Caribbean Princess Review. March 30th voyage!

[cheflauraleh]

Hi Cruisers! My husband and I have just come back from our fabulous Caribbean Princess vacation and it is depressing to be home! I wanted to share my thoughts on the voyage with everyone since I know I loved reading reviews before our cruise. Just a little background information about ourselves...I am a 22 year old pastry chef, who has done 5 cruises now. My husband is 26 and has done about 15 cruises. We are somewhat seasoned cruisers and we absolutely love it! Now I am going to break this down by days and I'll try not to forget anything. If you have any questions please ask, and if you don't agree with my statements that's ok, for we are all entailed to our opinions.

 

Pre-Cruise and Embarkation:

We left our home in Louisiana on Saturday morning and drove down to Fort Lauderdale. It was a long trip (around 18 hours driving) but we took turns a viewed it as the beginning of our adventure! It really wasn't terrible and we would probably do it again.

When we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, we drove to Park N' Fly where we had made reservations to park for the week. We prepaid $72 and they provided the shuttles to the port. The shuttles did fill up quick so some people were left standing there for a while trying to get to the port. It didn't take long and we were on our way. More on this in the disembarkation section. The area was secure so we felt confident in leaving our car there.

Getting on the ship was about the easiest I've ever seen. We got there about 12:30 and there was a bit of a long line, but it moved quickly and we were on and in our stateroom in about 45 minutes! Great job on this Princess!

 

Embarkation Day:

Once on we headed up to the Horizon Court buffet like pretty much everyone else on the ship. It was crowded but we got a seat and our food fairly quickly. No complaints there! Next we headed to our cabin and met our steward Miguel, who was wonderful. We then took a nap because we had about 4 hours of sleep the night before in our car in a parking lot. Needless to say we were tired! We watched sailaway from the 7th deck and walked a mile (3 laps). It was very refreshing after being cooped up so long.

I'll also make recommendations for dinner every night, because I am a chef and obsessed with food. For the Sailway Dinner, I suggest the Lobster and Seafood Terrine, the Pina Colada Soup, and the Barrimundi dish for an entree.

 

Day 1:

We actually got up pretty early on this day and headed up to the buffet for breakfast and then went to work out in the gym. Day 1 and 2 were two of the most rocky days that I or my husband have ever experienced on a ship and we are not new cruisers. The wind truly was blowing terribly and the ship was swaying a lot. It was a trial to attempt to stay on the treadmill while running. So after working out we headed to the swim against the current pool (or spa pool). It was very quiet this morning, since the sun was not out and it got fairly chilly with the clouds. The hot tub sure felt great! We participated in some of the cruise staff activities, such as the Demo Nation, the Art Auction, and Trivia. The sun did come out later in the day and it turned out very pleasant although very windy. When we did our 3 lap mile around Deck 7 that afternoon you could definitely feel the force of the wind.

Dinner recommendations: Blue Crab Claw Quiche!!!! A must! The Cornish Game Hen was very nice as well.

 

Day 2:

Pretty much the same as day 1. Got up, ate breakfast, worked out, went to the pool, did some activities in the afternoon, and walked our mile on Deck 7. Once again very rocky, but overall a pleasant day. We were not seasick at all, but I'm sure some people were very unhappy these two days. After this many days at sea, no matter how many activities were planned you are still ready to see land on the next day! I did the free makeover that night in the boutique on board. The lady was very talented! You should definitely sign up for this. The Captain's Cocktail party is also this night and it was nice.

Dinner recommendations: I did the Fettuccine Alfredo for an appetizer this night and it was delicious. Very rich! My husband like the Salmon you could get anytime and the Lamb Shank is very good.

