LIVE: CB Panama Canal Partial Transit Christmas Cruise 12/18/22 – 12/28/22

[HBCcruiser]

We are off the ship and doing the Everglades boat excursion to kill time before we fly back home. I’ll give a full review of my reflections on this cruise when I get home. I’ll say one thing- the staff were great but the internet was terrible. Princess needs to step it up in that area. 

 

 

 

 

[cruisingpeople]

4 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Our last day was relaxing. We pretty much ate and drank all day!

 

.......And that is different from other times how ?????????🤣😂😲

You know I still love you Tiff.💞🙂

[HBCcruiser]

Our flights were delayed getting out of Fort Lauderdale by about 45 minutes, and mine sat on the tarmac for another 45 min. 🙄. I got home a little after midnight. At least we got home and did not have to deal with cancelled flights like many others on our cruise, and other cruises, did. 
 

We were able to hang with my DD’s friend while waiting for our flights who has a vacation home 20 min. from the airport. This saved us having to sit on our luggage for hours at the airport. FLL does not allow baggage check until 4 hours before your flight. If you have a late flight try to book a hotel for the day. It’d be worth it!

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

Final reflections:

 

1. The CB staff are amazing. Some of the best. 

2. Princess needs to up their game regarding providing decent WiFi.

 

3. I prefer the Grand over the CB. She moves a lot and is noisy - staff said it was due to the stabilizers. I also think it is due to Skywalkers. The Grand removed it due to stability issues. Some of the hallways were hot and stuffy. The air conditioning carried depending upon your location. Also, the S4 balconies are much wider on the Grand. I don’t think I’d sail the CB again. 

 

4. I was disappointed that no compensation (even $25 OBC) was given due to missing 2 ports. On other lines we received some compensation or substituted ports when one had to be cancelled. I still can’t figure out why we had to miss Jamaica. We did not seem far away from it when the call to cancel was made. I understand things happen beyond our control when cruising, I can’t help but compare past experiences with other cruise lines.

 

5. Is the Premium Package worth it? I am debating this. Princess Prizes was a bust on this cruise and the photos were ok. We took a lot of great photos by ourselves. Had we not been in a group it would not have been worth it for us. They ran out of Silverado and La Crema halfway though the cruise which was disappointing. Luckily, I brought on my own wine. I think paying the up-charge might have been a cheaper way to go in this case. 

 

6. They kept charging us for items that were included in our package, or that we did not purchase. I think we had to go to Guest Services on a daily basis to fix our account. The lines at guest services were always long. Princess needs to change this.

 

7. The food was good to great and the shows outstanding. Do not miss the production shows. 

 

It was a fun cruise and again, the staff made it that way. THe excursions were good to great. We were not thrilled with the condition of the ferry that took us through the old locks. It was overcrowded and uncomfortable. The company should have a nicer boat with a cash bar  - think Catalina Express. They would make a ton of money. Also, it was a super long day - 10 hours vs the 6 advertised. This is not Princess’s fault. 

 

 

 

[phred119s]

23 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Final reflections:

 

1. The CB staff are amazing. Some of the best. 

2. Princess needs to up their game regarding providing decent WiFi.

 

3. I prefer the Grand over the CB. She moves a lot and is noisy - staff said it was due to the stabilizers. I also think it is due to Skywalkers. The Grand removed it due to stability issues. Some of the hallways were hot and stuffy. The air conditioning carried depending upon your location. Also, the S4 balconies are much wider on the Grand. I don’t think I’d sail the CB again. 

 

4. I was disappointed that no compensation (even $25 OBC) was given due to missing 2 ports. On other lines we received some compensation or substituted ports when one had to be cancelled. I still can’t figure out why we had to miss Jamaica. We did not seem far away from it when the call to cancel was made. I understand things happen beyond our control when cruising, I can’t help but compare past experiences with other cruise lines.

 

5. Is the Premium Package worth it? I am debating this. Princess Prizes was a bust on this cruise and the photos were ok. We took a lot of great photos by ourselves. Had we not been in a group it would not have been worth it for us. They ran out of Silverado and La Crema halfway though the cruise which was disappointing. Luckily, I brought on my own wine. I think paying the up-charge might have been a cheaper way to go in this case. 

