Just returned Crown Princess British Isles Cruise

[RhondaPerr]

We just returned from our British Isles Cruise which was incredible.

 

Pre-cruise A little panic when Air France had a work dispute and our flight to France was re scheduled. It turned out ok, but we did not end up leaving till 2 am. Getting through customs was a breeze and as promised Barons Limousine Service Was waiting for us. We had a great driver, managed to fit our 4 suitcases in the Peugot,(sp) We arrived at the Hyatt Vendome, which was beautiful. Marble everywhere, very elegant. Our room was ready, and they upgraded us. It was a good size for Europe, and on the quiet side of the building. The bed was comfortable, and it had a good sized bathroom with a waterfall shower and bathtub.

 

The prices inside the hotel were beyond anything we have ever experienced. 10 euros for a coke.. 106 euros for breakfast, which thank goodness was included. Most things were within walking distance, if you like to walk. Cabs were not that hard to find, and the only place we encountered someone nasty was at the tourist bureau lol. We were there on Bastille Day and did the City Segway Tour. It was so much fun, and a great way to see the landmarks.

 

We also took the Bateaux Mouches night cruise without the dinner, and that was a little disappointing. Part of the issue was that it was freezing cold that night, and we could not get a seat anywhere but outside. You could not hear the commentary outside. We went to the louvre bought our tickets online months before, and although it was crowded, managed to see most of what we wanted to.

 

Same limo service picked us up to take a flight to London so that we could meet up with the cruise transportation the next day. We stayed at the Soiftel Hotel at terminal 5 which was lovely, and where we were also upgraded to a great room. There was even a tv in the bathroom. We ordered room service and had a nice late dinner. We had a quiet sleep and never would have known we were near the airport. Had breakfast which was included, a nice spread, and took a cab to meet the Princess transportation.

 

Princess took our bags, we were on the bus, and at the port about 2.5 hours. EMBARKATION: We were on the ship before 12, our cabins were ready. 28 cruises and this was the fastest embarkation we have ever seen. Dropped off our bags and made reservations for the Crown, talked to the excursions desk, and went upstairs to have lunch..

 

Cabin: DOLPHIN DECK 519 which was on the 9th deck. MINI SUITE. We had requested an egg crate but the room steward explained that they had upgraded all the mini suite beds, and they had. We did not miss our egg crate. Luggage came pretty quickly, but not without issue, my brand new suitcases zipper was damaged. Princess fixed it.

DINING:

We had requested a large table and were dismayed when we found ourselves at a table for two, with a less than adequate waiter. We did not even get our iced teas till half way through the meal. We asked to see the head waiter, who was a gem. He promised to move us, and he dealt with my food allergies. The following day our new table and incredible waitress, and all our table mates had also found themselves at a table for two, despite their request for a large table. Catalina our waitress was exceptional. Florio made sure my food was allergen free. The food was very good, better than on the Ruby.

HORIZON COURT:

Hit or miss. Layout is annoying. We mostly ate at the grill if we were were on the ship for lunch.

ROOM SERVICE:

Not bad. Ignore the times for breakfast you can get it earlier than the times listed.

CROWN:

Incredible food, and service.

SABATINIS

Not great, wonderful service, but food was not very good.

INTERNATIONAL CAFE

Wonderful

 

EXCURSIONS:

 

We used Princess tours for most of what we did. I can not do the private tours because of my food allergies. First port La Havre, since we had done Paris for our pre cruise we decided to do Versailles. We left late almost 830. Our guide was nice but she was sick and barely had a voice. There we no headsets, which was a surprise. It was a 3 hour drive with a stop at a rest area. Versailles was incredible, and absolutely packed with people. The guide was hard to hear. Lunch was good and they had a special meal for me.. The gardens were beautiful but we had no time to enjoy them. It is a very long walk from the restaurant to the parking lot.

 

TENDER TO QUEENSFERRY:

Large ferry calm water, short ride. Traffic was insane. A photo stop at a palace, and saw some other landmark. Edinburgh Castle. The castle was mobbed and to see the crown jewels would have taken our whole time there. The prison was interesting it rained off and on.

 

LOCH NESS/ URQUHART CASTLE RUINS. It was so crowded you could hardly move. I guess we had different expectations, but to us it seemed commercial.

 

BELFAST: used the ships shuttle which was free until our city tour in the afternoon.. We did not feel comfortable there at all. Took our walking tour in the afternoon. Our guide was a hoot! Great tour of City Hall, in a pub for Guiness.

 

GREENOCK INVERARAY CASTLE LOCH LOMOND:

The castle was amazing! The scenery was beautiful! We had a great guide who even sang to us. The whole tour was good.

 

Liverpool we just walked around, needed some down time.

 

DUBLIN:

 

CITY DRIVE AND ST PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

The cathedral was beautiful, enjoyed the tour of the city, guide was not great, and repeated herself.

