Crown Princess 1/18/14-1/25/14 - first Princess Carribean cruise-quick review

[JohnBoy in NC]

This was our first Caribbean cruise with Princess, I was really looking forward to it after a great experience in Alaska on the Sapphire….and I was not disappointed. In fact I think the cruise experience exceeded my expectations. Part of it could be I was “Carnivaled” out and this was a new ship to me as well as itinerary, but I don’t want to take away the wonderful dining, service, and entertainment that the Crown provided. This cruise had a large group from the American Bop Association – so that may have also contributed to a lively bunch of folks on the ship….the sailing certainly had a lot of vibe, and the evening venues/activities were always packed/standing room only.

 

 

We had Cabin P338 near the IC. Loved the location and it was quiet. For future Crown cruisers, our A/C was fine and toilet issues. The room fridge was the coldest I have ever had on a cruise. However we heard a loud water/mechanical “tick tock” for the last 3 or 4 days…it must have been in the ceiling above somewhere. The steady knocking slowly started to fade away near the end – I could still sleep, but pictured a grandfather clock to start off my dreams.

 

 

Embarkation

I got a good rate at a La Quinta Inn/Cypress Creek (free parking) and it was a decent place for one night, however the taxi ride was expensive (around $40) due to distance to the port – which was greater than I had thought. After a long drive we crashed and slept in to 8am, and took our time getting to the terminal. We arrived around 11:15am, and the terminal was pretty full (no seats left, so we stood in line for 30 minutes). Once they started process those standing in line – embarkation went fast. We were on the ship soon after 12pm, and eating lunch in the dining room right away.

 

 

The ship looked great to me, yes some minor areas of repair (few places on the lido deck and above had some outside decking/carpet spots that needed attention) – but overall she was clean and sparkling everywhere.

The sail away was chilly, it was 62 degrees with a strong wind. We were the 2nd ship of 7 to leave port that day. Once we made it past the portfever.com sail wave condo – we headed inside to warm up!

We missed most of the entertainment this night – after dinner we were still a little tired (we are early risers and staying up past 10pm is hard for us).

 

 

Tonight was the first time we tried Sabatini’s and we enjoyed it. My wife got the lobster three ways and I got the veal chop….outstanding! The lobster dish was good – but my wife said she would get the veal chop next time! The apps and pasta (and dessert) were very nice as well….I will return to Sabatini’s on my next Princess cruise.

 

 

Day 2 – Princess Cays

The week before we started to exercise for the first time in two years…and for this cruise our goal was to exercise and eat well – and leave the ship neutral (no weight gain)…and we succeeded! We exercised on the ship every day except for Aruba. Loved the free stretch and total body conditioning class in the mornings – this kind of helped us to stay focused on our goal. So every day we got up early – had our IC coffee – used the gym showers – and had a nice mid-morning breakfast. So glad Princess has self laundry!

 

 

Anyhow – Princess Cays - I was looking forward to experiencing Princess Cays for the first time, since we like our lazy beach days here and there on a cruise. The weather was not cooperating though…it was 66 degrees (probably only reached that when the sun peaked out for an hour or so) and cloudy. Plenty of loungers were available, so it was nice not being packed in like sardines (you could have your pick of ocean front chairs). The beach and the water were lovely – nice place to walk around, and the bbq cookout was good – we just had some ribs and chicken..and fresh chopped fruit. The AFC Championship game was at 3pm – so we stayed until almost the last tender. When we walked into Club Fusion to see the game – it was standing room only – no chairs. L That changed after halftime when folks went to early dinner. We had some drinks and watched most of the football – but left during the 4th quarter of the SF/Seattle game (yes I know - had to see replays afterwards) but wife and dinner prevailed. Afterwards we retired early – getting up early and working out makes it hard to stay out late – so we missed the ship’s entertainment.

 

 

 

Day 3 – Sea Day

The weather improves – a nice sunny 81 degree day! We enjoy getting sun so after the workout/breakfast we grab a seat (never a problem on this cruise). The Roll Call setup a formal CC meet/greet (Thanks Lloyd from Elkhorn/WI!) in Skywalkers and the captain (Tony Yeomans) paid us a very nice visit. He chatted with us for about 20 minutes – and told us some great stories. In fact he reads CC – and discussed the 2am welcome message/software error that occurred the week prior. He was very enjoyable and I wanted to wish him the very best in his upcoming retirement! We wish all the best to you and your family Capt. Yeomans.

After the meet/greet – we enjoyed the sun some more and then headed for the British Pub Lunch (love this Princess BTW), but surprisingly packed at 1:30pm!

After a nice full day in the sun we showered up and hung around for the champagne waterfall event with the captain. The Piazza was packed…and we had to wait 20 minutes for anytime dining. After another wonderful dinner we tried to stay up for the evening shows but again retired early. Yes the older crowd on the ship put us to shame (we are in our early/mid forties).

