We set to sail on the Caribbean Princess Sat., Sept. 8 for 10 nights, out of Port Everglades to the southern Caribbean. Our itinerary was supposed to included St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and the Castries. Before we arrived in St. Thomas, the captain announced that Hurricane Isaac was threatening the Castries and other islands. For the safety of the passengers and crew they were changing the itinerary to St. Thomas, San Juan, Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Nassau. We weren’t happy about the change, but prefer to be safe. We received a letter in our cabin that because of the itinerary change, the cruise line would give us 20% of the cost of our cruise toward the purchase of another.
The cruise was very relaxed. Neither of the two pools that we frequented were very busy. Of course, there were a fair amount of scooters, walkers and wheelchairs onboard which would attribute to the lack of use. I would guess that the average age of the passengers was probably late 60’s.
We booked an interior guarantee and were assigned cabin B520 on deck 11. The cabins were set up differently than on other ships we have been on. I tend to get up a lot during the night, so having an area to hang your clothes (no closet) across from the bathroom tends to deflect some of the light from the bed. The room was spacious enough and the bed was comfortable. There was a 44″ TV with movies on demand.
Cabin B520 – 44″ TV (can be seen in the mirror) is above the other end of the vanity (lower left corner) 
Hanging area (behind the vanity) across from bathroom. Lighter rectangular area next to hangers is a closet with shelves and a safe.
When you enter the theater on the lowest level, you expect the seats to be easily accessible. This is not the case on the Caribbean Princess. From the lower level you have to climb up 10 – 12 steps. From that point, there are only a few seats that have easy access. For all of the other seats, you have to either walk up or walk down more steps. The upper level also requires you climbing up 10 – 12 steps, unless you use the handicap ramp. Wheelchairs and scooters were parked behind the last row of the theater seats. There is a limited amount of space. The theater set up is also difficult for the bar servers. The rows are not spaced far enough apart that they can walk through. Most of the people in the row had to stand up in order for the servers to deliver the drinks. Drinks are placed on a small table in the arm of the chair.
We have heard people rave about the food on Princess. Honestly, we were a little disappointed with the World Fresh Marketplace Buffet. The set up was cramped. The food choices were different. Dinner in the dining room was also a little disappointing. The prime rib was not only fatty, but also tough as was the NY strip steak. The lobster tail was small, wasn’t very flavorful and only had risotto as an accompaniment. Everyone did enjoy the Beef Wellington and the Chicken Pot Pie that was served during the cruise. Steamers, a seafood restaurant and Planks, a BBQ restaurant, offer complimentary breakfast or lunch. Dinner is an additional $12 per person. You can choose from various steamer pots or a fried seafood platter at Steamers or pulled pork, chicken, kielbasa, tri-tip and pork ribs at Planks. The Crown Grill serves premium seafood, lamb and beef for $29 per person. Sabitini’s, the Italian restaurant, is available for $25 per person. Starter, sides and dessert are included in the price at all the pay restaurants.
The two production shows on the ship were about the same as you see on any cruise line. Comedian, Robbie Printz, performed two nights. He was very entertaining and great at ad libbing with the audience’s responses to his questions. Stephanie Hodgson, a vocalist, was excellent. She said it was her first time headlining, but you would never know it if she hadn’t said so. Trigg Watson put on a comedy/magic show. He had some different twists to tricks we had seen before. Sarah E. Peavy, one of the Caribbean Princess’ singer/dancer, did a show with the band featuring Broadway and contemporary music. We don’t like that type of music, but she was good. Brian Cheatham, a semi-finalist from America’s Got Talent, sang and danced. We enjoyed his energetic performance. Duo Dream performed in the one production show but also in the Piazza. Their strength and balance was amazing.
The Caribbean Princess is another ship that has movies under the stars. They show a different movie each night and some additional movies during the day. On Sunday, they broadcast one of the football games. You can view the screen from the chaise lounges, from the jacuzzi or the pool. In addition to the blanket, Princess puts pads on each of the chaise lounges to make them more comfortable. If you miss a movie, on the big screen, it is available on demand in your cabin the next night.
We will most likely go on the Princess line again. In fact, we will probably use the future cruise credit that they gave us. There are lines we like better and lines we like less. It all comes down to the price. For the right price we will go on any cruise line.`