 

Day 3:

St. Maarten! Yay! We finally get to get off the boat! We knew we had docked that morning because we weren't moving when we woke up! On this day we walked into Phillisburg. This is very doable and saves you a $5 ferry ride. There is a clearly marked sidewalk to walk on. Once downtown we took the bus to Margiot ($2/pp) and went to the market. We bought some spices and walked around a bit. Then we caught the bus again and headed to Maho Beach. It was so awesome to watch the planes coming in and they appeared to be heading right for you! It was a great experience. The water there had massive waves (probably 6-8 feet tall) and my husband convinced me I wanted to go into the water. Well if you were there that day you probably would know me as the girl who got knocked off her butt and sent about 15 feet. It was quite a spectacle. Some of the Cruise Director's Staff happened to be at the bar overlooking the beach and they later recognized me on the ship and asked me if I was the girl that got pummeled in the water. Yeah it was me.... Besides that it was a great day and then we headed back to the boat and grabbed some fabulous pizza and I attempted to shower all of the sand out of my hair and off of my body. That took a couple of tries!

Dinner Recommendations: Eggplant Parmesan! Yum! I don't even like eggplant! The turbot over linguine!!! Wow! This was one of the most delicious fish dishes that I have ever had!

 

Day 4:

St. Thomas! We were really looking forward to this island as we had heard how fabulous the beaches are and many good things about the shopping. The day was overcast so we decided to just head downtown and check out the shopping. It's very nice, but unless you are in the market for some jewelry don't expect too much else. So we headed back early and grabbed lunch on the ship (try the Lasagna on the buffet at lunch today! Yum!) and hung out the rest of the afternoon. We developed quite a trivia team who we loved!! We definitely deserved those luggage tags!

Dinner Recommendations: Twice Baked Goat Cheese Souffle!! Amazing! The Alaskan King Crab Legs were also wonderful!

 

Day 5:

Back at sea. Water has calmed quite a bit. Did our routine, breakfast, workout, pool, play various games, trivia, 7th deck mile, etc...

Dinner Recommendations: The lobster. It was very good and I am a very picky eater. Not much else is jumping out at me.

 

Day 6:

Princess Cays! Just beautiful! I will say I am not usually a fan of private islands, because I like to experience the culture of an island as well as its beaches. But this island is just really nice. It did rain a little that morning but we tendered over after all the rain was gone and it was a beautiful day. We walked down the rocky part of the beach and it was great. Then I just laid out a little while my husband played in the water. We were back on the ship by 1:30. Had lunch on board. I'm not a big fan of outside buffets. Sand + Flies = Not Good Eats.

Dinner Recommendations: Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup. This was not the most impressive menu night.

 

Day 7 aka Disembarkation:

We chose to do the 7:45 walk off. This was a disaster. We were to meet in the Dining Room on the 5 deck at the appointed time and then to be escorted off the ship. We only made it to the back hall of the Art Gallery on the opposite side of the Atrium. Apparently there was a problem with customs and at about 8:30 they finally started letting people off. So then everyone is cranky and fighting for their place in line. I'm sure this isn't something that happens every week but goodness not fun at all! So then we finally get out side and are waiting for a shuttle to take us back to Park N' Fly and that takes another 20-30 minutes. At this point we are highly frustrated, knowing that we had a 18 hour drive ahead of us and I had to be at work on Monday bright and early. But we got to our car and out of the lot at about 9:30. Home at 3:00 AM.

 

Overall Impressions:

 

The ship: Nice, but we were on the Emerald (Princess' newest ship) in August so the comparisons were unavoidable. And this ship just does not match up very well. The bars and lounges were much smaller and just not as nice. The specialty restaurants were in awful locations, especially Sterling. We had planned on eating there but when we saw the venue we canceled the reservation. It was more intimate in the dining room. The dining rooms were nice. For dinner we only used the Palm on the 6th deck Aft. Takes a little navigation skill to find it though! What an odd location!

 

The Service: We truly had the best cabin steward I can ever remember. The room was cleaned quickly and efficiently.

The waiters in anytime dining weren't the best I've ever had. They seemed to be just in a rush to get you in and out. Not really caring about earning a tip since it was going to be pooled anyway. They weren't bad, just not good like I've come to expect in cruising. The Maitre' D was amazing. He seated us quickly and always remembered we wanted a table for two.

 

The Cruise Director's Staff: Awesome! Just had to put in here that I loved them, even though half of them made fun of me for getting knocked down by that massive wave! Truly wonderful people!

