5 Day Carribbean Princess Thoughts

[TheDoug]

Greetings Cruise Critic People,

 

This will be my very first review, but I have read hundreds of these in the past as I have prepared to go on different cruises. My wife and I have been on a lot of cruises since we’ve been married, and during the last few years, we’ve taken our boys with us, who are 3, 7, and almost 10. I’m basing this review on my experience, as well as my boy’s thoughts around the cruise, and the activities they had, as well. I read a lot of reviews on here, but don’t see a whole lot that go into the kids clubs and experience of the kids, which I think is one of the main things we look at when spending our vacation funds.

 

As I mentioned above, my wife and I have taken several cruises now, but our favorite line is definitely NCL. I work in a high stress environment all day, dealing with a lot of executives who are all Type-A people. I wear suits and do grown up stuff all the time. When I go on vacation, the very LAST thing I want to do is put on another suit, or act fancy in any way, shape, or form. For me, its all about relaxing and having a good time, and NCL does this the best in my opinion. But, alas, this cruise was not on NCL, but Princess. So, you will find a lot of this review is comparing the two lines, which might or might not be fair. But, maybe someone out there is trying to decide between the two, and this will be helpful.

 

So, with those caveats in mind, here is my review of our 5 day adventure on board the Caribbean Princess:

Pre-Departure Day:

An on-time flight out of LAX put us into Fort Lauderdale Hollywood at almost 11:00 PM in the evening. Even though it was only 8:00 PM for us, our boys were going stir crazy in the plane, and couldn’t wait to get out. We finally found a cab, and got to the Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale at midnight. Since by that point, everything was closed, we ordered some pizza from Downtown Pizzeria. (Great Place) We eventually fell asleep around 2:00 AM.

 

Departure Day:

View from the Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale

 

Waking up late the next morning, we got everything packed up, and called for an Uber XL at noon. Seven minutes later, our driver pulled up, and we got into a nice, newer Chrysler Town and County. Since I had a promo code, the ride over to Port Everglades was completely free, but otherwise would have been $18.00. (Keep in mind, this is for the XL version)

 

We had heard the cruise would be pretty empty, but it was shocking to show up and have absolutely no line. The person checking us in told us the boat was less than ½ full, and this would prove to be absolutely true on this voyage, making it one of the strangest cruises ever.

 

We did all the check in, and then ventured over to the boat. We walked across the gangway and into the ship. No one was there to greet us. No one said hello. We simply walked in, and over to the elevator. This was the weakest entry to a cruise of any cruise I have been on. Even a simple greeting would have been better than nothing.

 

We then went to drop our stuff on in our room, which was a pretty standard balcony cabin. We were able to upgrade a few days before when prices started getting crazy low. The cabin was nothing special, and included all the same amenities and stuff as any other cruise line. Some of the good bad about the cabin experience –

Good:

• Room Service Menu was a little more extensive than most. There were some nice sandwiches and salads, which I thought was nice. The one time we ordered it, the food came pretty quick, and was tasty.

• My wife and I had two cabins, as we split up the three kids. The cabin attendants were nice enough to put both ceiling beds down, so the boys could take turns sleeping with Mom or Dad, depending on who was staying up late that night.

• The balcony seemed a bit bigger than the ones on NCL. I am 6’ 7”, so it was noticeable when I stuck my legs out.

 

Bad:

• WORST.CRUISE.BED.EVER. I could feel the coils in the bed, and had to put multiple comforters and our own kid’s blankets on top to just get semi-comfortable.

• Shower curtain might as well be made out of paper. It was about as useful. I much prefer the showers with doors on them that NCL has.

• Only one electrical outlet in the room. This would not have been a big deal if you could actually plug two devices in at one time, but the way the prongs are aligned, you would have to have really small plugs to charge two devices at one time.

 

Continuing with the day one activities, we met our friends upstairs and had lunch. They had brought their kids, and this was their first cruise, so we were excited to hang out with them. We ended up eating at the buffet, which was OK. They tended to have a lot of fancy sounding food, and weird concoctions that sounded very sophisticated and elegant. They usually tasted a like an upgraded Golden Corral. I mean, Golden Corral can be good if you are hungry, and this was much the same. We usually ended up meeting in the buffet to eat, and some people would get food there, and some of us would get pizza (AWESOME) and/or hotdogs and burgers and bring it back. I was disappointed that the buffet never had anything remotely kid friendly. There were never any chicken nuggets, fries, etc. Maybe Princess hates kids.

