Cruise Review: Caribbean Princess, Princess Cruise Line's Newest Ship

Princess invested more than $1.5 million for the ship's

state-of-the-art sound system

and high-resolution screen to light up the night sky.

With strong customer feedback,

almost overnight, Movies Under the Stars

has become a blockbuster, signature brand feature

for Princess. The line is now adding this feature to other

Caribbean vessels, including Grand Class ships.

On the 3,100-passenger Caribbean Princess, guests can enjoy up

to three movies daily, including kids' films, first-run hits and late-night movies, as well as major sports and special events programming. Sailing each Saturday year-round from Port Everglades, Fla., to the Caribbean, the Grand Class ship also has many other endearing features to entertain its guests.

Public Areas: The elegant Grand Plaza atrium spans three stories

and is ringed by glass-sided, marble staircases, glass elevators, shops, lounges and a shore excursion desk. Nearby are a fine art gallery, card room, and the ship's library. Just steps away from the atrium is an Internet cafe with 25 computers. The casino offers a host

of table games and more than 260 slot machines. The Hearts and Minds wedding chapel is a quiet, tasteful venue for small weddings, with live Web-cast capability for friends and relatives back home.

Princess Cruises' new signature-brand hook in the Caribbean is "Movies Under the Stars," with a 300-square-foot LED screen and high-tech sound system. Passengers with reservations for Movies Under the Stars can nestle in their own personal lounge chair on the

top deck, bundled in soft warm blankets, and munching free popcorn.

The new Lotus Spa - the first to be managed by Princess itself -

offers 14 massage therapy rooms, a thermal relaxation suite, steam room and sauna. On port days, a Steaming Stones Massage is $80

per person and a Lotus Splash Bouquet Bath is $75, with higher sea-day prices. A spacious exercise facility includes 35 cardiovascular stations and 17 weight-training stations. Many aerobics and fitness classes are complimentary; kickboxing, group cycling, and group Pilates are each $10. Other facilities include an outdoor jogging track, swim-against-the-current pool, whirlpools and outdoor pools. For kids

3 to 12, the Fun Zone splits children into different age groups for supervised activities. Teens 13 to 17 hang out at Off Limits, which boasts a disco and a small outdoor pool. This ship's youth programs were well attended and properly supervised, with age-specific computers, play-stations, toys and crafts.

Accommodations: Caribbean Princess has 1,350 standard cabins,

180 mini-suites, 24 suites, one Grand Suite and two Family Suites;

881 accommodations feature private balconies. Balcony cabins range from 233 to285 square feet, including the balcony. Twenty-five cabins

of varying types are wheelchair accessible.

A Dolphin Deck mini-suite with balcony features two twin beds convertible to a queen, plus a desk area, mini-bar, sizable storage spaces and two TVs - one each in the bedroom and living area. That separate living area offers a couch, chair and coffee table, with easy access to sliding glass doors opening to the balcony with plastic

chairs and a small table. This mini-suite has a spacious open closet area with adjacent enclosed shelves and a safe. The tiled bathroom features a shower/tub and vanity.

Entertainment: A lively top-deck atmosphere is fostered through the new Jamaica-me Crazy Sail-away Party and a Caribbean Carnivale party, both with live music, fun activities and refreshments. A new kids' Fun Fair, also on the top deck, features booths for face painting, hair braiding, games and more.

Inside, the 746-seat Princess Theater offers great sight lines from every seat for its new stage show, Caribbean Caliente. Churchill

Lounge features cigars and myriad TVs for broadcasts of major events. Explorer's Lounge is home to magic, comedy and cabaret

acts, while Skywalker's Nightclub is a stunning venue high above the water. Club Fusion offers 42 high-definition TVs, great for viewing "Princess Idol," a new amateur guest show. The Wheelhouse Bar features live music nightly, while Crooner's serves up 50 varieties of martinis.

Other guest pursuits include bingo, cyber golf, indoor movies, water volleyball, paddle tennis, photo workshops, afternoon tea, art auctions, port talks, onboard shopping and the Scholarship @Sea program. On this cruise, the latter included a lecture by Richard Hatch of "Survivor" fame, cooking presentations, computer classes and pottery making.

Dining: With Princess' Personal Choice Dining, guests choose between traditional, fixed-seating dining in the elegant Palm restaurant, or anytime dining in the equally classy Coral and Island main dining rooms. For casual dining, Horizon Court offers breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets and a full-service bistro menu from 10:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Cafe Caribe offers a mix of cooked-to-order items and a nightly Caribbean themed buffet. Trident Grill serves hot dogs, hamburgers

and other lunch fare, while Prego serves hot, fresh pizza. There is

also complimentary 24-hour room service.

The two alternative restaurants are superb and require reservations.

At $20 per person, Trattoria Sabatini's offers a continual flow of savory antipasto, hot and cold appetizers and soup, plus a selection of entrees. The 106-seat Sterling Steakhouse charges $15 per person

and serves generous cuts of Angus beef, chops, and prime rib, as

well as lobster and fish.

Shore Excursions: Princess will book snorkel and scuba trips and lessons, along with city tours, plantation/historic home visits; watersports; hiking, kayaking and active adventures; and

archaeological visits. At Montego Bay, physically fit guests can

glide through the treetops on a "Canopy Adventure." In Cozumel,

the full-day "Muyil Ruins and Sian Kaan Jungle Explorer" tour takes guest to a remote Mayan site and rainforest. Each costs $99 per person.

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