was inquiring about something worth buying duty free not quite Louie XIII but close enough. A female passenger interrupted about buying a $4 bottle of Schnapps. She wanted him to open a bottle and give her a sample as she didn't want to waste her money if she didn't like it. He told her that he couldn't do that and she said in a very rude and sarcastic voice that she will take it up with Customer Relations because she should be able to sample it.

 

Drink up 🍸🍻🍺☕

[lucksak]

Everything went smoothly. When we left Toronto the captain announced we would arrive in Ft . Lauderdale 10 min early. This is the first time we had a flight the same day we sailed. We were on the ship at 2:25 pm. I don t think we will ever do that again. The price of the 9 day cruise and the $400 OBC was too good to turn down.

 

Went to Sail away with the CC group. Had a lot of fun.

 

We were disappointed with our cabin C717. We booked an inside but didn t like the upper beds sticking out from the wall. Since we were 2 we didn t expect the upper beds. Awkward getting in or out of bed.

 

We had a great room steward John from the Philippines. Smiling all the time . Filled out a card. He went above his duties.

 

The food was very good in the buffet and the dining room. We never waited to be seated at Anytime dining. I wish the waiters could spend a few minutes with us. They have a lot of tables to take care of. Hector the head waiter sang a few nights in the Palm dining room. We really enjoyed his singing.

 

I was disappointed on formal night they didn t serve lobster. Sept. 20-25th.Princess does an excellent job with fish. I had some form of seafood most nights.

 

Went to see 3 production shows and a ventriloquist All were good. Enjoyed the marriage show.

 

I was surprised I left a jacket at MUTS and checked at the Purser s desk 3 times and it was never turned in.

 

The smoke from the casino does drift into the Piazza. It would help if they put up doors to the casino, I don t imagine that will ever happen.

 

Great to see wine 40% off a bottle in the dining room. I don t remember seeing a discount on an individual bottle on a Princess ship before.

 

Won a beautiful bouquet of flowers from having the treasure card stamped.

 

Overall we had a great time, good weather and met interesting people.

 

We are booked on the Royal for 20 days Nov. 4th. Balcony. We booked a guarantee and don t have a cabin assigned yet.

 

Ciao

Ollie & Murray

[Disconnections]

I agree, it was very casual and we only saw a few people dressed. We ate in the Crown Grill the dress to impress night and actually saw a dad and his young son in shorts that night.

 

We must have seen the same person in the tux while we were sitting in Crooners! While he looked wonderful, he stood out because everyone else was so casually dressed.

 

We were in Crown Grill as well on the Dress to Impress night and sat directly next to that table! The kid was celebrating his birthday and our waiter was so attentive to that table and barely paid any attention to our table until after they left. He was, however, overly friendly when tip time came. One person in our party actually went up to the Lido and brought food down after the waiter failed to serve an order correctly twice.

 

I was on the same cruise but I have mixed feelings. Overall, a nice value-priced vacation but Princess did not impress me like I hoped they would. I've been on all the popular cruise lines, except Celebrity, so I'm fairly experienced. I thought this cruise would be a step above Carnival but not really across the board. At least not the Breeze or Dream that I experienced.

 

Mini suite was spacious and I really liked my aft balcony. Steward was good but I had to stay on top of him to get follow through on some requests. He was nice but seemed annoyed ( though he hid it fairly well) that we wanted anything from him. Probably overworked but I don't like feeling like I'm imposing when I ask someone to do their job.

 

The Crown Grill was a total waste of $, except out waiter was fun and made my birthday feel special. The Maître D was a real jerk and he could've cared less that it was my birthday. I had to stop myself from complaining about him so I didn't ruin my day. Loved the International Cafe but I wished it had more seating. The breakfast at buffet was plentiful. Pizza was excellent! Rest of dishes were typical cruise fare but forgettable. Nothing stood out as delicious.

 

Fell head over heels for beauty of Princess Cay but so disappointed in short time for lunch buffet and bars. Still can't understand who in corporate thinks it's a good idea to leave people on an island with no food or drinks at 2 pm when last tender is at 4:30 pm??? So crazy!

 

Guest services is disorganized and harried. We were given totally wrong info about our bank declining charges and wasted hours trying to figure it out. Delayed our early morning departure for no reason. The associate was apologetic but it was ridiculous how long the lines were, especially when I witnessed trivial arguments over charges for $20 or less.