 

Speaking of kids, our next stop was the Kids Club. We had one in Shockwaves and one in Pelicans. I’m going to try to post some pictures here, as I could never find any online that were not generic Princess marketing collateral. The kids club was a mixed bag with Princess. On the plus side, the facility itself was top notch. It had a ton of windows, space for the kids to play outside, and plenty of activities for the kids to do. We sailed on the NCL Getaway earlier this year, and the kids club there had no windows, and was in a really tight space. The NCL staff though, was 1000000000000% nicer than the people on Princess. I found the Princess folks to be almost mean. In fact, my three year old said they were “meanies”. They just seemed unfriendly, and almost annoyed to see you dropping your kids off. That’s not to say our kids were miserable. Overall, they had a good time, and made new friends. I just wish the people working there were not so grouchy.

 

To wrap up day one, we headed back to the cabin, and got ready for dinner in the Coral Dining Room. I have to say this is one area where Princess shines. The food and service in their main dining room was exceptional. With NCL, you feel like to get any kind of good food or service you have to eat in the specialty dining. This was not the case on Princess. Our servers were always top notch, and the food was prepared just the way we liked, and usually delivered very quickly. I wish there were more spicy offerings, but that would probably be my only criticism.

I will write more about the rest of the trip later, but that’s it for today.

[socaljo]

Nice start to your review! Great pics of the kids clubs too! One hint, there is one extra plug-in available behind the TV, not very convenient for shorter ones, so I cruise with a power strip!

[I object 2]

Thanks for taking time to write a review. I'm looking forward to reading more about your family's experience and observations. We'll be doing a b2b on her next month. Would you please let me know which evening was formal night?

 

Jan

[lynwar]

Thanks for your review. We were on this ship in 2004 and then again this past September.

We had an interior room. From what I saw in our cabin, there were plugs on the wall by the "desk", as our lap top was plugged in there. The lights were there, too. Chargers for cameras were plugged in there, also, as I remember. And, we used the outlet in the bathroom, as usual.

I'm happy to hear that you've had good experiences, among your iffy ones. We never traveled with children so can't speak to the staff behavior. Sorry about that.

 

We've always had decent experiences on our cruises up to this point--10 with Princess. I'm waiting to read more about your cruise. I hope you enjoyed a good part of it.

And, thanks for the pictures.

 

The only thing this time that was a bit inconvenient for us was the fact that the overhead or bunk beds were in there and we had to watch that we didn't hit our heads when we got up. Our bed was comfortable. It was really a cabin for 4 people which would have made it very crowded I would think.

 

Lynne

[JimmyVWine]

Thanks for the review. With respect to "kid friendly food" at the buffet, keep in mind that there are over 6 billion people in the world and the vast majority of them have never seen let alone eaten a chicken nugget. The food at the buffet is perfectly kid friendly. Just because the buffet does not have junky, gimmicky fast food doesn't mean that it doesn't have food for children.

[caribill]

I assume you found that the dining room has a child's menu.

 

Chicken fingers (not nuggets) is one of the items on it.

[rocklinmom]

Love your review so far! Can't wait to read the rest.

[Hobbsey]

Thanks for this review. It is a real concern that the service levels were allowed to slip to the point that no one was greeting during embarkation and that the attitude of the Kids Counselors was surly. This is not at all what one would expect and I am sure that the cruise line does not want that to be how folks experience "COMING BACK NEW".

 

I wonder if the ship being sold at 50% affects the actual staffing levels and also affects the service staff's attitude knowing that the auto tips will be light that week??

[Iamcruzin]

Thanks for the Review comparing the two lines. My kids are young men now and I don't think they would enjoy a Princess cruise like they did when they were in the kids club so I'm looking a different options. It's funny that you mention the lack of Fries and chicken fingers in the buffet. Those were a staple for my kids when we sailed. I guess the offerings have changed.

[TheDoug]

Before I launch into the next part of this review, let me address the people with the comments about chicken nuggets. If you don’t think that chicken nuggets are important to have with kids on board, you definitely don’t have small children, or your children are leading a very sad life. Our kids don’t eat at McDonald’s every day, but they do occasionally get fast food, and when we are on vacation, and eating out, they deserve to eat what makes them happy as much as the adults do. There are 5 billion people in the world, but the cruise ship leaves the U.S. and mostly caters to a U.S.-based demographic for the cruise that we were on. If Princess is going to try to market to families (they have an ad on TV showing a very American dad carrying his daughter), I think they would be well served to tweak this particular area, as far as the buffet is concerned. Overall, this is such a minor issue, but since people felt compelled to call it out, I feel compelled to address it. And for those of you that mentioned chicken nuggets being on the main dining room menu, I did see that, but we usually have our kids in the kids club at dinner, so we can have a nice relaxing meal as adults. The one time they did join us, they really did like the kids menu and the food.

