7/9 Crown To Bermuda, Just Returned

[Got2Cruise]

Just Back from the 7/9 sailing of the Crown from NYC to Bermuda. This being an older, smaller ship, we were kinda worried. We did have some "issues" with the ship, the issues were not large enough to deter us from having the time of our lives. I will attempt to write a more formal review to post on the review page, but here are some feedback to those who are sailing in the future. We were a family group of 10, ages 14 to 84. I am writing things that soon-to-be cruisers might find helpful.

 

We used the dine ashore dinner voucher at the Carriage House in St. George's. Awesome! I am not a tremendous fan of "free style" but this perk on the Crown makes it all worth while. Six of us ate at Le Bistro, which we all agreed was worth the extra $15. Some of our party did not want to go to Le Bistro, so they ate at Chopsticks, the Asian Restaurant. They raved about the food. Especially the sushi. At lunch on seadays there is a BBQ on deck 10, the ribs served there are delicious. Yes, lobster is served, on Monday, the first formal night. Don't make any reservations at the specialty restaurants for then.

 

Inside Cabin! - The cabins were comfortable, not tiny. The bathroom, was also not too bad. Cabins were kept spotless by our room steward.

 

Pool area - The pool deck is small, but there are several decks to lay in the sun and we never had a problem finding lounge chairs.

 

Bermuda - IMO the Beaches and Water is the reason to cruise to Bermuda. We took a cab to Clearwater beach, in St George's, which was a gorgeous place. In Hamilton we took a cab to Elbow Beach to the public area, where there is a concession for umbrellas and chairs.

 

Cruise Director - Clint Wells, was one of the best CD's we have had on any line. We loved him.

 

Instead of me rambling, just ask any questions.:D

[superdave57]

Now that you have been, would you highly recommend the beaches you went to or would you have chose somewhere else. Was there something you wish you would have done? How much were the cab rides. We have family of 4 and not sure which would be better alternative. As for the Crown, what would you pass on in regards to lessons learned or don't miss out. thanks

[tinker]

I am also interested in detailed cab information.

How much was the fare to Clearwater Beach from St. George's and from Hamilton to Elbow Beach.

 

Last trip we bought the three day bus pass but may use cabs this trip due to husband's limitations walking down those huge hills to the beach.

[Got2Cruise]

Now that you have been, would you highly recommend the beaches you went to or would you have chose somewhere else. Was there something you wish you would have done? How much were the cab rides. We have family of 4 and not sure which would be better alternative. As for the Crown, what would you pass on in regards to lessons learned or don't miss out. thanks

 

Superdave57, this was our second cruise to Bermuda, so we had the opportunity to check out a few beaches. Clearwater Beach is fantastic, it is less crowded than St. Catherine's and Tobacco Bay. There are concessions to rent beach chairs and umbrellas plus buy sodas and water. There also is a beach bar. We left the ship at 9:45 and were the first ones there.

 

Elbow Beach is a gorgeous beach, but there are no facilities there. We went to Horseshoe Bay on our first trip, so we wanted to check out another beach. Horseshoe Bay is a good choice for the first timer. They have everything you need there.

 

Cabs- The cabs charge for the ride, not per passenger, and most cabs hold 5 passengers. We took cabs, not only were they less expensive, but more comfortable. The Cab ride to Clearwater Beach was approx. $15 plus tip. On the way back, ask the bartender to call you a cab. The cab ride from Hamilton to Elbow beach was approx. $9.00 plus tip. The one thing about Bermuda as opposed to other islands we have been to is that the cab drivers don't wait around in parking lots, or they won't come back for you at an agreed time.

 

The third day, we went on the Restless Native snorkle trip, which we thought was one of the best excursions we ever went on, very well run. You need to be able to swim and snorkle a bit, so I would only recommend this to confident swimmers if they want to stay with the guide and snorkle the entire trail. After lunch we went to the snorkle park, and you can swim out a bit and there was excellent snorkling there. On our previous cruise, we went swam with the dolphins at dolphin quest. We booked directly through dolphin quest, we wanted to be in the water, not just sitting on the dock, which is the cruise excursion. If this is something your family is interested in, consider it, it a memorable experience.

 

Do everything!:D the ship has to offer! It is a small ship, so it is not like there are 101 things to chose from. We went to all the shows, played shuffleboard, did crafts, went to the casino,kids went to the teen club, entered the putting contest, went to karaoke, etc. The Crown is a very laid-back ship, the passengers on our sailing were all very laid back. "Everyone had a don't worry, be happy attitude.

 

P.S. If you are interested in history, we had taken the candlelight walking tour in St. George's on our last cruise, we enjoyed learning the interesting history of Bermuda. There also is a martime museum at the dockyards which is interesting. Also, there are street fairs in St. Georges and Hamilton at night.

[btracing03234]

Thanks for your review. We love to dance and are scheduled to leave from NYC on 9/3/06. Are there any areas on the ship that have areas for dancing? If so, what kind of music is played?

[Got2Cruise]

Thanks for your review. We love to dance and are scheduled to leave from NYC on 9/3/06. Are there any areas on the ship that have areas for dancing? If so, what kind of music is played?

 

There is a "disco" type dance floor at the Top of the Crown, which had a live duet playing dance music every night. After 11 there is a DJ who plays music.

 

The ship also has a Big Band sound band that plays in the lounge for dancing.

 

There are three types of dance parties during the week hosted by the Cruise Director and staff, a '70's disco party, a Caribbean deck party, and a '50s sock hop.

[marpaul]

What kind of room did you have? Do you know if they have a cigar Lounge?Did you post any pictures of the ship? We are planning to go on the Crown for it's final cruise.

[electricron]

What kind of room did you have? Do you know if they have a cigar Lounge?Did you post any pictures of the ship? We are planning to go on the Crown for it's final cruise.

 

No cigar bar, but the Crown does have a casino.

[Lotteryfan]

Cruise Director - Clint Wells, was one of the best CD's we have had on any line. We loved him.

 

:D

 

 

Gee, that was a quick stay for Julie. Was there any mention of her leaving or was Clint actually the assistant cruise director?

[Got2Cruise]

Gee, that was a quick stay for Julie. Was there any mention of her leaving or was Clint actually the assistant cruise director?

This was my review of last year 2006. Julie is the cruise director for this year 2007. As I stated in this year's review, this is our second year in a row sailing the Crown.