Caribbean Princess Negative Comments

[Tedferg]

On another thread Island Princess was criticized compare to Coral, there was also a comment ' Like Caribbean Princess the extra passengers mean more crowding in Dining rooms, Bars, Theaters'. We are looking at Caribbean for 2020 Canada New England, cancelled twice once for medical reason and then for Covid-19. 

 

Does Caribbean have problems ? BTW we have sailed Island and Coral, prefer Coral but Island was fine.

[Ombud]

I cruised from Fort Lauderdale to Quebec last year (13 nighrs) and the ONLY issue was 1 tender port for some non-elites. I did not have an issue and would repeat on her. Beautiful ship

[Mo Jito]

I’ve sailed on Caribbean Princess twice and I like the ship a lot. I don’t recall having any issues with getting seated in the dining room or bars, but it was definitely a ship where you had to get to the theater at least 45 minutes before showtime to get a seat. I think this is the case on many of the larger Princess ships. I would absolutely sail on her again - in fact I have a 2021 sailing booked on her.

[cr8tiv1]

The Caribbean Princes is a super sized Grand class ship (one extra deck than the Ruby, Emerald, Crown).  One of the few ships that has Window Suites.  She has NOT been "modified" like the Island.  Has a center staircase.  It has Club Fusion aft, although not as functional as a second showroom.  I did not feel over-crowded. 

 

Princess hasn't learned yet that when they add additional decks, they need to do something about increasing the size of the Princess Theater...either more shows or something.  

Edited May 30, 2020 by cr8tiv1

[trbarton]

29 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

On another thread Island Princess was criticized compare to Coral, there was also a comment ' Like Caribbean Princess the extra passengers mean more crowding in Dining rooms, Bars, Theaters'. We are looking at Caribbean for 2020 Canada New England, cancelled twice once for medical reason and then for Covid-19. 

 

Does Caribbean have problems ? BTW we have sailed Island and Coral, prefer Coral but Island was fine.

I have cruised on the Caribbean Princess & it’s a great ship. I did not have any problems & if the cruise & situation would arise I would have no problems sailing on the Caribbean Princess. 
 

Tom😀

[skynight]

12 hours ago, Tedferg said:

On another thread Island Princess was criticized compare to Coral, there was also a comment ' Like Caribbean Princess the extra passengers mean more crowding in Dining rooms, Bars, Theaters'. We are looking at Caribbean for 2020 Canada New England, cancelled twice once for medical reason and then for Covid-19. 

 

Does Caribbean have problems ? BTW we have sailed Island and Coral, prefer Coral but Island was fine.

2021 Canada/New England? No 2020 sailings.

In August 2019 we sailed the 10 day Quebec/NYC on the Caribbean Princess. We were also on board her January/February 2018 for 24 days. After sailing more than 500 days on board Princess ships our opinion was that this ship was very well run. The only issue was the theater. It's just not large enough for the 3,100 passengers. Shows were simulcast in Explorer's Lounge. Both the theater and lounge filled 45 minutes before showtime. All other venues were fine. Post pandemic hotel staff officer rotations may change.The efficiency we experienced could also change.

[AF-1]

Sailed Caribbean Princess Feb 2019.  It was awesome;  it was first Princess ship to have ocean medallion.  Which is great;  blazing fast wifi.  The ship is beautiful, and the staff was great;  I never saw overcrowding anywhere.  yes the theater would be full for shows; but never waited for elevator or getting on or off ship.  Cheers

[CineGraphic]

We too sailed 13 days on her last year from Florida to Quebec, and loved it so much that we booked the same cabin on the southbound version of this trip for October 2021. We also have 2 more bookings on the Caribbean for this November, (if she sails)

[voljeep]

we took the little 4 day 'shakedown' cruise immediately after the wetdock to fix propulsion issues, I believe

 

took an upsell to our first and still only Penthouse Suite - which was under the ice cream parlor , so heard some, not much scraping of chairs during the day 

 

the only other 'situation' was that I got overserved in Crooners on the last night ! 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

 

excellent ship - enjoyed the aft adult pool and outrigger bar area

[Tak8]

I cruised the Caribbean Princess twice.  Once for a British Isles cruise and once for Caribbean.  I enjoyed the ship both times.  It doesn't have the Enclave that is on the newer ships, but Caribbean Princess staff has been great both times.  Fingers crossed, I will be on her again in May.

 

 

[Mike_DeA]

I've sailed the Caribbean Princess 3x and loved it each time.  All larger ships will have crowded theaters, bars and possibly dining room waits if lots of folks want to eat dinner at the same time.  I recommend Fixed Dining time if you normally have dinner when everyone else does.

 

Unfortunately as was mentioned above, no Canada cruises this year.  It's possible Bermuda could substitute but their capacity is limited and the distance is an issue if trying to couple with New England ports.

