Caribbean Princess

The 2004-built Caribbean Princess cruise ship is the sixth GRAND-class Princess Cruises liner, with sisterships Crown, Diamond, Golden (Carnival Adventure), Grand, Emerald, Ruby, Star (Carnival Encounter), and Sapphire.

The vessel (IMO number 9215490) is currently Bermuda-flagged (MMSI 310423000) and registered in Hamilton.

History – Construction and Ownership

Princess Cruises is a USA-based passenger shipping company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Formerly a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises (founded in 1977), the company merged with Carnival Corporation in 2003—the world's largest cruise shipowner. Among Princess Cruises' assets is the Caribbean private island resort Princess Cays on the southern end of Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, located approximately 80 km (50 mi) from Nassau.

The 2,600-passenger Caribbean Princess underwent a major drydock refit in early 2009, during which she received features similar to newer fleetmates Crown, Emerald, and Ruby. Passengers now enjoy cozy, patio-style seating areas perfect for sipping coffee, reading, playing board games, or watching performers ranging from a Cirque-style cube spinner to a BMX biker. A major highlight was the transformation of the former atrium into a three-deck-high, street-café-style Piazza. This area features the International Café (a bakery, deli, and coffee shop), Vines Wine & Seafood Bar, the Internet Café & Library, and an amusement zone. The new Vines Wine Bar offers over 30 wines by the glass along with artisan cheeses, sushi, and tapas.

Decks and Cabins

Most Caribbean Princess staterooms (1,569 total, in 34 grades) are 170-ft² balcony cabins (675). Nearly 80% of the outside accommodations feature private step-out balconies. The ship has 25 wheelchair-accessible cabins. The largest accommodations are the Grand Suites (615 ft² / 57 m², with a 115 ft² / 11 m² terrace).

The vessel has 18 decks, 15 of which are accessible to passengers, including 9 with staterooms.

Shipboard Dining Options – Food and Drinks

Caribbean Princess features three main dining rooms with Caribbean-themed menus and ceilings adorned with twinkling lights. The Palm Dining Room offers fixed seating, while Island and Coral Dining Rooms provide "Anytime Dining." Reservations are available but not required. Coral Dining Room also serves waiter-service breakfast and lunch. The menu rotates with options including soups, appetizers, entrees, and desserts, along with signature pasta dishes, Caesar salad, and salmon. Health-conscious Lotus Spa selections are low in sodium and fat. Cafe Caribe and Horizon Court are all-day buffet venues. Horizon Court, functioning as the ship’s lido buffet, features breakfast buffets and unique lunch offerings like peanut butter sandwiches and fried bananas.

Full list of Caribbean Princess restaurants and food bars:

• Island Restaurant (aft dining room; Anytime Dining 5:30–10 p.m.)
• Crown Grill (160-seat steakhouse/seafood restaurant; reservations recommended; serves complimentary British Pub Lunch on select days)
• Coral Restaurant (forward dining room; breakfast 7–9 a.m., lunch 12–1:30 p.m., afternoon tea 3:30–4:30 p.m., dinner 5:30–8 or 8–10 p.m.)
• Palm Restaurant (aft dining room; fixed seating at 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.)
• Sabatini’s Restaurant (Italian specialty; reservations recommended)
• The Salty Dog Grill (formerly Trident Grill; complimentary self-service fast food)
• World Fresh Marketplace (replaced Horizon Court; complimentary self-service buffet)
• Planks BBQ and Steamers Seafood (replaced Cafe Caribe; aft self-service buffet)
• Slice (Neapolitan-style pizzeria with East and West Coast varieties)
• Coffee & Cones (formerly Scoops; free ice cream cones, gourmet ice cream sandwiches, specialty coffees)

In April 2024, Princess Cruises announced that starting September 14, 2024, fleetwide dining would be offered in three distinct styles: Traditional, Reservable, and Walk-in Anytime. Each ship will designate three separate dining rooms to accommodate these new options, which are integrated with OceanNow service—allowing guests to order anything, anytime, delivered anywhere onboard.

Shipboard Entertainment Options – Fun and Sport

The Princess Theater is the ship’s primary venue for production shows and comedy acts appealing to a wide age range. Each onboard venue offers a unique experience. Crooners hosts piano music and trivia contests. Explorer’s Lounge features events like Wii tournaments, comedy shows, art auctions, and magic performances.

The Piazza showcases demonstrations, musical performances, and circus-style acts throughout the day. Club Fusion blends game show fun with nightclub vibes. Skywalkers Nightclub hosts themed nights inspired by the '70s, '80s, and '90s, alongside current hits.

