Cruise Travel: Caribbean princess: largest "love boat" in Princess Cruises' Grand Class is

With the debut of the 112,894-gross-register-ton Caribbean Princess a year ago, Princess Cruises' Grand Class comes in a new, enlarged size with an added deck of cabins increasing the double-occupancy capacity by more than 500 passengers to 3,114. To handle the larger numbers, an additional informal restaurant, an expanded main dining room, and a concierge reservation service for all passengers help ease the demand at mealtimes.

On her typically popular Eastern Caribbean itinerary--calling at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Princess Cays (the line's private Bahamian island), and including three full sea days--shipboard life for me becomes more than equal to the destinations. Depending on the mood, I relish doing very little other than reading, eating, and sleeping, but when the spirit moves, I operate at full steam by taking in as much as I can.

The "Princess Patter" arrives in the evening for a quick look before bed, then at breakfast, it is time to get serious about managing the day. The program requires a careful read to ferret out what really appeals, hoping that on another page there isn't something that conflicts. Happily, "Personal Choice" dining allows flexibility in eating times, with the high-consumption orgies reserved for the evening. Long ago, I learned to eat a light lunch to be able to enjoy a dinner such as the multi-multi-course Italian feast at Sabatini's Trattoria or a 22-ounce porterhouse in the Sterling Steakhouse. For me, lunch might be a slice or two of pizza with an iced tea or just a hot dog without the bun and a small salad.

Beginning with the most active events of the day, we joined in for a round-robin of paddle tennis high up and forward on Deck 17 and later in the day battled away at table tennis. To cool down, we took to the spa pool with its swim-against-the-current machine, then soaked to a sweat in the flanking Jacuzzi. The Princess Links miniature golf course seemed a bit scruffy for a new ship, so we headed elsewhere for our constitutional. The Wraparound promenade on Deck 7 was never crowded--we walked counterclockwise while the joggers trotted in the opposite direction, making it easier to pass at the narrow-squeeze points.

The most tranquil pool was on the Sun Terrace all the way aft beneath Skywalkers, the disco and lounge housed in an overhead horizontal pod. For a Coney Island on the 4th of July atmosphere, Neptune's Reef & Pool was the most vibrant scene with water games and a band to generate the energy, while the Calypso Pool was overlooked by a huge movie screen with films and concerts during the day and "Movies Under The Stars" at night, a new feature for Princess that is to be added to the other Grand Class ships. Some films required reservations and others not, but there seemed to be no problem snagging a comfy cushioned deck chair, and the popcorn sure smelled terrific.

Overall, the decor found in the foyers, corridors, and stairwells is unifying throughout, with jazzy patterns that mirror the colors of the Caribbean and the undersea coral reefs. I liked the stairway art, with paired and triple sets of prints, photographs, and shipping posters.

Within the ship, the public rooms pretty much mirror the Grand Class sisters (Grand Princess, Golden Princess, Star Princess) with one major exception. The aft Vista Lounge, the secondary theater-style showroom, has been replaced on the Caribbean Princess by Club Fusion, a nightclub-style space used for cabaret acts, TV game-show take-offs, horseracing, bingo, ballroom dancing, and the Captain's Circle (repeaters) party.

The primary show lounge, the Princess Theater, is more high-tech than most of Broadway's houses and is able to handle multiple backdrops for several major nighttime production shows. A full kitchen was even wheeled out when the executive chef and the maitre d'hotel (both Italians) put on a hilarious cooking performance yet still managed to prepare a four-course dinner. They received a much deserved standing ovation.

We also really enjoyed the energetic antics of a female British comedian and her musician husband, as well as the major song & dance routines, additionally pepped up by ingenious lighting. We often found that by attending the first show and having dinner later, there was more elbow room and no need to arrive early to secure a seat. The cruise director encouraged this practice in his announcements, and eventually enough passengers paid attention to even out the demand.

