Caribbean Princess Review

4.0 / 5.0
2,772 reviews

Valentine Great Escape from Snow and Cold!

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Caribbean Princess
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tropicqueen
First Time Cruiser • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Feb 2010

My DH and I managed to get out of snow-bound Northern Virginia for a great Valentine's Day departure on the Caribbean Princess. Direct air connection from Dulles to San Juan on American Airlines, arriving right on time. Quick transfer to dock via taxi - no problemo! Very efficient check-in and boarding. Kudos to Princess. We booked the trip late and had a relatively small but adequate 'ocean view' cabin - E614 - but despite the view being considered 'totally obstructed', we actually had a reasonably good view out our window. Caribbean Princess is a large, beautiful ship - almost too large. Very clean. We had plenty of closet space and storage for the suitcases under the bed. Our last two cruises have been on Carnival and I found the new beds and linens they have now to be more plush and comfy then what we had on Princess. My DH doesn't agree and thought the bed was fine. We had requested late seating but wound up with 'Anytime, Anywhere' seating, which we've never done before but found we liked it and the flexibility of eating on our schedule rather than some pre-set time. Food was better-than-cruise-average. In fact, a couple of the meals were excellent (prime rib, lobster) and there were great desserts, especially the love boat chocolate heart, which is not only yummy, but is served with a beautiful presentation. Dining staff also accommodated DH's gluten-free requirements. Only issues with evening dining: low ceilings and loud din. Hectic commotion everywhere, and it seems almost every table is next to a service station, so noise of clanging silverware and dishes rattling was near constant. Breakfast and lunch buffets had good selection/variety. But, Princess does not provide trays, so juggling a plate or two or three, and a beverage is annoying. Also, signs say silverware is on the tables, but we found that on the outdoor poolside tables, as often as not there was no silverware, and you had to go looking for it. Same for salt and pepper. Seems it should be possible to have something as simple as salt and pepper on every table. Very nice itinerary (St. Thomas, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire, and Aruba, plus one at-sea day en route back to SJ). However, time at Grenada was very limited, and not sure why. After departing about 2:00 PM, the ship poked along all the way to next port at a very slow speed. We did two ship-sponsored excursions: Champagne sail and snorkel at St Thomas, and afternoon sail and snorkel at Aruba. Good crew and fun time at St. Thomas. Crew on catamaran at Aruba was just so-so. Afternoon wind at Aruba was fierce and made for some difficulty snorkeling, especially over the ship wreck, which is in a location exposed to the strong winds. Good shops on board ship (unfortunately) so dropped a few bucks there for jewelry and souvenirs. ?  Disembarkation process was smooth and well organized. Overall, a very nice cruise experience. So sorry to hear about the tragic event that occurred during the week after our trip! Our condolences go out to all those that had family or friends involved! Tropic Queen & DH

Cabin Review

Quiet location, very stable not much motion, total middle of ship. Easy

access to stairs and elevator without noise.Good value for none balcony cabin

and a somewhat restricted view.

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