Caribbean Princess Itinerary

What Caribbean Princess's Autumn-into-Winter Caribbean Season Is Actually Like

Our database knows when Caribbean Princess leaves Fort Lauderdale. It doesn't record where she goes, which is a bit like getting a wedding invitation with no venue. So here's the plain version: ten sailings, nine of them 12 nights, and a port list you should confirm with Princess before you book. Third-party listings disagree with each other, and we won't pretend otherwise.

The sailings, and what the calendar means

What are the ports?

Reseller listings for the 12-night sailings point to Southern Caribbean and Panama-style routings. Cruiseweb's Panama Canal with Costa Rica listing names Oranjestad (Aruba), Cartagena, the Panama Canal, Colón and George Town (Grand Cayman). Cruise Timetables' listing for the Dec 5 date also shows Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. Another Cruiseweb listing, for an April 2027 date outside this window, names Aruba, Martinique, St. Maarten, Curaçao and Barbados. A holiday-themed Panama Canal with Costa Rica routing is listed starting Dec 17. Even so, the stops differ from source to source, and our own records don't confirm them. For the 6-night Feb 27 sailing, one reseller lists Grand Turk, Amber Cove and Princess Cays. Another swaps in Celebration Key. Check the exact date on Princess's site.

Weather and seas

The air is reliably warm. Holland America puts January highs in the low-to-mid 80s°F. The sea is where winter gets moody. Boating guides put the cold fronts and strong winds known as the "Christmas Winds" mainly between December and early February. They can mean bumpy water and a chilly, windy Bahamas beach day. Bring a light jacket for the Fort Lauderdale end. We couldn't find a trustworthy sea-temperature figure, so we won't give you one. Consider a swim a bonus, not a promise.

Hurricanes matter mainly for the two November departures. Roughly one named storm forms in the Atlantic every other November, and the western Caribbean off Central America is the likeliest spot. That's where Panama-bound itineraries go. Odds are low, but a reroute is possible. On the Central American coast, Puerto Limón gets about 461 mm of rain over roughly 19 rainy days in November, which weather-and-climate.com lists as its wettest month of the year. Rain doesn't read the calendar, so pack a rain jacket for the Costa Rica and Panama days.

Who should pick which length

• 12 nights: Best if you want ports you can't reach on a week. Expect several sea days, so a ship with 3,138 passengers and 18 decks is a pleasant place to spend them. It's less ideal if you get restless.
• 6 nights (Feb 27): The sampler for first-timers or a long weekend that stretches a bit. It's a lighter commitment, and the listed ports are beach-and-island stops, not big culture days.

Pricing, crowds and the ship itself

The Christmas and New Year's departures are the holiday-crowding ones. Expect families and higher fares. Early December and the November sailings are the quieter shoulder-season picks. For the Feb 27 sailing, Cruise Timetables lists an interior fare of $499, the cheapest category on its list. The page doesn't say whether that is per person or per cabin, so confirm that with Princess before you start doing happy math. It also notes that its prices are sampled from the cruise line's website and may not be up to date, so check Princess for today's fare. Our cabin guide, the cruise cabin size guide, helps you decide whether a bigger room is worth it on a 12-night trip.

Caribbean Princess was built in 2004 and refurbished in 2022. She's 112,894 gross tons, carries 1,200 crew and sits in the Princess Grand class. Her latest CDC Vessel Sanitation Program score is 93 out of 100 (inspected Feb 9, 2026), and a score of 86 or above counts as passing. You can compare it using the CDC inspection lookup, or browse every ship's schedule on the itineraries hub.

Pack list

• Light layers and a windbreaker for fronts and the Fort Lauderdale end
• Compact rain jacket, plus a quick-dry change of clothes
• Swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen and a hat
• Closed shoes for rainforest or canal excursions
• Motion-sickness remedies, in case the Christmas Winds show up