Circle Caribbean (CB)

[Gallivanting Souls]

My DH and I are looking at doing the Circle Caribbean in 2020, either Feb 2 or 16th.

It has been a few years since we have sailed with Princess and have not been on the CB. Lately, we have been on Carnival and found we like the variety of food, entertainment, and music.  We are both nearing 50. I am most interested in the variety of ports, and less in the age of the ship. I have not done any research at this point other than look at a date and find one that sounds interesting.  Of the ports listed, we have only been to St Kitt's (about 2 years ago prior to hurricanes).  If you have been on a circle Caribbean (this ship or not) please let me know any tips.

 

Ships: Caribbean Princess

Ports: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | St. Kitts | Antigua | Martinique | Barbados | Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago | Curacao | Aruba | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

[Thrak]

We did the 14 day Circle Caribbean in March of 2018 on Caribbean Princess. Loved the cruise. Loved the ship. Be sure to go all the way through the buffet to the back where the Planks and Steamers venues are. The buffet is continued there and the breakfast choices are much better - made to order omelets and cooked to order eggs and such. At lunch time there are vastly different options there compared to the main buffet and are included for free - as is breakfast. In the evenings those are extra cost venues. Wish I could get back to Barbados. The Foursquare Rum was great. I liked it much better than the Mount Gay that I can buy here at home. I wish we could get the Foursquare here. Rather than champagne for New Year's Eve we had our one bottle of Foursquare Rum Cream.

[satxdiver]

We were on this cruise last November two months ago.  The CB now has the OM for all cabins.  It was nice not having to use my cruise card to open the cabin door.  Getting off the ship and back on at ports was oh so easy.  The CB has the new bedding and flat screen TVs which set on the shelf like the old ones.  The CB has been heavily remodeled and is different than other Princess ships.  The buffet is now the world fresh marketplace and has a more open layout.  The back of the buffet is now the Steamers Seafood and Planks BBQ which is free except in the evening.  We loved the wok bar in Steamers.  The pizzeria has a few more offerings than it did and Salty Dog Grill is better.  When we were on the ship, they were allowing shorts in the MDR on casual nights and were not enforcing the formal night attire allowing casual but not shorts. 

 

We had been to all the ports many times but never to Trinidad.  Some ports like St Thomas where we have been countless times we got off the ship wandering around the adjacent shopping area and returned to the ship.   St Kitts we had never been on the train and decided to do it.  It is good for a one time experience.  Martinique we did the Balata Botanical Garden tour and found the garders to be great.  Barbados we did a 4 hour private tour of the island with Shore Excursions Group.  Curacao we did a complete Island Tour as we had only been there one time before and had not seen all the island.  It was a great tour and we used the same tour company as we did in Barbados.  Aruba which we have been to ad nauseum we just got off the ship and walked around.

 

Trinidad we did a ship tour - Trinidad Highlights & Scenic Drive - 4 hours in a minibus.  This was the most popular tour and had over 300 pax in 15 or so minibuses.  You need to look at the State Department warnings for this port and definitely not go wandering around on your own.  Ship tours are safe as we spent most of the time in the minibus with short intervals of getting off to take pictures but did include a short (~45 minutes) beach stop on a remote beach with restaurants.  When returning to the ship, the guide emphatically warned us not to go off on our own and stay only on the main street for no more than 2 blocks from the ship.  I did not see anyone on our minibus not return to the ship immediately.  

[satxdiver]

13 minutes ago, Thrak said:

We did the 14 day Circle Caribbean in March of 2018 on Caribbean Princess. Loved the cruise. Loved the ship. Be sure to go all the way through the buffet to the back where the Planks and Steamers venues are. The buffet is continued there and the breakfast choices are much better - made to order omelets and cooked to order eggs and such. At lunch time there are vastly different options there compared to the main buffet and are included for free - as is breakfast. In the evenings those are extra cost venues. Wish I could get back to Barbados. The Foursquare Rum was great. I liked it much better than the Mount Gay that I can buy here at home. I wish we could get the Foursquare here. Rather than champagne for New Year's Eve we had our one bottle of Foursquare Rum Cream.

 

We did this cruise 2 months ago.  The CB now has the OM up and running for all pax which was really nice.  Spoiled me immediately for not having to use the sea card to open the cabin door.  We loved to go to back of the WFM for lunch and get the noodles and wok.  We tried Planks one night because we were not fond of what was offered in the MDR and for $12/pax the food was not bad.  However we have been there and don't need to go back. 

 

Our local Total Wine and More has Foursquare Rum on a regular basis.  On previous trips to Barbados we toured their facility and took home a bottle of rum.  We were able to take it to our cabin when we boarded the ship.  It was great but unfortunately did not make it home. 

