Overall, this was a pretty good cruise. What made this cruise even nicer was the fact that there was a good blend of age groups. For me, my wife doesn't drink wine, the wine tasting were really good. A nice selection of wines, good educational commentary and was attended by a good group of folks.
Bottom line: service , accommodations, food, amenities and the ship were all very good.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Really never waited long. The lines moved quickly. Even the actual check in at the counter was swift.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food served in the main dining rooms was very good. Sure, sometimes there are problems with the meal that you ordered. Two of my dinners were undercooked. No biggie! Not enough of a reason to garner a reduction in stars. I simply reordered. The waiter was apologetic (not his fault, obviously) and eagerly, quickly and cheerfully replaced my meal. The food was of such quality that we found no need to eat at the specialty restaurants. The dinner menu was varied enough to please most palates. Now.....the World Market Buffet is a winner! The way the food stations in the WMB were arranged made it easy to get in, get out and chow down! The WMB setup pretty much eliminated most of the lines you usually have to deal with at the buffet on most ships. We really enjoyed this aspect of the dining experience. NOW for our favorite eating spot on the Caribbean Princess (and the other Princess ships as well).....The International Cafe. Great place for quick lunch (wonderful soups, salads and sandwiches), great coffee and nice desserts. Oh, and great place to sit, eat and "people watch".
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Would have given this a 4.5 star rating but no 1/2 stars available. The activities are many and varied but (1/2 star deducted) too many different venues to go to in order to participate in them. There aren't enough activities done at poolside for me. I enjoy watching the activities (and participating in them) while on the pool deck.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
This would have been a 5 Star rating had it not been for the pool deck area's need for a bit of "sprucing up". Areas around the edge of the pools showed some wear and the pool attendants were some "invisible" when they were needed. I would have taken away another star for ship design because when leaving the Princess Theater you had to pass through the smokey casino, but found solution to that (see "Tips").
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
1) Biggest Tip: THE INTERNATIONAL CAFE!! There is never much of a line. So, either it is the biggest secret or people just don't like eating near the Piazza. They have a varied selection of food and treats with the offerings changing each day. They make good salads, soups, sandwiches, desserts and GREAT coffee! So, sit down, chow down and get down to "good people watching" at the Piazza. 2) The COFFEE CARD!! Not only will you get specialty coffees at a nice discount, but you will also get a better grade of freshly brewed coffee for free (not charged against your coffee card). 3) The Terrace Pool!! It is located on Deck 15 at the back of the ship, right outside the doors of either Planks or Steamers (both are part of the World Market Buffet during the day). It is a secluded area offering quiet ( nice getaway from those splashing kids) and great vistas (the view cannot be beaten!)
I live in Florida and visit Fort Lauderdale regularly. So even though the charm for me has waned somewhat, if Florida is a vacation spot for you....you've got to take time to visit this area. So much to do, so much to see. Beautiful beaches, great restaurants, great shopping and great people watching!
We have been to Grand Cayman many times. Simply.....beautiful. If you haven't tried swimming with the Stingrays....."Just Do It!" It's exhilerating! We didn't do any of the excursions on Grand Cayman this time, but did go to the "7 Mile Beach" which was beautiful. Took a bus there for $2.50. The really cool thing about buses there, is that there is really no bus stops per se. There are bus shelters were you can stand to keep out of the sun. However, if you see a bus, all you need to do is wave and they will stop for you no matter where you are. Same thing for getting off...just tell the bus driver where you want to get off and he'll (she'll) let you off there Try that in New York!
Didn't do an excursion on Roatan....didn't need to. Maghony Beach was beautiful. Offering lots of watersports, floats, loungers and restaurants and changing rooms available.
The port area of Belize was okay. Yeah, I know, most islands have some "pockets" of poverty, but most of what we saw in Belize was "blah". We drove over an hour through unattractive territory to do cave tubing and ziplining. Absolutely not worth it! Both adventures were just okay. Did the caves 6 months ago in Cozumel (Carmen del Playa) and it was much more fun and exciting!
Great port! Lots of things to do: shopping, eating and of course, DRINKING!! We did a Zipline experience. It was terrific. The guides were unbelieveable! A happy foursome that made sure that we enjoyed ourselves We got to Zipline upside down! Got photos to prove it (LOL). A great experience with fun people. This excursion is highly recommended. See their facebook page www.facebook.com/xtremerollerx
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