Honest (long) Review: CB 10/7/07 - 10/14/07

[CruzAgn]

Just got back on land and I miss cruising already.

 

A few things about me: I am positive. I believe a bad cruise is better than a good week at work. I love cruising and know that *most* of the crew work very hard at pleasing us. I go for the boat (for the most part) moreso than the itinerary - I just plain love to cruise.

 

One thing about this review: Take what you want out of it and leave the rest - everybody's different.

 

I booked an inside cabin with my DH. I've done balcony and oceanview, but this cruise was with my family so we didn't use the cabin much.

 

Embarkation - Smooth as silk. We saw a HUGE line but were onboard in about 15 minutes.

 

Cabin - Smelled STRONGLY of smoke. I'm an ex-smoker, it doesn't generally bother me, but it was thick. The purser apologized and immediately had it steam cleaned. Came back an hour later - good as new. I noticed the bathroom floor had dirt, debris, and hair (gag) on it. I asked the cabin steward to please mop it. He was very apologetic; it was gleaming by the time we came back from dinner. I tipped him $10 and thanked him. I loved the design of the room - plenty of storage and what felt like a walk-in closet outside the bathroom. Accommodations would have been tight for more than 2 people but we had tons of storage and were pleased.

 

Spa - Needed to get an acrylic nail fixed. Made an appt for 7:15pm. I checked in at 7:05pm. At 7:50pm I was finally sitting in front of the nail tech, who didn't even blink at being over a half hour late. I called once I was back at my stateroom (needed the walk to simmer down). I told "Chloe" that I had waited over a half hour and she kept saying: "Yes, but you got your nail fixed, right?" NOT GOOD SERVICE She said she would check with her manager?? (I guess she assumed I wanted money/credit?) Not sure why, I just wanted an apology. Needless to say I never heard a word back from anybody (and didn't book the massage I wanted).

 

Boutiques - Pretty good. The jewelry shop was courteous and quick to answer questions; the perfume shop ignored passengers altogether.

 

Food - LOVED THE FOOD! Every bite was delicious. We tried the buffet ONE night for dinner and didn't care for it - was probably an off-night since others in our party raved about it (seafood night, Mexican night, etc). But the breakfast and lunch buffets were wonderful - great variety - if you can't find food you like on the CB, your not looking hard enough or are way too picky. SERVICE in the dining room was excellent. (The first 2 nights weren't so good) *BUT* We found 2 waiters that we loved: he was funny/she was sweet. They played off of each other and we had a ball. So, in anytime seating if you don't like the service, try table 390 or 389 in the Coral Dining Room, hopefully they are still there. One quick note - I prefer the traditional seating. I like the waiters singing and everybody being served together - it feels more fun to me. Strictly my preference/opinion.

 

Room Service - FAST, prompt, courteous service. I even got a hot chocolate (my DH kept the room pretty cool) in the middle of the Caribbean. It was perfect! They must have thought I was nuts.

 

Bars/Lounges - Kind of touch and go. For the most part the service was good, other times not; sometimes they tended to be slow, not in any hurry - (and I'm not talking about when it's busy). But again, for the most part very good.

 

Activities - LOTS and lots of them! Drawing lessons, ballroom dancing lessons, wine-tastings, pool games, bingo, art auctions, plenty, and I mean PLENTY to do. Varied and interesting. They had a bar with sports (NFL/MLB/etc) on whenever a game was on (signal permitting).

 

Entertainment - WONDERFUL! Piano player Bert (2-FIR!) was hysterical. He had facial expressions that reminded me of Jim Carey. Comedians were pretty funny. One night was an adult comedy show - it was kinda hokey - as if they were swearing and being crude "just because they could" - not even to be funny. And NO I am NOT easily offended - I love Eddie Murphy Raw - he swears but it's FUNNY - does that make sense?

 

Pools - Many of them - one with a huge TV (Movies Under the Stars) playing awesome movies/sports/shows while you lounge, one pool was adults only (smaller in the back of the boat). That's where we were - very quiet, peaceful. Excellent location.

 

Service overall - It was okay - yes, just okay. I've been on other cruise lines and the service I found lacking on CB. Had this been my first cruise, I honestly wouldn't have noticed it, but for this reason I more than likely will not go Princess again. At times, I felt I was putting out a crew member or just getting in their way. I've honestly never felt like that before on a cruise. It was really strange. I'm used to everyone being polite and saying "Hello", "Excuse me", etc.

 

Condition of the ship - It was okay - yes, just okay. Lots of stains in the carpets, pale-pinkish mildew on caulking and tile grout, build-up around the faucets and hardware, MORE than the usual wear and tear *expected*. I've been on non-refurbished ships in the past that were kept in mint condition - where the crew always seemed to be vacuuming, windexing, cleaning throughout the boat and throughout the cruise. I must say it was not so on this ship. Again, had this been my first cruise with no comparison - I probably wouldn't have noticed.

 

Itinerary - One of the best in my opinion. I love St Maarten. Got a Coach bag for my DM - she loved it - paid $60 (wink,wink) downtown across from McDonald's. St Thomas is beautiful - Megan's Bay is breathtaking - pictures can't capture the natural beauty on this island. I got a beautiful diamond bracelet from Imperial jewelers (ask for Karen). I've bought from them several times in the past - I always get a really GOOD deal on something I could never afford in the states. The last port was Princess Cays - it looked very nice with lots to do but we didn't go ashore.

