Caribbean Princess Review

Customer Service?.....not on your life.

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Caribbean Princess
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LoyalistCDA
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2017
Cabin: Balcony
Most arrives look similar but you still want to be on the balcony each and
The Caribbean Princess is on the large size but not too large for getting a
Can't miss a selfie in front of a cruise ship.
Desserts were artistically done.
Our wait staff were wonderful. No complains here.
Romeo outdid himself with this one. Towel animals were not everyday but was
I asked room service for a little fruit on the side...ooopps.
Mandatory photo of the welcome sign.
There's nothing like a sunrise or sunset on the balcony.
Yeah, it's got a big a$&.
Not sure I like the refit decor colour choice. Beige and cream.
3 storey central piazza.
Another view of the lobby.
Some of the specials on the galley tour.

Apparently Princess cruise lines has lost sight of what customer service is. My wife suffers from medical dietary restrictions which limit her food intake to simply cooked fish and poultry, nothing exotic or difficult. Pre-cruise we gave a detailed letter outlining her diet, cooking requirements (i.e. poached only, no added spices, oils) and were assured this was no issue. To confirm this when we arrived on-board we met with the Maitre D who again assured us this was no issue. "If my chefs can't cook this they shouldn't work here" he told us.

For two days all they would cook her were poached eggs, at one point refusing to thaw any fish for breakfast. Her request was only for poached fish and a baked potato but apparently even that was too much for 217 chefs. The ship shut down the dining room every port day which meant they would provide her only breakfast and supper in the dining room. We tried to make arrangements for lunch food on port days in the buffet restaurant but that too was futile. Every day that arrangements were made the head waiter in the buffet refused to follow through, at one point shoving an index finger in my wife's face (remember; she hasn't had a proper meal in 3-4 days) and told her "I told you I wasn't going to cook for you".

After 5 days of running back and forth between the dining room and pursers desk we finally met with the head of Food and Beverage on day 6. After almost 6 days of a 14 day cruise fighting to be fed we finally had gotten high enough to get some satisfaction. We were offered $500 onboard credits ("take it or leave it") and finally the hammer came down on the galley staff to serve food as required.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BC

Spacious and clean. Despite being very close to the pool area on the Lido deck it was quiet with a good view of the sea. Being on the 15th deck gave you an excellent unobstructed view of the sea and though forward there was little to no sense of rocking motion. Our complements to our room steward, Romeo who was attentive, polite and just a phone call away if you needed something.

Port Reviews

St. Kitts (Port Zante)

First time to St. Kitts. Nice port, lots of taxi drivers hassling you for a fare. Old and quaint port.

Antigua

Pretty much the same experience as St. Kitts.

Martinique

Nice port. Old and friendly. Lots of tourist bureau people on the streets answering questions. A bit of old France in the Caribbean.

Barbados

It poured sheets of rain cancelling all excursions. Limited to the Duty free area. Pleasant people, nice products for sale.

Aruba

Third time in Aruba. Been there, done that. Always enjoy a beer at Iguana Joes.

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

CBP delayed embarkation due to the fact the ship was arriving from Europe and required a thorough check over. We were kept in the embarkation area and were entertained by staff to make the wait more bearable.

Princess Cays

We rented a clam shell to protect from the heat. Despite getting off the ship after lunch (which never happened, see review) there was still a clam shell available. The staff are pleasant and wait staff sought us out to supply drinks on a fairly regular basis.

St. Thomas

This never happened. Originally, as I recall, we were scheduled to go to St. Maarten (Phillipsburg) and St. Thomas but due to the fact the ship has been limping on one engine for the last year, St. Maarten was taken off the itinerary to keep to schedule. A $50 onboard credit was added to compensate. St. Thomas was replaced by San Juan due to the hurricane but then it too was dropped. No further compensation was offered.

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