So on to Day 2…

Day 2 – Nassau/Formal Night

First of all, I found it a bit odd that the formal night was the same night as a port of call. I mean, doesn’t everyone need lots of time to get all fancied up and whatnot? As I said in my intro, when I am on vacation, I don’t want to get dressed up. I realize to some people this a big reason why they like the cruise, as they get excited about getting pictures and everything, but I am not that guy. I basically hate formal night, and wish cruise lines would get away from making people feel like they have to get all dressed up.

I realize this statement will massively offend 80-90% of the Princess demographic, as there is definitely a sense of pretentiousness that abounds with a lot of the passengers on board. Its not as bad as Celebrity, but people can definitely have the attitude that they are on the Queen Mary. Not everyone is like this, but there were so many people on the boat that would have drown if it started raining.

OK, sorry for the rant…

We originally thought about taking one of the shore excursions that Princess Offers to the beach, but after looking at Trip Advisor, it sounded like this was going to basically suck. So, I did some research and did something I have never done on a cruise before: I booked my own excursion. Usually I’d be freaked out about missing the boat, but this one was at the Hilton right by the cruise terminal (10 minute, very safe walk). It was $60.00 for adults, and $40.00 for kids and included a $40.00 food and beverage credit for the adults, and $20.00 for the kids.

The resort itself was really nice. You walk in to a very grand entrance/lobby area and pay for the rest of the excursion at the front desk. They then give you bracelets, and cards to give the outdoor waiter with your credit on it. You walk to the back of the hotel, and then you are outside on the beach.

The facilities here were quite nice. They had a very nice pool, an area with comfy outdoor furniture, and all sorts of chairs at the beach. You could use anything just by asking for it: kayaks, snorkel stuff, soccer/volley balls, etc. They had towels that you could use and return for dry ones, but it was super laid back, and no one was tracking exactly how many towels you had or anything like that.

The food was very good. I had a chicken jerk wrap, and it was the kind of chicken that you knew was walking around earlier in the day. It was fresh and tasty. My wife had a burger and the kids all had chicken nuggets, since they couldn’t get them at the buffet. 

We spent the rest of the day there, with plenty of credit left for drinks when we wanted them. We basically lounged around on the furniture, dug in the sand for treasure, and swam in the pool. It was a really relaxing day, as there were very few people that knew anything about this deal, so we basically had the place to ourselves.

When we arrived back on the boat, there was no kind of greeting. No wet towels, or anything of that sort. You just got on. Not a big deal, but several other lines make this more of an experience. NCL at the same port earlier this year gave us chilled towels and appetizers. They had a band playing and several crew members that would warmly welcome you back.

We then got ready for dinner. I ended up going business casual with a nice shirt and pants. My wife wore a nice dress and looked smoking hot.  We ate dinner with our friends, and then we all decided to watch the comedian Al Katz. Wow, was this guy HORRIBLE. They should have just had people come up and tell their favorite joke. I mean, this guy was not funny AT ALL. He kept saying stuff like “Thank you, person in the back…” because they were the ONLY ONE laughing at his terrible joke. If this guy is on your cruise, don’t waste your time. Just go the casino and lose all your money. That would be way funnier than any of his jokes.

Posting some pictures here of the resort, so you can see how nice it was.

[lynwar]

Hello,

We were scheduled to go to Nassau once but got hi-jacked by Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 so missed it. Your excursion sounds good, and something to keep in mind. I like to have the ships in sight when I disembark. :) That said, when we went to Dominica, we were walking around downtown and a van pulled up with the driver saying he needed another couple to fill it, $16, each. So, Hubby wanting some adventure, got us on board and we got to see the Tropical Rain Forest and had a nice afternoon with a good group. We don't do that very often. If we go, it's usually ship sponsored.

 

We had the towels and the greetings on our September cruise, so maybe you, or someone else is right; reduced staff. We kind of ran into something similar in 2006 on the Carnival Legend. It was the week after Thanksgiving and the activities weren't abundant, nor the pools open (closed for repair). We did meet some great roll call people who have continued to be friends to this day.

 

As for formal night, we have opted for the Horizon Deck more and more. Casual, one on one service, cloth table cloths and good silver, a glass of wine, basically the same food as downstairs and a wonderful sunset. Cheers! :)

 

We haven't seen this comedian. He was also on the ship in September, but enjoyed the entertainer in Crooners so stayed put in there.

 

I'm looking forward to your next installment. Lynne

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[lynwar]

I watched the Ruby as she was leaving port and the horn was blown. You are on your way, again!! Enjoy.