 

COBH/ BLARNEY CASTLE, KINSALE

The excursion made no sense. It really should be named the shopping tour. We were in KINSALE before it opened, so few shops were open. Then lunch early which was not good at all. There were some cute entertainers. When we finally got to Blarney Castle the line was over 2 hours long. We ended up spending the entire time in the shop.

 

GURNSEY:

 

Tender port...long wait for Tender. Hired a cab with another couple and went to the underground hospital, the little chapel, and the museum. He also took us to some incredible photo stops.

 

Entertainment:

 

Saw all 3 production shows which were very good. The entertainment was good, but being in late seating we missed most of the games. Enjoyed the cultural shows. Casino was closed more than it was open due to the UK laws.

 

TIPS

 

The weather changes instantly, bring a good rain coat and plan on layers. A sweatshirt is also a good idea. It was pretty comfortable on the ship, and even in a gown with no sleeves it was fine. Read and connect with the role call for your cruise, the private tours will save you a lot of money if you can take advantage of them. There is no hand sanitizer outside the dining rooms.

 

 

 

 

 

W

[RhondaPerr]

DISEMBARKMENT:

 

We were off the ship by 7am. Took the Princess transportation to Victoria Station warning there was no bathroom on the bus, and it's a long ride in heavy traffic WARNING AGAIN there is a fee for the restrooms at the station be prepared. Porter hailed a cab for us but with difficulty and we went to our hotel the Milestone in London, the most incredible 5 star hotel we have ever stayed in. My iPad is running out of power, any questions about the hotel and sights in London ask.

 

Final thoughts. One comment RIchard Simmons walked into the hyatt in Paris with an EIFFEL TOWER ON HIS HEAD. HE is as nutty in person as on tv. GREAT CRUISE CALM SEAS FOR THE MOST PART, GOOD SERVICE, GOOD FOOD, GOOD ENTERTAINMENT.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

Thanks for posting

 

Edinburgh is having trams installed traffic is mad also Edinburgh fest starting

 

yours shogun

[Wormy53]

Thanks for your input - sounds like you had a nice time!!

 

I always say that you will not catch me in Europe in Jun-Aug. I understand what you mean by crowds. I spent a day in Florence that was shoulder-to-shoulder. This was in early June - I thought I was staying away from the August crowds!! (I even notice this when I go to the east coast - all of you just don't have as much elbow room as I do!:D)

[geoherb]

Thanks for posting your review. We're looking forward to win we will have the time to do a British Isles cruise after we retire. But until then, we're book on the Crown for a week-long cruise to the southern Caribbean right before Christmas.

[rdsqrl]

Thanks for your review. 10 euros for a Coke?? Did it come with real cocaine?? Just one more reason I drink wine instead of soda . . . !

Interesting about your assignment to a table for 2. The exact same thing happened to me on the Crown last December -- and I was traveling solo, so being assigned alone to a table for 2 really struck me as exceptionally odd. The Crown obviously has a maitre d' who's very bad at the table-assignment part of his job.

Glad you had a good time; I look forward to doing this itinerary myself one day.

[TracieABD]

Thanks for your review. 10 euros for a Coke?? Did it come with real cocaine?? Just one more reason I drink wine instead of soda . . . !

 

Interesting about your assignment to a table for 2. The exact same thing happened to me on the Crown last December -- and I was traveling solo, so being assigned alone to a table for 2 really struck me as exceptionally odd. The Crown obviously has a maitre d' who's very bad at the table-assignment part of his job.

 

Glad you had a good time; I look forward to doing this itinerary myself one day.

@ rdsqrl-- You did not!:eek:

 

We had a similar table issue on the Crown-- coincidence? I think not!:)

[rdsqrl]

@ rdsqrl-- You did not!:eek:

Someone had to . . .

We had a similar table issue on the Crown-- coincidence? I think not!:)

Something very peculiar going on on that ship.

[janina]

I always thought it was harder to get a table for 2. I would be very dissapointed to not receive my table request. Sounds like you had fantastic top rated hotels. :)

[RhondaPerr]

Oh the one thing I forgot to add was the wake up call we received at 5 am one morning. The ship took a turn too fast, we heard various explanations about why. The ship listed, and everything in our bathroom slid from one end of the bathroom to the other. Many glasses broke at the Horizon, and one of the pools emptied out. There were some people who fell out of bed, and some people were hurt, but we did not meet any of those people. I do have to say it was scary! The Captain came on a few minutes later and said we took a turn too fast, and if anyone was hurt to please notify staff. Room Stewards either called each room or knocked on every door checking to make sure people were okay. I think if the emergency tone that we have heard drills on, after so many cruises had gone off, I would have died of fright!

[RhondaPerr]

I can remember when you could not get a table for two!