 

6. They kept charging us for items that were included in our package, or that we did not purchase. I think we had to go to Guest Services on a daily basis to fix our account. The lines at guest services were always long. Princess needs to change this.

 

7. The food was good to great and the shows outstanding. Do not miss the production shows. 

 

It was a fun cruise and again, the staff made it that way. THe excursions were good to great. We were not thrilled with the condition of the ferry that took us through the old locks. It was overcrowded and uncomfortable. The company should have a nicer boat with a cash bar  - think Catalina Express. They would make a ton of money. Also, it was a super long day - 10 hours vs the 6 advertised. This is not Princess’s fault. 

 

 

 

Remember they said 400 person capacity, but we were at 243….hubs and I were discussing. It was crowded enough with us. I couldn’t imagine at capacity!

[HBCcruiser]

8 minutes ago, phred119s said:

Remember they said 400 person capacity, but we were at 243….hubs and I were discussing. It was crowded enough with us. I couldn’t imagine at capacity!

If you are referring to the locks tour, we were very disappointed with the boat’s facilities. It was basically a barge with lawn chairs. They ran out of beer early (The woman selling the beers brought on only one cooler of beers), and they ran out of water too. We would have gladly paid more for a better small boat experience with cash bar and food for purchase. We loved seeing the old locks, but the late arrival back to the ship made us miss the white and gold party which is something we all planned on attending. I am giving the tour company a low rating on trip advisor. They made it sound much better than it was IMO. 

Edited December 30, 2022 by HBCcruiser

[phred119s]

2 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

If you are referring to the locks tour, we were very disappointed with the boat’s facilities. It was basically a barge with lawn chairs. They ran out of beer early (The woman selling the beers brought on only one cooler of beers), and they ran out of water too. We would have gladly paid more for a better small boat experience with cash bar and food for purchase. We loved seeing the old locks, but the late arrival back to the ship made us miss the white and gold party which is something we all planned on attending. I am giving the tour company a low rating on trip advisor. They made it sound much better than it was IMO. 

I didn’t realize they had ran out of beer. (Though we had to cut the child off from all of the Coke available.) There was still a ton of water left in the large coolers in the inside or maybe they put more out? We didn’t have any plans back on the ship so didn’t really mind the late night. I can totally see your side though. Lord knows we had all sorts of disruption or changed plans on this trip. 

[HBCcruiser]

50 minutes ago, phred119s said:

Lord knows we had all sorts of disruption or changed plans on this trip. 

Right? 😂 BTW it was great meeting you! I hope we can cruise together again. Our next few cruises will be on RCCL and NCL with the Navigator in February and the Prima in April. 
 

I spent about an hour last night filling out the Princess survey. I wanted to give them my honest review as well as provide input on how they can make things better. For instance, I think they should open an online store where they sell ship merchandise like the models, magnets and ornaments. They’d make bank!

 

I also gave many positive reviews on the staff that served us. They were amazing! As I stated in a previous Discovery review, the survey feedback for staff can really make a difference for them. They read what we write aloud at ship staff meetings! In one case it helped our concierge get a promotion. 

[gottagocit]

Can anyone who was on this voyage perhaps answering a question about your Columbia port call? Hopefully one of you will check in on this thread. 
 

We’re taking a Panama Canal voyage in April and are looking into the covid requirement for boarding which Columbia is placing on visitors to their country. The Princess info says a negative instant test ‘medically witnessed’ taken within 48 hours of boarding is required OR proof of immunization. 
 

Can anyone tell me whether a pharmacist witnessed test is sufficient to meet this criteria or is a doctor required?  Also is there a more specific requirement or explanation for their definition of immunized?  By this ai mean is a booster required within say 6 months etc or is that not required as long as it was more than 14 days prior to boarding?

 

thanks

[HBCcruiser]

20 minutes ago, gottagocit said:

Can anyone who was on this voyage perhaps answering a question about your Columbia port call? Hopefully one of you will check in on this thread. 
 

