just back from Caribbean Princess transatlantic

[Astro Flyer]

Brian...the Princess webpage about the Caribbean's drydock states that Slice won't debut until Fall 2017. I haven't read any post saying Slice is currently available so that date appears to be accurate.

 

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/cb-caribbean-princess/drydock-2017/

[1965]

I think I read that there is now a sandwich station in the buffet area. Did you happen to notice if they make grilled Reubens?

[IECalCruiser]

Brian...the Princess webpage about the Caribbean's drydock states that Slice won't debut until Fall 2017. I haven't read any post saying Slice is currently available so that date appears to be accurate.

 

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/cb-caribbean-princess/drydock-2017/

Frank, I do see that note. It is interesting because the Caribbean deck plans already show Slice and the Salty Dog Grill (a photo of the new Salty Dog Grill has been posted) post drydock but the new menus apparently won't roll out until she is back the the Caribbean for the 2017/2018 season. Sort of strange.

 

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[Times Prince]

Interesting read. Out of curiosity - was that Pentatonics, the accapella group (https://pentatonixthealbum.ptxofficial.com/ )performing on your cruise?

One of our cruises on Princess last year had the same Pentatonics group (note the spelling). They are not the a Capella group. That would be some awesome headline entertainment, but ...

[dides]

Frank, I do see that note. It is interesting because the Caribbean deck plans already show Slice and the Salty Dog Grill (a photo of the new Salty Dog Grill has been posted) post drydock but the new menus apparently won't roll out until she is back the the Caribbean for the 2017/2018 season. Sort of strange.

 

I spotted some Slice pictures on Twitter posted by Cruise Advisor so it is up and running

 

 

 

[OCruisers]

Thanks for the Slice pictures! :D

[sonomaphil]

Slice and Salty Dog are up and running but it's just a renaming right now with the new menu. The redesign will not be complete until fall.

[tv24]

We were on the same Transatlantic. My review will probably be published in the "reviews" section in a day or 2.

[tv24]

I think I read that there is now a sandwich station in the buffet area. Did you happen to notice if they make grilled Reubens?

 

Went to the buffet a couple of times at lunch. Did not see any sandwich station, and certainly no made-to-order Reubens. They did have pre-made sandwich wraps which were pretty good and made for a nice lunch combined with a cup of soup.

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks to everyone who posted that Slice is operational & for sharing photos. That'll teach me to believe Princess when they say something won't "debut until Fall 2017". :o

 

It's already debuted even though Prego's space hasn't yet been redesigned as Slice.

[MisterMet]

Were on the CB from Fort Lauderdale to Southhampton. Here are a few observations after we were the first on after the 2 week dry dock.

EMBARKATION We were 5 hours or so late boarding. We stayed at Rodeway Inn Cruise Port and they were very helpful. We got the room for extra hours-3 for no charge and transfer to Pier for 5. They knew about the delay before we got the text from Princess. We got to the pier about 3:30 and were on board about 5. Princess did what they could, given that they had lost a day of work in the Bahamas due to a bomb threat.

 

Condition of the ship and changes: I was a little worried, but the ship was in great shape. There were workers on it all week laying carpet and installing Wi-Fi cable. A few little trim things here and there but all in all it is a nice clean fresh ship. Much nicer than when we sailed her in Jan 2016. The new restaurants-Planks and Steamers actually result in a lot more space in the buffet than before. At night when they are for pay most are in the main dining rooms. We did eat in Planks and found it to be very good-bring your appetite because the amount of food is huge! We did not finish it. Very good addition to the ship. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

 

New beds. They are nice, but with a deep soft mattress topper on it. It could have been removed if you want. OK for most I guess, heard no complaints. The average age of the passengers was about 65 so it would have bothered a lot of old backs but no complaints heard.

 

 

Weather-nothing bad. no rain even on shore, 12 foot waves one evening was the highest. Very lucky. Was in the 50s during the day most days.

 

 

Music and entertainment- This is the only complaint I had. They only brought on 4 acts for the 7 sea days so had to repeat them. Most acts do their best stuff in the first performance and do not have enough material for 2 shows. A ventriloquist, comedian, and singer. The real talent is in the lounges.Walker Black duo was great as was the Crooners singer. Pentatonics was a very upbeat party band. We stayed until they quit each sea day night. Stage performances were very good-3 shows each night but the 830 filled the 840 seat theater by 800 to get a seat. 4 separate shows during the cruise, 6:45 was easier to get a seat. Bravo was a great show.

