Crown Princess Review 11/14-11/21 LONG

[lovevacadays]

Back at home after a lovely cruise on a lovely ship. This was my 8th Princess cruise and my 14th overall. I'm a single lady in my 50's and cruised with another single gal in her 50's. I've also cruised RCCL, Carnival, and Holland America. I am definitely a die-hard Princess fan. There were many, many wonderful things about this cruise and a few things that were just ok for me. I would definitely cruise the Crown again. (I'd get on tomorrow if I could, but alas, back to work tomorrow).

 

*** ENTERTAINMENT: My first comment is a bit out of any order but I wanted to get this tip out there for people who really enjoy the live music on board ships. I am keeping in mind that everyone enjoys such a different variety of music. I tend to like more of the pop, light rock, country types of music and not as into the orchestra, strings, etc type of music. At least not in the lounges. I do enjoy the strings, etc in the atrium setting. My tip is don't miss the band Phoenix Rising in the Wheelhouse Pub. They were fantastic! Especially the main singer who played the keyboards.At least check them out and give them a few songs before deciding if you want to stay. They played quite a variety of music from Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Rolling Stones, some country, some light pop, etc. The main singer was also very friendly and spent his breaks chatting with the passengers. Unfortunately, I didn't get in there until the last night of the cruise. I've sailed the Sapphire my last 3 cruises and the music in the Wheelhouse was more big band and Club Fusion and Explorers on the Sapphire had the house bands that played more of the music I like. Not so on the Crown. The only other band that played my kind of music was a group called Passion who played by the pool and alternated between Club Fusion and Explorers. The two main singers were female which is the first time I've experienced this. Both had beautiful voices. I did find them a bit of a "snooze fest" most of the time. Not bad, but not great. I did enjoy them more by the pool than in the lounges and thought they were good on the second formal night for the Balloon Drop at 11:30 pm. I found the other entertainment a bit lacking on the ship. Checked out one of the Production shows but left and wasn't too crazy about the comedian. I've always really enjoyed the entertainment on Princess but found it not quite to my taste on this cruise. No worries, though, I can have a good time listening to about anything on a cruise as I love the live entertainment experience.

 

PRECRUISE - Flew Continental Airlines. Staff was very friendly at all points. Planes were clean and well-maintained. On time going, long layover coming back as there were storms in their hub of Houston. If you are sailing during breakfast or lunch they do serve meals. Breakfast is cereal and a banana. Lunch was a turkey sandwich, chips, and a candy bar. Stayed at the Marriot Beach Place. This is a timeshare resort that also lets you book individual night stays. It was in a good location, clean and with a friendly staff. The rooms were standard but clean and comfortable. Had a room that faced the waterways. It was really nice. It was actually great to have a room that faced the waterways as opposed to the ocean. I saw the ocean for seven days on my cruise and really enjoyed the view from the balcony to the waterway. Saw water taxi's coming by and had a beautiful view from floor 14 of the beautiful homes along the waterways and their beautiful yachts out front. No matter what hotel you book, I think it is a nice alternative to an oceanview and would book a waterway view anytime I cruised out of Fort Lauderdale. Ate dinner at a restaurant called Crab and Seafood House. It was great. It is just a couple of blocks from the hotel. It is very safe to walk there at night as there are many people out on the sidewalks. It is a very casual place. Had the best strawberry margarita I have ever had there and some really good appetizers. They had a band playing outside so sat outside along the sidewalk and ate, drank and people watched. A great experience. Just a note about this hotel - you don't pull up to the lobby and get out and walk into the lobby. Your taxi takes you to the parking garage area and you ring a bell and they let you in and then you take a ride down to the lobby. Also, when leaving or coming back to the hotel you have to walk through the parking garage and out to the main street. This was the only thing I wasn't crazy about because it didn't feel 100% safe. All in all a nice stay there though.

 

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION (SPELLING?): Easy, breezy. I'm Platinum so didn't have to stand in the very long line that was there when I arrived at noon. Go around to the side and there is a door that is for Elite and Platinum. It was short and I was on board within 20 minutes or so. There were stewards on the ship to greet you and point you in the right direction. Also stewards in the elevator to take you to your deck.

 

CABIN: Had a dolphin mini-suite for the second time. I love these cabins. Very roomy with a larger bathroom. I am one of those that happen to love the open balcony. Some don't and prefer the completely covered on Emerald. I have an Emerald mini booked on the Caribbean Princess for next year and might change to a Dolphin deck one. I love the feel of just sitting out over the ocean with what appears as no ship beneath you. I also love being able to sit out there at night and see a wide, open sky filled with stars and not have to walk up to my balcony to see the full sky.

