Caribbean Princess Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This is our third cruise with Princess and so I am being generous on the stars...Princess staff from cruise director to waitstaff were invisible and disengaged...probably afraid they'd have to discuss port changes/cancellations.  Communication and planning of onboard activities was awful.  No briefing by Cruise staff on any of the ports other then printed paper...even after a change while sailing. Ship is old and in need of a big time facelift.  Princess is pulling out of Houston and that was reflected in how the cruise treated their passengers.

We took the cruise because Key West was a cruise port.  We were extremely disappointed that the ship could not dock in Key West due to the wind speed.

My husband and I sailed for our anniversary last week out of Houston on the Caribbean Princess. It was our third cruise, second on Princess. This trip was NOTHING like our experience on the Tahitian Princess 13 years ago. We decided to upgrade to a mini suite for the larger shower/bathtub combination. Overall, we had a great time in the ports and enjoyed spending time together. I have never wanted a vacation to end before this trip and could not wait to get off the ship. I am fine with an older ship (only 11 years old) but there is a difference between older and not taken care of properly. Our experience with the food, water quality and stateroom/ship maintenance needs take the forefront. The rest still heavily contributed to our disappointment. If I was a future or prospective passenger, I would want someone to tell me about their experience. We like to give credit where credit is due, here is the "good" and the "bad" of our trip. Good: Transfers/Embarkation/Debarkation: Transfer from the airport to the Four Seasons then to the ship was great. Good service and no issues. The embarkation process was about 15 minutes and our stateroom was ready right away. Debarkation and transfer to the airport was just as seamless and quick. Weather: I know there was no control over this-weather was great and seas were calm for the whole trip. Pools/Deck/Gym: Pools on board were larger than other ships we have been on. They were not crowded and they were clean. There was plenty of space on deck and there were plenty of chairs and towels. The hot tubs were small and full of people-not inviting to us. The ship did not seem crowded otherwise. Gym was nice and we could always find a machine the couple of times we went. Wish there were more classes and that they didn't charge extra for some of them (yoga, boot camp). Specialty restaurants: Both were good. Sabatinis even better. The food quality and service was what we were used to getting on a cruise vacation. The staff provided the best service we experienced on the ship and would rival the best service we have had anywhere. Wine Bar: One of our favorite places on the ship. Wine is always good, but Jack and Arvin provided exceptional service. They were among the few staff members on the ship who were actually smiling. The tapas and sushi were a nice touch. Pillows/robes: The pillows were good and I liked having a robe. The Bad: 1. Water quality: Even though we booked a mini suite, we were unable to use the bathroom from day 3-7 of the cruise. After our second port in Roatan (day 3), our shower and sink water intermittently turned from dark brown, to light brown to yellow....sometimes went back clear but we were already completely grossed out. Once we thought it might be fixed it would happen all over again. We had to brush our teeth with bottled water and use a shower in a standard stateroom downstairs. We asked for and were provided with this "solution". NOT what we paid for. We had about 10 maintenance staff come through over the course of three days. None of them seemed to be communicating and my husband had to "prove" the color of the water. One of them even stated that it was because the sink was colored and had a brown tint (is that any better?). We were told that they had not tested the water and there seemed to be varying opinions regarding what was wrong with the plumbing and/or water supply. I still don't know if they found or fixed the problem. 2. Stateroom: Our mini suite was not only outdated but it was also worn and dirty. The carpet was dirty, the drawers had other people's hair in it, the shower and bathroom tile had black and other mold in the grout lines. The couch was filthy and the bed had indentions where it was worn out. If it was my mattress at home I would throw it away. The furniture was similar to an beaten up motor home. Some of the drawers in the desk were hard to use. I only ended up using one drawer after cleaning it out myself. The shelves in the bathroom seemed to have a film of hairspray or something else on them. The balcony had white spattered white paint on the blue deck floor and the patio furniture. The railing wood was cracking and needed to be re-stained, the ship metal showed rust and needed to be painted. The patio chairs were usable but not cared for. 2. Food: I am not a picky eater and really like all types of food but this was some of the worst food I have ever had. After three nights in the main dining room we stopped going due to food quality and mediocre service. We skipped dinner completely another night. A FAR cry from what we experienced on Princess before. The beef was grey and tough...food was bland (no seasonings or spices even when it said it was "spicy"). Main courses were probably the worst. We were offered to try other dishes but were done with the experience by that point. Appetizers and desserts were OK but not resort quality. We tried the Palm dining room at lunch and it was just as bad or worse. Room service was mediocre without the ability to get the order right (no mayo on sandwiches, etc.). Coffee in all parts of the ship except for the coffee bar (extra cost) was terrible and weak. Could not eat the pizza or the burgers by the pool. Meat carnival cheap and the pepperoni tasted bad. The buffet was also bad with several trips through without anything on my plate. The scrambled eggs were so bad I spit them out, fruit not cut off the rind (especially pineapple and cantaloupe), not many healthy vegetable choices except for a small salad bar. The omlet bar was edible and I'm glad I accidentally found it. Over the entire week, we had three good meals on the ship and they were all in the specialty restaurants. On the first day we completed the request to have fresh fruit brought to our stateroom daily. It never showed up. 3. General ship state: The ship is LONG overdue for maintenance and overhaul even though it is not that old. Needed to be painted (with taping off), including railings, hull of the ship, etc. A lot of rust is showing throughout the ship. Many of the bathroom toilet stalls in the public areas were out of order. Several doorways were being fixed/upgraded and were blocked off. Some repairs by the pool provided a loud saw and drill noise atmosphere as people were trying to nap. Maybe do this on embarkation/debarkation days or take this ship out of circulation more often for these repairs. I know that does not make money...... 4. Staff Attitude/Attention to Detail: We can count on one hand how many crew members actually seemed happy or provided a smile. I can understand if the passengers are not cared for, I'm sure the crew might be treated poorly as well. General poor attitude and no motivation for attention to detail. Too much "selling" for every little thing all week. 5. Internet Fees & Service: We felt we had to purchase an internet package to send emails to our three kids back home. Wow do they overcharge and the service was spotty. Interesting that I have had better (and included or cheap) internet service on an airplane traveling much faster than a cruise ship. 6. Don't waste your time with the Thermal Suite. We paid about $200 to use it for the week and found that they were not keeping track of others who did not pay using the facility. The area was small and I wish they had soap for my face at least in the showers in the private area. They did not keep the eucalyptus going in the one steam room. We saw people from the regular spa area and otherwise come to use the thermal room. This made me not want to book the spa services that I had planned on booking. Spa area did look nice, seemed a little pricey. We enjoyed our time together and found fun in the ports. This is what salvaged our vacation, the first without kids in 7 years. We only booked our excursion in Roartan through the ship. It was a beach day at Tabaya beach. Beautiful setting, great facility, too many people and peddlers. The other two were through ShoreTrips through our travel agent (Belize Cave Tubing-VIV Tours-awesome!) and Viator (food tour in Cozumel-awesome!).