 

 

Day 4 – Curacao

Another great weather day as we sail for Curacao for the afternoon. I had a great sunset catamaran private vendor excursion lined up but it fell through a week before the cruise….and a similar Princess excursion was booked (actually pretty much everything on the ship was sold out for Curacao). So we decided to play it by ear – walk off the boat – take a taxi to a nearby beach. While asking the information center at the dock for a map and taxi, another couple was trying to get 2 or 3 more couples to do a custom tour hitting some cool highlights of Curacao. We said we would join – and asked about hitting at least one beach. After 30 minutes of wrangling with several tour operators, we settled with one and he was GREAT. We hit Boca Tabla, seeing the water cave and awesome large waves, the Tula museum, lovely Knip Beach, and two areas of the salt flats to see the wild pink flamingoes. …and of course received a general cultural tour of the island. It was 4 hours of sightseeing and fun for $70/couple including tip. We had a blast with the couples we met – I need to email them to share pictures.

 

 

Enjoyed dinner in the MDR—but we missed the shows again!

 

 

Day 5 Aruba

The only day we missed exercising – but we had to meet the ship excursion at 8:20am…and needed to eat breakfast beforehand. We did the Jolly Roger pirate ship snorkel/rope swing tour. We usually book private vendors but the Princess price was pretty much the same if booking with the same company (they have 2 pirate ships). This was a blast! The snorkeling was good for 2 of the 3 stops, the shipwreck was fun to see, but the water was murky (lots of wave action). The crew was very fun and the Pirate Poison rum punch was decent. I was so impressed with the number of 70/80 yr old men and women doing the rope swing – so much fun to do and even watch. One big surprise for me was how cold the water was! I jumped off the ship in my snorkel gear and was taken aback for a second. It was refreshing but sort of chilly. When I returned home I looked at the sea temps and it was 74 degrees…with colder readings further off Aruba. Not sure if this was an unusual upwelling event or the norm, but I was hoping for 80 degrees like Cozumel/Belize/Roatan. A coworker did the same excursion on the Emerald in mid-February and the water was sill 74/75 degrees.

 

 

After the excursion we walked to catch a city bus to Eagle Beach. Picked up the bus and had to ride to loop around but it was a crazy experience. Never been on a city bus where the driver drives it like he stole it. People were holding on for dear life…it was kind of exciting. Great driver—just took the curves at full speed. :) Got dropped off at Eagle Beach and went to find a place to lay the towel down. Quickly discovered that with the wind, a chair is the best option (will do this next time). What surprised me again was how cold the water was (felt colder than the snorkeling off shore). Once I waded out to my waist, it took me a few seconds to muster the courage to dive in. It was refreshing to say the least. With the sand blowing, we decided to head back to the ship after 45 minutes or so. Caught the #10 bus with no issues, paid the $5 for the two of us – and parked in a lot across from the main shopping buildings in front of the ship.

 

 

Tonight we tried the Crown Grill for the first time. We enjoyed the surroundings and atmosphere. We had the famous onion soup and steak/lobster. Now my ribeye was good – but Carnival’s spice rubbed ribeye is better (but cover charge is $35 vs. $25). I do like the fact that one can get a variety of entrees on Princess– not that I can eat all of them – but do like the option. I certainly left full – but Carnival’s experience has you begging for a wheelchair to take you back to the room (if you manage to finish everything including the colossal cheesecake, which I think is impossible for a human being to do). Now would I go back to the Crown Grill – maybe, but I found the MDR was excellent on this sailing. I think I would go to Sabatini’s to get the veal chops and whatever pasta of the day they have!

 

 

We did catch Tom Franek at Crooners this night (I think it was this night)…and he was fabulous! Never seen so much energy at the piano bar before.

 

 

Day 6 and 7 – Sea days

The sea days were pleasant – less windy in places on the ship heading back so it was a little hotter (which we liked). Visited the British pub lunch again – loved the addition of the prawns this time---and the bangers/mash are really good to me.

 

 

Note- the pools were ice cold on this sailing.

 

 

We finally saw a production show—Disco-Blame it on the Boogie – which we enjoyed. The music/entertainment was good – and the music a little more to my liking and age. Not that I don’t like oldies/50/60’s music, but this was as closer to my musical preference (disco, 80’s, 90’s).

On the last sea day we enjoyed the comedian Darrell Joyce, we thought he was hilarious. He had the entire showroom in tears. On this day Tom Franek (excellent piano player/entertainer) did a special afternoon 4pm encore show and it was packed.

 

Debarkation

We did self assist and had the first grouping. We managed to enjoy our last breakfast in the MDR and it was pleasant – I can only image the chaos in the Horizon Court that morning. Getting off was pretty quick and customs wasn’t bad. However we did have to wait 45 minutes in the taxi stand, which was a little aggravating.

