Crown Princess ABC islands Jan 12 to 20, 2018

[Bimmer09]

We sail on the Crown to the ABC's on March 16th. It can't come soon enough, as I am ready to leave winter behind.

 

Really enjoyed your Canada/New England review. Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, it made me a little home sick. And gave me a hankering for some darn good seafood. ;)

 

Thanks for reading the Regal Canada/New England review-that was a bucket list one for us and was brilliant. I loved all the ports and little day trips into the countryside/seaside of Canada.

The Regal was a good experience too.

Yes we ate some lobster and I've made a note to eat more of that!

Now read my 3 Alaska ones!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

 

A favorite room of mine, not just for the great food but for the ambiance and decor. We would be dining here tonight as it has often been a last night treat before the cattle prods come out to force us off the ship and back into the horror of everyday life.

 

I am standing by the host stand for this first pic



 

 

Yes, that's a fireplace but it's just for effect



 

The subdued lighting, use of dark woods and highlighted art pieces make for a cosy space despite the room's size. I am just going to wander through.

 

No it's not a medieval dart board. We are in the time of King Arthur

 

 

[Bimmer09]

There is an open kitchen which begins behind the bar

 

 

Everything is gleaming

 

I remembered that I need to take a new pic for my work I.D so seize the opportunity for a selfie

Hmm, can't really tell that it's me

 

 

This is better

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

The King is not amused

 

 

 

 

We love to sit in these booths looking out of the windows onto the Promenade deck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

A waiter approaches with the Wine List

 

 

Excalibur

 

 

Medieval Times

 

 

The view of the CG as you walk aft towards the Photo Gallery

 

[MisterMet]

 

A favorite room of mine, not just for the great food but for the ambiance and decor. We would be dining here tonight as it has often been a last night treat before the cattle prods come out to force us off the ship and back into the horror of everyday life.

 

 

I am standing by the host stand for this first pic

 

 

Yes, that's a fireplace but it's just for effect

 

The subdued lighting, use of dark woods and highlighted art pieces make for a cosy space despite the room's size. I am just going to wander through.

 

No it's not a medieval dart board. We are in the time of King Arthur

 

 

 

 

Norris,

 

We also like hitting the Crown Grille the last night of a Princess Cruise. It is the perfect way to remember the best part of cruising is being pampered. Is there a better way to pamper yourself than with the finest beef, prepared the way you like, with all the wonderful side dishes to share? I think not! The price is quite a bargain compared to some land based steakhouses like the Capital Grill or Flemings. The Crown's food (I get the Kansas City Strip), service and ambiance, which you have so magnificently captured through your photos, are on par with or even better than those previously mentioned.

 

These pictures are making me hungry!

 

Trip

[MJSailors]

Hello Norris,

Thank you for another interesting Gentleman’s Journal recounting the days you and Carol spent on the Crown Princess.

My DH and I especially appreciate the photos of the ship.

We have sailed on the Crown three times.

The cruises of 2007 and 2008 ( this one was a 25 th anniversary celebration.)were most enjoyable because we could experience an almost new ship. Both of those nine day cruises sailed round trip from NYC to Puerto Rico, St Thomas and Princess Cays in July.

We chose to take the Crown for two years in a row because it was so convenient to sail from our home port and the nine day cruise provided a bit of additional relaxation for our Summer vacation. I would like Princess to restore this cruise from NYC ( anyone from Princess reading this ? ).

We returned to the Crown in December of 2013 for an Eastern Caribbean cruise leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. While the ship was a bit older (as we also were), we thought the Crown was still as lovely and comfortable as we had remembered. I like to think that both the Crown and us were showing our ages gracefully.

On all our Princess cruises, except for our first cruise to Alaska in 2004 on the Sapphire, we have enjoyed the Sanctuary and Crown Grill which you have photographed so well.

Your photos have brought back some good memories for us. While looking at them, we felt that we were on the Crown again as we recognized so many of the areas of the ship.

