Just off the Crown 8/1-8/10

[judithdooley]

Just got off the Crown Princess this morning and here is my review:

 

Went with 19 year old daughter.

Embarkation-Very very quick and easy, I got there around noon

Parking for the 9 day cruise at the terminal was $164

 

The ship was beautiful and clean, I had the first balcony cabin on the Lido deck L312.

The location was excellent. The room was good sized and well laid out. The shower was very small. The bed was comfortable. Had a towel monkey one night. Room was cleaned twice a day. I got the soda card and coffee card, got my moneys worth out of the soda card but had to really try and use up the coffee card. I didn’t think the lattes were that good and the frozen coffees weren’t good at all.

 

We ate at Sabatinis and the Crown Grill, both were very good. Daughter said the clams at the Crown were the best she ever ate. I loved the filet there. The small lobsters weren’t very good. Had langostines at Sabatinis and they were delicious. We ate in the regular dining room, anytime dining and ate at the buffets. Both were good. Didn’t really think the breakfasts were that great at either place.

 

Bermuda- Was holiday so some places were closed. Went to Horseshoe Bay, Swizzle Inn and the Frog and Onion. Got the one day bus and ferry pass.

 

San Juan-Went on the El Yunque Rainforest Drive. Wasn’t too impressed after having been at the rainforest in Martinique, this one looked like an overgrown garden. Went to Senor Frogs and the Sheraton casino.

 

St Thomas-Went shopping and bought diamond stud earrings, a diamond necklace and an ammolite necklace…very good prices. Also went to Duffy’s Love Shack and had a little tour of the island by the taxi driver. Also took a ride in one of those safari type taxis. That was an experience.

 

Grand Turk-went on the Horseback Ride and Swim, this was one of the best things I’ve ever done as a shore excursion. Lots of fun. However, the ride back was so hot it was horrible. The air did not work in the shuttle and the driver decided to give us a tour of the island. There is nothing on this island to tour, however he tried to make it seem like it was this great tourist attraction! Dove into the pool at Margaritaville and had some drinks at the pool bar.

 

This was a really great cruise itinerary, in my opinion. Had a meet and greet with the cruise critic group…hi guys. We did a grab bag which was fun.

 

The comics were hilarious and that’s the only entertainment I went to see. I won some money at the casino, lost money at the horse races but that was a lot of fun. My daughter got to be a jockey in the last race.

 

The only big crowds were at the pool on sea days and at the Princess theatre.

The staff we encountered were friendly and attentive.

 

Overall, we thought the ship was beautiful and we had a great time.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

Good review - thanks for sharing!

[Colo Cruiser]

Love that Crown Grill!!! :)

 

Sounds like you had a great time. :)

[play21cw]

Great review!!! It was great meeting you last week

 

I will post a review soon :D

[Rgtouro]

Just wanted to let you know that my daughter & I had a fun time hanging out with you both, you sure know how to PaRtY!!!! Now back to reality! Keep in touch!!! :D

[KATHYMAC68]

How far away is Senor Frogs from the ship? Walking distance?

 

Great review Thanks...

[play21cw]

How far away is Senor Frogs from the ship? Walking distance?

 

Great review Thanks...

 

 

Frogs is really close to the boat, probably 4 minutes walking distance.

 

I also recomend the Parrott Club, excellent drinks, try a mojito!

[frofro]

Frogs is really close to the boat, probably 4 minutes walking distance.

 

I also recomend the Parrott Club, excellent drinks, try a mojito!

 

We loved the Parrot Club! :D

[geenafeena]

thanks for the review. .will be on the crown next month.

 

in bermuda we want to go the horseshoe bay, then hamilton and the swizzle inn. are there 2 swizzle inns? how did u get to horshoe bay (ferry/bus)? how long did it take from the ship?

 

how did u get to hamilton from horseshoe bay? how long did it take to get back to the ship from hamilton and did you take the bus/ferry? what time did you have to be back on the ship? from what i have read, it looks like it takes an hour to get back to the ship from hamilton if you take the bus.

 

i apologize for all the questions, just trying to get an idea timewise.

[jckvpa0]

Thanks for the review !

