14 Days on Caribbean Princess
Caribbean Princess Cruise Review to Caribbean
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 6
Helpful Votes: 196
14 Night Circle Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 07, 2017
Ship: Caribbean Princess
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: C330
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 6 years ago
Review summary
We thoroughly enjoyed the 14 day Circle Caribbean cruise. Crew, food, shows, etc. were great to us. The itinerary provided a lot of ports and sea days. All the people we met on and off the ship were friendly and accommodating.Embarkation
Had to wait in terminal due to Coast Guard inspections, etc. We were supposed to board by 3pm but actually got on around 2PM. Lot's of people in terminal but embarkation went smooth. Princess gave us a bag of snacks and water.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Overall the food was good. The MDR menus started off a bit boring but got better towards the end of the cruise. Lobster and prawn night was the best. The buffet was swamped the few mornings we tried it so it was hard to find a table and the food quality was down. Later in the cruise we were able to get a table much easier and the food was much better. Did not eat in any specialty restaurants on this cruise. International café was not as good as previous cruises. Sandwiches were sloppy and the salads overly mushy. Pastries were OK.
Onboard Activities
Hard to find a lounge chair near the pools. Lot's of people had towels on the chairs but were not around. Pools were crowded due to the hot and humid weather. Princess needs to have their deck attendants monitor the lounge chairs and if not used, remove the towels. Bought a 4 hour time slot in the Sanctuary which was fabulous. Nice lounge chairs, bring you flavored water, pool is not crowded, afternoon tea and pastries, etc.
Entertainment
New show BRAVO was great. Opera singers were great. The production dancers and singers were very good. The other entertainment we had seen on previous cruises so did not attend them. Lack of new variety shows need to be updated. Voice of the Ocean show was not only a good show but had some comedy thrown in. Funch in Crooner's was good.
Service and Staff
Overall no complaints. Service in both Traditional and Anytime dining was good. Always willing to bring us more or other food as desired. Our room steward (Jovito) did an excellent job keeping our room fresh and clean. Attended three wine tastings in the Vines. Laurentiu was an excellent presenter of the various wines and his staff took good care of us at all times.
Ship Quality
Ship layout is similar to many other Princess ships. We know our way around and it is easy accept for upon leaving the Princess Theater you are forced to go through the casino which reeks of cigarette smoke. Overall cleanliness of the ship was good but there are areas that are showing some wear. Did not affect our overall enjoyment in the least.
Cabin / Stateroom
We have had several cabins on the Caribe deck so the size of the cabin, shower, etc. are not an issue for us. We love the larger balcony and used it often on this cruise. The weather was warm so the balcony was nice to be able to spread out in. Room was always clean and fresh.
Ship tip
Get on board and let Princess and the staff take care of you. It's great.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Princess Cays (Cruise Line Private Island)
We enjoyed Princess Cays. We went to the beach area to the right after getting off the tenders. It is much quieter, sandy beach, less crowded, etc, than the main area to the left. Buffet lunch was walk right up, no line. The water was about 85 degrees. Walk right in. Rented a kayak and enjoyed the ocean area beyond the swimming area. Rented for 30 minutes but stayed out an hour. No one was keeping track of the time and there were plenty of kayaks on the beach for rental. My wife hates the beach but like Princess Cays. Definitely rent a Clamshell to provide shade.
Did a tour of the Basseterre, Romney Manor (Batik making) and Rainforest walk. Winston was our guide and he was great. The Rainforest walk took us way back into the forest. We crossed three creeks. Up and down at times where there was a minimal at best path. Winston pointed out various plants, trees, etc. No bugs which was nice. Would not recommend this tour for anyone with physical disabilities. The area near the port where the ship docks was not the best but there is shopping, etc. close by.
Tour of Nelson's dockyard, Shirley Heights, etc. Mostly a sight seeing tour. Nice and clean port. Nice views on this tour. Saw Eric Clapton's huge estate. Nelson's dockyard is a historical area but did not have enough time there to explore. Good rum punch.
Went on the two bay snorkeling tour. Water was great - jump right in and clear to the bottom. Snorkeling equipment worked well. Saw some fish but not a wide variety. Crew on boat was accommodating and several were in the water point out things.
Harrison Caves and scenic drive. Drive around Barbados was nice. Saw Rhianna's street where she grew up and her $22M condo where she visits now. Got to Harrison Caves and it had been raining heavily. We sat in the parking lot for about 20 minutes then were told the Caves were closed due to excessive water inside, etc. Bummer as this is the second trip for us to Harrison Caves and both time they were closed. We did get a full refund by Princess.
Did Trinidad Highlights and Scenic drive. Had Carnival dancers and music at the pier. Was unexpected but nice. Enjoyed the drive around the area and seeing some the renovation going on to the historical homes. Drove about 45 minutes to Maracas lookout and beach area. Road was windy and narrow with a lot of traffic. Beach area was just a stop for 30 minutes. Restroom facility had no running water and dirty. Beach and water were not attractive - in general a real disappointment. Overall the tour was okay but would just stay on the ship if go here in the future.
Did the Hato Caves, Willemstad, Museum tour. 7.5 hours with a return to the ship for lunch. We had an excellent tour guide and the tour literally takes you all over the island. Saw some great ocean scenes where the waves were breaking into the rocks part of a National Park. Great picture spot. Saw some wild Flamingos in their natural habitat. Saw an old labor house where slaves were used, etc. Saw some of the great beaches in Curacao. At Hato Caves you walk up 49 steps to enter the caves and go into the hillside. Interesting caves but not terribly scenic. Did a walking tour of Willemstad and walked across the floating bridge back to the ship. Shopping area near the ship is nice. Restaurants and bars nearby.
No excursions here. Just walked around the downtown. Had been to Aruba three times already. They now have a Trolly car that takes you around the downtown area. Was nice since it is hot and humid in Aruba. Had a drink and snack at the Paddock (across from the ship). Went to the Paddock at least 15 years ago and it has not changed.
Disembarkation
All was good except the Princess transfer to the Airport. Got of the ship OK and through customs. When they load the bags on the bus there is not organization as to which airlines you are flying on. Airport is about a 10 minute drive from the pier. Our bus driver was surly at best. Driver bypassed Southwest terminal (not sure why). Stopped at Air Canada. Removed all the bags onto the sidewalk and let people sort through them. We got off the bus to make sure our bags got put back on the bus for Southwest. Driver went back around and stopped at Southwest / United terminal and unloaded the bags for a second time. You'd think by now they'd have this process down to a science but guess not.