I am going on my first princess cruise soon. i am going on the Caribbean princess on the 9 night one. i would love to know what others thought about it. also about the soda stickers. i really need to know about princess way of cruising and maybe some pictures would be nice.

Caribbean Princes is our favorite so far, of Princess ships. We are doing a 4 nighter, one of her last Florida cruises before moving to NYC. The ship is great, sio much to see and do and plenty of room. We always get a balcony because we love sitting out in the morning with coffee and the evenings with a drink or a night cap. One of the first things we learned was, (hope they still have it) was on the first night in the Cafe Caribe, which is located thru the buffet to the rear of the ship, is their Seafood buffet. Maine Lobster claws, shrimp, crab legs, in huge stacks, all you can eat, but wait is that a prime rib I see them cutting in to, yes!! Enjoy, if you love seafood and beef the way we do. The anytime seating is very popular now, but just know if you go during peak hours, 6-8pm, there is usually a wait for a table, unless you will share a table with others, which is what we do. We love the buffets for breakfast and lunch. Always a good selection to choose from, if you don't see something,ask,don't be shy or you might miss out on so much.
they place in your cabin each night the Princess Patter, which tells you everything that is happening the next day. Use it, it is your "bible" while cruising. I use a hi-liter to mark off things we want to do or shows etc so we don't miss out.
The soda stickers are usually sold right outside of the buffet when you go to eat after boarding. Again if you don't see it ask, not sure of price, but if you are a big soda drinker it is worth it, no sharing each person needs their own sticker.

Any other questions please ask.

Here is a link to our pictures from the Emerald Princess, which is a sister ship to the Caribbean Princess. I will be on the Caribbean Princess for the cruise after fllady, so will post some pictures from that when I return on the 4th. It will probably be more like the 10th before they're posted, but I'll let you know. We've sailed on Royal, NCL, Carnival, Costa, HAL, and Princess, so far, to me, Princess does it best. I thought the soda sticker was about $6/day, but someone posted that it was $3.95/day. I don't drink enough soda to make it worth it. There is tea, coffee, juice, punch, and milk to drink for free. Soda by the can is $1.50 plus 15% gratuity. Drinks range from $4.50 up. I believe beer is $3.50/bottle. You can purchase wine in the dining room by the bottle, what you don't drink they will hold for you until the next evening. If you select the Personal Choice dining, you can go to the dining room when you are ready. If there is a line, they will give you a beeper like they do in restaurants and it will go off when a table becomes available. If you select the regular dining option, you have a choice of main or late seating. Also, any night you do not want to dress for dinner, you can go to the buffet (they still require a shirt and shoes at the buffet). The Skywalker Lounge is a great spot to view the ports, as well as a fun place in the evening. Best wishes and have a wonderful cruise!

The Caribbean Princess has one of the best buffets of any of the Princess ships. IF you go to early diner & they the show after be sure head up to the Horizon buffet for the crab legs before 11:00 PM. Most of the really good food is cut back at that time & replaced with other things like sandwiches along with some hot items. They also had a 2 piece strolling duet (accordion player & violin) which was a real treat to listen to. Also- Ask the head waiter at the buffet what other nights they'll have crab legs. If I recall correctly they did have them on 3 nights.

Hi...this is my first time cruising. I am going on a 9 days cruise in July with Caribbean Princess. I would like to know how is this cruise for a single woman traveling alone?

Hi VenusLibra04, I sure you'll find the people you meet on the ship to be very friendly & outgoing. Most are. You should have posted this message under a separate heading- Not that it's wrong but you might get more responses if it were posted by itself.
You picked a good ship for your first cruise.

Hi VenusLibra04, welcome to Cruise-Chat. We do have a section for singles a little further down the main page. If you'd like to post there as well. There will be so much to do, so many places to see, that you won't be able to do everything.I'm going solo on my next cruise and have gone solo before. If you're doing traditional dining and do not enjoy your tablemates, you can always switch to Personal Choice dining, ask the maitre d' to switch your table, or dine in the buffet or one of the specialty restaurants. My personal preference is Personal Choice so I can eat when I'm ready.

They will give you a Princess Patter in your room daily that will list all of the activities. There is usually a singles meet and greet on every cruise, so watch your Patter for that. Also listed in the Patter is the dress code for the day/evening.

