poolreader

We were on the same sailing. When we first saw all the high tables, requiring people to sit on tall bar stools I was very disappointed. I have always enjoyed the atmosphere of the low tables and comfortable dark chairs. The new High white tables and high white stools seemed very out of place in that environment, like a newlyweds house with two different tastes in furniture. There were a few low tables available, for listening to the entertainment, but the first section of low tables and couches was taken over every night by a group of about 30 people.

We were told the $19 charge and looked at the menu, but did not feel the charge would be worth what appeared to be offered. The menu did not show the salad that came with the meal. While we were sitting listening to the guitarist a couple we had met earlier came over to tell us that the food was very good. When I asked if it was worth the charge they said it was free this week.

I asked the waiter if we could try the food and was told we would need to sit on the high tables. This cruise I needed to use my walker and my DH needed his cane, and those stools would not work for us, so I asked to have the food at the low table. I was told if I was not able to sit at the high tables we could not order the food. I pointed out that people who sit in wheelchairs may not be able to sit in those chairs either and I was told handicapped people could not get the food. This really made me feel angry. So we left.

The next night I was still bothered by their attitude and we were walking by the Wheelhouse so I stopped and spoke with the man who appeared to be in charge. He said he would allow us to eat at low table the next night, but they might be charging the fee.

I convinced my DH to try it another night if it was free. After we determined there would be no charge we asked to be sat at the low tables, he was not pleased. I agree the tables are very small for this type of service, but to not have seating that can accommodate people with disabilities is unacceptable.

The food was good, especially the very crispy, onion bread sticks, and wonderful beer cheese fondue. We had the lobster Mac and cheese, one very small bite of lobster. The hamburger was very flavorful, with layers of flavor, but watch out for the jalapeno. The beet and goat cheese seemed to be missing the goat cheese (but there was rumors not enough of it on board). The mushroom dish had salad under the mushrooms and a poached egg encased in crust, it was delicious. The grilled cheese with white tomato soup was fantastic, but the sandwich was only two small fingers, probably equal to half of a sandwich. For desert we had a small bowl the had a rich, dark chocolate mousse, similar to the Love Boat Dream dessert in the MDR, a very satisfying end to the meal.

I would like to eat there again, if they had larger low tables, the one we had worked for two, but would not work for a larger party. I also feel the price is a little high. In the other fee restaurants you are getting Lobster tails, or a expensive cut of meat. At ten dollars I feel the place would be packed every night.

I would like to try it again and sample other dishes.

 

 

We are leaving on a 7-day cruise on the Crown Princess this Saturday. Our plan is to dine at both the Crown Grill and Sabatini's--probably, multiple times. On our return I will make a point of returning to this conversation and reporting our experiences.

 

:)

HI, my DH and I will also be on the Crown on Saturday. I was going to try to convince my DH to go to Sabatini's, but with all of the good reports about the CG it makes me want to try to have that correct experience. I will be checking back here to see about your night in the CG.

The ship is at the end of a long peninsula of land. Next to the Cruise Terminal is a small Old England themed shopping area and the Queen Mary. The Hotel Maya is further down. There is no place to buy wine within walking distance, the shuttle is the best option.

Rather than rent snorkeling equipment I have purchased a small kids raft, the type with a see through window. It works well to float around and see the same thing you would snorkeling, and it takes up very little room in the suitcase when it is in the package. The last stop I give it to a local child.

At the Crown Grill, your DH can have lobster AND steak if he chooses.

In fact, he can have as many lobsters as he wants.

 

That was not my experience on the Crown Princess, and that as the ship the OP is sailing. If they want lobster they can get it in Sabatini's, the Lobster Three Ways come with two large tails.

I vote for Sabbatini's, especially if you like lobster. They have a lobster 3 ways, with the best lobster risotto I have ever eaten. The service has been wonderful.

I ate in the Crown Grill on the Crown and had a horrible experience. My lamb chops were over done, my husbands steak was rare (and he ordered well done), the lobster we also ordered turned out to be two very small (as in two bites each) to share. The waiter never came back to check on our meal, and when I did see him he gave me the one minute, finger in the air signal, but did not return. My husband had ordered a beer before our main course came and when he did not bring it with dinner we thought he had just forgot.

