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Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess January 2008 by LEESRE Caribbean |
We booked this cruise through Cruise Kings in Glasgow and the overall impression was very good. We flew into Orlando to start our holiday and had 3 days in the Hilton Walt Disney World. Once we had landed we were met by a gentleman who said that our car awaited. We were escorted to our limo for our transfers to Walt Disney World. A big thumbs up for Princess organisation. Our 3 days in Disney was a little bit of a disappointment in that the weather was cold and it rained on 2 of the three days, this did curtail us somewhat. We could not fault the Hotel as it is right in the heart of Downtown Disney and you could reach Pleasure Island just by walking out of the hotel. On our last morning we were again picked up and transported to Fort Lauderdale, again a big thumbs up for Princess we had a luxury van for just three people and the transfer was very pleasant. We arrived at Port Everglades at about 11.15am and were told that embarkation would not commence till around 12 noon. As we are Elite members of the Captain Circle it meant that we did not have to join the queue but were shown to a side door for us to embark. We were on the ship within 25 minutes of arriving at the port. We had a mini-suite on Dolphin deck which we found to be very spacious and the usual perks were all in place. You get a mini bar set up for you with mixers, beer, water and 8 miniatures of whisky, gin, vodka etc. We left our carry on in the cabin and then went up to the buffet for lunch, unfortunately the buffet was very crowded so we went to the Island Grill and managed to get a seat in the sunshine. At 4.15pm we were asked to go to the muster drill which for us was held in the Theatre, this is far more civilised than a lot of cruise companies, we sat in the air conditioned theatre and were shown the way to put on our life vests. After this our sailway was at 5.00pm once we left the harbour then is was a little choppy but soon we had our sea legs. We had opted this time round to have any time dining, we have not done this before, so I rand the Palm dining room and booked us in for 8pm. Our table when we arrived was right at the back of the ship and we could feel the movement, so when we left the restaurant we asked the Maitre’d if we could possibly find a better table. He was very good and said that we could look and see which table suited us, we then chose table number 119 and he said if we were happy with this then we need not book again for the rest of the cruise but this table would be ours at 8pm every evening. We just showed up at the correct time and were shown to our table. We felt that this worked for us as we did not have to wait till later like you would if you were on Traditional Dining. Our table waiters Rudy and Vincent were excellent. The following day we had a birthday and when we opened the cabin door we had balloons wishing us a happy birthday also a certificate to give to the Maitre’d at dinner for a cake. This being a sea day we spent most of the day just lounging around near to the pool and also on our balcony. The following day also was a sea day and again a very relaxing one in that the weather was kind to us and we spent most of the time soaking up the sunshine. Day three we arrive in Saint Maarten at around 7 am and we had been here before. So we had breakfast and then headed out to the taxi point and asked for a taxi to Divi Beach on Small Bay. This took approx half an hour to reach the beach . Once we got there we hired some chairs, 5 dollars per chair for the whole day, and spent a very relaxing day sitting on the beach and snorkelling. The snorkelling here is very very good and you pay far less doing this trip on your own than paying the cruise line. They do this as an excursion from the ship and you will pay about double what we were charged. I think the taxi was 6 dollars per person. All in all a very enjoyable time. On the beach you can get drinks and food and the hotel will allow you to use their facilities. Day four saw us arrive in St. Thomas at the new pier Crown Bay, here we hired a taxi again and went over to Coki beach , this beach is near Coral World and for anyone who like to snorkel then this is the place for you. The fish were amazing and you can buy fish food, which turned out to be dog biscuits, but how the fish just loved them. I have never had so many fish so close to my mask. We were amazed again in that the local bar owner came over to us and said that our taxi driver had just rung him to say he was on his way to take us back to the ship. We had organised this when we left the taxi in the morning, but for the local bar man to remember us on this beach was just remarkable. The taxi arrived and he said that he would take us back the scenic route and if we wanted he would drop us off in St. Thomas for a couple of hours to do some shopping. This we did and he did not charge us any extra, the whole deal was 10 dollars per person plus 5 dollars again for the chairs once on the beach. We went off in St. Thomas to our local bar that we frequent when we are on the Island, this bar is called Gladys’s. She has been here for some years and the welcome is always the same. If you are in St. Thomas give it a try. We then had a surprise in store the following day was a sea day and we had been invited to lunch with the Captain, in all our cruises this had not happened to us before. We found out on the day that we were one of 20 most frequent travellers on this particular voyage, this was a very enjoyable lunch. Day six was a call at Princess Cays which again is a relaxing day with Bar B Q lunch. Unfortunately being as though this was only a seven night cruise it meant that we were back in Port Everglades before we knew it. We were met at the dock side by a Princess representative called Jaime and because we had a very late flight from Miami he said that we would be taken to a hotel for lunch. Being as though we were a little early for lunch he suggested that he take us down town in Miami to South Beach and the to lunch. After lunch he would take us to a shopping Mall and the back to the hotel for afternoon tea and then on to the airport for our flight. I must say that the organisation from Princess could not be faulted and I must praise all their staff on this trip. After a very uneventful flight with Virgin Atlantic we were soon back home. Cannot wait till we can book again with Princess Cruises |
| Cabin: Mini Suite D114 D Deck |
Cruise Line = PRINCESS Ship Name = CARIBBEAN PRINCESS Date of Sailing = 27TH JANUARY, 2008 How many cruises have you done = 34 Ship Facilities = 4 Entertainment = 3 Dining Room Service = 3 Spa Facilities = 4 Food = 3 Sports Facilities = 4 Cabin Layout = 5 Bars & Lounges = 4 Ports of Call = 3 Cabin Number = D114 Cabin location = D DECK Type of Cabin = MINI-SUITE Overall cruise rating out of 5 = 5 . |