Another Positive Caribbean Princess Review- 6/29-7/8

[katkris]

It was the best of times…

 

We have just returned from the June 29th sailing of the Caribbean Princess. We were a family of 5, my husband (48), myself (47), our two daughters (17 and 19) and my sister (never to be revealed!). We had two balcony rooms and an inside on the Aloha deck. We were scheduled to visit Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk. Due to the weather conditions, we were unable to visit Bermuda. However, the weather for the entire trip was sunny and hot, a welcome to our rain soaked and cold Northeastern bodies.

 

We chose to use the Princess transfer. It was a bus out of Providence, RI which stopped a few times along the way in Connecticut. Our group was wonderful and the trip to the ship was without incident. The trip back, however, was more eventful. We were one of the last buses out of the pier and ran into a lot of traffic. Our driver chose to stop once he entered Connecticut to get a bite to eat. This put us behind further in time, but we were okay with that. We were given 45 minutes to get food and return to the bus. We were all on time- but, the bus would not start! The driver immediately called for assistance, but we were stranded in the rest stop until 3:15pm. We were put on another bus and arrived back to Providence at 6:15pm. The bus transfer was a good idea for those who didn’t want to drive to and from NY, though, next time we will drive ourselves.

 

Embarkation was easy. We arrived at the pier at 1:15pm, were assisted by the porters with luggage and entered the terminal. We were asked to show our passports and tickets and preceded to security. This was done very quickly. We were given group numbers and sent to another line for processing. We were able to check in and receive our ship cards within minutes. This was a very efficient process. We then entered the waiting area. Due to tide levels, only one gangway was open. It was 1:30 pm. The waiting area had vending machines and bathroom facilities available. We were group 77 and they were boarding group 71. It looked as though it took 15 minutes per group to board. Boarding went more quickly than we thought and were on board by 2:15pm. They had tables set up with soda stickers, the ultimate soda package and coffee cards at convenient spots. The ultimate stickers gave our daughters the option of ordering mocktails and sodas by flashing their cards. To clear up any misconceptions, there is no age limit for purchasing the ultimate soda package stickers.

 

Our rooms were on the Aloha deck. Our balcony room was a good size, allowing easy movement around the bed. The closet space was more than sufficient for the two of us and was the same size, I believe as the closet in a mini-suite. Yes, the bathroom is small, but we did not have any problems with the dreaded shower curtain. Our balcony was used often during the early morning and late afternoons. We had the door between the two balcony rooms opened to allow us to move from one to the other. We often had all 5 of us on one balcony. Though small, we all did fit. Our daughters had an inside across the hall. This worked well for them. Their only complaint was the movement of the ship went head to toe vs. side to side due to the positioning of the beds. We had different stewards; ours was good, theirs very good. He was very understanding of two teenage girls and their sporadic schedules.

 

We had Anytime Dining. We did this on our first cruise and enjoyed it. We were also very fortunate on this cruise. We ate in the Coral Dining room, arriving around 6:00 pm each night and never had to wait. We had the same table every night. Our waiter, Jaime and assistant waiter, Maria Isabella were fantastic. We enjoyed getting to know them. Jaime would give his suggestions each night. He brought ketchup for one daughter without being reminded every night. On formal night, it arrived on a silver platter! We enjoyed the meals. Some meals were better than others, but overall the food was very good. We tried things we had heard about on cruise boards and were happy with the suggestions. We also ate breakfast in the dining room once and in the Horizon Court. FYI, there are “real” eggs in the buffet. Fried eggs were available each day, along with several scrambled or omelet varieties. Eggs Benedict was also offered several times. There was also a smoked fish daily.

 

We also went to the Crown Grill one evening. It was fabulous! We had filet mignon and lobster tails. My husband had the rib eye and lobster tail. We tried the black and blue onion soup- it was as good as we read about. We had delicious desserts and coffee. Truly a great dinner and worth the extra money.