There were only four tables of customers in our section, one he waited on constantly, but they left about the time we got our main course, an hour after ordering. One table had a screaming child, who was very shrill and used this level to communicate everything, including talking to her doll. You could actually see everyone jump, including the waiter every time she opened her mouth, which was about every two minutes. the waiter was trying to push their dinner through faster. Another table had a couple that came in 30 minutes after us. They kept looking over at us doing the shoulder shrug, hands in the air, what is happening signal.

The waiter came back when we were done eating and didn't even ask how we liked our food. I told him my husbands steak was underdone and my chops were overdone, he said most people like them that way. We ordered dessert and he brought my husbands beer at that time, almost one hour after my DH had asked for the beer. I wanted to refuse it but my husband does not like to complain.

I realize the waiter was probably frustrated from the screaming child, but the food was not as good as the MDR. I had been looking forward to the Black and Blue Onion soup. It was just onion soup with melted mild white cheese, it was not blue cheese, and it was not even browned, just partially melted from the heat of the soup. I asked the waiter if it was blue cheese, and he acted offended and said 'no it is the white cheese'. Later I thought perhaps someone had special ordered it without the blue cheese, and this might account for the cheese not being browned and the waiters behavior (he thought I was the one who ordered it that way and was questioning him to make sure it did not have blue cheese).

I love Princess and realize this was fluke, but I could NOT recommend the Crown Grill on the Crown.

I hope you can still take the cruise,getting the family all together is so difficult and I am sure you will have a great time.

Because there is still time maybe you can talk to your family and come up with some ways to raise some spending money. A big garage sale, baby sitting, pet sitting, and helping elderly people with odd jobs (for less than they would normally have to pay), are just some ideas on how your family can pull together and contribute to the cruise fund.

I have never seen a service fee for getting cash for slots play. It has happened at the tables.

On our last cruise they had an Arts and Crafts session where we made one with beads. It was a free class and the lanyard looks more like a necklace.

Sorry, but I do plan ahead whenever I walk out the door or go anywhere and have cell, ID, one credit card and medical cards in cell phone case. Having a heart condition that likes to rear it's ugly head at the worst opportune times has taught me to always be prepared. There may be times when you don't have the opportunity to go back to the room, go to your desk at work or etc. Hence I am always prepared. People want to take chances.. they can.

I was not putting you down because you plan ahead, and considering your condition it is a good idea. It read as if you were scolding people for not picking up money, credit cards, etc, but only their cell phones. I was simply trying to inform you, in case you had not had the time to read the entire thread, that people did not have the chance to go back to their cabins. The passengers in this situation already had an unpleasant time, to say the least, and did not deserve to be told they should of done something differently.

I rarely post on Cruise Critic, with the exception of Roll Calls, because it irritates me to see people say 'you should have done it my way'. For me and many cruisers I have spoken to they do not carry much around with them on the ship, and this freedom is part of the appeal of cruising. If it had been me I would not even had a phone, as my flip phone costs too much to keep on while out at sea, and it does not work in most ports (except continental U.S.)

Saying "I plan ahead", and "People want to take chances...they can" just sounds like you feel you are superior to most people in this unfortunate situation. I hope nothing bad ever happens to you in which people scold you, rather than have empathy.

I wonder.. So OP posted they were evacuated off the ship with no money and no ID?

If you can grab a call phone always grab money and ID. ID, credit cards and medical cards are always in my possession no matter what. We have become a warped society to always have a cell but not ID and money.

This is just the case to plan ahead for and all essentials together in one spot ready to grab in an emergency.:D

If you had read the whole thread you would know that they were sent off the ship without the opportunity to "plan ahead....essentials together....grab in an emergency".

I enjoy the freedom, as I know many others do, of being able to walk around the ship with just a sign and sail card in my pocket, or on a lanyard. Some people also carry their phones to have the time, send or receive a quick message, or take pictures. No one said people went back to their rooms and only grabbed their phones.

I have really enjoyed this thread because Pauley gave us info without opinions on what others should do or not do.

Have chocolates on the pillows at turn down really stopped?

Minor thing, I know, but I just heard that and wondered.

Thanks -- I'll be back again to read more!

Sorry to hear about the MDR.

