Exceeding Expectations!!!

[Capt]

After 9 cruises w/ Celebrity we decided to give Princess a shot. Let me 1st say that we really did not have any great expectations other than good food, a mini-suite and a great time being w/ our friends.

 

Allow me to me to give a brief and concise review.

 

Embarkation- Smoothest of ALL cruises taken. Arrived at port @ 1:15, on ship and in cabin @ 1:25. Plenty of time to see the NFL Playoff games on the MUTS.

 

Mini – Suite: Spacious. Bed very comfortable. Bathtub a plus. Large balcony w/o covering but we enjoyed being in the sun. Bath towels had a lot to be desired.

 

Dining: Shocked to say that the food was every bit as good as Celebrity’s and in some cases it surpassed Celebrity’s. The service was exceptional in all venues especially the Palm Dining Room. Buffet lines were difficult to navigate but food was typical buffet fare. Any time dining is not exactly “anytime” but we learned how to make it work for our party of 4.

 

Highlights:

1. Must do seafood buffet on the 1st evening.

2. Pasta dishes were excellent

3. Beef dishes were very enjoyable.

4. Lobster nite- received three, yes 3 lobster tails WITHOUT asking for. Went well w/ the Beef Wellington.

5. Sushi very good- served @ 2 lunch buffets.

6. Sugar –free desserts were outstanding. No make that “to die for’.

 

Entertainment: Lounges had good to very good performers. We did not go to any “production shows”

 

Disembark- Chaotic AFTER claiming baggage and out of Princess terminal. But we were able to get transportation very quickly.

 

Summary: Guess who “exceeded our expectations”? Our Princess experience was wonderful. We were very happy to look at menus that were not the typical Celebrity fare. The food was beyond what we had hoped for and we can recommend Princess as being a great overall cruising experience. We look forward to cruising w/ Princess again in the near future.

[Tatka]

I second this review!

 

We were as much impressed by Caribbean Princess as you!!!

 

I would add that IMHO pools and their number beat X. Two large beautiful pools in different areas, plus 2 adult only pool with completely enforced rules, plus one more. :)

 

How did you like champagne tower? ;)

[Capt]

Great concept of getting 2-3 hundred people in a small area. Glass of bubbly was appreciated and actually enjoyed throwing streamers down towards the revellers.

 

The more I think about it, we really enjoyed alot of the different events that took place on board.

[chrismch]

Our last cruise on Mercury did not meet our previously high expectations of Celebrity which I think was primarily due to the onboard mgmt skills.

 

Our next cruise is in May on the Diamond Princess. Good to hear that the desserts were outstanding as my DH has a sweet tooth. Do you know if that Seafood buffet is the standard for all the Princess ships? Any other "secrets" that we need to know about?:p

[Tatka]

We also loved their Art Gallery, almost looked like a museum. :)

[Literary Lynne]

:) Hi Tatka

 

I'm interested in what you mention about the pools, especially the two for adults only. Are any of them similar to the T pools on the Millennium class X ships - ie indoors?

 

Look forward to hearing from you.

 

Lynne:)

[Coral]

:) Hi Tatka

 

I'm interested in what you mention about the pools, especially the two for adults only. Are any of them similar to the T pools on the Millennium class X ships - ie indoors?

 

No T pool on Princess. Some ships have pools with retractable roofs (inside) such as the Grand, Golden, Star, Diamond, Sapphire, Coral and Island Princess. The Caribbean and Crown Princess do not have indoor pools.

 

People often like the pools on Princess because they are fresh water pools (not saltwater).

 

The seafood buffet is on the Carribean and Crown Princess.

 

To Capt - glad you enjoyed your Princess experience :). Some of the gems in the Princess fleet are Coral and Island Princess. They are about the same size as the M class.

[cruiserone]

Capt, loved your review. The pasta on Princess is wonderful especially the pasta arrabiatta. I hope that you got to taste that dish while on board. The dining room captains are almost all Italian and they make great pasta. And the pizza is to die for!