 

Care to share your shopping experience in St. Thomas ? In particular those diamond earrings. Could you tell the approximate size, color, shape, price & where you purchased them ? I so understand if you do not want to share this info. !

 

Thanks again for the review and I'm glad you and your daughter had a great cruise !

[jagbassist7]

st.thomas was a little annoying at first(i just got off the cruise today too). we were not in the usual dock with all the malls and stores. we were in one that was a pretty long drive away. we didnt actually go there, though. we went to coki beach, which was beautiful, and went snuba diving. and theres a lot of coral and big fish right off the beach if you want to snorkel by yourself for free.

[jagbassist7]

we went to horseshoe bay from the dock by bus, which was about a 20-30 minute drive. the bus drops you off at a stop on top of a big hill, which is a 5 minute walk down to the beach. that was pretty annoying as it was POURING when we got off. we never went to hamilton ourselves(we spent the whole day at the beach) but from what people told me its about an hour drive from hamilton back to the ship. and there are bus stops at horshoe bay, right off the ship, and many other places. the buses come about every 15 minutes.

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the review! Sounds like you had a great time!

[judithdooley]

How far away is Senor Frogs from the ship? Walking distance?

 

Great review Thanks...

 

Yes, within walking distance, the Sheraton is across the street and Senor Frogs is behind that. Not as much fun as Cancun. My daughter and I called it Senor Frogs Lite

[frofro]

we went to horseshoe bay from the dock by bus, which was about a 20-30 minute drive. the bus drops you off at a stop on top of a big hill, which is a 5 minute walk down to the beach. that was pretty annoying as it was POURING when we got off. we never went to hamilton ourselves(we spent the whole day at the beach) but from what people told me its about an hour drive from hamilton back to the ship. and there are bus stops at horshoe bay, right off the ship, and many other places. the buses come about every 15 minutes.

 

You can also take a ferry to Hamilton from the ship or back to the ship.

[judithdooley]

thanks for the review. .will be on the crown next month.

 

in bermuda we want to go the horseshoe bay, then hamilton and the swizzle inn. are there 2 swizzle inns? how did u get to horshoe bay (ferry/bus)? how long did it take from the ship?

 

how did u get to hamilton from horseshoe bay? how long did it take to get back to the ship from hamilton and did you take the bus/ferry? what time did you have to be back on the ship? from what i have read, it looks like it takes an hour to get back to the ship from hamilton if you take the bus.

 

i apologize for all the questions, just trying to get an idea timewise.

 

I took the bus from the ferry to horseshoe, about 20-30 minutes. Then took the bus from horseshoe to the bus depot in Hamilton...about 20 minutes, then I got on another bus to the swizzle...about 30 minutes.....took bus back to hamilton and then took the ferry to the dockyard about 20 minutes. The quickest way from hamilton to dockyard is the ferry. I went to the original swizzle inn near st george, there is a new one very near horseshoe but not the same feel to it. I had time to spare but didn't spend much time at horseshoe because of the weather. However, I've been to Bermuda several times so I just took my daughter to a couple of my favorite spots for short periods of time. You might want to pick one destination and spend your day there. We got back to the ship in plenty of time to have a few beer samplers at the Frog and Onion. We were in port I think from 8-4ish

[judithdooley]

Thanks for the review !

 

Care to share your shopping experience in St. Thomas ? In particular those diamond earrings. Could you tell the approximate size, color, shape, price & where you purchased them ? I so understand if you do not want to share this info. !

 

Thanks again for the review and I'm glad you and your daughter had a great cruise !

 

Diamonds International in town not at ship, 1.20 tw H round 4 prong white gold 1250.

[judithdooley]

Just wanted to let you know that my daughter & I had a fun time hanging out with you both, you sure know how to PaRtY!!!! Now back to reality! Keep in touch!!! :D

 

You'll have to come to the Dooley pool sometime for Malibu Bay Breezes. I'm very good at making them.

[tip30devs]

Well my wife and I just came off the same cruise. It was a great experience, and am already planning our second with the kids.

However, here are a few ups and downs.

 

First, yes, the Crown Princess was absolutely beautiful! First class.