 

 

Food: Had no complaints. Ate in MDR most nights. Service was good as it gets nowadays. Just needed good table companions to visit with and it was a great time. Buffet at breakfast now has more offerings and more seating space. We ate lunch each day on balcony and room service was quite fast-never 30 minutes to get to room.

 

 

Ports- In Bermuda we rented a cab off the pier and took a 4 hour tour for 60us. Very good-interesting but expensive island. Great scenery. In Cobh we went to

Waterford Crystal-facinating to see the skill and the few people that actually work there. In Falmouth we went to Land's End and St. Ives. Get your guide to reduce the time at Lands End and go more to St. Ives. In France we went to D-Day beaches. Hard to tell the impact it has. Something you must experience.

 

 

Medallion system-lots of talk about it. As they were installing it they caused several plumbing problems- I think the idea is all wet anyway so it fits.

 

 

Pet Peeves-people taking up tables in crowded bars only to play computer games. If you are not going to pay attention to the performers and not applaud at the end because you cannot get your face out of your device at least go do it somewhere there is not a lot of people wanting in to the venue and not having a seat! Very disrespectful.

 

 

Final comments-great cruise. Princess does most things very well. Service was very good and people were friendly. If you wanted it and they had it you got it. Have no complaints and am looking forward to the Grand Princess in July and Alaska.:)

 

Thanks for the update. We are sailing her round the British Isles on 9/10/17 and was looking to see how she came out of dry dock. Thank you for your review.

[Thrak]

I am pretty sure that there will be new TVs installed eventually as CB is debuting with Medallion cruising March 18, 2018. At that time the TV is supposed to be an interactive kiosk for the cabin. There is a lot of work and changes to be finished before that sailing date and things can't all be rolled out at once. They really "should" have the new TV system in place by then though. I certainly hope so as we are booked for that cruise.

[cr8tiv1]

Music and entertainment- This is the only complaint I had. They only brought on 4 acts for the 7 sea days so had to repeat them. Most acts do their best stuff in the first performance and do not have enough material for 2 shows. A ventriloquist, comedian, and singer. The real talent is in the lounges.Walker Black duo was great as was the Crooners singer. Pentatonics was a very upbeat party band. We stayed until they quit each sea day night. Stage performances were very good-3 shows each night but the 830 filled the 840 seat theater by 800 to get a seat. 4 separate shows during the cruise, 6:45 was easier to get a seat. Bravo was a great show.

 

 

 

I had emailed a concern about this to Princess back on March 20 with a standard "we got it/later". Was cleaning out emails and noticed that I never did hear back from them a month later. So I called.

The answer I received today, by phone, was a sort of "too bad". I had inquired about the return of three performances. They will continue to have only two shows. "How about going to the first show and have dinner later" was the solution.

This is not very satisfactory in my opinion. Princess theater is the size for a grand-class ship. No accommodations were made when the bigger ships rolled out. Simple Solution: bring back three shows! Princess, are you listening?

[Mumzworld]

Excited to be on her in april 2018 10 day southern caribbean

[BoughtMyPoints]

Interesting read. Out of curiosity - was that Pentatonics, the accapella group (https://pentatonixthealbum.ptxofficial.com/ )performing on your cruise?

 

Funny. The Pentatonics on board were awful at singing IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION.

 

The very likeable lead singer Jodee from Canvey Island had to carry the band but she tends to shout when faced with a high note. The bandleader on keys is just a terrible singer and there were very little backing vocals. Yet, the Explorers' lounge was often overflowing for them.

 

I kept expecting a wedding party. That's the level of band they are.

 

 

I walked out on the Chapman Twins in the Princess Theatre, their manic soul efforts crossing the line into caricature. These UK performers all seemed oblivious to the mellifluous nature of R&B performance.

[tv24]

Funny. The Pentatonics on board were awful at singing IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION.

