"Where the Action is" R&R Cruise Jan 2014

[Ebvette]

After going on several Celeberity Cruises, this is the first time I will be cruising with Princess Line, or as I hear "the LOVE BOAT". OK, so it took a Rock and Roll theme cruise with Paul Revere and the Raiders, one of my favorite 60's bands, to get me off the Celebrity Line, and onto Princess. So a couple of things, I am sure there will be a culture change going from the pampered life of Aqua Class to the Princess Crown ship. I know that I will miss the BLU, and all the other little perks, but my question to all you folks who have sailed both, is there really a world of difference?

 

I am looking very very much forward to this cruise as my wife and I will be celebrating twenty years of a wonderful marriage, and my wife REALLY likes Rock and Roll, so we thought we would give it a try.

 

I have the Aloha Deck with a balcony, startboard, amidships, any throughts on that from experienced Princess cruisers?

 

Fill me in on the life at sea on Princess Crown, understand its a fairly new ship. Anything I should be aware of? Please any info would help me pepare.

 

Its a seven day cruise....Jan 18-25...called Where the Action is..... Love to hear from fold who have gone on previous Rock and Roll Cruised with PR and Raiders etc.... Love to hear from you....

[Pam in CA]

You'll find that overall, Princess is very similar to Celebrity. I wasn't in an Aqua Class cabin so compared to my standard balcony cabin on the Summit, the standard Crown Princess cabin is larger with far more storage. No couch but there's an open closet that serves as a dressing area. The bathroom door is there, not from the hallway. There's a mini-frig and WiFi in every cabin, unlike my Summit cabin. There's WiFi throughout the ship, which wasn't true on the Summit.

 

You might consider switching to a Caribe deck balcony instead as the balconies on Caribe are much larger at 9'x9' and are half-covered/half-uncovered.

 

The buffet on Princess is fully open from early in the morning until 11pm so you can get a full breakfast at 10:30am or a full lunch at 3pm.

 

The Crown has the International Cafe in the Piazza on deck 5 and it's open 24/7 with pastries, muffins, cookies and other goodies plus breakfast sandwiches, paninis, salads and sandwiches. Didn't see anything like that on the Summit.

 

My favorite lounge is the Adagio Lounge, above the buffet and next to Sabatinis. During the day, it's a great quiet place to relax and read. In the evening, it's a piano lounge.

 

Overall, I thought the food, service and entertainment better on Princess. We had a great waitstaff on the Summit and there was a terrific lounge singer. However, the bar staff anywhere acted like they were too busy to take our orders even though there were few people there.

 

There's no alcohol drink package on Princess but bar prices are significantly less than on Celebrity. There's a soda package and an "Ultimate" package which includes soda, mocktails, smoothies, juice (which is free at breakfast), etc. Here's a link to the packages: http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/cellars_culinarydelights/princess_cellars/index.jsp

[azrose]

Nothing about the cruise -- but I was at a taping of "where the action is" with Paul Revere and the Raiders/Shirley Ellis/Dick Clark back in the 60's up in Snow Summit...awwwwwwww memories :D

[skynight]

Night time entertainment on the Crown can include these type of activities:

Production Shows and guest entertainers in the theater. They are about 30 mins long. Comics in the Explorers Lounge. Ballroom dancing with live music in the Wheelhouse Bar. Theme nights such as C&W, 50's/60's, 70's, usually in Club Fusion, and the deck party. Trivia and other games such as the newly wed game, or liars game. Live rock/pop music in the Explorer's Lounge or Club Fusion. Big Band hours. Piano player in Adaigo. Piano/singer in Crooner's (very popular), starting around 9PM. Late night DJ in Skywalker's. Movies under the Stars on the Lido Deck. I probably missed something. Of course the casino. One of the things I like about Princess is the amount of live music and the number of activities to choose from. Many are going on at the same time so you have to choose. Not all activities are on every voyage, but these are typical.

 

Anytime dining works fairly well. Eat anytime you want, but there are some tricks to it. You can call the dining line (no. on the back of the Patter), and make a reservation. Tables for 2 can be difficult. We find it easier to ask for a table to share no larger than 6 to 8 people. Tables for 10 can be slower. The buffet is open every day all day until 11PM. Many people eat there. The international cafe is open 24 hours with really nice selections. There is also Pizza, Grill and soft ice cream by the pool, open all day into the night. The MDR is open each morning for breakfast and for lunch on sea days only. The MDR is closed for lunch on port days. There are only 2 surcharge dining rooms, Crown Grill and Sabatini's both are $25pp. There are also some other special for fee dining options, such as the chef's table.

 

You mention Aqua Class. You may be interested in the Sanctuary, an adults only oasis of lounging comfort on the forward Sun Deck. There is a charge, $10pp/half day am or pm, or $15pp/day full day if booked for the entire cruise. Sign up on board, but if you want it go right away, it fill up.

