Quick Review of Crown Princess 1 Night Vancouver to Seattle, May 20th

Background:

Sailing on this one nighter was myself, DD (age 9) and DS (age 4). We are loyal Princess cruisers and took this particular one nighter as a means of getting to Seattle for a flight out to Long Beach. Living in Vancouver, this was a quick and easy (not to mention fun) mode of transportation to get from A to B!

Embarkation:

We had been pre-warned by friends working at the post (I am a former Princess shoreside employee) that there would be 3 ships in port and to arrive early as all passengers would be pre-clearing US CBP. Having experienced this many times as a staff member, we arrived at 10:35am and dropped off our bags with a porter before heading upstairs to Hall C at the convention centre. This is not the usualy process, but is employed when multiple ships are in port in order to assist with crowd control. Hall C was set up with many rows of chairs and it was clear that the port had been pro-active in anticipation many passengers! On arrival, we were handed a card with a boarding group number ( 26) and directed to the check in area. There was a fair sized line but it was split into preferred and regular check in. As we are Platinum, we headed to the preferred line, which actually seemed a little longer than the regular line due to the number of repeat cruisers. However, it moved very quickly and we were checked in and handed our cruise cards within 15 minutes. Ordinarily, at this point you would need to sit and wait for your boarding group to be called in order to proceed back downstairs for security and CBP. However, as we had arrived early there was no line up and we were told to go down right away. Security was a breeze and the first real line we encountered was to pre-clear US immigration. Although it was organised and moving, we were in line waiting to be processed for about 25 minutes. Following this we were directed through the the lounge area to await boarding - the priority area had coffee, pastries, etc but was definitely not large enough to accommodate all the priority guests. Even this early it was standing room only and very crowded! In contrast, there were rows and rows of empty seats set up for the non-priority guests that hadn't yet arrived!

Boarding:

Around 11:30am I spotted some former workmates in the area just past the door where you exit to board the ship, so I headed over to catch up with them. Unfortunately, some of the passengers must have taken this as a sign that I was attempting to jump the line and started yelling at me that we weren't allowed to board yet and that they had been waiting a long time. I told them politely to just relax, the ship wasn't going anywhere, and I had no intention of trying to make my way on board (in truth, I could have gone on long ago had that been my intent!) I was so surprised at the grumpy, pushy attitude of these people - not my way of starting out a one night cruise at all! One of them actually yelled at my child to "Get the Hell out of the way...". Really? I ignored them and had a great catch up with friends and actually didn't even attempt to board until well after general boarding had begun! I should backtrack a little and say that priority boarding started around 11:45am after a wedding party boarded, then general boarding around 12pm.

Lunch:

Once on board, we headed to the room and dropped our bags and then straight to Da Vinci for lunch. Although we were among the first to be seated and our orders were taken quickly, we made the mistake of not ordering both mains and desserts at the same time (more on that later). I ordered the carbonara as an appetizer, which was delicious, and the chicken korma as a main - also yummy! The kids were able to order from the kids menu - not usually available for embarkation lunch - and got a cheeseburger and the spaghetti and meatballs...both big hits! After we were done we were ready for dessert..but this was where the problem came in! Maybe our waiter figured that since we hadn't ordered at the beginning we didn't want dessert, or maybe the fact that there were many more diners at this point meant he had forgotten us. Anyways, we sat for over 20 minutes trying to get his attention and, in the end, asked the guy who was clearing tables if we could order from him! He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, so rather than have him find a dessert menu and take our order, I simply asked for ice cream for the kids and got out of there as soon as we could!

On Board:

After lunch, the kids wanted to hit the pool so we headed out to the pool deck. Only one of the pools was open - the other was empty and netted, which meant that it was very crowded given the glorious weather in Vancouver! I found the water to be a little chilly and the pool was seriously overfilled so was far deeper than the posted signs indicated. In fact, the water on the side decks of the pool area was over ankle deep so the water depth was easily 6 foot or more! I noticed one or two toddlers in the pool with diapers on, so the "no diaper rule" was not being enforced!

After we had our fill of swimming we got changed ready for muster drill - our station was in the casino. It smelled very strongly of cigarette smoke, which was a little unpleasant, but the flashing lights and machines in an area forbidden to the kids made it fascinating for them! I should add that at check in we were handed wrist bands for the kids with their muster station printed on it. I was told that it was mandatory for them to wear it all times. I would say that, of the 200 or so kids on board, I saw maybe 40 of them wearing the wristband! The kids club staff did not ask to see it (both kids wore long sleeves so it wasn't easily visible) and no other staff member ever mentioned the band.

