Rare CineGraphic Posted January 10, 2015 #1 Share Posted January 10, 2015 This was our 3rd time sailing with Princess, and out 7th cruise overall, we've sailed on everything from Carnival to Raddison Seven Seas. (now Regent) Boarding was quick and easy since we didn't arrive until 2pm. The carpets on both buffet dining rooms were filthy. Yes, they must incur tons of spills while serving thousands daily, more the reason to steam clean them as often as possible. The carpet in our cabin looked fine when it was awash with bright Caribbean sunlight, but with the lights off, you could see just how worn down and buckled it was. The bathroom grout had years worth of brown film all over it. Princess really needs to stop booking über cheap cabins for the sake of filling them up and spend some time giving empty cabins a thorough cleaning. Cabin bathrooms are obviously not getting the cleaning they need during the short turn-around times between cruises. Other problems: Cushions went missing on many of the chairs and benches in the Piazza on our last at-sea day when everyone is stuck on board. Hopefully they were being cleaned, but it would have been smarter to do this in the middle of the night or while we were in port. Another not-so-brilliant idea, varnishing the railings on the Promenade Deck just before sailing away from our 2 stops in Mexico. This is when everyone wants to lean on the railing and watch. Again, bad timing, no consideration for the passengers. Cabin TV picture quality resembled 70's quality, and the Movies Under the Stars screen seemed more like stadium scoreboard quality as compared to today's HD quality. The last pic is of a table in Churchill's with two huge burn marks. I asked Princess why this table had not been repaired or replaced and they chose not to answer this particular questions. They did however promise to pass these pics to upper management. Whether they do something about it is another story. My last question to Princess which also went unanswered was, "Do I have to book solely on the newer, higher-priced ships to insure that a ship will be clean?" I expect the areas where I sleep, bathe and eat to be clean, is that too much to ask for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcsunlover Posted January 10, 2015 #2 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I was on the ship early in December. I have to agree with your opinion of the condition of the MUTS screen - it was pretty bad. Our balcony was filthy, although the rest of the cabin was clean, just a little worn. Cabin tv was old and the internet was non-existent. I didn't notice stains anywhere else, but I wasn't actively looking either. We booked her again for March because the itinerary is right, but for the first time in our cruising history, I'm not excited about the ship at all. I really hope Princess isn't focusing so much on the new ships that they are neglecting updating the older ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruizinSherry Posted January 10, 2015 #3 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Oh no, I am going on the CB at the end of March. Hopefully things improve:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted January 10, 2015 #4 Share Posted January 10, 2015 That's a nice post. Well-written, thoughtful and objective. I suggest you copy it (and the photos) into an e-mail and send it on to customerrelations@princess.com simply as an FYI. They need to know these things are noticed by passengers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Paula_MacFan Posted January 10, 2015 #5 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Cabin tv was old and the internet was non-existent. Are the TV's the old bulky kind, and not a flat screen?? We've got 2 upcoming cruises booked on the Caribbean Princess so would like to know what to expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 11, 2015 #6 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Seems like more and more coments about tired looking ships. I am wondering the same thing, the standard just does not seem to be there anymore. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamomo Posted January 11, 2015 #7 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I was just on the CB in August for 9 days and did not see any of the sort of issues the OP posted about, My cabin was in fine shape, the bathroom was very clean, the ship itself looked fine, and my friends and I had a marvelous time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcsunlover Posted January 11, 2015 #8 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Are the TV's the old bulky kind, and not a flat screen?? We've got 2 upcoming cruises booked on the Caribbean Princess so would like to know what to expect. Ours was a small flat screen. It was up on a shelf close to the ceiling. I found it awkward changing the channel while laying in bed because I had to hold the remote up over my head to get it to work. I think we were spoiled by the large, interactive tvs on the Royal that were mounted on the wall directly in front of the bed. I'm sure you can have a have a good time on your cruise. :) I have another cruise in March on this ship which I wouldn't have booked if we hadn't had a nice time. the weather was good, as was the company, service, and food. Nothing I found wrong with the CB was significant enough to us to