Crown Princess - 2/23 to 3/1 - The Good, The Bad and The Indifferent

[jdm3tz]

Hello All,

 

After gleaning much information from this board in the past, I have decided to follow through on the promise I made to myself (and my wife) to post a review once I returned. Let me preface this review with a bit of personal information: My wife and I are in our early 30's (her) and early 40's (me) and hail from Chicago. We have cruised together previously twice, Celebrity (Century) and Princess (Golden), while I hit RCCL several times and Carnival once (what was I thinking) in my single days. We are big fans of the whole cruise experience and like to "get back on the boat" once every two years or so. That all being said, here is a engineer's take on our week in the Caribbean.

 

Friday - San Juan

 

We departed Chicago on AA through Miami to San Juan and arrived around 6:45pm, on time but without any of our luggage. After filing a missing bag report, we proceeded to the El Convento for our pre-cruise one night stay. The hotel is very nice, clean and located in the heart of Old San Juan. Much nicer, albeit without a beach, than our previous stay at the Marriott. We had a spectacular dinner at Baru, which in my opinion should not be missed if you have the time. We have eaten there twice, and both visits were equally wonderful. Follow the waiters recommendation and try the Basil Crème Brûlée.

 

Minor Points of Interest

-Cab fare from the Airport to Old San Juan (or the pier) is $19 plus 50 cents per bag.

 

Saturday - Embarkation and Sail Away

 

After a tense night wondering if we wouldn't see our bags until Barbados, they finally arrived around 11:00am. Following a much needed change of clothes to something more appropriate, we checked out of the hotel, and headed to the Parrot Club for brunch which was also good, but nowhere near the experience at Baru the night before. We walked back to the El Convento, grabbed our luggage, and took a cab to the pier. We arrived around 2:15p, proceeded through embarkation without issue, and were in our Lido Deck balcony state room (L230) in probably less than 30 minutes. Having already spent time in Old San Juan, we stayed on the ship until sail away. The Crown Princess is a beautiful ship, and other than the typical cruise ship bathroom smell, in immaculate shape. My wife and I did our usual perusal of the ship, walking floor to floor, deck to deck to get the lay of the land. Our muster drill, held in the Princess Theater, was typical but entertaining as one of the assistant cruise directors was insulting everyone in very comedic fashion while we waited to be released. Dinner that evening (we had anytime dining) was in the Da Vinci dining room. While my entree was hot and good, my wife's was lukewarm, a bit dry and boring. As always, the cheesecake dessert failed to disappoint. Following further exploration of the ship, we headed up to the Sun Deck, grabbed a drink, and watched as we followed the Celebrity Summit out of the San Juan harbor around 11:30pm.

 

Minor Points of Interest

-Bottles of wine are available at all price points from $21 to the ridiculously expensive.

 

Sunday - Sea Day

 

We got up somewhat early for us around 8:30a in an effort to secure a good seat near the pool area on our only sea day. This proved to be unnecessary as the Crown Princess does an excellent job managing its passengers. The wider berth of the ship allows more rows of chairs on the pool and sun decks. We spent the day covered in sun block enjoying our run down to Barbados. Lunch was pizza (always very good) and a trip through the buffet (nothing special). We changed it up and went to the Michaelangelo dinning room for dinner and were pleasantly surprised at the difference from the night before. The food was piping hot, and quite tasty. We found out later during our chef's dinner (more on that later) that the kitchen on deck six serves two dining rooms, while the one on deck five only serves the Michaelangelo. I am not sure if that was the difference, or if it was the skill of our waiters, but the food in the Michaelangelo dinning room always proved hotter and more tasteful than its counterparts. We spent our post dinner time watching the Academy Awards on the Movies Under the Stars screen. Princess refits all the deck chairs with special covers, provides popcorn (for free) and blankets every night. I must say this was one of our favorite areas of the ship, and we typically gravitated there in the afternoons following our island activities.