[AKman2495]

Have fun on the cruise, but please leave her in good shape! I'm leaving on her on the 25th of January for a 14 day cruise :D

[CruisinChris]

I'm a little puzzled by the OP's reference to a rock'n'roll theme cruise with Paul Revere and the Raiders. That's not a typical Princess kind of thing. Is this a charter cruise or partial charter? Anybody else know anything about the "theme" cruise?

[CruisinChris]

Tried to edit my previous post but the board was acting up. I dug around and this is a partial charter by a "party cruise' promoter. There are a number of other music acts also booked for this "concert at sea' cruise. I don't know what to tell the original poster about what to expect because this certainly will not be a typical Princess experience: entertainment venues will be tied up for these performances and the demographics of the passengers will also be different. For anybody booked on the cruise and not part of the group, you should be aware that you will not be admitted to the performances of the various bands which likely have an impact on your Princess Cruise vacation experience, too.:(

[dforeigner]

Night life on board Princess is better than Celebrity. They may be a few subtle differences, but do what I do; do not compare one line to the other until after your cruise. You are there to have fun.

 

Enjoy!

[Ebvette]

You'll find that overall, Princess is very similar to Celebrity. I wasn't in an Aqua Class cabin so compared to my standard balcony cabin on the Summit, the standard Crown Princess cabin is larger with far more storage. No couch but there's an open closet that serves as a dressing area. The bathroom door is there, not from the hallway. There's a mini-frig and WiFi in every cabin, unlike my Summit cabin. There's WiFi throughout the ship, which wasn't true on the Summit.

 

You might consider switching to a Caribe deck balcony instead as the balconies on Caribe are much larger at 9'x9' and are half-covered/half-uncovered.

 

The buffet on Princess is fully open from early in the morning until 11pm so you can get a full breakfast at 10:30am or a full lunch at 3pm.

 

The Crown has the International Cafe in the Piazza on deck 5 and it's open 24/7 with pastries, muffins, cookies and other goodies plus breakfast sandwiches, paninis, salads and sandwiches. Didn't see anything like that on the Summit.

 

My favorite lounge is the Adagio Lounge, above the buffet and next to Sabatinis. During the day, it's a great quiet place to relax and read. In the evening, it's a piano lounge.

 

Overall, I thought the food, service and entertainment better on Princess. We had a great waitstaff on the Summit and there was a terrific lounge singer. However, the bar staff anywhere acted like they were too busy to take our orders even though there were few people there.

 

There's no alcohol drink package on Princess but bar prices are significantly less than on Celebrity. There's a soda package and an "Ultimate" package which includes soda, mocktails, smoothies, juice (which is free at breakfast), etc. Here's a link to the packages: http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/cellars_culinarydelights/princess_cellars/index.jsp

 

 

Thank you so much for sharing. I did what you recommened and booked on the Caribe deck balcony, Starbord Side, I believed Room C 1405...might be mistaken, but I think that is it. Thank you for all you other info, greatly appreciated....

[Peggy Tuten]

Hey, it's been a long time, but I'm thinking of taking this cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale in Jan 2016. How did you enjoy the cruise and the music? Was it worth the extra money that these themed cruises cost?

 

thank you

[Thrak]

There's no alcohol drink package on Princess but bar prices are significantly less than on Celebrity. There's a soda package and an "Ultimate" package which includes soda, mocktails, smoothies, juice (which is free at breakfast), etc. Here's a link to the packages: http://www.princess.com/learn/onboar...lars/index.jsp

 

Thank you so much for sharing. I did what you recommened and booked on the Caribe deck balcony, Starbord Side, I believed Room C 1405...might be mistaken, but I think that is it. Thank you for all you other info, greatly appreciated....

 

Not sure why Pam said the above regarding alcohol packages on Princess. Normally she pretty much nails everything she says. Perhaps this is in reference to something specific on Celebrity...

 

There most definitely is an alcohol package on Princess. You can purchase an all inclusive alcohol package. You have to pay for it for every day of the cruise - it can't be prorated. The cost is $49 pp per day plus 15% gratuity so it actually comes to $56.35 per person per day. You do NOT have to purchase it for everybody in the cabin. You are NOT allowed to share it. The package includes all beverages up to $10 (not counting tax) and also includes bottles of wine at a 40% discount. You CAN share the bottles of wine.

[AZ Ocean Lover]

Thrak, it was an old post revisited. She was correct at the time. (As always):)

[Off2China]

Not sure why Pam said the above regarding alcohol packages on Princess. Normally she pretty much nails everything she says. Perhaps this is in reference to something specific on Celebrity...