We wish both you and Deck Chair Queen aka Carol many more enjoyable cruise experiences.

We will be checking the Azamara board for your recounting of your cruise to Cuba. Undoubtedly, you will share many fine photos from that voyage and destination.

Again, thank you for taking the time to compose these trip reports filled with creativity, humor and generosity.

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

We also like hitting the Crown Grille the last night of a Princess Cruise. It is the perfect way to remember the best part of cruising is being pampered. Is there a better way to pamper yourself than with the finest beef, prepared the way you like, with all the wonderful side dishes to share? I think not! The price is quite a bargain compared to some land based steakhouses like the Capital Grill or Flemings. The Crown's food (I get the Kansas City Strip), service and ambiance, which you have so magnificently captured through your photos, are on par with or even better than those previously mentioned.These pictures are making me hungry!

Trip

 

Trip, agreed on the pricing being value for money! It's not as good a steak as our favorite Pappas Bros in Houston but there our petite filet mignon is priced at $49 (IIRC) without any sides-just the 8oz of meat. Before tip our meal there-starter,entree, dessert and two glasses of wine, 2 of Club Soda is @ $180 and not the $58 in Crown Grill. I have enjoyed every CG meal that has come my way bar one and that was on Star Princess where a circus clown was cooking or not cooking the meat. I paid a $10 surcharge for a lobster tail this time but would never get a free one thrown in while dining in a shoreside restaurant.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos (shot at 10,000 ISO)

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Hello Norris,

Thank you for another interesting Gentleman’s Journal recounting the days you and Carol spent on the Crown Princess.

My DH and I especially appreciate the photos of the ship.

We have sailed on the Crown three times.

The cruises of 2007 and 2008 ( this one was a 25 th anniversary celebration.)were most enjoyable because we could experience an almost new ship. Both of those nine day cruises sailed round trip from NYC to Puerto Rico, St Thomas and Princess Cays in July.

We chose to take the Crown for two years in a row because it was so convenient to sail from our home port and the nine day cruise provided a bit of additional relaxation for our Summer vacation. I would like Princess to restore this cruise from NYC ( anyone from Princess reading this ? ).

We returned to the Crown in December of 2013 for an Eastern Caribbean cruise leaving from Ft. Lauderdale. While the ship was a bit older (as we also were), we thought the Crown was still as lovely and comfortable as we had remembered. I like to think that both the Crown and us were showing our ages gracefully.

On all our Princess cruises, except for our first cruise to Alaska in 2004 on the Sapphire, we have enjoyed the Sanctuary and Crown Grill which you have photographed so well.

Your photos have brought back some good memories for us. While looking at them, we felt that we were on the Crown again as we recognized so many of the areas of the ship.

We wish both you and Deck Chair Queen aka Carol many more enjoyable cruise experiences.

We will be checking the Azamara board for your recounting of your cruise to Cuba. Undoubtedly, you will share many fine photos from that voyage and destination.

Again, thank you for taking the time to compose these trip reports filled with creativity, humor and generosity.

 

MJ good to see you again!

I'm glad that this has brought back great memories of this fine ship for you.

Thanks for the kind good wishes for Carol and I and yes I would love to see you again 10 months from now once we have Cuba under our belts!

Cheers,

Norris

[caribbean2000]

Norris - thanks so much for all the great images of the Crown. We will be setting aboard (for the third time) in a little over a week and you have succeeded in getting me so pumped up to be on the Crown again. We've also sailed the Emerald a number of times (plus most of the other Princess ships) and our favorite place is the Adagio for a late night drink. Do you happen to know if they still offer free small plate apps from the Italian specialty restaurant next door? The Crown doesn't have quite the "wow factor" of the newer ships like the Regal and Royal but in our opinion anyway, this class of ships are somehow much classier and understated. In any case, great job on the images and thanks again.

