Caribbean Princess Review

What A Great Cruise!!!

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Caribbean Princess
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jkudzu
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jun 2008

This was our second cruise on the Caribbean Princess: (we sailed last year in July) Married 31 years celebrating our anniversary. Our trip was wonderful! We left from the Brooklyn port in N.Y. We were docked right across from the Statue of Liberty. The Princess bus picked us up from LaGuardia and took us to the ship. Outside the cruise port was a little chaotic but you could tell they were trying to get their act together. We got there early so we had to sit for a while until they called our number to board. The ship was just as beautiful as ever but it does need some sprucing up. That being said, they were always painting or vanishing around the ship. The service was still incredible and knowing a little about the ship from our last cruise made me feel more comfortable. We got some lunch, checked out our room, and then went up on deck to take pictures and prepare for sail-away. Our balcony room was identical to last year's. This year Aloha 602 and last Baja 602. Our room steward was Rolando. A cute, little old guy who kept our room very nice. To the folks who had the room before us. Thank you so much for the hidden can of Coke. I was trying to do without them during the trip and one day it was just too hard. There it was in the closet corner—nectar of the gods, a gift from heaven! Hey—give me a break, it's my one and only vice! The weather was a little chilly sailing out of NY. I'm so glad I stopped and bought a sweater in Richmond esp. since I left mine at home. Our TA suggested that we park at the Park and Go near Richmond airport. They pick you up at your trunk and take you where you need to go. And then return you there when you get back. The 9 day cruise was so much better than 7. Although I still didn't want to get off, I really felt like I had time to do more with this trip. We loved the sea days as well as the ports. We went to shows, wine tasting, etc.... and got into the whole experience. We usually buy the ship's internet plan to keep in contact with our children. It's a good facility and has a great staff person there to help you if you need it. No it's not as fast as home but remember you're in the ocean. The ship's CD was Kelvin Joy and we loved him so much. He has a great sense of humor and his assist. cd Sam was lots of fun tool We did lots of music trivia games with them. Our bar participation increased with this trip too. I tried many tropical drinks purely for research purposes.  My friends Clyde and Bayoni took good care of us at the Tradewinds. Our first stop was Bermuda. Beautiful place with lots of friendly folks, historical buildings, and well dressed men in shorts. We took a relaxing ferry boat (Princess) tour and saw all the gorgeous scenery. Our guide and his wife were great hosts. Then we walked around town on our own until we were tired and journeyed back to our ship. This trip I was determined to collect a small piece of art from each port. Our next stop was incredible San Juan. What a beautiful place! We took a Princess bus tour to the Bacardi Factory and Fort San Cristobel. Both were great fun and we had a wonderful guide. We were there for the last day of their food festival so the streets were filled with food, drink, and people partying. We ate a late lunch at a local place and had some wonderful food. We headed back to the ship just before dark. Just before we got the ship there were some locals selling art near the street. Nice mementos of the trip. The ship did not leave port until 11 that night. There was a deck party waiting for us and we danced and had so much fun! There were other ships in port and we let them know that the CB was having a great time! In fact, passengers on another ship were standing at their rails watching us. Believe it or not, we were one of the last ones on the dance floor. I even danced with a wonderful waiter named Gavin. He's about my size and I'm old enough to be his uh......older sister but he was a blast. He loved to sing and dance and entertain. Monday was our favorite St. Thomas. We were on the hunt for a watch for hubby. (Our anniversary is coming up in a few weeks.) We found a titanium Citizen that he loved and a tanzanite necklace for me too. I've read some not so flattering things about Tanzanite International but Dale and Luis always take good care of us when we come in. We had lunch at Jen's Deli and saw the same bar staff from last year. Good food and a nice little place for lunch. We shopped until we dropped getting gifts for the kids and grandkids. Next was Grand Turk. A beautiful beach stop. Shopping and Margaritaville were great here. I know Margaritaville is pricey but I found my lost shaker of salt! And lots of t-shirts. There were some small shops around the cruise center that sold artwork, ornaments and souvenirs. The beach and water were great and we swam with stingrays and fish. The sea days helped us recover from the excitement, touring, shopping, and late nights. The food on the ship was so good everywhere in the buffet and dining rooms. This time we also tried Sterling steak house and had the best fillets for our anniversary dinner. The waiters sang to us and gave us the wonderful Princess cake to take back to the room for a late night dessert. We went on a casual night and got dressed to the nines just because. Last year we went to Sabatini's and it was incredible! A meal to fall in love to. The pizza and burgers on deck were great. And the cookies and milk from room service were always good. The second formal night we went to the Captain's cocktail party and met him. He's very down to earth and we saw him the next night at the buffet. He gives a lot of credit to his crew for the success of the cruise. We didn't take advantage of MUTS this time (too busy) but they were showing some great movies. And passengers even requested that Cars and Transformers be played and they were. We met lots of great folks from our Cruise Critic group and lovely couples from Scotland and Texas. Cousin Bob if you read this, I loved your ostrich skin cowboy boots! We purchased the DVD to remember some special events and because we knew we were in it.  We didn't purchase the formal portrait (not so good) but we did get one of us in the dining room. Make sure when you're having your photo taken that you know it's color and not black and white. Or visa versa. We thought we'd had one taken in color and it turned out to be black and white. So much for that pretty turquoise dress and bright red tie! Disembarkation was a breeze and didn't take any time at all. We had a 2:30 flight so we weren't in any hurry. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast looking at the Statue of Liberty and then waited in the Explorer's Lounge for our number to be called. And then off the ship we walked, through customs and onto our waiting Princess bus who took us to LaGuardia. IT WAS BACK TO THE REAL WORLD!

Just some observations from this trip: *The staff and crew were very friendly. We experienced no problems with the air conditioning. *The ocean was a little rocky sailing out of NY (because of a storm) and some folks were sick in bed for a couple of days. No not us! *Also, one person on board became very ill and had to have a blood transfusion. They were asking for donors of a certain blood type. A crew nurse told us the patient was improving on the last night before getting back to NY. The ship was met by an ambulance. I do hope they have recovered and are doing well. *I thought I felt a little more movement on the Aloha deck than the Baja deck. The rooms and balconies are identical. *Although I liked seeing the Statue of Liberty, I prefer leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. Just my preference. *There weren't as many children on this trip as there were in July 2007. *The staff in Horizon Court and Cafe Caribe wasn't as friendly as last year. They did their jobs but just didn't look happy about it. They were very hard workers! *At every port, there were people late returning to the ship. We heard announcement after announcement looking for passengers. We didn't experience this on our first cruise. At St. Thomas, the ship actually was pulling away from the dock when two ladies finally showed up. Believe it or not, the ship went back for them! I suggested the penalty of buying the ship a drink if you make us late leaving port. *The 9 days was much better than the 7 day for us but I noticed there were more cranky people at the end of the trip who were very ready to get off. Not me—I loved every minute of it. *The formal nights were mostly suits for the men and cocktail dresses for women. Most people changed right after dinner to go to shows. There were some tuxedos; full length gowns and a couple of kilts (love those!) The dress most nights seemed more casual than last year. *Disembarkation in NY was better than Ft. Lauderdale. In Ft. L they practically chased you out of the cruise terminal. In NY, there was no rush. They took time to thank us and wish us safe travel. Everything about our trip from the flights to the tours was incredible! Princess knows how to take care of their passengers and so does our fabulous TA! We'll be back! Princess—I'm still available to do PR work for you. Just say the word and I'll change careers!

Cabin Review

Great cabin, good closet and shelf space, small bathroom, good balcony, good location.

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