 

Ship is immaculate but there was a definite funky and musty smell that comes from standing water in certain areas. Even in our bathroom at times. Yuck! There are lots of servers willing to get drinks and clear tables. Most are not too friendly even though they are efficient.

 

Didn't go to entertainment in Theatre because it didn't seem appealing but I caught a few musical acts. They were for an older demo, which is fine but left us 40 and under kind of bored. DJ in Skywalker was a joke. Anytime you hear "This is How We Do It" you know it's amateur hour. I missed the fun atmosphere and genuine connections I've made on my last two Carnival cruises. Also missed the comedy club. Just wasn't a fun cruise but it was relaxing.

 

 

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We left with mixed feelings, too. To be completely honest, it felt as if we were on Carnival. I have to agree with many of the points you brought up. We, too, got the feeling that the crew members were annoyed whenever we asked for anything.

 

The Maître d', Angelo, was a "real jerk," as you described, to us as well. On turnaround day, we had to meet him at 1:30 to verify that a change was made because Nicholas, a headwaiter, was too incompetent to handle anything or had no authority/empowerment. A member in my party this cruise was traveling with a wheelchair. Angelo was sitting on a table by the window on the second floor and refused to get up from his chair, thinking he was the king of the ocean. He expected someone in a wheelchair to make it up the steps. Only after causing a loud and vocal scene did he use a messenger to relay messages, still refusing to get up.

 

We had issues at the Passenger Services Desk. For the first time, we had issues with our stateroom. Amith Bangera straight up said that he did not care. Towards the end of the cruise due to an unrelated issue, we requested to speak to Elke Pointecker, the Director of Passenger Services. Andre on the first cruise, a supervisor, was a real joke and didn't want to be bothered or inconvenienced. When I asked Jason Muller if he was able to locate Elke yet (it had been 15 minutes), he started screaming at me and lost his temper. However, when we spoke to Elke four hours later, she was very nice and addressed the situation immediately and requested that on our cruise later this month, we ignore everyone at the desk and talk directly to her. However, Janine and Oxanna were very friendly at the desk. Unfortunately, Janine had left on the turnaround day. Elke did mention that there were three new hires at the desk.

 

I found the guest screaming to the entire dining room about being cancer free to be very inappropriate. I think it's wonderful for him, but that is something that should be shared with your table and not an entire dining room, many of who are trying to enjoy their meals.

 

As usual, the Asian store manager on the Caribbean had a bad attitude, as expected. Another expected occurrence was the spa associates blocking all of the wheelchair accessible doors to the spa and they will scream at you if you try to move the table. With that in mind, if you ask them to move it, they refuse.

 

It seemed like there are a lot of management problems onboard and poor leadership is being passed on to the front line associates, resulting in a low morale with employees that aren't genuinely happy that are at the breaking point of where they just don't care. To end on a positive, though, we did have the best waitress in all of our cruises after changing our table.

[pablo222]

The Maître d', Angelo, was a "real jerk," as you described, to us as well.

 

Agree!!!!

 

Had a bad experience with him 10+ years ago on the old regal,

and he lived down to my expectations on Carribbean recently

as well.

 

Another reason for 'cancel for any reason' insurance.

 

When I was on carribbean, a waitress is telling me about

her friend who was the maitre d's girlfriend.

 

I was shocked -- Balbiani?

 

She starts laughing -- of course not, the gent that he replaced.

 

(Who I think was propato)

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

When I was on carribbean, there was a gent trying to get

a partial refund on liquor he had bought on board, after he

saw the same in Cozumel for less.

 

He wanted $3.00

 

Do you know if he received it or not?

I checked with a Princess clerk at the liquor desk & they told me that if I had proof of the same bottle being sold at one of the ports for a lower price (like a printed advertizement or Photo of the bottle with a price) the ship would honor it. I've still got my doubts if that's true although I will try it on a St Thomas trip in November. Of course they'll hold the purchase till the last day where there

[A1A]

We as well as our friends onboard both saw the $800 onboard credit one night and the next night it dropped to $400 OBC. There must have been a glitch in their computer.

Marsha:D

 

Thanks Marsha!

We thought that may be the case. I wonder how many took advantage of their good fortune with a gaming spree and later found out it was a glitch! :D

 

Do you know if he received it or not?

