The itinerary was excellent and the passengers were amicable and friendly. Much of the Princess staff did an outstanding job. But there has been a deterioration of the Princess Brand. The food quality has diminished, the service has slipped (in the Horizon Court especially) and the constant hawking of jewelry is just plain annoying. This ship seemed incredibly LOUD compared to the other 6 Princess voyages I have taken (similar itinerary on 2). The MDR dress code was ignored and the SPA was an unmitigated disaster (which I am still living with). The Princess Brand seems to have been morphed into Carnival now and that is something I have to seriously think about before future cruises.
Not much going on. Mostly ad nauseam jewelry hype and loud pool music. If you like constant shopping, this is your cruise. I enjoyed the lectures about the culture and ports, but there were not enough enrichment activities. And not enough going on in the atrium for participation.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Greg London always a Star Attraction! Love him. Brava - wonderful. the comedian was vulgar and disgusting.
Children's Programs
No children with me
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
My cabin steward was superb. The deck hands kept the pools in tip top condition with plenty of fresh towels; bartenders in The Mix and VINES Bar were beyond great. Waiters in MDR rushed everyone around; waiters in Crown Grill were excellent.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
There were no ship personnel ensuring that everyone washed their hands at the Horizon Court area (this was a departure from other Princess cruises). Many passengers blew by the hand washing.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
I am a solo traveler and the cabin was roomy and plenty of closet space. Loved it. The shower was small and wouldn't please larger people, but it was fine for me. The only reason for the 4 star rating is that it was just below the party pool and the loud music went on all afternoon and many times until 11 p.m. Other wise, the room was excellent and very clean.
Ship tip
AVOID THE SPA. Having had the Hot Stone Massage on previous Princess cruise ships (Royal, Regal, Diamond, Golden), I was looking forward to another one on the Caribbean Princess. The price on the pre-boarding website was $167. I was told by Princess that I would have better or as good pricing if I waited to board, as there are "always specials for port days." So I waited. On all the other ships, the spa staff was very visible on the ship the first two days of the cruise, but not this time. I decided to go to the spa and ask for a tour. I was given a quick tour (the location and layout was very different from the Royal and the Regal) by an extremely disinterested staff person. At the end of the tour, she said "So do you want to sign up for all the extras?" She was difficult to understand so I wasn't quite sure what was included. I had originally planned to do three treatments, but after the dismissive attitude, I decided on just the Hot Stone. She scheduled it for a port day several days later. The massages I have had in the past were relaxing and I left feeling wonderful. This massage was extremely painful to the point where I was crying. When I said that it hurt, she said I was being difficult (I was only expressing how I felt, I wasn't being mean). It got worse. Finally it was at an end and she proceeded to give me the hard pitch for products. I said that (as I said at the beginning of my massage), I just wanted to have spa treatments and was not interested in the products. She was sullen and not at all what I was used to. Then I was charged $200 (for a port day!) plus the $40 in gratuities. Not only was I ripped off for the massage, but I had bruises on my shoulders and on my neck and three weeks later, my shoulder is STILL hurting. I did learn that these spas are not run by Princess (Steiner) and they have no control over what goes on in the spa nor is there any recourse on the price. My doctor tells me I have a bruised muscle which remains very painful. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT have spa treatments on the Caribbean Princess. You will suffer - not just your pocket book, but your body as well. I will never have another spa treatment on a ship again. And enough with the ATTIUDE!!
I love to shop in St. Thomas, but many of the shop keepers have moved out due to the on-going construction after the hurricane. Also the "Harbor Tour" is a joke. I am amazed the boat could make it across the harbor and even more amazed that no one was hurt on the hideous stairs you had to climb to be seated. The commentary was completely lame or non-existent. SKIP THIS!
I love St. Kitts. It is visually beautiful and the people are very friendly. I did not do an excursion. I enjoyed traveling on my own and also the local colorful market. Excellent experience. The views are spectacular and the beaches are gorgeous. I also love the Fairview Great House.
I did an excursion to the Balata Gardens and it was beautiful. I really enjoyed this tour and learned so much. The gardens are lush and perfect. I didn't go into Fort-De-France, as I didn't want to deal with the Euro thing (and after 3 hours at the gardens, I was pretty tired, as the heat was intense). One of my table mates had her phone stolen in Fort-De-France by a "bumping" pick pocket. So guard your stuff.
I have been going to Barbados since 1989 and I love the island. It is gorgeous. The beaches are lovely, the people are very friendly and the taxi drivers are very polite and honest. That said, there really are no bargains in Barbados. Maybe rum, but otherwise you will do much better in the States with clothing, cosmetics, etc.
The U.S. state Dept. has a warning about visiting Trinidad so I only went to the very few port shops. A person was shot on the dock the day before we ported there. Crime is rampant. I don't know why Princess docks there instead of safer Tobago (probably cheaper fees).
I di the Willemstad Trolley Tour and it was one of the best excursions I have taken. I learned about culture, history, architecture, religion, politics - excellent tour guide! I walked over the Pontoon Bridge and also visited the Rif Forte. There is an excellent bricked path from the Rif Fort to the dock. I did some shopping in the old town area, but I didn't feel safe. Since the Venezuelan crisis, Curacao has been infiltrated by 10,000 illegal Venezuelan immigrants and that has caused crime to increase (and also closed their refinery). there is no Floating Market anymore due to the same situation with Venezuela. But I enjoyed Willemstad and I am really happy I took the tour. The architecture is so interesting and the story behind it very amusing.
I had never been to Aruba before, but it won me over. The amazing beaches, the stellar and glistening town of Oranjestad (with every designer imaginable), the yacht basic - there is so much energy here. I enjoyed sitting on the upstairs deck of the Renaissance Hotel having a cocktail and people watching as well.
I was very comfortable in the lounge and found customs to be a breeze. I always arrange for the luggage service with Princess and I don't have to stop to identify my luggage at the terminal. Princess picks up my luggage the night before embarkation and I pick it up at my home airport - slick and easy.
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