CB Review 3/16-3/23 Not a Fan

[spongerob]

I, by no means am against kids on a cruise, but IMO, it is impossible to have a kids program with 800 kids under the age of 18 and adequately keep them in organized programs and out of trouble.

Particularly when their parents take the attitude that "spring break" means a break from being parents...

[Coral]

Particularly when their parents take the attitude that "spring break" means a break from being parents...

 

I agree! Where else can you take a vacation with kids and never see your kids? People wouldn't do this in Vegas or at Disney World and say in the morning "ok kids, see you eventually later this week".....

 

I know not all parents are like that but I have heard parents bragging many times "I haven't seen my kid since we got on the ship 5 days ago".

 

For those parents who keep tabs on your kids, enforce the same rules on the ship that you enforce at home and hold your kids accountable for their actions - kudos to you! I know these parents exist as I have had the pleasure to have dinner with them and their children many times. It is the other group of parents and kids that has made me stop cruising in March and April.

[Toto2Kansas]

I agree! Where else can you take a vacation with kids and never see your kids? People wouldn't do this in Vegas or at Disney World and say in the morning "ok kids, see you eventually later this week".....

 

I know not all parents are like that but I have heard parents bragging many times "I haven't seen my kid since we got on the ship 5 days ago".

 

For those parents who keep tabs on your kids, enforce the same rules on the ship that you enforce at home and hold your kids accountable for their actions - kudos to you! I know these parents exist as I have had the pleasure to have dinner with them and their children many times. It is the other group of parents and kids that has made me stop cruising in March and April.

 

No truer words were ever spoken about Spring Break Coral.

I can still remember one cruise where the couple at our table would come to dinner every night and laugh and laugh that they had not seen their 8 year old (or was he 7?) since 7:00 AM that morning, but they HEARD from others that the staff was taking very good care of him (he did not like the kids program so he was just on his own). That he was last seen dripping wet in his swimsuit having dinner at the Horizon Court by someone they knew.

I am sure my mouth dropped open at that statement.

 

Why anyone would think a cruise ship was any different than anywhere else where you need to keep tabs on your kids is beyond me. It was the last spring break cruise we ever took.

 

We took several before we gave up. I could probably write a book on the things I have seen kids do onboard a ship when they are turned loose with no supervision.

[C&F]

I am already worried about not having a deck chair, a seat at the show, a reservation at a restaurant, etc. due to the number of people. With a lot of sea days on the itinerary I am wondering if I made a mistake. Sea days are fun if the family is happy, but not if the kids are unhappy and I can't get a seat at the pool.

 

Have I made a mistake?

 

Netta7

 

Disney cruise 1999

Windjammer Legacy 2007

You have not made a mistake. We have cruised the Crown (basically the same ship) out of NY for the last two years. We had a blast both times. We always found a deck chair. Right next to the pool??- NO! But it didn't matter, we found one. We always found a seat at the show (within 30 minutes of the show starting). We didn't make reservations other than Ultimate Balcony Dining and that worked out great. Here's a tip- Don't expect perfection! You will not get it in almost anything, outside of cruising as well. Your vacation is what you make it and I feel Princess will give you a very good cruise to start with, but you must make it great!

[nevis92]

Just to clear up any misconceptions, my point regarding the 800 children on the ship was to illustrate that the children's program can't possibly achieve the intended product experience. You'll notice I didn't say that the ship was overrun with children. I was impressed by the behavior of most of the kids, and for that matter, most of the adult passengers were a very nice mix of people.

 

To drive home the point that a cruise experience is subjective from person to person, read AriesLV and you will see another perspective on the CB the very same week.

[Former Goalie]

Just to clear up any misconceptions, my point regarding the 800 children on the ship was to illustrate that the children's program can't possibly achieve the intended product experience. You'll notice I didn't say that the ship was overrun with children. I was impressed by the behavior of most of the kids, and for that matter, most of the adult passengers were a very nice mix of people.

 

To drive home the point that a cruise experience is subjective from person to person, read AriesLV and you will see another perspective on the CB the very same week.

I agree, I didn't realize there were so many kids on board. Never felt overrun, like some other big ships I've been on. Very little pack mentality I saw.

I certainly see your points, and agree with the substantial majority of them.

