Crown Princess, Mediterranean Cruise Questions

[Suesan Jean]

Hi!

 

I have been on 12 cruises but am a Princess "First Timer". I am in the planning stages of a Mediterranean Crown Princess Cruise next year and I have a bunch of questions that I hope I can get some help with. I appreciate ANY and ALL replies. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!!!

 

1. How HOT will it REALLY BE at the end of June, first two weeks of July in: Rome, Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Katakolon, Corfu, Split and Venice?

 

2. At these ports-of-call, are there plenty of cabs to go places?

 

3. Do any of you have any reccomendations on things to not miss or just skip?

 

4. On the Crown Princess are there any unobstructed "Oceanview" Cabins?

If there are, could you please tell me the cabin #'s?

 

5. How is the entertainment on Princess? We really enjoy the entertainment on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

 

6. Does Princess have "Freestyle" type of Dinner times or is there still two set Dinner times, early and late?

 

7. What is the Crown Princess like? Is it a beautifull ship? Easy to navigate?

 

8. Is there a Guest Laundry Room on this ship? Is it free or a charge for the machines?

[Mom33]

Hi!

 

I have been on 12 cruises but am a Princess "First Timer". I am in the planning stages of a Mediterranean Crown Princess Cruise next year and I have a bunch of questions that I hope I can get some help with. I appreciate ANY and ALL replies. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!!!

 

1. How HOT will it REALLY BE at the end of June, first two weeks of July in: Rome, Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Katakolon, Corfu, Split and Venice?

 

2. At these ports-of-call, are there plenty of cabs to go places?

 

3. Do any of you have any reccomendations on things to not miss or just skip?

 

4. On the Crown Princess are there any unobstructed "Oceanview" Cabins?

If there are, could you please tell me the cabin #'s?

 

5. How is the entertainment on Princess? We really enjoy the entertainment on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

 

6. Does Princess have "Freestyle" type of Dinner times or is there still two set Dinner times, early and late?

 

7. What is the Crown Princess like? Is it a beautifull ship? Easy to navigate?

 

Hi Suesan....I can answer some of your questions.

 

1. It will be hot. Think Florida in the summer.

 

2. There are taxis as well as tour guides and vans available at each port. You can take private tours or ship sponsored tours.

 

3. Not to miss...I can only tell you what our highlights were, The Vatican and Coliseum (Rome), Florence and Pisa, Capri and Sorrento and Pompeii (Naples) Ephesus and Venice.

 

4. There are obstructed view cabins on all Princess ships but I can't help you with the cabin numbers.

 

5. :D On this cruise we didn't have any energy left for shows. The cruise is port intensive and we just about got through dinner without falling asleep in our dinner plates.

 

6. The Crown has 3 dining rooms. One is for Traditional seating, early and late, two are for anytime dining. You will have the same decor (other than the paintings) and menus in all three dining rooms.

 

7. The Crown is an elegant lady. I recommend it highly.

 

8. There are coin operated washers and dryers on each deck. Irons are also in the laundry areas. It was $1.50 for each machine on my last cruise.

 

Bon Voyage!

[cwtravel]

Check the deck plan for the crown for the obstructed outside cabins with no obstruction since there are actually quite a few. Was on the Crown over Christmas and my brother and his wife were in an obstructed view cabin with absolutely no obstruction. Their cabin was forward of the aft elevators.

 

Chris

[phabric]

4. On the Crown Princess are there any unobstructed "Oceanview" Cabins?

If there are, could you please tell me the cabin #'s?

 

My DD's had E701 obstructed oceanview cabin (F category) on the Crown in April. It had no obstruction in front of the window. If you looked out the window to the side you could see some type of obstructed a couple of cabins away from them. It was a perfect cabin as they paid for an obstructed oceanview and got an oceanview cabin.

 

E702 on the opposite side of the ship would be the same.

 

I would highly recommend this cabin.

 

Princess has "Anytime Dining", dine with whom you want and choose the time you want to dine. It is usually 5:30-10pm. When we went in April we had a chose of - Michelangeio or Da Vinci dining rooms. The Botticalli was for the set dining time. If they can not seat you, they will give you a pager.

[Suesan Jean]

Hi Suesan....I can answer some of your questions.

 

1. It will be hot. Think Florida in the summer.

I was worried about that!!! :(

But, that is the time that my DS, DB, and DSIL want to go.

 

2. There are taxis as well as tour guides and vans available at each port. You can take private tours or ship sponsored tours.