 

The very likeable lead singer Jodee from Canvey Island had to carry the band but she tends to shout when faced with a high note. The bandleader on keys is just a terrible singer and there were very little backing vocals. Yet, the Explorers' lounge was often overflowing for them.

 

I kept expecting a wedding party. That's the level of band they are.

 

 

 

 

I walked out on the Chapman Twins in the Princess Theatre, their manic soul efforts crossing the line into caricature. These UK performers all seemed oblivious to the mellifluous nature of R&B performance.

 

Unfortunately I have to agree with you. I found the Pentatonics to be like a band in a lounge at a Holiday Inn at the airport. Missing notes, loud in a bad way. I could not bear to stick around.

[ddled]

The band was not our favorite-I thought the Chapman twins were certainly energetic, but as you say did not rival what they were trying for sure........ One thing I forgot to say was that they did put on 3 shows most nights-6:45, 8:30 and 10. The 8:30 show was impossible to get into after 8 and so were some of the port talks during the day. Thanks for the comments on this little article- if we all write in and share our ideas on this forum it is a lot better.

[Thrak]

Funny. The Pentatonics on board were awful at singing IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION.

 

 

Please note the spelling difference. The onboard group was Pentatonics. The group linked in your quote is Pentatonix.

 

Bummer that you didn't enjoy the onboard entertainment. I was on a 17 day cruise where it was universally agreed that one of the performers was horrible. Really horrible.

[floridalover5623]

I think I read that there is now a sandwich station in the buffet area. Did you happen to notice if they make grilled Reubens?

They did have pre-made Reubens at the buffet in Feb. Nothing great but they did have them.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks to everyone who posted that Slice is operational & for sharing photos. That'll teach me to believe Princess when they say something won't "debut until Fall 2017". :o

 

It's already debuted even though Prego's space hasn't yet been redesigned as Slice.

 

Frank;

I got this Bridge in Brooklyn for sale if you're interested.....:D:D:D

Bob

[ChiCruiser758]

I just got back from the April 6-April 20 transatlantic cruise on the Caribbean Princess.

 

The new beds are a big improvement over the old beds. In addition to new mattresses they have new lovely soft sheets with duvets. They have four very soft pillows, which will be great if that is the kind of pillow you like, but the softness made it tough for reading in bed. I didn't find the mattress too soft--in fact, I use a softer mattress at home. Are the beds "fantastic?" Not to me, but taste in mattresses is very individual. Still, I found the mattress to be just fine, no complaints.

 

The biggest disappointment was the new World Marketplace buffet. The food LOOKS lovely, but the quality has definitely been downgraded. Much less beef and much more chicken and pork. And, the beef that was served was definitely "chewy." The food has been changed to more "ordinary" food, more like you would eat at home every day. One night the meat in the carvery was meatloaf. Pork belly was in the carvery two times. Sometimes the meat in the carvery was a mystery. On Easter, the carvery supposedly served brisket, but on taking a poll of the people at tables around me, it tasted more like corned beef. I yearned for the days when the buffet at night served the same food as the dining room. No more. As for the dining room, I checked the menu every day and there seemed to be more lower cost menu items than before. For example, it used to be that you could order steak at dinner if nothing else appealed. The steak option has been replaced by a hamburger. I talked to a couple who had sailed on the Caribbean Princess in December, and they said that the buffet had definitely been downgraded. The breakfast buffet in Steamers/Planks did have steak eggs benedict, but the steak was so tough I could barely cut it. Desserts (my favorite part of the buffet) were hit and miss. Some were excellent, some were tasteless. One thing that was always excellent were the bread/rolls/croissants--I became an addict.

 

The shining light in the buffet was the service. Drink orders were taken immediately and tables were quickly cleared. This was a necessity since the buffet was always full. The weather on the TA cruise cooled down to the 50's F after Bermuda, so few people ate outside.

 

The buffet always included Asian dishes (Thai, Indian, etc) but they weren't very good. There was also a Peanut Butter & Jelly bar--a concept I still don't understand. Why not a general "kids" area instead, with comfort food, and upgraded food in the rest of the buffet for the grown-ups wanting a treat from what they eat every day.