[Tedferg]

Sorry I fat fingered the date, 2019 and 2020 were cancelled - looking at 2021.

Thanks for all the positive comments, we feel reassured. 

[Loucat]

Tedferg-Here is one more for you! We have sailed on the Caribbean Princess twice. First time we were upgraded to a suite on the Riviera deck. WOW! When we sailed on this ship again, we had to go back to that same suite area. Liked the ship! Had great times with their entertainment, food was good and we would jump on another cruise as soon as this pandemic is under control. You will enjoy your cruise and Canada/New England is a delightful experience.

[Thrak]

17 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

The Caribbean Princes is a super sized Grand class ship (one extra deck than the Ruby, Emerald, Crown).

 

This seems oddly stated as all of those ships have the Riviera Deck added. I've sailed all 4 and had no issues at all with overcrowding.

[J-D]

 

 

20 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

The Caribbean Princes is a super sized Grand class ship (one extra deck than the Ruby, Emerald, Crown). ... Princess hasn't learned yet that when they add additional decks, they need to do something about increasing the size of the Princess Theater...either more shows or something.  

 

 

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

This seems oddly stated as all of those ships have the Riviera Deck added. I've sailed all 4 and had no issues at all with overcrowding.

 

We have also been aboard the Caribbean and each of the other three enlarged Grand-class ships having the added Riviera deck.  We've also been on all the original Grand class ships plus the Diamond (with her broader beam).  We certainly have experienced additional crowding aboard the ships with the Riviera deck, several hundred more pax, and lower space-ratios. 

 

For us, the main issue aboard the Caribbean and the other 3 enlarged Grand-class ships is the frequent extra delay in getting seats in Anytime Dining; the insufficient space in the Princess Theatre is also a concern.  However, we still prefer any of those ships to the even-larger Royal-class ships.

[Hlitner]

22 hours ago, Tedferg said:

On another thread Island Princess was criticized compare to Coral, there was also a comment ' Like Caribbean Princess the extra passengers mean more crowding in Dining rooms, Bars, Theaters'. We are looking at Caribbean for 2020 Canada New England, cancelled twice once for medical reason and then for Covid-19. 

 

Does Caribbean have problems ? BTW we have sailed Island and Coral, prefer Coral but Island was fine.

It is our least favorite Princess ship (and we have been on about a dozen) because of constant crowding and lines we experienced on our cruise to Greenland ...last August.  But we have met others who rank it as one of their favorite ships.  On our cruise folks had to go to the showroom about an hour before a show if they wanted seats (for those who dined early).  Things were so crowded in the main theater that they actually simulcasted some of the shows which folks could watch in one of the lounges on the screen (even this lounge was full).   The Lido was a zoo for anyone who tried to eat lunch during the first hour after opening.  We actually did fine by dining late, going to the shows intended for late diners, etc.   But the bottom line is that Princess took their original Grand ship design and simply added another passenger deck (Riviera) with hundreds of additional passengers.  But the public rooms were essentially left the same which meant that more passengers were using the same facilities.

 

Hank

[rdsqrl]

I agree with Hank.  I was on her last summer for FLL-Quebec and loved the itinerary, loved the staff on the ship, and had one of the best set of dinner companions in TD ever!   So there was a lot to like.  Plus, she's in nice shape inside, despite her age.  But I have never felt as crowded on a ship as I have on the CB:  I was able to see exactly one show -- not being willing to choke down my dinner to rush to the theatre an hour ahead of time.  The earliest I made it there was 30 minutes and they already had the full signs up.  I would hit the lunch buffet the instant it opened at 11.30 because by the time I finished my salad at 12.15 or so, the lines were crazy long and people were circling looking for seats.  The only saving grace was the relative ease of getting a poolside lounger, (can't explain that as we had perfect summer weather -- maybe the crowd was older than usual?), but the interior rooms always seemed full.  If there were an itinerary she was the only choice for, I'd probably sail on her again, but I wouldn't be all that excited about it.    

[geoherb]

When they first announced the Caribbean Princess, I doubted I wanted to sail on a ship that large. The extra deck of passenger cabins without any additional public space seemed crazy. But we eventually took a week-long cruise to the Caribbean on the CB in 2014. Our next three cruises were also on it--two more in the Caribbean and then the British Isles--going into 2017. All were enjoyable. We then ventured over to some cruises on the Royal and Regal, then the Island and the Crown, before my last cruise back on the CB, a partial Panama Canal cruise. It was great to see the ship make its way through the new locks.

