Caribbean Princess Review
January 18 thru 25, 2014 Caribbean Princess
Rating by category
Additional details
We had previously booked Princess’s “Bon Voyage Experience.” But, due to dense fog, the ship arrived into port several hours late, which consequently, caused the cancellation of our experience. Along with a refund, Princess issued Future Cruise Credits (to be used within 3 months). We wanted to see for ourselves what Princess has to offer, so we booked our January cruise.
Pre-Cruise difficulties: We tried booking the cruise on Princess’ website on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, but kept encountering “errors”, so I called their 800#. After a pleasant discussion, our reservation was confirmed and confirmation was e-mailed. We then realized that my husband could receive On Board Credit through the Military Benefit for Veterans, so he emailed all of the requirements on the following Monday morning. A week passed with no action, so he emailed it all again. Another week passed with still no success, so I called. It was the worst customer service I have received from a cruise line! The CSR was, at best, remote… not friendly, not sympathetic, and she didn’t even verify that she had taken our info correctly. After she completely changed her story about why the problem existed, I told her that I felt lied-to and I wanted to speak with someone else. I was placed on hold for Customer Relations. Eventually, Rachel in Customer Relations spoke with me, and WOW, what a difference! She listened carefully while I explained why I felt so frustrated, she made appropriate and sympathetic replies, and verified that she had taken the email address correctly. She promised to follow-through with the other departments to see that this was completed, and then asked if she could also call me back to verify that all was well… which she did! Now happy and ready!!!
Houston Bayport Cruise Terminal: Because CP had had another Norovirus outbreak and had to be sanitized again, we arrived at the port after 2:00 pm. After being directed to a seemingly endless parade of cars, winding through the port area, we finally arrived at the terminal. We tipped a porter for our 3 bags, parked (free of charge for the week due to Legion of Merit license plates) and proceeded to the terminal building. After standing in serpentine lines for about an hour (thankfully it was a lovely afternoon!!!) We found the terminal to be small, but pleasant. Security was typical… no complaints.
Cabin Review
Stateroom: Our category OZ (obstructed ocean view) room, Deck 8/Emerald, Forward, was larger than we had expected it to feel. I was upset that the separate “Twin Beds” we had requested (and I had made a call to Princess to verify) turned-out to be a Queen bed (DH snores and steals sheet/blanket). We decided the room would “work better” with a queen, rather than the twins, so we kept it as it was. The bed and pillows were too hard for our tastes, so we asked for and received softer pillows. Biggest problem is that the room is over the theater and is very loud whenever there are talks, practices, or performances. If you are a “late night person,” it would not be a big problem. We truly were disappointed that we had no coffee pot in the room. Otherwise, we found the room mostly clean and spacious for this category, and honestly, the view was great. Our, room stewardess, Gemma, was friendly and hard working.