 

The pizza and burgers were available by the pool, along with chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. These were delicious. We also ordered room service a few times and found this to be very good. We had the coffee cards and had brewed coffee often during the day. We also tried the Mocha coffees and cappuccinos. Our assistant waiter would go and get cappuccinos after dinner in the dining room for us. In addition, we tried the chocolate fondue, the cookies, the lemoncello cake and sandwiches. All were very good.

 

Entertainment was better on this cruise than on our last cruise several years ago. Yes, there are shows that are offered more than once, but this allowed us to choose when to go to these shows and see more than one in an evening. The musicals in the theater were good and yes, you had to arrive 30 minutes prior to get a seat. We saw Piano Man, Caribbean Caliente and Do You Wanna Dance. We also saw all of the comedians and the hypnotist/mentalist. These were very good. We were entertained by Martin Kaye at Crooners. He is a pianist/entertainer and engages the audience. There was always a crowd around his area in the evenings. He did a theater show, but had a much harder time engaging the audience in a large setting.

 

Our family also had fun playing Bingo and going to the casino. We shopped on board for a few items. The girls also went to Movies Under the Stars many evenings and saw movies such as Gran Torino, He’s Just Not That Into You, and Yes Man. Other movies that were shown both inside and out included Mama Mia, The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Iron Man, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Slumdog Millionaire, Paul Blart Mall Cop, and Cirque de Soleil. During the day MUTS showed various musical concerts and coverage of the Wimbledon.

 

We went to the pool daily, choosing the Neptune pool. It was difficult to find loungers as many people did go early and place towels on lounge chairs, never to return again. We were able to find chairs together. The pool did get crowded on sea days. We heard the ship had over 3500 people aboard on this cruise with many children.

 

We were unable to go to Bermuda, as previously mentioned. We had only one scheduled tour on St. Thomas. We chose to do the shopping and Magen’s Bay excursion. It was a good tour providing transportation to and from the ship, allowing time to bring back purchases and change before going to the beach. Magen’s Bay was beautiful and the water refreshing. In San Juan we chose to walk old San Juan visiting several shops, including the Coach and Dooney and Burke outlets. We ate authentic island food at a local restaurant recommended by some of the shop keepers. The plantains, mofongo with chicken, and steak and onions were terrific. On Grand Turk, we waited to disembark allowing the crowds to go before us. We could not find chairs on the beach and chose to go to Margaritaville, instead. We found loungers by the pool. We shopped in the various stores and then spent the afternoon in the pool. The Margaritas were delicious, as were the nachos and wings. We went back to the ship early, again beating the crowd.

 

The worst of times…

This was beyond our control but did put a crimp in our cruise. My husband dislocated his shoulder on the first at sea day. He had injured his shoulder in February and was cleared by his doctor to resume all activity. He was actually putting on sunscreen and raised his hand above his head and…POP! Fortunately for us, the medical facility on board was phenomenal. They took us in immediately, sedated him and popped his shoulder back into place. They put him in an immobilizer sling and off we went. This did curtail his ability to use the pool on board. Though an unexpected expense, it is good to know they can accommodate such injuries on board.

 

There were many, many children on board. The captain made an announcement at the beginning of the cruise to tell parents they were responsible for their children. Unfortunately, that was the extent of it. Children were often jumping and diving into the crowded pools. Those next door to my daughters’ room were often yelling obscenities and pounding on the walls late at night. We were awakened to the running and yelling of children up and down the hallways at night. There were also many people who did not understand how to close their doors, but instead opted to let them slam shut every single time they entered or left their room. Over 18 nights in the comedy clubs were ignored, as were the no children in the first three rows in the theater, and other recommendations in the patters as far as age restrictions. This did not affect our fun or enjoyment of the cruise, just observations.

 

 

 

Overall, we had a terrific time! We did many things on this cruise and came home rested and happy…and several pounds heavier!