When I go on a mass market line, I'm not expecting a Seabourn experience. All my points concerning this cruise we were both on is that service, and the overall experience, was not as good as on our other Princess cruises.

We generally stay in premium accomodations, but don't expect the staff to wait on us with bended knee.

But we expect better service than:

1) to be served coffee at room service....without coffee cups (twice)!

2) to notice the chaise on our balcony was broken and unuseable on the first day of the cruise, then pointing this out, and finally get a fixed chaise back late Friday before we left, meaning we had only one day to enjoy it.

[martini cruiser]

The different perepectives are what makes CC so great. I read this thread and then AriesLv review ABOUT THE SAME CRUISE, where they even on the same ship?

 

I guess attitude is everything, the worst cruise I have been on was fantastic!

 

I'm on the CB March 30th , and yes I'm a little concerned regarding the number of kids, but I think there are enough places to get away from the

chaos, if there is any. I can always have a Martini! The sea, sun, a good book and the ocassional libation is all I need.

 

I've been on everything from the Old Big Red Boat to Crystal & Regent, to Cruise West to Windstar and each had it's good points. Crystal can get a little too sedate, while NCL tried to sell you something every 5 minutes.

I think for the $$$, Holland America and princess are the best.

 

Martini Cruiser

[gertz]

:D All of the above is why we try very had not to vacation during spring break. Although we pushed it this year doing the Mexican Rivera last week of February on the Golden.

 

Having been on the CB I agree with the writer there are two many people on this ship with the extra deck. With 800 kids there were probably closer to 3500 pax rather than 3000. This is why we are very reluctant to sail on the CB or it's twins.

 

Gosh 800 kids, no wonder. Can only relate to that in a very minor way. We took grandaughter,13, to Alaska on the Coral had a wonderful time. Not enough kids for a kids program, only 22 on entire ship..

 

That being said let me also say we have never had a bad Princess Cruise. Some better than others but never a bad one. We started in 1991 on the Crown.

 

Sorry for your experience.

 

Next Tahitian in September to Hawaii, then Island FLL to San Pedro.

 

Jack & Nora

[Coral]

Nevis - when you were first researching the Caribbean Princess you asked for advice. Looking at your signature, I really thought that the HAL choice was best for you because your history is of smaller ships. IMO - there is a huge difference in sailing ships that are 80,000 - 90,000 tonns and below and those that are over 100,000. For me, it is night and day. I will always choose the smaller ship given a choice because for me, everything is better on a smaller ship. Once I get on a larger ship, I feel that I end up settling for mediocre service, mediocre food, and that I just become another passenger. On the smaller ships, I get to know many staff on a first name basis (and they get to know me).

 

On the other hand, there is no way of knowing if one likes a large ship until they sail on one. It sounds like your family really prefers the smaller ships and IMO, I don't blame you. It is my preference also.

 

I hope you have an opportunity to sail Princess on one of their smaller ships so you can see where Princess shines.

[nevis92]

Coral,

 

You are correct. I probably should have opted for the Westerdam or Millenium cruise that week. I felt that since I had never cruised with Princess OR a mega-ship, this was a good time to try. (The fact that we snagged a corner, aft balcony sealed the deal). You can see by my signature that we do enjoy trying different cruise lines.

 

With so many huge ships being built, sailing full, and getting positive reviews, I thought maybe we were missing out on something. As you know, I was very apprehensive about my decision.

 

Again, I hope I don't sound like we had a terrible week. We certainly did not. We actually had a good time; just not great. I had simply set my expectations of Princess too high. And honestly, I had read so many glowing reviews from folks just off the ship, I thought I had a feel for what to expect.

[Coral]

Coral,

 

You are correct. I probably should have opted for the Westerdam or Millenium cruise that week. I felt that since I had never cruised with Princess OR a mega-ship, this was a good time to try. (The fact that we snagged a corner, aft balcony sealed the deal). You can see by my signature that we do enjoy trying different cruise lines.

 

I definitely understand how you feel. I sailed on the Explorer of the Seas because it was so larger and everyone was talking about that and the Voyager. I am glad I experienced it but it would not be my choice of ship in the future. Heck, when I have sailed the Grand class ships - it is because I had friends on the ship or it was the itinerary as I really don't like that large of ship.