The stewards couldn't be any nicer, and more helpful. They made life so easy onboard, and spoiled us with great service!

 

Food, well it was OK, nothing to brag about. Being my wife and I didn't want specific times to eat, we chose anytime dining in the buffet area's.

BUT we did eat once in the Michaelangelo's(spelling?) dining room, and again, wasn't impressed...

 

Then the port of calls:

 

Bermuda: Well who could forecast the rain, no big deal. With all the hype about being told that Bermuda was on Holiday, we opted NOT to cab ride to the town because of being told the shops were ALL closed. Low and behold we come to find out that tons were open, and we missed alot :mad: Took the glass bottom boat tour, and although we had a terrific captain and first mate, it was a bit of a let down. We had a full boat and had to squeeze in between people to look down into a 4, 2' x 6' holes of glass.

I guess what made it more uncomfortable was the fact that the AC onboard and microphone stopped working 1/2way through the tour.....would rate it a 6.

 

San Juan:

Did the Bacardi and Old San Juan tour, and was NOT impressed with our guide who you couldn't understand a word she said.

It was like Bacardi tried to mimic a bit of Disney, but to no avail.

I guess the worst part about it was having to be rushed back to the bus after waiting online at the gift shop for over 45 minutes because of the lack of help(2 people working in the shop, 1 stocking shelves, and 1 at the register left to collect $$$ and wrap bottles....:mad:, had 2 minutes to get online for a free samples to be rushed out of there.

Old San Juan is just that...OLD, I guess i'm not a history buff, lesson learned.

The wife and I enjoyed walking the streets to the street fair going on, and made up for time lost on the tour! Also stopped at Senior Frogs for a few cold ones, and had fun!

Rate San Juan a 7.

 

St. Thomas:

Well, one word. PERFECT! We did the Blackbeard's tour and shopped! Tour was great, got to go to the place where the Banana Daquari was born, had one, awesome, and got a nice tour of the old castle, followed by the day shopping!

Finally ended up @ Diamonds International and bought the wife her 10 year Anniv. ring, and got a great deal with our VIP cards from the ship.

Rained a bit, but it didn't matter.

We shopped, ate and drank , great time! Wish we could spend a couple of more days there, but oh well, next time!

St Thomas rated a 10!

 

Turks:

Well, did the Power snorkeling, and had a wonderful time. Got to see a nice small shark, lots of lobsters, tons of fish and a sting ray. Took tons of pics underwater too!

Got back to the small shopping area, which was ok to say the least.

Ate at Margaritaville and had a blast there.

Just a bit small and too quick of a stop!

Turks rates a 9 :)

 

 

Overall a great cruise except for the disembarkment at the Brooklyn terminal!

Check out was painless, customs was a breeze, but the fact that they kick you out to the curb, and rush your azzes out was another thing.

It was pouring out as you all know.

Our cab was stuck in traffic for over an hour trying to get in.

We were constantly rushed like a herd of cows by the PATH cops and the cruise personel there.

The fact that it was a downpour, windy, and we were soaked from head to toe, waterlogged to say the least, including all our luggage was soaked too.

It was a crappy ending to a wonderful trip!

Our cab finally showed, and was on our way home after getting off the ship by 9:30, and into the cab after 11......:mad:

It just seemd as though they were eager to get you to get on their cruise, BUT when it came time to leave, they were quick to kick you curbside...

 

Again, lesson learned, and it was well worth our hard earned money spent!

Next time, NO excursions for us, we will do out own thing, and make the best of all ports of call!

[rts]

The ship was beautiful and clean, I had the first balcony cabin on the Lido deck L312.

The location was excellent. The room was good sized and well laid out.

 

Glad to hear that you liked your cruise. We were on Crown last August and will be leaving next Sunday August 19th. We booked three guarantee cabins, and were all assigned to Lido deck BA balcony. We have never been on Lido deck before. One cabin that we have is L309. The others are further forward. Just wondering how the foot traffic was near your cabin (as well as noise), since the front stairs and elevators are there, as well as the doors to the outside deck.

