Watching the stars on the screen and the stars in the heavens, it”s hard to imagine that you are at sea in one of the world”s great cruise ships. As the man comes by with the popcorn (complimentary of course) Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton battle out the romantic comedy ”Something”s Gotta Give” whilst the waves lap the ship and you stretch yourself out on the loungers and pull the blanket just that little bit tighter as the evening air gets fresher. Order a beer or grab something from the 24-hour buffet. Princess Cruises has installed on its new Caribbean Princess a massive (30” x 24”) million dollar outdoor screen up on deck 15 by the Calypso pool (see below). Such is the success of the project it is to be replicated on all its Grand series ships and new-builds. In fact it works just as well in daylight, the children, and adults too, delighted to watch the youthful Judy Garland skip down the Yellow Brick Road in the Wizard of Oz, 65 years old but sharp and technically perfect on one of the great successes of this year”s cruising season.
Princess Cruises was born in 1974 and today is part of the massive Carnival Group which includes Carnival itself, Cunard, P & O and Swan Hellenic. In fact it was rumoured a couple of years ago when Carnival first made noises regarding P & O ” Princess Cruises, that it was Princess that the US company was really after. In truth the British operator had been far too successful in Carnival”s own back yard, the Caribbean.
Caribbean Princess is the latest variant on Princess Cruises Grand series of cruise liners that have proved so successful during the Mediterranean season with British holidaymakers. Dedicated to the Caribbean, and by adding a further deck capable of carrying up to 3,500 passengers, at 116,000 tons Caribbean Princess is massive by anyone”s standards. Whilst on board one could never describe the ship as quiet, nevertheless somehow everyone gets lost amongst the huge range of activities that are on offer. Or you can sit out on the balcony (with nearly 900 private verandas it has more than any other cruise ship), by one of the four pools, or in a quiet corner of which there are many. Grand series regulars will notice a few minor differences. A further self-service buffet area has been added high up on the main lido deck to cope with the numbers, which it does very well, and the impressive children”s area is now divided into three sections catering for the different age groups.
This summer Princess will operate a 14-ship fleet, ranging from the 30,000 ton Tahitian Princess (a sister ship to the Swan”s lovely Minerva 2) to the new pride of the fleet, and unheard of in the shipping business, delivered early from the Finacantieri yard in Italy. And there were virtually no introduction problems, the company operating a policy of transferring veteran staff to each new liner. Captain Guiseppe Roman has been with Princess since joining as a young second officer in 1974, passenger services director Carlo Gunetti (he that manages the hotel side of the business) even longer. With all that experience it shows, the quality of service equal to that of any cruise ship.
Caribbean Princess is built for the Caribbean. There is no sliding roof over either of the main pools and the entertainment is geared to fun rather than education. The main theatre (see left) seats one thousand. Americans love to shop on holiday and whilst there is a very good landside programme the majority of cruisers seem to be off looking for bargains. A most interesting tour to the lovely botanical gardens in Grand Cayman attracted just 30 people. Essentially the ship operates two alternative programmes out of Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale, one to the western Caribbean and one to the eastern. They vary a little and can include Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, to the west, and St Maarten and St Thomas to the east. The British, in the main take two back-to-back seven-day cruises, whilst North Americans (it”s popular with Canadians too), tend to go down to Florida for just a week. Without the flights it's around US$1,000 (depending on your cabin and the time of year), terrific value for seven days four star plus accommodation including full board and entertainment. Reckon on US$10 a day per person for tips plus drinks and off ship trips.
If you take a Princess cruise from Florida at any time there is one place that you are bound to visit, the private island of Princess Cays (see above). Sister companies Holland America and Windstar use it too. An overnight meander to or from Fort Lauderdale, Princess Cays is owned by the cruise company and located just off the island of Eleuthera (and is in fact connected by a bridge for supply purposes), one of the Bahamas and discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. The ships themselves moor half mile offshore and even with up to 3,000 passengers getting on and off is no problem, the five minute ride great fun in one of the multi-purpose lifeboats that keep up a continuous shuttle. In any event first off are the ship”s catering staff to prepare a sumptuous barbeque meal and open the bar. Once on the island there is plenty to do, or you can just sit back and sunbath or swim. There are aqua bikes, ocean kayaks, paddle wheelers and sea cycles. For the more adventurous there is the banana boat, but you may finish up in the water (see above). You can go snorkelling, sailing or arrange for a genuine beach volleyball game. Walk around the island and climb the crow”s nest lookout. It is less than one mile from end to end and in fact is two tiny islands connected by a lagoon where the boats come in. Go right as you jump off the tender. For some reason everyone goes left but on the other side the buffet and bar is replicated (as are the spotless private facilities) and it is less crowded. Paradise, even if there are a lot of people about.
The Princess ex-UK package includes scheduled flights to Miami (you can upgrade), overnight accommodation at one of the first class hotels near the airport, and then a less than 30 minutes coach ride to the port in time for an onboard lunch. Getting off the ship is just as easy, for those returning that evening to the UK hotel facilities provided and even a short tour if that is what you want. Cruising gains popularity year after year. Whether for one week or two there are some real bargains about.
An Afterthought
Cruise aficionados might like to learn of Carnival Corporation”s first major revamp of its British interests since the takeover of PO/Princess. The Queen Victoria has been put back one year and will not be introduced until 2007. It will be more consistent with the grand ocean liner style of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 than other contemporary cruise ships. At 85,000 tons and 1,850 passengers it will also be suitable for North Atlantic operations. Currently under construction in Italy what was to become the Queen Vic is to be named Arcadia and retain the highly successful adult only concept used by the previous ship with that title. Adonia, the current P & O adult only ship, will be returned to Princess Cruises and resume the name Sea Princess under which she originally entered service. Meanwhile, Royal Princess (and named by Princess Diana), a classic medium-sized vessel and a long-time favourite of British passengers, will join P&O Cruises and take the name Artemis (A lost opportunity to use one of the classic P & O names, Canberra for instance. It's about the same size and even looks similar ” editor). Famed for her all-outside cabins, the 45,000 ton, 1,200 passenger Artemis (see left) will be converted to a British-style ship before entering service in June 2005. Able to get into smaller ports and anchorages she too will be exclusive to adults.
http://www.princesscruises.com