We have notified our travel agent (with pictures) and have completed the online survey form with Princess. The only response we have received was a small OBC for a future cruise if we book by the end of this month.  I find it strange that their compensation includes me spending more money.  While we were onboard, we did receive a comp night at Sabatinis, two large bottles of water so we could brush our teeth and the use of a small stateroom so we could use the (TINY) shower.  Just not what we paid for.

Very nice cruise.  Cruise Only shore excursions were well planned, interesting and affordable.  Sorry Princess is no longer going out of Houston Port.  It is a very easy place to embark.

Since this was our first cruise we had nothing else to compare it to, but now any future cruises will be judged by what we experienced here. We enjoyed the entire trip and had nothing to complain about. At the end of the cruise we felt rested so it was a successful voyage. We had placed our electronics on their own vacation so this was really a break from everyday hassles.

We just returned from a wonderful week on the Caribbean Princess out of the Port of Houston. We visited Cozumel, Roatan and Belize. The service and staff were outstanding. Smiling faces from the time we embarked through the disembarkation. We were on the exact same week a year ago on the Emerald Princess. 

Our 6th cruise, first time on Princess ... not our favorite. to be honest.

Ship is tired (public areas are nice and clean)

Staterooms ( balcony stateroom) Not impressed , as stains everywhere, balcony deckchairs dirty not clean . Problems with toilet, called maintenance 5times. Strange smell , shower smallest ever seen, Friendly steward.

