My wife and I did our first cruise at the beginning of February on the Caribbean Princess. It was a great cruise and we really enjoyed the service and atmosphere of the ship and it's crew.

You have far more cruising experience than I but if I can answer any questions about Princess I'll be happy to.

What cruise are you taking next January? We're doing the 24-31 Jan 2010 sailing of the CB out of San Juan.

Hi!

Yes I have been on a few cruises but still so much to learn.

I appreciate your offer of help and there will be questions to come about Princess so I will be sure to hit you up for information.

I had to change my sail date on Ruby to Feb. 8.

I may even try to squeeze in a short cruise later this year.

Thanks. 

i have been on the star princess once.  that was my only princess.  i usually go RCL but princess always has pretty good deals.  seems like they always start high but by final payment it's usually 1/2 of what it started as.  i am on the caribbean princess on august 29, 2009 out of brooklyn.  prices have dropped considerably on that too.

Hi Oceanblue.

I live in the UK and since the 70's, I have completed 45 cruises, as a single and married man, with a multitude of shipping lines. In later years my wife and I have become Elite members of the Princess Captains Circle. We mainly cruise these days with Princess and one other line. Princess offer some interesting destinations world wide, especially in their Exotic's brochure. Their service is still good, but like other lines, cut backs are noticable. Most of the ships are large, comfortable and modern and overall they offer a good package. 

As for deals, I am sure that you see better ones in the US, than we do over here in Europe.

I am sure that you will have a fabulous time, try starting a thread on the Cruise Critics boards, for your cruise and read other passengers opinions on Princess and their bloggs on www.cruise.co.uk

Regards

Cruisermick

Thanks Mick.

I have a lot of cruising to do to catch up with you!

I am willing to give it a try though!

I have to say, DONT FORGET, to do a sailaway from on top of the Bridge, all the way forward on Lido deck, through 2 doors and out to the roof of the Bridge. Great sailaway place!

 

Roger

HI OCEAN BLUE PRINCESS IS AN AWESOME LINE I HAVE CRUISED WITH PRINCESS FOR NINE YEARS NOW. JUST GOT OFF THE CARIBBEAN PRINCESS 9 DAYS OUT OF BROOKLYN ALREADY BOOKED FOR NEXT JULY 29,2010 ON THE CARIBBEAN PRINCESS 9 DAYS TO BERMUDA, SAN JUAN, ST. THOMAS. GRAND TURK.  I KNOW  YOU WILL ENJOY IT WHAT SHIP ARE YOU CRUISING ON?

OceanBlue wrote: Hi Princess cruisers! I have been 7 cruisers in almost as many years.  RCI, HAL and Carnival.  This will be my first time on Princess! I am not going until January of next year, but I thought I would post here and maybe make some new cruise buddies and learn all about Princess.

 

Hi OceanBlue, My last Princess cruise was on the Ruby Princess last month(Dec, '09). I've also cruise on her sister, Crown Princess in Nov, '06. Both vessels are very much alike with the small changes, Sabatini's is a tad smaller than on Emerald and Ruby and the Tour Desk on Ruby is on Deck 7.

 You can try to gey aboard early to tour the ship, but expect long lines. We checked-in later and just walked up to the agents and we were processed without delay. If you love soda and coffee, make sure you purchase those cards when you get aboard as they are sold only on embarkation day.

The Ruby is a very large ship, with a capacity of over 3,080 people, but the ship does not seem crowded except for before and after the Muster Drill.

On Princess, you go to various venues for the Muster Drill, eg, the Casino, Club Fusion, etc. You do not go out on the Promenade deck under the life boats for the drill.

For Sailaway, you can go to the Lido Deck, 15, or on the roof of the Bridge which is full forward on the Lido deck, Sky Walkers Night Club, or if you have a balcony.

Lots do do onboard, Check your Princess Patter each day to see what events are taking place on the ship.

I'll suggest trying the Specialty restaurants, Sabatini's and the Crown Grill, it's a must do for us when we sail Princess. There's a Cover charge of $20 and $25 per person respectively, which is well  worth it.

There is one traditional dining room, Botticelli, and two Anytime dining rooms, DaVinci's and Michangelo. You can dine anytime between the hours of 5:30 PM and 10:00 PM. You can have breakfast and lunch at one of two Lido buffet venues, Cafe Caribe and Horizons or in the dining room.  

You may want to treat yourself to a massage. Try the Lotus Spa. The fitness center is in the Spa area too. You can use the treadmill, weights, stationary bikes etc at no extra charge. There's the Swim agaist the current pool just outside the Spa.

The Sanctuary, one deck above the Spa is an adults only area. There is a fee to use this area and a Cabana for a couples massage. It's a very quiet area of the ship.

Then there's Movies Under The Stars(MUTS), a large movie screen where feature movies are shown at night and throughout the day.

There are kids programs, Princess Pelicans, Shockwaves and Remix for the older teens. Sign them up on embarkation day, that's if you have kids with you.

There's a library,  lounges like the Wheelhouse, Explorers, Crooners, and Adagio.

There are Art Auctions, Calypso Cove Princess logo store with duty free alcohol, etc and a  few other stores, and don't forget the Princess Theater where you can see production shows at night after dinner.

 

Hope this helps.

I really enjoyed our Princess Cruise, very glamorous with impeccable service. I suggest you read the Princess Cruise reviews at Cruise.co.uk, which I am sure will provice you with lots of useful information and hints and tips about things toa void.

We too are new to Princess, having sailed 16 times on other ships, other lines.  Leaving April 29th for our first Princess, as well as our first Panama Canal cruise.  Much of what I've read has already helped me understand what goes on different on Princess as opposed to other cruise lines.  Looking forward to following this board for more updates.

Cruznuts