Some random thoughts from the Crown Princess 2/2/24

[Cruise Raider]

8 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

I have never noticed the colored dots on the carpets! Thanks for pointing those out. And I like the TV's up high in the corner, that way if the neighbor has their TV loud it isn't across from our bed (like when the TV is on the middle of the wall). I hate trying to sleep listening to the neighbor's TV. I do bring a battery operated white noise machine but it doesn't help much. 

I cannot travel without my white noise machine set to the sound of heavy rain. I could probably even stay right under the pool deck with that.  
I know there are apps you can use from your phone that do the same thing but I find this to be so convenient.  It even has a small nightlight it in.  It runs off USB so the location of that port in the desk is just perfect.

 

We even got the cutest little friend for our cabin.  We have a great steward!  

[Cruise Raider]

 

the list of flower arrangements you can order for your cabin

 

Also, the coffee from the IC is just the best!  It was lacking any real taste of coffee on both the Discovery and on the Diamond. But this ship has excellent espresso based coffees.  I love the mugs they serve it in.  
Not a real complaint, but the Discovery moved over to those chunky mugs like you can find at Denny’s.  Just like a nice wine deserved a thin rimmed glass, a great cup of coffee deserves a proper ceramic cup, too.  

[nini]

6 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

the list of flower arrangements you can order for your cabin

 

Also, the coffee from the IC is just the best!  It was lacking any real taste of coffee on both the Discovery and on the Diamond. But this ship has excellent espresso based coffees.  I love the mugs they serve it in.  
Not a real complaint, but the Discovery moved over to those chunky mugs like you can find at Denny’s.  Just like a nice wine deserved a thin rimmed glass, a great cup of coffee deserves a proper ceramic cup, too.  

 

Oh yeah, I really do now think we are related! 🤣

[Cruise Raider]

Nothing much new to report from the Crown ..a dn now we are back home with the rain falling down.  We threaded that needle just right and avaoidex it both getting there and getting home.  
Just of note, the line was really long getting off the ship as walk off in the early morning but it did move pretty quickly.  Most people chose walk off after this short cruise.  There was no elite lounge set up, which was a bit surprising.  Maybe we just missed it??? 
The only real problem we had was that everyone seemed to be trying to order a ride share and were getting canceled.  And each time we tried to reorder one, the cost went up by $15 more.  It wasn’t just us, it was happening to everybody.  
So, we ordered a Lyft instead and chose to wait the 15 minutes and pay a little less.  We had already waited 30 minutes anayway and still no ride.  It didn’t even take that much time for the extra wait and we got a nice driver, one that even insisted on helping us with our bags, although we didn’t expect that.  We were just so happy to finally have gotten a ride as it just started to drizzle.  
Just know what to expect in SF at the port as the ships are now sailing full again. 
 

Such a wonderful short little getaway.  

 

[memoak]

On 2/5/2024 at 7:38 AM, Cruise Raider said:

I cannot travel without my white noise machine set to the sound of heavy rain. I could probably even stay right under the pool deck with that.  
I know there are apps you can use from your phone that do the same thing but I find this to be so convenient.  It even has a small nightlight it in.  It runs off USB so the location of that port in the desk is just perfect.

 

We even got the cutest little friend for our cabin.  We have a great steward!  

Was Carlo your steward. We had him the cruise before on Aloha deck aft. He did several over the 10 days including an elephant   Joseph on Caine deck aft also has made us some in the past

Edited February 7 by memoak

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, memoak said:

Was Carlo your steward. We had him the cruise before on Aloha deck aft. He did several over the 10 days including an elephant   Joseph on Caine deck aft also has made us some in the past

No, our room steward was Advin but I have had a steward named Carlo in past for 3 cruises on the Ruby and he was also so wonderful.  It might be the same Carlo.  
 

I felt so bad for Advin as either the kids above us or somebody that had way too many drinks threw a bunch of chips down onto the caribe deck balconies.  Shame on them and/or  the parents that allowed this.  Poor guy has enough work to do without thoughtless people adding to it.  
 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

I just thought of something else to report, the small plate lunches in the dining room are just fantastic!  We split 3 small plates and another one each of chicken tacos.  I loved those chicken tacos.  Equally as good was the calamari but it’s not what I’d call a single portion.  It was delish but definitely something to split.  
The roasted cauliflower was not as good as I remember it being but I thought it was very good, nonetheless.  My DH had me eat some of his portion.  The Thai Spring rolls were also very yummy but the clear winner were those spicy chicken tacos.  
 