 

Overall it was our best Caribbean cruise so far – mainly in terms of sea days, a nice ship, great food and service, entertainment, ports and weather. As I stated before, I was “Carnivaled” out and this was a nice change. I loved the live music throughout, just wished it was a tad more recent. I am so looking forward to our next January cruise – a 10 day on Royal Caribbean – again for a change of pace and an awesome itinerary – with 4 sea days. The RCCL Legend price and OBC was too good to pass up – a similar sailing on the Royal Princess was too pricey and we have some relatively new cruisers going with us next time (10 days seemed too much to one couple – but they are going!). I did get two FCCs for a future Princess cruise!

 

 

John in NC

 

 

[azdmelani]

Thanks for the review! I was also on this cruise and had a nice week away. Seems like a distant memory now?

[JohnBoy in NC]

Thanks for the review! I was also on this cruise and had a nice week away. Seems like a distant memory now?

 

It sure does -- wish I could cruise every 3 months! My wife is still hating this winter (not as bad as up north of course) - ready for spring and warmth.

 

Looking forward to next January though - so long to wait...uggghhhh. :)

 

Take care

John in NC

[OCruisers]

Hi John!

 

We were on that cruise and enjoyed meeting you & Shannon! :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this great review. Agree, Crown was a wonderful ship and we also had a very good time. No issues for us either with the a/c or plumbing.

 

Hope to cruise with you & Shannon again! :)

 

LuLu

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[JohnBoy in NC]

Hi John!

 

We were on that cruise and enjoyed meeting you & Shannon! :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this great review. Agree, Crown was a wonderful ship and we also had a very good time. No issues for us either with the a/c or plumbing.

 

Hope to cruise with you & Shannon again! :)

 

LuLu

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Hi Lulu - it was a pleasure to meet you and Roundman! I tried to find you the last day to get the name of your TA (someone in Spartanburg? - talked to Roundman in the elevator).

 

Hope to sail with you guys again as well - will look for you on our next Princess Caribbean sometime in the future--hoping 2016. Long time I know...but once our children are all gone maybe we can do 2 (or a B2B) in the cold winter.

 

Until then - see you on the boards here!

John in NC

[OceanDreaming2]

Thanks for the review John Boy! We're new to the Crown and trying to read as much as possible about the ship.

[JohnBoy in NC]

Thanks for the review John Boy! We're new to the Crown and trying to read as much as possible about the ship.

Thanks - and I hope you enjoy your cruise...would like to hear your comparisons/thoughts since you have sailed NCL a lot. I haven't yet - have a coworker on the Breakaway next month. I read positives and negatives before going....and we had a splendid time!

 

John in NC

[Elkhorn20fan]

Great review, John. Have to agree with you about cruise, great time, great ship. Great to meet you and Shannon.

 

LuLu and roundman, great to meet both of you. Wish we could have seen more of each other, guess we just liked different places on the ship.

 

Hopefully we can cruise with both of you again sometime.

[OCruisers]

Great review, John. Have to agree with you about cruise, great time, great ship. Great to meet you and Shannon.

 

LuLu and roundman, great to meet both of you. Wish we could have seen more of each other, guess we just liked different places on the ship.

 

Hopefully we can cruise with both of you again sometime.

 

 

Lloyd .... Roundman & I enjoyed meeting you & Julie. Thanks for all you did to set up the M&G!

 

People do tend to like different places on ships. We were in Crooner's quite a bit. :D

 

Hopefully, we'll cruise together again.

 

Our January cruise next year on Princess is on Ruby for 14 days beginning 1/10/15.

 

LuLu

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[JohnBoy in NC]

Great review, John. Have to agree with you about cruise, great time, great ship. Great to meet you and Shannon.

 

LuLu and roundman, great to meet both of you. Wish we could have seen more of each other, guess we just liked different places on the ship.

 

Hopefully we can cruise with both of you again sometime.

 

Thanks Lloyd - wish I could have been on the Crown one more week!

That is one thing that I have not experienced yet...usually after a week of sailing...I miss the warm weather and ports---but usually am ok with leaving the ship. Not this time---I would have loved to have stayed for a another week due to the variety in entertainment and food - we enjoyed everything on the MDR menu and there were selections we wanted to try. Plus we did not get to experience some parts of the ship - Adiago or Skywalkers for example. Yep I need a B2B on Princess in the future. :)

 

Lulu - have a great trip on the Ruby next year!

 

John in NC

[Elkhorn20fan]

We love doing B2B, compared to just 7 days. It means we can only cruise every 2 years, but worth it. The second week give you a chance to do the things you missed the first week, as most things repeat. I find that I relax more knowing I don't have to try and do everything.

 

LuLu, wish we could join you on the Ruby next January, would be a great time of year for us to cruise, maybe we can win the lottery and join you. If not have a great cruise. We spent most of our time at outriggers on the crown, love the aft pool and hot tub 2 decks up. Also a great place for sail a way. Had the best bartender, Ariel, at outriggers. We also liked Adiago's before dinner for a drink.

[gelo7]

Excellent review.