not sail on her again but I did notice that she is looking a little worn in places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted January 11, 2015 #9 Share Posted January 11, 2015 We were on the CB for two short cruises last week. I did not notice any major problems with cleanliness. Our cabins were both very good--no dirty grout. We saw them replacing the carpet in one corridor on the Emerald Deck the day we were in Princess Cays. They're constantly sanding and varnishing railings. I always look for a sign before touching one. The day we were in Cozumel, they left a card in our cabin saying that they'd be working on our balcony. We never saw them out there and never saw any sign that they'd been there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynwar Posted January 11, 2015 #10 Share Posted January 11, 2015 We were on this ship in September 2014 after a 10 year hiatus. We had no trouble with our cabin or our TV-except that there weren't many channels-but that was no biggie. We really enjoyed ourselves, and had good food and a great singer in Crooner's. No complaints here. Yes, we saw the man varnishing quite often, but that almost got to be a private joke-. I will agree that the railings were tacky at times. There will be no perfect ship for everybody. I would sail on her again, too. Lynne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolane1 Posted January 11, 2015 #11 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Ours was a small flat screen. It was up on a shelf close to the ceiling. I found it awkward changing the channel while laying in bed because I had to hold the remote up over my head to get it to work. Oh yeah, I forgot about holding up the remote. LOL. Pictures don't lie. I haven't been on the CB in years and was always so fond of her. Sailed her at least 4 times. It is disappointing that Princess isn't maintaining the ship better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weedpindle Posted January 11, 2015 #12 Share Posted January 11, 2015 On the ship in Sept. I guess it has degraded a lot since then because I thought it was fine. Much better shape than the Grand actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 11, 2015 #13 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Are the TV's the old bulky kind, and not a flat screen?? We've got 2 upcoming cruises booked on the Caribbean Princess so would like to know what to expect. There were the old crt tv's then they put in the small viewsonic flat no HD screen computer screens but no new on demand system flat screens yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.S.Oceanlover Posted January 11, 2015 #14 Share Posted January 11, 2015 This was our 3rd time sailing with Princess, and out 7th cruise overall, we've sailed on everything from Carnival to Raddison Seven Seas. (now Regent) Boarding was quick and easy since we didn't arrive until 2pm. The carpets on both buffet dining rooms were filthy. Yes, they must incur tons of spills while serving thousands daily, more the reason to steam clean them as often as possible. The carpet in our cabin looked fine when it was awash with bright Caribbean sunlight, but with the lights off, you could see just how worn down and buckled it was. The bathroom grout had years worth of brown film all over it. Princess really needs to stop booking über cheap cabins for the sake of filling them up and spend some time giving empty cabins a thorough cleaning. Cabin bathrooms are obviously not getting the cleaning they need during the short turn-around times between cruises. Other problems: Cushions went missing on many of the chairs and benches in the Piazza on our last at-sea day when everyone is stuck on board. Hopefully they were being cleaned, but it would have been smarter to do this in the middle of the night or while we were in port. Another not-so-brilliant idea, varnishing the railings on the Promenade Deck just before sailing away from our 2 stops in Mexico. This is when everyone wants to lean on the railing and watch. Again, bad timing, no consideration for the passengers. Cabin TV picture quality resembled 70's quality, and the Movies Under the Stars screen seemed more like stadium scoreboard quality as compared to today's HD quality. The last pic is of a table in Churchill's with two huge burn marks. I asked Princess why this table had not been repaired or replaced and they chose not to answer this particular questions. They did however promise to pass these pics to upper management. Whether they do something about it is another story. My last question to Princess which also went unanswered was, "Do I have to book solely on the newer, higher-priced ships to insure that a ship will be clean?" I expect the areas where I sleep, bathe and eat to be clean, is that too much to ask for? nice to hear they are starting to varnish. When we went on the CB in 2012 the railings were almost down to the bare wood. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KruzPrincess Posted January 11, 2015 #15 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Thanks for your report. I'm shopping a cruise on the Caribbean right now. I'm torn between the CB and a new ship. I just had a similar experience with some maintenance issues on the Grand and don't know if I want that again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrzebird Posted January 11, 2015 #16 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I was on the Royal for a repo in October (beautiful ship) and 2 days after that cruise, I boarded the CB for 4 day. I love the CB and have sailed her almost exclusively. But I will admit I was a bit apprehensive that she would fall short after being on the Royal for 10 days. She did not. Oh, granted she didn't have the updated TV, and my cabin wasn't quite as large as the one on the Royal (both insides), but for cleanliness, I saw nothing that would cause me to take photos or think she was a 'dirty girl'. From the picture, the grout looks like it might have been that color (I'm sure you know they make grout in many different shades, including brown). I don't go looking for problems, but when there is one, I do notice, and I didn't see any issues in November. Perhaps you should have contacted the hotel manager, or housekeeping, and had them come to your cabin for a first hand look. Every cabin has its own issues and I'm sorry you got one with so many. But look on the bright side, you got a cabin with no bathroom issues! Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun Posted January 11, 2015 #17 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Hi All We all know that on any cruise we will find ongoing maintenance, painting, varnishing, replacing carpets, etc however what I think we are seeing is cost saving process, where the time before treatments is getting longer, carpets have to last a year longer etc taken fleet wide such things save millions, yours Shogun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deise17311 Posted January 11, 2015 #18 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I commented similarly after our May 2014 cruise and was chased with torches on this board...and this was right after refurb...the ship needs a good cleaning and maintenance...hot tubs not working, carpets filthy...these are things that don't take much effort but keep people feeling like Princess has standards on their ships...for mass market are they not considered at the top rung along with Celebrity and such... Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruiseprincess Posted January 11, 2015 #19 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Maybe we're not a critical when it come to sailing on the older ships but I'll be looking for the the exact same things mentioned from the OP. The carpets are shampooed all the time so I'm thinking it was some sort of a permanent stain & schedules for replacement. On the Royal they were varnishing hand rails all the time same as the CB the last time aboard. It's an ongoing maintenance item that's to be expected. We normally don't attent MUTS but their resolution on the CB can't be compared to the Royal. It's almost like comparing the old TV system to HD TV. ;) Are the TV's the old bulky kind, and not a flat screen?? We've got 2 upcoming cruises booked on the Caribbean Princess so would like to know what to expect. The cabin TV's were the old tube type. Smaller but still not a bad picture by any means. I didn't have a problem with the remote so much as the lag when changing volume or channels. It seemed to take 5 seconds to respond to commands. At least you can plug in to the TV to see your own video's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruiseprincess Posted January 11, 2015 #20 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I meant to add a photo of the CB TV's on the last post. Old but not bad at all. The shelf also provides a great place to store & recharge all your electrical items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deise17311 Posted January 11, 2015 #21 Share Posted January 11, 2015 It's not about people searching for the bad, it's about princess maintaining their ships at the standards they advertise and that are expected for a top rung cruise line... Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shredie Posted January 11, 2015 #22 Share Posted January 11, 2015 I guess things have gone downhill since I was last on her in 2013. She was in fine shape then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted January 11, 2015 #23 Share Posted January 11, 2015 As mentioned before, our cabins were fine. The thing I forgot about until this morning was that the swim-against-the-current machine was not working in the spa pool. It did not look like anyone was working to fix it on our two cruises. Maybe they're waiting for a part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendon Posted January 11, 2015 #24 Share Posted January 11, 2015 To the OP's review of the CB, I felt the exact same way on the Celebrity Summit...did I have to cruise on a new ship to get a good experience? The Summit was so dirty that two months after being off...it failed health inspection! Too late, I won't do Celebrity again! Princess, are you listening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Paula_MacFan Posted January 11, 2015 #25 Share Posted January 11, 2015 (edited) I meant to add a photo of the CB TV's on the last post. Old but not bad at all. The shelf also provides a great place to store & recharge all your electrical items. I couldn't get the link to open, but thanks for trying answer my question anyway! Edited January 11, 2015 by Paula_MacFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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