Princess Cruises - Caribbean Princess Review

We sailed the Caribbean Princess last month. It was our first cruise on this ship but not our first one on the Princess Cruise line. There were a total of 18 of us ranging in age from 4 to 65. Everyone had cruised before and everyone had a good time.  All areas are rated 1-5 stars

Cabins ****

Between us, we had a variety of rooms from interior to balconies. All of the rooms were as expected: small but well laid out. There was room for everything once we were unpacked and you were easily able to get around. The couple in the inside wished they had a window to tell the weather but that was the only complaint. We had a large covered balcony on the Caribe deck which was nice as I am not a big sit out in the straight sun fan.

Dining *****

Princess ships have the option of "anytime dinning" which allowed us to eat when we wanted to - a big plus when the ages were so varied! On the Caribbean Princess, we preferred the Coral Dining room over the Palm Dining room with its fast service and pleasant waiters. The food was always decent and the selection good. They have a kids menu, everyday choices and a nice wine selection. Sabatini's was great and well worth a visit.

The Horizon Court Buffet is well, a buffet. I am not a big buffet fan and usually avoid them but I did pick up a lunch with my youngest one day and it was fine. Speaking of my youngest, she loved Caribbean Princess's 3:30 pm free ice cream and warm chocolate chip cookies almost as much as her Dad! Both of them are big ice cream sundae and warm cookie nuts!

The kids all enjoyed the poolside pizza and the veggie burgers were okay, not as good as Celebrity, but decent. I should note that with anytime dinning you should call for reservations the day before, to avoid any waiting.

One other thing worth noting is the Caribbean Princess balcony dinner where we got a lobster dinner (with champagne) served to us on our balcony table complete with flowers. Very nice and it even includes a photo. I believe it was around $100 but a lovely choice for an anniversary, birthday or just a romantic dinner for two.

Toddlers **** School Age **** Teens ****

The Caribbean Princess has a nice set up for kids. I did check them out and the kids would drop in a few times but most of our kids just hung around with their cousins. The younger school kids (under 10) did a few activities and the little ones (4-6) had a blast every time they got to go. The age for the younger group was 3-5 but we had one that just turned 6 so she went with her 2 cousins in the younger group. It was a much better match than the 6 to 9 would have been.

Since we were traveling with cousins that live far apart, the kids enjoyed spending time together. They are more likely to hit the kids clubs when they travel with only their siblings. They would look over the days options (kids club and ship) then decide what they wanted to do. They did enjoy playing Wii, the dedicated-sports area (basketball, ping-pong) and the pools especially the Calypso Pool which had the large movie screen. All in all, they all enjoyed the ship, the food and the ports. I gave them 4 stars across the boards because all of the kids on the ship seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Adults ****

All of us adults had a great time on the Caribbean Princess. I am guessing some of that might have been the company but we did have a great time. We played and won the 70's trivia contest and the guys won a sports one. Picked up a Tarkay (know your art before bidding) at an art auction. Again, know what you are bidding on before raising your hand! Some people got good deals while others really over paid. If you know what things are worth and you like the piece, go for it. If you are unsure, research it before bidding. Of course if it is cheap, and you like it, why not?

The lounges were hit and miss and the drinks (as always expensive) so that is something to watch out for. But we enjoyed the bands, danced, hit all the ports and enjoyed the kids - so no complaints from the adults.

Entertainment ***

The comedian on the Caribbean Princess was great and we only hit one other show which was well done. We skipped the rest but while waiting to get back on the ship one day a lady insisted on telling me about the two shows I missed because she felt they were that good. So, I'm guessing they were decent as well. I won in the casino and my husband lost: we left about $100 ahead at the end of the cruise. The others in our group won and donated as well, such is the nature of casinos.

I will mention the theater could be larger as they seats go fast. If there is a show you don't want to miss, get there about ½ hour early to ensure decent seats. Since this was a warm climate cruise, the Caribbean Princess did all the regular sophomoric humor like the hairy leg contest.

Crew ****

All of the crew on the Caribbean Princess did a good job: they were efficient, hard working and discreet. The room stewards for all of our cabins did an outstanding job and were right on top of things the minute we left our cabins.

The only place I saw a crew issue would be outside in the pool area. There were many chairs "held" by towels which for sun worshipers are a pain in the behind. Some of the crew would remove the towels if the guests did not return in an hour (which they should) while others let this slide. For some this was a big deal and people were complaining both time we were eating outside. I know it is annoying for people to save and it is the crew that needs to step in but it wasn't a big deal to us (we don't lay out) but it appeared to upset some of the other passengers.

Overall ****

All 18 of us enjoyed our cruise on the Caribbean Princess. Everyone always enjoys the movies under the stars (MUTTS) which are only on Princess .so that was fun and the balcony dinner was very nice. We liked the option of the anytime dinning which ran pretty smoothly with the day before reservation - especially with large parties. The Caribbean Princess was a nice ship with an efficient crew and a fun itinerary.