 

Gene & Kathy from Cape Cod

[Bimmer09]

Club Fusion

I'm still on my early morning walk along deck 7. Oh- here's the Photo gallery HQ!

 

There will be a swarm of photographers around to help you when the photos are out on display but right now they are snoozing after taking thousands of pics last night ( 2nd Formal Night).

The 8 x 10s they take cost $20 each and we usually buy a few of them plus a Reflections DVD of our cruise. They also advertise the Platinum Studio which takes high quality Black and White portraits in a different location high up at the back of the ship. There are always videos playing on the monitor here to induce you to splurge on some photo memories.

 

I'm heading all the way aft to Club Fusion where we have only been to see the Voice auditions which were tedious and disappointing. It was just like Karaoke night which we have loved in the past on Princess Ships as we like listening to singing. It is a good karaoke venue as it has loads of TV monitors to see the lyrics displayed on. And it has a great dance floor made of wood !

I don't dance and if I did I would probably be mistaken for someones uncle at a wedding but I love that other people do. As in most Princess public rooms it features a lot of art and state of the art sound.

 

The art usually reflects bygone times (the kind I have a soft-spot for)

 

No doubt the people who posed for these photos you will see had no idea they would be seen on cruise ships over 100 years hence. They were clueless about cruise ships back then. They only knew about pack mules, gold in them thar hills, hornswoggling, sidewindin' yellabelly drifters, Injuns, spitoons, chewing tobacco, two fingers of red-eye and so on.

 

It's a mighty big room stranger-pull up a chair and sit a spell....

 

More...

[Bimmer09]

Look at this dance floor!!

You need some nice slippery wood for dancing. Marble doesn't cut it as your feet tend to stick on it in comparison.Leonardo da Vinci was renowned for his working in marble but as a dancer he sucked. The Irish jig he did with Kate Winslett in the movie Titanic was done by a foot-double. Trust me.

 

Cosy corners

 

 

In days gone by, pre-Netflix

 

More...

[Bimmer09]

 

 

No expense spared on sound and lighting

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Voice at Sea finals are happening later this afternoon in the Princess Theater and we are hoping it will be at least a semblance of a show we never miss on TV-

 

 

The Voice!

[Jasperdo]

 

 

 

 

These are replicas of some famous paintings of the early American West. On the left is "Cliffs of Green River" by Thomas Moran, and in the center is "Looking Up Yosemite Valley" by Albert Bierstadt. I don't recognize the third painting.

[Bimmer09]

Norris - thanks so much for all the great images of the Crown. We will be setting aboard (for the third time) in a little over a week and you have succeeded in getting me so pumped up to be on the Crown again. We've also sailed the Emerald a number of times (plus most of the other Princess ships) and our favorite place is the Adagio for a late night drink. Do you happen to know if they still offer free small plate apps from the Italian specialty restaurant next door? The Crown doesn't have quite the "wow factor" of the newer ships like the Regal and Royal but in our opinion anyway, this class of ships are somehow much classier and understated. In any case, great job on the images and thanks again.

 

Gene & Kathy from Cape Cod

 

Gene and Kathy, I have some pics of the Adagio later, not that you need to see them as it sounds like you are more familiar with it than I am- I have never really sat there, except for a Meet and Greet on the Emerald in Italy and for some bubbly after an Ultimate Ship Tour on another ship. I don't know about the small plates of appetizers from Sabatini's.

Thanks for the compliments on the photos! I am very fond of the Grand Class interiors too but like that Princess came up with some new color schemes in the Royal class. I look forward to see what they will follow the Royal class with, in light of the new ideas that abound in recent builds by other lines.

Cheers!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

I had been inside for long enough, during my deck 7 walk and it was time to go outside for some air and to see what the weather/sky was doing. These come in handy.

 

 

Up to Tradewinds and another cup of coffee and I see we have company. Carnival Conquest on her way back to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

 

There is also this familiar shape, now unique in the fleet since Island Princess got a new stern profile. She is the still beautiful Coral Princess.