 

SHIP: The Crown Princess is a beautiful ship. There is dark wood, beautiful marble, beautiful tiles, beautiful light fixtures everywhere. I liked the art work they used in the cabin as well as some of the stairwells. It was the prints of Italian ports with fishing boats, etc. I just love the feel of those prints. I've sailed the Sapphire, Diamond, Sea, and Star Princess. All are beautiful and the Crown is as beautiful, if not more so. Everywhere you look there is a feast for the eyes. There are many, many places to go to for so many different experiences. I'll give a run down: OPEN DECKS: as always loved the aft pool for beautiful wake views and peace and quiet. Also enjoyed the main pool areas. Actually, enjoyed the pool area without MUTS. I'm not into hearing movies, etc while I'm laying by the pool. I enjoy music so stayed at the pool area without MUTS. I didn't have trouble finding loungers at the main pool area. At the aft, no problem earlier in the morning or late afternoon but completely full all the time mid morning to mid day. ADAGIO BAR: Went there once. A nice bar and very quiet. Nice for a pre-dinner martini and a nice tray of olives. SABATINI'S: Didn't eat there but looked in and it was a beautiful setting. SKYWALKERS: Went up one night but not impressed by the music there so left. LOTUS SPA, LOTUS POOK, SANCTUARY: Didn't but a pass to the sanctuary or do any treatments but did walk through and the sanctuary area and Lotus Spa is beautiful. WHEELHOUSE PUB: Already mentioned the great music. It is also a beautiful lounge with lots of dark woods and definitely the Pub feeling. Also, had the Pub lunch in there one day and enjoyed it. Nice atmosphere for lunch and enjoyed the fish and chips. CROONERS BAR: I always love the Crooners Bar. This one is actually bigger and more beautiful than the one on the Sapphire. Great martini's, lots of choices and they also will serve you an assorted olive tray if you ask. You can also order coffee and chocolate drinks with alcohol here. It is a nice thing to do mid-afternoon. I'm not a midafternoon coffee drinker except when I'm on a ship. It's a nice break from the day by the pool or nice when you return from a shore excursion. My favorite is the Nutty Irishman which has Baileys and Frangelico in it. EXPLORERS LOUNGE: Only went one night and listened to the band Passion. Not really interested in entertainment the other nights. It was pretty enough but nothing that was memorable. CLUB FUSION: Typically one of my favorite places to hang out on a cruise as I love all the games, events, entertainment they do in there. Not so this cruise, again, Passion a bit of a snooze fest and events were ok. The one event I did enjoy and there was alot of participation in was the Jeopardy game. SHOPS: Pretty much the standard Princess gift shops. INTERNATIONAL CAFE: Really enjoyed the IC. It is true, the chicken salad is to die for. I also enjoyed the Shrimp salad, the ham and cheese croissant, the chocolate croissant and loved the cheesecake. The only thing I was surprises about is there are only 5 or 6 tables within the IC. There are also 5-8 tables over the the coffee bar which is right next door. There are more tables out in the atrium area. Some days difficult to get a table and some days not. VINES: I also really enjoyed this venue. It was a beautiful little spot where you could get assorted wines, cheese, tapas, and sushi. It was nice to go there and have a glass of wine and listen to the music in the atrium. This is one area I like hearing jazz, strings, etc. Quite a lovely experience.

 

FOOD: Well, the topic of food is very subjective. I typically really enjoy Princess' food. This trip an average experience. I had second seating and went to the main dining room 4 times. Two nights really good, two nights kind of average. I wasn't impressed with the buffet food this time. On the Sapphire I've always enjoyed their lunch and dinner buffets. On this ship I didn't find the buffet food that good or the variety very good. I wasn't a fan of the Cafe Caribe at night. It really seemed to have more limited choices than I have experienced before. I did enjoy the Grill out by the pool. Good hamburgers, hotdogs and fries. The Pizza was good as well. The desserts this trip were just ok as well. I usually love the pastries and only found a few I thought were good. Crown Grill - food was really good. I had a filet mignon which was perfectly done and tender. They also whipped me up a batch of bernaise sauce so I was very happy. Drinks - very good drinks on board and alcohol content seemed to be just fine! I'm always impressed with Princess' drink prices. I'm not typically a foo-foo drink drinker but really enjoyed the Mucho Mango - maybe enjoyed it too much!

 

SERVICE: Really good service on this ship. The crew was really very friendly. To add to the Wheelhouse Bar experience, the waiters and bartenders in there were so much fun. The liveliest group onboard. One of the waiters danced with me and was dancing with others. The bartenders were singing, just a great group. Our dining room staff was really good and efficient. Our waitress did take some getting used to. She was very efficient but had a bit of a drill sargeant personality. After you got used to that she was enjoyable. My room steward was very friendly and kept the room clean and well-stocked. The only place where I think the service was lacking was in the International Cafe. The guy that was there in the daytime was not so friendly and seemed to be irritated when you asked for additional items or an extra plate, etc. But, one bad apple doesn't spoil the bunch. You will really enjoy this friendly crew.

