Caribbean Princess Dry Dock

[loriva]

Also just off CB on Friday. I asked an officer (sorry, I failed to notice his exact position) about the upcoming dry dock. He said they would have a complete swap out of soft furnishings throughout the ship plus updates to the engines and electronics (ship built in 2004). No major structural changes (i.e., Skywalkers is not being removed for more cabins--I asked specifically about that.)

 

Agree with other posters that CB needs some new furnishings. But also agree with the observation that crew were working all over the ship--cleaning, scraping, painting, and putting new varnish on wood railings. Except for some windows that never had the salt spray washed off of them, the crew seemed not to be slacking off in anyway in advance of the dry dock in a few months.

 

The other consistent problem did seem to be with the plumbing system. On both days I was in the spa/gym, both of the toilets in the ladies' locker room were out of order. My husband said one in the men's locker room was also out. Crew was working on them and one was fixed in the ladies' room.

[scomar]

We were on the CB last October and again in March. During those cruises they replaced the carpet in the HC and in several other areas at night when most pax were in bed. We saw crew members painting and cleaning every day as we have on other ships. We also saw them load new mattresses and I assume they were used during the cruise. The ship is always updating, repairing and replacing every day. The main effort in a dry dock is to clean and paint the hull.

 

We were on a Royal Caribbean cruise once and they decided to replace the carpet in the buffet area while people were eating. They block off one side and people ate on the other. The noise and smell from the glue was terrible. Easily could have been performed after that area was closed for the night.

[RNGALNG]

Greetings!

 

We too just got off the Caribbean. We were on for three weeks - January 6th till the 28th. We were in R738. Love the aft of any ship. Here's the scuttlebutt we heard and know to be happening.

 

DH rode the elevator up one day with the computer geek onboard. He was told that in dry dock, every room will get a repeater so that the internet will work better, and yes, more juice added to it too.

 

Our room steward said there are folks onboard now, already working behind the scenes. It all can't be done in 11 days. Beds will be changed out, new sheets and bedding along with mattresses.

 

This ship will also be wired for the new medallions that will start soon there after. Interactive screens will be added all over and the new TV system like on the Royal will be added, we were told.

 

The railing along the 16th deck around the aft pool was all removed and revarnished the last sea day.

 

saz25, we walked by your room many times a day, for three weeks. Your room was located across from the galley they use for the buffet and the dishwashing area for the same. The smells you had were from that. Especially the dishwashing area. It happens.

 

Somewhere in the second cruise, we walked out of our cabin to a small waterfall along the outside walls and drips from the ceiling. It was taken care of promptly. Things like this happen. It was after a rough sea day that this took place.

 

The last sea day of the last of our cruises, we went up to have breakfast in the buffet and the port side was all shut down and heat was pouring out. The air was definitely turned off. That side remained off limits the rest of the time. I noticed the galley on our floor had the door open and heat poured out there as well. We were told there was a water leak somewhere and they had to turn the air conditioning off while things were repaired. I can't imagine having to work in there!

 

Things are happening! We will be back on for the TA coming back to the states this fall and can't wait to see all the updates!

[BarbinMich]

. . .

 

The last sea day of the last of our cruises, we went up to have breakfast in the buffet and the port side was all shut down and heat was pouring out. The air was definitely turned off. That side remained off limits the rest of the time. I noticed the galley on our floor had the door open and heat poured out there as well. We were told there was a water leak somewhere and they had to turn the air conditioning off while things were repaired. I can't imagine having to work in there!

 

We were on the ship the last two weeks as well. Thanks for explaining both the crowd on the starboard side of Horizon Court/Caribe Cafe and the heat on that last sea day. We always ate on the starboard side and wondered why suddenly there was a mob of people there!

 

BTW, I checked the details of the Force 9 conditions we experienced on the first day out of FLL the second week: 47-54 mph winds, waves up to 20 ft. Fortunately we're immune to sea sickness, but I heard there were many pax who were not so lucky. Attendance was way down at Bingo that day!

Barb

[DrivesLikeMario]

If your car needed new seat covers, would you jack it up and place it on blocks to put in the seat covers? NO. You'd just do it.

 

That's what the cruise line does to replace mattresses: they just do it. A truck pulls up to the dock, unloads a truckload of mattresses, waits for hours, then hauls away a truckload of mattresses. They probably only do it on turnaround day, but they could do it any day in port, and/or stash some mattresses in a storeroom and switch it out while you're at the spa.

 

That's true. I watched it happen in LeHavre, France. Two big flat-bed semi-trucks came rolling up with new mattresses. Unfortunately, my bed wasn't one of them that was replaced. It had more lumps in it than I've ever seen.

[AdoraBelle]

Is there any reason I should fear the sailing right before drydock?

[Colo Cruiser]

Is there any reason I should fear the sailing right before drydock?

 

I have seen posts on CC from cruisers onboard cruises before a dry dock that saw major construction and deconstruction before the dry dock started. Areas off limits, construction equipment supplies stacked up in places.

It should not be that way but it's very possible.

[Woobstr112G]

I have seen posts on CC from cruisers onboard cruises before a dry dock that saw major construction and deconstruction before the dry dock started. Areas off limits, construction equipment supplies stacked up in places.

It should not be that way but it's very possible.

 

Very true.....

 

Bob

[OCruisers]

Greetings!

 

We too just got off the Caribbean. We were on for three weeks - January 6th till the 28th.

Our room steward said there are folks onboard now, already working behind the scenes.

 

Hi Leslie & Dave!

We were on for the same Jan 6 - 28 with you.

Yes, there were folks there working behind the scenes.

Two men were in Churchill's taking pictures and making notes on every piece of furniture.

LuLu

[RNGALNG]

Hi Leslie & Dave!

We were on for the same Jan 6 - 28 with you.

Yes, there were folks there working behind the scenes.

Two men were in Churchill's taking pictures and making notes on every piece of furniture.

LuLu

 

 

Hello, LuLu! We too saw some evidence of work being done behind the scenes. I can't wait to see how she turns on in the fall when we reboard! Can I last without cruising till then?

 

Making PTO as we speak!

[OCruisers]

Not as long for you as it is for us.

We won't be back on her again until January 2018.

[RNGALNG]

The winter warm up will happen for us in February and on another ship instead. . . But it's all good!

[floridalover5623]

Is there any reason I should fear the sailing right before drydock?

 

 

Nothing major that I've seen except water temperature in the rooms from time to time.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

We were on the the CB last week and was talking to the head waiter in Sabatini's one morning about the upcoming drydock. He said the rumors he heard, was they were going to update Sabatini's. Either remove or change the columns, different ceiling, and put in a fresh pasta machine. Be interesting to see if any of this happens during drydock.

 

We also seen a lot of paint work going on during the trip, along with some new mattresses being loaded when we got on the ship.

[floridalover5623]

We just returned from the Caribbean Princess. Just outside R707 was a bad sewerage smell that lasted the whole week. Shouldn't this be resolved during a dry dock ?

 

If that's true, avoid cabins near R707!!!

 

 

I'll take a walk by today to see if it's improved.

[floridalover5623]

I tool a walk past R707 this morning & didn't detect any unusual smell.

It could have been caused by from some wind blowing back into the ships vent system on different days.

[Alaskanb]

What is included in soft furnishings? Bed linens. drapes, pillows????????

[Nein2]

Looking forward to TA afer dry dock. We were on an 8 day on CB a couple of weeks ago. One of my favorite ships.

[floridalover5623]

What is included in soft furnishings? Bed linens. drapes, pillows????????

They're doing that each time they return to Ft Lauderdale.....in stages.