On this cruise, we’re starting to find that pattern. Breakfast in the Lido (usually an egg white omelette, fruit, and some pistachios for me). Walking around the deck (about 3 miles each day). Watching the ATK demonstration (“New Italian Favorites” today). Enjoying the talented LCS quintet perform (“Women in Music” today).

View sailing into Aruba…

Today, we did much of that in the morning as our ship wasn’t scheduled to dock in Aruba until after 1pm. Given that folks had been on the ship for nearly two days and likely itching to get ashore, we opted to wait until after 2pm to disembark ourselves. Plus, we didn’t have a lot more planned than simply wandering around Oranjestad (Libby and I had been here previously), which we recalled as one of the nicer ports in the Caribbean.

Libby and Emerson in Aruba

The port was largely as we remembered it; although, I thought it was a bit more upscale than it appeared on this day. It’s not that it was especially run down — just a more vacant shops and a higher concentration of touristy-tacky merchandise then I’d remembered. We did a little shopping and picked up some tennis shoes for Libby, which we’d in hindsight not-so-strategically opted to leave at home. It was a pleasant enough way the spend an afternoon, though I wasn’t “feeling Aruba” today.

Indeed, it was one of those days of travel in which I just felt “off” for no particular reason. It’s not an unknown feeling to me. The first time I really recall feeling that way was on our second visit to Vienna, though I’m sure it wasn’t novel to me then either; it’s just that I don’t was more keenly aware of it that day. I’m at a loss to explain its genesis. It’s not that anything “bad” in particular happens to me on those days. I just inexplicably find myself feeling restive and/or filled with ennui on occasion when traveling.

Oh well. Enough with the psychoanalysis.

For dinner, we returned to the ship and enjoyed a surprisingly good meal in the dining room. Emerson, who’s forsaken the kid’s menu altogether, particularly enjoyed it having discovered carne asada and consuming a delightful strawberry crisp. This was followed by the aforementioned LCS concert. After the show, Emerson had a chance to meet some of the musicians, as well as the viola player’s very kind mother (who was herself a musician and violin teacher for 38 years).

I’ve actually managed to post new photos from a recent trip!

Here’s the link to the photo album:

Southern Caribbean (2011), Caribbean Princess (San Juan Roundtrip)

Usual warning: this assessment is more-or-less subjective and based on our experiences. Your mileage may vary.

Ship

Overall, we weren’t wowed by the look and feel of the Caribbean Princess. Despite its size (as of this writing it’s the second largest ship we’ve ever sailed on), it doesn’t feel especially “grand” in either its bulk or appointments. The décor seems relatively nondescript. Let’s call it classic “Cruise Ship-esque” (you know, stylized nods to traditional travel-centric motifs, especially Mediterranean).

Highlights include the Crown Grill (art deco-inspired with lovely wood wainscoting), some of the more nautically-themed bars (which always feel apropos to me on a ship), the casino (while non-descript, feels open, airy, and inviting), and the outside pool decks (again, not a riot for the senses, but well configured).

The lowlight has to be the main stage theatre (very low ceiling; utterly devoid of style or charm). I think it’s the single most underwhelming theatre I’ve ever experienced on a cruise ship. The other trouble spot seems to be the Horizon Court / Café Caribe area: here the décor is very nice (one of the better looking Lido buffets we’ve seen), but the design/layout is suspect (too little space for too many passengers; poor foot traffic flow, especially around the food).

Overall, Caribbean Princess is tidy, well cared for, and pleasing but somewhat forgettable.

Cabin

We’re in cabin #B201. This is a forward balcony stateroom on the Baja deck. Like the rest of the ship, the décor is fairly nondescript and the layout is a little “different.” Instead of the more typical layout with the entryway split by the bathroom on one side and the closest on the other, the cabin has a doorway to one side of the room. This configuration allows for a sort of “walk-in” closet / dressing area and a squarer (rather than rectangular) bathroom. The upside: a lot more storage space and dressing privacy. The downside: it makes the cabin feel smaller than the actual square footage.

Three additional pluses for the cabin: 1) the balcony seems a little larger than some others we’ve had in the past, 2) it has a mini-fridge (always useful), and 3) it has a relatively new flat-screen television (with jacks for hooking up iPads, etc.). Two other minor gripes about the cabin: 1) it lacks a loveseat / couch, so comfortable seating is limited, and 2) the shower has a curtain rather than a door (not uncommon, but always annoying).

In all, it’s a comfortable cabin. It would be less than ideal for three people, but it’s well suited to two people, especially those who pack more heavily, are on longer voyages, or sharing a cabin with someone who’s “close but not that close” (given the more private dressing area).