I checked with a Princess clerk at the liquor desk & they told me that if I had proof of the same bottle being sold at one of the ports for a lower price (like a printed advertizement or Photo of the bottle with a price) the ship would honor it. I've still got my doubts if that's true although I will try it on a St Thomas trip in November. Of course they'll hold the purchase till the last day where there

 

They are serious about this when it comes to liquor, perfume and make-up. They want to make the sale, but I am not sure that it works by asking for a credit for the difference. If you find a lower price and show that to them, they will sell it to you for that price, that is my understanding.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

 

 

They are serious about this when it comes to liquor, perfume and make-up. They want to make the sale, but I am not sure that it works by asking for a credit for the difference. If you find a lower price and show that to them, they will sell it to you for that price, that is my understanding.

 

They were more serious years ago when the prices on the shelf were very close and sometimes better to what you would pay at a port but over the years they've discovered that most people don't bother to check port prices & just assume that the ship offers the best bargain.

I just noticed in one of the Mexican ports they're selling 960 ml size bottles. I suppose it another tactic to confuse the public. :rolleyes:

[pablo222]

Do you know if he received it or not?

I checked with a Princess clerk at the liquor desk & they told me that if I had proof of the same bottle being sold at one of the ports for a lower price (like a printed advertizement or Photo of the bottle with a price) the ship would honor it. I've still got my doubts if that's true although I will try it on a St Thomas trip in November. Of course they'll hold the purchase till the last day where there

 

I didn't stick around to watch, as my personal attention span

for getting as $3 refund is about 30 seconds. Less for watching

someone else do it.

 

In St. Thomas, I got a great deal on Cruzan rum at the Pueblo

supermarket. They have some special that was like 3 for something,

and something was about the price of 2 on the ship.

 

There was no point in approaching princess, as the pueblo had all

the Cruzan flavors, and the ship did not.

 

There is a pueblo about 10 minute walk from Crown Bay, and one

about a 15 minute walk from Havensite (close to K-Mart).

Edited October 5, 2014 by pablo222

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I didn't stick around to watch, as my personal attention span

for getting as $3 refund is about 30 seconds. Less for watching

someone else do it.

 

In St. Thomas, I got a great deal on Cruzan rum at the Pueblo

supermarket. They have some special that was like 3 for something,

and something was about the price of 2 on the ship.

 

There was no point in approaching princess, as the pueblo had all

the Cruzan flavors, and the ship did not.

 

There is a pueblo about 10 minute walk from Crown Bay, and one

about a 15 minute walk from Havensite (close to K-Mart).

 

I didn't see any prices at Pueblo to get me excited. Maybe it depends on what you're looking for?

[trixiegal]

I don't know how they could provide food right up to the last minute on the island? The guys have to clean up the setup & haul everything back to the ship. As it was they served food from 11:30 to around 1 PM and that seemed sufficient for most people to get what they needed. I'm not sure when the bars closed as we never stayed that late to find out.

 

 

 

Skywalkers on Princess isn't noted to be a hangout for the younger crowd although I'm surprised that it wasn't more crowded on that cruise since the crowd was much younger than the typical Princess crowd.

 

 

 

I didn't say they should keep them open until 4pm but closing 2 hours before is, IMHO, excessive. I watched them pack up in 5 minutes and the ride on tender probably takes 15 minutes so they could've stayed until at least 3 pm. I guess they are just short-staffed so they needed that staff back on the ship. Many of the people around me were extremely unhappy at them closing so early. Just was very unprofessional bc it should've been clearly stated in Patter (it wasn't) or by servers that they closed so early on the already short day on the island.

 

 

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[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I didn't say they should keep them open until 4pm but closing 2 hours before is, IMHO, excessive. I watched them pack up in 5 minutes and the ride on tender probably takes 15 minutes so they could've stayed until at least 3 pm. I guess they are just short-staffed so they needed that staff back on the ship. Many of the people around me were extremely unhappy at them closing so early. Just was very unprofessional bc it should've been clearly stated in Patter (it wasn't) or by servers that they closed so early on the already short day on the island.

 

 

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There's still a 1 1/2 hour window to get food & drink. We usually get there when it opens to avoid the peak rush at noon. I suppose if you get to the island late in the morning the hours they're open doesn't seem that long.

[pablo222]

I watched them pack up in 5 minutes and the ride on tender probably takes 15 minutes so they could've stayed until at least 3 pm.

 

As it takes about two hours to bring everything to the island and get

set up, 5-minutes for tear-down seems like a slight under-estimate.

 

At a minimum, everything on the line has to be discarded.