 

We are taking our second Celebrity cruise next week and then a Princess cruise after our daughters wedding. Thanks for giving us a reminder of the things we have to look forward to.:D Cruiserone

[british betty]

We have been on Sea Princess on a 7 day out of Southampton and also a 14 day Caribbean out of Barbados and have to say that their Amercian Cheesecake dessert is delicious, light as a feather, and an option that is always available. The food in the main Traviata dining room, in my opinion was faultless, we didn't have a bad meal. My DH (i think thats the abbreviation for him) made the wrong choice one evening and our waiter removed the dish very promptly and offered something more suitable. I have also been on MSC Sinfonia but to be honest I wasn't impressed. We are really looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise on the Galaxy in October and if the food and service is as good as we experienced on Princess, then we'll be more than satisfied.

[badger71]

we are thinking of the carib. princess in feb 2008 because after 4 celebrity cruises, we don't see an itinary we like. we had been on the golden princess 2 times several yrs ago. we are thinking of a mini-suite on either emerald or dolphin deck. you say there was no overhead protection on your balcony. which deck were you on? what deck would you suggest for a mini? thanks:)

[ECCruise]

we are thinking of the carib. princess in feb 2008 because after 4 celebrity cruises, we don't see an itinary we like. we had been on the golden princess 2 times several yrs ago. we are thinking of a mini-suite on either emerald or dolphin deck. you say there was no overhead protection on your balcony. which deck were you on? what deck would you suggest for a mini? thanks:)

 

All Dolphin deck mini-suites are fully exposed.

The Emerald deck mini-suites, which are all toward the aft, are covered.

[chessbriar]

We had similar thoughts after sailing on CB in October. My selection of ships has grown by a fleet.

[richsea]

We also tried Princess after many Celebrity cruises & were pleasantly surprised. Princess has a lot going for it. We do think that Celebrity's food is better though, especially the desserts, but food is subjective. It's nice to have additional options, isn't it??:)

[newmexicoNita]

I second this review!

 

We were as much impressed by Caribbean Princess as you!!!

 

I would add that IMHO pools and their number beat X. Two large beautiful pools in different areas, plus 2 adult only pool with completely enforced rules, plus one more. :)

 

How did you like champagne tower? ;)

Isn't this interesting, one of the few Princess complaints our company seems to get on a regular basis has to do the the Caribbean Princess. In fact one of my favorite clients who never complains about anything had issues with the service last summer. Maybe they have taken these complaints to heart and have improved. NMnita

[Capt]

Isn't this interesting, one of the few Princess complaints our company seems to get on a regular basis has to do the the Caribbean Princess. In fact one of my favorite clients who never complains about anything had issues with the service last summer. Maybe they have taken these complaints to heart and have improved. NMnita

 

NMnita:

 

1st off; we are not high maintenance travellers that expect the crew and waitstaff to cater to our every need. That being said, we do certainly know the difference between adequate service and outstanding service. Neither my wife nor I are above ripping someone a new one.

 

Quite frankly the 4 of us that took this cruise were flabbergasted by the whole CB experience.

 

Maybe we were lucky, maybe we were just were not anticipating much but I am pleased to say that it was one memorable cruise.

 

It could have changed again this week.

[Tatka]

:) Hi Tatka

 

I'm interested in what you mention about the pools, especially the two for adults only. Are any of them similar to the T pools on the Millennium class X ships - ie indoors?

 

Look forward to hearing from you.

 

Lynne:)

 

No.. adults pools were not indoors, but they were strictly adults. I loved Terrace pool, which is in the aft. It's right under "cart handle" or discoteque which protects from the sun. Also at all times there was security, which politely asked parents with kids to leave.

 

This is it http://www.cruisingthecaribbeanprincess.com/galleryBA.html , but this picture doesn;t do it justice!!!

[Spender Nui]

I can't help but agree with much of has been posted. Sailed Princess for the first time in years and I was especially glad to see more variety on the dinner menu than Celebrity offers. We've booked them again.