We have been getting chocolates, but they are on the nightstand. I asked why and was told too many people came in and fell asleep without realizing the candy was there. It was making quite a mess on the pillows.

One time they used a brand new $30 pair of sunglasses for a towel animal. They were in my bag (purse). I did not mind because it looked so cute until the next day after breakfast, when the towel animal was gone along with my glasses. I asked the cabin steward and he claimed he put them on the vanity. My DH thought I must have picked them up, but I searched the room and did not find them.

I kept checking with lost and found. Finally they showed up in lost and found, they were all broken up and the plastic was coming apart. They had obviously gone through the washing machine and were no longer usable. I was offered $10, because that is what the ship was charging for sale glasses.

Now if they use my glasses I am sure to remove them before I go to bed.

Several years ago I was flying to Vancouver from Ontario, CA, the day of the cruise. The flight was supposed to leave around 6 a.m., with an one hour stop in San Francisco. Well the flight attendants for the plane leaving the gate before us were in a hotel that had a power outage the night before. They never got their wake up call, so their flight attendants did not show up until well after our flight was supposed to leave.

By the time that flight got off and our plane disembarked the passengers it was almost two hours late. We missed the connection in SFO, but were able to get on another plane there, although we now landed at 3 p.m.

Since it was a ship booked flight they waited for us and several other passengers, but they were pulling away and starting the life boat drill a few minutes after we got on. The group from our flight were the very last people on board, and if we did not book it with the cruise line I am sure we would have missed our cruise.

Although you are willing to push your DP around, please consider that you will also need to handle luggage. A motorized chair may give your more flexibility.

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COLOR="Magenta]Yes. There are many places to gather as a group, both inside and outside with access to a bar. Places at night to gather and listen to music or dance.

Or good for kids/babies? I have never been with kids/babies myself but I see many children, especially around the pool, and the hot tubs looks like kid soup on a cool day.

Also, what's the difference between the imagination and inspiration. Thanks in advance. Very similar ships, the Imagination may be newer, but both ships are fairly old.

I hope you all enjoy your cruise.

On a cruise with a group of people, three of us shared the alligator fritters and some type of vegetarian curry. We all had different main courses and other starters. Although we all liked the alligator, the three of us got a little food poisoning that night. No one else in our group had the problem. So now I am afraid to try them again, it could have been the curry, but that evening in the cabin discourages me from trying again.

We packed up our smaller items, the things from shelves, etc. We moved our bags and hanging clothes on a cart to the new room before we got off the ship with those doing B2B's.

I have never taken a HAL cruise so when I met someone at a party talking about their HAL cruise I had to ask about their experience. They told me it was not very good because the wife was sick. I asked if she got ill on the ship, and they replied, 'no, she was coughing and had a fever before they left, but they figured she would feel better in a few days. Plus they spent so much money on the cruise and flight'.

I have seen them socially at parties several times since then and have not spoken to them except to say Hi, and move on.

I did this trip with my DD's a number of years ago in a July. It was one of the highlights of my life. Incredible scenery with the feeling of being the only people in the world as we floated down the river.

Last cruise there was no rifle on my balcony so I could not practice my skeet shooting.

They actually expected me to ride on a little boat to go ashore, if the captain is so bad at parking he can not get close enough to the dock they could at least helicopter me over to the dock.

I went to the friends of Bill meeting, and there wasn't a single friend of my dad Bill there. Even worse there was no bar service.

In the buffet I waited almost 20 minutes to eat after I got my food because no one came by to put my napkin in my lap.

Even though my feet and ankles were clearly swollen no one came around as I lay on the lounge chair by the pool and rubbed my feet.

Something I just thought about, people are making guns on 3-D printers. Once they found the bullets they may have investigated the luggage to look for something a plastic gun.

Thank you! I think we will. We actually slept through dinner one night on our last cruise and we didn't care in the least. We just hit the buffet and I think it was better than the nasty food Princess serves in the MDR.

I love the food in the MDR on Princess, but everything I ordered in the MDR on NCL would have made any human being sick to eat. I suggest you cancel your NCL cruise, because if you think Princess is bad you will need to spend hundreds of dollars to receive edible food on NCL.

LOl

A while back I called it Expensive Style Cruising and the NCL cheerleaders ripped into me. Hope they are nicer to you.

Prayers for a speedy and complete recovery.