Caribbean Princess Review 8/24/08 to 8/31/08 Canada/New England

[DonnaK]

About us: We are in our mid-to-late 40’s with two daughters aged 17 and 15. This is our 1st Princess cruise and 9th cruise overall. We have cruised 4 times on Royal Caribbean Voyager-class ships, and have also sailed on 4 other cruise lines. My mother traveled with us. Seven of her previous cruises have been on Royal Caribbean, and one was on Carnival.

We selected this cruise because of the itinerary. It offered a refreshing break from the extreme Caribbean heat/humidity of our usual summer cruises. We were growing weary of the same old Western/Eastern Caribbean itineraries, and this cruise offered 5 ports we had never visited before. It was also the one of the only 7 days cruises out of New York – the other offerings of 5 days (too short) and 9 days (too long) didn’t work with our schedules.

As well, although we remain thoroughly satisfied with the Royal Caribbean product, we felt like we were in a rut and needed to shake things up and try something different for a change of pace. It was a bit scary because the last time that we strayed from RCI was a huge disappointment, however we were optimistic that Princess would be a more suitable alternative. And it truly was – we found that there are some things that are better on Princess, and other things that RCI does better, and it all balanced out to an equally wonderful cruising experience!

Embarkation: Another reason we were attracted to this cruise is the convenience of departing from Red Hook, Brooklyn. We left our house on Long Island at 10:30am, and after an easy drive on the Southern State/Belt Parkways to the BQE, we arrived at the pier at 11:15am. There were no cars in the drop off lane, so we pulled right up to the curb to hand the porter our suitcases and a case of bottled water with a luggage tag affixed to it. After parking the car in the secure lot about 100 yards away, we walked into the terminal, checked in and were on the ship all within 10 minutes. There were no lines and no waiting. What a pleasure!!! (A definite plus to Princess over RCI!)

Another delightful surprise was having immediate access to our cabin to drop off our carry-ons before exploring the ship and eating lunch. At first, this seemed like another plus over RCI. However, the trade-off is that the cabin wasn’t so clean and fresh. The bedding didn’t appear to be changed from the previous week (there were hairs in my bed, and stains on the sheets of my daughter’s upper birth), the balcony hadn’t been cleaned, pool towels and other supplies hadn’t been set up yet, etc. (This was in two different cabins, with different stewards). When we brought this to the attention of the cabin stewards, they said not to worry, it would all be done by evening (and it was!), but we had to endure sailaway on our sticky furnitured balcony, and my mom couldn’t take a nap in the skeevy bed. So, on second thought, as nice as it was to get to the cabin early, we’d rather have the “inconvenience” of waiting until 1pm to enter a cabin that’s fully cleaned and freshly supplied, with no traces of the previous occupants.

Cabins: My mother and I had the Barbados PH suite R401. My husband and children had an inside R729. The suite was gorgeous, especially the marble bathroom with jacuzzi tub and glass shower! The inside room seemed very small because of the wall between the sleeping area and the closet/bathroom area. On one hand, it’s nice to have the two distinct areas, but it took away from living space. On RCI, this wall is opened up, making their inside cabins feel larger and less claustrophobic. Although the closet was huge, we didn’t have so many clothes to hang up and needed more storage drawers. We really missed the wire shelving unit inside RCI’s closet area! Our luggage, including the case of bottled water, was delivered to our cabins at 2pm.

We were disappointed that the sliding doors to the balcony, and the balcony glass itself, were dirty upon arrival, and were not cleaned the entire cruise. There was significant build up of salt from the sea, and all it would have taken was a quick pass over with a squeegee to clean it up. It would have been such an easy fix!

I should mention that we had three maintenance issues with our cabin. The key pad in the door kept deactivating our Sea Passes, the drain in the shower was clogged, and the sliding doors on the balcony needed lubrication because they kept sticking. We brought these issues to the attention of Sabine at the Passenger Services desk, and they were taken care of immediately. Sabine couldn’t have been nicer or more attentive, and she followed up after a few hours to make sure that everything was resolved to our satisfaction. Excellent customer service!!!

[DonnaK]

Suite Perks: My mother made good use of the stone loungers in the Thermal Suite, and I took full advantage of the complementary internet. We drank a few of the soft drinks in the complementary bar set up, and wore the corsages given to us on the first formal night, but otherwise, we didn’t have a need for the other perks that were available to us. I would have liked to try the Rainforest Showers in the Thermal Suite, but there’s simply not enough time on one cruise to do it all.