 

The Food: Of course, this is my biggest requirement for a cruise! I was overall impressed. It's nothing that is going to be served in a 5 star restaurant but when you are cooking for over 3000, I think they did a darn good job! My one disappointment is the desserts. I was never that thrilled with any of them. Definitely try the cheesecake that is available every night. It was really good. We did get Ice Cream & Cookies almost every afternoon in the Horizon Court buffet. Free from 3:30-4:30. Also did tea a couple of times. The scones are delicious! Now do you see why the workout and mile walks are necessary???

 

I hope you enjoyed this incredibly long review if you have made it to the end! Any questions, feel free to ask!

 

Happy Cruising,

cheflauraleh

[LeopardGirl2]

Great reading your review! We are doing the CB next month for a weekend, and can't wait! Though I am sure after only a 3-night cruise we will be wanting that full week aboard her!:D

[janetz]

Great review. Makes me more excited for next month! :D

[dforeigner]

Thanks for taking time to write a review.

[jag27]

Thank you for the thorough review! I liked that you reviewed by day with your activities, ports, and menu choices! Now I can't wait for my sailing in 7 weeks!

[Casshew]

Thanks for your review :)

 

I am always disappointed in the desserts too, they look nice but are tasteless

[tinatark]

We loved the Pineapple Creme Brulee and the Tiramisu - also, you commented on the Eggplant Parmesan - our waiter praised that as the "best dish on the ship"! Their vegetarian dishes looked really good - I had several of the pasta ones as "small plates".

 

The cruise staff was great, wasn't it? We cruised the CB March 23-30, so they seem like old friends to me! The asst. CD's wife and son (toddler, maybe 2 years old) were onboard when we were there, as well as Sarge's (entertainer) wife. You could see how happy they were to be sailing with their families! Oh! During the pool games one afternoon, a child (he was maybe 7 or 8) pushed the blonde cruise staff - oh, I can't remember her name! Anyway, he pushed her into the pool - Elvis glasses guy commented that she better be wearing panties - she was - a thong! She quickly found a towel for the rest of the games. The CD staff really is great, our cruise was SO packed but they all had such great attitudes! I really liked the dark-haired girl, and the "blonde bombshell" guy!

 

Thank you for sharing your review!

[blindrid]

Thanks for your time in writing the review as I was on that cruise as well. I was planning on a review but as mentioned before it really take some time and effort to do so.

 

Overall I agree with your take. It was a good cruise but I was expecting a bit more as it was my first Princess. I've had friends that just bragged about Princess so we though we'd give them a try. It seemed like the service was acceptable but nothing that stood out. Our cabin steward was OK, I also felt rushed in the dining rooms and thought the casino employees were not necessarily into it. The buffet were acceptable for breakfast but not high on my list as I felt it was again jsut OK. As to the food next to the pool, it was good and no complaints regarding the dining room food as well as it was good.

 

It was an enjoyable time but my feelings are that if this cruise was typical for Princess, I will entertain other lines as well and do not feel the need to come back to Princess as I have enjoyed other mainstream lines just as well. It did seem like Princess skimped a bit on entertainment in bars.

 

The cruise was fun and enjoyable but the overall experience was just OK, not bad, not great. It may have been that my expectations were a bit high as I have typically had great service on other lines and just feel like we didn't get anything above average, nothing to really complain about, just nothing to get excited about.

 

To those going on the CB in the future, don't worry, you'll have fun and will enjoy the experience.

[andy and amanda]

Nice review, thank you! I am so hungry now and am thinking about the twice baked goat cheese souffle....yum!!!!

[cheflauraleh]

I'm really glad ya'll liked the review! It took about 2 hours. Oh well who cares about going to bed early when you can talk about cruising!

 

B- we also had a bad experience in the casinos. My husband and I were walking through and paused at the Poker table when an attendant came up to me and said "Children are not allowed in the casino." I just looked at her and said "Children?" I'm almost 23 years old. I may look young but in absolutely no way do I look or act like an 8 year old. So I was just a little offended to be called a child. Maybe I should take it as a compliment. Needless to say we did not participate in any casino activities mainly because of that first impression.

 

I believe everyone can have fun on this ship. It's not the newest or most exciting but you are on vacation in the Caribbean, so it can't be all bad! And as mentioned before the cruise staff is exceptional!