The Wheelhouse Bar offers low-key dancing with live combos playing standards and soft rock.

Complete list of Caribbean Princess lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues:

• The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open area with live performances and lobby bar)
• Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Platinum Studio
• International Café (24-hour coffee bar and patisserie)
• Vines Bar (wine, seafood, and sushi bar)
• Library with Internet stations; 24-hour Internet Café
• Princess Theater (2-level venue for shows, workshops, game shows)
• Churchill Lounge & Bar (smoking lounge and sports bar)
• Calypso Cove, Essence, Limelight, Meridian Bay, and Facets Shops
• Caribbean Grand Casino
• Crooners Lounge & Bar (live music and seminars)
• Explorers Lounge & Bar (karaoke, comedy, game shows, art auctions)
• Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar by day, English pub at night)
• Club Fusion Lounge (dance classes, quizzes; becomes disco/nightclub after 7:30 p.m.)
• Scoops Bar (Sundaes Ice Cream Bar, complimentary)
• Outrigger Bar; Tradewinds Bar (poolside bars)
• Lotus Spa; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center with Aerobics Studio
• Hearts & Minds Wedding Chapel
• Movies Under the Stars (LED outdoor cinema)
• Video Arcade; Teen Center; Youth Center with paddling pool and outdoor play areas
• The Sanctuary (adults-only outdoor area)
• Camp Discovery (Youth Center)
• Calypso, Neptune’s, and Pirate’s View pool areas (Morgan’s Bar)
• Skywalker’s jogging track; Sports Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Princess Links mini golf and Cybergolf simulator
• Skywalkers Disco & Nightclub

The Reef Splash Zone (a children’s aquapark without waterslides) was added during the 2019 drydock refurbishment. Read more in the ship's Wiki section.

Itineraries

Caribbean Princess sails seasonally in Europe (departures from Southampton, England) and the Caribbean (roundtrips from Port Canaveral/Fort Lauderdale, Florida). During spring and fall, she operates 2-week-long Transatlantic repositioning cruises between Europe and the USA (RepositionCruises.com).

Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess belongs to the company's GRAND-class liners, built by Fincantieri Monfalcone. Her same-designed sisterships are the Crown Princess and Emerald Princess. Caribbean Princess is slightly larger than the other Grand-class ships due to the addition of an extra cabin deck—Riviera Deck. Unlike her sisters, she does not have a sliding roof over the pool area, as she was designed specifically for Caribbean itineraries.

The ship’s christening ceremony was held on April 2, 2004, in Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Florida), which also served as the departure port for her maiden voyage. Her godmother was Jill Whelan, a U.S. actress best known for her role as Vicki Stubing on the 1980s TV series "The Love Boat." Caribbean Princess remained the largest ship in the fleet until June 2013, when the Royal Princess entered service.

Fun fact: Caribbean Princess was the first cruise ship to feature an open-air theater/outdoor movie screen, branded as "Movies Under the Stars."

Her European maiden season was homeported in Southampton, England. She was then repositioned to New York City for Fall Foliage cruises to New England, followed by a return to Fort Lauderdale for roundtrip Caribbean itineraries. In April 2013, the vessel returned to Europe to sail British Isles and various Northern European (Baltic Sea) itineraries.

In early September 2018, Caribbean Princess became the fleet’s first vessel to be equipped with Carnival Corporation’s OceanMedallion technology. These wearable devices give passengers access to "virtual concierge" services, interactive entertainment, and MedallionNet—Wi-Fi connectivity supported by access points in every stateroom. The technology delivers land-like connection quality, enabling passengers to stream movies, make video calls, and share content in real time on social media.

Panama Canal Cruise Itineraries 2017

In 2017, Caribbean Princess completed her first season of Panama Canal transition cruises through the new locks. The ship operated 10-day roundtrip itineraries from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, Florida), with partial transits through the Agua Clara locks. Her first-ever transit was on October 26, 2017. Fares for this cruise started at USD 1,250 per person (double occupancy). This voyage also commemorated Princess Cruises’ 50th anniversary of the first-ever passenger ship crossing of the Panama Canal in 1967.

Fleet mates Coral Princess and Island Princess continued transiting the Panama Canal through the original three locks (Pedro Miguel, Miraflores, Gatun). The new locks were officially inaugurated on June 26, 2016, following a 9-year construction project costing USD 5.2 billion.

USA to Greenland Itinerary 2019

In January 2018, Princess Cruises announced a new roundtrip Greenland cruise from the USA (New York City) aboard Caribbean Princess.

