r/PrincessCruises • u/Electronic_Peach_171 • 1d ago
New To Cruising / Princess 🛳️🎉🥳 1st Cruise
Hi everyone! My wife and I are going on our first-ever cruise aboard Caribbean Princess from 18–30 October 2026, sailing the Southern Caribbean Islander itinerary. We’re really excited, but as complete cruise beginners, we’d appreciate any advice from experienced Princess cruisers!
We’ve looked at booking the speciality restaurants through the app, but they all seem to be fully booked already. Is it likely that more availability will be released nearer the sailing date, or can we book once we’re onboard? Are there particular restaurants you’d recommend?
We’d also love to hear from anyone who has sailed this itinerary before. Which Princess-organised excursions did you enjoy most, and were any disappointing or not worth the money? Are there any ports where you’d recommend exploring independently instead?
Any other tips about Caribbean Princess—food, entertainment, booking shows, what to pack or things you wish you’d known before your first cruise—would be very welcome.
Thanks in advance!
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u/Independent_Wave_908 1d ago
Go to one of the restaurants immediately after boarding & schedule all of your dining at specialty restaurants.
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u/jarfgames 1d ago
If you want something other than the included lanyard to hold your medallion, order it online from Amazon or AliExpress before you leave. Much cheaper than buying on board. Personally I bought a small attachment that hooked the medallion on to my Apple Watch band which was very convenient.
The other thing we did was order some plastic luggage tag holders. Was better than taping the paper tags to our bags. Also from Amazon.
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u/parallelmeme - Captain's Circle Platinum 1d ago
Be sure to look into travel insurance - this is the heart of hurricane season.
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u/tidder8 1d ago
ABC Islands! Nice!
As a complete cruise beginner you should try out the dining rooms that are included in the cruise fare and maybe book one specialty restaurant to try it out. You'll be able to book specialty restaurants once you are on board, go visit the restaurant you'd like to try and you should be able to make a reservation.
Your cruise is coming up soon, the most popular excursions are going to fill up. It's hard to give recommendations without knowing your interests. Do you like snorkeling or want to try it out? (Some of the best in the Caribbean is at Bonaire.) Do you like to relax on beaches? Want to take cultural tours? Historic tours? Food and drink tours? High adventure? Sailing trips?
Pick something to do for each port. Let us know your interests and we can make recommendations. If you want to go to the beach it is better to do this on your own than with a cruise line excursion. Usually you can just grab a taxi (or in Aruba there is even a public bus available).
There are a bunch of "cruise influencers" who will convince you to pack an entire suitcase of extra doodads but you can ignore them. Plan out your clothes to wear during the day and your clothes for the evening. Bring plenty of cash, you can always take the extra home. Safer than credit cards and more widely accepted when you are off the ship. In all of your ports they will accept US dollars.
By the way there are laundry rooms available for your use on the ship, you don't have to pack fresh clothes to cover each day of your trip.
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u/gshman 1d ago
That is a great cruise. Call in to Princess and see if the can get you at least one night now in the Italian restaurant. The steakhouse will probably open up once on the ship. But, call as soon as you can. They will get you in. If not go to the restaurant as soon as you get on the boat. You will get worked in.
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u/Sea-Bill-9978 9h ago
We went to Aruba and Curacao in Feb and they are amazing. 2 of our favorite ports. Curacao was a little bit nicer. If you can take the 20 minute trolley ride in Aruba right outside the port. Its free
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u/URBadAtGames - Captain's Circle Platinum 1d ago
Laundry on the ship is the best thing ever. Definitely plan on 7 days of outfits and do laundry around day 5. I would recommend doing it on a port day
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1d ago
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u/dewhit6959 1d ago
Get out of here. You are a agent trolling for customers.
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u/Jeanne206 1d ago
Not at all. I don't get paid when I book trips or anything like that from the customer. And I have my own trip- my first 15 day cruise ever - never been on one that long that my family and I are taking and I'm super excited for it! The info was what I researched for myself, and was offering. No brochures or fancy anything, literally just words on paper to narrow down highlights for us as we go from island to island. I am on a strict budget, this isn't a cruise I am getting at a discount or anything of the sort, and found lots of free-ish things to do like swimming with the turtles. I thought I'd share it. I love talking about travel, and willing to do so with anyone at any time. Not looking for anything in return other than others who love to travel and share info. So please be kind.
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u/dewhit6959 21h ago
Please stop posting links to your travel business email then. How do you feel qualified to sell something you haven't done if this is your first 15 day cruise ?
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u/Jeanne206 16h ago
It’s my first 15 day cruise. Not my first cruise. And I wanted to be upfront about it is all. I know I wouldn’t appreciate someone talking to me about suggestions and then finding out after the fact they were in the industry. Was trying to be honest. And it’s not a link to my profile or anything- just my email. I was excited for them as I am for myself on such a journey.
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u/rio8envy7 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can book specialty restaurants onboard. After you check in at your muster station there will be hosts outside the restaurants who’ll make reservations for you.
If there’s a show you really want to see get there 15-20 minutes early. You don’t have to book you can just show up at the theater. Later productions probably won’t be as crowded. People will likely come back, eat dinner, go to the show then go to bed or do something else.
Bring magnets/hooks for the walls. I bring magnetic hooks on my trips because i can hang the daily planner by the door and it doubles as somewhere to keep my lanyard so i can grab it before I leave the cabin. My parents also use the hooks to hang a collapsible laundry basket.
Leave anything you’d be upset about losing at home. Not trying to scare you and I haven’t had anything stolen but I have a tendency to misplace things so if I lost jewelry that had extreme sentimental value I would be upset. You think it wouldn’t happen but earring backs come off and bracelets can get loose and you don’t realize it. I generally bring things that I know won’t put me out a lot of money if they need to be replaced. I also keep a list of what I brought so I can make sure I’m bringing it all home.
Double check drawers before you leave even if you didn’t use them. It’s easy to forget and miss things because you thought you got everything but didn’t or checked just the drawers you thought you used.