Crown Princess 10/19-10/22/23

[PandaBear62]

Crown Princess 10/19-10/22/23

 

10/18/23

We drove to San Francisco and parked at a structure about ¾ mile from port (near Fisherman’s Wharf area, right next to the In-and-Out Burger, where the Alioto’s fish company was). We ubered to SFO and made it through security and stopped and had some clam chowder and made our way to the gate. The plane we were flying was slightly smaller, so only had two seats each on either side of the aisle. We were fortunate to be upgraded to economy plus so more leg room. The flight was quick and easy and we landed in Vancouver 4ish. We had used the Areive Canada app and we basically never stopped from the gate to baggage…a very easy process. 

 

My plan had been to try the Skytrain Canada Line to downtown, and then walk to the hotel (about 3 blocks). We each only had a regular sized backpack for this 5 day trip so it seemed very “do-able”. However, when we hit baggage, the door was right there to the pick up location for ride share and there was no signage for the Skytrain, so we went with what was easiest. It was also raining a bit so I wasn’t thrilled about walking to the hotel.  The Skytrain is $4.25 plus $5 for the Canada Line add-on, vs. $38 for the Uber (both Canadian dollars). When I was younger and had less financial resources, I would have made the effort to find the Skytrain and would have walked in the rain, to save $20. At 61 for me and 65 for dh, we were happy to spend the extra (AKA we’re spending our kids inheritance).

 

It’s about 30 minutes to downtown. Traffic was bumper to bumper going out of downtown, but we had a smooth ride into downtown.

We arrived at the Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver (a Marriott Property) to our upgraded room (a one bedroom suite).

I had already researched local restaurants within walking distance of the hotel but it was still raining so we decided to eat at the hotel. Not usually what I prefer but in this case a fantastic option. “Diva at the Met” was so much fun. Wednesday’s have happy hour drink prices all day. Our server (Brian) was delightful and the food and beverage manager came by and we had a great talk with him. The food was excellent. It ended up being so much fun!

 

After hanging around in the restaurant a couple of hours, we headed up to the room. I luxuriated in the tub while dh watched TV. I had a reasonably good sleep, so I was happy the next morning. 

[PandaBear62]

10/19/23

The next morning we had breakfast at the Diva (it’s included for Titanium Elite since they don’t have a lounge).

We ate and relaxed an hour or so, packed up and walked down to the lobby about 10:45. The hotel is only .4 miles from the port, a gentle incline downhill. However, it was still raining so we took a cab. He took US dollars so it was about $5, so I paid $10 (I always appreciate it when we get a ride for such a short distance) and were quickly at the port. 

Our app said check in starting at 11:30, so we were a bit early. But just like at the airport, we quickly flew through the process and were on the ship! We went to our muster station and watched the safety video just to be done with those requirements and then got a table at Good Spirits at Sea. We sat near a couple who lives north of San Francisco and had a nice chat with them for an hour or so. I tried the watermelon Margarita (included in premier package). I had two….one was a little more savory and one more sweet but both were good. Thats Tajin around the rim. 

 

10/19/23

The next morning we had breakfast at the Diva (it’s included for Titanium Elite since they don’t have a lounge).

We ate and relaxed an hour or so, packed up and walked down to the lobby about 10:45. The hotel is only .4 miles from the port, a gentle incline downhill. However, it was still raining so we took a cab. He took US dollars so it was about $5, so I paid $10 (I always appreciate it when we get a ride for such a short distance) and were quickly at the port. 

Our app said check in starting at 11:30, so we were a bit early. But just like at the airport, we quickly flew through the process and were on the ship! We went to our muster station and watched the safety video just to be done with those requirements and then got a table at Good Spirits at Sea. We sat near a couple who lives north of San Francisco and had a nice chat with them for an hour or so. I tried the watermelon Margarita (included in premier package). I had two….one was a little more savory and one more sweet but both were good. Thats Tajin around the rim. 

 

 

 

We each had a sandwich from the International Cafe. I have eaten my lunch here many days on previous cruises. 