A/C: In several recent reviews, people reported that the air conditioning was inconsistent throughout the ship, and that there were many hot spots and hot cabins. Well, on this first sailing headed north after many Caribbean sailings, we found that the air conditioning was working very efficiently in the cooler northeastern climate. I have a thermometer on my travel alarm clock, and our cabin was consistently 67 degrees F. The public areas of the ship were similarly cool and comfortable.

Ship: It’s really hard to top the WOW factor of RCI’s Voyager class ships, so we were a bit apprehensive about the Caribbean Princess. We were very pleasantly surprised – the ship far exceeded our expectations. The main atrium is beautiful, the muted colors throughout the ship are very soothing, the lounges are elegant, the twinkling lights in the ceiling of the dining rooms provides a cozy and romantic atmosphere, the observation area atop the bridge is amazing, etc. The Terrace Pool is breathtaking and RCI’s stuffy enclosed solariums don’t come close to providing the wonderful atmosphere found there. The Terrace pool is nicely shaded by Skywalkers lounge above. All the pools are fresh water and heated – a definite plus!

On the down side, the ship is too small for the number of passengers it holds when full, so it felt very crowded. It was extremely difficult to find a seat in the buffet area, and there are only two or three stalls in each restroom resulting in long lines. It makes no sense to have an 800 seat theater on a ship that holds 3100 passengers. If you didn’t arrive 20-30 minutes before showtime, it is standing room only. (Kudos to the activities staff, who did an excellent job filling in all the single seats between parties of people, and enforcing the “no seat saving” policy!)

We overheard many people complaining that they’d never sail on such a large ship again, but the real issue is that the ship is not large enough for the number of people onboard. We’ve sailed on “at capacity” Voyager class ships with 3800 people including 1200 children, and had none of the issues with crowding, lines, or finding seats in the Windjammer, pool area or theater, that we encountered on the Caribbean Princess. So, rather than being scared away from a ship of this size, I’d suggest cruising during the off-season when it’s not sailing at full capacity, or choosing an even larger ship with a more favorable space to passenger ratio.

Muster: Princess handles the muster drill better than any other cruise line I’ve sailed on! We gathered in an air conditioned lounge at 4:15pm, sat in very comfortable seats, and watched a video. It was so much easier to pay attention to the instructions under these pleasant conditions. A huge plus for Princess!!!

Demographics: This sailing had a great many seniors onboard. There were surprisingly few children and young families, especially considering that in New York and the Northeast, schools are still on summer vacation, and especially considering that this is one of only a few 7 day cruises saling out of New York. The pools and jacuzzis were nearly empty all the time, which may be a result of being a port-heavy itinerary, or because most of the seniors did not use the pool. My teens found that Remix was nearly always empty, and it’s a good thing that they had each other to hang out with because they didn’t find many other teens to befriend.

Weather: We really lucked out! Daytime temperatures were in the mid-to-high 70’s, with gorgeous sunshine occasionally filtered through high fluffy clouds. (Except for Saturday, when it drizzled all day). Shorts and short-sleeved tops were appropriate. In the evenings, it got down into the 50’s and 60’s. We didn’t feel cold inside the ship or while out on our balcony, but out on the upper open decks where it was breezy, we needed a jacket/sweatshirt.

[DonnaK]

MUTS: Another big plus for Princess!! Watching films and concerts around the pool provided an unrivaled experience! For the evening shows, it was necessary to bundle up (I suggest a hooded sweatshirt/jacket), because even under several layers of the provided blankets, we were chilled to the bone. The milk and cookies cart, and the popcorn were very nice!!! The acoustics weren’t always ideal outdoors, and sometimes it was rather hard to hear, and a lot of people mentioned having trouble following the film’s dialogue.

