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Just returned from 21 days on the Crown Princess

ksm77

By ksm77,
in Princess Cruises

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ksm77

ksm77

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Returned Sunday from 21 days on the Crown. My DH & I thought the ship was in good shape for a ship that is 11 years old. There is some wear in places but over all I didn't see anything that would cause me not to sail on her.

.

Cabin did not have the new bedding we were in a balcony on Caribe deck. Our steward did a great job keeping us happy, This was our first Elite mini bar we were able to trade out the items we didn't want with no problems. The best perk was the free laundry. On the first 14 days the laundry came back the next day. On the last 7 days it took 2 days to return.

 

Food was good. We did 8:00 pm fixed dining in the Botticelli at a table for 2 on the Baltic cruise. Great Wait staff on this cruise. Always had us out in plenty of time to make the show. On the 7day Norway, we were with friends at table for 6 in the same dining room. Service was slower had a hard time getting into the show to find seats. The Horizon dining to us is awful. We tried not to eat there, because of the crazy setup in the buffet. Everyone running all over each other not a good flow. We ate mostly in the DR or grill or Pizza place. We went to the Crown Grill on both cruises. Our food was great, service also very good. Also on the Baltic cruise our kids gave us the Balcony Dinner for our anniversary. I would highly recommend this for anyone who is thinking of trying this. Best meal ever on any cruise.

 

In the Baltic these are the ports we visited. 1.Brussels/Bruges - we took the Princess transfer to Bruges then spent the day on our own. 2.Copenhagen Denmark - We did the Rick Steves walking tour on our own. 3.Stockholm - We took the Hop on Hop off Bus and visited the Vasa Museum. 4.Tallinn - We walked to the old town and did the Rick Steves walking tour on our own. Very easy to do on your own. 5.St Petersburg 2 days - 1st Day Princess tour Peterhof Palace & Gardens. 2nd Day Princess tour Hermitage Museum & St Petersburg on your own. 6. Helsinki - it was pouring rain chose to not get off the ship. 7. Gdansk Poland - Princess walking tour through old town with the afternoon on your own. I will be glad to answer questions about anything we did. We enjoy going it on our own when possible.

 

On the Norway cruise we visited 4 different ports. Stavanger, Olden, Geiranger, & Bergan. We did not take any Princess tours. Did all ports on our own easy to do. I will be glad to give info if anyone is interested. This cruise is all about the scenery. To me it is a must to have a balcony cabin. There was always something beautiful to see right outside my balcony door.

 

A few more thoughts about the cruise. For anyone interested, on formal nights (3) on the Baltic cruise. Mostly tuxes for the men. My DH was in a dark suit. He felt out of place. In our area of the MDR only man not in a tux. Women anything from pants suits to evening dress. On the 7 day Norway cruise totally different. Saw a few tux but more suits, & sport jackets, some with dress shirts & pants. On other nights both cruises people were turned away if they were in sweat pants, or jogging clothes, or shorts. They had someone outside the MDR telling people if they would like to change they could come in.

 

Over all great cruise. Yes a few things were not perfect but that is life. This was our 37th cruise our 15 & 16th cruise on Princess. We are still happy with Princess as a big ship cruise experience. We are starting to question if maybe we would enjoy a smaller cruise ship experience. So instead of 2 cruises a year maybe going to less with a more upscale experience. Just thinking it over.:cool:

Edited by ksm77
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Micahs Grandad

Micahs Grandad

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Glad to hear they are enforcing the dress code

 

We were on the two week Baltic cruise with the OP.

 

Had a great time.

 

Due to weight restrictions on airlines didnt wear jacket just a dress shirt and pants and never felt out of place.

 

Do think Horizon court on the Royal class has a much better layout but we were ok with it on Crown.

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ksm77

ksm77

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Did you feel that four ports 7 days was enough to see fjords of Norway.

 

Friends pushing us to do 14 days but wondering if after a while the fjords kind of look the same.

 

If I was only doing a Norway cruise I would go with the 14 days. Seven days worked well for us as we did the 14 days before to the Baltic. We were meeting friends for the 7 day Norway. They could not get away for the longer cruise. Norway was beautiful. The 14 day goes farther north and also goes to Flam. In Flam you can take the train trip that people say is breath taking. You really can't go wrong with either cruise but if you have the time I would go for the 14 days.

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Micahs Grandad

Micahs Grandad

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If I was only doing a Norway cruise I would go with the 14 days. Seven days worked well for us as we did the 14 days before to the Baltic. We were meeting friends for the 7 day Norway. They could not get away for the longer cruise. Norway was beautiful. The 14 day goes farther north and also goes to Flam. In Flam you can take the train trip that people say is breath taking. You really can't go wrong with either cruise but if you have the time I would go for the 14 days.

 

Thanks for sharing

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floridalover5623

floridalover5623

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A few more thoughts about the cruise. For anyone interested, on formal nights (3) on the Baltic cruise. Mostly tuxes for the men. My DH was in a dark suit. He felt out of place. In our area of the MDR only man not in a tux. Women anything from pants suits to evening dress. On the 7 day Norway cruise totally different. Saw a few tux but more suits, & sport jackets, some with dress shirts & pants. On other nights both cruises people were turned away if they were in sweat pants, or jogging clothes, or shorts. They had someone outside the MDR telling people if they would like to change they could come in.

 

:cool:

It appears as though they follow the typical Princess dress suggestions on formal nights allowing just the minimum of dress pants & shirts. :D

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floridalover5623

floridalover5623

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We were on the two week Baltic cruise with the OP.

 

Had a great time.

 

Due to weight restrictions on airlines didnt wear jacket just a dress shirt and pants and never felt out of place.

 

Do think Horizon court on the Royal class has a much better layout but we were ok with it on Crown.

That's nice to hear. Some people, like myself, want to be more relaxed on vacation & Princess has been much more accommodating in recent years allowing a relaxation of their dress suggestions.

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Host Jazzbeau Great Review Rare

Host Jazzbeau

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Did you feel that four ports 7 days was enough to see fjords of Norway.

 

Friends pushing us to do 14 days but wondering if after a while the fjords kind of look the same.

 

The longer cruises go up North past the fjords area, so the scenery changes. Lofoten Islands has an incredible stark beauty and the Nordkapp lets you play Jimmy Cagney and say "Made it Ma! Top of the world!"

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DesertSailors

DesertSailors

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In the Baltic these are the ports we visited. 1.Brussels/Bruges - we took the Princess transfer to Bruges then spent the day on our own. .:cool:

 

We will be on the Crown in a few weeks. How was the process to get off the ship in Bruges? Have they streamlined it since the problems that had in May? Did US passengers have to go through immigration check before being allowed off of the ship? Thanks!

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KBS1607

KBS1607

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Loved hearing about both of these cruises! The Baltic is on my bucket list. Also, we'll be on the Crown in November so I'm glad to hear your positive review.

 

We did a 14 day Panama Canal cruise and it was too long for us. So our next on will be 8 days. We have cats and dogs that we miss.

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Micahs Grandad

Micahs Grandad

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We will be on the Crown in a few weeks. How was the process to get off the ship in Bruges? Have they streamlined it since the problems that had in May? Did US passengers have to go through immigration check before being allowed off of the ship? Thanks!

 

We got right off the ship no problem at all. As I recall we didnt get our passports back until after we left Brussels.

 

No idea how long they have been doing it this way but we were told to have hard copy or digital copy of passport with us.

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