 

Thanks, Rick

[High C's]

[quote name=rts;11183191

 

Glad to hear that you liked your cruise. We were on Crown last August and will be leaving next Sunday August 19th. We booked three guarantee cabins' date=' and were all assigned to Lido deck BA balcony. We have never been on Lido deck before. One cabin that we have is L309. The others are further forward. Just wondering how the foot traffic was near your cabin (as well as noise), since the front stairs and elevators are there, as well as the doors to the outside deck.

 

Thanks, Rick[/quote]

 

rts - how long ago did you get your cabin assignment? I, too, have booked a guarantee room for the sailing on 09/06, and do not have my assignment yet. Tks!

[nina26best]

Hello, and thanks for the review....

 

Twelve of us will be sailing on September 6th, and I have some questions that only someone who sailed recently could answer.

 

* What movies were showing on MUTS?

* Was it difficult to get reservations to watch the movies?

* Was the sail down to the Caribbean rocky?

* Did you try the Adults Only area, and what did a 9 day pass cost to lounge there?

 

Many thanks to you or anyone who can answer these. :)

[rts]

rts - how long ago did you get your cabin assignment? I' date=' too, have booked a guarantee room for the sailing on 09/06, and do not have my assignment yet. Tks![/quote']

 

Dear High Cs,

 

We received the first two cabins abouth two months ago, both on the same day. Just got final cabin last week. We were getting nervous that we would not know until we got to the pier. All three bookings were linked together, so they said they would try to keep us near each other.

 

Rick

[High C's]

Dear High Cs,

 

We received the first two cabins abouth two months ago, both on the same day. Just got final cabin last week. We were getting nervous that we would not know until we got to the pier. All three bookings were linked together, so they said they would try to keep us near each other.

 

Rick

 

Thanks, Rick. I'm very curious to know what is going on in "Princess Land", as people who are sailing on the Crown long after us have already received their assignment. I guess its not a big deal - we know we'll get a balcony somewhere!!! Perhaps it has something to do with our entire sailing in "waitlist only" for every category.

 

Maybe they'll offer an incredible incentive to us to move our sailing.....:D

[sailorJo]

Hi, everyone. Also back from the same cruise and here's my review and pictures:

 

Brooklyn Terminal: DH and I drove to the pier from Staten Island and parked in the terminal. Parking is $164 for 10 days. Upon arrival at 10.40 am there were still some people leaving the ship. We found some congestion at the entrance to the pier but we waited in line only about 10 minutes. Boarding began at 11.30 and by 11.45 we were on the ship.

Cabin: Our inside cabin looked small at first glance but it turned out to be quite comfortable as we settled in. Great location, mid-ship on Baja Deck 11. We were glad we had turned down the obstructed ocean view upgrade. It was situated all the way forward and close to the elevators where there was sure to be more movement and people traffic. Bathroom was small but the storage room was ample with lots of hangers. It turned out I didn’t need the extra ones I had brought from home. I hung up a hold-everything on the bathroom door and had all my stuff handy (see picture in my Webshot link). We had some minor issues the first day because of a malfunctioning light in the storage area and a bedside lamp that was falling apart but we called the passenger services and they took care of them very quickly and even followed up with a courtesy phone call.

Sailaway: turned out our ‘secret place’ on Lido deck was locked, so we went on the Sun deck where we could have a better view as we passed under the V-N bridge.

I'd like to add a note here to say how exciting it was to meet everyone at the CruiseCritic.com meeting and finally linking names to faces. I also think it was nice of Princess to organize another meeting for us on the last day with CD Cameron. Unfortunately not too many people must have read the announcement on the Princess Patter as very few showed up.

Ship layout: we found the ship layout a little confusing and with not too many large open spaces as I’ve seen on other ships. The Piazza is beautiful though often very busy (but that’s what piazzas are, busy gathering areas).

Dining: we had booked early seating in Botticelli but when we confirmed it at the Purser’s Desk we were told that we had been switched to ‘anytime dining’ but that we could talk to the Maitre d if we wanted to have it switched back to traditional. My feeling, here, was that everyone who was booked for fixed dining was automatically switched to anytime because there was a very long line to talk to the Maitre d’ and all were complaining of the same thing. For some reason Princess tries to push ‘anytime’ dining. My advice to future Crown passengers is to go to the Purser’s Desk immediately upon boarding to confirm their reservation as space for ‘traditional’ dining is limited.