Make sure you check out the Skywalker Lounge, not only is it a great place for dancing, but a fantastic place for viewing. There is a fitness center, lots of pools and hot tubs, saunas, a spa, a beauty salon, the internet cafe, the library, plenty of clubs/lounges, the golf area, MUTS, video arcade, the casino, and much more. Try the gelato in the International Cafe, 3 scoops for $1.50.

Just be warned, cruising is addictive Best wishes and once again, welcome aboard!

Thanks a bunch! I appreciate the feedback. ;=)

VenusLibra04, you picked a great ship for your first cruise. Princess also has singles gatherings, they will be posted in the daily Princess Patter, go and don't be shy. Enjoy

Thanks for all the info. very very much. i can not wait for this cruise. your info has helped me a lot. when i get back i will post a lot of photos from the cruise. but please keep the tips coming i need to know every thing i can about this cruise line i am going on. thanks a lot!!

Thanks, I will definitely go to the singles gatherings. I am starting to feel a lot better. Thanks, to all of the wonderful feedback. ;=)

quote:

Originally posted by penny3333:
Here is a link to our pictures from the Emerald Princess, which is a sister ship to the Caribbean Princess. I will be on the Caribbean Princess for the cruise after fllady, so will post some pictures from that when I return on the 4th. It will probably be more like the 10th before they're posted, but I'll let you know. We've sailed on Royal, NCL, Carnival, Costa, HAL, and Princess, so far, to me, Princess does it best. I thought the soda sticker was about $6/day, but someone posted that it was $3.95/day. I don't drink enough soda to make it worth it. There is tea, coffee, juice, punch, and milk to drink for free. Soda by the can is $1.50 plus 15% gratuity. Drinks range from $4.50 up. I believe beer is $3.50/bottle. You can purchase wine in the dining room by the bottle, what you don't drink they will hold for you until the next evening. If you select the Personal Choice dining, you can go to the dining room when you are ready. If there is a line, they will give you a beeper like they do in restaurants and it will go off when a table becomes available. If you select the regular dining option, you have a choice of main or late seating. Also, any night you do not want to dress for dinner, you can go to the buffet (they still require a shirt and shoes at the buffet). The Skywalker Lounge is a great spot to view the ports, as well as a fun place in the evening. Best wishes and have a wonderful cruise!

It must be something new that the forward pool is a quiet zone. Is that pool limited for "sanctuary customers" only? I believe on the Caribbean Princess it was called the Lotus pool & there wasn't a sign. It's fine by me as the main pool can get to much at times with the music, announcements, kids yelling, etc. Nice photo's- We'll be on the Emerald in Dec.

I think the lap pool was open, we didn't go in it. I didn't see many people in it though, so it might have been a part of the Sanctuary, but I don't think so. I went up to the Sanctuary quite a few times and they didn't kick me out. I didn't sit down, just took some pictures and walked around. I even had a glass of water that I helped myself to. I didn't know you had to pay to use the Sanctuary. No one said anything to me for getting a glass of water though. It's a great area, especially pulling into/or out of port. Beautiful views! Be sure to try the gelato at the International Cafe on the Plaza deck when you're on the Emerald. Yummy-3 scoops for $1.50. They also have sandwiches and deserts during the day that are free and some that you can purchase.

thanks for all the info you guys it was a great cruise and i can not wait for my next thanks!!!!!!

anyone going on the Golden Princess dec 24th? will they give me a hard time if I request to tip as I see suited? rather than an automatic

The Cruise Answer Book still describes the Hotel and Dining charge as "discretionary" so I assume that means you still have control over it.

But I think most of us consider the automatic charge a bare minimum. Only poor service would rate less than the minimum. And you should address poor service immediately with a department head and not wait until the end of the cruise to express your displeasure with a reduced tip that penalizes everybody.

We are cruising out of Long Beach on Dec 24th to Hawaii. What will the weather be like on the way?

It might get a little choppy (no guarantees) & I've always found the temps to be on the cool side for the first 2 days. A sweat shirt would be fine for an early morning walk around the deck. We brought our bathing suits one year & didn't use them on the ship at all. There will be some adults swimming but not many - mostly kids.

Will the weather be suitable for shorts during the day? I live in Michigan and am not familiar with winter in California.

Thanks

Being from Michigan you'll probably think it's summer After the first couple of days, shorts will be fine. California would be to chilly for me to be in shorts, but it'll probably be fine for y'all.