Review of Caribbean Princess sailing September 17-24, 2005 Background:  Myself (50) and husband (45), veteran cruisers (Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival, Princess) We arrived two days precruise.  Rented a car for a day and drove over to the West Coast to visit my parents in Marco Island.  Returned the following day and stayed at the Marriott Marina Hotel (our favorite), which is across the street from Port Everglades. Met up with a couple of our friends and took the water taxi (conveniently stops at the Marriott) and went to Las Olas for dinner that night. The next a.m. we had breakfast at the Marriott (very good breakfast buffet $14.95 pp). The Marriott provides free shuttle service over to the ship (sign up the day before to ensure you get the time you want).  We were scheduled for 10:50 a.m., which is a little earlier than I'd prefer to get there, but I wanted to get onboard quickly.  I wanted to surprise my husband by booking the Ultimate Balcony Dinner, and since they do only two/night, I wanted to be sure I got the night I preferred. I will now break down this review in categories: Embarkation:  Awful.  I honestly can't say it was Princess' fault. Apparently the ship didn't clear customs until very late, and the previous week's passengers didn't even start debarking until after 11 a.m.  It was unbelievably hot and humid, and we stood outside in line for over an hour and a half.  I felt very bad for the elderly people.  There was no place to sit and I felt the least they could have done was begin to allow the line to filter into the terminal where it was air conditioned or at least provide cold water or let the elderly sit inside.  But I guess they have their reasons.  Once they started the boarding process, I'd say it took about a half hour from the time we entered the terminal (finally, some A/C!) until we boarded the ship.  Nice touch is that Princess has a welcome crew standing there to escort you to the correct elevator.  I've been on cruiselines where you enter the atrium and are on your own. Cabin:  We had a balcony cabin on Caribe deck (C-708).  Although we've previously had mini-suites on the Grand and Golden Princess, we opted for the balcony cabin this time to save a few bucks but mostly because we wanted a balcony that had at least a partial covering over the balcony.  There are only a few mini-suites on Emerald Deck that have covered balconies, and they were all sold out at the time we booked. The cabin was more than adequate.  There was a mini-fridge (unstocked) that actually kept things cold.  Our previous experience on other cruiselines has been that the refrigerator doesn't do a very good job keeping things cold.   They did have a couple of cans of soda (diet and regular) as well as bottled water for sale.  The bottled water was the best bargain on the ship.  A 1.5 liter bottle for $2.95.  Can't beat that price.  That was the same price you could get it for from any bar as well.  If you ordered it while lounging at the pools, they brought it to you ice cold with a big tall glass of ice.  Great bargain! Although there was more than enough closet space with tons of hangers, I found the drawer storage space to be slightly lacking.  Not bad, but a few more drawers or shelves would have been helpful. The bed was very, very comfortable.  Now we did ask our cabin steward when we boarded if he could get us an eggcrate (which he did), so I'm not sure if that made the bed so comfortable.  But it was probably one of the best beds I've had on a cruise ship.  Requesting extra pillows was no problem. Although I do love the larger bathrooms with full bathtub in the mini-suites, this bathroom was more than adequate.  While not roomy, it had plenty of storage space.  Yes, the infamous shower is small, but completely doable.  The shower stall is curved, so it gives you more room, and the floor has a lip around the edge that keeps water from going outside the shower.  The curtain had little magnet things that kept it totally adhered to the lip on the floor.  I had no complaints whatsoever about the shower (except maybe you'd have to be a contortionist to be able to shave your legs in there).  The water pressure was excellent, always hot water available, and it had an adjustable shower head which could be turned to a massaging shower head. Shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion are all provided on a daily basis, and more frequently if needed. The balcony was quite large, with four chairs and a table.  Two of the chairs are cushioned and are in desperate need of replacement.  I missed the adirondeck type chairs on the Grand where the foot stool slides out from under the seat.  These were just regular chairs, although the ones with the flattened cushions did recline slightly. There was also a table that we used to eat breakfast at (and did the Ultimate Balcony dinner on).  The Caribe deck balconies are partially covered, but if you are looking for shade, the balcony still was mostly sunny, even under the covered section.  We were on Port side, don't know if that made a difference. All in all, I wouldn't hesitate to book a balcony cabin again, but if we did, we'd probably opt for a smaller balcony but one that was completely covered. Service:  Our cabin steward was very good.  Not out of this world, but very pleasant, accommodating and kept our cabin very tidy.  I honestly don't expect more than that from my cabin steward.  We tipped him extra upfront,  and he did his job very efficiently.  I've had some that are more friendly, but as long as I get good service, that's what is most important to me. Every where we went on the ship, we were greeted by smiling faces and hello's or good day's from the staff.  This went for everyone from the Captain right down to the maintenance crew.  The only exception was the Lotus Spa employees.  I believe they are not actually Princess employees, but someone can correct me if I'm wrong. Example:  We prefer to spend our days at the Lotus Spa pool.  It is one of two adults only pools and this particular one has the swim against the current.  Anyway, our first day onboard, we went up to the spa to sit by the pool, and the door leading to the pool was locked.  I asked one of the spa employees how I could access the pool, and she said I had to exit the spa area, take the elevator (or stairs) down two decks, go outside and walk forward, and go back up three decks.  Okay, this seemed ridiculous when the door was right there and the pool was about four feet from the door.  But she said that door was for spa guests only.  Well, since it lead only to the pool and outside deck area, why would the spa only guests be using it. That pool is for all passengers!  Anyway, she had a very condescending attitude.  Same goes for the bathroom near that pool.  Although there is one right inside the door down a hallway about 10 feet (and it doesn't entail one traipsing through the actual spa area dripping wet), they kept locking the doors from the pool to that bathroom.  They told us that bathroom was for spa guests only.  This was really annoying.  Several people complained, and they did lighten up a bit during the day, but you had to hope when someone went through that door, that they didn't close it completely because otherwise it locked and you were locked out of the bathroom.  The only other bathroom was down three decks and over two pools in the Horizon Court buffet.  That was ridiculous to have to go that far to use a restroom. Anyway, like I said, they did lighten up a bit as the week went on, but you did tend to get disapproving looks from the spa staff whenever you availed yourself of that door and/or bathroom.  Another example is that one day two of the spa employees (in their uniforms, I believe they were hairdressers) were standing at the pool and going on and on bitching about how they hate their jobs and nobody can stand working here.  Okay, I've been in jobs I hate too, but it is totally unprofessional to be standing there among passengers complaining like that.  That should be done outside of earshot of the passengers. Otherwise, the Spa Pool area was lovely.  The water is freshwater, not too heavily chlorinated, and had steps leading down into it so you don't have to go up and down via a ladder.  It was kept immaculately clean, as were all the deck areas.  It is an Adults Only pool (as is the aft pool), and there were a couple of occasions that parents decided they could break the rules and bring their loud, obnoxious children into that pool.  A couple of times it was obvious people didn't see the sign, and the kids were well- behaved and didn't stay long.  That was fine and nobody (including myself) said anything. But one day an entire family with 5 kids ranging in age from about 7-14 decided to avail themselves of this pool.  They were totally out of control.  Screaming and yelling (kid type stuff, but annoying nonetheless) and blocking the current where a woman was attempting to swim laps.  They were splashing like crazy, and nobody was saying anything.  Finally, when I determined who the parent was, I very politely went up to her and said, I'm  not sure if you are aware that this is an Adults Only pool.  I know the sign is rather hard to see, and you probably didn't realize it.  She got very indignant and said I don't see any sign.  When I pointed it out to her, she ignored me and acted like she wasn't going to do anything.  A few minutes later, she did gather her children and upon exiting the ship, commented very loudly, C'Mon kids, we have to leave, some people are just very anti-social.  I didn't answer her comment; I figured she's just one of those ignorant parents who thinks the rules don't apply to her little angels.  Afterwards, several people came up to me and thanked me for having the guts to say something.  But I will say I don't think it should be a passenger's responsibility to enforce the rules.  Princess should have
... wiêcej »

