What do you think of the Caribbean Princess?

Question

I just booked a cruise on the Caribbean Princess, and just was wonderig if anyone had any advice or knew any secrets?

Answer 1

what?

Answer 2

I was on Caribbean Princess in April of 07 It was very nice. Make sure you go and see the shows they put on in the evening. Food is awesome.  The days at sea are well planned out by the staff, so get involved in the games they have out by the pool. When we were there, they had a Survival Challenge, It was so cool.  And it ended up with my husband winning!!

We got over a $1000. worth of prizes.  Its not about muscles either! you'll have a great time.  make sure you check out the jewelry too! in port and on the ship! great prices. have fun!

Answer 3

I have been on three Princess ships but not the Caribbean Princess.  But here's my advice to people going cruising for the first time.

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take swim wear, shorts, sandals, beach shoes, your snorkel equipment if you have it, sun glasses and sun screen, lotions, a cap or big hat for the sun, a book if you are a reader, your music player, sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, good walking shoes, your camera, and other personal toiletries.

Your cabin will have towels and soap provided, including pool and beach towels. It will also have a generic hair shampoo so you do not need to bring that unless you like a specific brand. They do not provide tooth paste, mouth wash or lotions. They DO provide a hair dryer.

After 6:00 PM they request that you wear "sports or resort casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, (like a bank employee), shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

Your cruise will have a formal night or two when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED not required attire. You will not be denied entry to the main dining room if you decide not to dress up, as long as you are at least sports casual. But most people do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women. Kids will be fine in clothes other than swim wear but must have on shoes. Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown. You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up.

- Its best to pack using soft-sided luggage because with space limited in your cabin it fits under the beds better if its not hard sided luggage. Take a small carry-on bag for the last night of the cruise. On the last evening you will be required to put your luggage outside your cabin by about 2:00 AM so that they can start taking it down to the lower deck for offloading the next morning. So you will need a small bag for your toiletries and your clothes that you sleep in.

- Join the cruise club so that the cruise line will send you their specials and so that you can get discounts on future cruises with them. The discount will typically be $50 to $100 per person.

- Cruise lines charge a lot (about $15 to $25 per photo) for the photos they take so take your own photos around the ship when you get the chance, especially on the formal nights. Take your own camera and ask other passengers to take photos for you, they generally are very willing.

- The cruise lines do not allow you to bring alcoholic beverage on board, EXCEPT some do let you bring a bottle or two of wine or champaign. If you will be cruising on Princess each person age 21 or older can bring on one bottle of wine or Champaign FOR YOUR CABIN.

- If you can take a six-pack of bottled water and soft drinks in your carry-on for your cabin. You will have to pay for both on the ship and its nice to have those handy in the cabin.

- If you are taking your cell phone, MP3 player or other item that needs to be plugged in take an extension cord as the plugs in the cabin are generally not in the best places and there are usually only one or two.

- Take a small bottle of hand sanitizer. There are generally sanitizer dispensers at the entrances of restaurants, the buffets and dining room, but some times the are not there or not working. The sanitizer helps prevent the spread of the Norwalk Virus that sometimes occur on cruise ships.

The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (except the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship, except the spa services and the internet. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for drinks (alcoholic beverages) and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink of soft drink order.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: These are listed on your cruise line web site and you can reserve them well before the cruise and pay for them also. If you wait until you are on ship to book tours they will be charged to your on board account (then you can pay cash to settle your account on the last day). Once you book your cruise the cruise line will send you a booklet listing all of the tours.

SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.

CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that.

OTHER: most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all that will be available.

If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.

Ships now have internet cafe and some have WiFi but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour).

You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7).

Answer 4

Book your cruise shore excursions on line as soon as you are able. The popular ones sell out quick. You can always edit or modify it as the time gets closer if you change your mind. Just remember that the week before you can't edit it, but can change when you get on the ship if the tour is 2 days in advance. One cool secret if they are still doing it is that at 3pm every day you can get a ice cream sundae in the buffet court for free, otherwise you have to pay extra for ice cream, except unless you order it at dinner in the dinning room. To keep you weight from getting way out of hand, it is better if you eat in the dinning room, less temptations. Also use the stairs and walk a lot. Never the less, have a great time. The hardest part about this cruise is waiting for the day to come.

Answer 5

I hear its real nice. Im also booked on that ship in 8/08. I am looking foward to it. Its a very good quality ship. Better then Carnival.