Good. I think we will look into doing our own thing.

 

3. Not to miss...I can only tell you what our highlights were, The Vatican and Coliseum (Rome), Florence and Pisa, Capri and Sorrento and Pompeii (Naples) Ephesus and Venice.

38 years ago I celebrated my 18th Birthday in Rome, it was a FABULOUS TRIP!!!

 

4. There are obstructed view cabins on all Princess ships but I can't help you with the cabin numbers.

I WILL figure it out!

 

5. On this cruise we didn't have any energy left for shows. The cruise is port intensive and we just about got through dinner without falling asleep in our dinner plates.

The Itinerary is REALLY, REALLY PACKED!!! I kind of get the feeling that we won't be worrying about what shows to see......

 

6. The Crown has 3 dining rooms. One is for Traditional seating, early and late, two are for anytime dining. You will have the same decor (other than the paintings) and menus in all three dining rooms.

I am glad to hear that. We will be doing the "anytime" dining.

 

7. The Crown is an elegant lady. I recommend it highly.

I was just looking at some pictures of her interiors, she is GORGEOUS!!!

 

8. There are coin operated washers and dryers on each deck. Irons are also in the laundry areas. It was $1.50 for each machine on my last cruise.

That is very good. My SIL was all worried about not having enough clothes.

 

Bon Voyage!

Thank You for your reply!

[Suesan Jean]

Check the deck plan for the crown for the obstructed outside cabins with no obstruction since there are actually quite a few. Was on the Crown over Christmas and my brother and his wife were in an obstructed view cabin with absolutely no obstruction. Their cabin was forward of the aft elevators.

 

Chris

 

Thank you! I will do just that! :)

[Suesan Jean]

 

My DD's had E701 obstructed oceanview cabin (F category) on the Crown in April. It had no obstruction in front of the window. If you looked out the window to the side you could see some type of obstructed a couple of cabins away from them. It was a perfect cabin as they paid for an obstructed oceanview and got an oceanview cabin.

 

E702 on the opposite side of the ship would be the same.

 

I would highly recommend this cabin.

 

Princess has "Anytime Dining", dine with whom you want and choose the time you want to dine. It is usually 5:30-10pm. When we went in April we had a chose of - Michelangeio or Da Vinci dining rooms. The Botticalli was for the set dining time. If they can not seat you, they will give you a pager.

 

THANK YOU!!!

I will check out those cabins immediately!!!

I was thinking about getting a balcony cabin but have decided on an Oceanview cabin. I just don't think I will be spending as much time as usual in my cabin as I normally do.

To MANY places to see!!! :D

[Pam in CA]

Princess introduced Anytime dining in 2001 so it's been around for quite a while. Like a popular restaurant, there can be lines at the most popular times. The Princess buffet is open 24/7 with a variety of food options all the time, in addition to the Grill, pizza and room service. This means that if you come back from a long, hot day and don't feel like showering and dressing for dinner, you have options.

 

All Princess ships have self-service laundries, and on most ships, they're on every deck with cabins. I found that going in the afternoon, perhaps at 4:00 or later, I never had a problem finding a washer or two and dryers.

 

The ship is relatively easy to navigate as long as you remember that deck 6 aft is accessible only from the aft elevators or stairs, and deck 5 is only mid-ship and forward. All of the other decks can be walked forward to aft.

[Essiesmom]

I picked this picture off another website for just such occasions:

 

 

I have recommended this book so many times in the past two weeks that I think Rick Steves owes me commission:

Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports

It is just out late June, I preordered from Amazon, having devoured his book on Venice. AIf you are familiar with his work, he is really big on DIY, and this book is full of how to do it yourself, how to get there, what to pay, where the bathrooms are, ATMs, wifi...and how to catch up with your ship in the next port should you miss the boat. He covers all your ports, and there are times he will recommend you take a ships tour...He does not cover Israel, Egypt, North Africa. Well worth the money, if is a fat book. EM

[Suesan Jean]

Princess introduced Anytime dining in 2001 so it's been around for quite a while. Like a popular restaurant, there can be lines at the most popular times. The Princess buffet is open 24/7 with a variety of food options all the time, in addition to the Grill, pizza and room service. This means that if you come back from a long, hot day and don't feel like showering and dressing for dinner, you have options.

 

All Princess ships have self-service laundries, and on most ships, they're on every deck with cabins. I found that going in the afternoon, perhaps at 4:00 or later, I never had a problem finding a washer or two and dryers.

