Caribbean Princess Post Dry Dock-Hits and Misses

[esstheman]

Any opinions on the reboot of Sabattini's, which was supposed to debut on the Caribbean?

[DrivesLikeMario]

I am hoping for a slightly different outcome. When Royal debuted, Princess started charging a fee for Alfredo's. The outcry was palpable, and it soon changed over to being an "included" venue as it was on other ships (despite the fact that the menu was more expansive). This is how I would like to see Princess approach Planks and Steamers. I like the introduction of additional dining venues with focused menus. But I don't think that passengers should pay extra for what amounts to being "road food" like BBQ or clams. Casual fare should be included in the overall price just as it is with the Pub Lunch on sea days. There is no good reason why the passengers in the MDR are dining on shrimp cocktail, escargot, veal, lamb, French onion soup, short ribs and lobster tails for no extra cost while people in alternative dining venues are having hamburgers, steamed clams and pulled pork for a fee. I don't have any issue with paying for Specialty Dining when the atmosphere and fare justify the surcharge. But casual roadside food offerings that are no more "luxurious" than the food served in the MDR or buffet should be part of the cruise fare. It is insulting to pay extra for a lower level of dining. So while I have no issue with the additional venues, I hope that the "failure" is in the pricing and not the offering.

 

Totally agree. I hope Princess is listening.

[Lucky TGO]

Thank you for your feedback!

 

Ditto!!

Tony

[Dachsie5]

Could you still get to those outside tables or were they also reserved for Steamers/Planks?

 

Bob

 

I'll jump in to answer as I w also on this cruise. Yes, you can walk through and eat out there. I ate lunch there quite often.

 

Patty

[Dachsie5]

Have they also discontinued the theme nights in the buffet such as German night?

 

I was on the same cruise - Yes, there were no theme nights at the Buffet. Seemed like the same choices every night....One night they ran out of the Carving meat at 8pm and were bringing out small pieces to carve and most were taking almost all of the meat then you would have to wait again. Very poor planning. Very disappointed.

 

Patty

[travelers07]

Agree with Patty. You could get to the tables out back- enjoyed the day in Bermuda watching the sailboats practice for America's Cup. After that it was too cool to even try.

 

Just a caution about cabin E721. Starboard mini suite closest to the front- but still very far aft. I had always wanted to try this cabin and just lucked into it at the last minute. But the balcony floor was filthy and covered in metal bits. Had the steward clean it but it was still bad- and of course we stepped on the sharp bits.

 

Bigger problem was the smell on the balcony. It was foul! We thought it was from the floor and the steward worked on it more. By the third day we had the supervisor in to help. She was wonderful but said it was a vent that was smelling. She also said our balcony was used for welding by the dry dock guys. She was not shy about her anger at them for their mess. She said they were lazy and did not do nearly enough of what they were supposed to do. She mentioned the tv upgrade in particular. She did offer us a different cabin but it was far forward and I know those can be tough in rough weather. We decided to stay.

 

In hindsight- always 20/20- we should have moved. Though the weather was cool we could never even step out without the horrible stench.

 

Good luck to all CB cruisers- we are done.

 

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Vines does only serve wine except for the Regal, Royal and I assume the Majestic. Those three ships have full bars at Vines, no others do.

 

 

On Emerald, Ruby, and Crown my husband could get Jack Daniels at Vines. A couple who didn't "drink" was able to get a virgin drink.

The bartender told us it was any drink they had at the bar.

[sonomaphil]

On Emerald, Ruby, and Crown my husband could get Jack Daniels at Vines. A couple who didn't "drink" was able to get a virgin drink.

The bartender told us it was any drink they had at the bar.

 

I'll be on Ruby Friday and will update. Unless something has changed at Vines on those 3 ships (I've been on them all, last trip one of them was Emerald one year ago) they have no soda guns, liquor or mixers at all. They may have some very high end cognac possibly. The bartender at Vines usually directs them to the bar by the International Cafe. They are welcome to come back to Vines with their drink.

[JimmyVWine]

I'll be on Ruby Friday and will update. Unless something has changed at Vines on those 3 ships (I've been on them all, last trip one of them was Emerald one year ago) they have no soda guns, liquor or mixers at all. They may have some very high end cognac possibly. The bartender at Vines usually directs them to the bar by the International Cafe. They are welcome to come back to Vines with their drink.