[CrownCruiserKK]

Sounds like a wonderful cruise! I am excited to board the CB when it returns one week from today. Quick question: I have heard A LOT about this dreaded air conditioning situation aboard. Did you find it to be very warm? I do not like to be cold constantly, but in the summer I sure do like AC. What was your opinion?

 

Also, what was the shopping on board like? Good handbags and make-up?

 

Thanks in advance :D

[AAAAmerican]

WELCOME HOME!

 

Thanks for a nice review too!:cool:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BratDet]

for posting the review...My husband & I are sailing her soon...

 

did you buy anything at Coach?

 

How did it compare to other coach outlets?

 

I plan on stopping in there AFTER we do the Bacardi tour...

 

Thanks!

 

Bernadette

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

 

Hate those door slammers. :cool:

[GrammieK]

Great review! We are so excited to go in two weeks. Sounds like you had fun.

Bernadette - always the shopper - another thing we have in common...

Kathie

[katkris]

CrownCruiserKK - I found the air conditioning to be just fine. I wore sleeveless tops and dresses the entire time and was comfortable to cool except in the casino. It was very hot there! (Although it didn't keep us out of there...) Our state room was very cool to cold unless we opened the balcony door. The heat and humidity would immediately fog the mirrors and send the temperature up in the room.

 

Shopping on board was mostly for souvenirs- costume jewelry, tee shirts, Swarovski jewelry and a figurine. They did have Jackie Kennedy replica jewelry and it was beautiful and moderately priced. I purchased the JK watch. Handbags were expensive- better prices on the islands. We did not price the make up, but did notice they carried Smashbox.

 

BratDet - Coach was a very nice outlet with much to choose from. You could purchase items for as little as $29.00 and as high as hundreds. There were 50% off sales, too. My daughter purchased a hand bag for $55.00 and a wristlet for $40.00. This was our first time at a Coach outlet, so I cannot comment on a comparison.

[AAAAmerican]

Did youall have your Sales tax raised that 1/2 percent too there?

 

 

OSJ has a sales tax. But since I am not a shopper there, only an investor I do not know the spots where shopping is hot...:cool:

 

I do go to the Casinos and make deposits too ...

 

 

KatKris:

 

How much are the Bingo Cards and Pots?

 

 

 

Now youall will have to plan another SOON to make the Bermudian Islands .. To me they are the nicest group !

 

Even children are behaved well and Parents do that there as not like the ships.

 

 

 

 

Great review! We are so excited to go in two weeks. Sounds like you had fun.

Bernadette - always the shopper - another thing we have in common...

Kathie

[mississauga]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review.:D

 

To clear up any misconceptions, there is no age limit for purchasing the ultimate soda package stickers.

 

 

Is this based on personal experience of an adult using the card or just that the card did not state that it was for teens only. What was the price of the card? Thanks

[AAAAmerican]

A COACH'ed shopper eh... :eek:

 

 

COH :NYSE .

 

Do they have a Shareholder Benefit too for you ladies?

http://www.coach.com

Address: 516 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001

Main Phone Number 212-594-1850

Fax Number 212-594-1682

Investor Relations Andrea Shaw Resnick 212-629-2618

;)

 

 

 

 

 

for posting the review...My husband & I are sailing her soon...

 

did you buy anything at Coach?

 

How did it compare to other coach outlets?

 

I plan on stopping in there AFTER we do the Bacardi tour...

 

Thanks!

 

Bernadette

[katkris]

AAAAmerican - I am unsure if there was an increase in the sales tax in OSJ. When my daughter made a purchase at the Coach outlet, the sales tax rate was 7%.

 

The bingo cards were $20.00 for three cards each for the four games played. It was $10.00 to purchase one card for each of the four games. The pots were $150.00 for the first game, $200.00 for the second game, $250.00 for the third game, and $400.00 for the fourth game. The fourth game is played as a coverall. If you covered your entire card within a certain amount of numbers called, you would win the jackpot. If there was no jackpot winner during a bingo session, the money was carried over to the next session with an addition of a few hundred dollars. Also, if no one won during the set amount of numbers called, they would keep playing until someone won. They would win the $400.00. If there happened to be multiple winners on a single game, the winners would split the money.