[Tatka]

Isn't this interesting, one of the few Princess complaints our company seems to get on a regular basis has to do the the Caribbean Princess. In fact one of my favorite clients who never complains about anything had issues with the service last summer. Maybe they have taken these complaints to heart and have improved. NMnita

 

We were very impressed with service, it was very close or even to Celebrity (Celebrity does have an advantage in white gloved service in dining room, but not by much).

 

We talked to some Russian (our mother tongue is Russian) crew in dining room and other service areas, and they said they were very happy to work for Princess as it provides them with great pay and nice work environment. This was the first time on the ship that our room steward called us by our family name. (we stayed in inside, not in suites)

 

Ship is built with people in mind, it's bid, but has so many cozy places you never feel you share you vacation with 3500 other PAX.

 

Also Tim Donnovan is one of the best CDs we ever met. :)

[caviargal]

I have been considering Princess myself as I have not cruised with them since 1991. I was on Caribbean Princess for lunch last year and was impressed with how pretty she is; she is just way too big for my taste.

 

The Coral suits me in terms of size and number of passengers. I like that they have adult pools which are actually kept for adults; and I like that they allow me to bring wine with a reasonable corkage.

 

I may have to book one on her after all.

[BrooklynGirl2]

We just booked the Crown Princess for a 9 day Eastern Caribbean this summer. This will be our first Princess cruise after 4 Celebrity cruises. We chose Princess because X does not have any Caribbean itineraries during the summer, and as I now have a school age child this is when I can travel. We also chose Princess because I had read many reviews where people say Princess is very close to Celebrity in cruise experience. We were able to sign up for traditional late dining which is what we prefer.

 

I have to say I feel much better after having read these additional comments here. We are very much looking forward to our first Princess cruise and in having our first balcony. I'm afraid I'll like it so much I won't want to leave my room :D :p . I'm also looking forward to the fettucine alfredo which I have heard is wonderful.:)

[LuLaLuvlee]

Wow! I am probably the sole voice of dissention in this thread. We sailed with Princess in November in a mini suite and the room was the only positive note of the entire experience.

 

We found the food cold, the wait service at dinner lackluster (adults drinking wine at the table were served -the adults who chose not to drink alcohol were ignored), and the options for viewing in the main theatre limited by the lack of a screen for those who weren't in the front. This was especially noticible if you were in the handicap row all the way in the rear. The food was so so and often served tepid. I tried to order escargot and was told they didn't serve it. The wine list was limited, not impressive, and way overpriced (bottles I pay $9 for in the local grocery were $30.00). Frequently employees gave erroneous information because they didn't speak English well. The spa was right under the basketball court so our relaxation was ruined by the thump thump thump of dribbled balls.

 

I'm glad ya'll had a good time but you couldn't pay us enough to travel that line ever again.

[Host Anne]

We have sailed Celebrity, Princess and RCI pretty interchanably over the years. We've had mostly terrific experiences on all lines. There have been some cruises on each line (Zenith, Grand & Golden, Vision) that have been less than stellar but overall, we've had great cruises. There are pluses and minuses of each line and every ship. We select on itinerary, price and ship. We wouldn't hesitate to sail on any of them if all things fell into place.

 

There is no perfect line or ship and there are so many factors that change from cruise to cruise, even on the same ship. I say try them all and have a GREAT time whenever you cruise!

[Bodger]

It sounds like the Caribbean Princess experience has improved considerably. We sailed on her in April last year a month after sailing on the Volendam.

 

It was interesting sailing on two different ships a month apart. Compared to our Volendam experience we were disappointed with the Caribbean Princess.

 

With so many people on the ship we found many activities to be too crowded. Our room steward was very good. Our cabin which I think was an outside double with balcony was pleasant enough and quiet.