 

I guess we all make compromises at certain times. I am considering the Caribbean Princess for October and I know that I will not like the ship (I am not a fan of the other Grand class ships and this will have more people on it). But it goes to all the ports I want, it is port intensive and it is really the only ship that hits some criteria that I want (a cheap getaway, starting and ending in the US so I can use my free plane ticket, not the Explorer of the Seas because it is even larger, etc...). All the ships that are my top choices are going one way to Canada or back and my plane ticket won't work with those.

 

Good luck on your future cruises!

[ikelmay]

An earlier poster made an interesting comment and termed the Caribbean Princess as being "Princess-Lite". We tooke the CB last year and certainly enjoyed our trip, but it doesn't stand out at all - we have real problems remembering anything about the vessel, the experience, only perhaps the MUTS. Neither positive or negative, but I would like to try another Princess ship to maybe get some 'wow' factor that we have since experienced on other cruise lines.

[Sea and Me]

We have enjoyed the smaller ships on Princess. The Sun, Dawn and Golden. We chose Caribbean Princess due to the ports that it visits. We are not a fan of 3,100 people being together on one ship. We cruised on the Adventure of the Seas in '00 and swore never again!! I suppose never say never because the CB is a big ship for us. I'm not going on the cruise with a negative attitude and I'm anxious to see how we will like it. Should be interesting. You know what "they" say opinions are like noses everyone has one:D I guess that is what makes us so different and that is a good thing.:)

[BruceMuzz]

There is no way on earth of knowing what a broken leg really feels like until you actually experience one for yourself.

 

But if you ask people (like me) who have experienced several, you can get a reasonably good idea what the experience might be like. And if most of those people recommend against actually experiencing the broken bone, it might be a wise idea to follow their advice.

 

Cruising on a big mass market ship during a big family holiday works pretty much the same way......................................

[Cathy p]

Sorry you did not enjoy your cruise. I totally understand. We did not enjoy ours

either. We found the staff very rude, food not that great, hot water only 3 out of 7 days and to top it off our mini suite was used to repair balconies on the Dolphin deck. Now we did go on the Star last year and it was wonderful. We are now going on the Crown in Oct. I don't have a problem with all the people on the mega ships as I could not believe there was 3,000 people onboard.

Well that is my 2 cents worth so don't give up on Princess, try the Star, what a difference.

[Philip217]

Cathy p, ikelmay, nevis92, and Arieslv all made the same judgement errors that are quite common with cruisers today. They all took a 7 day cruise on a particular ship and decided that the ship is always "that way". They now have a 7 day snapshot (good or bad) of a ship that is radically different (better or worse) the other 51 weeks of the year.

 

If they cruised on a family holiday they are now convinced that the ship is always crowded and filled with families and noisy children.

 

If they cruised in mid-January, they are convinced that the ship is always filled with seniors, wheelchairs, walkers and canes, and that everything shuts down at 10 pm.

 

If they cruised in October they now think that the ship always has choppy seas and cloudy weather - and often misses ports.

 

If they cruised in April, they now think that the ship always has wonderful weather and calm seas and never misses any ports.

 

If they cruised when one of the better chefs was onboard, they think the food is always wonderful; if they cruised when his reliever was onboard, they think the food is always just so-so.

 

If they tried to check in at noon, they think that the long lines and long waits to get onboard happen every week.

 

If they tried to check in at 2:30, they think that the check in is always a breeze with no waiting.

 

They are all correct - and they are all wrong. You just cannot judge a ship by a single experience like that.

 

But if you do your homework well (check out the Member Reviews for the same ship on the same week last year, for example) you will be much better prepared and better warned on what to expect this year.

[AriesLV]

Cathy p, ikelmay, nevis92, and Arieslv all made the same judgement errors that are quite common with cruisers today. They all took a 7 day cruise on a particular ship and decided that the ship is always "that way". They now have a 7 day snapshot (good or bad) of a ship that is radically different (better or worse) the other 51 weeks of the year.

 

If they cruised on a family holiday they are now convinced that the ship is always crowded and filled with families and noisy children.