 

She was our introduction to Princess in August 2011. There's a photo review in my signature below. She impressed us so much we booked another Princess cruise soon after but this time on the Crown Princess. And here we are on ship number 2 looking at ship number 1.

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

I am not hopeful of a sunrise today

 

 

Very heavy cloud this morning

 

 

 

 

Refreshed by the coffee I leave base camp and continue my ascent of this great ship

 

 

No turning back

 

[Bimmer09]

LOOK-SKYWALKERS!

 

I like Skywalkers and this one was the first one I experienced back in 2012 when we were upgraded to an aft suite from a mini and were enticed to attend the Suites/Elites/Platinum's

5 pm to 7pm Cocktail (of the day) Party here with tasty nibbles which change each night.

It allowed smoking on the Starboard side back then before 10 p.m so it was hard to drag me away. Now we don't bother going as we often take a pre-dinner nap. The option is still there should we choose.

 

I love the bird's eye views from up here. Not as dramatic as on the ships which have Skywalkers all the way back over the stern, such as the Star, Caribbean and Golden but a great vantage point nonetheless.

 

 

 

It becomes the disco late at night and there is a plexiglass dance floor with pulsing lights and a live DJ. I have only ever gone up there once, for a drink and a smoke and found a lot of the Cruise Staff off duty, in a party mood.

 

During the day you'll find this a nice quiet place to read or chat with friends but there is no bar service.

There is still one small deck above me-deck 19....

[Bimmer09]

A small elevator takes me up to the Sports Deck, deck 19 the highest on the ship. The Platinum Studio lives here.

 

 

 

The basketball court lives up here

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

The skies may be gray but there's some colorful artwork

 

 

 

 

 

I spent zero time by the aft pool on this ship whereas on the Star aft decks with smoking tables along the port side outside of the buffet was a daily start-the-day place for me.

There were at least 10 tables available for me and the other smokers beyond the Outrigger bar.

Now as the smoking on the Crown is up a deck or two and consists of a small bench with no shelter and a tin can ashtray mounted on a wall I stay away from the stern area.

[Bimmer09]

By now on our last day at sea, heading to Ft.Lauderdale, refreshed after getting an extra hour's sleep when the clocks were set back one hour last night to get us on Florida time it was time to meet Carol for breakfast. We also met these friendly morning faces once again...

 

(camera shake-yikes!)

No need to show you another breakfast of the same things just now. We have a Culinary Arts show to attend at 10 a.m in the Princess Theater. We stop for a quick look to see the Dinner menu we will be missing tonight. Not one of my favorites anyway.

 

This next pic tells me I stopped in the Casino on the way to take this shot of the bar

 

The show, which is equal parts comedy and cooking draws a crowd. We sat closer than we normally do as I was planning to video it as there is no announced restriction like in the live song and dance shows. By the way on Celebrity they encourage you to video the shows and put them on social media/youtube. Great advertising.

 

[Bimmer09]

Corey introduced the show and the stars who would entertain us and hopefully educate us along the way. Then he left the stage.

 

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That's Neville Saldanha the Maitre 'd and Saverio Brattoli the Executive Chef

 

 

The chef is making a pesto sauce to go with Neville's pasta

 

The recipes and techniques are simple enough they can be tried at home with no need to write anything down.

 

 

* I told Neville I would record as much of the show as I could so I have split the video into several clips for easier digestion.

[Bimmer09]

Neville goofs around a lot and will launch into a joke at the drop of a hat but he also gives sound cooking tips.

 

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[Bimmer09]

 

I had issues with my zoom getting stuck on full extension in the beginning of the next video clip but it cured itself eventually through a lot of touch screen tapping and banging it with a hammer.

 

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Norris

[Bimmer09]

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There's just one more video after this- a short one!

Norris