Welcome to Your Favorites, where you have the opportunity to share your travel experiences with fellow Internet Travelers around the world.

Princess Cruise Line

MS Caribbean Princess

Your Rating:
Reviewed by:: Sherry Crossno
# previous cruises: 10
Date of Trip: March 25, 2006
Itinerary: Caribbean - Eastern

This was my first cruise and I wasn't sure I would like cruising. I have traveled the world and have always preferred the destination to the journey, however this ship changed my mind! The Caribbean Princess is a beautiful ship with an outstanding crew and wonderful accommodations.

Although the ship carries 3100 passengers (and was full on our cruise) we never felt crowded. We always got seats at the theaters and lounges without waiting(arrived a few minutes early for shows) and always found tables in the restaurants without waiting. The public areas were beautiful. The Atrium was several stories high and lovely. The library was well stocked. I have one complaint about it. The bookcases were always locked except for rather restrictive hours. The pools were good, but I preferred the adults only pools and hot tubs. It did take us several days to find our way around because the ship is so large, but a friendly crew member was always around to give us directions.

The food was good and plentiful. While not truly gourmet, it was certainly tasty and prepared well. The service staff was very accommodating and pleasant. We utilized Personal Choice dining and tried all of the non-cover restaurants. We ate at all different times and never had to wait for a table. Not even in the two regular dining rooms where we shared tables with other passengers. Didn't try room service because we didn't spend a lot of time in the cabin.

The cabin was decently sized and laid out quite efficiently. The beds were firm and comfortable. The bathroom was quite small and the joke among passengers was not to drop the soap in the shower. I am not a small person and I found it OK but would have preferred a glass shower door rather than the curtain. The bathroom could only hold one person at a time. The hair dryer and vanity was in the main section of the cabin. The closet was large and offered plenty of space and hangers. Next to it was a series of open shelves for misc. items. There was adequate drawer space. It would have been nice for a plastic bag or two to have been provided for dirty clothes. On my next cruise I will book a balcony cabin. The window was over the bed and while it gave good light, it was a little difficult to look out of it.

We attended two shows in the Princess Theater and found them to be entertaining and energetic if just a little hokey. Not a bad seat in the house and the acoustics were great. The lounges had some really good performers including Bert, a singer and pianist who must know almost every song written in the last 50 years. He would ask for requests and then do a medley of 30 or so in the order they were requested without benefit of pencil and paper. He plays standing up and is hyperkinetic but sooo entertaining.

There were activities available from morning to the wee hours. There was something for everyone. There is a great children's program but I was surprised to see that the night programs for teens started at about 11:30pm. You had a great choice of excursions and some were outstanding and others should be skipped. Our snorkeling trip to St. Johns was cancelled due to rough seas and the alternate tour we took of St. Thomas was somewhat boring. We enjoyed our snorkeling expedition on St. Maarten and the shopping was fun. The ships private Princess Cay on Eleuthra was very nice and offered lots of food and activities. I used neither the health club or the Spa. I had been told the Spa people were quite pushy about their products but I can't say from personal experience.

There seemed to be a good mix of passengers. We went during Spring Break but the children, while numerous, seemed to be in good control. The people we shared a table with on two nights would certainly qualify for an invitation to dinner. Very nice companions.