[Thrak]

Our cruise was "supposed to be" the first OM cruise on CB. It didn't work out that way which was too bad as I had been looking forward to checking out the OM. From what I've been reading it is working but still not fully functional - at least not as originally promised. I was supposed to be able to have every bartender know in advance that I like Tanqueray in my Gin and Tonic, that I like my Bloody Mary extra spicy, etc. I was supposed to be able to check and see if my wife was still at Knitters and Natters in Crooners and then order a Bloody Mary to be ready for me when I got there. As far as I can determine the doors now work and you can buy stuff with the medallion but none of the "wow wow" features are functional yet. Still, even the doors would be a great improvement. We had "pre-medallion doors" on Ruby recently. No card slot on the door and you had to hold your card to the "tablet" on the wall. It was good but not great.

[Ep010835]

Agree with all that has been said thus far. Emphasis on the ride.....the upgraded CB is very, very nice. I especially enjoyed Medallon Net, the ship's high speed internet. This accompanies Ocean Medallion and was fully functional when we were aboard in late Nov/Early Dec. I was getting absolutely amazing down/up speeds all over the ship, anywhere along the 14 day journey. Remembering, of course, that these speeds are location limited but definitely attainable in the Caribbean. 

Book the cruise and enjoy yourselves!!

[satxdiver]

The function of finding where your cruise partner was on the ship is functional.  The large displays in the public areas are working and allows you to find where you want to go.  They have an interactive game on them that presents three questions each with 4 answers to play which was great while waiting in line or just wasting time.  The bar waiters were all carrying small tablets but were not using them so they took our OM to their POS to order our drinks.   The MDR waiters all had tablets where some did use them to order food but our waiter did not.  We used the OM to exit and return to the ship and for buying things in the shops learning to put our OM on the lighted reader.   We did need our sea cards when returning to the ship entering the port area and at the bottom of the gangplank .  

 

I love the chairman (sad I have to pay regular price at the PES lounge) as well as G&T but with Bombay gin. 

[paul929207]

We did the 14night circle Caribbean about a year ago and followed it by the 10 night partial transit of the new locks on the Panama Canal. We had a wonderful time.

[skynight]

Did this voyage in January 2018. Very nice. The ship was well run and we enjoyed the new set up and selections in the buffet area, as well as the menus at the Salty Dog Grill and Slices Pizza by the Lido pool. We tried Planks and enjoyed it. The ship is now fully medallion. All the ports are nice. The only downside was the theater. You had to arrive 45 minutes to an hour before showtime to get a good seat. Bring along a good book.

[kitty2264]

We also sailed on this cruise in March of 18.  It was one of the best cruises we have been on in a while.  The 14 days without having to return to Port Everglades midway was great.  We have already booked it again for November of this year and we'll be looking forward to the upgraded ship.

[BarbinMich]

We did this cruise in 2010 with mostly the same ports.  In Trinidad we booked a private tour with another CC couple and we were able to go to a bird sanctuary that's not a common stop--it was wonderful.  Also, made a stop at probably the same beach as mentioned in an earlier post for lunch.  The driver helped us make choices at the latter.  Everything was great until it came time to pay and get back to the ship.  The driver wouldn't honor the price we had been told and it got kind of nasty--we let the men settle it as the other gal and I got out of the van.  So I would definitely stick with a ship tour!!  Other than that experience it was a wonderful 2 weeks.  We visited St. Vincent, Puerto Rico and Grand Turk instead of Antigua and Martinique, but we've visited them on other cruises.  Have a wonderful cruise!

[chewap]

We were on the Caribbean Princess in Nov. The cruise was one of the best cruises we have taken.  OM worked great and WIFI was very fast. The only drawback was going to Trinidad.  The bay was filled with garbage and the sewer discharge directly into the bay.. Cruise ship could not tie up to the dilapidated dock.   If it did, it would pull the dock apart.     Three people were robbed 2 blocks from the cruise ship. The USA State department has a Cat 4 warning "DO NOT TRAVEL" in Trinidad.  Take only the cruise ship tours.  We went on the beach tour and the beach and water was filled up with garbage.   The passengers that complained to Princess got their money back on the tour.   A friend just got back from Caribbean Princess cruise, only passengers on the cruise tours were allowed to leave the cruise terminal.  I don't know why Princess goes to Trinidad with the crime problem and the filthy conditions.    Maybe by the time you go on your cruise in 2020,  Princess will drop the Port of  Spain in Trinidad. 

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by chewap

[OCruisers]

In addition to being on Caribbean Princess for three other cruises we were on the 14 day Circle last January and will be doing the Circle on her again in just over a week.  As you can tell, we like CB very much.

Agree on Trinidad not being an enjoyable port stop.  

Over the years we had been to Trinidad four times so we stayed on the ship there last year and plan to do the same this year.  