 

Monday - Barbados

 

Not having any plans until the last minute, we made a booking with Cool Runnings for their snorkel boat with lunch. We both enjoyed the excursion very much. The boat made two snorkel stops, one with turtles near a beach, and one over a shipwreck and reef. We then went to a beach for lunch which was wonderful. I highly recommend this company and excursion. After we returned to the dock, we walked about 3 blocks to The Boatyard. For $15/ea we received a frozen drink, beach chairs and a taxi ride back to the ship. They have trampolines and a iceberg anchored in the water, as well as a rope swing off their pier for those inclined. We simply enjoyed the beach and sun. Once we returned to the ship, we heard mutinous rumors of the entire ship being out of Bud Light. I kid you not, on the third day of this cruise the ship ran out of light beer. As the week went on, the ship ran out of more and more alcohol. Regular Bud, Miller Light, and many brands of wine were reported as unavailable. My wife was even refused a signature cocktail off their drink menu due to the lack of Coconut Rum. We were told the ship would not be restocking until we got to St. Thomas. Unfortunately, we were forced to have dinner in Da Vinci as we had to meet our Maitre`di to confirm our Chef Table reservations. Again the dinner was lukewarm and dull, but the cheesecake sent me on our way happy.

 

Minor Points of Interest

-Cool Runnings and The Boatyard can be found via a quick google search.

 

Tuesday - St. Lucia

 

Without any particular course of action for the day, we commandeered a cab in port and proceeded to Reduit beach. The beach was clean, pretty and just about everything one would want for an afternoon in the sun. We rented a couple chairs with an umbrella and proceeded to alternate trips to the makeshift contraband hut posing as a bar with dips into the crystal clear water. The Piton beer was cheap and refreshing (probably my favorite island beer of the trip) and the water calm and cool. We had prearranged with our taxi driver to pick us back up at 3:00p, and he was waiting for us without issue. Once back on the ship, we headed to the MUTS area for our typical late afternoon nap, book reading or general relaxation while watching movies like E.T., Cars, Harry Potter, and Back to the Future. Dinner was back in Michaelangelo with friends we met the first night, and again the food was much better than what we experienced in Da Vinci. Also, I can add that we never waited more than 5 minutes for a table (we typically went to dinner between 8 and 8:30) and only received a beeper once. Entertainment than night was a comedian named Philadelphia who was quite funny. I think we also tried our hand in the casino that night without much luck. To our disappointment, the casino uses constant shuffling machines on all its regular blackjack tables, which in my opinion provides no ebb and flow to the game, and eliminates any possible card counting. My wife and I enjoy the game, but I avoid these tables at all costs. They also have two electronic Texas Hold'em tables that function without a dealer. I played on one occasion, and they have tournaments nearly every day.

 

Minor Points of Interest

-A private cab to Reduit beach costs $25 each way

-Two beach chairs and an umbrella cost us $20

-The excursion through the ship cost $29/person and limits your time at the beach

 

Wednesday - Antigua

 

We booked the Zip Line (canopy) tour through the ship, and were thoroughly entertained. An included 25 minute taxi ride takes you to the rain forest for the adventure. Following a short orientation, while your central body and private parts are strapped in tighter than you think comfortable, you are unleashed on 9 zip lines of various lengths back and forth across a tree lined creek gully. After the initial shock of letting go, it becomes easier to put faith in the equipment keeping you from falling to your demise. However, we thought the last test of nerve was the toughest. You are strapped onto a rope for a vertical repel of approximately 25 feet. You basically step off the platform and "zip" vertically to the ground below. All in all, a great time for people of all ages. Having our fill of cruise ship pizza, we decided to have lunch in town. We wandered into the small Napoleon Cafe, located a short walk from the ship, which we enjoyed. Dinner that night was at the Crown Grille, which was wonderful. Our waiter suggested an appetizer portion of the shrimp entree which was a great start to our dinner of steak and lobster. It was nice to feel like someone was cooking just for you instead of the masses. We both felt the dinner was well worth the cover and should not be missed.

 

Minor Points of Interest

-The zip line tour cost us $119/person, but we met people who did it on their own for $85 (transportation would be extra)

-The Crown Grill cover is $25/person plus and extra $9 if you want one of the lobster entrees

 

Thursday - Tortola

 