 

Note: I love buffets, because I can pick and choose, and determine my own portion size. I'm not wild about the dining room because I don't like to take 2 hours for dinner. I know that lots of people do love the dining room, and one of the things I like(d) about Princess was that you could either eat in the dining room for a sit-down or choose the buffet if you didn't want to get dressed up, and you had essentially the same food options.

 

Also, for those planning to sail the Caribbean Princess in the future and expecting to do a load or two of laundry on board, especially on longer cruises, the laundry rooms have been cut in half, so that they now have two washers and two dryers, as well as two ironing boards. The other half of the former large laundry rooms has now become staterooms for contractors. At least near the beginning of the cruise, there were also glitches with machines being out of order and change/vending machines not working. Since it costs $3 per wash and $3 per dry, it would have been nice if Princess hadn't downgraded this convenience, especially since having laundromats makes Princess different from many of its competitors who don't have that option.

 

I'm mentioning the problems, but I had a great cruise. My balcony stateroom was perfect and lovely for watching the ocean during our 7 days at sea. Stateroom service was outstanding, and room service breakfast never took more than 15 minutes to be delivered.

 

The ship felt crowded because it was full, and the normally popular pool areas got almost no use due to the weather in the 50's (although at least two of the pools were heated, as well as the hot tubs). Almost all indoor areas were crowded during the day, except when the ship was in port.

 

For the person who asked about the Internet cafe, it had lots of computers, and even when crowded there was always an empty computer--never a line that I saw. The Internet connection wasn't always the best, but after all, we were in the middle of the Atlantic. The Internet cafe staff was very patient and helpful.

[rocklinmom]

ChiCruiser, thank you so much for reviewing the new CB buffet! I was wondering what it would be like. Sounds not as good as before. Do you happen to remember anything about the new pizza menu? I know they are renaming it and updating the menu. My daughter loves their traditional cheese pizza and eats it every day, so wondering if that is still available.

[ChiCruiser758]

I can't comment on the quality of the new items on the pizza menu because I didn't try them.

 

However, the traditional cheese pizza is still available every day along with one other choice, such as pepperoni. (I didn't order pizza a lot, so someone else will have to answer any questions about pizza choices.) Partly because the weather was brisk and the pizza counter is outside, I didn't see a lot of people ordering pizza.

 

I found the pizza okay, but nothing spectacular. It seemed a little stale. Personally, I prefer the California Pizza Kitchen Frozen thin crust pizza to the pizza served onboard. Still, I expect your daughter will be satisfied. Since I live near Chicago, I'm spoiled for choice of all types of pizza, and I may be too picky.

 

On a related note, the free soft serve ice cream is fine, not the best I've ever had, but also not the worst. The portion of ice cream was generous. I thought the ice cream sandwiches were worth the $3 charge. My favorite was Snickerdoodle, with cinnamon ice cream between two snickerdoodle cookies. However, if you like your ice cream sandwiches hard enough that the ice cream doesn't spurt out when you bite it, be sure to ask for a hard ice cream sandwich from the bottom of the freezer.

[floridalover5623]

On a related note, the free soft serve ice cream is fine, not the best I've ever had, but also not the worst. The portion of ice cream was generous. I thought the ice cream sandwiches were worth the $3 charge. My favorite was Snickerdoodle, with cinnamon ice cream between two snickerdoodle cookies. However, if you like your ice cream sandwiches hard enough that the ice cream doesn't spurt out when you bite it, be sure to ask for a hard ice cream sandwich from the bottom of the freezer.

They're actually selling those sandwiches? It's surprising since you can get all the free ice cream you want in the DR.

[ChiCruiser758]

At Coffee and Cones, the ice cream is free. It is soft serve, chocolate or vanilla, or chocolate/vanilla swirl. There is a charge for milkshakes or malts, and several flavors of ice cream sandwiches.

 

I wasn't surprised or disappointed with the charge for ice cream sandwiches, because I knew about it ahead of time, and they were very good--much better than standard ice cream sandwiches. The ice cream sandwiches were flavored ice cream between two actual cookies.

 

I knew that ice cream in the dining room was free, but wasn't sure whether you could order ice cream sandwiches. In any case, I'm one of those people who doesn't like to take the time for a long sit-down meal. I know that other people feel exactly the opposite, and I like that Princess accommodates them both, similar to the way it has both Anytime dining and Traditional fixed seating.