2 Weeks on the Caribbean Princess
Caribbean Princess Cruise Review to Caribbean
Contributor Level:
Third Mate
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 92
14 Night Circle Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: November 11, 2018
Ship: Caribbean Princess
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: A750
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Overall, great cruise. Really loved the accomodations and the ship. But, Princess apparently adopted a new business model in the last couple years that is negatively impacting the food and service in the main/traditional dining rooms. The quality of food and service in the dining rooms has suffered significantly. The specialty restaurants are still excellent in every respect. The buffet sucks,,, Princess needs to go back to the old Horizon Buffet model. I really liked the itinerary, including the number of at-sea days (5). I found that a two week cruise is about the right length for us. Nice casino on board with a full size craps table. I would gladly cruise this ship and this itinerary again, but they really need to fix the food issue.Embarkation
Organized and expeditious. Truly appreciated the priority boarding. Princess really seems to have a good handle on the entire embarkation process. Due to our class of suite (S1), we had escort service from the check-in counter to our suite.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
I think the food quality and service in the main dining rooms on the main area has become the prime area for "Improvement Required". I know Princess is capable of much better as this was my 5th cruise with Princess. In the past, I was always pleased with the food quality. Something has changed in the last couple years. Much of the food seemed to be pre-prepared, frozen, then microwaved. The kitchen was having difficulties preparing meats to the requested doneness. Most items were cold by the time they arrived, even the baked potatoes! The transformation of the legacy Horizon Buffet to the new World Fresh Marketplace is an utter disaster. The buffet was horrible, with a very scant selection. Princess needs to revert back to the old Horizon Buffet model. The specialty restaurants, particularly the Crown Grill was excellent in every respect. We ended up dining at the Crown Grill 4 or 5 nights, and should have eaten there every night. Per usual, the poolside Pizza and Burger joints were great. Bar/drink service across the ship was as expected. Drinks were fixed promptly. I was surprised to find out one night that there was a daily limit on the number of alcoholic drinks (15). I did not remember seeing that policy disclosed anywhere.
Onboard Activities
There was a huge schedule of onboard activities provided every day, covering most any area of interest. I participated in a few, but my preferred way to spend my time was just walking about sipping on drinks, watching the ocean, dropping by the casino, and dipping in the pool. One particular activity I really enjoyed was the art auction(s). Great art staff, great art selection, super fun auctions, and great deals if you pre-bid. One thing I did notice miss were pool side coordinated activities/antics. The movies seemed to dominate one of the pools all day, every day.
Entertainment
There was always some live music happening somewhere, but I would have liked to see more live music at the pool, as well a greater variety. I seemed to be the same band that would play occasionally at one pool only. The DJs in the night clubs seemed out of touch with popular music, and even genres. Also, the night club action was pretty dead, probably due to the older average age on a longer (2 week) cruise. If you are looking for a better night club scene, you will probably want to go with shorter cruises that have a younger age group.
Service and Staff
Overall, the staff on the Caribbean Princess was friendly, professional, and helpful. Our cabin steward was awesome, keeping our suite impeccably clean, and always cheerfully greeting us by name. Casino staff were excellent, always remembering my name and making sure I was comfortable. The specialty restaurant staff was excellent, providing top notch service. They were always very accommodating to any request. My only are of criticism is the staff in the anytime main dining room, where the staff was less friendly, less knowledgeable, and did not seem energetic in the slightest, with a few exceptions of course. But, main dining room aside, staff across the entire ship was great.
Ship Quality
The ship seemed very clean, however with a little wear and ageing showing on the exterior steel structures. The interior was in beautiful shape and well maintained. The ship design was very similar to all of the other Princess ships I have sailed on. I do like the general layout of the Caribbean Princess much better than the newer Royal Class ships, but the Caribbean Princess balconies on the stern suites do not wrap around like the Royal class.
Cabin / Stateroom
We were in the Grand Suite, which is in the S1 category. The suite was huge, at nearly 1100 sq/ft. The balcony was also huge, with two loungers, a table with four chairs, and an additional two chairs. The interior was decorated nicely, and the furnishings were in great shape. The dining room had a round glass top dining table for six, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The living room had a large double glass sliding door to the balcony, as did the bedroom. The walk in closet was very large, making this the first cruise where I could actually hang all of our clothes comfortably. Also appreciated was the extensive amount of drawer and cabinet space. The shower was equipped with nine shower heads, although it was a bit difficult to dial in the desired temperature. There was a computer on the desk, but it was not yet operational. All of this awsomeness does come at a stiff price. For most, the cost is probably not worth the super-wazoo suite, but we wanted to try it, and we really enjoyed it.
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Good terminal for embarkation/disembarkation. The baggage porters were very friendly and helpful.
Thumbs Up
6
Love the shopping in St Thomas. Lots of options, from very fine jewelry to great bargains.
Took the beach excursion. It was a nice strip of beach, but the facilities and beach/facility staff were sub-par. I remember taking the same excurion 3 years ago to a different beach, which was a much better all around experience. So, the beach experience can be significantly different depending on which beach they send you to. Port town shopping was very good.
Great shoping in St Kitts. Found a great deal on a fine watch. Also, St Kitts had the best t-shirts and polo shirts.
Snorkeling excursion was ok. not the most spectacular snorkeling sites, but it was fun. Port town shopping was sub-par, and all of the stores closed at 1:00pm.
Harrison's Cave tour was fantastic. Also enjoyed the scenic drive to the site. Also, very good port town shopping.
Least liked port of all time. Poor port shopping,,, nothing there except a couple shops in the terminal building. Just stay on the ship....
Great lively town next to the port. Lots of eating options. Great shopping of all types. Casino near the terminal, for those who like that action.
Lots of nearby beach options. Multiple casinos near the terminal. Great shopping in town.
Disembarkation
Organized and easy. Locating baggage was quick and simple. Porters immediately available and very friendly.