 

[Cruise Raider]

There was a pan emergency medical evacuation last night.  The Captain had given a talk about that just earlier in the day during ‘Coffee with the Captain’ hosted by Jodi, the cruise director.  
Anyway, those in the area of the emergency were directed away from their cabins.  I’m not even sure what time that happened but we were awoken when the announcement was made.  After that, we were awoken again so not sure what that may have been but the ship shook severely for a few seconds.  I just assumed it was the helicopter but can’t be sure of the timeline of those two events.  It could have been several minutes or several hours between the announcement and the shaking.  I just don’t know.  Maybe someone else knows.  
We cruise quite a bit and never felt a ship shake like that on any other sailing.  One of my friends that was onboard said it felt like a jolt.  
 

 

[subwayrider]

I was also on the cruise.  The announcement about the medical evacuation must have come in around 8 or so since we were in the middle of dinner.  We were in Botticelli and looked out the window and saw the Coast Guard helicopter hovering overhead, no ropes or anything, as if it was waiting to get into position.   Then like 30 minutes later we looked out again and it was still there in the same relative position.  But I think it was only about 20 minutes after that when the captain gave the all clear.  
 

I did feel a significant shake after this, it kind of rattled everything in the cabin in a way that it hadn’t before.  If that was what you felt, it was after the all clear so it may not have been related to the chopper 

Edited February 8 by subwayrider

[SwimCarrie]

1 hour ago, subwayrider said:

I was also on the cruise.  The announcement about the medical evacuation must have come in around 8 or so since we were in the middle of dinner.  We were in Botticelli and looked out the window and saw the Coast Guard helicopter hovering overhead, no ropes or anything, as if it was waiting to get into position.   Then like 30 minutes later we looked out again and it was still there in the same relative position.  But I think it was only about 20 minutes after that when the captain gave the all clear.  
 

I did feel a significant shake after this, it kind of rattled everything in the cabin in a way that it hadn’t before.  If that was what you felt, it was after the all clear so it may not have been related to the chopper 

I've never experienced anything like that shaking before. It scared me and it took me a bit to calm down. I wish the captain would have come back on to give another all clear. I think most of the passengers would have appreciated an explanation. 

 

 

[Host CJSKIDS]

@Cruise Raider glad you made it home safely and missed out on the heaviest of rains.  The amount of rain you all have had on that coast is unbelievable.  

 

Sounds like another trip!

[Cruise Raider]

8 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

@Cruise Raider glad you made it home safely and missed out on the heaviest of rains.  The amount of rain you all have had on that coast is unbelievable.  

 

Sounds like another trip!

Thank you so much!  You know, I try to never complain about having rain as we’ve lived through historic droughts.  The only time I don’t live the rain is having to drive in it .. or stand and wait for  an Uber with no cover.  I did slip and umbrella in my carry on right before we left.  So happy I didn’t even have to open it up.  Yay!  

[MissP22]

On 2/3/2024 at 7:55 PM, Cruise Raider said:

The MTP (Most Travelled Passenger ) event is a cocktail party for this short sailing.  The cut off is around 500 days.  

Thanks for this info.

Did you qualify to go?

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Thanks for this info.

Did you qualify to go?

No .. we hope to get there again one day.  

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Thanks for a great report!  I am also intrigued by what would cause that shaking of the ship. Glad you’re home safe and sound. 

[Cruise Raider]

Just saw this posted on another site.  Glad to hear that was a successful evacuation.  

 

PRESS RELEASE | Feb. 7, 2024

Coast Guard medevacs 76-year-old man from cruise ship near Monterey

SAN FRANCISCO — The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 76-year-old man from a cruise ship approximately 74 miles southwest of Monterey Bay, Tuesday.

Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders were contacted by Cruise Ship Crown Princess crewmembers requesting a medevac for a man requiring medical assistance.

An Air Station San Francisco MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew was launched.

Once on scene, the Dolphin aircrew hoisted the man and transported him back to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Monterey Airport.

The man was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, and was last reported to be in stable condition.

-USCG-

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thanks for a great report!  I am also intrigued by what would cause that shaking of the ship. Glad you’re home safe and sound. 

It was honestly the weirdest shaking for a few seconds.  Maybe even longer, as it woke me up from a deep sleep.  I am wondering if they had to bring the ship to a more sudden stop than expected because of the helicopter or the helicopter whipping up the seas.  Because I was sleeping, not sure if the two were related as I had no real concept of time in the middle of the night.  Our friends with rooms up from described it as a jolt.  

[Cruise Raider]

Oh .. just got my folio and not one extra charge on my account.  
On the past few cruises, there were some extra charges added after we disembarked.  

[Greg4502]

A cruise or two ago we had 3 helicopter evac's. The loud noise was probably the stabilizer being adjusted to make the ship more stable.

For the evac. all of the deck furniture was cleared and tied down on deck 16, so they don't blow around from the down draft.  There were three decks below that area and certain cabins that passengers were evacuated from. This time period was about 30 min prior and after the helicopter lifted the patient. We were told this in case the helicopter crashed on the deck.

