Thinking of Trying Caribbean Princess

[mevs904]

Hello Folks!  Well, the snow, wind, and cold got to us and we’re thinking of making a late decision to sail on the March 23 eastern Caribbean on the Caribbean Princess.  The ports sound interesting and we will already be in Florida ending a WDW vacation.  Turks and Caicos and Amber Cove will be new to us and San Juan is our favorite Caribbean port, so why not?  We’ve never sailed on the Caribbean Princess, but it has a real promenade deck which is important to us.  Can anyone offer any tips on the Caribbean Princess?  What is the status of the propulsion problems that she was experiencing?  Thanks for any wisdom that you can offer!

[skynight]

41 minutes ago, mevs904 said:

Hello Folks!  Well, the snow, wind, and cold got to us and we’re thinking of making a late decision to sail on the March 23 eastern Caribbean on the Caribbean Princess.  The ports sound interesting and we will already be in Florida ending a WDW vacation.  Turks and Caicos and Amber Cove will be new to us and San Juan is our favorite Caribbean port, so why not?  We’ve never sailed on the Caribbean Princess, but it has a real promenade deck which is important to us.  Can anyone offer any tips on the Caribbean Princess?  What is the status of the propulsion problems that she was experiencing?  Thanks for any wisdom that you can offer!

Believe the ship is going into dry dock to repair the propulsion issue April 14 to May 18. From what I read they have to cut a hole in the hull to make the repair. Big repair job.

You will not feel any issue while on the ship. It's maximum speed is 18 knots so it takes just a little longer to reach the next port.

We were on her in January 2018 and felt the ship was well run and had a really nice cruise. Only issue is the theater where you have to arrive 45 minutes for shows, especially Bravo.

Just an idea:

Grand Turk is basically a beach. There is a Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville there which gets busy. There are also some stores. On March 28th the Carnival Breeze will also be there. Prepare for Margaritaville to be a noisy and crowded. Suggest you turn left off the pier, walk about 1/2 mile up the beach to Jack's Shack for some nice drinks and beach time. You can also arrange for private or Princess tours.

 

[63 Super Sport]

We love the Caribbean Princess. The propulsion problems are not an issue. Order your Medallion ahead of time and download the app.  We were on the CB in December and cruising on her on in Feb. Check out Cruise Critic Port Boards on the ports. We like Turks and Caicos - relaxing. Our first time in Amber Cove is in Feb. We do private tours - check the CC port out for info.

Happy cruising....

[Mud_Shark]

what do you mean ... "order your medallion ahead of time"?

 

We are not sailing on CB until Nov, but do we at some point have to order a medallion?  If so, how do we do this?  I have read some of the threads concerning medallion and am reasonably aware of its function, but this is the first I have read about having to order one.

 

thanks for any help.

 

Don

[Thrak]

If you want breakfast or lunch in the buffet - on CB it's called World Fresh Marketplace - go all the way through to the very back where the Planks and Steamers venues are located. They are free for breakfast and lunch. This is where you can get made-to-order eggs and omelets at breakfast. Much better than the pre-cooked stuff in the main buffet. At lunch there will be different items that aren't in the regular buffet.

 

For dinner you can try the same venues for a small charge. Planks is BBQ and Steamers is seafood. You can sit on either side (they just run together) and eat from either venue. For instance, my wife loves seafood but I prefer BBQ. We can sit together and each order what we prefer.

[AF-1]

1 hour ago, Mud_Shark said:

what do you mean ... "order your medallion ahead of time"?

 

We are not sailing on CB until Nov, but do we at some point have to order a medallion?  If so, how do we do this?  I have read some of the threads concerning medallion and am reasonably aware of its function, but this is the first I have read about having to order one.

 

thanks for any help.

 

Don

You can download the Ocean Ready app from the iphone app store or from android store.  You put in your passport info, cruise reservation number and take a picture of yourself.  Once you do that you will be able to order your ocean medallions on the app.  You can then choose to have them mailed to your house or you can pick them up at the port.  They are supposed to be mailed three weeks prior to your cruise.  Hope this helps

[mevs904]

Thanks to everyone for the CB tips.  We are looking forward to discovering a new Princess ship.  Glad to hear that the propulsion issue won’t be a problem.  I had thought that I heard that at one point some ports were missed.  I’ve also heard some good things about the World Fresh Marketplace and we are looking forward to experiencing it.

[turquoisesea]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

Believe the ship is going into dry dock to repair the propulsion issue April 14 to May 18. From what I read they have to cut a hole in the hull to make the repair. Big repair job.