[satxdiver]

I think chewap you were on the same cruise we were, the November 11.  Not being beach bunnies we had taken the Highlights & Scenic Drive along with 300 or our fellow pax.  At the end they took us to a remote beach between two large hills for a short stay.  The water appeared to be clean but much too short of time to go in.  The guide as we neared the ship was very emphatic to only go two blocks on the main street and not venture off.  I had not heard about the robbery.  The guide really was wanting all of us to reboard the ship which we did.  I had heard about the complaints from those that did the beach tour however.  We were glad to get to go to Trinidad but certainly do not need to go again. 

 

The ship was tied to the pier like they always do in port so not sure about your comment on the condition of the pier.   In order to use the gangplanks, the ship has to be secured to the pier.   Trinidad is a port that requires extreme caution and ship tours only. 

[Thrak]

In Trinidad we did a ship tour to the bird santuary. It was okay but not fabulous. We didn't want to just "wander" in Trinidad. Nope, nope, nope. We've only been to Aruba twice but both times we wandered through the town and ended up at a public beach. There's a bar and food there and the water was nice. It hasn't been crowded either time we've been there. It wasn't very far to walk and was easy to get to by just wandering down the main street (past the I ❤️ Aruba sign). My wife plays in the water and I have a (expensive!) beer. The beer on Aruba comes in tiny bottles and is quite overpriced but that's just the way it is.

[satxdiver]

Prices in Aruba are expensive.  It is a beach destination and they have a very good and long beach.  Take money.   It seems like the ship always stops in Aruba which is second only to St Thomas.  We have been there many times, rode the horses, did the tour several times, saw the divi "trees" etc.  It has become oh so boring as it is a flat desert island. 

Edited January 3, 2019 by satxdiver

[aprilsp88]

One huge drawback of OM is not allowing VPN any more.

 

[cpcanuck]

2 hours ago, aprilsp88 said:

One huge drawback of OM is not allowing VPN any more.

 

 

Probably a stupid question... but was it “VPN”??

[aprilsp88]

1 minute ago, cpcanuck said:

 

Probably a stupid question... but was it “VPN”??

Virtual Private Network. It's a secure way to allow you to login to corporate network remotely so that you can reply emails and run applications, for people who still have to work occasionally 🙂.

[janniebabe]

19 hours ago, familyoutdoors said:

My DH and I are looking at doing the Circle Caribbean in 2020, either Feb 2 or 16th.

It has been a few years since we have sailed with Princess and have not been on the CB. Lately, we have been on Carnival and found we like the variety of food, entertainment, and music.  We are both nearing 50. I am most interested in the variety of ports, and less in the age of the ship. I have not done any research at this point other than look at a date and find one that sounds interesting.  Of the ports listed, we have only been to St Kitt's (about 2 years ago prior to hurricanes).  If you have been on a circle Caribbean (this ship or not) please let me know any tips.

 

Ships: Caribbean Princess

Ports: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | St. Kitts | Antigua | Martinique | Barbados | Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago | Curacao | Aruba | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

We are booked on this exact trip this coming November - will post when we get back 🙂

[Gallivanting Souls]

Such great responses! I am so glad that I am hearing positive feedback, compared to the reviews I was able to reed. I am not sure yet what we will do, but this does sound like a contender. We have been vacationing the last couple of years around our anniversary, but I wouldn't mind switching it up to Feb or even Sept. I think it could be cheaper.

 

To the person who talked about the dress code, thanks. That's refreshing. We are getting to the point where I really am tired of over-packing. Even on Carnival, we don't dress like slobs, and do like to dress up, but alas, I am tired of bringing so many outfits. My darn suitcase weighs over 11 pounds empty! -And this past cruise I was able to get a picture package (the entire family was sailing) and we got enough pictures to last for a while.

 

Please keep the tips coming. They are great!

[cpcanuck]

1 hour ago, aprilsp88 said:

Virtual Private Network. It's a secure way to allow you to login to corporate network remotely so that you can reply emails and run applications, for people who still have to work occasionally 🙂.

 

Oh! Thanks! I would never have guessed that on my own...  😊

[KreinKrunker]

21 hours ago, familyoutdoors said:

My DH and I are looking at doing the Circle Caribbean in 2020, either Feb 2 or 16th.

Was on this cruise a few years ago on the Grand.  Will be doing it again Feb 16, 2020.  You may want to know the Super Bowl is in Miami on Feb 2, 2020.  Hotels and probably flights into south Florida will be quite expensive. , and probably have a two or three night minimum.  

[Gallivanting Souls]

1 hour ago, KreinKrunker said:

Was on this cruise a few years ago on the Grand.  Will be doing it again Feb 16, 2020.  You may want to know the Super Bowl is in Miami on Feb 2, 2020.  Hotels and probably flights into south Florida will be quite expensive. , and probably have a two or three night minimum.  

OMG! Very good to know. My son's Marriott discount might not be of much help eek!I may have to hit a friend up for a stay on his couch or stay further out.

[Colo Cruiser]

Its a great cruise!