Dinner:

We had requested early seating for dinner as the kids like to go to the club as soon as possible. The only drawback to this was missing the sailaway party, but it's not like we haven't done them a bunch of times before! I had requested a table for 4 - not because I am anti social, but more because I don't want to subject other people to my kids. Heck, I don't even want to eat dinner with them some days, and I don't have that choice! I guess Princess never got that memo as we were seated at a table for 6 and nervously awaited the arrival of other guests. I noticed a number of other guests commenting about requesting certain sized tables and being seated with other groups. The Maitre D was not interested in solving the problems, and merely suggested going to the buffet instead. I do understand that you are not guaranteed a certain sized table, but I do wonder if it would be better not to even offer the option of requesting it - that way you are not setting yourself up for the expectation and being disappointed? Our table mates turned out to be another parent traveling solo with two kids, so it all turned out ok for us...

Our waiter was great and very patient with with four kids at the table! His assistant was 100% on top of things, always making sure our drinks were refilled and that we never needed to ask for anything! The dinner menu was a little disappointing - no steak on the always available menu! I chose the cold soup, which I usually really enjoy on Princess. This one was a blackberry/merlot soup and was so sour and salty that I couldn't even get past the first mouthtful! For my main I ordered the hazelnut crusted salmon, which was just ok - a little dry for my liking!The kids ordered alphabet soup, which definitely did not come out of a can labelled Heinz, and fish sticks which were excellent (actually better than my salmon!) The dessert menu arrived promptly after we were done with the mains and the kids were delighted with the "Create Your Own Sundae" and Love Boat Volcano. I decided to treat myself and ordered both the sundae and the Norman Love chocolate dessert. Unfortunately, only the sundae made it to me and, since I was already feeling guilty about ordering two desserts, I didn't follow up!

Entertainment:

After dinner, the kids headed off to their respective kids clubs and I went in search of entertainment. I stopped in and listened to the comedian Steve Morris - I had seen him on other cruises and he is very funny! Then I headed to my favorite place - the International Cafe - to pick up that second dessert (white and dark chocolate mousse). The entertainment in the Piazza was Acrobatix, a duo that seemed to do balancing and acrobatic routines mixed with comedy. They were ok, but the crowd didn't seem overly keen/interested in the show.

The production show for this evening was Magic To Do. I had been eagerly anticipating this on a previous cruise and was quite disappointed in it - really not my thing at all. I decided I didn't want to sit through it again so hung out a little while longer in the Piazza and made use of my coffee card that was left over from another cruise. The Silk Road Chai Tea Latte is delicious!

At 9:30pm I collected the kids from their clubs - they were open from 6pm to 10pm on this one nighter. They both reported that they had fun with arts/crafts, a dance party, and a movie.

Night:

We had a great night's sleep - the beds were super comfortable and our inside cabin on plaza deck was exceptionally quiet. We didn't feel any movement at all. The shower was one of the better ones - hot and great water pressure!

Breakfast:

The great thing about being on plaza deck is being able to leave the kids sleeping and run down to International Cafe to pick up treats for breakfast! I got a selection of croissants, doughnuts, and pastries (and my chai of course) and brought them back to the room so that the kids could eat as soon as they woke.

Disembark:

We were in a walk off group that was scheduled to meet at Club Fusion at 8:45am. At 8am we headed out of the stateroom to make our way to the lounge. On our way there, a staff member asked if we wanted to go ahead and disembark the ship. She then directed us to the gangway and we were on our way! Easy Peasy! No lines, no waiting, just straight off and through customs - which was basically handing in the form to the officer as we walked past!

We had arranged for transfers to the airport and were directed to a coach based on the airline we were flying with. We waited on the bus for about 10 minutes and then were on our way to SeaTac. The travel time was less than half an hour and the driver kept us entertained the whole way.

All in all, this was a smooth and easy trip from the time we entered the port in Vancouver to the time we stepped off the coach in Seattle! Aside from a few disgruntled passengers at the beginning, we saw nothing but smiles and enjoyment from all around us. These one nighters may not be everyone's cup of tea and they certainly shouldn't form a basis of what cruising is like, but for the price point and the fact that you get food, entertainment, and a bed for the night, they can't be beat in my opinion!

