Thread: would you choose to sail on the Caribbean Princess??

This will be my first Princess cruise.
I have been very loyal to Celebrity and have loved every cruise with them. I am sailing with my aunt. If it was only myself to consider I would" choose and go for it". But my aunt loves Celebrity-the excellent service, the quiet nooks....Does the CB also offer this?
I have considered Princess to experience the "new" feeling. Exploring the ship....getting lost, seeing everything for the first time.
The CB is offering a 14 day Southern route in Feb that sounds wonderful.
1) did you like the CB, why, why not
2)first cruise on the CB, what should I absolutely not miss ( activity, food etc..... )
3) I have read some complaints about smoking. Is it majorly in your face or are there areas? For example: on the X ships one side of the pool area is smoking ( ashtrays ) while the other is not.
ANY info you can give me would be so appreciated
MANY THANKS
Nadine

I've sailed on the CB twice. Loved both times. Be prepared for a really BIG ship and lots of walking.
Smoking on Princess is sided just like Celebrity.
Don't miss the Love Boat Dream dessert (lol) & The Champagne Waterfall

We've been on Princess several times and have always loved them.

We were on the Caribbean Princess two years ago with a group of 9 of us; it was our daughter's bon voyage cruise to send her off to the Navy. In fact, two days after we got back, she left for boot camp. We had an absolutely wonderful time! Between the 9 of us, we ran up a bar bill of $3600!! We were suppose to do an Eastern Caribbean cruise, but because of a hurricane coming up, the captain decided to do a Western Caribbean itinerary instead. We had beautiful weather and was glad he made that decision. The food was great, the service was very good, and the ship is very nice. We especially like the aft pool because it's under the nightclub, which made it nice for those of us who aren't sun worshipers. And because it's in the shade, it wasn't as crowded as the same pool on the Crown Princess.

We were on the Crown Princess in March this year to the Southern Caribbean and it was equally as nice. Since the nightclub is pushed forward on this ship, the aft pool is always in the sun and therefore more crowded.

The same group went on the Navigator of the Seas two years before and all of us agreed on the comparison between the Navigator and the Caribbean Princess; we liked the food better on the Caribbean Princess, the service was fairly equal, both ships are great in their own way, but there were more amenities on the NOTS.

The specialty restaurants on the Caribbean Princess were very good - definitely recommend both Sabatini's and Sterling Steakhouse, with Sabatini's being the better of the two.

On the Crown Princess, the Crown Grill was absolutely fabulous!! One of the best we've ever had on any ship.

The Caribbean Princess is a big ship, so if you're not use to big ships, you can end up walking alot! On our cruise on the Crown, we were all the way forward - last balcony cabin as far forward as you can get! With our dining room in the very back of the ship, it was 1/3 mile walk roundtrip to dinner!!

Obviously, everyone has their opinions and they will always differ between how the feel about various ships and cruise lines. So, with that said, I think you'll find this just a little less than Celebrity, but not much. Definitely a younger crowd with more amenities than the usually smaller Celebrity ships - depending on which Celebrity ship you've been on.

As for smoking, except in a few places, we never even noticed, so it wasn't a problem for us.

One of the things I do recommend with Princess, if you have a balcony, you must do the balcony breakfast - it is wonderful!

But I know you won't be disappointed in the Caribbean Princess. Definitely one of the nicest ships we've sailed on in our 29 cruises.

Pete

Thank you so much for the wonderful replies. You answered all my questions. all the walking maybe may help not gaining 20 lbs on a two week cruise!!!
Thank you again soooooo much
Nadine

I have never sailed Celebrity to compare them but I loved sailing on the Caribbean Princess! Don't miss out on the "Movies Under The Stars" on deck on the big screen, it was heavenly!!! Sign up early they sell out early (tickets are free - sell out is just a figurative of speech).

Also did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner and it was wonderful!!! You must be in a Balcony cabin though for this

Just got back from the Crown Princess Repo cruise and we enjoyed it so much we booked the Repo for next year, which will be on the Caribbean Princess. I understand they are very similar in layout.

We also had a very forward balcony cabin, and you're right, that haul to the dining room and/or buffet is quite a walk! Next year, weve booked toward the back of the ship, and look forward to being able to run up to the buffet, grab a dish, and bring it down to enjoy on the balcony.

One comparison I will make to Celebrity, the room service menu was not quite on a par. No hot food for breakfast (except for the coffee) which I really missed, especially with a balcony. Never got a chance to experience the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast, but will definitely do that next time.

Celebrity and Princess are our favorites and we loved the Caribbean Princess.