Looking for positive CP reviews only

[mary07054]

am going on my first cruise on cp in august. all the reviews so far are starting to make me a little bit nervous about picking this cruise. Friends say i should stop looking at the boards because you get too many opinions. please post some positive reviews. Is it just because it is new and this is typical?

thanks so much

[jad828]

mary- I don't think you should change your mind about taking this cruise. Of all the people on board the ship there is only so many who visit message boards. I think you need to go and make your OWN decision. I am sure all these people still had a great time despite the negatives.

 

Until we sail on Caribbean Princess!!!!!

 

 

Caribbean Princess 4/17/2004

Adventure o/t Seas 9/7/2003

Sea Princess 1/2001

 

 

 

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[cruzenmama]

Mary...look at it this way, there really weren't that many negatives: everything else is positive. Also, it gives you something to think about on the ship, were the negatives all that negative.

 

Jeanne-Marie

 

Caribbean Princess 10/16/2004

Triumph 4/26/2003

Triumph 4/13/2002

Sensation 96-01

Destiny 97

Costa Victoria 99

Horizon 95

Noordam 89

 

[igloo42]

Hi Mary - the ship is beautiful and the crew is excellent - the only negatives any of the 15 folks in my group saw were all first time jitters and certainly nothing that dampened our fun-time on a great cruise. The cabins are great (lots of storage room!), the food was fabulous!! and our service was great - Princess will have everything running smoothly probably by next week & anyone who has ever gone on a shakedown cruise knows that things can happen & should understand that they are on a ship where the crew is getting to know the other members and the layout of the ship just as the passengers are.

 

Every cruise is what you make of it and I completely enjoyed the entire 7 days of our cruise and totally wish that I was doing a back-to-back right now!

 

Please feel free to ask any specific questions if you have any concerns.

 

Doreen

 

igloo42

[CruiseFever]

Mary- IMHO the observations we are reading that are represent less than glowing reports are exactly what we need to hear.

 

Puff posts about the wonder of it all offer little substantive information for us to process.

 

As with anything I read on here I try to look between the lines and gather just the facts then make up my own mind. Sometime's that's not so easy but it can be done.

 

As noted here and there, different people view the same situation differently. While I might find waiting in a line boring and annoying, you might relish the thought because you enjoy talking to the other people standing in line and have made some really great friends doing so.

 

Get it?

 

On "negatives" look for consistency. The old saying "where there's smoke, there's fire" aptly applies here. If numerous reports indicate that some new feature was not well received, that might be something to be concerned about.

 

On the other hand, yes, some reports are consistent with a new ship on it's first run and should be worked out in time.

 

Personally, that surprises me though.

 

I fully expected Princess to be better organized. It's not like this is the first ship they've ever launched. Much of these things that sound like opening night jitters should could have been taken care of before paying passengers boarded with some additional dry runs.

 

I suspect that previous launchings were smoother but she sure looks like a beautiful ship and we sure are looking forward to sailing her.

 

After experiencing what I understand is a typical Princess product for the first time on our Golden cruise last month I am fully confident that they are working hard to get that ship in line with the high standards they hold for the rest of the fleet.

 

Bottom line: I wouldn't worry about it

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Carnival Victory 12/19/04

Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

 

[mary07054]

thanks everyone - you certainly made me feel alot better. now i will get excited again.

[rogerpl]

Chris is right on. When reading reviews esp the negative reports look for repetitve comments. The only consistent complaint so far relates to P.C. dining. The ship isn't taking on water and sinking so I'm still going.

 

Roger - Caribbean Princess -May 15, 2004.

Marco Polo 1999

Sensation 2001

Galaxy 2002

Pride 2003

 

[derf5585]

I was on the Coral Princess last year had a great time very little to complain ab whoops you mean the other CP. Not this CP.

 

I belong to SPIT Society for the Prevention of Initled Titles.

 

USS Chilton APA-38 1966-1968

USS Guam LPH-9 1968-1970

Pacific Princess Oct 21 2001 Bermuda

Golden Princess Dec 7 2002 "Eastern Caribbean"

Coral Princess Dec 9 2003 "Panama Canal"

 

Carnival Miracle 17 Oct 2004

 

NOT UPDATED again 25 Feb www.geocities.com/fsbsdel

 

 

[SC Minnie]

We were also on the CP last week. Yes, there were 'bumps' but so what. It was much nicer there last week than sitting in my office today.

 

We had Anytime Dining and did have to wait. We went to the dining room on deck 6 and there was a line and long wait. We went down to the one on deck 5 there was only 1 or 2 couples ahead of us and were seated in just a few minutes.

 

Don't sweat the little things you will be on vacation! So what if you have to wait an extra 5 minutes to get food its not like you will be starving to death.

[roe2ship]

Mary, I guess us Jersey girls have some same characteristics (sp) because I too was a little worried after reading some of the threads yesterday. However I went to re-read some of them and agree with Chris and Roger the most negative issue was with the PC dining (which I selected) and I am not worried about it now.

 

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04

 

 

[mary07054]

just got a little info on pc dining.

I called princess and had discussion at length on this topic. they said "Yes, reservations are recommended or you will definitely have to wait" also said i should not change to traditional. Said TA are suppose to tell their clients about making reservations at the restaurants prior to 11 a.m in the morning. She also said this info is in the boarding docs when you get them. And this so makes sense with over 3000 people on board. Who thinks with that many people you show up and expect to sit right down.

I'm keep PC dining. I don't want to have to eat the same time every night. She recommended after I board the ship to make reservations for each night. then you will be all set for the week. and that's just what i am going to do.

Ya know what - Now i think it is good for the negative info on on these boards. Since now I know I can rectify it before incurring that problem. Hopefully info i got today is correct.

