Caribbean Princess cruise - The wrap-up

Caribbean Princess cruise

The wrap-up

We awoke this morning, ready to head home.  The cruise was over and it was time to go.  After breakfast in the buffet, we put the last items in our suitcases and headed down - or so we thought.  We opted to self-assist, meaning we didn't put our luggage out the night before.  Taking one bag each off the ship isn't a big deal.

We walked to the elevators and waited.  And waited. And waited.  The elevators were full continually.  Ultimately, we opted to get on an elevator going up, so we could eventually go down.  We finally got to deck #5 and left the ship.  Let me say that the new facial recognition Customs process is amazing.  You walk up, it recognizes you, turns green, and you're on you're way.  After the elevators, getting off the ship was one of the easiest things we've down this week and certainly had the shortest line.

Into the SUV we went and headed north on the turnpike. It gave me more time to play with GM's Super Cruise autonomous driving.  Woo!

It is awesome watching the vehicle drive itself almost like magic

We hit Orlando around 11:30 AM and we were hungry, so that meant one thing - Giordano's!

As you can see, Arlona was really enjoying Meat and More Deep Dish - and we'll be eating well for days!

We finished the drive home and unpacked.  It is so nice living close to ports so there's no flight home.  Before I started writing this, we were both completely unpacked and the laundry is done, folded, and put away.

Next on the agenda?  Using some of our government-supplied medical testing kits!  We figured after a week on a ship that was booked to busting at the seams, it was probably a good idea to take a home COVID test.

Both negative - we survived!

This brings to an end our first, and possibly last Princess Cruise adventure.  We have a Royal Caribbean cruise scheduled in September (watch this space for that adventure) so we'll see if what we experienced this week was a Princess thing or an industry thing. If it is an industry thing, then we will consider giving Princess another chance once they get their act together.  If other cruise lines have it figured out, then we will enjoy our cruise experiences with them.

While this hasn't been a great cruise, it has been a learning experience and a recognition of the issues that the cruise lines have regarding staffing.  Between COVID testing, visa, and a general reduction in the global workforce, all of the cruise lines seem to be struggling to get enough crew to properly staff ships.  Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped them from filling the vessel to the brim with passengers.  Ultimately, I expect one of two things to come from this.  1) People will get fed up and stop cruising, or; 2) The service level will universally fall on cruises, tarnishing the experience and lowering the overall value of a cruise.  As long as people accept that, the industry will be able to provide lower-quality service at top-tier rates.  As a result, we will be looking at other forms of travel and stop cruising.  Our fingers are crossed that things eventually get back to normal and all the cruise lines return to providing outstanding experiences and service.  Time will tell. 

While I certainly had a lot of negative things to say about this experience, we did enjoy our snorkeling, since our plans to snorkel through the South Pacific on the world cruise changed when the ship changed direction.  We found our own fun and made the best of the situation.

This trip is in the books.  Explorer of the Seas, here we come in less than two months!  We'll see you then!