 

We headed down to the room to unpack and then to relax before our 5:20 reservations at Sabatinis. I have pretty bad insomnia, which manifests itself in not falling asleep (once I do I tend to stay asleep). Last night wasn’t too bad, but I was a little tired. I always ask the room attendant for an extra blanket and what I get is usually a cozy soft blanket almost like a throw. That way I can curl up on the bed and read and it’s nice and cozy. Dh napped….he never had an issue with sleeping and drops off in under 5 minutes whether it’s evening or a nap (actually quite infuriating when I can’t sleep!!!). 

 

We left to go to Vines, which is where we traditionally go before dinner. Unfortunately, because of not sailing on time, very few bars were open. About 5 the Captain came on and said there was an issue with the lifeboats (or maybe life rafts) and we would be delayed an hour. I ordered the Seghesio Zinfandel but it’s only available at Vines so I ordered a Pinot. Not sure what they brought but it was pretty bad and I only drank a little bit. We walked up to Sabatinis and the same thing occurred….you couldn’t order their speciality drinks. Which was a bummer as we booked both the Crown Grill and Sabatinis and I could easily booked Crown Grill for tonight….it was just a random choice. But that wasn’t going to stop me from enjoying our dinner!

 

I love their Aracini balls. And their bread was wonderful. I then had the panzanella salad. It was quite yummy and the tomatoes were surprisingly good. Dh had the soup which we also liked .

 

 

 

Next was the pasta course and I had the  Trotie Con Pesto Fatto in Casa (thin twisted pasta, pesto, Parmesan, lemon and arugula). It may look a little funny but was quite good. 

 

 

I asked our server what she recommended for the entree and she suggested the OssoBuco Milanese. I would have never chosen this, but it was amazing. The meat was so tender you could just cut it with your fork. The saffron risotto was really good as well. 

 

 

Our plans were to go to the show in the Princess theatre, but our dinner went long. We wandered to the Crooners bar but their menu was unavailable because we had not left Vancouver. (We left around 8:15pn). We still had a drink, but then wandered to bed. I was tired after our day and my knee was hurting badly (I have osteoarthritis in both knees). 

 

We each had a sandwich from the International Cafe. I have eaten my lunch here many days on previous cruises. 

 

We headed down to the room to unpack and then to relax before our 5:20 reservations at Sabatinis. I have pretty bad insomnia, which manifests itself in not falling asleep (once I do I tend to stay asleep). Last night wasn’t too bad, but I was a little tired. I always ask the room attendant for an extra blanket and what I get is usually a cozy soft blanket almost like a throw. That way I can curl up on the bed and read and it’s nice and cozy. Dh napped….he never had an issue with sleeping and drops off in under 5 minutes whether it’s evening or a nap (actually quite infuriating when I can’t sleep!!!). 

 

We left to go to Vines, which is where we traditionally go before dinner. Unfortunately, because of not sailing on time, very few bars were open. About 5 the Captain came on and said there was an issue with the lifeboats (or maybe life rafts) and we would be delayed an hour. I ordered the Seghesio Zinfandel but it’s only available at Vines so I ordered a Pinot. Not sure what they brought but it was pretty bad and I only drank a little bit. We walked up to Sabatinis and the same thing occurred….you couldn’t order their speciality drinks. Which was a bummer as we booked both the Crown Grill and Sabatinis and I could easily booked Crown Grill for tonight….it was just a random choice. But that wasn’t going to stop me from enjoying our dinner!

 

I love their Aracini balls. And their bread was wonderful. I then had the panzanella salad. It was quite yummy and the tomatoes were surprisingly good. Dh had the soup which we also liked .

 

 

Next was the pasta course and I had the  Trotie Con Pesto Fatto in Casa (thin twisted pasta, pesto, Parmesan, lemon and arugula). It may look a little funny but was quite good. 

 

I asked our server what she recommended for the entree and she suggested the OssoBuco Milanese. I would have never chosen this, but it was amazing. The meat was so tender you could just cut it with your fork. The saffron risotto was really good as well. 

 

 

Our plans were to go to the show in the Princess theatre, but our dinner went long. We wandered to the Crooners bar but their menu was unavailable because we had not left Vancouver. (We left around 8:15pn). We still had a drink, but then wandered to our cabin. . I was tired after our day and my knee was hurting badly (I have osteoarthritis in both knees).  So we watched some Love.Boat episodes and I read and then tried to fall asleep. 