 

The HAL Westerdam left ahead of you.

 

Lynne

[JimmyVWine]

Kids who don't eat chicken nuggets lead a very sad life?? Seriously?? I guess every child in Paraguay and Sweden is very sad.

 

As for formal nights, it is great to have choices. Princess makes no secret about the fact that it has them. If you find them to be the height of pretentiousness, choose another cruise line. But don't choose a line that has them and then complain that that they should scrap them. It is no more fair to call Princess passengers pretentious as it is to call NCL passengers slobs. Different lines. Different expectations.

Edited December 6, 2014 by JimmyVWine

[Hobbsey]

We have almost always booked our excursions separately from the cruise line. It can save real money and it can offer smaller groups and more varied experiences.

 

That said, sometimes it makes more sense to use the ship if the time in port is limited or the excursion is taking you far from the ship and you have a risk of missing the boat (so to speak).

 

I am enjoying this review, there are things in it of value to those of us who do not limit ourselves to a single cruise company, who might travel with kids and not understand the difference between lines and for those of us who might want some basic info on this particular ship at this particular time due to impending departures.

 

On another note, I hope the food fight ends soon - so much waste in the face of so much want.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Kids who don't eat chicken nuggets lead a very sad life?? Seriously?? I guess every child in Paraguay and Sweden is very sad.

 

As for formal nights, it is great to have choices. Princess makes no secret about the fact that it has them. If you find them to be the height of pretentiousness, choose another cruise line. But don't choose a line that has them and then complain that that they should scrap them. It is no more fair to call Princess passengers pretentious as it is to call NCL passengers slobs. Different lines. Different expectations.

 

 

Amen!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[StarShine55]

So because I like to dress up I'm uppity? If you don't care for an activity no one is forcing you to do it.

[shredie]

So because I like to dress up I'm uppity? If you don't care for an activity no one is forcing you to do it.

 

I guess you haven't been reading here long, have you? :) Formal wear fights are a staple around here.

 

My grandkids loved the kids' club on each of their Princess cruises. They always ate pizza at lunch even though they are perfectly happy to eat nuggets and fries any time. They LOVED the pizza. At dinner, they always got the adults beef medallions.

[StarShine55]

You are right Shredie, I haven't been reading very long. It is a little amazing to me how some will turn their personal preferences (which everyone is welcome to have) into attacks on the character or preferences of others.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review, looking forward to the rest of it.

[shredie]

You are right Shredie, I haven't been reading very long. It is a little amazing to me how some will turn their personal preferences (which everyone is welcome to have) into attacks on the character or preferences of others.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. :D

[CruiserN1]

Thanks for the review. We're saying on CB on Jan 3, our second Princess cruise. FWIW, I agree about formal night. I don't choose a cruise based on the presence/absence of it, but I'd just as soon not have to deal with it. We're considering doing a specialty restaurant that night---I really don't like buffet meals.

[Topo Gigio]

Just came back yesterday from a B2B on the Eurodam & Regal Princess. I didn't even take a tie with me, because I also hate elegant night. But because I don't like it, that doesn't mean that I don't respect people that do.

 

Btw, I think a cruise is the best place to try new things when it comes to food.

 

Just a small observation. It reads much easier if you can make your report in paragraphs.

[Hobbsey]

Thanks for the review. We're saying on CB on Jan 3, our second Princess cruise. FWIW, I agree about formal night. I don't choose a cruise based on the presence/absence of it, but I'd just as soon not have to deal with it. We're considering doing a specialty restaurant that night---I really don't like buffet meals.

 

I fear that the OP has moved on from his review and from the Princess boards keeping many of us in the dark about the rest of his experience.....

 

I'm with you both all the way. I'll be on this ship end of January with my Dad and he likes a more traditional cruise so we'll put on a jacket and tie formal night at our 6PM nightly meal assignment. My last cruise with my wife on Celebrity we booked "Choice" dining and went to a Specialty Restaurant on "formal night" to avoid the dress up parade (been there/done that).

 

With bigger ships and alternate dining venues the cruise lines market these options to make a broader spectrum of guests happy - with lots of berths they need lots of bookings.

[hllwdcruiser]

I realize this statement will massively offend 80-90% of the Princess demographic, as there is definitely a sense of pretentiousness that abounds with a lot of the passengers on board. Its not as bad as Celebrity, but people can definitely have the attitude that they are on the Queen Mary. Not everyone is like this, but there were so many people on the boat that would have drown if it started raining.

 

Did you really just say this on a Princess Board? What kind of reaction did you think you would get?!?!

 

Enjoy all your future cruises on NCL - I'm sure they appreciate your business.