During the day, the Explorer's Lounge and its powerful Afro-Egyptian decor seemed mostly obscured by wall-to-wall art-auction paintings. But at night it came alive as designed and was used for films when the demand warranted repeating one shown earlier in the Princess Theater.

The Caribbean Princess offers many intimate and some quiet daytime retreats for a drink or a read, such as the maritime-themed Wheelhouse Bar and Skywalkers, the pod hanging high above the stern. For people-watching while bending an elbow, the best venues are the Lobby Bar on Deck 5 and Crooners martini bar on Deck 7. Churchill Lounge, tucked under the Princess Theater, is a clubby sports bar with the television monitors acting as a visual backdrop when the events on-screen are not very important.

The Library has an excellent and well-organized selection of some 1,200 hardbacks and books-on-tape to listen to while seated in a comfy easy chair. Other amenities include an average-size card room; an Asian-style spa and fitness center with its own pool and sun deck; an internet center with 25 computer stations and, by cruise ship standards, moderate rates by the minute; a major casino with 260 slots that I paid no heed to; and a nest of shops on two levels along the atrium's perimeter.

The children's facilities, not at all taxed on our October cruise, included spaces for different age groups, and the use of two pools with adult supervision. The children and teenagers seemed to have a good time and were very well behaved. The Hearts & Minds Wedding Chapel only saw use for renewing vows on our cruise.

A most welcome concierge reservation service, available to all, helps deal with the additional passenger demand for dining arrangements, spa treatments, the reserved-seat outdoor movies, and the ScholarShip@Sea enrichment program. The latter's activities included photography, ceramics, dancing, wine-tasting, and computer classes. I took one of the latter, dealing with computer viruses and worms, a recent semi-disaster in our household, so 1 was happy to get some very good tips about my specific problems.

The Island Dining Room has traditional first and second seatings, which certainly work best for families and groups who want to eat together, as otherwise preferred times are not always available. We made reservations for the Palm Dining Room and enjoyed a quiet corner table with good food and service on two nights at 7:30 p.m.

On the first night leaving Fort Lauderdale, we had an informal dinner billed as a "Chilled Seafood Extravaganza" in the 24-hour Horizon Court, which we also used for breakfast and the occasional lunch. The Cafe Caribe, a space new to this ship, had themed nightly buffets with table settings and tablecloths. We found the German-style "October Fest" meal with suckling pig, various wursts, and German beer a great success. And for a spicy meal, the "Creole Cookery" satisfied our palates.

On the night we tried Sabatini's Trattoria, we limited our lunch intake--and a good thing that was, as the Italian feast is an almost endless, if delicious, onslaught of eight antipasti, pizza, zuppa, pasta, secondi piatti (main course), and tiramisu--not to mention bread sticks dipped in pure olive oil.

But most of all, as an ardent carnivore, I looked forward to the Sterling Steakhouse, a relatively new restaurant (and one that has now replaced the Tex-Mex restaurants on other Grand Class ships). The restaurant's setting is intimate and uncrowded. Diners are presented with six cuts of fresh, not frozen, beef such as filet mignon, rib eye, New York strip, prime rib, and a 22-ounce porterhouse--and it may be obvious by now that my choice was the last named. The open kitchen prepares everything from scratch.

The Caribbean Princess operates with two formal nights--ark suit or dinner jacket for men; evening gown, cocktail dress, or trouser suit for women--and is casual at other times. Those who came to the captain's atrium reception and to the Captain's Circle (repeaters) party complied on the formal nights.

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Balconied staterooms comprise 881 of the 1,557 cabins onboard, with the lower ones tiered outward so those above can look down on others below; at the higher elevations, this is not the case. All cabins have twin beds that can be made into queen-size, multi-function telephones, refrigerators, safes, hair-dryers, and remote-control TV with CNN, TNT, CNBC, Discovery Channel, movies, special-interest lectures, and interviews. Categories from mini-suites up have tub baths, robes, two TVs, and a separate sitting area with a sofa bed.

