Caribbean Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This cruise was not all that bad but it wasn't all that great either. Past Princess cruisers we met on board asked us to give Princess another go. We cruise based mainly on highest value - lowest price for high quality.
Pros:
The cruise went to three places we had not yet visited, Bermuda, Ireland, and Cornwall. We arranged our own excursions and would use these tour groups again. For Bermuda we hired Ricky's Island Tours and Minibus Service for a 14-person bus tour from King's Wharf through Hamilton to Georgetown and back, stopping at scenic vistas and beaches for photos and snacks. For Ireland we hired About Cork Taxi Tours for a 4-person tour to Blarney Castle near Cork and Charles Fort in Kinsale followed by a good lunch at Jim Edwards pub in Kinsale. For Cornwall, we hired Cornwall Discovery for a 4-person tour to St. Ives, the vistas en route to Land's End, scones and tea in Mousehole, a view of Saint Michael's Mount then back to Falmouth.
Cabin Review
Oceanview (obstructed view)
Pros: Cabin E411 is on Emerald, Level 8 just steps away from the panoramic lifts from the Piazza. This was a good central location main near the Explorers Lounge on Level 7 and our main dining in Coral. The room was a good size with plenty of space to move around the bed to get to the desk and TV/refrigerator. The view was obstructed by the lifeboat rescue equipment but still provided welcome sunlight from starboard during our eastbound passage. The closet was open towards the bathroom and as long as the bed with a shelf above the rod and had sufficient hangers and space for our clothing. The in-room safe was the standard size in one cubicle with three cubicles below and one above for folded clothes. Two nightstands also have two drawers each and one open space for storage. The bath had plenty of room each side of the sink (about one foot each side) and there were two glass shelves on the right side with a rail to restrain items (or attach a hanging toiletry bag).
Cons: If you're a light sleeper you can hear the music from Crooner's Bar (directly below) until 1230 am. The bath shower is small with a curtain that brushes against you until it gets wet and can hang away. The floor gets wet from water going under the curtain. The shower head is at a fixed height (about 6 feet) with no handheld. The soap and shampoo dispensers are opposite the shower head and your arm bumps into those when moving around.
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
We arrived a day early and due to the ship arriving late the next day we were able to tour Fort Lauderdale on our own. We stayed at a bed and breakfast near Port Everglades and walked to 17th Street to take the Sun Trolley to the beach and Galleria Mall.
King's Wharf
We arranged our own excursion with Bermuda we hired Ricky's Island Tours and Minibus Service for a 14-person bus tour from King's Wharf through Hamilton to Georgetown and back, stopping at scenic vistas and beaches for photos and snacks.
Cobh (Cork)
We hired About Cork Taxi Tours for a 4-person tour to Blarney Castle near Cork and Charles Fort in Kinsale followed by a good lunch at Jim Edwards pub in Kinsale. One note about Blarney Castle, we arrived at the ticket office at 0830 before it opened and had to wait until 0900. Meanwhile, larger bus tours arrived and were allowed to go right in. This allowed the lines in the castle to grow long. Though we didn't want to climb to the top anyway.
Le Havre
We didn't arrange to take any tours since we had been to Normandy last August. We did go into the Cruise Terminal to get free wifi. There is not much at his industrial port. There was a bus that would go downtown for 20 euros per person round-trip. A taxi cost about 8 euros one way for up to 4 people.
Southampton
We did not tour in the Southampton area. The buses were waiting outside the Cruise Terminal but were not identified where they were going so directional assistance was needed. The ride was comfortable and there was one rest stop for 15 minutes along the way.