We chose this cruise for the fall colors and primarily to see Quebec City and Boston for the first time. All of the ports of call were great. We took cruise ship tours in all but Syndey (which is too small to justify a tour) and Halifax. Embarkation was delayed about four hours due to deep cleaning from novovirus scare. They did a great job with that, though, and had us on the ship two hours before promised. None of our group of six got sick with gastrointestinal flu-like symptoms, so we are very happy about that. We had the best stateroom attendant we ever have had! All the staff we encountered were very hard working, eager to please and pleasant, particularly in Crooners, Vines, and the bar across from the World Marketplace 24 hour food kiosk! High kudos for all! We had a balcony stateroom. This is the most cramped we have ever been in any balcony stateroom on a ship! The shower is so tiny that the shower curtain sticks to your backside if you turn around. Bed, small desk with a chair and a too-much-space-taking closet. Get rid of the huge closet and at least add a second chair to eat or drink!! I sat/lay on my side of the bed for 90 percent of the time we were in the room. If my hubby and I tried to move about we had to constantly dance around each other. I felt claustrophobic. We used to cruise all the time, but we have opted for land tours for the last seven years, so it was quite the disappointment to discover how drastically it has changed, I am assuming industry-wide. I am on vacation, so I love to wake slowly and have breakfast and coffee in my room. The menu has dwindled to continental breakfast only with one little (but tasty) egg mcmuffin, basically. Speaking of room service, they rarely answer the phone. I was on hold one time for 55 minutes. I was told they were very busy. But I also was put on hold at 9:30 pm and after midnight, so....... No. They just don't answer much of the time. When they do, the service was prompt. Big deal for me on sea days as I tend to feel urpy and something to eat helps me get up and about. Can't use the Medallion to order room service much of the time because it, too, would go on the blink. It "crashed" constantly. Good idea, though. Need to work out the kinks. Also need to streamline the service. I had FOUR APPS downloaded by the time was on the ship! I was glad to delete them all afterwards. It IS nice though to enter your room without grabbing for your key. And when it DOES work, it's pretty cool how people call out your name as you walk around the ship. The televisions didn't work at all a few days, most notably for a full day at sea!! No movies, not TV, no music -- nothing!!!! The food in the main dining room was hit-and-miss. Certainly NOTHING like it used to be! The upcharge section irks me to no end. The menu was so lackluster that we only ate there three out of ten evenings. Others in our group only went twice. The salads are sad little things. What we did enjoy was seasoned well, though. So we did what I think Princess is trying to make you do, that is pay the added fees for the better food venues -- Sabatini's, Royal Crown and Steamers. They were all great. How the main dining room USED TO BE WITHOUT THE ADDED FEE!!! The brochure seems to suggest the ship has four restaurants -- Salty Dog, Pizzeria, Planks and Steamers -- that is very misleading. Steamers and Plank operate as a restaurant only during the evenings. During the day they are just additional space for the buffet -- which was awful, by the way, IF YOU COULD FIND A SEAT!! We did the buffet only once. Salty Dog and the pizza place are kiosks by the pool with very little seating and it is outdoors, so on this freezing cold cruise it was not usable unless you had your coat and scarf on. The average age of this cruise was 75, I would estimate. I'm no spring chicken myself at 53, but it was pretty boring, even my parents agreed, and they are in their late 70's. The music venues aimed at their audience, understandably, but it was SO FRUSTRATING for us, especially when the lead singer from Project 7 can sing as well as Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross!! The gym was open 8 am to 8 pm. NOT ACCEPTABLE!! And it was way too small. Felt like a petrie dish of germs. THERE IS NO JOGGING TRACK! It has been disrupted by the for-a-fee Sanctuary (25 dollars a day I think) that was too cold to even operate on this cruise. The worst part, though, is when my dad went to voice his concerns to the front desk and they absolutely did not seem to care in the least, indeed they were defensive and rather rude. When my dad asked if he was even going to make a note of it to pass along, he just said, "We are doing the best we can." At LEAST PRETEND to care!! Before this, when my father was asking about the mini-suite layout on a sister ship, the Star, he was given the run-around. "You need to go to future cruises." "No you need to go to guest services." He never was provided the info, but I was able to google it in less than five minutes. Geez! I don't think I will ever do a Princess cruise again. The bang for your buck is awful. The most expensive trip we have EVER taken, and that includes two 12-day Europe cruises WITH AIRFARE! This cruise was considerably MORE MONEY!! I will look into the more expensive cruise lines now. they always seemed to fussy to me before, but with all the nickel and diming going on, upcharge here, upcharge there, maybe it's not such a disparity. And maybe at least I can get some room service, a TV that actually works, and guest relations staff who know how to pretend to give a ****. Read Less

I chose this cruise to see the fall foliage in Canada and New England. I was not disappointed - just beautiful in every port. I have always told people I haven't felt crowded on a cruise ship, but in the buffet I did on this one. The cruise prior to ours had a virus outbreak so I think they were trying to control the space where people ate, and there was no salt or pepper on the table to handle (the waiter had to s&p for you). Of course we were strongly encouraged to wash our hands before entering. The food in every area we went was a disappointment. Low quality food, so don't have high expectations if you go. Even the steak in the Crown Grill was average. Mushrooms were good though! I think all the wait staff had extra duties and I think managers should have pitched in to help. That would have created good will with cruisers and cruise staff, but they were no where to be seen. I have not seen so very many elders on a cruise as I did on this particular one. Seeing someone under the age of 60 was rare. We did three Princess excursions, all very good. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the ports and they were amazing. The Princess staff is mostly awesome. Sadly, we were disappointed in a lot of other aspects on this cruise. Does Princess ever have easy embarkation? We’ve always had issues and this cruise was no exception. We were not allowed to board until 7PM and really missed the whole evening because of that. We also had no place to wait with our luggage for an extra 7 hours. Apparently the ship needed to be “sanitized”, but the passengers were really left hanging around with no place to go. It was handled poorly. Princess needs a course in communication skills, I think. We liked the ship! There was an issue with norovirus and the staff were constantly sanitizing but I question how well. In Skywalkers the waiter was swabbing down the table tops but that is where it ended. The curved underside of the tables were sticky with past residue. Gross. We didn’t get sick. We washed our hands a lot. Our dining room waiters were fabulous and worked hard. Their great service and attentiveness made it a bit uncomfortable to complain about the quality of the food which was NOT good. We haven’t cruised withPrincess for 2 years and noticed a very big food quality shift. The beef was tough. The scallops were inedible. The lobster was shrivelled and dry. Rubbery prawns. The salad lettuce was tired, wilted and soggy. The desserts were good in the dining room, though. The buffet food was better. Sadly, the service was not good. There were long waits for tables and the staff couldn’t keep up with the clearing tasks or getting beverages in a timely manner. Chaos, especially at breakfast and lunch. Part of the fun of cruising is the variety and quality of the food. We were saddened and disappointed with how far Princess has slid in this regard. There were no talks or seminars on the ports. There was no naturalist or historian. There was nothing that I could find except the excursion desk. The day we went there the staff person was quite unhelpful. The “250 free minutes” of internet time was useless in my cabin. Logging out was next to impossible despite following all the instructions. Eventually, I gave up rather than be intimidated once again by the internet staff. The passengers were a fun bunch, though. We commiserated about the bad food, the long tender waits, the lack of communication. I guess it is what you make of it but I doubt I’ll cruise with Princess again. Read Less