[PandaBear62]

10/20/2023

I slept until close to 9. I had a very bad night, not being able to fall asleep and my knee was the most painful it has ever been. I met dh at the International Cafe and enjoyed a croissant. We left to get in line to get the Princess bangle bracelet. The line was long….almost all the way to the Explorers Lounge. But it moved quickly and I had my bracelet. 

 

We then went through the shops and then headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. Small complaint….we had looked at the app as to where to go. The app said the Salty Dog Grill didn’t open until 5:30, but of course, it’s the Salty Dog Bistro. And the menu is wrong….the grill has street tacos and has had them for quite for awhile. 

 

So we had our lunch and then had the special sundaes. I would say at least 15 were ordered while we were sitting. 

 

Tiramisu sundae

Key lime 

 

We wandered around the ship a bit then headed to the room. I napped (I was exhausted) and dh went to the hot tub for awhile.

 

At 3 we headed to the wine tasting. It was fun but a little disjointed. The wine was poured separate from the description of the wine. We had two young couples at our table and both were going to stay in San Francisco at  the end of the cruise, so we chatted about what to do there and in wine country. 

 

We then went to Vines to continue the wine experience. I have been enjoying having the wines in the Premier package. I went to the shop again to get my next charm and we then went to the Salty Dog gastropub (yes, both our lunch and dinner were at the Salty Dog!)

 

We were able to walk up and be seated. 

The breadsticks are the starter.

 

These were good…crisp on the outside and soft inside. 

 

I had the tomato soup and grilled cheese starter. The grilled cheese was a little dry….you definitely need to dunk it.

 

 

I had the hamburger for dinner as it’s supposed to be the specialty.

 

 

It was quite good and a nice size, along with the serving of fries. 

 

Dh had the jelly donut holes

 

 

I had the lemon mousse with pistachio.

 

We both enjoyed our desserts.

 

We then headed to play sports trivia….we knew quite a few but not enough to win. We stayed to watch Majority Rules. Again we didn’t win but did pretty well. We walked over to Crooners to listen to the music and have a nightcap. I tried a champagne cocktail, continuing to try drinks that fall in the Premier package limits. 

 

 

Unfortunately, I really didn’t like it, so ended up getting sorgmething else. But that’s the advantage of the package…if you try something new and don’t like it you can have something else. So I orderer my standby: amaretto on the rocks. 

 

 

We then headed to the room after this for more Love Boat episodes!

 

 

[PandaBear62]

10/21/23

Finally, I had a good nights sleep and woke up with energy and not feeling totally exhausted! I go or up and dressed and headed to the International Cafe for breakfast, meaning a latte and crossiant. I popped into the shops for the charm for my bracelet and went to the end of season sale but found nothing I wanted. 

 

I went to the the guest services desk to try and figure out our bill. I “owed” money but dh still had credit. It turns off they still had his credit card from our previous cruise. When I booked I put in my number for both of us and Princess overrode this and used this previous card. A little frustrating but we got it worked out. I was also really irritated because everyone was in line and someone from the travel seminar group from Westa stood right behind someone at guest services (essentially cutting the line). My dh heard her say’ “I only have a quick question so I don’t want to wait in line”. You guessed it….she was still there when I made it to the front. She was wearing her name badge and I was just so embarrassed to be an agent myself (although, of course, I had no badge indicating this). But how rude. I wish Princess had some way of establishing queues for places like this, to help prevent this rudeness. 

 

We then headed up and booked a cruise from LA to Vancouver in April at the future cruise desk. It really was a bargain. So many times you see on cruise websites (not just Princess) about a big sale and really, there is very little difference between what they typically offer. 

 

I went to a shop that was supposed to have another free charm, but the person at the shop said it was a mistake, they didn’t have the charm (a moose). I felt bad for him, because people were irritated. He very kindly gave us the charm that was supposed to be given out this evening, which was good for me, as I have dinner plans at that time. 

 

We then  tried to find a place to sit and read but everywhere was so crowded! I got the bright idea to run up to Adiago and success….only a couple of people there.