 

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to book another cruise on the CB. On my last cruise, they scheduled the production shows to be performed three times--twice on one night and then once the next night. I never had a long wait for anytime dining. I also never had a problem finding a seat in the theater for a show--but it was much easier since I sailed solo on that cruise. There was one night when I arrived late and stood for a bit. I could see available seats, but I did not want to bother people to get to them. Eventually a couple sitting on the aisle near where I was standing ended up leaving. I also noticed that there was not a problem with chair hogs by the pools. 

[skynight]

On 5/29/2020 at 8:12 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

The Caribbean Princes is a super sized Grand class ship (one extra deck than the Ruby, Emerald, Crown).

Same amount of decks. Tonnage, measure of internal space, very close. Passenger loads, cabin configurations also very close. Differences between the Caribbean and the super grand class is in the lounge sizes and layouts and a slightly larger theater. There were also various changes made over the years during dry docks. A few examples are the Caribbean's really nice family pool and lounge area on deck 17, and the addition of Planks and Steamers to a redesigned buffet area. 

[Coral]

36 minutes ago, skynight said:

Same amount of decks. Tonnage, measure of internal space, very close. Passenger loads, cabin configurations also very close. Differences between the Caribbean and the super grand class is in the lounge sizes and layouts and a slightly larger theater. There were also various changes made over the years during dry docks. A few examples are the Caribbean's really nice family pool and lounge area on deck 17, and the addition of Planks and Steamers to a redesigned buffet area. 

There is one more passenger deck on the Caribbean Princess (500 extra passengers) compared to Grand, Golden, Star, Diamond and Sapphire Princess. I have not been on Caribbean Princess.

 

Honestly - I have avoided these ships after having a very negative (very crowded) Crown Princess cruise. I hated the lines to get to the show, the crowding in the atrium and lines for dinner.

I have no desire to sail on the Caribbean Princess. I have avoided her for many years and probably will continue on unless there is an itinerary that I can't get elsewhere.

 

If your only experience is Coral and Island Princess - you will probably find the Caribbean Princess crowded. It is all about space ratio. It may feel less crowded in warmer locations compared to cooler locations.

Edited May 31, 2020 by Coral

[skynight]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

There is one more passenger deck on the Caribbean Princess (500 extra passengers) compared to Grand, Golden, Star, Diamond and Sapphire Princess. I have not been on Caribbean Princess.

 

Honestly - I have avoided these ships after having a very negative (very crowded) Crown Princess cruise. I hated the lines to get to the show, the crowding in the atrium and lines for dinner.

I have no desire to sail on the Caribbean Princess. I have avoided her for many years and probably will continue on unless there is an itinerary that I can't get elsewhere.

 

If your only experience is Coral and Island Princess - you will probably find the Caribbean Princess crowded. It is all about space ratio. It may feel less crowded in warmer locations compared to cooler locations.

Your information as stated is correct. My post referred to the super grand class ships, Ruby, Emerald, Crown, Caribbean not the original grand class ships you mention. All ships we have been on suffer from interior crowding during cooler and inclement weather, but the original grand class ships with indoor pool and conservatory handle poor weather better. 

From the original OP's question I would not hesitate to recommend the Caribbean. We have sailed on the Caribbean in both tropical and cooler weather and have also been on the Emerald, Crown and the smaller ships, Grand, Star and Sapphire

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, skynight said:

Your information as stated is correct. My post referred to the super grand class ships, Ruby, Emerald, Crown, Caribbean not the original grand class ships you mention. All ships we have been on suffer from interior crowding during cooler and inclement weather, but the original grand class ships with indoor pool and conservatory handle poor weather better. 

From the original OP's question I would not hesitate to recommend the Caribbean. We have sailed on the Caribbean in both tropical and cooler weather and have also been on the Emerald, Crown and the smaller ships, Grand, Star and Sapphire

I am hesitant to the OP. If there only experience is Coral and Island Princess. I was on the Crown Princess on Quebec City to FLL and it was horribly crowded on that cruise. Everyone was complaining. I had done a different Canada NE on the Star and had no problems. 500 additional passengers made a huge difference.

 

New cruisers are used to the crowds of the newer ships as their first cruise was probably on the Crown class or later.

 

[voljeep]

it's indeed an outrage that cruisers on those ships have to set priorities and make decisions about their onboard ship activities that they want to participate in - I tell you it's an outrage !!

[Casey12]

We will not sail on the Caribbean Princess again. It is too crowded of a ship. We were also in Canada New England when we were on it. It was very crowded in the atrium, we waited a long time for dining unless we ate very late and it was difficult to get into the shows. One of my least favorite vacations. This ship deserves the negative comments it gets. This was the beginning of Princess getting very greedy.

[Thrak]

It's unfortunate that Caribbean Princess doesn't have Adagio like Ruby, Emerald, and Crown. It's such a relaxing place to get away from other folks and have some quiet time and sometimes one can catch some jazz there at night if the ship's musicians get together.