12 Reasons Why Caribbean Princess Cruise Needs a Complete Makeover!

We were aboard the Caribbean Princess during Thanksgiving in 2024. Having been on over 70 cruises, this was undoubtedly among the top 3 worst experiences we've had. Here's why:

1. There are no drink stations available at night, not even for water. Once the buffet closes at 10:30 PM, the only option is the 5th-floor cafe. It offers some snacks (though not very fresh), and for water, you must find an open bar willing to provide it, as bars only serve paid items.

2. No late-night food options are available after 10:30 PM. The only open spot is the 5th-floor cafe, which offers limited cold sandwiches and sweets.

3. On the night before disembarkation, luggage must be placed outside by 9 PM. Typically, ships allow until 11 PM to let guests enjoy dinner and shows. Because of this, we couldn't do much on our last night aboard.

4. The room and ship were very old and quite dirty throughout. Below are photos from our mini-suite, which was definitely not worth the cost.

5. The customer service was terrible. The servers had a bad attitude and didn't respond when asked for something. There were no smiles anywhere. 

6. The disembarkation day was chaotic. We signed up for the self walk-off (group 1) expecting to leave at 7:20 am, but our group wasn't announced until after 8 am. By that time, everyone was already lined up, and there were only two stations available to scan people off the ship. The 7th floor center area was crowded, resulting in chaos. We didn't get off the ship until almost two hours later, and there was no one to direct traffic.

7. On sea days, the casino lacked enough dealers to open more tables. The smell of smoke was pervasive, and the area was very dirty. 

8. The daily schedule didn't indicate which activities required a fee, were complimentary, or needed signup. You only found out upon arrival to the activity site, only to discover they were full.

9. Usually, there are some reserved spots on the ship for specialty dining for people who want to book on board. We were in the early group, and the first thing we did was try to book the specialty restaurants, but they were all full. Additionally, when we attempted to book a regular dinner for our group of 7 people before the cruise, they said their system couldn't handle a large group booking, and we had to do it on the ship. Once on board, the booking agent said they couldn't book groups larger than 4 either. Consequently, we always had to arrive at the restaurant very early, or there would be a long wait.

10. The food on the cruise was not fresh at all. My husband had stomach issues right after boarding. The buffet area was unsanitary. On the first day, servers didn't allow people to fill water bottles directly at the water station, but after that, everything was open, and guests did as they pleased. Kids and even adults were using their hands to grab fruit and putting it back in the buffet area.

11. The self-laundry service was great, except everything was broken. We tried to do our laundry on board, but the coin machine was broken, and one of the machines wasn't working either. We had to carry our laundry to various floors and stand in line to get refunds for the coins.

12. Our group, with rooms at the back of the ship, couldn't sleep throughout the cruise due to the ship's excessive vibration from the engine, making it an uncomfortable experience.

Overall, this ship needs a complete makeover in every aspect. The service, decor, cleanliness, and entertainment quality were all below average. Before this cruise, we were on the Virgin Valiant Lady Cruise. To see what a 10/10 cruise experience is like, check out this blog. We are going on the newest Princess ship soon, the Sun Princess. Will report back on the experience on there and hopefully it's an upgrade from this one.

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