The Caribbean Princess is a beautiful ship when viewed from outside. This ship should be kept in the tropics or at least warm weather. A large portion of the public space is unprotected. When the weather is cold, or rainy, there are too many people for the limited inside space.
Embarkation took in excess of 2 hours. Passengers were herded into a hugh structure to "wait your turn." The reason for the delay was supposedly that only one gangway was usable. I guess the wait would have still been over an hour if both entrances were used. Food in the main dining room was nondescript and the scramble cafeteria style for the buffet was less than desired.
The itinerary was excellent, excursions were equally split between wonderful and poor however disembarkation was great. The ship encountered severe weather between Halifax and N.Y. with bottles and glasses breaking, chairs flying across the lobby. Weather is unavoidable, but there was too much delay in the Captain announcing what was happening. The theater was totally inadequate for the 3000+ on this ship. I was unable to get in but one show due to the crowd. Want room service in the morning? None is available until 7:00 AM.
This ship would probably be wonderful on a southern cruise where activities around the pools and open decks could be enjoyed. There was entirely too much smoking on this ship. Had to ask for a table change in the dining room due to smoke coming up from the crews quarters. You could smell smoke coming out of staterooms when walking down the hall.