 

If they cruised in mid-January, they are convinced that the ship is always filled with seniors, wheelchairs, walkers and canes, and that everything shuts down at 10 pm.

 

If they cruised in October they now think that the ship always has choppy seas and cloudy weather - and often misses ports.

 

If they cruised in April, they now think that the ship always has wonderful weather and calm seas and never misses any ports.

 

If they cruised when one of the better chefs was onboard, they think the food is always wonderful; if they cruised when his reliever was onboard, they think the food is always just so-so.

 

If they tried to check in at noon, they think that the long lines and long waits to get onboard happen every week.

 

If they tried to check in at 2:30, they think that the check in is always a breeze with no waiting.

 

They are all correct - and they are all wrong. You just cannot judge a ship by a single experience like that.

 

But if you do your homework well (check out the Member Reviews for the same ship on the same week last year, for example) you will be much better prepared and better warned on what to expect this year.

 

For the record, oh sage one, I don't consider my choice of the CB at this time of year to be a "judgement error." I did, in fact, research the reviews from March of 2007. I also never intended for my review to suggest that things are 'always' one way or another. My review was nothing more than my personal experience on one ship of one cruise line for one week, written in hopes of offering others one person's insight (just as so many have offered theirs to me, and which I have found so valuable). I fully realize that every individual will have a different experience, depending on a staggering number of variables. I would hope that anyone reading these reviews would take a look at the 'big picture,' and not just what one or two people had to say.

 

Your comment is well taken though; it's good advice, and something we should all remember.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Cathy p, ikelmay, nevis92, and Arieslv all made the same judgement errors that are quite common with cruisers today. They all took a 7 day cruise on a particular ship and decided that the ship is always "that way". They now have a 7 day snapshot (good or bad) of a ship that is radically different (better or worse) the other 51 weeks of the year.

Actually, everyone on this board is guilty of the same behavior (I wouldn't call them judgement "errors" as they are not errors at all, simply typical behavior). Our personal opinions are nearly always prejudiced by our personal experiences.

 

I have been on several B2B cruises, and know that a cruise experience varies quite a bit from one cruise to the next. From one year to the next, it can change dramatically. The ship may remain the same, but management and crew changes can have a huge impact positively or negatively. Even on the same cruise, experiences vary widely. A bad steward, waiter, cabin maintenance, issues with a single person at the purser's or shore excursion desk, a cut of beef...all can rightfully taint someone's view of the cruise.

 

FWIW, I've been on 90,000 ton ship over Spring Break with 800 kids and it was our best Caribbean cruise ever.

[DGNY]

But if you do your homework well (check out the Member Reviews for the same ship on the same week last year, for example) you will be much better prepared and better warned on what to expect this year.

 

Last summer the Crown was doing the itinerary that CB is doing this summer (9 day Eastern Caribbean out of NYC). Would you recommend checking out the Crown reviews from a year ago instead since it is a similar ship?

[WCAB]

Just want all of you to know how much I have enjoyed this thread. It is a perfect example at how we can respect all opinions and even share some of those opinions without it discouraging us from the entire fleet of ships. We will be on the Emerald this year and though I prefer the smaller ships, I am really looking forward to the trip. I consider all ships if the price is right and it is going somewhere I want to see.

[Philip217]

DGNY,

 

Great idea. The Crown and Caribbean Princesses are nearly identical in the ways that matter for this itinerary. They will both have many of the same challenges and plusses. They will pretty much carry the same demographics.

[Philip217]

Maybe judgement error is the wrong term. I believe that it is generally human nature to look at a snapshot of just about anything and just "Assume" that this is the way it is all of the time.

 

Nothing really wrong with that - unless your assumptions are incorrect and you end up being disappointed with unrealistic expectations as a result.

[nevis92]

First, let me say thank you for your honest review!

 

Going on the CB in May, you said you had no wait time for anytime dining. Could you please tell me what times you usually dinned?

 

Thank you, and hope you reconsider a Princess cruise in the future:)

 

Sorry I didn't previously respond to your question. We dined at different times. Sometimes with and without our children. Even at what I would consider "peak" times, we had no problem getting seated immediately.

 

Thanks to advice I had read on these boards, we always dined in the Palm Dining Room. It is harder to find and thus tends to be a bit less crowded.