Crown 6/5-6/12 Our impressions

[Poohb]

We went on the NCL Crown 6/5-6/12 to Bermuda. Since this is only our 2nd cruise, we can only compare the trip with the Celebrity Summit. We arrived at the NYC Pier at 1 pm and were on board in about 15 minutes. There was a lunch buffet available in the Yacht Club and there was a small line. We got on line and were given a ‘Bon Voyage (smoothie type) drink by one of several ladies passing them out. I was smart enuf to ask ‘are these free?’ since they pretty much passed them out liberally. They were basically waiting for you to take a yummy sip and then ask for your room card to charge the drink. It was then that we realized how much they pushed drinks, including pricey water on the ship. FYI the free water was just fine. We had been upgraded to a mini suite from a deck-3 cabin w/ porthole. This room was the same size as our regular cabin on the Summit (except we had a balcony on the Sum). The Crown cabin had a nice picture window, so we definitely had a good view. It also had a bathtub (large) with the shower. There was plenty of storage but there was no refrigerator. On several occasions the aft elevators were not working and Deck 9 had toilet flushing issues (at one point it the problem spread to 8 & 7). The elevator problem was actually more annoying than the toilet trouble, but tolerable. The Crown is a small ship (you know the adage..You get what you pay for). There were not a lot of onboard activities to keep you going. It was more of a ‘relax and do little’ style. I thought that NCL was not as liberal handing out ‘freebies/prizes’ as the Summit. We had JULIE the cruise director. She was very good in her role. I thought the shows were good especially Sharkbait (they’re jugglers…don’t laugh, they were very entertaining), and George Solomon (high-energy singer/entertainer). We like the idea of freestyle dining but the quality and choices of food was good, not exceptional like the Summit. Le Bistro ($15 pp extra) was very good. We couldn’t get into the Pasta Café (no extra charge) because it was booked every night. The Chocoholic Buffet line went from one end of the ship to the other. We never went. There was 1 small pool and 2 small hot tubs that were always full of folks. Two groups that played near the pool were Upryzing and Soli & Andre, both very good. The piano lady was (IMHO) 2nd rate. Our room steward, Noel was very good at keeping tabs on our room, we always knew when he had checked on it cuz he always triangle-folded the TP end. We were very lucky with the weather. Both trips to/from Bermuda were VERY SMOOTH, no excess motion at all. We had a 5-minute shower after leaving Bermuda but that was all the rain we saw. Temps were around 80 and dry. The weather was perfect; we were very lucky. We had 'breakfast in bed' (part of our pkg) and the order was very messed up. Poor waiter had to return 3 times to straighten things out. He had trouble understanding english. Once everything was correct..it was all cold. Disembarking was good. We had colored luggage tags depending on our post cruise plans (i.e. flights/busses/ independent arrangements). We docked a 7 am and I think we were the last group called since we had independent arrangements (taxi to Port Authority). We went back to our cabin after breakfast and watched ‘The Aviator’ until our color was called at 9:10. We were off the ship, thru customs and in a cab by 9:25. Excellent; no problems! As you can tell we had some good and bad points with our trip but nothing that we’d say made it miserable. Crown is a nice ship, the staff is there to please you. I like the $10 pp/day auto tipping fee added to our bill) dare I say, it seemed very inexpensive for the service we received). We gave extra to our room steward. As I said, we can only compare this ship to the Summit and would be happy to answer any questions.

[patsicruiser]

Poohb,

 

Hi. We're taking the same cruise this Sunday. This will be my third cruise..

this one being the smallest of the ships. Would you sail NCL again?

 

Also, you mentioned that you were upgraded. Was this done beforehand

or did you find out that you were upgraded upon embarkation?

What did you do while in King's Wharf?

 

Thanks.

[Poohb]

We were upgraded a few weeks ago. It cost $220 extra but the room was a big improvement. However out TA said we would be getting a frig & separate seating area. We asked at the service desk on board and the lady laughed and said 'Does your TA know that you are on the Crown?" We went to the Maritime Museum at Dockyard (we could also watch the Dolphin Quest for no added cost). We also took the bus to go on our Helmet Diving adventure with Hartley's. Also visited Snorkel Park (no biggie) & watch glass blowing. Some passengers complained that it was too windy (& cold) there. It was a little walk from the docking pier to the 'land' area. You can also take the ferry to several places (included in bus pass) or take the bus to the beaches. They are so easy to use and everyone is helpful. I think we would take NCL again but would want a larger ship. I did like the idea of not watching the time to plan dinner. Also, the crew did try to please us. They were always busy. I believe that they work extremely hard with too little time off. Do NOT miss Sharkbait ! Have a wonderful time. I hope the seas & the weather are as kind to you as they were to us.