Trays and pans washed, and carted back to the tenders.

 

And, as so many passengers wait until the very end, do you want

the pontoons clogged with returning galley, or open for pax tenders?

[RickEk]

I checked with a Princess clerk at the liquor desk & they told me that if I had proof of the same bottle being sold at one of the ports for a lower price (like a printed advertizement or Photo of the bottle with a price) the ship would honor it. I've still got my doubts if that's true although I will try it on a St Thomas trip in November. Of course they'll hold the purchase till the last day where there

 

Absolutely true... we have done this numerous times and the price was matched every time. That, plus the elite discount definitely makes it worthwhile. We take the price sheet they provide ashore and check pricing... :)

Edited October 9, 2014 by RickEk

[trixiegal]

There's still a 1 1/2 hour window to get food & drink. We usually get there when it opens to avoid the peak rush at noon. I suppose if you get to the island late in the morning the hours they're open doesn't seem that long.

 

 

I'm not one to drink before 10 am, even when it's my birthday! Lol

 

I arrived around 10:30ish and got my first drink around 11:15 after settling in. I guess I assumed I had more time than I did for food and drinks. Also, I would think it profited Princess to have at least 1 bar open on the island until 3 pm. Staff kept saying they did but they were all closed at 2 on the dot. Many were upset. Must be because they are short-staffed. *shrugs*

 

 

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[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Absolutely true... we have done this numerous times and the price was matched every time. That, plus the elite discount definitely makes it worthwhile. We take the price sheet they provide ashore and check pricing... :)

 

Thanks for the idea which I hadn't even considered. With the 10% that you mention it I'll be buying my Disaronno from the ship. Princess's price last week was $24.99 and in St Thomas I've been paying $19.99 (1 Liter bottle). If they give me that additional 10% it means that I can get it for $17.99. :)

I don't know why they don't let more people know about the price matching? Seems to me it would increase their sales tremendously especially in ports like St Thomas.

I just noticed on the bottom of the Princess price list the statement "Princess Price Match Guarantee" on identical brands in port.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Lovetocruiseprincess

[jammen]

Great comments and glad you had a good cruise . I like Princess.

Edited October 11, 2014 by jammen

[Griller]

Absolutely true... we have done this numerous times and the price was matched every time. That, plus the elite discount definitely makes it worthwhile. We take the price sheet they provide ashore and check pricing... :)

 

I apologise if this has been asked before but are you saying that Princess shop will match the cheapest shore price you can give them some proof of - then deduct 10% Elite discount from that cheaper price?

 

I ask because we were looking at YSL Opium Eau de Parfum - Caribbean Princess currently $84. Dufry store ashore $73.

Now if I spent $100 plus in the Princess store in the first 2 days of the cruise and used the coupon from the coupon book the Opium would come down to about $75 then the 10% Elite discount would take it down to about $68. A better buy than Dufry.

Or if Princess match the Dufry $73 and also then deduct Elite 10% it comes down to $66 - much the same price and uses up some OBC which might be hard to use otherwise.

 

We did buy branded cigarettes ashore for $20.50 a carton, about $30 on Princess. Maybe we could have bought them for $18 on Princess with price match and Elite discount?

 

Can't be bothered too much with a buck here and there really.

Is it worth the time and messing about?

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I apologise if this has been asked before but are you saying that Princess shop will match the cheapest shore price you can give them some proof of - then deduct 10% Elite discount from that cheaper price?

 

I ask because we were looking at YSL Opium Eau de Parfum - Caribbean Princess currently $84. Dufry store ashore $73.

Now if I spent $100 plus in the Princess store in the first 2 days of the cruise and used the coupon from the coupon book the Opium would come down to about $75 then the 10% Elite discount would take it down to about $68. A better buy than Dufry.

Or if Princess match the Dufry $73 and also then deduct Elite 10% it comes down to $66 - much the same price and uses up some OBC which might be hard to use otherwise.

 

We did buy branded cigarettes ashore for $20.50 a carton, about $30 on Princess. Maybe we could have bought them for $18 on Princess with price match and Elite discount?

 

Can't be bothered too much with a buck here and there really.

Is it worth the time and messing about?[/quote]

 

I can't see how it any more inconvenient to take a picture & present it to the staff vs. buying it & carrying it back to the ship and now with having to use all my on board credit rather than getting in back in cash, why not since we can't comfortable spend all of it anyway?