We’re taking a Panama Canal voyage in April and are looking into the covid requirement for boarding which Columbia is placing on visitors to their country. The Princess info says a negative instant test ‘medically witnessed’ taken within 48 hours of boarding is required OR proof of immunization. 
 

Can anyone tell me whether a pharmacist witnessed test is sufficient to meet this criteria or is a doctor required?  Also is there a more specific requirement or explanation for their definition of immunized?  By this ai mean is a booster required within say 6 months etc or is that not required as long as it was more than 14 days prior to boarding?

 

thanks

I can’t answer the COVID test requirement but the vaccination proof is only for the first series NOT the booster. 

[Roatanfans]

On 12/29/2022 at 12:35 PM, HBCcruiser said:

Final reflections:

 

1. The CB staff are amazing. Some of the best. 

2. Princess needs to up their game regarding providing decent WiFi.

 

3. I prefer the Grand over the CB. She moves a lot and is noisy - staff said it was due to the stabilizers. I also think it is due to Skywalkers. The Grand removed it due to stability issues. Some of the hallways were hot and stuffy. The air conditioning carried depending upon your location. Also, the S4 balconies are much wider on the Grand. I don’t think I’d sail the CB again. 

 

4. I was disappointed that no compensation (even $25 OBC) was given due to missing 2 ports. On other lines we received some compensation or substituted ports when one had to be cancelled. I still can’t figure out why we had to miss Jamaica. We did not seem far away from it when the call to cancel was made. I understand things happen beyond our control when cruising, I can’t help but compare past experiences with other cruise lines.

 

5. Is the Premium Package worth it? I am debating this. Princess Prizes was a bust on this cruise and the photos were ok. We took a lot of great photos by ourselves. Had we not been in a group it would not have been worth it for us. They ran out of Silverado and La Crema halfway though the cruise which was disappointing. Luckily, I brought on my own wine. I think paying the up-charge might have been a cheaper way to go in this case. 

 

6. They kept charging us for items that were included in our package, or that we did not purchase. I think we had to go to Guest Services on a daily basis to fix our account. The lines at guest services were always long. Princess needs to change this.

 

7. The food was good to great and the shows outstanding. Do not miss the production shows. 

 

It was a fun cruise and again, the staff made it that way. THe excursions were good to great. We were not thrilled with the condition of the ferry that took us through the old locks. It was overcrowded and uncomfortable. The company should have a nicer boat with a cash bar  - think Catalina Express. They would make a ton of money. Also, it was a super long day - 10 hours vs the 6 advertised. This is not Princess’s fault. 

 

 

 

We actually agreed with most of your conclusions.  Crew was wonderful, especially handling disappointed passengers and having to work harder with the extra sea days.  We also felt that the ship vibrated more then we have ever noticed on any other ship.  Not sure if it may have contributed to the bunk falling on my daughter.  We were just really happy she wasn't hurt and that it didn't happen in the middle of the night as the bed would have come down on my head and she would have been on top (crew was shocked by this, said no one had ever seen this happen).  We had independent tours booked at all ports (no problems with refunds, and we actually were refunded and notified in Cayman before the ships tours.  Cayman Coast Guard had closed Stingray City).  Food was hit or miss for us.  There were some really good things, and some that were not as good as Princess pre-pandemic.  We did feel that things were a little on the salty side and that there seemed to be several repeats or very similar meals usually a few days in a row.  That said, no one went hungry!  Did miss some of our old favorites, but it was nice to try new things as well.  

  The miss in Jamaica was hard to understand as we felt the Coast Guard should have waited until we were docked in Jamaica and taken the refugees off while the rest of us enjoyed our port day.  We understand that this was the USCG and not Princess deciding this.  We were happy that the raft people were all safe.  Overall, we probably would go on the Caribbean Princess again, but it would probably be my last choice in the Princess fleet (we also like the Grand better!)