Without a formal plan for the day, and our reluctance to put forth the effort to make our way to the Baths of Virgin Gorda on our own, we secured a taxi to Cane Garden Bay Beach. The ride to the beach was worth the money on its own. Disregarding the need for snow removal or safety, the roads on this island seem to take the "shortest distance between points" approach. We literally drove straight up the mountain out of the port, and straight down the backside to the beach. The views were spectacular, and so was the beach. Having been to the beach in Barbados earlier in the week, Megan's Bay in St Thomas on a previous cruise, and other beaches around the world, Cane Garden Bay was one of the most picturesque beaches we have visited. The water was calm and clear and the sand clean and fine. We rented two chairs next to the water and soaked in the sun, sand and surf. Again, another makeshift structure posing as a bar, provided local and US made beers as well as excellent frozen drinks. We were in heaven. We jumped on an open air van for the trip back to the ship at the latest possible moment not wanting to waste a minute of our new found paradise. Dinner that night was the Chef's Table. I will not go into extravagant detail as others have documented this dining experience fully, but will say it was well worth the price of admission. While touring the kitchen, we met the Food and Beverage manager, who by the Chef's admission is responsible for "ordering all the supplies" for the ship. I wanted to ask him how the ship ran out of Bud Light, but figured he probably already heard about that inefficiency from his boss enough already. I advise you if you are interested in this experience, to book as soon as you get on the ship. We went to the see a comedian whose name escapes me at the moment (Ace Adams or something that begins with 'A') who was quite good. All of his humor was cruise ship related, but we liked him better than the comedian earlier in the week.

 

Minor Points of Interest

-A private taxi to Cane Garden Bay costs $20 each way

-Open air vans cost $6/person each way, but you have to wait until they fill up.

-Beach chairs cost us $5 each

 

Friday - St. Thomas

 

Having been to St. Thomas on several previous occasions, and a desire to go somewhere different, we booked the all-day sail to St John's through the ship. It was extremely windy and rough for our sail over, with the wind direction requiring the captain to tack the entire way. Whether we ran out of time, or the captain had other goals, but we ended up at Honeymoon Beach instead of Trunk Bay, which was still gorgeous. The snorkeling was just so-so compared to what we saw in Barbados, but the lunch served was good, and the beach time (about 2 hours) was sufficient. All in all a nice excursion, but we liked the Cool Runnings charter much better. Our last night we hit the wine bar for a little sushi (which was good) before dinner in Michaelangelo. Again, our dinner was hot and flavorful.

 

Minor Points of Interest

-We docked in Crown Bay (not Havensight) which currently has limited shopping

 

Sunday - Disembarkation and the Trip Home

 

We were off the ship around 9:30a, had no trouble finding our bags among the sea of luggage and caught a cab right outside the pier entrance. We boarded an on-time flight to Miami and were home nearly on-time (with our luggage if you believe that)

 

Minor Points of Interest

-A taxi from the pier to the airport costs $19 plus 50 cents per bag

-I think the bus transfers cost $15/person and although they will check your luggage for you, it was a mess. Pay a porter to carry your luggage to the cab and you will be more comfortable for less money.

 

Summation

 

There has been much chatter on this board regarding the level of service on the Crown Princess (or lack thereof) and I have to agree with some of it. Having been on the Golden Princess two years ago, I have to say I felt better taken care of then. The fact the boat ran out of the most popular forms of alcohol and beer is inexcusable. The bartenders and drink staff were less than enthusiastic (the staff in Vines notwithstanding). With the exception of the Crown Grill and Chef's table, I felt the food was better on the Golden. All in all, we had a great week away from the trappings of our daily lives, however we will probably explore other options (as well as Princess) when we decide to sail again.

 

I welcome any and all questions fellow CC members may have. I hope I can provide a little information in exchange for all I have taken from this board over the years.

[friend of Eeyore]

Thanks for the review, and all the details! I hope that the ship being out of beer was most of your issue with the ship - since I don't drink beer, it wouldn't actually be a problem for me.

 

I was on her a year and a half ago, and had wonderful service. I wonder if all the nice staff moved on over to the Emerald Princess? I hope that Easter week cruising isn't especially awful, with all the kids that'll be there!

 

Anyway, a question: Could you tell me the formal nights? Sunday, and what other day?

[SmokinActuary]

It was Sunday and Thursday.

 

I too was on the Crown this past week and while I thought the service in the Dining Room was excellent, the bar staff did leave something to be desired.

 

I will be getting my review up in a few days.

 

Nice review by the way (I was one of your table mates at the Chef's Table).

[Dr.MomW]

Thanks for the helpful review. We will be on The Crown in April (7 weeks!!!!) and are doing the Cool Runnings lunch snorkel as well as a taxi to CGB. We (2 adults and 3 kids) hope to have your great experience on these excursions. I will take your advice and try Michaelangelo over Da Vinci. Did you try the International Cafe?

 

Laurie

[kendon]

Thank you for your extensive review. Our experience on the Crown two weeks ago (12th Princess cruise) was outstanding in all areas. We found the service to be quite cheerful and attentive everywhere. Yes, the Chef's Table was great and well worth the $75/each.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review, thanks. :)