 

Sunday – Barry Manilow Concert, A Hard Day’s Night, Finding Nemo, Tina Turner Concert, Beyonce Concert, Kung Fu Panda, The Bucket List. Monday – Must Love Dogs, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dan in Real Life, Marvin Gaye Concert, National Treasure Book of Secrets, Leather Heads. Tuesday; Just Like Heaven, Toy Story, License to Wed, Christina Aguilera Concert, The Bee Movie, Made of Honor. Wednesday: A Good Year, The Queen, Cars, Ratatouille, Iron Man. Thursday: Dream Girls, Elizabeth the Golden Age, Water Horse, 21. Friday: The Holiday, Wild Hogs, The Chronicles of Narnia, Mad Money. Saturday: Finding Nemo, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, RV, Barry Manilow, Enchanted and PS: I Love You.

 

Entertainment: Living in New York, we have seen many Broadway shows and musicals, so the measure by which we judge Production Shows is quite stringent. Do You Wanna Dance, which is a tribute to various dance styles throughout the decades and around the world, was extraordinarily well-done! Piano Man is a wonderful tribute to the music of Billy Joel, Elton John, Neil Sedaka, Barry Manilow and Liberace. Both shows were full of energy, colorful costumes and sets, brilliant dancing and exceptional lead singers (particularly Jesse Hamilton).

 

The only other show that we attended in the main theater was a comedian named Philadelphia, who was extremely funny! Some of the other headliner shows that we didn’t see were: Kamika’s musical comedy, Johnny Thunder’s cabaret show, The Crew Talent Show, and impressionist Jason Neistadt.

 

Another plus for Princess is the amount of quality entertainment available in alternate smaller venues around the ship. There was always someplace for us to go after the main show, but we constantly seemed to make our way over to Crooners Bar, and quickly became “groupies” of Bert Stratton. We loved his interactive and comedic style. It was a tremendous amount of fun for us to participate in singing along to standard and favorite songs! Bert really made the cruise for us, and we’re sad to hear that he’s cut back drastically on his cruise ship bookings. We wish him much success in his move to Nashville to pursue his songwriting and recording career. My husband purchased his original CD, and he’s an amazingly talented serious singer/songwriter.

 

Other entertainment which we did not see included: Mr and Mrs Smith, John Joseph, James Michael, Country Hoe-Down, and more! We would have liked to attend some of the game shows, like The Weakest One and Princess Pop Star, but we couldn’t be in two places at once each night.

 

Dining: Like literally hundreds of others onboard, we wanted Early Traditional Dining but were not assigned to it. When it comes to dining on a cruise, we are staunch traditionalists. It’s a comfort to know that we have an assigned table with a dedicated wait team at a regular time each night, and we like eating early so we don’t go to bed on a full stomach. We also find that the level of service is much more efficient when all the tables that a wait team is serving is at the same stage of the meal.

 

Contrary to what I’ve read on Cruise Critic, the very strict maitre-d on the Caribbean Princess does not permit his head waiters in the Anytime Dining Room to accept reservations for the same table/wait team for the length of the cruise. (Not even at non-prime dining times). This was a source of intense frustration for us because we had been counting on being able to simulate the traditional dining experience even though we had to settle for Anytime Dining, as we had been assured on Cruise Critic that we’d be able to do. As well, suite passengers are supposed to have Priority Dining Reservations, however being suite passengers had no impact on the outcome for us.

 

Reservations are accepted beginning at 11pm for up to 48 hours in advance, however the reservation line wasn’t answered in a timely fashion, and by the time I got through, the reservations were fully booked. Perhaps this is because we are a party of 5, as I understand smaller parties had an easier time with the reservation system than we did.

 

Fortunately, by the third day, we had figured out a way around the system. Since we wanted to dine early, it was no problem for us to arrive at the dining room before it opened. As long as we were one of the first on the “walk-in” line, we had our choice of tables. We chose Table 20 in the Palm Dining room, which was in a wonderful corner location by the window, and was serviced by the outstanding waiter Roger Vullag and his assistant Roger Mateo, both from the Philippines. Their attentiveness to detail and individualized level of personal service provided a significant turning point in what began as a very upsetting and disappointing dining experience for us. Thanks to the efforts of the two Rogers, we were able to have the type of traditional dining experience we desired even though we were assigned to the Anytime Dining Room against our will. We remain very grateful to them for salvaging this important aspect of the cruise for us. I would also like to commend three Head Waiters who were very kind towards us: Ricardo, Nicola and Giuseppe.