 

 

 

@ rdsqrl-- You did not!:eek:

 

We had a similar table issue on the Crown-- coincidence? I think not!:)

[phabric]

Did Princess offer free or you pay for shuttles into any of the ports?

 

We will be doing this cruise in 2012 and any information is a great help.

[msk1]

Did Princess offer free or you pay for shuttles into any of the ports?

 

We will be doing this cruise in 2012 and any information is a great help.

 

There was a charge for the shuttles. Private shuttles were available at the pier for less than the Princess charge.

 

On another note: regarding passports! Your passport will be collected by your cabin steward during the voyage and not returned until the last stop. Be sure to carry a copy of your passport and travel documents while ashore to avoid any potential problems due to lateness to ship, etc. We were told the numbered receipt would suffice if a problem occurred. Don't think so!

 

msk1

[Pam in CA]

On another note: regarding passports! Your passport will be collected by your cabin steward during the voyage and not returned until the last stop. Be sure to carry a copy of your passport and travel documents while ashore to avoid any potential problems due to lateness to ship, etc. We were told the numbered receipt would suffice if a problem occurred. Don't think so!

We Americans are pretty oblivious to the Schengen Agreement but this is the reason your passport was collected. France is in the Schengen Agreement, Ireland and the UK are not. The Agreement eliminates Immigration and Customs when traveling from one country in the Agreement to another, like traveling from one state to another in the US. When you enter a country not in the Agreement, your passport is checked. Rather than having 4,500 passengers and crew go through Immigration lines, the Immigration people board the ship and check the passports. That's why the ship keeps your passports. This means more time for you in port. I'd suggest Googling the Schengen Agreement for perhaps a clearer explanation.

[hillslife]

Kind of scary to hear you mention the Crown listed due to a sharp turn....this happened on the Crown on their maiden voyage in 2006 and many people were injured; cruise was cancelled; returned to Cape Canavarel....refunds given, etc. Same excuse - human error - turn taken too sharply....what is going on with the Crown:confused:

 

We were on the 2006 event, and it was VERY scary - going on the Crown again in 2 weeks and DO NOT want to live through that type of 'list' again...?????? Had heard the person in charge of the helm during that event was relieved of duty and no longer with Princess....is he back???

 

 

Any other explanations????

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your review. I enjoyed reading it. We did a British Isle cruise in 2006. It remains one of my most favorite cruises.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Dena]

Hi Rhonda,

 

How do you go about getting safe food on the shore excursions? DH has celiac disease and he always assumed he would need to skip lunch on long excursions.

[phabric]

Thanks for the information about the passports. This is the first time mentioned in any of the reviews.

[mph045]

You indicated that your room steward told you they upgraded the beds in a mini suite?

 

Are they softer/firmer/thicker/etc?

 

You felt no need to have an egg crate added?

 

May I ask who your Matre D and Captain and Chef were?

Thanks

[BalconyGal]

Hi Rhonda,

 

How do you go about getting safe food on the shore excursions? DH has celiac disease and he always assumed he would need to skip lunch on long excursions.

 

I just wanted to see if we could get an answer to this question please. I too have celiac disease and have avoided longer excursions because of that fact. Thanks for your review.

[DeanDome]

Sorry to post this in multiple threads, but as much help as this board was to us in planning, I felt like I should spread it around. We were on the August 4 sailing and I've posted what is probably an entirely too long review of the trip. Hope it helps.

[RhondaPerr]

Hi,

 

Sorry for the delay in responding. We had no power for 5 days.. When you get on the ship, give the cruise tour desk a list of your excursions that include lunch, and they will notify the company and make arrangements. When you meet your guide remind them, and when you get your food double check..

 

 

Hi Rhonda,

 

How do you go about getting safe food on the shore excursions? DH has celiac disease and he always assumed he would need to skip lunch on long excursions.

[RhondaPerr]

Hi,

 

Sorry for the delay in responding, we had no power for 5 days. The bed was definitely softer, but not soft...kind of just right..

 

Our Head Waiter was Florio in the Botteccili dining room.

 

 

You indicated that your room steward told you they upgraded the beds in a mini suite?

 

Are they softer/firmer/thicker/etc?

 

You felt no need to have an egg crate added?

 

May I ask who your Matre D and Captain and Chef were?

Thanks

[RhondaPerr]

Hi,

 

Sorry have had no power for 5 days... Go to the cruise tour desk with the name of the excursions you want to go on that include lunch. When you meet your guide make them aware that the ship had arranged a special meal, and have them confirm that,,, Then when you get to lunch, remind the waiter or waitress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUOTE=Dena;30141857]Hi Rhonda,

 

How do you go about getting safe food on the shore excursions? DH has celiac disease and he always assumed he would need to skip lunch on long excursions.

[srpilo]

Rhonda

Sounds overall like a great vacation... Thanks for keeping us in mind

 

 

Srpilo