Just Back from CB- First Time on Princess

[KenM]

Just returned today from the CB and our first Princess Cruise.

 

We have around 20 cruises under our belt but this was the first on Princess.

It was great. We were very impressed with the product. We had two balcony cabins on the Caribe deck.

 

The ship is very nice and the public rooms/entertainment are comparable or better then HAL and Celebrity. The public rooms are quite spacious and eloquent.

The princess theater had great seating and every seat was a good seat.

 

The quality/selection/service of the food in the dinning room is good. The lunch buffet in the horizon could be much better. I must say that Celebrity is a clear winner in service and food..AIN'T even close but that is not to say that Princess is bad- just not as good in this area....

We did anytime dining and I really liked this option. We ended up at the same table every night with the same crew. We picked 8pm every night. We have always been a "traditional dining" but were forced into this and it worked for us. Just be sure to make a reservation EARLY in the cruise for what you want...

 

We did Sterlings and it was very excellent.

 

I had read comments like " the crew was not friendly". I found everyone to be great..There were some language issues but they were easily overcome.

We never felt crowded except the first day in horizons but that is to be expected.

 

There are many more options for entertainment as compared to Celebrity and HAL. They had great bands and Bert Straiton is everything everyone described..Looks like Jim Carey. I found him to be very entertaining.. Princesss should hang onto him...

Steve Morris was a GREAT comedian- NOT TO BE MISSED. HE left the ship after this cruise - not sure where he is going but he was the best...

Some of the other comedians were really really bad.

I also liked the size of the Casino.

 

I would definitely recommend the ship; and yes I would cruise princess again.

 

The real downer was the shower.. You might as well soap the walls of the shower and just turn around four times and you are done.. Whoever designed

the bathroom shower should be fired. IT is something that will never be corrected and it is a real shame that people will talk about the showers on this vessel forever......

 

Overall, we had a great time ....

 

Would be glad to answer any questions..

[crusdiva]

Ken,

Thanks for the great review, glad you enjoyed the CB and Princess.

DH and I sailing the CB again in a few weeks. Would you happen to have a Patter, or do you remember who was the Maitre'd and CD?

We heard of a sad incident on your cruise and were just wondering if would you happen to have any more details about the woman who drowned on a diving excursion? My heart goes out to her family.

Thank for any info you may have and Happy Holidays.

[Coral]

I haven't been on the Caribbean Princess but I will agree with you about the showers and the buffet. Lately, I have been booking minisuites which have tubs/shower combination which is much better. I also avoid the buffet and eat in the dining room for breakfast and lunch.

 

Glad you had a good cruise!

[Nicole721]

Welcome back!

 

How rough were the seas? I think I read a post saying it was a bit rocky and we leave in two weeks with an aft suite...and one person who's easily sea sick!

 

Thanks! :)

[ushcruiser]

You will love the Caribbean Princess. We just got off two weeks ago. Cruise Director is James Lay. The whole cruise staff are a blast. Especially Shaun from South Africa. Gorgeous. I wish I would of found out when his contract was over and which cruise line he was going to be on next. They were the funnest bunch of staff. I am jealous but have a good time. Any questions, just ask. I did keep the princess patters.

[marly]

When was the last time you cruised on Celebrity? We just got off Constellation last week and the food has gone downhill big time.

 

We've decided that on the whole we like Princess better than the other lines we've cruised, and Caribbean Princess is our favorite ship despite the shower! :)

 

Glad you had a good cruise!

Marly

[Coolmama_1]

Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for the review.

[KenM]

Thanks for the responses and some answers to your questions.

 

1. Nicole: The seas were like being on a lake. We all remarked that we had never seen the ocean so calm..and the weather was superb..mid 80's...

 

2. Marly: We were on Celebrity last year and we are booked for Alaska in July on the Infinity. Will find out how the food compares. Hope that the quality hasn't declined but since the merger- anything is possible.

 

3. Crusdiva: We were in St Maarten at approx 2pm when the diving incident occurred. We had just returned from sailing on the Stars and Stripes.

I was standing on the balcony when the call when out on the diver on the starboard side. It was very sad. The dive boat came to the ship. The captain called an emergency response and the zodiac was launched to assist. They took her on board right at the medical door on deck three just below where our cabin was located. You could tell that she had expired. There was nothing that they could do..but they made a valiant effort. I believe that they tranferred her body off the ship before we sailed.

It was so sad- all we could do was say a prayer for her and her family....

 

I suspect it was an embolism more then drowning since it was on a dive, unless you have more details. I always wonder about the equipment used outside the states. How often the tanks and regulators are inspected..

This was kept very quiet on the ship and if you hadn't seen it, you probably wouldn't have known it.

I was wondering if this had made it to the boards.

 

 

4. The cruise director was a young guy from England...Had been with Princess for 9 years . I think it was James Lay.

 

5. Coral: Normally we book a mini or a full suite but it was unavailable when we booked. The ship was a full sell out.

 

5. BOOK the sailing regatta tour. It is the most awesome event..

[crusdiva]

Ken,

Thanks for the response, so sad.

Happy Holiday

[Oxo]

Great review! I do hope you have a better food and service experience than we had on the Mercury, 11/2005. If you are interested in our experience check for my posting on this board about the Mercury. Again, that was our experience on the Mercury for that specific cruise. We personally believe that Celebrity went down in service and food. Merry Christmas.

[tutak]

...We did anytime dining and I really liked this option. We ended up at the same table every night with the same crew. We picked 8pm every night...

 

What is the difference between what you did and "traditional dining"? BTW, thanks for the excellent review.

[KenM]

Tutak

That is the funny thing- traditional dining is same table, same time.

Anytime dining was two different dining rooms and you can just show up when you want between 5 and 10:30 and get seated OR you can make a reservation in advance for a certain time and/or table.

We found a nice 4 person table next to a window and decided that is where we wanted to sit and picked the time and made a standing reservation.. If you do it right- it is just like traditional.............BUT you have the flexibility to change from day to day if you like...

 

Those who showed up without a reservation during peak hours could wait around 10-30 minutes depending upon the table size desired.

 

The best part about anytime is that you can sit with whom you want and not be ASSIGNED to a spot like traditional.

 

I have a new view about anytime dining....and if you do it correctly- you can make it work for you..

 

Hope this helps