• Departure was scheduled for August 19, 2019.
• The 16-day itinerary included ports of call in Greenland (Nanortalik, Nuuk, Qaqortoq) and Canada (Halifax, Sydney, St. John's).
• Cruise fares started at USD 2,500 per person (double occupancy, Inside Cabin), plus USD 220 in government taxes and port fees.

Caribbean Princess Refurbishment 2019 Review

During her June 2019 drydock in Freeport, Bahamas, Caribbean Princess underwent significant upgrades, including the installation of the fleet's first-ever waterpark—Reef Splash Zone (no waterslides). Located aft-portside on Deck 17/Sports Deck, beneath the ramp leading to Skywalkers Nightclub (Deck 18), the waterpark replaced the original Pirate's View swimming pool area. The redesigned space now includes a large Splashpad (outdoor water playground) with a splash pool, water cannons, sprays, showers, and an interactive whale-like structure with a “raining” fluke. The surrounding lounge was enhanced with new furniture including comfortable sectionals, chairs, sun loungers, and padded couches with tables, along with new fixtures and finishes. The swimming pool, whirlpool hot tub, and Morgan’s Bar were also renovated.

The newly added Game Zone hosts family competitions and features oversized backyard games like Jenga, Cornhole, and Connect Four. Parents can enjoy cocktails and mocktails at the family-friendly Morgan’s Bar. The area is furnished with comfortable seating, wind panels for protection, and a Shade Canopy (aft-starboard) covered with canvas. Upgrades also included a new music system, lighting at the steps and pool area, and wall lights for evening events such as deck parties, stargazing, and educational kids’ programs.

On Deck 16, the forward Spa complex was renovated with new contemporary artwork and signage. Aft on the same deck, the Camp Discovery Youth Center (for children aged 3–12) received a new outdoor play area featuring an interactive water table with themed activities based on the current itinerary or destination.

Caribbean Princess Refurbishment 2017 Review

During drydock from March 25 to April 5, 2017 (in Freeport, Bahamas), Caribbean Princess underwent several deckplan changes:

• New kids’ area “Camp Discovery” (kids and teen center) added aft on Deck 17.
• The “Movies Under the Stars” (MUTS) screen (850-seat outdoor theater) was upgraded.
• 87 additional pairs of interconnecting cabins were added to accommodate families.
• On Lido Deck 15, “Horizon Court” was replaced by “World Fresh Marketplace,” a new buffet restaurant with updated décor, better layout, and expanded menu. Breakfast features a 24-hour cereal station, designer pancakes, and hot options like shrimp & grits and polenta porridge. Lunch includes hand-crafted sandwiches, regional soups, and assorted meats. Dinner offers comfort foods and a PB&J bar, while nighttime service includes a live cooking station for stir-fry, pasta, and salads.
• “Cafe Caribe” was split into two new casual specialty restaurants:
  • “Planks BBQ” (USD 12 dinner charge) serves meat planks with ribs, beef, sausage, chicken, and sides like fries, chili, coleslaw, and charred toast. Breakfast and lunch are complimentary buffet-style with options like customizable bowls, soups, salads, and sandwiches.
  • “Steamers Seafood” (USD 12 dinner charge) offers regionally sourced seafood steamers (mussels, scallops, clams, crab-stuffed flounder). Complimentary breakfast and lunch options include egg dishes and ramen bowls.
• Deck 15’s pool deck now features four outdoor dining venues:
  • “The Salty Dog Grill” (formerly Trident Grill) serves gourmet burgers including “The Ernesto,” street tacos, fries, and hot dogs.
  • “Slice Pizzeria” (formerly Prego Pizzeria) offers Neapolitan-style pizza, deep dish focaccia, artisanal toast, and Stromboli.
  • “Coffee & Cones” (formerly Scoops Bar) offers gourmet ice cream sandwiches, complimentary cones, specialty coffees and teas.
  • “THE MIX” (formerly Blackbeard’s Bar) was updated as the ship’s redesigned poolside bar.
• Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria (formerly “SHARE by Curtis Stone”) on Promenade Deck 7 was redesigned with a new menu by celebrity chef Angelo Auriana. The revamped menu, rolled out fleetwide in 2017, features antipasti and handmade pasta crafted with traditional grains (like buckwheat and durum wheat) and distinctive herbs such as mint and marjoram.

All 3,200 stateroom beds were replaced with Princess Cruises' signature “Princess Luxury Beds.”

Carnival’s Ocean Medallion technology was installed on the ship in September 2018.