 

At 12:30 we decided we’d better get something to eat so we wandered over to the buffet. It’s not my favorite choice generally, but I wanted to try it once. I found a couple of things to eat and a table (the buffet was quite full) and we ate our lunch and then headed to the cabin to change and pop into the hot tub by the spa. We had a great time chatting with a couple and then headed back to the room to change once again. We missed the final Bingo, which I kind of planned to do (saving myself the fee, which is a win in itself) 

 

We headed to Vines at 4 and got a glass of wine, and I got the bright idea to book another future cruise for my mom and myself. So I did that and then rebooked a cruise for February, getting an upgrade and saving $1000! Seriously, those 50% off sales available only on the ship are great. But they’re funky….each cruise has different cabins available and different deals. 

 

Our dinner reservation was at 5:20 so we headed to the Crown Grill. We hadn’t eaten here since 2019, so I was looking forward to it. 

 

The cheese bread….very yummy

 

The scallops appetizer…also quite good. The sauce was very good.

 

Dh had the spiny lobster cake.

 

We both had the filet mignon. I had a baked potato. Dh had the filet with mushrooms and red skin mashed potatoes. 

 

Mushrooms

 

Mashed potatoes 

 

I also had creamed spinach.

 

The mousse…hard to describe but it was really good….mousse plus ice cream!!

 

 

Another view

 

Dh had the key lime bar. The things that look like chips on the top is meringue.

 

Quite a delightful dinner. 

 

We then headed to see Magic to Do. I know this show brings about a variety of opinions but I enjoy it. I will admit, though, that I am very partial to the music of  Pippin, Godspell and  Wicked, as well as Pocohontas, so I am biased. The theme is really weak, at best; it’s better to just enjoy the performers and not try to follow it as a show with a beginning, middle and end. I would go see it again on another ship. In terms of quality, I’d say NCL’s Choir of Man is superior, as are Disney shows. While the reserved seating for Premium was nice, there was plenty of seating available. 

 

We then headed to Crooners to have a last drink and listen to some music. I tried a minty drink and really don’t like it. So I gave up and went back to my amaretto on the rocks. I obviously order drinks I think I will like, but if I don’t, I will give up and order something else. This is the first cruise ever I tried and didn’t like 2 different drinks. We stayed until about 10 and then headed up to pack and of course, watch an episode of Love Boat. 

[PandaBear62]

10/22/23

We were in the walk off group and had an assigned time of 8:55. However, when we walked towards our assigned waiting area about 8:30, we were informed that anyone could leave if they were walk off, it didn’t matter your time. We had our passports ready and they weren’t needed as we cleared customs before we left. It was a dreary day and a light but steady rain was falling. We were parked just a mile from port and planned to walk, but quickly decided to take a cab. There was no line waiting (we were told there had been much more a line a little while ago) and we popped into a cab. This had to be the easiest debarkation ever and we have had many easy ones! Great way to end our trip.

 

[PammyMouse]

7 minutes ago, PandaBear62 said:

 

We then headed to the room after this for more Love Boat episodes!

 

Yay!  I loved being able to watch those before bed on my first Princess cruise.  I just watched the first episode (with Suzanne Somers, may she rest in peace) with my 10 year old daughter and she loved it.  Enjoy!  PM

[Therese S.]

1 hour ago, PandaBear62 said:

10/22/23

We were in the walk off group and had an assigned time of 8:55. However, when we walked towards our assigned waiting area about 8:30, we were informed that anyone could leave if they were walk off, it didn’t matter your time. We had our passports ready and they weren’t needed as we cleared customs before we left. It was a dreary day and a light but steady rain was falling. We were parked just a mile from port and planned to walk, but quickly decided to take a cab. There was no line waiting (we were told there had been much more a line a little while ago) and we popped into a cab. This had to be the easiest debarkation ever and we have had many easy ones! Great way to end our trip.

 

Welcome back and thank you for your posts.  We board the Crown next Sunday.  So what is this Princess Bangle bracelet you mentioned in a previous post?  Is it worth standing in line for?  Cost?

[trajan]

Great trip report!

 

We were on this cruise as well. Photos are making me hungry. We did two meals in the Salty Dog Gastropub and loved them both.

 

Kicking myself for not getting to the future cruise desk. Had been disappointed in their offerings before so didn't even bother this time. Sounds like you did well!