This was exactly the situation on CB in the Fall. (Not sure if the drydock modifications changed anything.) We witnessed a passenger get visibly irate at the server in Vines for not being able to provide a mixed drink. The crew member pointed them to the Lobby Bar a mere 30 steps away and told them that they could bring their drink back to Vines, but apparently that wasn't good enough and the guy wanted a server to come over and take his order.

[MGAfhc]

I'll jump in to answer as I w also on this cruise. Yes, you can walk through and eat out there. I ate lunch there quite often.

 

Patty

 

Can you walk through there in the evening when it is operating as an extra charge venue and has a hostess at the desk? Could you carry a meal from H-court through the new spaces and out to the back? It used to be so convenient to just duck in the door for coffee and dessert.

[framer]

IMHO

 

HC = was terrible.

 

Planks = was good but needs some tweaking. Pull pork and pork ribs were excellent the rest was just OK. Could use more selection of sauces. Other options would make it much better.

 

Steamer = was not tried because I talked to 5 people that eat there none would recommend it.

 

Crown Grill = Excellent as in the past.

 

Salty Dog Grill = Tried regular hamburger twice and the bun was hard and stale both times, Taco's were good.

 

Slices = Same good pizza, new California toast had a cheese on it that was terrible.

 

MDR = very inconsistent, had a couple of good meals but I had to send several meals back because they were cold of just not good. I've never had to do that before in 18+ cruises. Service was just OK because they seem under staffed.

 

IC = Excellent

 

Room Service = The best, saved the day several times. Fast, hot, fresh.

 

The cruise itself was fine, I agree the new shows were very good. Embarkation & disembarkation went real smooth. Room Steward was great one of the best I've had. Did several excursions from the ship that were nice, no issues. Bed was a big improvement.

 

All and all if they would just tweak the food in a few areas they would have a 1st rate product until then I give it a grade of C, average.

 

I was on the April 20 - May 1 cruise.

 

 

framer

[sp2]

I would also like to know whether you can still access the old Horizon Court (now called Marketplace?) from the aft doors (which now go into Planks and Steamers presumably) in the daytime and the evening? Also, is the area above the Terrace Pool (just outside of Planks and Steamers) still a smoking area?

 

I am trying to decide on an aft Riviera deck cabin for an upcoming cruise and am hoping someone can answer.......

[VaCruzers]

Hello to those who have recently sailed since the dry dock and thank you for posting about your experience! Could you please comment on whether the deck chairs have been upgraded from the white plastic framed ones to the metal framed ones?

 

We, too, book Riviera aft and have enjoyed the easy access through the Cafe Caribe doors to traverse Deck 15, so I would hope that is still possible.

[OCruisers]

...............................

Salty Dog Grill = Tried regular hamburger twice and the bun was hard and stale both times, Taco's were good.

..................

framer

 

Thanks for your comments on everything -- both the good and the bad.

Especially glad to hear the TACOS we good. Love tacos! <3

[Crzn-Life]

Hello to those who have recently sailed since the dry dock and thank you for posting about your experience! Could you please comment on whether the deck chairs have been upgraded from the white plastic framed ones to the metal framed ones?

 

We, too, book Riviera aft and have enjoyed the easy access through the Cafe Caribe doors to traverse Deck 15, so I would hope that is still possible.

Yes the deck lounges are metal. Don't know about aft area access in the evening since we were only in the Planks/Steamers area @ lunch on port days.

 

Our biggest disappointment with eating on 16 was there is no made-to-order omelet station in the Marketplace buffet and the omelet station in Planks shuts down at 9:30 a.m. However a couple of times the guy who was making omelettes in the buffet made a fresh one for me.

 

We didn't find the buffet to be any worse than the one on the Coral in March. Sadly it seems that all Princess ships have gone to the repeated menus in the buffet. Lots of apparent cost-cutting with menus, portion sizes & overall food quality.

 

 

 

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[spunks]

We agree with the OP. Many improvements were good, namely the beds were very nice and MUTS is now High Definition. This was our 13th TA and second on the Caribbean Princess so we know what to expect when coming out of dry dock.

 

We seldom eat in the MDR since Curtis Stone took over the menus so we only ate in the MDR once on this TA. It was not good. The Crown Grill was good but not great. The new Market Place buffet was a total failure in our opinion selection was very,very limited.So much space was dedicated to sandwiches that only one meat was offered.Badly prepared brisket most days with some form of chicken sometimes and also pork belly( at least that is what the tag said it was). Very few vegetables offered. Sadly, most days the lunch and dinner were exactly the same. One lady called the manager over and showed him her brisket. She beat it on the table and called it hard as a hockey puck. I ate hamburgers or pizza most of the time.