You will not feel any issue while on the ship. It's maximum speed is 18 knots so it takes just a little longer to reach the next port.

We were on her in January 2018 and felt the ship was well run and had a really nice cruise. Only issue is the theater where you have to arrive 45 minutes for shows, especially Bravo.

Just an idea:

Grand Turk is basically a beach. There is a Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville there which gets busy. There are also some stores. On March 28th the Carnival Breeze will also be there. Prepare for Margaritaville to be a noisy and crowded. Suggest you turn left off the pier, walk about 1/2 mile up the beach to Jack's Shack for some nice drinks and beach time. You can also arrange for private or Princess tours.

 

Oh my! Now I am a bit concerned.  We are set to do the May 18th cruise. What if it’s not finished?   Where did you find the information on this repair?  

[floridalover5623]

Why limit your self to the Caribbean Princess when there are other Princess ships that are better anyway?

Try the Regal for instance & you won't be disappointed with anything. 

[skynight]

9 hours ago, turquoisesea said:

Oh my! Now I am a bit concerned.  We are set to do the May 18th cruise. What if it’s not finished?   Where did you find the information on this repair?  

 

9 hours ago, turquoisesea said:

Oh my! Now I am a bit concerned.  We are set to do the May 18th cruise. What if it’s not finished?   Where did you find the information on this repair?  

That is the current gap in the schedule. It's been discussed quite a bit here on CC. We also heard from the staff while on board in January 2018 about the proposed April 2019 dry dock to fix the propulsion issue. It has also been reported that the time had to longer than originally planned. It must be a very major job. This site also has some information:

https://sites.google.com/site/princesscruisesfaq/ships/fleet-drydock-schedule 

[turquoisesea]

58 minutes ago, skynight said:

 

That is the current gap in the schedule. It's been discussed quite a bit here on CC. We also heard from the staff while on board in January 2018 about the proposed April 2019 dry dock to fix the propulsion issue. It has also been reported that the time had to longer than originally planned. It must be a very major job. This site also has some information:

https://sites.google.com/site/princesscruisesfaq/ships/fleet-drydock-schedule 

Thank you.  I have not figured out how to do a topic search on the new board format.  The attached link only goes up to 2017. No mention of the upcoming dry dock in April.  

[63 Super Sport]

13 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

what do you mean ... "order your medallion ahead of time"?

 

We are not sailing on CB until Nov, but do we at some point have to order a medallion?  If so, how do we do this?  I have read some of the threads concerning medallion and am reasonably aware of its function, but this is the first I have read about having to order one.

 

thanks for any help.

 

Don

You should receive an email sometime in Oct with the details ordering and downloading the app. There will be a link in the email to a video that shows you the steps. Enjoy your cruise.

[63 Super Sport]

3 hours ago, floridalover5623 said:

Why limit your self to the Caribbean Princess when there are other Princess ships that are better anyway?

Try the Regal for instance & you won't be disappointed with anything. 

Hi

Yes, Princess has some great ships. We are on the Regal in April.  We select our cruises based on the ports. We been cruising with Princess since the 80's. We like the Pacific. Each ship offers a great cruise. 

[AF-1]

15 minutes ago, 63 Super Sport said:

Hi

Yes, Princess has some great ships. We are on the Regal in April.  We select our cruises based on the ports. We been cruising with Princess since the 80's. We like the Pacific. Each ship offers a great cruise. 

Are you on the 16 Feb Cruise;  we are

[nbsjcruiser]

14 hours ago, skynight said:

Believe the ship is going into dry dock to repair the propulsion issue April 14 to May 18. From what I read they have to cut a hole in the hull to make the repair. Big repair job.

You will not feel any issue while on the ship. It's maximum speed is 18 knots so it takes just a little longer to reach the next port.

We were on her in January 2018 and felt the ship was well run and had a really nice cruise. Only issue is the theater where you have to arrive 45 minutes for shows, especially Bravo.

Just an idea:

Grand Turk is basically a beach. There is a Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville there which gets busy. There are also some stores. On March 28th the Carnival Breeze will also be there. Prepare for Margaritaville to be a noisy and crowded. Suggest you turn left off the pier, walk about 1/2 mile up the beach to Jack's Shack for some nice drinks and beach time. You can also arrange for private or Princess tours.

 

 

I second the recommendation to avoid Margaritaville and  go down the beach to Jacks. Margaritaville is just a cash grab anyway.

 

We'll be on the Caribbean Princess in late February - I'll post a review with pictures when I get back.

[63 Super Sport]

7 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

Are you on the 16 Feb Cruise;  we are

We are on the week before. Lots of folks are doing B2Bs based on the roll call for the Feb 9 cruise.