 

Count us as not fans of Magic To Do. Imho still needs lots of polishing. But I was completely unfamiliar with some of the music so appreciate your references.

 

And yeah, super easy embarkation and disembarkation. Great staff everywhere on the ship! Low crowds helped but we were thoroughly happy with our experience on the Crown. 

[Sprocket]

Leaving on Sunday for the Coastal out of San Francisco, this will be my 6th cruise on the Crown since August 2022 and so far 71 days on board.  We are also booked for 16 nights to Hawaii in December.

Love the Crown, the crew, the food, Good Spirits, and all the venues especially Skywalkers are outstanding.  Enjoyed your review and pictures thank you.

 

 

[daydreamer16]

Great review! I know you mentioned the Good Spirits at Sea, were all the drinks there priced at the premier level?  We are on the Grand in April with the plus pkg. so hoping some of the drinks there are included  in the plus.

[Sprocket]

12 minutes ago, daydreamer16 said:

Great review! I know you mentioned the Good Spirits at Sea, were all the drinks there priced at the premier level?  We are on the Grand in April with the plus pkg. so hoping some of the drinks there are included  in the plus.

 

You'll be fine lots of drinks to choose from included in the Plus, if you do want something over the $15 you only pay the difference and tax on that.

 

 

[sunviking90]

Enjoying your trip report. We were on the Crown in June and really enjoyed her.

I also thought we were the only ones who spent our evenings watching Love Boat episodes! Who knew?

[PandaBear62]

17 minutes ago, daydreamer16 said:

Great review! I know you mentioned the Good Spirits at Sea, were all the drinks there priced at the premier level?  We are on the Grand in April with the plus pkg. so hoping some of the drinks there are included  in the plus.

Honestly, if you aren’t super picky about the hard liquor (I am not) you’ll be fine. I found maybe 4 or 5 drinks that were over the $15 limit. Three that I actually wanted to try (I pretty much only drink Vodka and tequila except for a few cordial type drinks).

 

Premier does have much better wine choices. 

[PandaBear62]

4 hours ago, Therese S. said:

Welcome back and thank you for your posts.  We board the Crown next Sunday.  So what is this Princess Bangle bracelet you mentioned in a previous post?  Is it worth standing in line for?  Cost?

I’ve seen the bangle advertised in previous cruises. We had onboard credit and didn’t anticipate using much so I decided to try and get one.

 

Don’t quote me on these specifics, because I may have it wrong. There is a bangle bracelet (I believe it’s free). Then you can buy a little bag with 5 charms. That was $10. Then some additional charms are free and some are $5. Apparently there are also some special charms on cruises, like a moose for Alaska. 
 

The bracelet

 

bag it came in

 

 

charms in the bag

 

 

extra charms I bought

 

i probably won’t wear it but thought it could be a cute Xmas ornament!

 

 

 

[PandaBear62]

Final Thoughts, Pro’s and Con’s

First, a criticism…..jeez…..get your act together Princess and have the app be accurate! We found at least 6 or 7 mistakes in turns of timings, etc and that was just the things we were looking at….there could very likely be more. I understand it’s a big job, but some of the mistakes are just ridiculous…..like the wrong menu for the Salty Dog Grill, the wrong times open for the same (these likely don’t change-make it right), events that are not accuarte and wrong times for events that are likely the same on each cruise. And the system overriding the credit card I entered and using a previous card….just not okay.  Rant over. 

 

In my mind, Princess offers “old style” cruising (at least on the smaller ships, which is what I’m used to sailing). I happen to enjoy it….the wine bar, Crooners, playing Bingo, trivia and funny game shows. This cruise was no different. I love curling up with a book by a window and reading and watching the ocean. 

 

If they offer it, the 50% off on certain cruises is an awesome deal! I just booked a 5 night cruise for February a few days before we sailed. I was paying $2500 for an upgraded balcony for 2. I was able to cancel that cruise and book a mini suite for $1500! Both have the plus package. 