Ship, not the youngest , bit tired  Due to diesel engine problems ( more than 3 weeks , never fixed ) voyage changed , did not visit ports as promised ( cruise 21feb engine problems, cruise 28feb same engine problems, cruise 06mar , still engine failure , could not sail at full speed)

Cabin , stains, holes in sheets-cover 4times !!.really need upgrade the rooms. In last week bed linnen never changed.

Staff, some great , most average and even some very rude.

Food, staff in dining room very friendly, food oke, not wow factor. Great sandwiches in Piazza , and coffee ( $$ )  better than the colored hot water in the buffet.

Entertainment, great shows, lots to do.

The shopping host  lady is far over the top, al about $$$$$$$  and selling, even the "wake show"on television is one big commercial drama .... would be better to provide guests with usefull information and not only commercial info.

Excursions, Belize ... dont go off the ship , Belize city , no go area , didnt feel safe, locals trying to sell drugs, begging for money, in town nothing to see.

So , please dont think this cruise was one big drama , but must say there are too many issues why we in the near future would choose another company, who in our opinion provide better service/food/maintanance. ( and staff training)

Once more, some staff members are exeptional , many others okay , but also many who dont have the xfactor, no eye for detail, and thats a pitty,

Expected more from Princess, would not give more than 4stars, and maybe our expectations were too high

Enjoyed the ship and the cruise. Never sure why... but we returned to Houston early which was annoying. Shows were good... but not the best I've seen. Food was great

This was my second cruise on Princess and sadly my expectations were high but reality was that this ship was the commuter of the fleet and later many people told me it was probably not a great example for the line. Service was terrible, food mediocre, and overall just a mediocre cruise. The only saving grace is that the ports were great and we had a great time on our excursions.

Things we Liked

Yoga classes on the 16th floor given by Gavin.  Liked the music.  Yoga helped Jeanna get over sea sickeness.

The exercise room on the 16th floor.  We used the weights and exercise machines daily.

Listened to the exercise Detox health lecture by Gavin.  Hope it improves our long-term health by eating better.

Listened to how to eliminate pain by purchasing shoe inserts.  Many of us had poor feet walking styles.

The Elton John Concert Movie on the 15th floor deck.  Very informative and a great concert.

Princess Theatre music concerts.  Several fantastic singer concerts.  We had a tough time finding the theater.  Great young talent!!  Plus we enjoyed the comedy show.  Please add some direction signs.

Piano music by Billy Pando.  Wife heard his music while eating at the international café on the 5th floor and says they must have a recording of Neil Diamond and Billy Joel.  We go up to the 7th floor and enjoy a super live piano concert.

The Great Escape Music and Dancing on floor 7th.  Fun group to listen to a mix of songs.

Skywalkers nightclub on the 18th floor.  Great music videos and disco songs until 10:45pm.   We left after the DJ started playing only rap songs.  

The international café on the 5th floor late at night. We loved their treats and barbeque Cuban sandwiches.

The Horizon Court Buffet on the 15th floor.  Loved we could eat at any time.  Many healthy food choices as well as good deserts.

Ice cream bar and pizza on the 15th floor.  Wife loved having a snake on several days.

Internet café  (5th floor) helped us make some car rental plans

 So many hardworking polite workers on the ship.  Great cabinet and food service

Princess Patter announcements

TV stations in the cabin.  Liked seeing ESPN.  Wife liked the old Love Boat movies.  Thanks for posting the sunset and sunrise info.

 Great Portrait pictures taken of us dressed up and exiting the ship at Belize.  However, there some pictures of us exiting the boat at other locations were not good.

 Used the Jacuzzi several times.  Would have done lap pool swimming early in the morning but the weather was too cold.

Things we Did Not Like

Excursion day surprise 1 - Time zone confusion.  At 6:58 am we get an announcement that Cozumel is one hour behind us.  With that announcement we were wondering if Cozumel was on Mountain time.  However, Cozumel was really on eastern time.  It would have been more timely to put the time zone information in the prior day’s Princess Patter and make an announcement the night before.  We ended up missing our 8:45am EST excursion because the ship docked at 8:01 am Est and we did not have enough time to get the downtown Cozumel.

Excursion day surprise 2 (Tenders given at Coral dining room)  - Luckily we heard at a Princess Theater event that the next day that we will not be docking at Belize.  Limited tenders to ride a boat to Belize are given on a first come basis.  It would have been more timely to put the time zone information in the prior day’s Princess Patter and make an announcement the night before.