 

There most definitely is an alcohol package on Princess. You can purchase an all inclusive alcohol package. You have to pay for it for every day of the cruise - it can't be prorated. The cost is $49 pp per day plus 15% gratuity so it actually comes to $56.35 per person per day. You do NOT have to purchase it for everybody in the cabin. You are NOT allowed to share it. The package includes all beverages up to $10 (not counting tax) and also includes bottles of wine at a 40% discount. You CAN share the bottles of wine.

 

The thread is 2 years old now, Thrak. :)

[Thrak]

Thank you so much for sharing. I did what you recommened and booked on the Caribe deck balcony, Starbord Side, I believed Room C 1405...might be mistaken, but I think that is it. Thank you for all you other info, greatly appreciated....

 

Sigh.......... Once again a victim of posting while working. I'm building a bunch of short CAT6 cables (ugggghhhhhh!!!) and paying more attention to my wires than to the boards. If I had half a brain I would have looked closer when I saw Pam's post since, as I said above, she is normally spot on. As it turns out, she was correct in this instance as well. Resurrected threads snare me sometimes and I need a quick slap upside the head to make me pay attention.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Thrak

[shredie]

Sigh.......... Once again a victim of posting while working. I'm building a bunch of short CAT6 cables (ugggghhhhhh!!!) and paying more attention to my wires than to the boards. If I had half a brain I would have looked closer when I saw Pam's post since, as I said above, she is normally spot on. As it turns out, she was correct in this instance as well. Resurrected threads snare me sometimes and I need a quick slap upside the head to make me pay attention.

 

Not posting while having a little nip, then? ;)

[Mindy97]

Paul Revere died in October 2014. A few months before his death he retired, and the rest of the band, which still performs, is now called Paul Revere's Raiders. Sorry to say I haven't seen them yet.

 

M.

 

OK, so it took a Rock and Roll theme cruise with Paul Revere and the Raiders, one of my favorite 60's bands, to get me off the Celebrity Line, and onto Princess. So a couple of things, I am sure there will be a culture change going from the pampered life of Aqua Class to the Princess Crown ship. I know that I will miss the BLU, and all the other little perks, but my question to all you folks who have sailed both, is there really a world of difference?

[KruzPrincess]

Hey, it's been a long time, but I'm thinking of taking this cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale in Jan 2016. How did you enjoy the cruise and the music? Was it worth the extra money that these themed cruises cost?

 

thank you

 

The oldies portion of the cruise is a private group that is organized by a travel agency in Boise, ID. I did this cruise 2 years ago on the Ruby Princess. There are many people who do this cruise year after year. They have a nice party atmosphere with private shows, meet & greets, Q&A's with the entertainers, sock hop, etc. Some of the entertainers will get together and jam. You get a commemorative t-shirt along with access to all the events. Only you can decide if the price is worth it to you. There is an upcharge over the base price of the cruise and you will need to pay extra if you want a seat close to the stage. The shows do tend to be fun and longish. The crowd really loves oldies music and is very responsive.

[Peggy Tuten]

The oldies portion of the cruise is a private group that is organized by a travel agency in Boise, ID. I did this cruise 2 years ago on the Ruby Princess. There are many people who do this cruise year after year. They have a nice party atmosphere with private shows, meet & greets, Q&A's with the entertainers, sock hop, etc. Some of the entertainers will get together and jam. You get a commemorative t-shirt along with access to all the events. Only you can decide if the price is worth it to you. There is an upcharge over the base price of the cruise and you will need to pay extra if you want a seat close to the stage. The shows do tend to be fun and longish. The crowd really loves oldies music and is very responsive.

 

Thanks for your post. I did find out since that we can book the music portion separately - so those of us that want the music can pay the extra fee, but others can still join us on the cruise and we can meet up at dinner and on shore. I do know that Paul Revere had died. Mark Lindsay is doing the Flower Power cruise on Celebrity, but that's more than most of my classmates want to pay. This cruise has The Association and Bill Medley which should be great.

[KruzPrincess]

Thanks for your post. I did find out since that we can book the music portion separately - so those of us that want the music can pay the extra fee, but others can still join us on the cruise and we can meet up at dinner and on shore. I do know that Paul Revere had died. Mark Lindsay is doing the Flower Power cruise on Celebrity, but that's more than most of my classmates want to pay. This cruise has The Association and Bill Medley which should be great.

 

Yes, since oldies group doesn't book the entire ship, others who don't want the music can book separately. You can book the full package through the agency and they also just sell the music package separately to people who book on their own. Or, at least, they used to. I'm not sure if you get all the amenities if you don't book through the group agency. Just an FYI, the group agency normally books everyone for traditional late dining. You may need to ask for other dining arrangements if you want to dine with your friends. I always like Anytime Dining and requested that.