 

The ship is relatively easy to navigate as long as you remember that deck 6 aft is accessible only from the aft elevators or stairs, and deck 5 is only mid-ship and forward. All of the other decks can be walked forward to aft.

 

Thank You Very Much for the info!!! :)

The Crown Princess looks like a WONDERFULL SHIP!!!

[Suesan Jean]

I picked this picture off another website for just such occasions:

 

 

I have recommended this book so many times in the past two weeks that I think Rick Steves owes me commission:

Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports

It is just out late June, I preordered from Amazon, having devoured his book on Venice. AIf you are familiar with his work, he is really big on DIY, and this book is full of how to do it yourself, how to get there, what to pay, where the bathrooms are, ATMs, wifi...and how to catch up with your ship in the next port should you miss the boat. He covers all your ports, and there are times he will recommend you take a ships tour...He does not cover Israel, Egypt, North Africa. Well worth the money, if is a fat book. EM

 

WHAT A FANTASTIC PICTURE!!!

PERFECT!!!

THANK YOU!!! :)

[homeinboca]

Hi Suesan Jean, we are going on this exact same cruise in about 30 days on the Star Princess, which is very similar to the Crown. I usually do a Cruise review, so watch for it. We are also arriving in Rome 4 days before to spend some time there. I expect it will be very warm, especially in Greece, so other than Athens, we'll be on the beach most of the time there.

 

You are going to love Princess, we were loyal to Royal for a while, but have switched over because we love the ships, and the itineraries seem to be so much better.

[Suesan Jean]

Hi Suesan Jean, we are going on this exact same cruise in about 30 days on the Star Princess, which is very similar to the Crown. I usually do a Cruise review, so watch for it. We are also arriving in Rome 4 days before to spend some time there. I expect it will be very warm, especially in Greece, so other than Athens, we'll be on the beach most of the time there.

Did you say "Beaches".....???!!!

My DH doesn't really want to go on this cruise because we thought there would be a lack of Beaches/Swimming!!!

WHERE are ALL the Beaches you are planning on going to?

PLEASE TELL ME!!! PLEASE!!!

Then maybe I can get my DH onboard with this trip!!! :D

 

You are going to love Princess, we were loyal to Royal for a while, but have switched over because we love the ships, and the itineraries seem to be so much better.

I am sure I WILL!!! I have enjoyed ALL the cruises we have been on! :D :D

I am very much looking forward to your review (and maybe some pictures!)

[homeinboca]

Hi Suesan Jean, LOL, I love your attitude, and where do you get those cute emoticons?

 

I looks like you have the same issue as me, but for me, it's my DW who loves the beaches, so this cruise was a great compromise. Lots of touring and lots of beaches too. :)

 

You will find great beaches at your stop in Monaco (we are spending the morning on the beach in Nice on the French Riviera, and then the afternoon touring Monte Carlo - a nice compromise!

 

Also, the Greek islands - Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, even Katakalon, are all about beaches if that is what you want. I think after Rome, Pisa, Florence, Naples, Pompeii, Athens, we'll be all toured out.

 

There's lots of info on where to go and how to get there on the ports section of cruise critic. Here's a link to one, but you'll find lots of other discussions as well.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1391327

 

Also, if you do the Caribbean a lot like we do, I'm not sure if you like to get day passes to resorts - we enjoy that - we found an amazing resort on Mykonos called Saint Johns and they offer day passes for 30 Euros. The place looks like you would never want to leave...

 

Enjoy doing all your research, I did and it's keeping my from my work, but that's ok...I'd rather be cruising...

[Suesan Jean]

Hi Suesan Jean, LOL, I love your attitude, and where do you get those cute emoticons?

Why Thank You!

Here are some links:

http://www.forumsextreme.com/Smilies_Happy2.html

 

http://www.myemoticons.com/emoticons/hobbies-leisure/on-the-go/

 

http://planetsmilies.net/smilies/nature/

 

I looks like you have the same issue as me, but for me, it's my DW who loves the beaches, so this cruise was a great compromise. Lots of touring and lots of beaches too. :)

 

You will find great beaches at your stop in Monaco (we are spending the morning on the beach in Nice on the French Riviera, and then the afternoon touring Monte Carlo - a nice compromise!

 

Also, the Greek islands - Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, even Katakalon, are all about beaches if that is what you want. I think after Rome, Pisa, Florence, Naples, Pompeii, Athens, we'll be all toured out.

 

There's lots of info on where to go and how to get there on the ports section of cruise critic. Here's a link to one, but you'll find lots of other discussions as well.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1391327

 

Also, if you do the Caribbean a lot like we do, I'm not sure if you like to get day passes to resorts - we enjoy that - we found an amazing resort on Mykonos called Saint Johns and they offer day passes for 30 Euros. The place looks like you would never want to leave...

 

Enjoy doing all your research, I did and it's keeping my from my work, but that's ok...I'd rather be cruising...

 

Thank you for ALL the information!!!

I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT!!!

[hubofhockey]

I'll put in my two cents. We have been on the Crown Princess and its slightly newer sister ship, the Ruby Princess.

 

Entertainment - Princess doesn't do as big of a productions shows as other lines. But the production shows are decent. What is great about Princess are the choices of entertainment and the number of entertainment venues including Explorers, a second large club to go along with the Princess theatre, and other clubs as well. There is also MUTD (movies under the starts) with the outside movie theater. Princess gets a PLUS in the entertainment area from us.

 

Laundry - Princess gets another PLUS here. We grab machines early on sea days. It's nice to have self serve laundry and their are irons in the laundry rooms.

 

Specialty Restaurants - Both Sabatini's (Italian) and Crown Grill (Steakhouse) are very good and worth the $20 and $25 upcharges. I recommend booking both.

 

Ship - We like Princess ships. They aren't tacky. They are laid out well and pool areas are separated well and it leads to very little crowding.

 

The Med - It will be hot. But unlike the Grand Med, it looks like you have at least two great Greek Islands to hit the beach or resort. My tip here is the Saint John Resort in Mykonos. They will pick you up and bring you back from the ship for no charge and the day fee for the resort is 30 euros. The place is incredible and has a great pool area and beach. You really can get away from it all.

 

Excursions - Join a roll call and do tour sharing Rome, Florence, and Naples (either Pompeii/Amalfi Coast or Capri).

 

Hotel Tip - Venice - Locanda Orseolo is such a great hotel and it overlooks two canals and is very close to St Mark's Square. You can watch people crossing bridges and gondolas going by. We had a canal view room for 220 euros. That price includes the best breakfast I ever had a hotel anywhere. Service is incredible too.

[FredZiffle]

Just a minor correction to an earlier post, the self-service laundry on the Crown has gone up to $2 per machine. Pack a trial pack of Purex sheets (around $1 at Walmart and takes up no space in your luggage) and avoid having to purchase soap in the laundry for twice the price and get the bonus of the built-in dryer sheet.

[homeinboca]

Just a minor correction to an earlier post, the self-service laundry on the Crown has gone up to $2 per machine. Pack a trial pack of Purex sheets (around $1 at Walmart and takes up no space in your luggage) and avoid having to purchase soap in the laundry for twice the price and get the bonus of the built-in dryer sheet.

 

FredZiffle...great name...LOL I love it! Are you from Hooterville? :D

[harfield]

Hi!

 

I have been on 12 cruises but am a Princess "First Timer". I am in the planning stages of a Mediterranean Crown Princess Cruise next year and I have a bunch of questions that I hope I can get some help with. I appreciate ANY and ALL replies. Thank you SO MUCH in advance!!!

 

1. How HOT will it REALLY BE at the end of June, first two weeks of July in: Rome, Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Naples, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Katakolon, Corfu, Split and Venice?

 

2. At these ports-of-call, are there plenty of cabs to go places?

 

3. Do any of you have any reccomendations on things to not miss or just skip?

 

4. On the Crown Princess are there any unobstructed "Oceanview" Cabins?

If there are, could you please tell me the cabin #'s?

 

5. How is the entertainment on Princess? We really enjoy the entertainment on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

 

6. Does Princess have "Freestyle" type of Dinner times or is there still two set Dinner times, early and late?

 

7. What is the Crown Princess like? Is it a beautifull ship? Easy to navigate?

 

8. Is there a Guest Laundry Room on this ship? Is it free or a charge for the machines?

 

Hi Bob and Kath from Perth Australia. Sounds like we may be on the same cruise 29th June 2012 and same ports. Read some of your replies with interest. There is a roll call but very few people on there at this time. Been on Princess 5 times before and love it. Never been on the the Crown tho. Yes it will be hot but we like the heat better than cold whether. Bob Kath