The boat had maintenance issues which caused an eight hour delay starting and we ran on one engine going to Honduras.  Great job for the captain to be on time but the ride was rocky.

Please add direction signs to make it easier to find the Princess Theater.  Tell people to get to the theater early, because most shows at full capacity 10 minutes before the show starts.

Cruises was nice. food was good some of crew rude but overall good. Enjoyed the itinerary. Had a little bit of bad weather on the way home. Crew handled it quite well. The shows could be better.

absolutely feel duped by and princess.  rest of cruise was ok entertainment was definitely lacking...food was ok but nothing special anywhere costa and royal carib much better

The cruise started out a little rough as embarkation was delayed five hours due to high winds. I would recommend traveling out of Galveston rather than Houston because we were also delayed 90 minutes on our return. These delays significantly changed the itinerary which caused us to worry about our excursions that were booked through a third party and not with the cruise line. The excursion in Belize was amazing and I highly recommend Ecological Tours. We went cave tubing, but they also provide zip lining among other activities. The ship itself is beautiful and well maintained, but we were one of the youngest couples on board. The onboard activities were oriented toward an older population. For example, the trivia games included questions younger generations would not know, the music and movies were much older, and forget 'Name that Tune.' Other than these few negatives, the cruise was wonderful and I enjoyed the food, art gallery, and stateroom.

We left port hours late and it just got worse from there. Very late to first port so many excursions were cancelled. We were to leave at 5:30 pm but didn't leave until 6:45 because they held the whole ship for 1 late person! This got us to Roatan late, the wind had picked up and the tide had shifted so we couldn't get into Mahogany bay to dock, as a result, most of the excursions were cancelled. We anchored at another Bay, but tender tickets and time was limited. Our last stop should have been Belize, but we skipped that Island completely and just sailed slowly back to Houston. We arrived so early that shops, bars and the casino closed by 6:00 on Saturday night, and we were not disembarking until Sunday! There were so many problems that the crew seemed to give up and weren't worried about trying to please the passengers. To top it all off when my final charges appeared on my credit card statement I was overcharged by $50. Since this was a Christmas cruise I thought it would be extra agent and special, not so, just a few Christmas decorations and a generic cruise. We love cruising and can't wait to go again, but it will NOT be on Princess. Be warned, stay away!

Old ship with limited day time activities. Pools are small and water not from ocean. From 3 scheduled islands - 2 were missed. Night show - liked first 2 days, but later all the same. Come back to Houston almost a day before schedule and shout down all - casino, stores and etc. Just kept people on board till next day morning.

Food is good in restaurant, but buffets have very limited selections.

The worst cruise I ever had

Amazing ship with an amazing crew. The bartenders were hilarious and remembered our names. Food on board was second only to Disney! Thank goodness they have a self serve buffet as well. Elegant decor and great pricing. I love this ship!

Excellent atmosphere & food. Time to get away from the business world! First time in years I was on vacation without my laptop! Planning next one already. My kids loved it too! Also, my wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary.

This was a very relaxing cruise with friends. We really enjoyed the opportunity to crew an America's Cup sailboat...

This was our sixth cruise and second on a Princess ship. We were not disappointed. The food was above average. The service was good. The entertainment was terrific. We only had one problem and that was with the stateroom toilet as it didn't flush. It took us the first 3 days and 4 phone calls to get them to fix it.

We'd been to most of the ports so we were not interested in what they offered. We are art lovers and spent time at the art auctions. The auctioneer, Jason, and his staff were excellent.

Had a very quick check in.  Room was great.  The cabin steward was friendly and efficient.  We had no complaints on that score.  The food was excellent in the main dining room.  My husband and I have always had good experiences in the main dining room on all of our Princess Cruises.  Somehow the chef on Caribbean Princess took it up another notch.  Since we had visited the ports a few times over the years, we just went into town for some shopping.  Got up late each day, eased on down to the international cafe and got our lattes and Sudoku puzzles, layed Bingo on the sea days and generally took it easy.  The comedian, impressionist and performers for all of the production shows were top notch.  Getting back off the ship went smoothly as we did the walk off.  Really liked the port but are sad that Princess will be leaving the Houston port next year.