 

We tried out Princess Premium package for this cruise. It really was a no-brainer: for $60 more than we were paying with Plus and each we got two specialty dinners. I also found the wine selection for Premium to be significantly better than plus. I typically pay the difference for wine because I find the choices so poor with plus. We didn’t take many pictures but did have three from embarkation so picked those up. We also received the “clip” for our medallion and when I got it I thought, “who in the world would use this”, well the answer is “me”. I typically wore a lightweight cardigan on the ship and it was easy to have it clipped on, I barely noticed it. We each had one ice cream sundae but we could have done that with plus. We wanted to try the food at Vines but this just wasn’t a long enough cruise. We did enjoy our meal at Salty Dog Pub. 

 

Otherwise while getting the clip and a couple photos was nice, it wasn’t that big of a deal. For a cruise 5 days and under, we will most likely book it again. Both dh and I agreed we enjoyed not going to the dining room. I think it’s more fun eating there when we travel with others. We probably won’t eat there that much in the future for shorter cruises. 

 

For 7 days and longer, I’ll probably continue to book plus, especially for a cruise with more ports. But who knows….I may have been so spoiled by the better dinners and wine I may continue to book it. 

 

As you might be able to tell from previous comments, I’m not a “Princess is perfect” person. However, we do enjoy it and are happy they are continuing to offer more cruises from California. I also happen to like other lines for other reasons and will continue to sail on them as well. I know have three upcoming Princess cruises and two NCL. I like different lines for different reasons. We are working to get that free laundry with Princess!!!

 

We love watching an episode of Love Boat before bed. I remember watching it (it started when I was a freshman in HS) and we really enjoy seeing all the stars from our childhood. 

 

The crew was excellent, but again, I’ve never sailed on a line where the crew wasn’t fantastic. And except for the self centered woman at guest services, everyone we chatted with was super nice and we never saw any other “poor” behavior. . But I also think it's the attitude. We want to have a fun time so we choose to focus on the positive and not let the irritating things bug us. I know I shared some things Princess “did wrong”. I do that only as a point of information. It truly didn’t bother my trip at all. 

 

Tipping: I know this is another topic that people can have strong opinions about. We’re middle of the road. I know we prepay gratuities and for some people, that’s enough. And if I was young or on a tight budget, it would be enough for me as well. But I’m not (although I used  to be!). We can afford to show some extra appreciation and we do. 

 

To paraphrase a quote about golf….a bad day on a cruise beats a good day at work! 

[daydreamer16]

23 minutes ago, Sprocket said:

 

You'll be fine lots of drinks to choose from included in the Plus, if you do want something over the $15 you only pay the difference and tax on that.

 

 

 

18 minutes ago, PandaBear62 said:

Honestly, if you aren’t super picky about the hard liquor (I am not) you’ll be fine. I found maybe 4 or 5 drinks that were over the $15 limit. Three that I actually wanted to try (I pretty much only drink Vodka and tequila except for a few cordial type drinks).

 

Premier does have much better wine choices. 

Thanks for the info! We were on the Crown back in 2019 on a transatlantic & loved the Good Spirits but my DH came down with the flu the last few days of the cruise & so we spent our days in the cabin & never got back to that bar.

[c-boy]

58 minutes ago, PandaBear62 said:

Honestly, if you aren’t super picky about the hard liquor (I am not) you’ll be fine. I found maybe 4 or 5 drinks that were over the $15 limit. Three that I actually wanted to try (I pretty much only drink Vodka and tequila except for a few cordial type drinks).

 

Premier does have much better wine choices. 

thank you for pointing out a fact about the primium package, If you don't like the drink in hand, no worries, order something else.

[Marronnier]

I've been trying to find 'Good Spirits at Sea' on the Crown Princess deck plans, but can't find it. Can someone tell me where it is? Thanks 

[memoak]

On 10/23/2023 at 6:24 PM, c-boy said:

thank you for pointing out a fact about the primium package, If you don't like the drink in hand, no worries, order something else.

Yes but when you hit 15 you need to pay more both with plus and premier   Heck I come close on sea days without throwing anything away 

[marden1970]

1 hour ago, Marronnier said:

I've been trying to find 'Good Spirits at Sea' on the Crown Princess deck plans, but can't find it. Can someone tell me where it is? Thanks 

It's on deck 5 next to the International Cafe.

[dawnvip]

Great report, thanks! Glad you enjoyed Vancouver. Met hotel and Diva at the Met are one of my favorites!