In our case, the Filipino steward was excellent and invariably had our room made up while we were at breakfast, as long as we remembered to hang the sign on the door. We had breakfast on the balcony just once on a port day with an early excursion, and it arrived in the middle of the 7:30 to 8 a.m. period we ticked on the card. Soundproofing between rooms was good, but not much can be done with noisy balcony neighbors or those who leave their balcony lights on all night. We like to keep our door open to hear the lulling sounds of the sea, and usually by midnight or so, quiet reigned and this was possible.

On our cruise, Princess Cays was temporarily out of action due to hurricane damage from last year's unusually nasty series of tropical storms (see Cruise Views, page 58). Instead, we called at San Juan from the late afternoon to 11 p.m., allowing about two hours of daylight to wander through Old San Juan plus time to stay ashore for dinner. A huge choice of excursions presented themselves at both St. Thomas, where we chose the very well-operated Atlantis Submarine excursion, and St. Maarten, where we enjoyed the two-flags tour taking in the Dutch and French sides of this isle with the dual nationalities.

As we like the sea days, this trip was an ideal balance between ample time onboard and short forays ashore. For a bustling atmosphere, there are plenty of activities and entertainment from which to choose for the three sea days, along with good varied dining venues. Quiet retreats also allow you to withdraw from the mainstream. The Caribbean Princess knows her market--one most efficiently catered to by her staff.

MS CARIBBEAN PRINCESS FACTS & FIGURES

Company: Princess Cruises.

Built: 2004, Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani, Monfalcone, Italy.

Country Of Registry: Bermuda.

Gross Registered Tonnage: 112,894.

Length: 951 ft. Beam: 118 ft. (159 ft., including bridge wings). Draft: 26 ft.

Speed: 21.5 knots cruising (22.5 knots maximum).

Propulsion: Two fixed-pitch propellers, each driven by a Siemens electric propulsion motor of 19 megawatts maximum output. Propulsion and ship's service power from six Siemens generators (four of 11,520 kilowatts, two of 8,640 kilowatts), driven by Wartsila ZA40S diesel engines (four V-16, two V-12).

Passenger Capacity: 3,114 (double occupancy); 3,796 (including additional berths).

Passenger Space Ratio: 36.3.

Normal Crew Size: 1,200.

Nationality Of Crew: Italian/international officers; international crew.

Staterooms: 1,557 cabins on eight decks, of which 1,105 are oceanview (and of those, 881 have private balconies) and 452 are inside; comprising 25 suites with private balconies (square footage, 461-1,279"), two family suites with interconnecting cabins (square footage, 607"), 180 mini-suites with private balconies (square footage, 324"), 674 balcony cabins (square footage, 233-285"), 224 oceanview cabins (square footage, 158-182), 452 inside cabins (square footage, 163)--(*square footage includes balcony).

Public Rooms: Island Dining Room (seats 486, with reserved first and second sittings at 6:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.), Coral Dining Room (486), Palm Dining Room (582), Horizon Court (332, a 24-hour buffet restaurant with changing selections throughout the day plus late-night bistro), Cafe Caribe (324, a daily changing themed buffet with tablecloths and place settings), Sterling Steakhouse (106, with a choice of a half-dozen cuts of fresh meat), Sabatini's Trattoria (102, with an elaborate Italian tasting menu), Princess Theater (1,492), Club Fusion (382), Explorer's Lounge (292), Skywalkers Nightclub (186), Wheelhouse Bar (103), Crooners (53, martini bar), Churchill Lounge (43, a cigar & sports bar), Grand Plaza (26), Lobby Bar (40), Outrigger Bar (27, overlooks outdoor pool), Library (8), Writing Room/Future Sales Desk (10), Joker's (56, card room), Grand Casino (with blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud poker, draw poker, let-it-ride bonus, three-card poker, and 280 slots and video poker machines), Internet Cafe (with 25 computer stations), Lotus Spa, Fiesta Arcade and Promenade Galleria (shops).