Entertainment:

After dinner, the kids headed off to their respective kids clubs and I went in search of entertainment. I stopped in and listened to the comedian Steve Morris - I had seen him on other cruises and he is very funny! Then I headed to my favorite place - the International Cafe - to pick up that second dessert (white and dark chocolate mousse). The entertainment in the Piazza was Acrobatix, a duo that seemed to do balancing and acrobatic routines mixed with comedy. They were ok, but the crowd didn't seem overly keen/interested in the show.

 

The production show for this evening was Magic To Do. I had been eagerly anticipating this on a previous cruise and was quite disappointed in it - really not my thing at all. I decided I didn't want to sit through it again so hung out a little while longer in the Piazza and made use of my coffee card that was left over from another cruise. The Silk Road Chai Tea Latte is delicious!

 

At 9:30pm I collected the kids from their clubs - they were open from 6pm to 10pm on this one nighter. They both reported that they had fun with arts/crafts, a dance party, and a movie.

 

Night:

We had a great night's sleep - the beds were super comfortable and our inside cabin on plaza deck was exceptionally quiet. We didn't feel any movement at all. The shower was one of the better ones - hot and great water pressure!

 

Breakfast:

The great thing about being on plaza deck is being able to leave the kids sleeping and run down to International Cafe to pick up treats for breakfast! I got a selection of croissants, doughnuts, and pastries (and my chai of course) and brought them back to the room so that the kids could eat as soon as they woke.

 

Disembark:

We were in a walk off group that was scheduled to meet at Club Fusion at 8:45am. At 8am we headed out of the stateroom to make our way to the lounge. On our way there, a staff member asked if we wanted to go ahead and disembark the ship. She then directed us to the gangway and we were on our way! Easy Peasy! No lines, no waiting, just straight off and through customs - which was basically handing in the form to the officer as we walked past!

 

We had arranged for transfers to the airport and were directed to a coach based on the airline we were flying with. We waited on the bus for about 10 minutes and then were on our way to SeaTac. The travel time was less than half an hour and the driver kept us entertained the whole way.

 

All in all, this was a smooth and easy trip from the time we entered the port in Vancouver to the time we stepped off the coach in Seattle! Aside from a few disgruntled passengers at the beginning, we saw nothing but smiles and enjoyment from all around us. These one nighters may not be everyone's cup of tea and they certainly shouldn't form a basis of what cruising is like, but for the price point and the fact that you get food, entertainment, and a bed for the night, they can't be beat in my opinion!

Apart from the frustrations of boarding and disembarkation I too enjoyed my overnight ers .Very good value. Found it a refreshing,relaxing break.:)

Thank you for the review of your one-nighter. It sounds like you and the kids had a great time!

Background:

Sailing on this one nighter was myself, DD (age 9) and DS (age 4). We are loyal Princess cruisers and took this particular one nighter as a means of getting to Seattle for a flight out to Long Beach. Living in Vancouver, this was a quick and easy (not to mention fun) mode of transportation to get from A to B!

 

Embarkation:

We had been pre-warned by friends working at the post (I am a former Princess shoreside employee) that there would be 3 ships in port and to arrive early as all passengers would be pre-clearing US CBP. Having experienced this many times as a staff member, we arrived at 10:35am and dropped off our bags with a porter before heading upstairs to Hall C at the convention centre. This is not the usualy process, but is employed when multiple ships are in port in order to assist with crowd control. Hall C was set up with many rows of chairs and it was clear that the port had been pro-active in anticipation many passengers! On arrival, we were handed a card with a boarding group number ( 26) and directed to the check in area. There was a fair sized line but it was split into preferred and regular check in. As we are Platinum, we headed to the preferred line, which actually seemed a little longer than the regular line due to the number of repeat cruisers. However, it moved very quickly and we were checked in and handed our cruise cards within 15 minutes. Ordinarily, at this point you would need to sit and wait for your boarding group to be called in order to proceed back downstairs for security and CBP. However, as we had arrived early there was no line up and we were told to go down right away. Security was a breeze and the first real line we encountered was to pre-clear US immigration. Although it was organised and moving, we were in line waiting to be processed for about 25 minutes. Following this we were directed through the the lounge area to await boarding - the priority area had coffee, pastries, etc but was definitely not large enough to accommodate all the priority guests. Even this early it was standing room only and very crowded! In contrast, there were rows and rows of empty seats set up for the non-priority guests that hadn't yet arrived![/quote

Nice report, thanks.

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Sounds like all had a good time.....:):):)

Bob