[HBCcruiser]

1 minute ago, Roatanfans said:

We were just really happy she wasn't hurt and that it didn't happen in the middle of the night as the bed would have come down on my head and she would have been on top (crew was shocked by this, said no one had ever seen this happen

That was you?! I’m so glad she was not hurt. I would have freaked. I hope you got compensated WELL! 

3 minutes ago, Roatanfans said:

The miss in Jamaica was hard to understand as we felt the Coast Guard should have waited until we were docked in Jamaica and taken the refugees off while the rest of us enjoyed our port day

Really great point! I did not think of that but it makes sense. 
 

I am glad you had a great cruise. 😀🥂

[Roatanfans]

 

On 12/30/2022 at 9:25 PM, HBCcruiser said:

That was you?! I’m so glad she was not hurt. I would have freaked. I hope you got compensated WELL! 

Really great point! I did not think of that but it makes sense. 
 

I am glad you had a great cruise. 😀🥂

Yep that was us!  Those beds are way heavier then they look.  Really happy it didn't happen in the middle of the night as it would have come down right in my head and my daughter would have been on top, scary to think about what that outcome would have been!

[phabric]

9 hours ago, Roatanfans said:

 

Yep that was us!  Those beds are way heavier then they look.  Really happy it didn't happen in the middle of the night as it would have come down right in my head and my daughter would have been on top, scary to think about what that outcome would have been!

Did they compensate you for this horrible accident?  It could have been a different outcome. 

[Mike07]

On 12/29/2022 at 11:35 AM, HBCcruiser said:

Final reflections:

 

1. The CB staff are amazing. Some of the best. 

...

 

 

6. They kept charging us for items that were included in our package, or that we did not purchase. I think we had to go to Guest Services on a daily basis to fix our account. The lines at guest services were always long. Princess needs to change this.

 

 

 

 

 

Was on the Caribbean earlier this year, and we didn't have any issues with billing and included drinks being charged wrongly.

 

Also, wait staff in MDR was hit or miss in quality. We had some that were awesome and some that I think I could do a better dealing with tables and orders having never waited a table in my life.

[HBCcruiser]

15 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

Also, wait staff in MDR was hit or miss in quality.

We were in Club Class. Perhaps that made the difference?

[bmc alabama]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:21 PM, Roatanfans said:

 

  The miss in Jamaica was hard to understand as we felt the Coast Guard should have waited until we were docked in Jamaica and taken the refugees off while the rest of us enjoyed our port day.  We understand that this was the USCG and not Princess deciding this.  We were happy that the raft people were all safe.  Overall, we probably would go on the Caribbean Princess again, but it would probably be my last choice in the Princess fleet (we also like the Grand better!)

We had heard that Jamaica would not allow us to dock with refugees, so they had to be taken off prior to any visit (and since then we had to go by Guantanamo, we missed it anyway).

 

I would agree that the Caribbean Princess was probably my least favorite Princess ship (Regal is my favorite since the Dawn left).  I didn’t think the food was bad, per se, I would rather say that the selection was odd, especially in the buffet (Turnip soup?  Who wants that?)

 

That said, the staff was great and I really thought the International Cafe (Uriel and Daniel were amazing!) was excellent.  Pizza was very good as well.

 

We did the Miraflores locks and old town Panama City excursion in Panama (and didn’t get back until 7:30pm!), but it was an amazing excursion and I’d highly recommend it.  The tour guide Yasiel (sp?) was amazing.

 

Also, the last night, I think the air went out for awhile.  Woke up in a complete sweat.  It was back to cool by morning, though…

[mmsoko]

On 12/15/2022 at 11:15 AM, HBCcruiser said:

Our excursions - NOTE: We cancelled the stingray excursion and instead are renting a private yacht for 7 in the Cayman Islands. It was the same price if all 7 of us were to pay for a snorkel/boat excursion so - FUN!   

 

Can you give me more details on the private yacht rental? Perhaps a link?

[HBCcruiser]

38 minutes ago, mmsoko said:

Can you give me more details on the private yacht rental? Perhaps a link?

It was through Viator. I did not book it my friend did but it was something like this: 

Check this out from Viator, it looks amazing!

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