Review of Caribbean Princess sailing September 17-24, 2005 Great review, thanks for posting it.  You said we also did one future open booking.  What does that mean? How B

While sailing on Princess, you can book a future cruise with just a $100 pp deposit.  This can be used on any length cruise, any date, any ship (Princess, of course)  within the next four years, to be named at a later date.  It can be transferred to whomever you please (you can either name Princess as your TA or whatever TA you want and you don't have to do it at the time you make deposit, you can decide later). When you do sail with that open booking, you can receive anywhere from a $25 to $150 pp shipboard credit, depending on the length of the cruise and cabin type.  It can also be combined with any other promotional or group booking.  Since we had a previous open booking with Princess and hooked it into a group cruise, we boarded the Caribbean Princess with $200 in shipboard credit which was nice.  And the $100 pp deposit is nice, especially if you plan on booking a longer itinerary in the future which requires much higher deposits.  The best part is your money is totally refundable within those four years.  They also gave us Share the Wealth coupons, which can be given to up to 4 other passengers if they elect to cruise with us, they will get the same reduced deposit and shipboard credit.   Jo-Ann

Great review, thanks for posting it.  You said we also did one future open booking.  What does that mean? Hi Everyone, On Princess (and most other cruise lines) you can put down a minimal deposit without _link_ing the booking to a specific ship and date.  This allows you to consult with your travel professional to select the appropriate sailing.  You receive the benefit of an onboard credit on the future sailing along with a much lower deposit (only $100 on Princess).  This is a win-win for the cruise line, travel agent, and the passengers. Best regards, Ray LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL 800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905 http://www.lighthousetravel.com

Great review, thanks for posting it.  You said we also did one future open booking.  What does that mean? Hi Everyone, On Princess (and most other cruise lines) you can put down a minimal deposit without _link_ing the booking to a specific ship and date. Hi Ray, Don't call me everyone, it makes me feel fat (do I look like a crowd? LOL) Does Crystal do this too? How B

While sailing on Princess, you can book a future cruise with just a $100 pp deposit.  This can be used on any length cruise, any date, any ship (Princess, of course)  within the next four years, to be named at a later date.  It can be transferred to whomever you please (you can either name Princess as your TA or whatever TA you want and you don't have to do it at the time you make deposit, you can decide later). When you do sail with that open booking, you can receive anywhere from a $25 to $150 pp shipboard credit, depending on the length of the cruise and cabin type.  It can also be combined with any other promotional or group booking.  Since we had a previous open booking with Princess and hooked it into a group cruise, we boarded the Caribbean Princess with $200 in shipboard credit which was nice.  And the $100 pp deposit is nice, especially if you plan on booking a longer itinerary in the future which requires much higher deposits.  The best part is your money is totally refundable within those four years.  They also gave us Share the Wealth coupons, which can be given to up to 4 other passengers if they elect to cruise with us, they will get the same reduced deposit and shipboard credit.   Thanks! How B