[DonnaK]

Food: There’s always a lot of negative talk about the quality of the food aboard mass market cruise ships these days, but we found the food to be excellent all-around! Yes, the soups were far too salty, the pasta entrees weren’t appealing (pasta with Rabbit Ragout and Veal Ravioli, for example). Also, there weren’t enough choices in the breakfast and lunch buffet. (RCI’s Windjammer buffet has a much larger selection – an important plus for them.). However, we thoroughly enjoyed the Seafood/Shellfish heavy menus, including the Sailaway Seafood Buffet (cold, cracked crab legs and lobster claws) on the first night, the Mussels served twice at the lunch buffet, the Alaskan Crab Legs, the gigantic Prawns served with the Lobster Tail, and so on. (Princess takes the edge here!) We also appreciated the “always available” Shrimp Cocktail, Caesar Salad, and Fettuccini Alfredo. We loved the variety of ice creams available at dinner (Hazelnut, Tiramisu, Stracciatella, Nutella, etc.) and the sorbets (Honeydew, Pink Grapefruit, Blueberry, Limoncello, Champagne, Dark Cherry, Mandarin Orange). We didn’t have a chance to try the Afternoon Tea or the Ice Cream Bar (3:30 – 4:30 in the Buffet area) – maybe next time.

We would have liked to eat breakfast and lunch in the dining room more often, however the hours didn’t always coincide with when we were ready to eat. It’s a plus that Princess has the dining room open for lunch on port days (RCI does not), however it closed at 1:30, and we often just missed it when returning from our morning tours.

Dress code: It was very nice to see that everyone observed the dress code. I didn’t see any jeans or shorts in the dining room at dinner time. On Formal Nights, everyone was dressed nicely. That’s not to say that everyone was in tuxes/suits and gowns, but I didn’t see any men without jackets and ties, and all the women had on (at the very least) nice slacks with a dressy top.

CD and Captain: The CD was Dan Styne, a highly personable and quite funny Australian. He was present at all the evening shows in the main theatre, but that’s the only time we encountered him. He was assisted by an extensive staff who presided over all the onboard activities. This is a sharp contrast to the CD’s on RCI, who are a dynamic presence all over the ship, at every event and activity.

As well, we missed the Captain’s reception (we were busy sorting out our dining issues), so we never saw Commodore Giuseppe Romano at all. This is a sharp contrast to the Captains on RCI who attend the Welcome Aboard and the Farewell Shows in the theater, and walk about the ship, interacting with passengers, inquiring about their trip, answering questions, etc.

Meet and Greet: About 40 to 50 people attended, and we exchanged small token gifts from our hometown. James Deering, the Director of Passenger Services, spoke to us about the renovations planned for drydock, and how the ship is basically being taken apart and put back together. I was very impressed that he reads Cruise Critic and prints all our comments and reviews to discuss at his staff meetings!

Ports: The ship set its clocks back an hour on the first night out, and then reset it forward during the night between Saint John and Bar Harbor, so it was synchronized to the local time at all ports. The ship kept to its schedule, arriving and departing each port on time, and if one did not know about the engine/generator issues, one would have not noticed anything was amiss. (In Halifax and in Boston, the Commodore left about 10-15 minutes late because he waited for passengers who were late returning from tours. I heard that a tour bus broke down in Halifax, and that an accident on the road and resulting traffic delay caused a tour bus to return late in Boston)

Halifax: The ship docks at the beginning of the Harbor Walk boardwalk, and we walked the entire length to the casino and back (approximately 1.5 miles each way). It was a lovely, scenic walk and the hospitality of the Nova Scotian people is remarkable! There are lots of kiosks set up with local snacks and foods, and tables where the locals set up their handicrafts for sale. There are also a few musicians strumming away on the guitar or playing the violin. It’s really a fun place with lots of local nautical flavor!

We’re all quite interested in all things Titanic, so visiting the Halifax Maritime Museum was on our priority list. It is located about 1/3 of the way down the boardwalk from the ship, and they had a family pass for $22. We sprung for the extra $3 per person to view the National Geographic 3D film on exploring the Titanic on the ocean floor. It was really quite fascinating, and we learned a lot about other historic disasters, such as the Halifax Explosion during WWI.

We had intended to take a taxi to Peggy’s Cove, but we were quite exhausted, and had enjoyed the boardwalk so much, that we decided against it.