[Cruise Raider]

6 hours ago, Greg4502 said:

A cruise or two ago we had 3 helicopter evac's. The loud noise was probably the stabilizer being adjusted to make the ship more stable.

For the evac. all of the deck furniture was cleared and tied down on deck 16, so they don't blow around from the down draft.  There were three decks below that area and certain cabins that passengers were evacuated from. This time period was about 30 min prior and after the helicopter lifted the patient. We were told this in case the helicopter crashed on the deck.

Wow … three in one cruise!  When it rains, it pours!  We've seen our share of air evacuations but never 3 on one cruise.  I was on a cruise like that to Hawaii once and one up in Alaska last year, both on both of those, we just diverted to another port. 
The captain was just mentioning having all hands on deck for the air evacuations.  There is so much to be done to keep the passengers from wanting to be on deck to witness the evacuation.  Half the crew is needed simply to keep other passengers from putting themselves or the rescue crew at risk.  🤦‍♀️ 

 

And you are most likely right .. it was probably the stabilizers being deployed or the waves whipping up from the motion of the rotors on the helicopter that created that vibration.  It was probably a bit of both.  
 

 

Edited February 10 by Cruise Raider

[MissP22]

18 hours ago, Greg4502 said:

A cruise or two ago we had 3 helicopter evac's. The loud noise was probably the stabilizer being adjusted to make the ship more stable.

For the evac. all of the deck furniture was cleared and tied down on deck 16, so they don't blow around from the down draft.  There were three decks below that area and certain cabins that passengers were evacuated from. This time period was about 30 min prior and after the helicopter lifted the patient. We were told this in case the helicopter crashed on the deck.

3 on one trip, wow. In all our cruises we've never seen even one. 

It would be a good time to have a balcony cabin near all the action. 

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

3 on one trip, wow. In all our cruises we've never seen even one. 

It would be a good time to have a balcony cabin near all the action. 

We’ve seen several of them during the day and we had family in a balcony and they were all asked to go down to the lounge in the middle of the night.  All the balcony furniture is taken inside the cabins and the passengers are cordoned off from going to their cabins during the evacuation for the safety of the helicopter crew, the patient and the passengers themselves.  On this latest one, friends were up on the Lido deck in an inside cabin and they were instructed to take a different route to their cabin via the forward stairs to get to their rooms.  Balcony cabin passengers had to wait it out.  
One time, they even had to close the buffet down.  

 

[TAW1963]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

We’ve seen several of them during the day and we had family in a balcony and they were all asked to go down to the lounge in the middle of the night.  All the balcony furniture is taken inside the cabins and the passengers are cordoned off from going to their cabins during the evacuation for the safety of the helicopter crew, the patient and the passengers themselves.  On this latest one, friends were up on the Lido deck in an inside cabin and they were instructed to take a different route to their cabin via the forward stairs to get to their rooms.  Balcony cabin passengers had to wait it out.  
One time, they even had to close the buffet down.  

 

This is exactly what we experienced this past November on a transatlantic on the Sky Princess.   We had left Ponta Delgada, even though we did not disembark there due to a worker strike, and travelled about 200 miles before turning back due to a medical evacuation.  We were in an aft-facing cabin and we had to evacuate our cabin for about 2 hours. When we returned, all the balcony furniture had been brought inside the cabin.  

Edited February 11 by TAW1963

[Cruise Raider]

9 minutes ago, TAW1963 said:

This is exactly what we experienced this past November on a transatlantic on the Sky Princess.   We had left Ponta Delgada, even though we did not disembark there due to a worker strike, and travelled about 200 miles before turning back due to a medical evacuation.  We were in an aft-facing cabin and we had to evacuate our cabin for about 2 hours. When we returned, all the balcony furniture had been brought inside the cabin.  

It was prior to the pandemic but there were some passengers that wouldn’t get off their balconies even when the captain instructed them to do so several times.  
I understand they were all notified in person and that explained they had photos of all of them.  They would be notified later of the repercussions of not following the captain’s orders.  They no longer mess around with allowing people to stay in their balcony cabins.  Again, it’s not only for the safety of the rescue team and patient, but for their own safety.  

 

[TAW1963]

5 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

It was prior to the pandemic but there were some passengers that wouldn’t get off their balconies even when the captain instructed them to do so several times.  
I understand they were all notified in person and that explained they had photos of all of them.  They would be notified later of the repercussions of not following the captain’s orders.  They no longer mess around with allowing people to stay in their balcony cabins.  Again, it’s not only for the safety of the rescue team and patient, but for their own safety.  

 

I just don't understand how some people can ignore the captain's orders and stay in their cabins.  I sure hope there were severe repercussions.  We had no problem leaving and there are plenty of lovely places on the ship to spend the time.  It is certainly understandable how this is for the safety of all (rescue team, patient, and passengers evacuated).

Edited February 11 by TAW1963