My husband and I were supposed to go on the Sky Princess two and a half years ago but you all know what happened then! To use our credit, our cruise ship choices were limited due to the time of year and departure port of our choice (Ft. Lauderdale) so we decided to go back on the Caribbean Princess (we were on it with our young kids 15 years ago) to celebrate our 30 year anniversary and retirement. I will start with the ship. It is definitely showing its age and there wasn't much cosmetic evidence that it had been freshened up. Apparently most of the work was done on the engines and ventilation system. Some carpets and upholstery had been replaced. Although the ship was not so filthy that we felt uncomfortable, we did see some evidence of dirt, garbage, dirty dishes that remained uncollected for too long. Our cabin mirrors and balcony furniture and floor were dirty when we arrived and never got cleaned. Having said that, our cabin steward was always pleasant and responsive to our needs. We tried the "guaranteed cabin" option this time (mini suite category-queen size bed) in hopes of getting upgraded to a suite but this was a big mistake. 2 days before our cruise we were assigned the last mini suite cabin at the back of the ship with special notes saying that there were 2 twin beds that could not be put together, the sink had no vanity and the shower was wheelchair accessible with no base, just drains all around it. Our travel agent and us tried to get our cabin switched but we were told the ship was full and there were none to switch with. Our cabin bathroom flooded twice when the shower was on and our toilet took very long to flush and got progressively louder during the flushes. Both of these issues were resolved but it took 2 days and 2 complaints. Once the problems had been fixed a supervisor crew member came to ask us if the matters had been resolved which we thought was good customer service. Despite the size and configuration of the beds they were clean and comfortable.

Now for the food and drinks. We had the premium drink package. Drinks were good and we usually didn't have to wait too long to get them. Jennifer and Jo Jo were our favourite bartenders! There was always a very long line at the international cafe for coffee but they did the best they could to keep it moving and the coffee was always delicious. Despite the negative reviews about the food on this ship, we always found something fresh and good to eat and we were always full. We booked our dining room dinner times before we boarded but there was always a long line in the reservation line. Sometimes we got in quicker by going to the non-reservation line. The staff tried really hard to get everyone seated within a reasonable amount of time.

We didn't attend any shows but we did go to a lot of trivia games. The entertainment crew was always ready, started on time and made sure everyone had fun! Read more