Caribbean Princess Cruise Review by aks368

Embarkation was excellent. We got there about 10:30 and were sitting in the waiting area by 10:45. They started boarding at 11:30. They started with the disabled and those who can board early and then with those with a #50 boarding pass which they provided at check-in. We had #55 and were in our room by noon. We had lunch in the Coral Dining room. The buffet was also available. I'm not sure if the International Cafe was open at that time.

Safety drill was fast and held at 4:15. If you were on a B2B you did not have to attend the drill if this was your second week.

We had a mini-suite and it was very nice. I love how Princess sets up their closets and shelves. On RCI we always get a Balcony and the closet is in the hall and it has doors which are in the way and you have to get into the closet to use the shelves. We keep coming back so it's not that bad but I really like the Princess setup. The remote for the TV's works better if you hold it up into the air when you are sitting on the couch. When you are on the bed side it is not problem. The Balcony had a nice table and 4 chairs which would be wonderful in the Caribbean because one chair can be adjusted like a lounge chair and the other chair can be used to put your legs up. I can;t imagine how a tall person takes a shower in this cabin. I am 5'4" and there was about 6 inches between me and the ceiling in the bathtub. If you need a nightlight bring a touch light that runs on batteries because there is no place to plug in a nightlight beside by the desk.

Weather on embarkation day was a little rough but nothing I had not experienced before. By day 2 we had Gale winds of 8, 78 MPH winds and that was just in the morning. The weather got progressively worse during the day and night. We actually missed our first port (Newport) as the seas were too bad for tenders. Captain kept trying to get us into calmer seas and at a better wind angle and did manage to get us a couple breaks for a couple hours but come evening there was no where to run. My mother was nauseous by dinner and we tried to attend first seating but it was WAY to rocky. Even the wine list on the table fell over. Apparently people kept getting up during dinner and leaving all night. That night was the scariest I have ever experienced on a cruise. Water was coming in through our door wall on deck 9. I have towels in front of our door wall. A couple doors down there were about 10 cabins that had more water in their cabins and towels laid outside their doors. The carpet in the hall was replaced a few days later and some cabins had carpet replaced. We were told to stay indoors. There was quite a bit of damage in the shops and spa with items falling off shelves and breaking. That night I kept sliding off the bed. The drawers were opening, hangers were rattling, and the creaks and noises were not good. The one night I needed to pass out and sleep and I couldn't fall asleep to save my soul. My mother took two sleeping pills and cough medicine with codeine so she was sleeping quite nicely. Some ladies at our dinner table actually got dressed that night and slept in their clothes as they were sure they would be grabbing their life jackets before morning. Thank God the next morning came and the sun was shining in Boston. Some people cut their cruise short and got off the ship in Boston. The rest of the cruise was fine regarding weather and seas but I can understand why some people got off the ship.

Our cabin steward was Eugenio. He did an excellent job. We did traditional seating at 6 pm in the Palm dining room. We started off at one table for dinner and moved to another the second night. Our assistant waiter was Sorat, our waiters were Edgar (one night then he was sick) and Z who stepped in and took wonderful care of us. Sorat was very personable yet professional and we never had to ask for anything. There were many people who wanted to switch to first seating. One person we had lunch with said she asked to move and they told here there were 450 people ahead of her on the waiting list. I'm not sure why they have two dining rooms for anytime when so many seem to want traditional seating, at least on this cruise. We went to the buffet twice for lunch and to the dining room the other days when we were on the ship.

We did not do many activities on the ship this time. We did Bingo once and were glad to see it was $20 for all 4 games. You need to buy a dobber ($1.50) or I used a highlighter I had with me. I thought it was odd that they always knew what the prize was going to be. Apparently it doesnt matter how many people show up the prize money is the same. Our final game was $2500 for the snowball jackpot and the first three games were $150, $200 and $250.

Disembarkation was a smooth as embarkation. We had red 2 and were off about 8:15-8:30. We took a cab and there was someone there to get the cabs. You could wait in one spot for a private driver, another for the cabs and another if you wanted to get a towncar. I believe towncars were $58 to LGA. I could get cheaper if I scheduled one ahead of time. We took a cab to LGA for $35.

One reason we took this cruise now was for the colors. I have better color at home in Michigan than we got close to seeing on this cruise or in NY. Maybe another year it would be different but if you are looking for colors I'm not sure this is the trip to take.

Overall it was a nice cruise. The food was good. Baked Alaska was EXCELLENT. I still find the simple deserts like the soft ice cream from deck 15 or the cookies in the buffet the best deserts. the one noticeable difference between RCI and Princess is the attitude of the employees. While we were very happy with Eugenio, Sorat, Edgar and Z the employees we ran into on the ship, at the front desk, in the stores, in the buffet, usually looked unhappy, annoyed at times, and unfriendly. I always say hi to employees and at times I never even received a response. We stood at the bar in the Wheelhouse Lounge while a game was going to start and the bartenders were setting up the bar. There were a few of us standing there with our cards out and instead of telling us they would be opening at whatever time or in 10 minutes they just ignored us and kept walking in and out. Sometimes it is the little things that makes a passenger feel at home on a cruise. The security people and employees working the exits for the port days seemed the friendliest. We ran into some excellent waiters in Coral for lunch and then some who were quite unfriendly. Whether this is a management problem or not I don't know. Maybe employees are being overworked. All I know is I prefer RCI for this very reason.