Some advice: If you plan to book a private tour on your own, arrange it in advance of the cruise. We found that most of the local tour agencies on the boardwalk had already been reserved by the cruiseline, and the earliest you’d be able to make your own arrangements on-the-spot with them would be at 2:30 or 2:45 in the afternoon. We met some people who took the free bus around town, so that might be worth looking into.

Saint John: We hadn’t made arrangements for Saint John beforehand, so as we exited the ship, we spoke with a Princess representative who set us up for a trolley tour of the city highlights and the reversing falls. It was $39 pp, and we later found that if we just walked a bit further down the street towards the market, there were several private vendors selling similar tours for much less money. Oh well. We had a wonderful guide named Nancy, who gave us an informative and fun narration of the area. When we arrived at the Reversing Falls, it was at the calm and level stage, so there really wasn’t anything exciting to see. (Perhaps we would have been better off arranging one of the boat tours to the Falls, as it probably would have been better it experience it in the water rather than on the land.) Our tour took just under two hours in total.

There’s an outdoor flea market set up just a short walk from the ship, where the very friendly and welcoming folks sell their handicrafts. They were so happy to talk about how they made their items, and about their lives in Atlantic Maritime Canada. Behind the flea market, a little “beach” area is set up, complete with sand volleyball courts – fun to watch the kids play! Then, there are three indoor markets, on separate streets going up the hill, connected by walkways that bridge over the streets. We walked through the first two markets, which were much like our shopping malls here, to the third area which held the Old Town Market. This is a fun place, like a country farmer’s market, with ethnic foods and groceries, lots of crafts and other unusual items to look at and purchase.

Bar Harbor: Immigration had to be attended to first. It went as smoothly as could be. \We appeared at Club Fusion at 7:30am, and there was no line at all. We were through in less than 2 minutes. As we exited, a crew member asked what time we wanted to be ashore (9:30am to meet our private tour guide) and we were handed tickets for the 8:30 tender. After a quick breakfast at the buffet, we were ready at 8:15 and had no problem getting on the tender leaving before the one we had tickets for. Lines were minimal, and we were onshore at 8:45am. I heard that people trying to get off at 9:00-9:30 had a much longer and more frustrating wait.

Bar Harbor is a gorgeous quaint town that I’d love to return to for a land vacation someday. Since none of the shops were open yet, we sat in the park and people-watched until our tour was ready to depart. We had reserved a bus tour of Acadia National Park online through the National Park Service. (We chose it over the more popular Oli's Trolley because we wanted cushioned seats and not wooden benches). Our guide Roger Keene, a school teacher, was very informative and entertaining. Acadia was gorgeous, and I highly recommend this wonderful excursion! We visited a few shops on the way back to the ship, and were back onboard around 2pm.

Boston: We purchased discounted tickets online for Old Town Trolley Tours. It circles the city, stopping off at all the major points of interest, and we hopped off/hopped on as we wished throughout the day. The trolleys run about 10-15 minutes apart, and we rarely had to wait for one. We spend the bulk of our time at stop one (Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall), stop two (Little Italy and Old North Church) and the stop with the Boston Common and the Boston Public Gardens. While all the conductors provided excellent narrative, we spent the most time with Marc, who was exceptionally informative and entertaining! I highly recommend this excursion to those wishing to see Boston on their own. The one caveat: Stop 16 (Westin Hotel next to the Convention Center) is nearest to the ship, and is about a 15 minute walk away.

The ship docks at the Black Falcon Pier, which is right across from Logan airport, and it was very interesting to watch the planes come in very low overhead!

Newport: On this port-extensive itinerary, we were craving a restful sea day, so we didn’t make plans for Newport and instead decided to remain on the ship. It was a good choice because the weather was rainy and dreary, and wouldn’t have been conducive for sight-seeing or shopping.

[DonnaK]

Disembarkation: Getting off the ship was almost as smooth as getting on. We would have liked to take advantage of the “walk-off” option, but my mother wouldn’t have been able to manage it. We vacated our cabin before 8am, had breakfast in the buffet, and waited in the assigned lounge until our color was called at 9:15. Then, we found a porter to handle our luggage, breeze us through customs and immigration, and escort us to the parking lot. We were on our way home by 9:30am. Much easier, and no lines, as compared to our experiences with other ports and cruiselines.