 

The food was particularly lacking. I really enjoy my beef but I often left much of it uneaten it was that bad. Interesting to hear about how good the pasta was. Unfortunately for my wife, the vegetarian, there was little except for pasta for her to eat in the dining room.

 

Princess Cays was OK but I would rank Half Moon Cay and Coco Cay as being nicer.

 

It wasn't a horrible cruise and the fact that it was won in a sales contest made the price right. I wouldn't have chosen it.

 

We know different people on the same cruise have different experiences. I am glad to hear you had a better experience than we did, we just feel there are better options for us. Our HAL and Celebrity experiences have been better than Princess.

 

YMMV

 

Bodger

[Bodger]

It sounds like the Caribbean Princess experience has improved considerably. We sailed on her in April last year a month after sailing on the Volendam.

 

It was interesting sailing on two different ships a month apart. Compared to our Volendam experience we were disappointed with the Caribbean Princess.

 

With so many people on the ship we found many activities to be too crowded. Our room steward was very good. Our cabin which I think was an outside double with balcony was pleasant enough and quiet.

 

The food was particularly lacking. I really enjoy my beef but I often left much of it uneaten it was that bad. Interesting to hear about how good the pasta was. Unfortunately for my wife, the vegetarian, there was little except for pasta for her to eat in the dining room.

 

Princess Cays was OK but I would rank Half Moon Cay and Coco Cay as being nicer.

 

It wasn't a horrible cruise and the fact that it was won in a sales contest made the price right. I wouldn't have chosen it.

 

We know different people on the same cruise have different experiences. I am glad to hear you had a better experience than we did, we just feel there are better options for us. Our HAL and Celebrity experiences have been better than Princess.

 

YMMV

 

Bodger

[sweetair]

i had a very different experience. I had not sailed princess in 3 years (14 princess cruises prior to 19 celebrity) and in december 2006 took the CROWN princess. i will preface this by saying i had a blast in spite of certain problems.

 

1) staff and service: i am not high maintenance but found them to be rude,unhelpful, uncaring staff. Ask a question and get the runaround. They rarely aknowledged passenger existance.(walking down the halls..room stewards looked away) They do NOT have interactive tv therefore you had to deal with long lines at the pursers desk to inquire about your account. On the last day i waited 45 minutes to clear up a $20 mistake(that i had inquired about the day before)and the woman just says"look at this line...i dont have time to check on this..call princess when you get home"

I did finally get it cleared up wasting 1 1/2 hours of my precious cruisetime!

 

pool towels supplied in room only..No you dont have to return them but still a pain getting extras!

 

2) anytime dining: besides service being rushed/feeling like you were in a diner, and generally feeling like they were doing you a favor, you couldnt pre-order anything. Making reservations was a pain in the arse everyday.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: NO SOUFLEES!!! i was so looking forward to them but its not offered any longer :(

I STRONGLY SUGGEST traditional dining if you go on princess!

 

3) dress code: basically there is none...2 formal...rest are casual..and i do mean casual!!! I was not prepared for seeing jeans as a norm almost daily. Yes i know things are a-changing..just wish i was more prepared!

 

The great things i found: adult only pool was awesome. only had 30 chairs around it but heaven! no kids at all!

 

althought i did not sit by the MUTS pool(too loud and crowded) the picture by day or night was unbelieveable! We did watch the rocky horror picture show at midnight..if you know the movie then you must know the strange looks we got while participating by unsuspecting people!

 

Loved the coffee card:but it was a necessity considering princess uses syrup for coffee.

 

DONT LAUGH BUT the ability to do laundry was great! I also swore i would never do laundry on a cruise but all the floors have at least 2 rooms with irons. I was away for 12 days(5 in puerto rico) but i was able to pack LIGHTER! Used the facility 2 times while i was in my room relaxing.

 

LOTS of movies on the tv to watch! Lots of choices!

 

It was what it was and i would definitely go on princess again now that i know certain things that changed! Not keen on the big ships though!

 

i so cant wait to get back on celebrity march 4th millennium!

woohoo!

*sweet*