Sonia, our cabin attendant, has been very good throughout the trip. She’s efficient, unobtrusive, and friendly, though not especially personable. She just quietly goes about doing her job well.

Dining

On our last cruise (aboard Celebrity), we went in with high expectations for food and service, but we came away less than impressed. On this cruise, we went in with no preconceived notions (or maybe even a slightly negative bias, based on my mother’s prior experience some years ago and a slight theme of “Princess now isn’t the Princess of old” that I’d seen in online reviews and message boards). Yet, we’re coming away favorably impressed—almost uniformly good (or better) food paired with good (or better) service.

Let’s start with the main dining room. Although none of the dishes have been wildly memorable, the overall quality has been consistently high. Indeed, I think the main dining room food has been as good as (and perhaps better than) that of any prior cruise. What’s more, the service—despite using AnyTime Dining (the “eat when you want” option, which usually seems to degrade service slightly)—has also been exceptional. Based on our experience, we’d rank Princess #1 in main dining room performance.

Moving on to the buffet, we’ve also found high levels of quality and service. It reminds us most of Holland America’s buffet venue. Unfortunately also like HAL, the selections are somewhat more limited too (relative to say the offerings at Royal Caribbean’s Windjammer Buffet). However, unlike HAL and (to a lesser degree) Celebrity, the operating hours of Horizon Court / Café Caribe (as well as the burger/hot dog grill and pizza station) are much better / later. For example, dinner is available until 11pm (as are burgers and pizza). Indeed, the buffet is basically a 24-hour operation aboard Princess—that could be especially helpful when traveling with Emerson or on less leisurely itineraries (such as late nights in port in Europe). On a related note, we agree that Princess deserves the title for providing the “Best Pizza At Sea.”

I’ve already talked about the specialty dining venues extensively. So, I’ll attempt to summarize here.

The Crown Grill ($25/pp.) was excellent. “Best at Sea” worthy? Maybe. We thought it a notch above Cagney’s on NCL. It’s probably better than Chops aboard RCI, though Libby’s slow braised BBQ pork shank aboard Brilliance remains etched in our minds. It seemed roughly on par with the Pinnacle Grill aboard HAL in terms of food and service quality. Yet, somehow, we enjoyed it more than HAL’s offering, which might have been more due to the selections available or our collective mood. In the end, we liked that the Crown Grill’s approach is to simply prepare really good food… rather than attempting to make dishes ‘sophisticated’ merely by tarting them up unnecessarily.

Sabatini’s ($20/pp.)—the Princess Italian offering—is also probably “Best at Sea” worthy. But, that’s mostly due to weak competition rather than the strength of the Princess showing. Sadly, nearly every cruise line with an Italian offering goes in one of two tragic directions: 1) a poor attempt at Olive Garden cuisine (e.g., NCL), or 2) a bad rendition of 1980’s Italian fine dining (e.g., Royal Caribbean). Princess falls into the second category… they just execute it better than others, which isn’t exactly an accolade.

Now, let’s talk about Ultimate Balcony Dining. At $100 per couple, it ain’t exactly cheap. But, it’s excellent value for money. You get specialty restaurant caliber food (let’s call that $25/pp. in ‘retail’ price), two cocktails (avg. $6/pp.), a half bottle of sparkling wine ($20), flowers ($10), and an 8×10 photo ($20). By my calculation, that’s $112 in goods/services for $100… plus you get a unique experience, dedicated wait staff (two servers), and the luxury of a leisurely, relaxing meal on your private balcony. To us, that’s MasterCard commercial “priceless” worthy. So, if you have the means, I highly recommend it.

Finally, I have a few random notes: the beer selection is pretty good (e.g., Blue Moon, Franziskiner). The wine selection is mediocre (but as a plus Princess allows you to bring wine aboard the ship!). The specialty coffees are good, but the coffee card makes them an excellent value (15 drinks for $30—if only Starbucks had such a card!). The International Cafe also offers good breakfast pastries, sandwiches, soups, and desserts. And, the “Power Hours” drink specials ($2.99 from 8pm until late at all bars) are actually a special price (unlike most ships’ “drink of the day” offerings).

Entertainment

We saw relatively few shows and guest performances (in part or whole). Therefore, I can’t comment on these extensively other than to say that the ship’s performers seemed to be somewhat below par relative to our past cruise experiences (which, I might add, isn’t generally an especially high standard to start).

As this was a port intensive cruise in the Caribbean, there was little in the way of enrichment and nothing in the way of guest/port lecturers (other than the usual inane ‘port shopping expert’ presentations—message: “buy crap from stores where gets a commission).