Our waiters were Elena and Peter from Romania, both very efficient and attentive. The Maitre d’, Nicola, often stopped to chat and remembered our names. We found the food in the dining room to be very good and the desserts were to die for! I had mentioned in the paperwork that we were celebrating our anniversary on board and they surprised us with a small cake and a song. I thought it was a very nice touch and made us feel special.

We found the food in Horizon Court to be also very good and of good variety. Service was not the greatest as a couple of times we had to ask for the tables to be wiped clean again before we could be seated.

The International Café was my favorite morning spot. We went there for espresso and a pastry, before going up to Horizon Court for a more substantial meal (we overindulged, I admit it..:o). We bought both the soda and coffee cards and they worked perfectly for us. We had no problem getting refills for soda and DH likes his espressos and cappuccinos.

Entertainment: our favorite hangout was Club Fusion where they always had music, fun and games. I won $500 at Bingo the first day, which made for a great start. We loved Synergy’s music. We did not see many of the shows in Princess Theatre but preferred the comedy shows in Explorer Lounge. It’s a bit of a problem finding chairs in Explorer as it’s not very big. Princess Theatre fills up very quickly too.

Ports of call: We loved all the ports of call. We did Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda on our own. We almost did not make it as it rained until about noon, but as soon as it stopped we were on the first bus out. From Dockyard you take the #7 bus and it is $4 each way.

The tour of St. Thomas by open-air bus was great but we realized too late that we could have easily done it privately and it would have cost us much less. Still, we got to stay in Magen’s Bay for 2 hours and we loved it. The view from the top of the mountain is amazing. After the tour we stopped at Cuzzin’s, a local fare restaurant on Back street. The food was delicious and reasonably priced.

In San Juan disembarkation took forever because local immigration officials took their time in coming. Princess had everyone organized in groups in order of tour departure time, but because of the delay everyone ended up disembarking at the same time, which slowed down the process. We did the El Yunque Rainforest and like most everyone we weren’t overly impressed. The fact that it took over an hour to get there and another hour to come back seemed like such a waste of precious time. The tour began a little late due to the confusion on the pier and ended later than expected, leaving us with very little time in which to visit old San Juan. Still, we managed to get some awesome pictures from the San Cristobal Fortress and Puerta San Juan. Our guide on the rainforest tour, Dan Valasquez, did an excellent job of telling us about the customs and history of Puerto Rico. This is a, excursion better suited for people who have already been to San Juan and have no interest in visiting the city again. My advice here, if you take this tour, is to have a late breakfast as you will not have a chance to eat before 4 pm.

In Grand Turk we hung out in Margaritaville a couple of hours then we took the main road on foot with the intention of going to Governor’s Beach. We walked for about 45 minutes (almost into Cockburn Town) before we realized we had to have missed the turnoff. We were getting a little nervous as the road was too isolated for our peace of mind. Eventually some cyclists came by and we asked them for directions to the beach. We loved this beach and the water was crystal clear, much nicer than the beach off the ship. It was really worth the long walk. A word of caution to future visitors to Grand Turk: if you decide to walk to Governor’s Beach, there are no signs at the turnoff from the main road. Walk for about 10-15 minutes from the main gate of Margaritaville and look out for a low white wall on the left at an intersection. Make a left here; this road will take you to the beach. You can take a taxi there for $3 per person.

Disembarkation: We had express disembarkation and it was very quick. We were the first group to leave the ship and in 15 minutes we were in our car. We saw all the luggage stacked up inside the terminal and were glad we had opted for express. We wondered how on Earth people were going to find their bags in that mess.

Overall it was a great cruise. The Crown is a beautiful ship and I would gladly cruise on it again.

Happy sailing to all of you and please feel free to view my pictures.

http://community.webshots.com/user/sailorJo53?vhost=community

 

BTW, did you know you could get free playing cards from the Purser’s desk? (Shhh…don’t tell them I told you so!)