Facilities/Features: Fully air-conditioned; stabilized; 15 passenger decks; 122,250 square feet of deck space; four banks of passenger elevators including one set of two panoramic lifts; three-deck-high atrium; Asian-style spa complex (provides a full range of spa, salon, fitness, and retail amenities and services--including 14 massage therapy rooms, a thermal relaxation salon, steam and sauna rooms--plus a fitness center with 35 cardiovascular stations, 17 weight-strength training stations, a swim-against-the-current adult pool, two Jacuzzis, and sun deck); five shops; casino, bingo, and horseracing; ScholarShip@Sea program (lessons offered include computers, ceramics, dancing, photography, and hypnosis, with reservations and some with fees); library; writing room; card room; internet center; future cruise desk; four outdoor pools, not including children's pool; seven outdoor whirlpools; four outdoor bars; outdoor grill and pizza counter; ice cream bar with charges; patisserie; bandstand and dance floor adjacent to Neptune's Pool; outdoor movie screen for daytime films and concerts and nighttime reserved-seat films; Sports Deck (including basketball, volleyball, paddle tennis, table tennis, miniature golf links, golf simulator, and giant chess board); scuba lessons in the pool; jogging track on Deck 17; wraparound promenade on Deck 7; children's facilities for age groups 3-7, 8-12, and 13-17; group babysitting (ages 3-12) available from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.; self-service coin-operated laundromats with detergents and bleach for a fee on seven cabin decks; laundry/dry-cleaning services; photo gallery; film-processing and digital-imaging services; medical facility; floral services; interdenominational Sunday service at 8:30 a.m.; fine-art gallery and regular art auctions; wedding chapel for marriage by the captain and renewal of vows; 18 lifeboats, 6 tenders, 2 rescue boats. Shore excursions and spa appointments may be booked on-line with the Cruise Personalizer, via fax prior to the cruise, or onboard. Two nights on a seven-day cruise are formal, and the rest casual. Smoking is allowed in passenger staterooms and designated areas of most public rooms; show lounges, dining rooms, and food-service areas are all non-smoking.

Handicap Access: Elevator access to all decks except jogging tracks and forward Sports Deck, with escalator to Skywalkers Nightclub; 14 passenger decks, public rooms, corridors, and promenades are all wheelchair accessible; tenders have wheelchair platforms, and a dedicated elevator is used to assist tender embarkation; 25 cabins--including 16 with balcony, four oceanview, and five inside--have handicap access and facilities.

Money Matters: Princess uses cashless system. Major credit cards; U.S., Canadian, British, and euro traveler's checks; and cash may be used for all shipboard purchases (personal checks are not accepted); two ATMs are located on decks 5 & 6). An itemized statement is delivered to the stateroom on the final night; Princess includes gratuities of $10 per-person/per-day on guests' personal statement, which may be adjusted at the end of the cruise by approaching the Passenger Services desk; a 15 percent service charge is automatically added to all drink orders and spa services. There are charges for dining in the Sabatini's Trattoria and the Sterling Steakhouse, and for some activities.

Itineraries/Fares: The Caribbean Princess sets sail every Saturday from Fort Lauderdale on weeklong roundtrips, alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries: the Eastern route calls at St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Princess Cays (the line's private Bahamian island), with three full days at sea; the Western route calls at Princess Cays, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios, with two full days at sea. Early-booking-discount brochure fares, per-person/double-occupancy, range from $549 (inside cabin) to $4,199 (Grand Suite); balcony cabins start at $799, mini-suites at $999.

For More Information: Contact your travel agent or Princess Cruises (Cruise Travel Magazine) 24305 Town Center Dr., Santa Clarita, CA 91355; or log on to www.princess.com.