We chose this cruise primarily for the itinerary. Secondarily, we had prior experience with the Princess brand and felt that we could expect a certain standard. In this aspect, we were thoroughly disappointed. Our embarkation was delayed half a day due to required extra sanitation because so many passengers on the prior cruise had suffered gastrointestinal illnesses. The Caribbean Princess was refurbished this year. Despite this, our stateroom had maintenance issues. The carpeting was stained. The wooden trim was broken and missing above the doorway. The TV worked only when it felt like it. The lighting above the desk and the only available electric outlets went on the fritz halfway into the cruise. The "Medallion" which is your room key and access to anything on board, failed FOUR times and needed replacing. The stop at Bar Harbor, Maine required use of tenders to transport passengers between the ship and the pier. Due to heavy swell and good-sized waves, there was a considerable delay of approximately two hours in getting passengers into tenders for the 20 minute trip to shore. However, for the passengers of Tender #19, it was a nightmarish crossing as the engine failed and the tender was rocked violently whilst taking on water from the chop. Several passengers were drenched. Buffet dining areas were understaffed and lacked adequate seating for passengers. The end result is that a passenger could go through the buffet line for food and then be entirely unable to find somewhere to sit and eat, resulting in a seven to ten minute search for a table. When a table was finally located, your food was stone cold. Adding insult to injury, it was virtually impossible to find a waiter willing to deliver beverages. In on disastrous incident, we got up from the table to hunt down a waiter and order a Coke, only to be delivered the wrong item some 20 minutes later. This level of apathy and disservice is a direct result of the Princess policy to automatically charge passengers $15.50 per person per day for tips. There is absolutely zero incentive for any employee to give anything other than mediocre service on this ship. Never again. We'll take our business elsewhere. Read Less

We had been planning with some friends of doing a New England Fall colors tour for more than a year and selected this cruise due to (1) reasonable cost and (2) itinerary and (3) prior experience with Princess. We have always enjoyed Princess for it's service, dependable food, and moderate pricing. Some highlights of our cruise: A. We were a bit startled when we received an email about a day before boarding (NYC) informing us that we would be boarding late due to a virus outbreak on the previous cruise. This left us a bit apprehensive but it turned out well because very few people got sick on our week. One major reason for this was Princess went to extraordinary lengths making sure passengers didn't touch food in the buffet area and that we all washed and sanitized our hands before eating or socializing with other passengers (I've never washed my hands so much in my life!) All in all, the results were worth it though. B. Leaving from New York City harbor at sunset is a great experience! Went close to the Statue of Liberty and a great view of Manhattan sailing away. This was partly due to great weather on most of our trip (only the last several days in Canada were a bit rainy and cool). C. The itinerary was, for the most part, great - Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, St. John (NB) and Quebec City were spectacular. The only stop that didn't rock our boat, so to speak, was Sydney. While the tour of Alexander Graham Bell's museum was extremely interesting, we're not sure a full day stop in Sydney was warranted. All the other stops were very good - our favorites included Newport, Boston, Bay Harbor, Halifax, and Quebec City. Princess handled all of our shore excursions and did a good job. We always feel they tend to be a bit "pricey" on excursions (compared to doing them yourselves) but they handled everything well. The ship was in good shape and the crew handled it well - we have cruised on this "class" Princess before but this was the first one that had the higher capacity (about 3,000 passengers). It seemed a bit crowded at times (especially in the buffet and the Princess Theater) but overall they handled it well. On the entertainment, the production (or what we refer to as "Broadway") shows were outstanding (Princess keeps getting better on entertainment). The other shows (cabaret singer and a cello/vocal duo) were also very good and the magician they had on board was the best we've every seen. Surprisingly, for late September/early October, we didn't see as much "color" as we would have expected until we got to Quebec. There it was very good. Overall, though it was a great cruise which we would do again. Read Less

First cruise on Princess although we've sailed on other lines.We chose this cruise for ports of call and that there was only one day at sea. This was a medallion class ship although our medallions never worked, and although promised, were never replaced. Pros: Room was clean with good closet space. Room steward was great Project 5 band was awesome Ship was updated and o.k. Embarking and disembarking was pretty smooth except for the medallion issue. Cons: Shipboard entertainment and activities were boring and catered to the over 70 crowd. Food in Main dining was hit or miss, more misses. Service was slow. Staff not too friendly. Menu was not inspiring. Buffet was pretty good although as time went on, there were too many leftovers and stale desserts offered. Lack of information about norovirus spreading. We couldn't touch food utensils in the buffet and this slowed everything down. Interestingly the cleanliness in the buffet area lacked even though they were worried about spreading viruses. Time in ports of call was shorter than advertised. We got to Quebec City, late because of reduced speed for whales, however, that was known by staff so far in advance that it shouldn't have been a problem. Day at Sea lacked interesting activities. They were similar to port days. Movies were outdoors despite the weather and blankets and cushions only came out in the evenings, not during cold afternoon movies. Cruise line touted the bed comfort but they were not comfortable. Interior cabin door was so much smaller than the opening that all the hallway light flooded the room-TERRIBLY Read Less

Being a Travel Advisor, I wanted to experience the Medallion Concept. It was wonderful. So easy to get into your stateroom, by just walking up to it. Also great to keep in contact with family members. The wi-fi was wonderful. Better than any cruise we have taken before I also had this cruise on my bucket list and it did not disappoint. My favoite ports were Boston,Charlotte Town, and Quebec. It is a must to get to the Princess Theater show room in advance or else you will not get a seat. The staff was very friendly and food choices were very good. In the buffet area, they have the greatest system for egg dishes. They give you a buzzer that signals when your eggs are ready to pick up. They were always hot and cooked to perfection. Great service with choices for my friend with a gluten free diet. There was an issue before our cruise that required special sanitation, so while onboard, we were not able to use the salt and pepper shakers on our own. The staff did it for us at the table. It was alittle annoying but kept us all well. All in all it was a great cruise. Read Less

My wife and I wanted to do a different cruise this year so we decided on the New England to Quebec cruise. After looking at several cruise lines we choose Princess because of the itinerary and the reputation. We arrived 2 days early in New York and stayed in Brooklyn not far from the cruise terminal which worked out great, as we could drop our bags in the morning and then take the NYC Ferry to NYC and back to the terminal. Embarkation was smooth and so easy with the Medallions. Our room was nice, the bathrooms are what you can expect on most ships. The bed was a bit short. Comfortable but short. Our steward was very nice and did a great job. He kept the room clean and always had ice in the fridge. Our only real room glitch was we ordered some items to be in the room on arrival to the room but they were not there. We ordered robes to be in the room and I ordered a Stanley Bear to be in the room. The robes did not show up till a full day or more later and I had to go get the Bear at the shop, which kinda killed the surprise. Oh well. We went to the Steakhouse on the first night and it was lovely. Wonderful food and attentive staff. We used the buffet for breakfast a few times, had the Ernesto Burger by the pool, went to anytime dining, went to tea in the dining room twice and had our daily coffee at the International Cafe. The buffet was your average buffet. The food was good and tasty, I would have liked to see more fruit, including bananas. Due to a gastro-intestinal issue on the previous cruise we could not handle the salt and pepper which made seasoning eggs and such a pain. We ended up buying salt/pepper shakers on an excursion as well as some hot sauce and took it to the buffet and morning dining room. The international cafe and the coffee card were perfect for us in the AM. and the egg muffin sandwich was great for early excursions or on debarkation. Loved the International Cafe. The Ernesto burger was very good indeed. Well worth the 15 minute wait. The anytime dining was good. The food was on par with other cruise lines I have been on. Service was a bit slow but not terribly so until the last 3 days and it seemed to get slower and slower. We did have a couple of mix ups at dinner. Like not having the curry sauce on a dish with curry sauce and not getting a appetizer portion of some pasta even though it was ordered. I eat too much on cruises so that last one is not a real issue. The desserts were great especially the chocolate items. I would have like to see more vegetables though. The itinerary was action packed. 9 stops in 10 days. All of them were excellent and offered something for every one. We planned our own excursions or simply walked around town. there was plenty of time a each to enjoy the port. I had a couple of disappointments with the overall experience which makes me think that maybe Princess is not for me. 1. On board activities often overlapped so I could not get to all the things I liked. for instance the photo classes and the go pro classes were at the same time or overlapped so i could not do both. I did as much of the trivia challenges as I could but many were so tight on the schedule I could not do them all. 2. I love the medallion. It made getting off and on the ship a breeze and getting into the state room easy. Paying for stuff was also easy. The Apps were not as flawless. there is a disconnect between the website the apps and the written items on the ship. Also the staff does not understand the app or what they can do so sometimes I ended up know more than the staff . I felt like a beta tester and that the apps were a little rushed to get out. Overall I really did enjoy the cruise and the ship. I just don't feel that Princess is the right line for me at this time. Read Less