[roe2ship]

Mary, thank you, that is exactly what I plan on doing...making my reservations for the entire week as soon as I board.

 

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04

 

 

[sue d. miller]

Hi Mary. Exactly as Roe said, make your reservations as soon as possible after you board. We have read several reviews, all great, of negative and positive. All with individual opinions, Thank goodness. It will be like traveling to the same destination we know and love, but staying at a different hotel this time. new things to check out, but still the comfort of what we love. You will still be on princess, out in the ocean, and every cruise is what you make it. Please don't board with fears. Go with an open mind, with the knowledge you have gained here, with many more reviews to follow in coming weeks, and have a wonderful cruise.

 

Sue

7 days on Star Princess 10/24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Travalot]

I don't know if it will be the same for you, but on our cruise we were only allowed to make reservations for specific time periods (before 6:15 or 6:30, or after 8 pm).

 

PC dining is highly dependent on when the dining rooms fill up. If it is an early port day and everyone heads to dinner, the dining room may be full by 6:00, and then no one can be seated for at least an hour or hour and a half. We only ended up waiting once for any appreciable time, but we did not try to eat between 7 and 7:30. YMMV

 

HAL's Ryndam - Northbound Alaska - May 28, 2004

 

[cruzenmama]

it seems to me that if you have to make your dinner reservations when you board for the week that this defeats the PC purpose. I mean that if you already have to plan your week in advance what is the purpose of PC dining. You should be able to decide when to eat when the mood strikes, so to speak. Sorry, JMO.

 

Jeanne-Marie

 

Caribbean Princess 10/16/2004

Triumph 4/26/2003

Triumph 4/13/2002

Sensation 96-01

Destiny 97

Costa Victoria 99

Horizon 95

Noordam 89

 

[BBMom]

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Susan

[Kellyann]

Jeanne-Marie & Susan,

I agree with both of you. I thought it was promoted as anytime dining. Although I won't be on the C.P. until 9/11 and they'll have plenty of time to iron out the kinks, I'm concerned that reservations are required far ahead of time. I've always had traditional dining and this time, I booked with Princess because of the luxury of eating dinner as though I was at a restuarant. If I wanted a set time, I would've booked Traditional. What's the story here? Another concern is they were promoting food available 24/7 and now I'm reading only ice cream that has a fee and the Caribe Cafe with God knows what on their menu for late evening fare. If I wanted a ham & cheese sandwich at midnight or a cheeseburger late evening, where is it available? Overall it sounds like a beautiful ship with much more positives than negatives. Thanks everyone for your helpful comments.

[CruiseFever]

Sometimes I wonder just how many people actually DO use PC "as intended" stopping in to dine at a time that's convenient for them, varying it from night to night.

 

Doe anyone have a feel for that?

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Carnival Victory 12/19/04

Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

 

[roe2ship]

I agree if may defeat the purpose somewhat but not entirely. First off, with traditional you do have just the one time slot, right. With PC, even if you make your reservations earlier in the day, you can choose to eat at seven different times for a seven day cruise. Second, you do not need to sit with the same tablemates every night and this is important to me if I am looking just for a table for two one of those nights.

 

Caribbean Princess 7/03/04

 

 

[sue d. miller]

Hi Kellyann, i found out this morning that the Horizon Court is open till 11:30 every nite. The nite it closed at 5:30 was only on one side because of passover. The other side was open. At 11:30 the Caribe bistro opens with sitdown menu service with multiple menu items that includes a serloin steak. At 4:30 the horizon opens again for coffee and pastries, and sets up for breakfast.

 

Sue

7 days on Star Princess 10/24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[karen_cpa]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CruisingIsLife:

Sometimes I wonder just how many people actually DO use PC "as intended" stopping in to dine at a time that's convenient for them, varying it from night to night.

 

Doe anyone have a feel for that?

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

http://www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/26/04

Star Princess 10/24/04

Carnival Victory 12/19/04

Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

i have always wondered the exact same thing. what is the point of PC dining if you have to make a reservation the same time every night? is it just that people did not like the "traditional" dining times for some reason? every post i read is that PC dining is busy during the normal dining times - then why not go to traditional and never have to wait???

 

Voyager of the Seas

Tahitian Princess - 10/03 (Our Honeymoon)

Carnival Paradise - 08/02

[serene sea]

Now, this is really confusing! Who says you have to make a reservation every night?

[SchoolBob]

I agree. One of the reasons that Princess appealed to me was the anytime dining. How do I know when I want to eat dinner four days from now? At home, I never eat dinner at the same time every night. Is the PC program simply a marketing ploy? On the other hand, when I go to a nice restaurant at home, I don’t mind waiting a little while (20-30 min). Do they give you a pager and put you on a list like many restaurants now do?

 

5/8 Caribbean Princess

[Rustynail]

Come on guys no negatives on this thread. We want only the fluff.

 

Rusty

 

 

CARRIBEAN PRINCESS JAN 2005

 

CARNIVAL'S LEGEND JAN 2003

CELEBRITY'S CENTURY DEC 2003

 

[minooka]

Hi All - I have done PC dining on the Grand,(2x) the Golden, (3x) the Coral (1) and the Caribbean Princess. The system works very well on all but the Caribbean Princess, and that might just be "inaugural blues"! We go whenever we are hungry, get a table for 2 and our longest wait was 20 min. - the majority of the time we were seated immediately. On the other ships, they do give you pagers if there is a wait and I think that will also be initiated on the CP eventually. I agree with Chris, they probably should have done 2 more weeks of shake-down cruises instead of boarding passengers 2 weeks early. But this is a beautiful ship, the service was excellent, the food in the dining rooms was delicious and I know anyone who sails on her won't be disappointed. Have a wonderful cruise...Carol

 

16 cruises and still counting...