 

CRUISE STAFF: I didn't do too many activities that included the cruise staff which is quite unusual for me. However, enough to have a bit of an impression. I have heard mixed reviews of the Cruise Director Ron Goodman but I liked him. I enjoyed his attitude when he gave announcements, etc. He also walked the decks both in the morning and in the afternoon saying hi to the passengers and asking how they were. I've never sailed with a cruise director that did that to the extent Ron did and I appreciated the effort. His staff seemed a bit low-key for me and seemed to be having some difficulty getting people to participate. No one really stood out but again, I didn't do that many activities where they were and others might have a different opinion.

 

GRAND CAYMAN: Did the tour that takes you to the Dolphin Park and Hell. Not a good one. Boring. I think in Grand Cayman you need to do the water related excursions to get a better time. My last trip here my mom and I did the Atlantis Submarine and really enjoyed that and hung out in town shopping, eating and looking at the beautiful Caribbean water. A much better time doing that than the excursion this time.

 

ROATAN: My favorite island! We did a tour with Victor Bodden. Roatan is such a beautiful island. Went all over the island and saw many things. It was breathtaking to me. Ate at a place called the Half Moon Bay Resort. The restaurant had a patio out over the water. It was in a little bay. The patio had a bay and ocean view. It was spectacular. There were waves crashing at my feet and once in awhile a spray of water. Had lobster for $20. It was two lobster tails with a baked potato. Very good. Also had excellent Pina Colada's here. Loved, loved it!

 

COZUMEL/TULUM: Went to Tulum. Wasn't really the excursion I would have taken as my last trip to Cozumel I stayed in Cozumel and had one of the best port days of my life. Not sorry I did this excursion as I can say I saw and experienced Tulum - just wouldn't do it again. If you are a lover of mayan history, ruins, etc., though, you will probably enjoy this trip. Tulum is definitely in a beautiful setting. As a matter of fact, the view is spectacular. When you get there the ruins, the foliage and the incredibly beautiful ocean view is wonderful. The drawbacks for me are the long time it takes to get there and back which only leaves you about 2 1/2 hours there. Also, be prepared, it is extremely hot. This is coming from a Southern Californian who goes to places like the Caribbean and Mexico because I love warm-weather vacations and know these places are warm with humidity. However, it was extremely hot in Tulum. Be sure and bring water and wear sunscreen. Once we were done with the tour we went back to the entrance and had lunch in a little mexican restaurant our tour guide recommended. It was decent food, but not what you get in Cozumel. The best part of this was the really strong margaritas they serve. I think the name is Mr. Frosty's. When you get there you can see it from the parking lot. It has a thatched roof and is in a row with other shops, etc.

 

PRINCESS CAYS: I had a spectacular day at Princess Cays. I wasn't going to get off the ship as I've done the private island thing before. I'm glad I did. A tip for you: when you get off the tender, go to the right instead of left unless you like being in the most crowded area. Go to the right and it is much less crowded. If you rent one of the clamshells ask the person who will take you to the clam shell if you can get one down by the bar area. The view from there is wonderful. You have the ship out in front of you, the beautiful ocean and when you look to your right you see the little bays and shoreline for quite a way. Also there are two lifeguard stations there with guys sitting. It just added to the charm. There are also loungers right in front of the bar. There aren't that many but I got lucky and found one. Maybe because I was just looking for one - don't know. Very convenient to the bathroom and just a few steps to get a drink. There are waiters that also come around so don't need to worry about getting drinks The BBQ lunch was average. The shops there were really good. I stopped in when I went back to tender. Loved my day there.

 

All in all, I really enjoyed the Crown Princess. I love to cruise and have and will never experience a bad cruise no matter the circumstances. For those cruising in the future on-board the Crown - have a wonderful time.

 

Sorry for spelling and grammatical errors. Kind of tired.

 

I'm off to do laundry, unpack and dream about my cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess next year.

 

Take care

Michelle

[sunsetme]

thank you for your review. I look forward to my upcoming cruise.

[Kinkacruiser]

I really enjoyed your review, Michelle. I can relate to the waitress with the "drill sergeant personality". We also had a super efficient head waitress and because of this, we only managed 4 visits to the restaurant over the 18 night cruise. We are planning to cruise with Princess in Europe 2011 , hopefully on the Crown.

Thanks for sharing.

Anna

[caribill]

The only place where I think the service was lacking was in the International Cafe.

 

Thanks for an honest report of your experience.

 

On the Crown in September, one day the server at the IC was the ship's Executive Chef. He did a good job at the IC.

[vermontcruisers]

Thanks for sharing Michelle.Linda and I will be on the Crown in January.Our first princess cruise.We're looking forward to Roatan and Princess Cays the most since we have never been to there yet.Hoping the weather will be warm and sunny.-Andy.

