We had a lovely week on our first trip to the Caribbean aboard the Caribbean Princess, eastern itinerary. I was helped a lot by the reviews and comments of others, so here's my contribution:

Embarkation: No problems -- it took about 40 minutes and we were on the ship by 1:00. One of the porters told us not to be worried about the line and he was right.

Cabin: We were in Emerald 730, the very last mini-suite on the port side. This is the one with the extra long, fully covered balcony, and it was already supplied with two full loungers and two small tables as well as the regular chairs and table. The mini-suite was a surprise for my husband and 15 y.o. daughter & we all loved it. My daughter chose to use the pullman bed, which allowed us all to have use of the couch even in the morning or late evening -- particularly helpful when room service brought breakfast. The bathroom was the nicest I've ever had on a cruise ship -- I loved having enough room to turn around and a good amount of counter space. The cabin was very clean, and the only minor problem is that some of the small floor tiles are lifting off -- two came off during the week we were there. I imagine if they don't get on this within the next few months that it will be unpleasant and sharp, but right now only a half-dozen or so are gone. I carefully left the ones I found for the stewardess. The bathroom deserves one other note -- perhaps it was because we were at the end of the line for water, but the shower temperature changed continuously, though never to either extreme. The visual suggestion that you could set it for a certain temperature mix and have it hold was not right. Read more