The itinerary was great. Food quality was not the same as it has been before when we sailed in 2016 with Caribbean Princess. - [ ] New York receiving people are not very helpful - [ ] Once onboard the Safety training had nothing to do with safety - [ ] Food was not up to past princess sailings - [ ] Sanitizing was way out of control. Sinks in fresh market slowed the process. - [ ] Wait staff not friendly nor very helpful. - [ ] Security staff are out right rude! - [ ] room steward was excellent - [ ] Medallion made it easy to enter cabins. - [ ] Medallion apps are somewhat confusing and I’m a tech guy. - [ ] Cabin was cold. - [ ] No posting of dinner menu, as I was rushed at dinner by the waiter this would have been helpful. - [ ] Medallion made embarkation easy. - [ ] Poor choices in dinner menu. - [ ] Sabatini was the best meal and service I had on board. - [ ] Quebec city representatives were very helpful. - [ ] Itinerary was very good. - [ ] Polite cabin stewards. - [ ] Port exits were good. - [ ] Excursions were good and timely. - [ ] Entertainment was good but not enough seating. Read Less

First, we chose this cruise for its itinerary. We really liked the ports and were excited to board. We haven't been on Princess in quite some time but thought it worth a shot. I'll make the rest as short as possible: On board (deck) activities were often advertised but never took place. The buffet area is very small for the size of the ship usually resulting in no available seating. The buffet food was cold, stale, and tasteless. Nothing was prepared fresh you have to take what has been sitting out for hours. Food in the dining room suffered the same. We had overcooked boiled steaks, cold soups, onion soup with no onion! We even tried the Grill where the lamb and the steak had the same seasoning and was uneatable. We gave up and ate pizza and burgers at the outdoor venues. The service was mediocre with most not seeming to care about the deficiencies. The best service was provided by three bartenders and a couple of servers at the Mix Bar on deck 15. When leaving the ship for excursions, etc. there always seemed to be a great deal of confusion. (organized chaos) When returning there was no greeting just a crew member saying this way. Overall i have to say that for the money we received little value. We have a vacation tentatively booked with Princess for next summer but are now exploring other options. Also, there was an outbreak of norovirus on our cruise and the one following. If cruise lines think it's due to a lack of washing one's hands maybe they need to review the way food is prepared and put out on the buffet. Read Less

We sailed as a company group; which we do annually with Princess. Unfortunately, our mini-suite wreaked of cigarette smoke form the casino and cigar room for 7 of our 10 days aboard the ship. They had no empty cabins where we could be permanently moved so we had to endure the respiratory affects of the smoke each night. They were able to let us sleep for 2 nights in an inside cabin but were unable to move in as it was to be soon occupied. Our cabin steward was amazing and gracious. The ship was clean and the entertainment was good. We were on a Fall Color cruise from Quebec to New York and enjoyed ourselves while not in our room. We choose the 5:15 assigned seated dining. Our waiters were friendly and fun. WE have sailed many times with Princess and our problems were an exception to our normal experinces Read Less

The itinerary and the dates of travel worked for our busy schedules. We especially liked the itinerary only having 2 sea days and we wanted to finish in NYC. Boarding in Quebec was efficient and we really enjoyed having the overnight in port. The stateroom was as we expected, very clean and comfortable. Our very pleasant and attentive cabin attendant introduced himself to us immediately and made us very welcome. Everything in regard to our stateroom and service was fabulous. We had traditional dinning, 2nd seating hoping that we would not feel rushed unfortunately we still felt that we had to order and eat quickly each time. Soups on the menu were lacking flavour and it was quite obvious that the cream of tomato soup one night was the same used for the minestrone another night with a few beans and bits of pasta added. There was a definite lack of finesse in plating, little or no garnish and the same potatoes on many of the plates but with a different name. We had one night at Sabatini’s with the up-charge of 25.00 per person here I would rate the food a 10 out of 10 but the ambience a 2. It was loud and cafeteria like having no tablecloths or carpeting, the waiter station directly behind my chair with the rattling of dishes and at numerous times very distracting not at all conducive to an romantic dinner to celebrate a special occasion. There were people walking past on the deck and at one point a crew member obviously doing some maintenance work hanging in front of the window with a paint brush. As in the main dinning room I felt rushed and hurried through my meal. Entertainment on board was very good from the orchestra to the company of singers and dancers and the guest performers. I guess my overall comment was that it was an “OK” cruise. Read Less