 

mississauga - When my daughters purchased the card, there was a sign that stated "for ages 2 to 102" or something along those lines. The card was $9.00 a day X the number of days of cruise + 15% gratuity.

[BalconyGal]

Chair hogs and door slammers and you still had a good time!!!:p I am so glad you enjoyed your cruise and especially thank you for all the details in your review.

 

I can't wait to check out the coach outlet.

[AAAAmerican]

 

Thank you Maam.

 

 

Al;so did they have the nice equipment to show the numbers and rolll the Bingo Balls ?

 

Did you win any Pots?

 

 

:cool:

 

 

 

 

 

AAAAmerican - I am unsure if there was an increase in the sales tax in OSJ. When my daughter made a purchase at the Coach outlet, the sales tax rate was 7%.

 

The bingo cards were $20.00 for three cards each for the four games played. It was $10.00 to purchase one card for each of the four games. The pots were $150.00 for the first game, $200.00 for the second game, $250.00 for the third game, and $400.00 for the fourth game. The fourth game is played as a coverall. If you covered your entire card within a certain amount of numbers called, you would win the jackpot. If there was no jackpot winner during a bingo session, the money was carried over to the next session with an addition of a few hundred dollars. Also, if no one won during the set amount of numbers called, they would keep playing until someone won. They would win the $400.00. If there happened to be multiple winners on a single game, the winners would split the money.

 

mississauga - When my daughters purchased the card, there was a sign that stated "for ages 2 to 102" or something along those lines. The card was $9.00 a day X the number of days of cruise + 15% gratuity.

[mississauga]

mississauga - When my daughters purchased the card, there was a sign that stated "for ages 2 to 102" or something along those lines. The card was $9.00 a day X the number of days of cruise + 15% gratuity.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I had read on another thread that it was for teens only, I guess not.

[BratDet]

Hi Kathie!

 

I am a good shopper, and am trying not to buy too much on the trip.

 

BUT- I have heard good things about this outlet compared to other Coach outlets...

 

I am planning to go here AFTER we do the Barcardi tour....if there is time...

 

Talk about good shopping...our travel reviewer here mentioned Savorski...

 

I was in Marshalls and saw a bracelet I just paid under 50$ for for 149$. "Their price." woo hoo...

 

so it pays to know prices on items they might have on the ship in

 

order to compare it to decide if it is a good deal....

 

Bernadette

[GrammieK]

That's why I think of shopping as a sport! There are rules on how to play, and a victory if you get what you want at the price you want to pay! I wonder if Coach in PR would take coupons? I can't wait. Handbags are a guilty pleasure of mine - I am in my Vera Bradley phase right now (summer-lighter bags-washable for when I spill my pina colada in them, etc.) Would love to "score" (sports reference) a great buy on a leather Dooney and Bourke or Coach for winter for myself or my daughters. See you in 2 (can you believe it???) weeks.

Kathie

P.S. Don't forget to water the plants..

[katkris]

AAAAmerican - Yes they did have the nice equipment to show the numbers and roll the balls. They also showed the board with the numbers on the televisions all around the place so everyone could see it in some form or another. Unfortunately, we were not lucky and did not win any of the pots.

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the review.

[gianel]

We went to the coach outlet in Old San Juan (on the June 20th Caribbean Princess cruise) and I found the prices to be a little better than the Woodbury Commons, NY outlet. They were alslo running an additional 20% off ALL items! My husband and son purchased great wallets for themselves for about $44.00. It does get very crowded, so be patient. I also checked out Dooney & Bourke and I thought the outlet in NY has more of a selection and better prices.

[asnaleah]

Thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough review. We are sailing on the CP in January - Can't wait!