 

Disembarkation - Again, smooth as silk.

 

Overall a great vacation - I love cruising, I love my family. Was it perfect? No, but that's okay - I had a great time and made the most of it and really, sincerely enjoyed the relationships with some of the crew.

[dforeigner]

Thanks for writing an objective (positives and negatives) review. I am glad your steward took care of your stateroom promptly. I will have to agree with you, left over hair in the bathroom is a big no no for me.

[Clutterlady]

Thanks for the honest review. Can't wait to board the CB and get back to Princess:)

[sherman931]

Kelly:

 

Great review. DW and I and two friends sat at table 390 several weeks ago. Did you have Xaveria (from Mexico) and Oliver (Macedonia) as your waitstaff. They were great.

[cruzinchris]

I was on this sailing and will write a review within the next few days. I started getting a sore throat on Thursday and have a doozy of a cold :( .

[gopher's girl]

Thanks for the review. Well done!

[CruisinChris]

Even if you had been in Traditional you wouldn't have had singing waiters. That must be a RCl thing. Sorry.

[darbysue]

just what do you mean by wink wink on the coach bag?? was it a knock off-also on the jewelry - I am thinking of getting my 17 year old a diamond ring to remember the trip by - nothing overly fancy just nice what range of price can I expect to be looking at and should I barter with them? thanks for the great review

[CruzAgn]

darbysue: Yes, it wasn't a real bag. It was really close - some of the shops had knock-offs that I fear were pretty tacky. I didn't try and trick my DM, but it was by far the best selection of bags that looked very real (again down by McDonald's up some tile stairs). Also, by all means BARTER on EVERYTHING - don't like the price? they'll keep going lower. They wanted $75 for the bag - got it for $60. We settled on my bracelet at 1/3 of the cost. There is such a high markup on jewelry that I would do a little research before you go - check out Kay's, Zale's, even Ebay? etc. and see what you would pay for a 1/4-, 1/2-carat, etc. ring so you have something to go by.

 

sherman931: I believe we had the same waitstaff! :) They were wonderful, weren't they?

 

I totally forgot to mention Hector and Jennifer at the Sterling Steakhouse onboard - GREAT service and one of the best steaks I've ever had. They cooked my med-rare filet perfectly! Worth every penny of the $15 covercharge for the specialty restaurant.

[barbarah33]

Thank you for the review. I will be on the CB in two weeks. I have sailed her before so I know what to expect; weaknesses and strengths. I just can't wait to get away on my vacation!!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[cruzkitty]

Good Review! I've sailed the CB twice, and wouldn't hesitate to sail her again! I enjoyed everything about her, and the food was really good, in my opinion, or most of it, anyway.:)

[Sanibel*Gal]

CruzAgn - Very nice review.....we were on the CB in September and have to agree about the Bar/Lounge service, we noticed it too - not up to par with other cruises. Oh well....somehow we muddled through and had a wonderful time!:D We did find our room steward very accommodating and the crew was friendly too! Food was good for the most part - the new menus took a little getting use to!:rolleyes: But we had a great cruise, 2nd time on the CB and we'll sail her again!!!

[luvcdays]

Cruzagn,

 

Would you mind telling me the price you paid and if they did a good job repairing your acrylic nail?

 

Thanks,

 

Luvcdays

[CruzAgn]

I use the products they were working with (Creative) and how much they cost. My natural nail was long so no tip or nail form was needed. ALSO, I told her not to polish me; I brought my own polish from home.

 

Her application was pretty bad: A vertical bump on the nail bed, the acrylic was applied more on one side of the free edge than the other, and by the very next night it started lifting.

 

So... all she did was acrylic overlay: pennies worth of product and 5 minutes worth of work. All for the bargain price of $15. :eek:

 

Never again... I learned my lesson. :(

[luvcdays]

CruzAgn,

 

Thanks for the info. You never know when you'll need a repair. Maybe i'll just take my own products.

 

Luvcdays

[Roz]

What is the CB???

 

Roz

[LEESRE]

Roz

Caribbean Princess

[Roz]

Thanks...can you tell I'm not a Princess cruiser? At least not yet.

 

Roz

[parisbully]

What is the "in term" for the Crown?

[roe2ship]

 

Bars/Lounges - Kind of touch and go. For the most part the service was good, other times not; sometimes they tended to be slow, not in any hurry - (and I'm not talking about when it's busy). But again, for the most part very good.

We noticed this also on our last cruise.

 

 

Condition of the ship - It was okay - yes, just okay. Lots of stains in the carpets, pale-pinkish mildew on caulking and tile grout, build-up around the faucets and hardware, MORE than the usual wear and tear *expected*. I've been on non-refurbished ships in the past that were kept in mint condition - where the crew always seemed to be vacuuming, windexing, cleaning throughout the boat and throughout the cruise. I must say it was not so on this ship. Again, had this been my first cruise with no comparison - I probably wouldn't have noticed.

This is quite a surprise......less than three months ago, the ship still looked brand new.

[roe2ship]

What is the "in term" for the Crown?

 

Crown is KP.