The Crown

[neversink4]

Sailing for the first time with NCL on the Crown, any tips or info on the cruise line or the ship?

[Dolphins]

Check my Crown review of our recent September cruise to Bermuda in cruisecritic's Member's Review section. We especially enjoyed dining in the Seven Seas restaurant, the talented Jean Ryan show troupe and Captain Ronny Borg, who gave the most complete and informative reports from the bridge of any ship we have sailed on. Enjoy.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Neversink: I think the most important thing to know and understand about NCL is the Freestyle concept of not having to dress up for dinner and not having set dining times like on other cruise lines. If you understand the Freestyle concept, which is why I sail NCL, then most of your questions may be answered. If not, ask away and we will help you!

[Dolphins]

I understand that pianist-extraordinaire Juan Pablo Subirana, who dazzled us recently on the Norwegian Jewel is now on the Crown. He is easily the most talented musician we have ever seen on any cruise ship. You are in for a treat.

[bobnpaml]

Dolphins, I just returned last Monday from the 15 days Miami/Santiago cruise. The Crown was great. However, the piano player in the Crown Club was named Jon Franklyn and we did not have a pianist as part of the nightly entertainment in the Stardust lounge.

 

I agree that freestyle dining is the only way to go. We only had to wait one time for 5 minutes to be seated for dinner ( we usually ate between 6:45pm and 7:45 pm) and that one time was because we wanted a specific table for two. We both thought the food was very good both in the Seven Seas and Yacht Club. The buffet at the Yacht Club was small but had a very nice variety.

 

We would both cruise the Crown again without a second thought.

 

Pam

[smoothdancer]

I think that we pretty much made up our mind to sail to Bermuda on the Crown, out of NY.... My research however has come up inconsistant.

 

First I thought that only the owner suites had balcony's(out of our price range) Now I find some on line booking sites show the penthouse with a balcony and other show the suite with just a picture window. Does anyone know for sure??

 

I am looking forward to trying freestyle dining. Sone have posted that some people hate this. Why do you think that is? We hae cruised a lot, and never did freestyle, still it seems like a good idea to me.

 

Do you guys remember the Norway?? Am I showing my age? This was the last time we sailed NCL and on her last voyage in the Carribbean. I remember they would bring huge barq pits on the pool deck and make hotdogs and stuff... It was so great. To bad they dont do that anymore.

 

Any why, is this sailing cheaper than both RCCL and Celebrity(zenith)? Not that I am complaining, but just wondering.

[e.durban]

If I remember correctly, the discounted Celebrity prices for Zenith I received in my email for last September were very close to what we paid for the Crown (9/11 sailing.) What decided us was that, while the 2 ships are very close to the same size and age, the Crown has a reputation for greater stability than the Zenith and you have a lot of open ocean to cross. We also love Freestyle, le Bistro, and the 3 Bermuda ports the Crown visits. Keep in mind that the pricey accomodations on the Crown are high up on the ship where the ship's motion will be most keenly felt (this may or may not be an issue for you.) Not sure how private the balconies feel as it is certainly possible to look down on them from the Sun Deck.

As for the BBQ pits, they still exist and they have sharp edges, so be careful in bare feet! See my review for details...and enjoy Bermuda & the Crown!

[captgeo]

bobnpaml

we leave in 2 weeks for "around the horn" on the crown; any tips from your recent trip???

regards, captgeo

[bobnpaml]

captgeo

 

You are going to have a wonderful cruise. The next one we go on will be the one around the horn. The Crown is a great ship. We have been on the mega ships and a mid-size ship and like the Crown best of all. You can get anywhere on the ship in about 5 minutes. But you don't have a confined feeling. So if you are in the Seven Seas and forget something in your cabin that is forward, you can get it and be back before they can serve your meal. The only tips I can think of is watch out for the wind when you walk on the deck. They can get very strong as you round the forward section. When you eat at the Seven Seas ask for Geetha's section. She is great. Tell her we were the couple from the Miami/Santiago cruise and that we said hello. The only down side of the whole cruise was the beds. They are very hard, so ask for an egg crate when you first get on board, it helps.

 

If you have any question, just ask and I will try to answer them. Have a great time. Pam

[captgeo]

bobnpaml

many, many thanks! hard beds are a "plus" for us.

happy cruising & best wishes,

capt (and mrs capt) geo