I consider myself a seasoned traveler with 6 million air miles, hundreds of hotel says and 15 cruises on 5 cruise lines. I have never written a review before because things happen on any trip and you just have to deal with it. This year my wife and I celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary and our 70th birthdays. We were looking for something special - a trip that would provide us with a great memory of these events. A lot of choices- family, friends or something just for us. Another couple asked us to consider a Canadian-US cruise on the Caribbean Princess. I looked over the agenda and a few things caught my eye - an excursion on Prince Edwards Island with a known Canadian photographer and a stop in Boston. We had previously taken a photo trip to the Grand Canyon which was exceptional. Even though we had already taken a cruise that docked at 4 of the ports, the opportunity to have a limited group photo excursion with a known photographer coupled with a few spa treatments and a visit to Boston seemed like the experience we were looking for. The Booking On past cruises we have stayed in every accommodation from a Penthouse Suite to a porthole cabin. We contacted AmEx Travel who worked with Princess. We were advised Princess had a class of service called "Mini Suite" with suite benefits -smaller than a regular suite with all of the suite benefits (special dining, special seats at events, priority embark and debark, access to the exclusive lounge, etc.) When we attempted to book the Mini Suites were full so AmEx/Princess recommended that we book a full suite and wait for a Mini. We eventually booked the Mini, 2 spa treatments, and 4 excursions and the 10 day high speed internet. We preordered "Medallions" which are digital passkeys that identify and track your exact location on board the ship. The Preparation In order to prepare, we researched the photographer and contacted Princess regarding the excursion. We were advised to bring our camera equipment, including tripods, extra batteries, extra Sd cards, etc, along with adequate shoes for rough terrain. Three days before the cruise, we spent $500 on new camera equipment - light tripods, extra batteries, Sd cards, etc.). We also bought new hiking boots. In order to accommodate the camera equipment and airline luggage weight limits we had to remove a number of convenient items taken on past cruises. Arrival In spite of being provided a "special registration desk", unlike other cruise lines, Princess did not have any type of expedited security line so the concept of "priority boarding" was lost in the process. When we finally reached the priority registration desk we were given a new set of medallions and told the ones we had were unnecessary. At the registration desk I attempted to change the credit card on file but was advised that that would have to be done at Customer Relations. The CR computers were "occupied" with the passenger changeover but I was finally able to make that cc change two days later. The MiniSuite The Mini Suite (D414) is dated with the exception of two 42 inch TV's that dominate the small room. They actually touch each other - kind of like a sports bar. There is no chance to use them on separate channels because the sound overlaps. The Medallion Class ships have high speed access and boast about their live TV news and sports including CNN/Fox News/ESPN/ESPN2. On game day I found out that the Princess ESPN and ESPN2 was the Canadian/European version with no US college football. On live ESPN we could only watch womens international weightlifting and European soccer, a far cry from US Football.. While Princess boasts that its wi-fi can stream, it cannot stream to the TV's in the room, only to your computer or cell phone. Unless you want to spend your vacation watching the news which you are trying to get away from or you enjoy womens international weightlifting, the live TV has little merit. The rooms are dated. There is only one small electrical outlet in a mini-suite and it is impossible to use a multiple plug device because the light switch is part of the outlet and any oversize plug-in turns on the light. We were able to locate an open outlet behind the large TV's and with a little dexterity you can find an open plug. Otherwise, if you need more than 2 plug ins you are out of luck. Princess also represents that each room has a hair dryer - unfortunately they are wall mount - probably 15 years out of date with very low heat output. The "Club Class" Mini-suit is not really a suite for two passengers - it seems to be more for a three or four passengers accommodation-maybe a family with two kids who want no privacy. The furniture is old and sparse and the couch is a very uncomfortable sit. The TV's are imposing and awkward for the space. There is no divider between the sleeping area and the couch so using the TV's while your spouse is trying to rest does not work. The bathroom door opens into the closet so you have to speak out before you open the door lest you hit your partner in the back. Our stateroom attendant was excellent and kept the room very clean, but it still felt very dated, like an old hotel. The Wi-Fi The Caribbean Princess is equipped with a high capacity wi-fi system that should allow you to live stream content. To do so you have to download the app, connect to the ship internet and place your device on airplane mode and pay the $150 fee.. It seems simple but everyone in our party had issues for the first several days. There is a help station - unfortunately they advised that our problem involved Apple Messenger and told us to turn it off which resulted in a total absence of e-mails for 22-24 hours. We contacted Apple - reinstatement of Messenger on the Apple server normally takes a day after shutdown. Also, if you fail to immediately put you device on airplane mode when you reboard the ship, the phone can connect to the ships general network which results in a high cellular data bill. AT&T informed me of a $120 data overage a few hours after the ship left port. That mistake cost over $200 - a learning experience. High speed access was costly but if you figure it out you can stream to your cell phone. Watching a college football game on your I Phone doesn't compare to viewing it on one of the 42 inch TV's - which don't allow streaming. The many Disappointments Immediately after entering our Mini Suite, Narag Angelito Biloro, our Stateroom Steward appeared with ship information and our excursion tickets, etc., Narag turned out to be an exceptional asset during the cruise- we always felt good returning to our stateroom because it was well kept by him. He was a wealth of information. When I asked him about the Suite benefits and access to the Private Lounge - he informed us that the Mini-Suites do not have suite benefits but only Club benefits - contrary to what we had been told at the time of booking. He understood the confusion and got us in contact with the person to talk to. Several hours later with two attempted Princess calls to AmEx, Princess allowed us the access to the private lounge.(Which turned out to be nothing) We were specifically told that we were not allowed any other Suite benefits - only Club benefits which were a half bottle of wine, priority embark and debark, Club Class Dining and priority reservations at the specialty restaurants. Next I reviewed the excursion tickets. There was a letter included which stated that the photographic excursion "YYG260A Picture Perfect with Photographer Winston Maund has been cancelled due to operational reasons". I immediately called the front desk to better understand the situation. The front desk responded that the "operational issue" was an "overbooking" and that we had been cut from the excursion. That did not seem fair or reasonable - when we signed up for the excursion we were told we were the first two individuals to book. I went down to discuss the issue at the front desk. That took an hour. The front desk said they would check into it. On the next call I was told that there were "operational issues" that caused the cancellation of the trip and no one on the ship would be participating. I inquired about the date the operation decision was made and was told that the excursion was cancelled THE WEEK BEFORE we left for the cruise. On other cruise lines there have been changes or modification in excursions but we always received immediate notice of pre cruise changes by e-mail. When I inquired about why we were not notified the answer "It is easier for us to handle it on the ship". To me that was not customer focused - particularly considering the 12 pounds of camera equipment we carted to Canada. I asked again for clarification on the operations issue and was given no response. Princess offered to place us on another excursion at our cost. The day before we reached the port I went down to the excursion desk and was told that all excursions were closed. I was later told that Princess was trying to get together enough passengers from other cruise ships to overcome the " operational" issue. The final comment I received was the excursion was "new" and they were trying to work the kinks out. You think they would have worked the kinks out before taking our reservation and money. We also had a Boston excursion booked through Princess - in spite of the fact that there had been a major 10K scheduled in Boston for months, Princess notified us the day before the excursion the Boston itinerary would be substantially modified to include only an aircraft carrier visit because of the race so we cancelled and used an independent operator. Excursions With the exception of the LULU Lobster Boat ride in Bar Harbor, the remaining Princess excursions were unremarkable. The three independent excursions we booked were better and more informative than the Princess excursions, often at less cost. The Food As any cruiser knows, the food on cruise ships is always exceptional - except on Princess. Our group of 4 ate at both specialty restaurants - extremely disappointing experiences - one guest even sent his fish back as inedible. My specialty restaurant steak was perfectly cooked but was like chewing leather. We ate twice in the "Club Class Dining" (about the only benefit you get for paying hundreds more for a "Club Class" Mini-Suite) but the food in the Palm Dining Room was better. Treats like the Lobster Dinner were basically tasteless. Prime Rib night was also a disaster - my prime rib had more fat on it than meat. I would never have served that piece of meat to anyone. The veal marsala in the Palm was much better that the veal marsala in the specialty restaurant. I thought it might just be me- but there was uniform consensus within our group that the food was lower grade than on any other cruise. The steaks (both in the specialty restaurant and the Palm Dinning) were tough with a lot of waste. More like a cheap chain restaurant than a cruise delicacy. Room service breakfast was great. A very limited selection but the bacon, egg and cheese English muffin was fine. There were three things good about dining - Phillipo the Head Waiter, Rigoberto, the Waiter and their assistant waiter (unfortunately I misplaced his name). There were attentive and provided outstanding service- remembering preferences, supplying my spouse with gluten free bread, knowing the menu and making reasonable recommendations. The problem is that the food itself was just not that good. Everyone in our group agreed on one thing - don't waste your money on the specialty restaurants - they are not worth it. Since we pre-booked the specialty restaurants the "Club Class" priority seating benefit had no value The Private Suite Lounge There is no actual private lounge for suite guests, just a lounge that is closed to non-suite guests for two hours in the evening. Drinks are charged to you room and the appetizers are below average. Other cruise lines have a separate lounge for suite guests - after we got on the ship we were told that did not exist on the Caribbean Princess. The Spa In 49 years my wife has never turned down a spa treatment - and who would - they are rejuvenating and relaxing experiences. We prebooked 2 spa sessions for her. Although the spa treatment by Isabel was OK, the after spa upsell of products and additional services was obnoxious. In stead of returning refreshed, my wife retuned upset because Isabel just kept pressing her to buy products and add additional treatments. Upselling is a part of business but when a customer says they are not interested the conversation should end. My wife is no wall flower and it would take a lot of upsell to upset her. She attributed the incident to a language barrier but "not interested" should be understood in any language. Both women in our group cancelled their second spa treatment. I was so disturbed I contacted the spa and asked them to take off the $32.00 "Auto Gratuity" - they apologized and said that no gratuity would appear on the final statement. The morning of departure the gratuity was still on the bill and I was informed that I would have to go to the desk (where there was a 30 minute wait) to have it removed. By that time I was exhausted with Princess so we simply left. The workout area is well done with adequate equipment but use is limited to 8am-8pm. If you are an early riser that exercises before breakfast or plan to exercise at the end of the day - forget it. And the thought of exercising while watching sports is limited to ESPN Canada/Europe - back to womens international weigh lifting. The Shows and Entertainment The shows and entertainment were average to good for a cruise. The stage productions were OK but you need to get there at least 30 minutes early or you will be sitting in the front few rows. Although we were about 25 minutes early for the extravaganza that included 'pyrotechnics" we ended up in row one- if that happens leave! Although the cruise line alleges to have a keen focus on passenger safety- the smoke machine will overcome you in 20 minutes. The smoke is so bad that you can't see the show. When we left, our eyes burned from the substance that they use to create the smoke effect - it is almost like a fine mist/dust. We had to use eye drops when we got back to our cabin but it took two days before the eye irritation and redness dissipated. On the good side one male singer from Vegas, a piano player and the two comedians were exceptional. After being on larger ships the stage shows were average. Princess Medical/Response We have been on two cruises where there was an outbreak of flu or a norovirus. That happens when you put 3-6 thousand people in one place. In each case the Captain made an announcement about increased health risk and the need to take special precautions, advised the passengers that the crew would be taking additional actions to respond (wiping down common areas, etc.). Those cruise lines gave you a feeling that the cruise line cared. Half way thru our 10 day Princess cruise we noticed that the crew began taking precautions - wiping down the entire theater between performances, etc. I asked if there was a particular concern and was told that there was a "flu virus" affecting many passengers and the ship was on a "Phase 2" alert. (I have no idea if that information was accurate or if there is a Phase 2 alert). I was particularly concerned because at the end of the cruise we were going to visit elderly relatives and I did not want to carry a virus to them. The day before the cruise ended my wife became ill with what appeared to be a cold. I contacted the Princess sick bay and talked with the nurse. She said that there had been a number of sick passengers but she was more focused on telling me that my call would be considered an "emergency" and that there would be a $195 initial charge to see my wife plus any testing for "the virus" would be extra. She would not provide any additional information on my general health question (Is there a virus on the ship and if so what type?) without a visit to the infirmary and payment of the $195 emergency fee. The morning of departure I called again and received a reply call from the ship Doctor. I explained to him that we were going to visit elderly relatives and I inquired if we may have been exposed to a virus on the ship. He was vague and basically said that there are sick persons on every cruise. He refused to discuss particulars or provide any information but invited us to come down and pay the $195 emergency fee for a consult plus additional fees for a test to determine if my wife actually had a cold or a virus. The attitude was appalling. We departed the ship, believing that a land side American doctor might be a better choice. Within 18 hours of departure, one of the individuals in our 4 person group became violently ill and spent two days sick in a hotel in New York - the Doctors are in the process of diagnosing the virus.. Several years ago a family member was on a cruise and broke her foot on an excursion. The Cruise company was unbelievably helpful in providing medical assistance and accommodating her for the remainder of the trip. The standard of care was exceptional. The Princess response to my inquiry was startling, to say the least. I got the impression that Princess wanted to keep information regarding health concerns suppressed and that the medical center had not meet its financial goals on the cruise. Rather than simply giving me an answer (honest or not) the individuals were focused on getting the emergency fee and were not focused on responsible care of the passengers. Those that listened to the conversation were equally applaud. Disembarkation One of the Mini-Suite "Club" class benefits was "Priority Debark" which on every other cruise we have been on means priority getting off the ship early The night before we arrived at our final port we were provided with luggage tags that allowed us to depart 55 minutes after our traveling companions that had no "Priority Debark" status. I contacted the front desk and was advised that the "Priority" disembarkation for Club Class Mini-Suites consists of a preferred waiting area and was not related to the time for leaving the ship. After another trip to the front desk I was able to get the same disembarkation time as our non-priority friends. Summary The Caribbean Princess is an older ship and shows it. Every cruise line has a personality and it takes some time to get used to Princess if you have cruised on quality cruise lines. Princess did not meet any of our general expectations and failed miserably to respond to concerns that were raised. In our opinion, the added expenses of a "Club Class Mini-Suite" has little value - the priority boarding and disembarkation did not provide any real priority, and the "Club Class" dining was equivalent to any time dining on most cruise lines. With the exception of the Luu Lobster boat tour at Bar Harbor, the Princess excursions were unremarkable. The specialty restaurant food is not worth the additional price and some of the special night food (Lobster night - Prime Rib night) was genuinely disappointing. The lack of communication regarding cancelled excursions (both before and during the cruise) and the lack of communication regarding passenger health issues (or the conflicting individual reports from crew members on both subjects) does not give one a comfortable feeling. The Spa treatments are average but the upselling pressure when your trying to enjoy the cruise is not. The hours of the workout center are limited. The above not only reflects my feeling and the feeling of the four members of our group, but was reflected in several conversations with a number of passengers that have cruised on other cruise lines. I'm sure there are individuals who appreciate the Caribbean Princess personality, particularly those that have not cruised often, but in our case the Caribbean Princess failed miserably to meet expectations compared to other cruises. This was a very poor return on our expenditure (particularly the Club Class Mini Suite) and a complete failure for a celebration. If you want a quality experience, look elsewhere. Read Less

