Overview...........................................................Page One
Pools, Spa, and Outdoor Facilities.....................Page Two
Shops, Children and Other Public Areas............Page Three
Bars, Lounges, Nighttime Entertainment.............Page Four
Dining.................................................................Page Five
A Working Ship.................................................Page Six
Accommodations................................................Page Seven
Views of the Past................................................Page Eight
Exterior Photos of the Ship.................................Profile Page
CARIBBEANPRINCESS
PHOTO TOUR AND
COMMENTARY
The central atrium rises through three
decks. At its base is the Piazza, a
lively centerpiece for the ship.
The art collection on Caribbean
Princess tends to be subtle and
understated. It rarely draws attantion to
itself or distacts from the light wood
paneled decor.
Above left: The Passenger Services Desk.
Above: The Shore Excursions Desk.
Left: The Future Cruise Sales Office and The
Captain's Circle Office.
OVERVIEW
Caribbean Princess is the fourth ship in the Grand-class.*
Because she has one more deck than the lead ship in that
class, Grand Princess, the ship is sometimes referred to as
being in a separate class that includes subsequent ships
(Crown Princess, Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess)
built with the “extra” deck. However, to a great extent
Caribbean Princess is based upon the design of Grand
Princess. Indeed, she even has the distinctive “spoiler” - -
actually a nightclub suspended above the stern of the ship
that is a trademark feature of Grand Princess but which was
discontinued in the ships subsequent to Caribbean Princess.
The ship was originally envisioned as a ship for Princess’
then-parent company, P&O Cruises. However, prior to her
launch, a decision was made to transfer Sea Princess and
Ocean Princess from Princess to P&O and use the new build
for Princess. (Subsequently, Sea Princess was returned to
Princess and a Grand-class ship, Ventura, was built for
P&O).
Caribbean Princess can carry upwards of 3,000 passengers
but at 112,894 gross tons, she is a big ship. Moreover, the
ship is divided into numerous relatively small venues.
Different types of activities and styles of entertainment are
featured in these venues. The theory is that since not
everyone has the same taste and interests, the passengers
will spread out throughout the ship and this will give more
of a “small ship feel.” Indeed, one sometimes gets the
impression that there only are about 100 people on board
because one can go through a cruise just seeing the same
small group of people over and over. The explanation being
that these are the people whose interests are most similar to
your own. Elsewhere onboard there are other groups living
in parallel universes.
There is no shock and awe on Caribbean Princess – no neon,
no whimsical decorations. Instead, the décor is tasteful,
contemporary and restrained.
The lifestyle onboard is casual. There are formal nights
(typically, two per cruise) but most evenings it is a relaxed
version of business casual.
As the name suggests, Caribbean Princess was envisioned
as a Caribbean cruise ship. Equipped with three powerful
stern and three bow thrusters as well as a pair of rudders,
she maneuvers easily without tugboat assistance in and out
of the various small Caribbean ports. While she is not an
ocean greyhound, her nearly 24 knot maximum speed is
respectable and she is able to do her itineraries with a 21
knot service speed.
In 2009, Caribbean Princess underwent an extensive re-fit,
which brought several new additions to the ship. Chief
among these was the transformation of the Grand Lobby into
the Piazza. This involved adding new venues and changing
the floor plan. However, more importantly, it changed the
area conceptually into a place where guests can come to
drink, eat and be entertained.
* There are also two Grand-class ships that debuted the same year as
Caribbean Princess. They were built in Japan whereas all of the other ships
were built in Italy, have a slightly wider beam and are somewhat different
technologically.
Cruise ship photo tour - Caribbean Princess - Princess Cruises - page 1
There is seemingly always something
going on in the Piazza from the
Champagne Waterfall during the
Welome Aboard reception (left), to
live music (right), to tango dancing
(below) to towel animal
demonstrations (below right).