[turquoisesea]

13 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

 

I second the recommendation to avoid Margaritaville and  go down the beach to Jacks. Margaritaville is just a cash grab anyway.

 

We'll be on the Caribbean Princess in late February - I'll post a review with pictures when I get back.

I also agree. Very crowded and not really Turks pretty. We rented a golf cart before our cruise.  Found them on line. They are located at the end of the port parking lot.  Had a blast driving around the small island with our table mates. 

[nukesubsailor]

My memories of Margaritaville are of the high prices and the sign saying 

"The weather is here----wish you were beautiful".

When I first saw that sign in 2012 and every time I recall it to this day, it makes me think of my brother-in-law.

Edited January 23, 2019 by nukesubsailor

[pompeii]

1 hour ago, turquoisesea said:

I also agree. Very crowded and not really Turks pretty. We rented a golf cart before our cruise.  Found them on line. They are located at the end of the port parking lot.  Had a blast driving around the small island with our table mates. 

We rented a scooter and toodled all around the island.  We had a great time, the beach was lovely and not at all crowded, and I found tons of sea glass.  The only downside to our day was that around dinnertime when it was time to reboard the ship, the mosquitoes came out in droves!  Maybe we were just unlucky, but  I'd suggest taking some repellent wipes along just in case.

[cruiserdru]

13 hours ago, turquoisesea said:

Oh my! Now I am a bit concerned.  We are set to do the May 18th cruise. What if it’s not finished?   Where did you find the information on this repair?  

I'm sailing on 8/9 and checked through the Princess site yesterday to see what I could find out, also. I searched on the ship and the months of April and May and then recorded all the itinerary dates and found the following information.

 

The last shown Caribbean Princess cruise in April ends on the 13th and its next cruise starts on 5/14 (for 4 days). That looks like 4 weeks to do the dry dock.

[richsea]

7 hours ago, floridalover5623 said:

Why limit your self to the Caribbean Princess when there are other Princess ships that are better anyway?

Try the Regal for instance & you won't be disappointed with anything. 

Hi floridalover5623. I am curious as to why you don’t like Caribbean Princess. I’ve seen that you have made many comments dissuading people from cruising her. Did you have a bad experience? Is it her layout?

Most everyone has their most & least favorite ship, but it seems there is something about her that rankles you.

Edited January 23, 2019 by richsea

[voljeep]

Just put a 2 day hold on a little 4 day cruise to Cozumel out of FLL on the CB for 5/14/19 ( a Tuesday - Sat )

 

get on price was $ 229 ! - 'booked' a BE balcony at $ 259 + 84 port, etc - NON refundable deposit of $ 52 due ...

 

'tons' of cabins left ...

[richsea]

On 1/22/2019 at 9:31 PM, mevs904 said:

Thanks to everyone for the CB tips.  We are looking forward to discovering a new Princess ship.  Glad to hear that the propulsion issue won’t be a problem.  I had thought that I heard that at one point some ports were missed.  I’ve also heard some good things about the World Fresh Marketplace and we are looking forward to experiencing it.

Regarding missed ports due to propulsion, I think there were some changes to itinereries way back when the problem first surfaced. I’m pretty sure our 14 nighter leaving Saturday originally had Amber Cove as a port, but it was replaced with a sea day. 

Have a great cruise!

Edited January 24, 2019 by richsea
Fat fingers

[mevs904]

Thanks, rich sea.  This will be a very laid back cruise for us, so we won’t be overly concerned if we do happen to miss a port.  The two ports that we haven’t been to are Amber Cove and Turks and Caicos.  Next January we’re signed up for a Turks and Caicos cruise so we’ll have another chance to visit there.  We love San Juan and will enjoy visiting it again.  As I mentioned, our primary reason for joining this cruise is to get away from the cold and wind.  Living in upstate NY we’re used to snow and actually enjoy it (in moderation, of course).

[jondfk]

We did the Westbound transatlantic on CB last summer, one of those sailings that was very impacted by propulsion limitations.

 

The changes to itinerary were disappointing but we had come to grips with that before boarding.  In practice on a day to day basis whatever limitation CB had were noticed by us, all of the stops plans in the revised itinerary were made on time without incident.  I wouldn't let any concerns over this impact my decision.

 

As for the ship itself, we've sailed her 3 times and really enjoyed the handful of upgrades installed a few months before our trip.  The updated world market buffet was a real improvement, the expanded grill and pizza menus were quite nice.  

 

CB remains a favorite and we look forward to sailing her way out in July '20 on the Colonial Coastal from Florida to Quebec City.