We chose this particular Nova Scotia cruise because of the itinerary and a particular excursion with a well known photographer which was ultimately cancelled and we were not told until the last minute. So on my 70th birthday we did not have an excursion. The ship knew a week ahead. The Spa had a hard upset after a mediocre massage. Specialty dinning was a joke on my birthday, the food quality was poor. We have cruised many times on other lines and have never felt like this. Our supposed club level mini sweet was nothing special and we had to pled for access to the special lounge that was supposed to be part of the package at this level. The stateroom did not have enough outlets to plug in devices, the internet was intermittent and the ship was debuting a new medallion service that was troublesome. Overall this was a bust cruise and I would not recommend this ship to anyone. Read Less

We just returned for Canada and New England cruise on the Caribbean Princess yesterday. We sailed on this same ship 5 years ago and don’t recall any problems, but even this it was refurbished 4.2017 it’s just old and not kept up well. The good: We booked this cruise for the itinerary which we really enjoyed. We booked a Club Class Mini Suite due to booking so late and not many choices. The cabin size and location was fine and very nice sized tho it’s a bit weird having 2 really large screen TV’s nearly back to back but not an issue. Balcony was nice tho we didn’t use it too much, it had a table, 2 chairs and 2 footstools. The MedallionNet WiFi was excellent, never had an issue and very reasonably priced, loved it. We really enjoyed the club class dining room, yes it is on the side of the MDR but much less hectic and quieter, excellent crew from our fav Josmy at the door to servers who were outstanding, friendly and always smiling - thank you Oxsana, Tim, Ucecil and Rollin. The not so good: This ship is just old, outdated and tired. Yes, the carpet, sofa and some bedding in the cabins have been updated but even after such a short time it’s not taken care of. The furniture and ‘headboard’ is OLD, nicked and beat up. Large outdated canvas pic in cabin had tears in it and the walls looked like they had been washed but left splotchy wall paper. The only thing that could help it is to be replaced. All thru the ship we noticed lack of upkeep, and found it odd that we were told to please use the toilets in your cabins rather than the public ones??? Sorry but the Love Boat theme drove us nuts, maybe we just have no sense of humor. The Muster drill was ridiculous, many of us lined up in hallways and many paid no attention to the safety part of the drill, talking, laughing, disregarding the instructions and crew didn’t enforce it. Food: Seems like Princess is cheating out on the dining, no longer steaks on the Everyday Menu, now replaces with a hamburger....really? There’s a fairly extensive extra menu with meals at extra charge, yes, in the MDR. I get the speciality restaurants if you choose to pay but a daily extra cost menu? No surf and turf night(s) tho one night lobster was offered, very tiny lobster tails. Our final night was surf & turf, a small filet with 2 large prawns, one of the servers commented the prawns were larger than the lobster a few nights prior. Food in MDR was tasty enough but not one meal delicious. The Lido buffet, what a joke, crowded and many selections but not much flavor and not tasty, lots of cheap food which appeals to the masses. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t starve but the quality was horrible. Interesting note: prior to our last night I read on CC that the departure for the ship on 9.24 was going to be delayed and no one could check in before 3 pm due to extra sanitizing after gastrointestinal issues. Hmmmmm never heard about it before reading it here. All in all, we will not be doing another Princess cruise, especially on this ship. Read Less

