LIVE From the Crown Princess - 10-day Southern Caribbean - Dec 7, 2019

[CanadianBurger]

After dinner we went up to Crooners to catch Tommy McPhee’s set. His headline show in Explorers must have been a huge hit because Crooners was packed! People standing all around. He put on yet another fantastic show, and did another duet with Kristen, one of the production show lead singers. Their “Phantom of the Opera” medley garnered a standing ovation. If Tommy’s performing on your cruise, be sure to catch his shows. 

[CanadianBurger]

Sailing into Bonaire this morning was stunning. We arrived about half an hour early. 

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by CanadianBurger

[CanadianBurger]

I booked a four-hour snorkelling tour with Woodwind, aboard their beautiful catamaran. It was $65, and I think there were 24 of us on board from the Crown, the Zuiderdam, and a couple staying locally. While we weren’t under sail as much as I’d hoped, it was a great excursion. They supply gear if needed, along with a full complement of beverages and food. The snorkelling was excellent. I’ll post video once I get it off my GoPro and edit it. Got some great shots of the ship though. 

[CanadianBurger]

Great shot of the Zuiderdam sailing off into the sunset. 
 

[CanadianBurger]

Italian Night in the MDR. The wait staff uniforms are becoming dated.

 

[CanadianBurger]

One of the headwaiters was preparing a garlic and chili flake penne with tomato sauce in the dining room. It was excellent. I found the veal to be very good, as did another of my tablemates, but one found it tough. 
 

[CanadianBurger]

[CanadianBurger]

Crooners was far less busy tonight, but the strings playing in place of Tommy tonight provided a nice background ambiance. 
 

I did the Discovery at Sea Stargazing tonight, on the aptly-named Star Deck (19). They turned off the lights, and a staff member pointed out constellations with a laser pointer as a recording of a Discovery Channel astrophysicist played. It was a beautiful night with a full moon and several shooting stars. Quite an enjoyable experience. 

[wrongwaywatson]

Any answer about why The Crown listed earlier? 

[sunsetme]

Regarding the Woodwind, how difficult was it to get in and out of the water from the boat or were you docked on Klein Bonaire?

[tcworld]

Hi Steve.  My husband and I will be on the Crown 1-16-2020.  Who is the captain on your cruise and do you know if he is staying on for awhile? 

[chrysalis]

the Captain is listed on the first Patter that was posted on this thread...If I recall the newest rotation, they are on for 3 months and then off for three month.

[tcworld]

Thank you for the info.  Do you know when his rotation started?

 

[CanadianBurger]

On 12/10/2019 at 10:32 PM, canadarocks said:

CanadianBurger, can you please check if there is any dinner seating at the Salty Dog Gastropub that is not at High-tops? 

Thanks! 

I checked it out tonight. All the tables ARE high-tops (which I don’t like either) but they said you could sit in the armchairs. I would think that would be a little awkward for a meal with the low tables between them. 
 

[canadarocks]

Thanks so much for checking for me. I agree that the armchairs would be too awkward. And the high-tops are out of the question for DH. Very bad planning on Princess' part because the menu would apply to many, I think, if the seating was better!

[CanadianBurger]

11 hours ago, jdechter said:

Regarding the Woodwind, how difficult was it to get in and out of the water from the boat or were you docked on Klein Bonaire?

There are no docks on Klein Bonaire. Woodwind’s catamaran makes it easy to get in and out of the water though. One of the hulls has a knotted rope trailing behind the boat that people hang on to, and a ladder. The guides will remove your fins before you climb the ladder to the platform, which is only a couple of inches above the surface. To get in, you can sit on the platform and slide into the water. None of the guests had any issues. I’m an experienced snorkeller, so I just jumped in between the hulls, and pulled myself up onto the other hull, rather than waiting in the line to climb the ladder. 

[CanadianBurger]

22 hours ago, wrongwaywatson said:

Any answer about why The Crown listed earlier? 

I ran into a couple of white-uniforms today and asked them. Apparently we were hit by a sudden 75 knot squall of wind, and then we turned into it. They said our actual list was only FOUR DEGREES. But if my trig is correct, 4 degrees at the ship’s center of gravity at the water line translates into only about 10.5 feet of movement up on deck 15, which doesn’t seem enough to half-empty the pool. Now granted, the white-uniforms I talked to were the F&B manager and the hotel manager, so I’ll seek more info at the elite Captain’s reception tomorrow. 

[wrongwaywatson]

4 minutes ago, CanadianBurger said:

I ran into a couple of white-uniforms today and asked them. Apparently we were hit by a sudden 75 knot squall of wind, and then we turned into it. They said our actual list was only FOUR DEGREES. But if my trig is correct, 4 degrees at the ship’s center of gravity at the water line translates into only about 10.5 feet of movement up on deck 15, which doesn’t seem enough to half-empty the pool. Now granted, the white-uniforms I talked to were the F&B manager and the hotel manager, so I’ll seek more info at the elite Captain’s reception tomorrow. 

Yeah, sounds like it was a bit more than that.   Thanks!  Enjoying the Live, this is one of our fav itineraries!

[CanadianBurger]

Patter for Curaçao today. 

 

[CanadianBurger]

Good Morning Curaçao! A beautiful day!

 

[mellon1]

You are doing a wonderful job.  I look forward to reading and seeing the happenings on the Crown Princess.  Counting down our days!  What a wonderful precruise adventure!  Thank you.

[richsea]

Enjoying following along with you. Thanks for the ride & great photos! 
I see in your Curaco photo that the HA ship is docked inside the floating bridge. I guess the larger Princess ships can’t be accommodated there. We docked there while on Celebrity’s Millennium years ago & loved it! It’s great to just walk off & cross the bridge to the beautiful town. Love Curacao!    

[CanadianBurger]

34 minutes ago, richsea said:

Enjoying following along with you. Thanks for the ride & great photos! 
I see in your Curaco photo that the HA ship is docked inside the floating bridge. I guess the larger Princess ships can’t be accommodated there. We docked there while on Celebrity’s Millennium years ago & loved it! It’s great to just walk off & cross the bridge to the beautiful town. Love Curacao!    

Yes, the Zuiderdam and Crown were at the “Mega Dock” while the smaller Volendam was docked in town. I’ve heard that people can “ride” the floating bridge as it’s opening or closing. 

[CanadianBurger]

We booked a private jeep tour with “Back2Nature Curaçao”. Our guide (and owner) Maartje met us at Starbucks, and spent time with us to customize the tour to our specific wants, which is one of the benefits of a private tour. We proceeded to her Land Cruiser, which had our names on the side. 
 

[Regan]

Regarding the escape room, how much for the fee per person?