 

The lay out of the new Market Place buffet was open and looked nice, but much seating was eliminated. They installed to sinks on each end for washing hands......4 sinks for hundreds of people. Most just walked past them. There were no hand sanitizers available.

 

This was our 38th Princess cruise and our 3rd on the Caribbean so it is hard for me to be too critical of Princess. We will continue to sail Princess but never again will we go on the Caribbean Princess.

 

Doug

[NavyVeteran]

We didn't find the buffet to be any worse than the one on the Coral in March. Sadly it seems that all Princess ships have gone to the repeated menus in the buffet. Lots of apparent cost-cutting with menus, portion sizes & overall food quality.

I don't think they've cut the portion sizes in the buffet.:)

[Crzn-Life]

I don't think they've cut the portion sizes in the buffet.:)

 

That's funny. You're right about the portion sizes in the buffet; people still load up their plates. But in the MDR the portions really are smaller which actually is a good thing. The one that is not a good thing is the size of the ice cream scoops. :( Now it would take almost 3 scoops to equal what used to be the generous 2 scoops.

[NavyVeteran]

That's funny. You're right about the portion sizes in the buffet; people still load up their plates. But in the MDR the portions really are smaller which actually is a good thing. The one that is not a good thing is the size of the ice cream scoops. :( Now it would take almost 3 scoops to equal what used to be the generous 2 scoops.

I have no problem with smaller portion sizes in the MDR as long as they continue to allow ordering as much as you want. This reduces waste from the people who don't eat as much, while still allowing people who want more to order seconds.

If the size of the ice cream scoops in the MDR is too small for you, just order two orders. Then you get four small scoops which is more than the two large ones you used to get. What's the problem?

I haven't tried the new Sabatini's menu yet, but I would have a problem with small portions there since you can't order seconds without paying an extra $10.

[philliesgirl48]

Thank you for the review, good & helpful info. We sail on the reverse ta in Sept. Really looking forward to our cruise!!

 

I will be on the same cruise too 9/22

[parrottfam]

Thanks so very very much for your time to give us a CB report. :D

Seems most of the changes are on Lido Deck (15).

Did you go to the Salty Dog Grill that was Trident Grill and if you tried the $5 burger?

NOTE: To get the sushi at Vines it's ANY drink ... does not have to be wine. ;)

Tried a couple burgers, but not the $5 one, and some chicken, and some of the fries. Was pretty good, but not quite as good as Guy's Burger Joint, similar to Dive In on HAL.

[parrottfam]

I'm presuming that only one side of the buffet is open for serving so if the seating is full can you take your food to sit in the other side.

Both sides were usually full.

[parrottfam]

Could you still get to those outside tables or were they also reserved for Steamers/Planks?

 

Bob

We love to eat outside, and did so at these tables 1st few days, but after that it was much too cold on this cruise to utilize those tables. And never tried to access these tables during dinner time.

[parrottfam]

Sigh... I guess I'm just a crabby old man but I really wish people would not use ship abbreviations if they don't know the proper ones.

CP = Sea Princess - NOT Caribbean Princess

 

One can always go to the Princess site and click on the name of a ship. Included in the URL that shows up in the address field is the ship abbreviation:

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

 

CB - Caribbean Princess

CO - Coral Princess

KP - Crown Princess

DP - Dawn Princess

DI - Diamond Princess

EP - Emerald Princess

NP - Golden Princess

AP - Grand Princess

IP - Island Princess

GP - Regal Princess

RP - Royal Princess

RU - Ruby Princess

SA - Sapphire Princess

CP - Sea Princess

TP - Star Princess

SP - Sun Princess

MJ – Majestic

PA - Pacific Princess

Sorry I used the wrong abbreviation. Will know better in the future. But I don't study Princess ships, and cruise on many different lines. Sorry!

[tv24]

We were on the TA as well. The workers continued to install the carpeting in the hallway and were not doing a good job. Very, very sloppy. Oh well. We tried to go to Steamers at Noon twice, but no food service open. Planks was open as a limited buffet, but nothing for Steamers. Did not understand that. Went to Salty Dog on the first at-sea day and waited in a long line for a ho-hum fast food experience. Did not understand why this was anything special. It was like going to a crowded Wendy's. After the first day, the weather got colder and Salty was not popular. On the other hand, we loved Club Class dining, but that had nothing to do with the dry dock changes.