Caribbean Princess Cruise Review

Eastern Caribbean on the Caribbean Princess Cruise Ship

We set sail in anticipation of beautiful full moonlit nights and we were ecstatic to share them. However, the many morning rainbows soon eclipsed our gorgeous nights. Vincent photographed several of these phenomena, and his favorite is one snapshot of twin rainbows --- just so rare.

This was our second cruise on the Caribbean Princess; we have already published a deck by deck review of that 2006 trip describing this wonderful ship built in the Fincantieri Shipyards of Italy (Hull #6067) and launched in 2004. She has weathered both the sea and the onslaught of more than 3,150 passengers on board each and every week. You may take it from us that the Caribbean Princess is every bit as beautiful as when she was launched.

Captain Giuseppe Romano and Vincent were both happy to reminisce about their Italian roots and the Captain's birth place Meta di Sorrento in the Bay of Naples. Captain La Fauci from Carnival Triumph spoke so highly of Captain Romano that we wanted to meet him last year; however, when we came on board then, he was on vacation. So it was nice to finally meet him. We were also very happy to re-encounter Passenger Services Director Peter Hollinson. These two men don't just casually inquire how your cruise is going, but are intensely interested in making your cruise excellent!

This trip came hard on the heels of Mary's knee replacement surgery complicated by a fractured femur one month later. So it was with some trepidation that we embarked. We had a new DRIVE motorized wheelchair which made life on board more comfortable. Mr. Hollinson was instrumental in having it serviced (more later). Deprived of air travel, we had to forgo a trip to Southampton, England and a return by sea on the Jewel of the Seas to Ft. Lauderdale scheduled for the 28th of October; thus we were very happy that Mary's surgeon allowed her to take this cruise.

We traveled with two other couples and were awed each evening by our old friend Executive Chef Giuseppe Pollara whose cuisine was topnotch. This review will center on just how excellent the Caribbean Princess crew and officers are, and how they went to extra lengths to ensure passenger comfort and enjoyment.

EMBARKATION
Boarding on Sunday is much easier than on weekdays. The I-95 traffic was light and Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale is just 30 minutes from our home in Boca Raton. Boarding time was listed as 1:00pm, but processing started much earlier. We arrived at 12:30pm and were on board and in our stateroom by 1:15pm. Check in was very efficient, orderly, quick and cordial.

SHIP
Built in 2004 and registered in Hamilton, Bermuda; the Caribbean Princess has a gross tonnage of 112,894, is 951 ft. long and 118 ft. in the beam; her cruising speed is 22.5 knots. She carries 3,150 passengers and has a crew of 1,200. She has 19 decks with the Skywalkers nightclub located aft, up in the spoiler which is the defining feature of the C. Princess. The spoiler is what distinguishes this class of ships and makes it easily recognizable in port or from afar in silhouette. Overall the ship is magnificently decorated and appointed: Decks 1 through 4 are for the crew and ship services; Decks 5, 6, 7 are all public areas except for crew cabins in the prow; Decks 8 through 12 are passenger cabins; Deck 14 has passenger cabins, except all the way aft there is the Terrace Pool. Decks 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 are all passenger venues including the following: Horizon Court Buffet, Calypso Reef and Pool, Lotus Spa & Gym, Jogging Track, Sun Terrace and Movies under the Stars, the Princess Links, the Children's Fun Zone, Pirates View and Morgan's Bar and the space inspired Skywalkers Nightclub. This ship has both spacious and busy areas, plus delightful quiet and intimate clubs and rooms, thus serving all passengers' desires.

SERVICE & FOOD
We find that service on board is usually a reflection of the personalities of the Captain and his Crew and staff. Captain Romano is warm and very competent so it follows that service on the ship mirrors his character. PSD Peter Hollinson is quite sincere when he asks if there is anything he can do for you. We had a problem with our wheelchair's swing away pedal not locking; Mr. Hollinson contacted Chief Engineer Raffaele Pollio and he came to see us and arranged an appointment to pick up the chair at 8:00am the following morning. Vincent kept asking if they thought they could fix it. The C. Princess is a floating city able to make its own 2731 tons of fresh water, generate its own electrical power and energy, has a chapel, a hospital, several restaurants and is capable of sewage treatment. Needless to say, they can make and fix anything! Forty-five minutes later the wheelchair was returned A-OK. We can't thank Engineer Pollio enough. We have new respect for the ship's engineers.

Of course, the best part of cruising is the excellent food and dining room service. Chef Pollara is a genial accomplished chef. Don't miss his cooking show in order to get his recipe for "Chicken Ding." He presented our group of six with some magnificent Antipasti of prosciutto, cheese, marinated vegetables including mushrooms, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, etc. The Insalata Caprese was perfect.

Maitre d' Angelo Balbiani has impeccable manners and has trained his staff in his image. Assistant Maitre d' Riccardo Gatti is a very alert man and we were served wonderfully by our waiter Jose Marques (Portugal) and his assistant Lathu Kongkudang. After the first evening they knew our preferences and we didn't have to ever ask for anything ---- things just materialized each night: lemon wedges, ice tea, hot pepper flake, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, etc., etc., etc.... The food is varied and exotic from exquisite Fettuccine Alfredo, to crispy spring rolls all done to perfection. Soups are either hot or cold, composed of broths, fresh vegetables and even tropical fruits, like a goblet of mango sorbet with a touch of lime and delightful cordial.

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