Exceeding Expectations!!!

[Tatka]

Wow.. about jeans in dining room. I was surprised how many people on Caribbean Princess wore formal dress even on casual nights. :eek:

 

I also thought martinis prices ($5.25) were very reasonable. :)

[two rabbits]

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.

 

Great review. More and more people are starting to realize what you have said. I have tried quite a few cruise lines and would agree with you 100%. Princess has moved ahead of the other mass market lines when you look at the total cruise experience. While I have had a good time on most of my cruises, Princess consistently delivers a good product.

[travelingduo]

I must agree with LuLaLuvlee. We have been on more than 50 cruises, After many years on other lines, we gave Princess two more chances. Once in a mini on the Island and once in a full suite on the Dawn. Cabins were great, food was mediocore to good, and service was spotty --even in a full suite -- it was just OK. We are booked on the Mercury for a New Zealand/Australia cruise this coming December and are excited to be back on X and back on the Mercury, having sailed her twicie before. I have heard good things about the CP, so maybe she is better than the rest.

[richsea]

Wow.. about jeans in dining room. I was surprised how many people on Caribbean Princess wore formal dress even on casual nights. :eek:

 

I also thought martinis prices ($5.25) were very reasonable. :)

 

Hi Tatka! I agree that the martinis, in fact most of the drinks are less expensive on Princess, BUT, the martinis from the martini bar on X are twice the size & head & shoulders above those on Princess.

 

Another thing about Princess; they did not serve Heinekin on board:( , which I thought was odd, but they do serve Bass Ale:D , which X doesn't.

[msiowa]

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.

 

Of course different people like different things, and things do vary on a ship from time to time, but I have to say that my experience on the Caribbean Princess (December 2005) was THE worst cruise I've ever taken by about a million miles. I had previously been on the Grand (which was ok) and on the Dawn (which I liked a great deal) - as well as the Celebrity Constellation (which I LOVED!) - and had a pretty bad week on the CP. The public spaces were far too crowded, food was mediocre at best (there were a couple of nights I barely ate and THAT is unusual!), the dining service rushed and impersonal (Worse than my experience in diners!).

 

I did love my mini-suite (wish Celebrity had something comparable), the fresh water pools (if you could get near them), and I agree, Tim Donavan is a gem!

 

Since my cruise, 3 groups of friends have been on the CP, most recently this past December, and all had similar feelings about their experience.

 

After that cruise I was on Summit in Alaska - it was so refreshing to be back on a ship with good food and a refined atmosphere.

 

Next up is Seven Seas Mariner in Alaska - I'm anxious to try it! and then the Xpedition!!! Great times to look forward to!!

 

I'm glad some of you have had a good experience on the Caribbean Princess. I wish I had.

 

Happy sailing.

Joanie

[metro211]

Hi all,

 

We took the Sea Princess this past July because it had the best itinerary in the business for Iceland. The shore excursions were wonderful and the shore excursion staff was exceptional, and that is where the good news ends. Without repeating much of what has already been said: the staff were rude and indifferent; the anytime dining meant long waits for a table and cold food that was almost thrown at us, to say the entertainment was poor is being kind...and on and on. We will not take Princess again, no matter the itinerary...and are really glad that our cruise three weeks ago was back on X. Finally, I don't think it is that this is about different people liking different things, but rather that many of us expect common courtesy, decent food (does not have to be gourmet), and a sense that the cruise line appreciates your business and wants you back.

[Capt]

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.:)

 

 

Enjoy the balcony and not only the fettucine alfredo but the other pasta dishes that are offered.

[adjburch]

Leaving Feb 4th for 1st Celebrity cruise. Our last cruise was on Princess and out of all the cruises we have done, Princess is my favorite. Will be able to compare better after next week.

 

Capt, your review was correct. Boarding Princess was the fastest process that we have gone thru on any cruise. The food was better than the other lines we have been on. Can't wait till Sunday so I can start to compare Celebrity to Princess.

[2ladies]

We no longer are loyal to Princess although we were customers for many years. Since the tips are now automatically added to the bill, they have removed the incentive to give good service. The service in the PC Dining Room varied from disinterested to downright rude!!

 

I had the tips removed from my bill and tipped each evening according to the service!!

[sweetair]

i will say its quite amusing to me that if you go to the princess boards and mention about the rude indifference of the staff..you will get slammed by the "loyalists" and "cheerleaders".

They cannot fathom that princess has declined in that area or any area. They will defend to the death.

 

2 ladies: I totally agree that the automatic tipping promotes less service and incentive. Also having to wait on long lines at the pursers desk to remove the tips daily is a VERY DIFFICULT waste of time.

 

in san juan on embarkation day we waited OUTSIDE the terminal on a line at 4pm to get into the terminal..once inside the terminal it was quick and relatively painless.

 

adj: i'd be curious about your experience Please write a review upon returning. Have a great cruise1

*sweet*

[woodofpine]

And Princess loyalists on that board defending to the death differs from the X board... :D :D in what way? :D

 

I'm working a large family booking presently that will probably be on Princess after a hiatus on Westerdam and C.Miracle so I'm interested in the comments. The only real option for this group otherwise is RC. My 10 year old (in the "from the mouths of babes" catagory) was firm in his preference for Princess over HAL (pools count for kids).

 

X isn't really an option due to date/itinerary considerations.

 

X is Xcellent - but my intro to X was a fairly rude and TOTALLY indifferent; unwillingness of onboard hotel management to make any effort to correct a potentially disasterous booking error made by the line. (Oh - it WAS correctable, I was simply left to do it [knocking on the doors of nighboring cabins asking to switch post boarding]) Service is tested in many ways, X is great when times are great, when the going gets tough though I've experienced greater results on Princess.

 

The big Bigger BIGGEST ships are no longer my cup of tea. I suspect disappointments will be more abundant on Solstice.

[caviargal]

 

The big Bigger BIGGEST ships are no longer my cup of tea. I suspect disappointments will be more abundant on Solstice.

 

I agree with your prediction and have no plans to try them for themself; if Celebrity is in my future, it will be Journey or Quest.

[beauxdammit]

Although it is very nice to read all the kudos to Princess, I wonder why they are on this site and not on the Princess site. Sure seems a little misplaced to me.

[Lsimon]

And Princess loyalists on that board defending to the death differs from the X board... :D :D in what way? :D

 

Isn't it obvious? They are terribly wrong and we're perfectly correct!

 

 

Seriously, we've sailed both and commented in detail on the differences in past posts that I won't re-hash here. There are definitely certain things I like more on Princess, but overall Celebrity remains our favorite. But while we prefer Celebrity, we'd consider another Princess cruise if it fit our plans a lot better and I'm sure we'd have a great time on another Princess cruise.

[Capt]

Although it is very nice to read all the kudos to Princess, I wonder why they are on this site and not on the Princess site. Sure seems a little misplaced to me.

 

Check it out. It's there.