Chose this because we were traveling with friends who didn't want to fly far. LOVE the new Medallion. It makes everything so easy-opens your stateroom door, makes purchases easy, easy off and on the ship. Makes embarkation and debarkation so much faster.The updating on the CP was well do-everything seems fresh. Our cabin was larger than we expected with lots of storage but small shower. The food was a little above average although not fantastic. The Buffett breakfasts and lunches were very good-huge assortment and kept hot and cold as needed. The Crown Grill is awesome-looks just like a New York steakhouse and the food is amazing. Well worth the $29 upcharge. Sabatini's italian is also very good. The entertainment on this ship was better than almost any we have ever seen on the 15 cruises we have taken. The production show sets were absolutely incredible and the singers and dancers were great. We also had a singer, a piano player and a comic, all of whom were wonderful. Now for the not so good. Most of the ports are boring! We enjoyed Quebec very much but Saguenay was much ado about nothing, Chalottetown just OK. Loved Peggy's Cove but you're only there for an hour. Sydney is a total waste of time. Enjoyed Halifax. Our best excursion was going out on a lobster boat in Bar Harbor. We have been to Boston many times so we didn't do much there but some might enjoy it. Overall, we found this cruise little dull. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the ports that were offered. The fjords of the Saguenay river are spectacular and offer the opportunity to see whales right from the ship where the Saguenay river meets the St. Lawrence. Unfortunately the ship travelled up the river at night so we missed most of the fjords and did not see any whales, but all ports provided us with opportunities to see some beautiful scenery. We had been looking forward to the fine dining onboard and were so disappointed by the food in the dining room. We heard complaints from other passengers all week. The buffet food was fine, but we expected much better in the dining room and often felt rushed. Also caution that the dining room now offers a menu for an additional cost. I heard someone order a lobster tail and decided to have the same, and was not told that it would cost me $19. And for that I received a shrivelled up piece of lobster that was so overcooked that it curled in the tail and was dry and tough. The lobster on lobster night was much better and there was no upcharge. The desserts were also disappointing. The cheesecake used to be a delicious option, but the one that was served was dry and bland. First time I didn't gain a few pounds on a cruise! The swimming pools are not heated and so the water was too cold to swim. Not sure why they bother with water at all if the pools are not useable. I would have swam each day, even in cooler weather, if the water had been warm. Read Less

My cousin and roommate, Joan Ruxton, wanted a cruise up the east coast of North America to see the fall colours. I said I'd like to join her, but I told her, "It has to be a Princess ship', because I had so enjoyed my 15 day Princess cruise to Hawaii. Highlights of this latest cruise: 1st. Just being on the ocean would have been more than enough, however, on Princess much more was available; 2nd.: The company around the table in the formal dining room could not have been better. Warm, interesting, convivial, charming people from all over the globe broke bread with me and my cousin and made the dinner times sparkle; 3rd.: The food was a m a z i n g; 4th.: Awesome onboard entertainment - truly exceptionally talented dancers and singers worthy of Hollywood, put their hearts, souls and enthusiasm to work for our enjoyment. The comic I saw was a delight, bringing members of the audience up to the stage to 'help' him make us laugh and laugh we all did! 5th.: Princess has a library! How great is that?! Whenever I wanted to just relax by myself, books were free and easily accessible; 6th.: Our cabin stewart was wonderful. Just so meticulous, reliable and friendly; Read Less

This was our 35th cruise and our first one on Princess in about ten years. We left from NY and stayed at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott the night before embarkation. The hotel was great and everyone was friendly and helpful. My brother and his wife traveled with us on this Canada cruise. We arranged though the hotel to get a van to take us to the port about noon and boarded with a short wait. The ship looked fine and we had no issues with our balcony room. I don’t think we are as picky as some. However, the bathrooms was the smallest we have had in many years. Our room steward was quick to introduce himself and did a great job for us the entire 10 nights. We used room service a couple of times and it arrived earlier than our earliest requested time by ten minutes. We like that Celebrity calls when it is on the way. The breakfast menu was more of a continental breakfast, but the coffee was good & hot. We found the Buffett, Grill and the MDR food disappointing. I disagree with the review that said the food was like a Cracker Barrel, more like A Golden Coral buffet If your not familiar with Golden Coral they serve a lot of Buffett food but not of high quality. The speciality restaurants were pretty good especially the steakhouse. We ate at the steakhouse the first night (coupon book buy one get one free) and it was a disaster(service) but the second time was fine. The Italian restaurant was just OK. We had the drink package and were very disappointed in the wines by the glass available. The ones available were generally good like Decoy Chardonnay and Merlot. Mixed drinks were generally fine and well prepared. The bottled water for the drink package was small Kirkland bottles, yes Cosco water. No soft drinks in a can but fountain drinks only for the drink package. If your not not on the drink package you could get canned soft drinks and nicer bottled water. Pretty cheap on Princess! Entertainment was good but as other reviews noted you had to be in the theater at least 45 minutes prior to the show to get any seat. We do think Princess does better overall entertainment at lounges, main theater, etc. than most cruise lines we have been on lately. Overall service in dinning room and lounges was very good. We rarely had to wait for anytime dinning going about 6:30 or a little latter. Overall we had a good time but would probably not choose Princess for our next cruise due to food quality issue and not the being able to get a seat for the shows in the theater. Read Less

We chose this cruise from vacations to go for a last minute trip. The price was really great and the destination was northeast and Canada. Embarking was super but the room was disappointing. Not for location, but for cleanliness. The rug in the room was old, stained and dirty. We did not bring slippers because we called princess earlier and the rep said all we had to do was ask. Well that proved to be futile, I emailed Princess during the trip to complain and we finally got them day 3. Meanwhile, I had lined the floor with pool towels. Day 4 we asked for our room cleaned. The steward (who we pre tipped in cash although we did opt to pay gratuities) made up our bed in the same sheets, they were wrinkled with hair in them. The bathroom had hair, the sink wasn't cleaned and the rug had not been vacuumed. I know because we removed the pool towels prior and some cookie crumbs were on the rug. They were still there. The soap on the sink was mashed into the pre formed counter top. There were tea ring stains on the desk. etc. The ship ran out of smoked salmon day 5. Even though they were in nova scotia! The hash browns are GREASY!! There was no lactose free food in the buffet, everything except cold cuts had milk, cream, cheese and butter. No dairy free desserts except jello. Later on, while we were in the disco, an employee entered our room without permission with our privacy notice on the door to bring us chocolate strawberries that neither of us could eat. All of our personal items were out in the room, our handbags, our jewelry, my computer was up and running, they entered and violated our privacy. Princess has changed from our 2 previous cruises with them. Floor supervisor was nasty. When customer service called to ask why we were not happy. She said she was sorry we did not appreciate the gift of strawberries. They still don't get that it wasn't the strawberries we were mad at, it was the violation of privacy, oh and yes, the dirty room. Read Less