In the food/wine enrichment department, nothing really can compare to Holland America with its dedicated culinary showroom, guest chefs, and partnership with Food & Wine magazine. As such, Princess’s program seemed more typical of most cruise lines (cooking / cake decorating demonstrations, ice carving, wine tastings, etc.).

Itinerary / Ports

Like dining, I’ve talked about the ports extensively in earlier posts. So, I’ll attempt to summarize here:

San Juan, Puerto Rico – we really liked historic and charming Old San Juan. We wouldn’t hesitate to sail out of here again. And, we’re looking forward to seeing more of the island after disembarking from the ship.

St. Thomas – for good or bad, this is what you might expect from a Caribbean island port of call. It has attractive surf and sand, lots of duty free shopping (of potentially dubious value), and little in the way of cultural or historical significance readily on display.

Dominica – a less developed island, yet rich in natural beauty. While Roseau is underwhelming, the rainforest is breathtaking and not to be missed.

Grenada – much like Dominica, it could be a textbook definition of a ‘tropical paradise’ with its amazing diversity of natural spices and fruit growing in a beautiful environment.

Bonaire – the port town of Kralendijk, while clearly tourism oriented, seemed unbothered by the arrival of our ship (indeed, many of the beach bars were closed) – ultimately, the best aspects of the island are along its shores: have a beach day or enjoy the water by diving / snorkeling.

Aruba – similar to Bonaire but more populated and developed (for good or bad). Here again, the island’s shores are a great asset, but it’s a fine port for shopping as well (and, unlike St. Thomas, a bit more upscale in form and substance).

Summary

All in all, a very good—maybe even a great—vacation.

While the Caribbean isn’t our favorite destination, we really enjoyed most of these ports. Highlights included Old San Juan (for its history and charm), Dominica and Grenada (for scenic splendor and natural beauty), and Aruba (as a shopping destination).

As for Princess, we’ve come away very impressed.

Like every cruise line, Princess has its positives and negatives. That said, the highs have greatly outnumbered the lows on this cruise. Princess also offers some unique features such as “Ultimate Balcony Dining” and has pioneered other innovations like “Movies Under the Stars.” Finally, Princess doesn’t seem to nickel-and-dime passengers as much as some lines once they’re aboard ship. Here are some examples of good value: the soda package price is reasonable, the bring-your-own-wine policy is liberal, the nightly drink specials represent a decent value, and the specialty coffee card provides real savings. Finally, the food (and associated service) has been consistently some of the best we’ve experienced on any cruise.

We definitely plan to sail with Princess again. What else can I say?

When all was done, we ventured out to explore Oranjestad in Aruba. While not exactly charming, the city is attractive and in good condition. We enjoyed walking along the waterfront (wonderful shades of blue and green water… turquoise, aquamarine, cerulean, and royal).

Unlike St. Thomas, the shopping and resorts seemed a little more refined and upscale with fewer retailers of trinkets and trash. Here again, it pays to know pricing (free WiFi, which you can find in most ports, is a good means to double check value before making a purchase). Example, I found a Seiko watch for $300 in Aruba ($450 MSRP), which can be bought in the US for less than $200. Products from Europe, however, offered better value: Libby purchased a Longchamps purse; I got a Frederique Constant watch (not well known in the USA, but a good quality/value watch that I’m familiar with from our travels in Europe).

We returned to the ship for a light, late lunch (big dinner at Sabatini’s tonight). We ate in Horizon Court. Like last night, our impression remains the same: good quality (for a buffet), somewhat limited selection (relative to other cruise lines), and a bit crowded (both the serving and seating space seems physically constrained–it should be interesting to see what it’s like on a sea day tomorrow at peak times). We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing aboard the ship… reading, blogging, chatting, etc.

Tonight’s dinner in the ship’s Italian specialty restaurant was decent. Basically, you pick a main course (secondi piatti), and they serve you a sampling of a number of dishes (cold and warm antipasti), thin crust pizza, pastas, etc. You don’t get a lot of any one thing (though I’m sure you could ask for more), but you get a lot of everything in total. It was basically good… though nothing especially great. Overall, it was still the best Italian specialty restaurant food we’ve had at sea. But, that’s more because the competition (from HAL, RCI, and NCL) have all been rather weak. I’m still waiting for an amazing Italian meal on the high seas (like we’ve had with Asian and steak/seafood).

Today’s box score: +1 country (Aruba–bringing our grand total to 45!)

Here are a couple of photos from today: