Crown Review - 2/4 norovirus cruise to nowhere

[Brig273]

FORT LAUDERDALE, THURS, FEB 2 -

We flew to FL a week early to visit family and take a side trip to Key West. We are staying at the Extended Stay America on SE 17th St. We arrived at 11am and our room was ready! The front desk was extremely helpful recommending places for lunch and activities. We made our reservation for the cruise shuttle with the front desk. We are getting the 9:30 shuttle. I know it's a little early, but I'd rather wait at the port and be first in line! We also had to drop our rental car off. There is a Budget in "The Quay" shopping center directly across the street from the hotel. It's the shopping center in front of the Renaissance Hotel, with the Bimini Boatyard restaurant. This was extremely convenient!

After we returned the car and got situated in our room, we headed out to lunch. We went to Gyroville. Again, directly across the street from the hotel. That street is kind of tricky to cross! Be careful! We did a little bit of shopping after lunch at the Dollar Store, Ross, and the liquor store.

When we got back to the hotel I did a load of laundry, so all of our clothes will be clean for the cruise! If you do laundry on vacation, do yourself a favor and pick up some Purex 3-in-1 sheets. I packed a few and they take up hardly any room. It looks like a dryer sheet. You throw it in the washer and it has detergent and fabric softener built in. Then you throw it in the dryer as a dryer sheet! Ingenious!

Now it's around 4pm and we head over to Bimini Boatyard for happy hour. They have $4 apps and half price beer, wine and well drinks starting at 4pm. We didn't partake in their happy hour specials, but ordered rum runners. They were delicious! After our cocktail, we headed down to water to catch the water taxi (only $10 after 5pm). Again, we crossed the street, but this time at the light so it was no problem. If you walk straight down 17th street, to the right of the bridge, there is a water taxi stop there. We hopped on, not really knowing where we were going, just took an evening cruise. The crew gives a nice little narration of all the houses/boats on the intercostal. People in FLL are RICH!!!!! We saw Steven Speilberg’s yacht, Seven Seas, valued at a mere $200,000,000. Yes, I meant to type all those zeros!

We just did a loop on the water taxi and got off where we started. Then we walked down to Carlos's and Pepe's for dinner. We like this restaurant for Mexican food. We ate here last time we were in FLL. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and sat outside on their "patio" area. My husband smoked a cigar and we drank some wine. It was a lovely day in FLL! And we still have all day tomorrow :-).

Friday, Feb 3rd –

I spent a good 2 hours this morning repacking all of our luggage. It was a mess after a week. I think I'm all organized again. Can't wait to get on the ship and unpack everything. I walked over to Panera Bread this morning and got a sandwich and a coffee. 17th is getting easier to cross. LOL! Tonight we are meeting family for dinner. They live in FL. Kind of glad we didn't go out today because it's pouring rain. Just hanging out in our room. I like our room. We got a non-smoking king. It's very spacious and there's a comfy chair w/ ottoman and free wifi.

I received an email from Princess today. Apparently the norovirus was on the ship this week and they have to disinfect, so we can't board until 4pm and sail away is 6pm :-(. What a disappointment! I guess this means no chef's table either.

CRUISE DAY 1 -EMBARKATION (more like day in the convention center, literally)

We went to Panera Bread for breakfast today (17th St, across from Extended Stay America). We stayed in our hotel room until the bitter end, 11 am. Last night we go the email from Princess saying that embarkation would not start until 4pm. We tried to get a late check out, but the hotel was booked. We went down stairs and Paul waited with the bags while I ran to Walgreens for some Lysol wipes. Better safe than sorry. I'm going to wipe down all the surfaces in our cabin, just in case!

There was a cab at the hotel dropping someone off, so we hopped in and took it to the pier, $10 bucks including tip. Well worth it! The hotel did have a free shuttle but then you have to schlep in a van with 12 other people. No thanks! The taxi dropped us at the ship and the porter took our bags. We were directed to go to the convention center across the street to check-in. Check-in was a breeze. We showed our passports and boarding passes and they gave us our cruise cards. After that, not so breezy! Now we are sitting in the convention center, patiently waiting to board. They have ample seating and plenty of coffee, juice and water. You can buy convention center food if you want. People are in good spirits and you can feel the excitement in the air.

4 pm (when we're supposed to begin embarkation) we heard from other passengers (no official announcement) that embarkation isn't starting until 6 pm, "pending approval from the CDC". So God only knows when we'll actually get on the ship. Patience just left the building, now I'm pissed! This is RIDICULOUS!!!!! We're losing practically the whole day on the boat. Again, what a disappointment!!!!

Thank you, Princess for taking away the best part of the cruise. If you're a cruiser you know what I'm talking about. The excitement of stepping on that ship, getting to your cabin for the first time, having your first cruise cocktail, and knowing that you have 7 glorious days ahead of you. Sitting in the convention center for 6 hours sure does put a damper on things! I'm sure it's going to be total mayhem when we finally board :-(

OK, I'll admit it, the excitement was still there when we finally boarded. Since it was so late, they were giving out dinner assignments. You got a card with a time and dining room on it. Needless to say, the line for the dining room was ridiculous, so we just got pizza and fries for dinner. It was fine.

We explored the ship a bit, had a few cocktails, and met our room steward, Michael. Instead of shaking our hands, we did an elbow bump. LOL! All of the staff onboard were delightful. They were all smiling and helpful. I can only imagine the day they must have had.

Glad to finally be on the ship. We love our cabin and extra large balcony, E730. If people tell you they can hear Club Fusion in this room, they must have supersonic hearing. We left the balcony door open all night and all we heard was the ocean, until 6am the next morning when our neighbors woke up. They are LOUD TALKERS!

CRUISE DAY 2 - SEA DAY

Since we got such a late start last night, we are not stopping at Princess Cays. We are sailing directly to Curaçao and will be in port 8am - 11pm. As I said earlier, our neighbors woke us up this morning, but we really didn't mind. We like getting an early start. We got dressed and went down to the International Cafe. I bought a coffee card ($29 for 15 specialty coffees, unlimited fresh brewed coffee and hot chocolate) and we both got a cappuccino. It was quite lovely sitting in the Piazza, watching the sea go buy, sipping cappuccino. Breakfast in the Da Vinci dining room started at 7:30. We were one of the first ones there, good thing because a line formed quickly. Breakfast was just OK, at best. They got Paul's order all wrong, but he ate it anyway. My bacon tasted like precooked microwave stuff. Ewww! We won't hold this against them though.

We walked around the deck after breakfast. It's WINDY!!!!! Near the front of the ship it was actually difficult to walk. Hope the weather gets better. It's been windy the whole time we've been on vacation. We found 2 deck chairs on the back of the boat and read for a while. I ended up falling asleep. It's overcast today, and slightly chilly.

We ate lunch in the dining room. It was just OK, again. I hope the food gets better for dinner. We usually don't eat lunch in the dining room anyway. We grab pizza on deck or sushi from the wine bar. I think we will continue to do this. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining room is overkill. Then there's our beloved Pub Lunch at the Wheelhouse bar on sea days. We never miss that one!

We don't have any activities planned until 3:45, steel drummer by the pool! There are 2 comedians tonight that we want to see too. So, we went up to see the steel drummer and there was a DJ playing. The music was good, but disappointing when you're expecting steel drums. We hung out at that pool for a while and had a cocktail. We ran into one of our favorite Princess bartenders, Muni. He was on our Emerald cruise in '09.

Around 5:30 we were in the Piazza having some sushi and tapas and the line for the dining room wrapped around the whole Piazza! We ate dinner in the dining room at 8:30, it was Italian night. No waiting. Dinner was very good. I had the fettuccine alfredo. Finally, something that did not disappoint! We saw both comedians, Al Jamal and Alfred & Seymour. They were both very funny.

CRUISE DAY 3 - SEA DAY

We woke up around 6:30 and got ready for breakfast. Again, getting to the dining room at 7:30 when it opens. Then by the time we are done there is a line. Early bird gets the worm! Breakfast was much better today. The waiter got Paul's order correct! Always a bonus. I got a fresh fruit plate that was excellent!

After breakfast we stopped by the passenger service desk and handed in our "ez check" papers. We decided to try out his service. For $20 bucks a person, plus your normal airline baggage charges, Princess takes your luggage from your state room and the next time you see it is at your destination airport. Not having to schlep our bags, priceless! (Update: that never happened)

We went up on deck for a while today. Again, IT'S WINDY!!!!! I could barely hold on to my Kindle. Paul stayed up on deck to get some sun and I went and sat at a table that was in the shade and a lot less windy.

We are heading to the wheelhouse bar for the pub lunch! YUM! Pub lunch was just OK. We got the bangers and mash and fish and chips. We tried to watch "cowboys and aliens" on movies under the stars in the afternoon. It was too bright out and we couldn't see the screen and it was WINDY!!!!

We got ready for dinner, formal night, the menu was just OK. No escargot or lobster. I ordered bananas foster for dessert (a cruise highlight for me) and they didn't have that either. WE ate dinner in the Da Vinci dining room because first we went to Michelangelo dining room and were told that it was closed because of an "accident"???

On our way back to our room there were crew members in our hallway with masks and red biohazard bags!!! UGH!!! Good night!

CRUISE DAY 4 - SEA DAY (turn around)

It was announced at breakfast today that the Crown Princess is turning around and going back to FLL, we are not stopping in Curacao or Aruba. We were wondering why we didn’t see the sunrise this morning? There was also no morning show. Paul wrote me a birthday message to be announced on the show :-( By the way, this is the worst morning show I've seen. The cruise director, Lisa, is very nice. But I think she's too prim and proper. She doesn't joke around. They also took off the navigation station, showing where the ship is.

Princess is issuing a full refund for this cruise. Too bad we didn't book the penthouse suite! This should be interesting since our flight home isn't until Sat morning and we will get back to FLL on Thurs morning. I do feel bad for the workers at the purser's desk. They are going to get inundated! I feel bad for all of the staff. They are doing their best.

While we were at breakfast the guy next to us said that someone threw up at the entrance of the Michelangelo dining room last night. That was the "accident". Speaking of breakfast, they screwed up my order today. I ordered the "grill and griddle ", I even pointed to it on the menu. I got granola and I ate it anyway. It was actually pretty good.

We are really enjoying our balcony today. The wind has died down! The captain just made an announcement throughout the whole ship, asking for those passengers that were sick and given a "sample pot" for a specimen, please get a specimen and call the front desk, so a lucky crew member could come and pick it up. Captain Nash says, "diarrhea or vomit are equally as nice". The ship has to provide the specimens to the CDC back in FLL, so they can figure out where the virus is coming from. I'm really glad this is a free cruise!

We got our travel arrangements. Princess booked us on a flight home Thursday at 2:40. Unfortunately, there is a layover in DC and our original flight on Saturday was direct and earlier. Oh well at least we’ll be home at a decent time on thurs and I get to see my dog! I miss my Seamus.

We ate dinner in the Michelangelo dining room because we could not get a reservation in either specialty restaurant for my birthday. Even though the restaurants were only about 10% full, they didn't have the wait staff. We did get the table that we wanted in the dining room though! A 4 top in the back corner of the dining room right by the window. It was a full moon and we could see the moon reflecting on the ocean. Beautiful! Our assistant waiter was Stewee from Hungary. He cracked me up! I got the fettuccine Alfredo app, it was outstanding. Dinner was just OK. Desserts have been very good. They make all of their own ice cream. YUM!

We came back to our room after dinner. There were no shows that we wanted to see. It was a good day despite us turning around. I got a free cruise for my Birthday and a FULL bottle of champagne!

CRUISE DAY 5 - SEA DAY

We woke up early and ate breakfast in the dining room. I ordered the granola again. It's really good. After breakfast we went to the cooking demonstration in the Princess theater. We usually go to this show on all of our cruises. I've seen better. It was actually kind of boring. I did a little shopping today and bought myself a couple Pandora beads for my bracelet that I've had for almost 3 years! I was just waiting for the right bead. I got a passport charm. It's so cute!

Alfred & Seymour are doing another show today. We are going to go see them at 1:15. Don't be late or they will heckle you! I guess they have to keep using the same entertainers they have onboard because they weren't able to switch in any ports. The physical comedian is doing about 5 shows a day, poor guy. Tonight there is a production called, "Destination Anywhere" were planning to go to that too.

We went to see Alfred & Seymour at 1:15. They changed up their show a little bit, they were funny and they did heckle every person that came in late! After their show, we came back to the cabin and took a nap. We have to pack up tonight for disembarkation tomorrow :-(. The good news is that we don't have to go through customs because we didn't stop anywhere!

We went to the show, "Destination Anywhere", it was excellent. The sets and the costumes were impressive! We also had diner in the Michelangelo dining room. It was ok. However, the goat cheese soufflé was outstanding. I got the gnocchi app instead of my fettuccine Alfredo and I was disappointed. I got the scallop entree, just ok.

We went back to our room after dinner and enjoyed our balcony for the last time. Paul was supposed to get his Platinum status this cruise and we never received the paperwork. We checked at the Purser's desk to see if they had any info and they told us we should have checked with the captain's circle desk, which was only open for 1 hour on Wednesday. Really??? Another disappointment. Now I'll have to call Princess when we get home.

CRUISE DAY 6 – DISEMBARKATION

We got our cruise account statement this morning. Our total bill was $75.89; this was for 4 days/5 nights of dining, drinking, shopping, entertainment and gratuity! We had an on board credit form our Princess credit card points, plus another credit from buying future cruise credits on our last cruise, plus we won $75 on super bowl pools. So actually the whole cruise cost us .89 cents!!!! I'll take that all day long and we didn't get sick ;-)

We had breakfast at the International Cafe this morning. Of course we discovered this gem on out last day! I got my cappuccino and a parfait that was outstanding! Paul got coffee and a Danish and was jealous of my parfait. We are now sitting in one of the dining rooms waiting to disembark.

We are now at the airport. Unfortunately, we can't check in yet. So we're just sitting here waiting with our bags. Since the cruise only cost us .89 cents, we're going to splurge and check 3 bags = $85(WOW)! We're checking a carry on, so we don't have to schlep it during our lay over. I hate lay overs coming from FL, what a pain! We get off in DC and then have a 45 min flight to Philly. Wish they could have gotten us a direct, like we had originally booked.

Our flight from DC to Philly was a on a little tiny plane. We had to get a shuttle bus from the terminal to the runway! And everyone had to check their carry ons. That flight went quick. We got to Philly and went to the baggage claim. Us and about 4 other people were standing there. We waited about 15 minutes. I thought for sure my bags were gone forever, but miraculously they came out on the conveyor belt. At this point, we are in the furthest, darkest, corner of the Philadelphia airport. We had to get an escalator up, walk over a bridge, take and elevator down, and then walk about 2 blocks to the taxi station :-( We could have gotten the free hotel shuttle, but I had had it! I didn't feel like waiting anymore and we had walked so far from the baggage claim, I wouldn't have known where to tell the driver to pick us up. So, we took a taxi to the hotel and he completely ripped us off! Instead of the 3 minute ride it should have been, he took the 15 minute scenic route. Whatever. Too exhausted to argue.

We are home now!!!! I got my couch, my blankie and my dog :-) Yes, we will cruise again.

PROS:

It was FREE!

Fettuccine Alfredo.

Homemade ice cream.

International cafe, cappuccino and parfait.

The staff, especially our room steward Michael , and our waitress, Johanna, and waiter, Stewee.

The wine package.

Our cabin and balcony, E730 (didn't hear a peep from Club Fusion).

The comedians and shows.

They did recognize my birthday with balloons a sign on the door and a FULL bottle of champagne! (they didn't do anything on our last cruise).

CONS:

No recognition of Paul's Platinum status and the Captain's Circle desk was only open for 1 hour?

Not able to get reservations in specialty restaurants that were only 10% full.

No Chef's Table.

No Love Boat reruns.

The food has gone down hill.

Overall, we actually did enjoy our 4 day cruise to nowhere. I'm not holding this experience against Princess. I'm positive that they don't want sick passengers and crew. They did their best by refunding the whole trip, including taxes and fees. They had to arrange travel for 3,000+ people. And we got a 25% discount off our next cruise (equal to the amount that we originally paid for this cruise). (UPDATE: the cruise credit is already showing on “my Princess” account. Still haven’t got the cruise reimbursement.) What more could they do? This situation is really beyond anyone's control. They just have to find the source of the virus and get the ship clean and healthy!!! Hopefully 2 days of deep cleaning will rectify the situation. Happy cruising!!!

[lousk]

thanks for sharing that experience.

 

may your next cruise be perfect.

 

LOU

[grandmaa]

Thanks for sharing your experience and also for having a positive attitude about what happened re:noro. Wishing you a happier and complete next cruise.

[cindep]

Belated Happy Birthday and thank you for sharing your good experience. You now have quite the story to tell AND neither of you got sick which is fabulous. It sounds like you're the type of person I'd like to sail with ... making the best of everything.

 

May your next cruise be awesome!

[AttilaTheFun]

Glad to hear you made the best of it and thank you for the tips! They will come in useful if we're able to take our cruise on the 25th on this infected ship ;)

[Princess Chatterer]

You can keep that coffee card you bought on your cruise to nowhere as a souvenir because (allegedly) the remaining punches will auto-expire sometime this year. The brewed coffee and hot chocolate perk on the card expired the moment you disembarked.

[ginnynj]

I liked the 'no customs' line on the return. We were in E731,we like that or E730 for the annual winter cruise and I agree it is amazing how loud folks speak and talk back into the cabin, but at least there is no longer the smoking issue. It was an interesting mini cruise, and one that was basically free. We had flights back to PHL as well, but were able to change at the airport back to our usual non stop from the FLL to DCA to PHL, so it turned out well for us. We are already looking for a replacement cruise to make up for this one. After all, we have cruised 26 times with Princess, and will again. PS: if anyone on the boards thinks noro is just a Princess or cruise problem...fu'get'about it! Its all over the Philly news about local colleges and universities having the noro problem and students being taken to the hospitals for it. It is a problem this time of year, and most definitiely it is spread by folks who simply dont practice good basic hygiene habits and spread it out to the rest of it. After all, as Brig noted, Capt Nick had to publicly address those who were medically quaranteened to 'return to their cabins'. Infected and out among us again....it was no wonder that it continued to spread. All in all, the cruise to no where was one to be remembered but we are already looking forward to the next cruise since: A bad day on a cruise beats a good day at work. Be well and stayy safe all fellow CC readers/writers.

[Sassy's Mom]

Sounds like you and DH made the best out of an iffy situation. So glad you had fun and were able to keep a positive attitude....looking forward to a discounted cruise in the future has to help!

[ginnynj]

Thanks. It will be one annual winter cruise we will talk about for a while. Until your next cruise.....keep watching sail away like we do on the Port Everglades web cam...makes me happy.

[BballinQT24]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. It makes it a lot easier to deal with the crappy stuff that happened when you look at is as basically free plus it's great that you guys didn't get sick!

[ginnynj]

You're welcome. So sad that there's all this bad press about the Crown, but truth be told, this bug is everywhere in the winter. Stay well!

[Mary Ellen1]

Thanks for the first-hand report. Love your attitude! :)

[ginnynj]

It's all about is one's glass of like half-full or half-empty. I like to think that mine is half-full, and believe it or not, this really turned out OK for DH and myself. I WILL find another replacement cruise so I can find that deck chair with my name on it once again :-)

[compozer]

Sounds like you and DH made the best out of an iffy situation. So glad you had fun and were able to keep a positive attitude....looking forward to a discounted cruise in the future has to help!

 

 

agree.

 

Have fun picking out your next cruise

[ginnynj]

Thanks. I have a lazy day at home, of course after unpacking, and I'll be surfing the princess site for future cruises :-)

[Loonbeam]

One note about PHL (and this is true at many major airports). Any cab taken from the airport into the city and immediate environs has a flat rate (it's about $27 in Philly) so it doesn't matter which route you took, you pay the same amount.

[Brig273]

One note about PHL (and this is true at many major airports). Any cab taken from the airport into the city and immediate environs has a flat rate (it's about $27 in Philly) so it doesn't matter which route you took, you pay the same amount.

 

Our hotel was at the airport. I know they have a flat rate to center city. Trust me, the guy ripped us off. Que sera, sera!

[George C]

thanks for the very interesting review, sounds like a cruise that you will remember for a while. Free is good, hope you enjoy your next cruise.

[K9pal]

I too am impressed with your attitude (and glad you didn't get sick). Hope my co-worker is just as lucky when she and her husband sail on the Crown this Saturday... ;)

[themerle]

Thanks for sharing. Glad you made the most of your cruise....it's always up to you to decide if you will enjoy it or let other things or people ruin it for you.

Hope your replacement cruise is a fantastic one!

[miched]

.

 

 

Nice to read a report that had a positive and blameless side. I guess it helps that you didn't get sick.

 

I just seen on the news a clip showing both the Ruby and Crown having the Noro problem. The problem comes from the people and not the ship. We were on a X cruise and I was getting a bread stick out of the bin using the tongs provided. Some A HOHO basically pushed me aside by reaching in front of me to grab one with his hands. I said you know they have tongs for a reason. The person didn't say anything and rushed away but to make it worse a lady next to me said whats the problem they were only getting one. That is why things spread because of there are a certain few that feel the rules don't apply to them.

 

 

It is still disapointing to have your plans ruin but hopefully the next will be what you expect it to be.

 

 

 

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[boca7]

You can keep that coffee card you bought on your cruise to nowhere as a souvenir because (allegedly) the remaining punches will auto-expire sometime this year. The brewed coffee and hot chocolate perk on the card expired the moment you disembarked.

Your right about the brewed coffee expiring at end of cruise, but I think your wrong about the specialty drinks. I was just on the Ruby 1/15 & used a card from over a yr, no problem.

[Daniel1313]

Great Review and Great Attitude.....

 

Dan

[cruzinchris]

Thanks for the very positive review under the circumstances. You answered questions that I had about how passengers were kept amused during the five days at sea. The cruise staff and entertainers definitely worked overtime last week: Kudos to all of them!

Chris

[Okiguy]

Thanks for your notes on the cruise. It looks like Princess did a much better job of handling problems that Royal Caribbean did last year. Score one for Princess!!