If this had been my first Princess Cruise I would never go on another Princess Cruise. But it was our 8th Princess Cruise and we have 3 more booked. At this time we are undecided whether we will go on our booked future Princess cruises... It all started with a cancelled EZ Air flight out of MSP 8/18, the day before the cruise. Princess isn't responsible for the Airline cancelling the flight but, since we purchased EZ Air, Princess IS responsible for the negative experience I had with Princess' "In-Route Assistance." I was on hold over 25 minutes before Jill answered then she argued with me over whose responsibility it was to rebook our flights. Jill told me we bought our tickets from the Airline so the Airline had to rebook us. I responded that we bought our EZ Air tickets from Princess so it was Princess' responsibility. The Airline did try to rebook us but couldn't get us to NYC in time for the cruise so Jill FINALLY got us rebooked on a different airline at 6:50AM 8/19 with a 40 minute layover at Washington Reagan. At 5:30AM 8/19, after waiting in line 30 minutes, we were told that our flight was delayed 90 minutes. I responded that we would miss our 40 minute connection and needed to be on a cruise ship by 6:00 PM. That airline found us the last 2 seats on a nonstop flight to LaGuardia (LGA). We arrived at LGA at 12:15 PM and purchased Princess Transfers at the baggage claim area but our luggage wasn't there. This was because our luggage had gone to LGA on an earlier flight than us and was at terminal D but we were at Terminal C. This is important because we missed a Princess transfer bus while going to retrieve our luggage from Terminal D and the next Princess Transfer bus didn't arrive at Terminal C until 3:15 PM (ALMOST THREE HOURS LATER)! We arrived at the Brooklyn port at about 4:00 and luggage was lying all over the port parking lot. Transfer busses just offloaded luggage and set it in the parking lot where it sat for hours. The cruise left at about 8:45 PM, instead of 7:00 PM, because they were still loading luggage. I later learned, from a high level crew member, that the company Princess contracted with in NYC sent the same people to load 16 days of food and beverages AND the luggage. Obviously the food & beverages were loaded first... The Caribbean Princess seemed old and tired and the staff seemed more overworked than I've seen on other Princess cruises. There were several instances of rude staff members. The guy in the internet cafe was short tempered with several guests. One of the cruise director's staff made a really rude and unnecessary comment to me at one point, during our 3 hour wait for a tender at Nanortalik. And there was a person disrupting one of the production shows that my husband believes was one of the contract entertainers, we saw him later that evening in the buffet being escorted by 2 other staff members. This was the most boring cruise we have ever been on. We had 9 sea days and only one enrichment lecturer, a former writer and director from Hollywood. When we went to Hawaii on Star Princess last year we also had 9 sea days and had an enrichment lecturer all 9 sea days, a marine biologist (a naturalist) all 9 sea days, a guy who had been tour director for Fleetwood Mac for years & tour director for the Beach Boys 50th anniversary world tour who gave lectures about 5 days and a Hawaiian couple who gave lectures most days. Based on that experience I expected more from this cruise with 9 sea days. The cruise director (Marcus, who was also the cruise director when we went to Hawaii) said they couldn't find anyone who grew up in Greenland to give us lectures. I can understand that but why didn't they just send some more enrichment lecturers??? I wouldn't have even minded seeing some of the same people again, it would have been better than nothing. And, since I mentioned Marcus, I've seen better cruise directors.... Fortunately Nuuk built a dock so we didn't have to tender. But we didn't even know Nuuk had built the dock until a few days before we got to Nuuk. I'm not sure when Princess found out about the dock but the itinerary was never updated. The dock was not at all secure like you see at other ports, the Nuuk residents were waiting for us on the dock but that wasn't really a concern to me. The tender process in Qaqortoq and Nanortalik were disasters. Over 1/3 of the ship's passengers were Elite so they, and those with Princess excursions, had tender priority. We did have an afternoon Princess Excursion in Qaqortoq and went 90 minutes before the excursion to get tender tickets (the excursion ticket told us to allow 45 minutes for tendering). We would have never made it to the excursion if we hadn't been bumped to the front of the line because of the excursion. In Nanortalik we got our tender ticket at 10:40 AM and finally got to land at about 1:45 PM (my first photo was date/time stamped at 1:59 PM). It took over 3 hours to get to land and we had skipped around 8 tender ticket groups because someone was giving up their #71 tender tickets and I took them (we had 79s). But the thing is, the crew who were loading the tenders weren't checking or taking the tender tickets so anyone could have cheated. I can't remember how long it took us to tender back to the ship from Qaqortoq but we only waited in line about 20 minutes to get on a return tender at Nanortalik. That was late in the day so they were only having to load at Nanortalik and unload at the ship instead of unload and load at both ends. The average age on the ship was probably about 70 so, with that demographic, most people wanted to see the shows (plus there was nothing else to do). We went to the theater at least an hour before the show to get seats where we wanted to sit. We don't mind that, we took our iPads with us and there are less comfortable places to be sitting on the ship than in theater seats. But the theater was always full by 30-45 minutes before the show. They simulcasted the first show of the guest entertainers into the Explorer Lounge and, eventually, after complaints, added a later matinee of the Production Shows so, eventually, most people probably got to see the shows. But Cruise Director Marcus told us to come even earlier for the last Production Show so the passengers started showing up 75-90 minutes before the show but the crew wouldn't let us in the theater because they were still setting up for the show until about 55 minutes before the show (lack of communication between Marcus and the crew). There were a lot of unhappy passengers waiting in the halls outside the theater. The theater shows were at 6:30 and 8:30 which seemed strange compared to other cruises but seemed to help with the flow of Anytime Dining. The MDR food was pretty good. We had lobster 2 nights but the first time one of the ladies at our table named them "kindergarten lobsters". My husband's lobster was 4 bites but I took smaller bites and got 6 bites out of my lobster. The 2nd time we had lobster the size was more typical of what we have seen on other cruises. It was difficult to get seats at the buffet at lunch time. This was a cold weather cruise and the interior seating just didn't accommodate all of the passengers We ate several lunches at the MDR, we had never done that before. The Medallion Net worked pretty good the first few days. By the time we got to Nuuk it was pretty slow. The speed picked back up after we left Greenland but my iPad never did load properly after Greenland, but it the iPad worked fine when I got back to the open WiFi at LGA. As mentioned earlier, the guy at the internet cafe was short with people and, when the internet went down completely, on day 15, he wasn't at the desk, there was a female there who just told us to come back in an hour. Passengers pay a lot of money for unlimited Medallion Net and Princess knows it gets slow when the ships travel that far north but Princess doesn't give a price break for that. Disembarkation was a mess. We were sent off the ship out of order because an earlier group's luggage wasn't at the port. But our luggage wasn't at the port either! We waited in the port over 90 minutes before all of our luggage arrived from the ship. The advantage to the long wait was the customs line was shorter by then. We took a Princess transfer to the airport and the transfer bus dropped us at the arrival area where we were nearly trampled by passengers for the next cruise getting on the transfer bus while we were waiting for our luggage to be unloaded from the transfer bus. We then got inside LGA Terminal B where the "up" escalator was out of order and the elevator doors didn't stay open long enough for passengers & their luggage to get on the elevators. Once we were checked in for our flight and checked our luggage the return flight was uneventful. Halifax was nice but our afternoon tour was moved to early morning. This was a big deal to us since we were so sleep deprived by the time we got to the ship and had already lost 2 time zones since we left home. Our excursion was the Maritime Museum and RMS Titanic with Titanic Expert Glenn Taylor. The guide was very knowledgeable and interesting. The cemetery was moving. We felt rushed at both the cemetery and Maritime Museum. The Museum was very crowded. In Sydney, NS we did the Bell Museum, Baddeck & Bras d'Or Lake excursion. Our tour guide had a lot of knowledge but was boring. It was about an hour ride to Baddeck, where the Bell Museum is, and we could have used a more dynamic speaker. The museum was interesting, again a little short on time. In Nuuk (population 17,635) we got off the ship and walked into town (a steep uphill walk) but didn't find anything we were interested in purchasing. Our 12:45 "Easy Nuuk" excursion was moved to 2:30 and the Nuuk tour company was disorganized. There were no signs indicating where we needed to meet for the excursion, the tour guides were just wandering around, in a mob of people, trying to find the guests & get them lined up. There were 4 buses for our excursion and they wouldn't load any of the buses until all 4 buses arrived at the port, and some of the guests for the "Easy Nuuk" excursion really needed to be sitting down. Then the tour guides never counted the passengers on the bus or, when we got off the bus, told us when we needed to be back on the bus. At one stop the bus before ours left passengers behind because they didn't make sure they had all their passengers. There was room on the 4th bus for the people who were left behind. In Qaqortoq (population 3089) we did the "Walk through Qaqortoq" excursion. Those tour guides, young ladies from Denmark, were organized. Our tour guide was very good and the tour was interesting. We learned more about Greenland from this young Danish lady than we did anytime else on the cruise. There was a climb up many steps to get to a church which was supposed to be open until 4:00 but was locked when we got there at about 1:40, disappointing. We had 2 English speaking Qaqortoq residents ask us when the ship left; we weren't sure if they were just curious or anxious to see all of us go. We cancelled a RIB boat excursion in Nanortalik (population 1337) after we received information a few days before the excursion that they needed our survival suit size and telling us the tour guide may not speak English. After our 3 hour wait to tender to Nanortalik we spent several hours walking around the town and visited the open air museum (25 DKK or $5 each). It was worth it. We also visited their subsidized grocery store for a candy bar. One ship passenger was disappointed that their restaurant was closed while we were there. We later heard that a ship from a different cruise line was in Nanortalik the day before and those passengers ate all of the restaurant's food. This was Nanortalik, they couldn't just order in more food for the next day... In St. John's, Newfoundland we did the Cape Spear Lighthouse, St John's & Signal Hill excursion. The excursion tickets said there was an uphill walk, about 100 steps to Cape Spear Lighthouse. I counted them, there are actually 170 steps then, to see the ocean, you need to walk around the lighthouse on uneven boulders. After the 170 steps, I wasn't able to walk on the boulders so my husband went and took photos of the ocean. Our bus waited about 10 minutes for the last guest to return then left without her. It turned out she was on another bus. Signal Hill was interesting, but very busy. The weather was beautiful in all the ports. The highs were 58, 57 and 53 in the 3 Greenland ports and it was sunny. The seas were calm except one night but we slept through that. It was foggy at sea and, on many occasions, the foghorn would sound every 2 minutes So we've been to Greenland. It is very rocky. We weren't anyplace where we could see glaciers or icebergs so we didn't see beauty like in Alaska. Some of the passengers saw the Aurora Borealis the night before we got to Nuuk but we were asleep. We watched for it another evening but it didn't come out. Some of the passengers saw icebergs on excursions but those passengers were probably more adventurous than us. Read Less

