Caribbean Princess Review
Guinea Pigs for a system [that is] still a Work In Progress
Rating by category
Additional details
The title of this review is taken from my answer to the Princess post-cruise survey question asking me to summarize my experience with the Ocean Medallion in no more than ten words.
Please also note that while I will endeavor to follow the Cruise Critic review format my text will likely contain asides regarding the Medallion and my being an Elite Captains Circle member that germinated in various threads on the Princess Cruises boards, which for reasons undisclosed I will no longer contribute to.
Departure City/Embarkation: As a South Florida local I jumped on a late deal for this Ft Lauderdale to Quebec repo cruise as a pre-vacation to my visiting relatives in Western New York. I didn’t arrive at Port Everglades until after 1;30 and was asked repeatedly if I was a B2B returning from my day in Ft Lauderdale. No, sorry, I need to check in. Obviously no wait required--but they needed to re-take my security photo, which I anticipated as I had loaded a fairly poor scan of my passport pic into the Medallion. But it had to be done not once but twice--at the check-in desk and on the gangway. So immediately strike one of the repetitive redundancies that the Medallion was supposed to eliminate.
Cabin Review
Oceanview (obstructed view)
A fully obstructed oceanview cabin just forward of the aft bank of elevators. Very convenient location. Everything found in a standard Princess cabin other than the addition of a lifeboat in front of your window.
Port Reviews
Charleston
Odd choice to call here at the peak of summer heat when other port further north were surely available for this long repo cruise.
New York (Manhattan)
Again I will say: download the app for the ferry between Red Hook and Manhattan. Just one single ticket machine on the Brooklyn side.
Newport
Extremely difficult tender port. On a 3000+ passenger ship such as Caribbean Princess consider making it an unofficial extra sea day.
Saint John (New Brunswick)
Interesting walking around port area. Would have been better if not calling on a holiday weekend--but Princess will be here the exact same time next year (?)