Sailing on Caribbean Princess
Beccy Miller
The Ship
Caribbean Princess offers a fabulous mix of luxury and excitement. It has roomy cabins that range from snug nests to lavish suites, ensuring a comfy stay for all. There's a bunch of sports spots, with a small basketball/volleyball court and even a minigolf setup. You can also participate in quizzes and enrichment activities, like seminars and art lectures.
There are plenty of pools to splash in, hot tubs to unwind in, and a spa for a pampering session (which I took full advantage of and treated myself to a mani/pedi). There is an adults-only relaxation area too, called The Sanctuary, which seemed popular.
The Food
I had the 'Princess Premier' package on my cruise, including speciality dining. We visited Sabatini's, the Italian on board, and Crown's Grill, the steakhouse. My steak was perfection, and the lobster was to die for! But if you don't want to indulge in the speciality restaurants on board, the choice and quality is still outstanding, I was really impressed with the menus in the main dining room and the selection at the buffet.
The pizza at Slice was the best I have ever had at sea; as I am Italian, this is high praise indeed! One morning, I also had breakfast in my cabin, which was lovely to sit on the balcony with the sun beaming down.
The Entertainment
The fun started immediately with an excellent sailaway party on deck 15, with a DJ and live music, which felt all the nicer in the Caribbean! I also saw some superb theatre shows, like the fantastic musical 'On Air'. Our Princess Plus package included drinks up to the value of $20, and there are several bars on board that we could visit to take advantage of this.
Princess also offers 'Movies Under the Stars', where you can relax on a sun lounger, tuck up with a blanket and popcorn and watch a film. We enjoyed the gala night as well; there was singing and dancing, which saw the crew filling a huge tower of champagne glasses, It was very impressive.
The Destinations
Each island we stopped at offered something different to do. The beautiful private island of Princess Cays had crystal clear water and white sand. They provided a BBQ on the beach, which was included. On board Princess ships, you use a round Medallion to pay for things charged to your onboard account, and you could use this on the island, which was handy, even on the island gift shop!
Cozumel allowed us to sample several tequilas and explore the old town.
Honduras was the most exciting, as we snorkelled by the barrier reef. We were sorted into groups based on our ability, and we had a guide in the water with us the whole time, it was incredible, we saw so many fish!
In Costa Maya, we explored the Chachoban Mayan ruins. There were three main temples to explore, and our guide explained what a day in the life of the Mayans would look like.
The trip was over before I knew it, I had such an excellent time and would recommend sailing with Princess for the incredible private island experience...and the pizza, I am still dreaming of it now!
Here are Roberta's top tips from her trip...
• Make sure you wear sensible shoes when exploring the Mayan Ruins, the terrain was pretty uneven and I saw lots of people struggle in flip-flops, plus don't forget mosquito spray and sunscreen!
• If you will be drinking alcohol, go for the Princess Plus add-on, it works out cost-effective that way, and you can budget before you go
• You can take towels from the ship to the beach with you - don't forget to bring them back!
• If your return flight is late afternoon or evening, look at the disembarkation excursions with airport drop-off. You get to spend a day exploring with your luggage safely secured.