 

Summary: Anytime dining needs an overhaul. Firstly, everyone who wants traditional dining should be able to get it, even if it means adjusting the allotment of dining space to meet the demand on each sailing. Then, Sea Passes should be checked to insure that those who are assigned to Traditional Dining do not sneak into the Anytime Dining Rooms at their whim. This would eliminate the need for reservations, and the long wait during prime dining times. When we exited the dining room between 7-8pm each night, there were a lot of people waiting around holding beepers, while there were empty tables inside being held for reservations. Tempers were flying, an elderly lady was in tears after waiting more than 45 minutes, etc. This is not acceptable.

 

Most of my comments about RCI verses Princess are meant as simple compare and contrast observations, and not as criticisms or favoritism of one line over the other. I fully agree with the Cruise Critics who insist that these two cruise lines are more similar than they are different, and provide an equivalent cruising experience!

 

Will we cruise Princess again? Yes, but only if we can get confirmed early traditional dining. Will we cruise RCI again? For sure! In fact, for our next cruise, we are leaning towards a 9-day Caribbean sailings from NY on either the Caribbean Princess or on Explorer of the Seas. (The CB may win out because it has a “new to us” port on it while Explorer has more of the same tired old stops)

[Clutterlady]

Thank you for your great and well balanced review!

[janetz]

Thank you for your review. Well done. :) When we sailed in May we saw Commodore Giuseppe Romano all over the ship and did have a chance to talk to him. Maybe you just did not spot him when he was out and about.

[DonnaK]

Thank you for your review. Well done. :) When we sailed in May we saw Commodore Giuseppe Romano all over the ship and did have a chance to talk to him. Maybe you just did not spot him when he was out and about.

 

I'm glad to hear that the Commodore gets out and about too, because it really makes a difference. Maybe you're right and we just weren't at the right place at the right time.

[vickie_bernie]

great review -- very interesting and appreciated your comparison.

 

We loved Mr. Deering when we were on the Emerald, he was always available and helpful to all our CC roll call members.

 

I am shocked that your room was not ready when you boarded. We have sailed 9 times on Princess and have never encountered this. Hopefully this is not a regular occurance.

 

I liked that you compared RCI and Princess -- it is good to see an objective comparrison.

 

We love the anytime dining option and it is the main reason we have stayed with Princess and have decided not to go to other lines.... but I like your suggestions. I would like to see more enforcement at the main desk to have traditional diners turned away if they go to the anytime. I can't go to the traditional dining room if mine is busy.... If I see a long line for the dining room I go to the other dining room available, or if necessary grab a drink and sit with someone new.

 

Thanks again

[dcrow72]

wow what a great review! Everything anyone could want to know. I'm very sorry to hear about the anytime dining issues. We sailed the Crown out of New York last year and never waited more than 10 minutes at 7 PM for a table for 8. No long lines and no aggravated customers. No reservations either. They need to fix it in a hurry. There are a lot of very unhappy passengers lurking on the boards about this issue. Seems most agree that no reservations in anytime is the way to go. I'm sort of dreading the 5 of us trying to get into the dining room now when we sail in October; the kids aren't patient and my hubby can't stand for long periods. Maybe they'll rethink it or fix it between now and then. Leaving tables empty waiting for people to show while there's a long line defeats the purpose of "anytime", which by the way I really loved. It was so nice not to have to punch a clock and be herded like cattle. Get ready and show up when you are. Just my humble opinion. Glad you had a great cruise and thanks for the info.

[luv2swim]

Thanks so much for taking the time for this excellent review.

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to write a review and pointing out plus and minuses between two cruise lines.

[Casshew]

Hi Donna, thanks for your review... it was nice to meet you at Skywalkers :)

[Mejo01]

Thank you DonnaK for your very informative and fair review. We appreciate your time and honesty. :)

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Thanks for the detailed review. We are sailing the CB on FEB 1st and you have me a bit concerned with the Anytime Dining. Hopefully reviews like yours will not fall on deaf ears and positive changes can be made to the dining issue.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review, thanks. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

I am shocked that your room was not ready when you boarded. We have sailed 9 times on Princess and have never encountered this. Hopefully this is not a regular occurance.

 

 

Oh I think the room was ready by the stewards view, but it was dirty and not cleaned properly at all. :(

[DonnaK]

Oh I think the room was ready by the stewards view, but it was dirty and not cleaned properly at all. :(

 

To be honest, I think you're right. I was trying to be "nice" in my review, and not mention that the stewards, while courteous and well-meaning, provided barely adequate service. We had to ask for many things that should have been routinely done as part of the job.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Thanks for writing the review.