This was truly the cruise of a lifetime as far as the destination is considered. Greenland did not disappoint for one minute. The weather on this voyage could not have been any more perfect. So much so that I wanted to book this cruise for next year, but will not push my luck and be thankful for the amazing time spent in Greenland and Canada. Let me just start by saying I am well aware that my experience will not be shared by everyone who sailed on this voyage, and for that be thankful. I had the opportunity to sail on the Caribbean Princess in the past 14 months. What a complete change from the first sailing on her. She is a very well appointed vessel, and the updates are well noted,all cosmetic. The change this time was an internal problem, which is harder to fix. Open hostility among staff was visible in several venues on board. In the Coral dining room there were open snide comments between headwaiters and their partners. One morning a loud yelling match over the order of a breakfast item. The passengers left the dining room as not to get involved. The food served in the Marketplace had one thing in common at the best of times, brown or any shade there of. Dinners in the dining room were not much better. How do you get brussel sprouts brown. We were told by a server that fresh veg was in short supply and in great demand on the ship. One evening a table mate sent his dinner back 5 times to get it passable. The waiter in this situation handled the situation with much grace and composure. We were told this was not an uncommon situation on board. Front desk was downright rude at some points, and did not really seem interested in caring. The Cruise Director was very glib and off putting at times. He really needs to have a little more under his belt in training from a more seasoned director. In so many ways Princess could have gotten this right but they missed the boat big time. The Caribbean Princess may have had a refurbishment in dry dock but most of the staff should have been too. Read Less

Everyone was on the cruise to see Greenland, which we did. 3 stops. Very little tourist infrastructure in Greenland, so hard for disabled people, even if they can manage the tenders to shore. However, there were no port lectures or educational material on board for this trip, which was crazy. I read a book on G previously, so i became the expert. If they didn't have a resident expert, they could have gotten someone to do a power point for them, any teacher could do it, and put it on the TV system. As a cruise it was fine, but the lack of education on G was a big issue for everyone. If G improved their docks, added some restrooms, and an info center, it would be good. A hop on bus, even if small would make it much easier for the disabled to see the sights. G is fascinating if you do your own research. The Canada ports were great, very informative tours, although i would have liked more time at Signal Hill and skipped the fishing village. My husband suggested they go further north to see glaciers and icebergs more as scenic cruising. Otherwise, it was a lovely Princess ship with good food, etc. Missed Alfredos pizza place, didn't need more jewelry shops. Love the Medallion service, good internet except when you are in the Arctic. Debarkation did not go well for handicapped, some paperwork slip up , and total lack of wheelchairs and helpers for that. and a piece of our luggage did not make it on the transfer bus, altho we eventually got it delivered. Many on this ship were disabled and they did not have the capacity for this in debarkation. Read Less

We were excited about a trip to Greenland with Princess. We had not sailed with Princess in a number of years, last trip was on the Star Princess from Italy to the Greek Isles. Princess has cut expenses in every category. The experience was very mediocre. Cabin very small, shower for midgets, food that tasted like it came from Cracker Barrel, waiting 2 1/2 hours to get a tender to shore, another hour to get back on board, no port talks, 1 hour pre arrival time to get a seat for the show in the theater, very little to do other then spend money at the casino or cheap gift shops. I could go on but this is certainly enough for you to reconsider booking with Princess. Most fellow passengers were very experienced travers and expressed the same concerns. The trip to Greenland was the draw. Good bye Princess, this was such a subpar experience I am not willing to take another chance with your Cruse Line. Read Less

My husband and I started this cruise with a princess transfer to the NY Hilton midtown. That was a very good choice as Laguardia is a mess and the weather delays rolled in after we were safely ensconced in the hotel. We were happy with our decision to come in a day early as the first port was Halifax. Embarkation was very quick with the medallion, lots of staff to help. We were also very pleased with our choice of a port balcony mini-suite. The balcony provided lots of natural light to the suite area with a couch and tv. The bed lives up to its comfy reputation. The extra space in the tub and shower area were also much appreciated on this 16 day cruise with a lot of sea days. The itinerary, Nova Scotia, Greenland, St. Johns NL was outstanding and we had smooth sailing even though the fog horns were often going, In St. John’s NL we were docked city side and it seems like the whole town showed up for our sail away with car horns honking and lots of folks waving as we sailed out and past the impressive fort at the mouth if the harbor. Unforgettable! In spite of all the good experience onboard, we have to say we are not fans of the Caribbean princess. She carries too many passengers compared to the public spaces. It was always crowded. If you wanted to go to a show you had to go 45 min ahead, we tried 30 min and no it was 45. And to those creepy people who save seats, shame on you and shame on princess for not supervising. There were never seats in any of the public areas. I think our fellow cruisers slept in some of them Anytime dining was frustrating, i labeled it no-time dining. We were shuffled from one dining room to another and always a wait. The wait staff seemed rushed. The buffet was also very crowded and mismanaged. No seating. On noodle day the line went out the buffet and into the pool area. It is a shame as the food was really good, with lots of choices. I think it was a bad decision to convert the back area of the buffet area to buy up restaurants.The Crown grill and Sabatinis were wonderful. We purchased internet, they had one poor tech support person and always a long line. It wasn’t seamless and the pricing wasn’t transparent. Granted I knew going in that there were few days where there would be no service. But it seems everyone needed help setting it up. The medallion also needs a little work. We got locked out of our room and no one could get in, they finally used a key Read Less