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the review. We are looking forward to our Crown cruise in April!

[UtterCaro]

The only place where I think the service was lacking was in the International Cafe. The guy that was there in the daytime was not so friendly and seemed to be irritated when you asked for additional items or an extra plate, etc.

 

I'm really sorry to hear that. It must not be Mr. Flo anymore, who was so delightful when I was last on the Crown. (As a java junkie, I practically lived at the IC, and never found any of the crew there less than pleasantly attentive.)

 

Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you had such a good time.

 

Caro

[Minoushka]

Thank you for your tips We will try to go to all those venues for good music

CROWN HERE I COME WOOHOO!!!!

 

Michele

[lovevacadays]

To all upcoming Crown cruisers - have a great trip. The service and crew are extremely friendly. Only one that didn't seem to be into his job as stated above but perhaps he was just having a few bad days. We all have those days. The servers at the cafe bar were great though.

[susieg]

We will be sailing on the Crown in early December and have signed up for the Tulum excursion. You mentioned that it was hot. Were the other ports warm as well? Just wondering if shorts are appropriate for all of the ports? We tend to get cold on cruise ships -- a/c is too cold for us -- but are hoping the ports will be warm.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for posting your review.

[justluv2cruisewithhubby]

Great review I really enjoyed the read. We are sailing on the Crown in January and can't wait. Wonderful suggestions on the excursions as well as the music.

[Debzee53]

DH and I were aboard the 11/14 Crown sailing as well. This was our 7th Princess cruise.

 

To add to your entertainment comments, there was also a female hypnotist onboard and we enjoyed her show very much. If you really like to laugh, this would be a show to see! It was a nice break from the usual production shows.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[Momma Mojito]

My tip is don't miss the band Phoenix Rising in the Wheelhouse Pub. They were fantastic! Especially the main singer who played the keyboards.At least check them out and give the, some light pop, etc. The main singer was also very friendly and spent his breaks chatting with the passengers. Unfortunately, I didn't get in there until the m a few songs before deciding if you want to stay. They played quite a variety of music from Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Rolling Stones, some countrylast night of the cruise.

 

We were on the Crown the week before you, and spent most of our evenings the Wheelhouse being entertained by the great music of "Phoenix Rising" Sorry that you only got to enjoy them on your last night. We were a group of eight and all of us have had the pleasure of their music on our other cruises.

 

We had a great cruise and thanks for your review.

[lovevacadays]

Hi susieg. All the ports were warm - about mid80's although Roatan was overcast when we were there. Shorts are definitely appropriate. Tulum definitely felt hotter though. Perhaps being completely out in the open and up on a hill and doing quite a bit of walking made it seem like the sun was beating down a bit more.

 

Have a fabulous cruise

[graycottag]

>>We will be sailing on the Crown in early December and have signed up for the Tulum excursion. You mentioned that it was hot. Were the other ports warm as well? Just wondering if shorts are appropriate for all of the ports? <<

 

 

I'll buck tradition here and suggest long pants and long sleeve shirts for places like Tulum. I spent a month in the Yucatan in college, and have been back there a few times. I did a cruise excursion to Tulum a couple of years ago in really oppressive horrible heat. I learned way back that VERY thin loose long pants (like thin cargo pants - or even the zip-off shorts kind) and very loose white or light colored cotton or linen (NO POLYESTER) long sleeve shirts keep me much more comfortable than shorts. You also have more protection for the burning sun if it's a clear day

 

I took my daughter on a cruise a few years ago and insisted she have that type of outfit available for our excursions to Tulum and also Belize. She thought I was nuts.... but not only did she agree that she was cooler than shorts and some sort of tank top outfit, but as a 16 yr old pretty blond American girl, she was MUCH more comfortable being fully covered in Mexico - especially in the port area with a lot of leering eyes from the local men.

 

I'm sailing on the Crown in February and am now trying to convince the next travelling companion that long pants and long sleeve shirts are the way to go.... not having much success so far LOL

[susieg]

Hi susieg. All the ports were warm - about mid80's although Roatan was overcast when we were there. Shorts are definitely appropriate. Tulum definitely felt hotter though. Perhaps being completely out in the open and up on a hill and doing quite a bit of walking made it seem like the sun was beating down a bit more.

 

Have a fabulous cruise

 

Thank you for the information about the weather. This is our third Princess cruise, and we can't wait to sail on the Crown. It sounds like a lovely ship. It has really been great reading the comments from people who just took the same cruise. Thanks again!

[susieg]

I'll buck tradition here and suggest long pants and long sleeve shirts for places like Tulum...I'm sailing on the Crown in February and am now trying to convince the next travelling companion that long pants and long sleeve shirts are the way to go.... not having much success so far LOL

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I will certainly have to give this some thought. Enjoy the Crown in February!