 

We had anytime dining on our January and April cruise on the CB and didn't have issues. I really hope that for our Octiber cruise, that thigns are ironed out and there won't be such issues as ther are now with AD.

[CMM]

Great review and very helpful in planning for ours.

 

You mentioned comedian Philadelphia Plowden. We saw him last Sept. on the Crown and really enjoyed the show. Checked and looks like he will be on on the Sept 14 CB sailing too. Didn't think we'd see the same guy again. Hope he is just as good hearing him more than once.

 

Sorry to hear about the condition of your cabin upon arrival. That happened once to me at a hotel. Now I always look closely at the sheets when I pull the covers back. Now you've got me on high alert again!

 

I was wondering if the ship time would be the same as the port time when planning our Saint Johns activities and the tides. Thanks for that info.

[Colo Cruiser]

To be honest, I think you're right. I was trying to be "nice" in my review, and not mention that the stewards, while courteous and well-meaning, provided barely adequate service. We had to ask for many things that should have been routinely done as part of the job.

 

 

The one thing that has ticked me off the last few cruises is the balcony glass covered in salt and never cleaned.

Can't sit in a chair and enjoy the view so I grab bath towels soaked in water and clean them myself, even after asking a couple of times. :rolleyes:

 

Not a real hard job and only takes a few minutes.

I don't get it.

[DonnaK]

The one thing that has ticked me off the last few cruises is the balcony glass covered in salt and never cleaned.

Can't sit in a chair and enjoy the view so I grab bath towels soaked in water and clean them myself, even after asking a couple of times. :rolleyes:

 

Not a real hard job and only takes a few minutes.

I don't get it.

 

I agree. We had the same issue on RCI's Mariner of the Seas last year, and also on a land-based vacation at a top resort in the Bahamas. I was thinking of traveling with my own squeegee, as I'd be afraid of dropping the towel overboard if I used one to clean the balcony glass.

[Sandytoes]

Glad you enjoyed your experience on the CB.

[JandD Mom]

Donna,

 

Thanks for your great review. I am sorry I did not get tot he M & G, but my group was busy with other activities at the time.

 

I appreciate your review and agree with it. I will post my own review very soon. I will tell you however, we had no problem getting the same table at the same time beginning at about the 3rd day. All it took was around $40. Our time was 7:30. I don't want to get the head waiter who arranged it in trouble, but we tipped after our dinner on formal night, and a different table was arranged for us at a set time the next night. The next night, the service was terrible, and we asked to go back to the original table. We tipped again but were not promised that same table. However, the wait staff liked us and made sure the group before us were finished so we could sit at that table again. We had our original table for the remainder of the cruise.

 

It's luck of the draw I think. We thought the food was terrific.

 

One thing I thought everyone would like to know: there is no dreaded "Caribbean night" in the dining room on the Canada/NE trips. It's been replaced I believe with "cosmopolitan night" which had a good menu.

[DonnaK]

Donna,

 

Thanks for your great review. I am sorry I did not get tot he M & G, but my group was busy with other activities at the time.

 

I appreciate your review and agree with it. I will post my own review very soon. I will tell you however, we had no problem getting the same table at the same time beginning at about the 3rd day. All it took was around $40. Our time was 7:30. I don't want to get the head waiter who arranged it in trouble, but we tipped after our dinner on formal night, and a different table was arranged for us at a set time the next night. The next night, the service was terrible, and we asked to go back to the original table. We tipped again but were not promised that same table. However, the wait staff liked us and made sure the group before us were finished so we could sit at that table again. We had our original table for the remainder of the cruise.

 

It's luck of the draw I think. We thought the food was terrific.

 

One thing I thought everyone would like to know: there is no dreaded "Caribbean night" in the dining room on the Canada/NE trips. It's been replaced I believe with "cosmopolitan night" which had a good menu.

 

 

Hi Maria - we briefly considered greasing a few palms to get the dining arrangement we wanted, but the idea of doing that was too unsettling because we shouldn't have to resort to that. By the third day, we had worked out a way to resolve the issue on our own, and we gave the additional tip to the two Rogers on our wait team at the end of the cruise instead.