LIVE from the Crown 7/29!

[krystall]

Sorry, it seems like the Internet Cafe has eaten my spacing. Those were supposed to be in paragraphs. Oh well!

 

No apologies needed. Thanks for taking the time to post. :)

[Merion_Mom]

Thank you for taking the time to post. One question: Does Vines have Sake?

Unless jaggie comes back with a more definitive response, here's mine:

 

I didn't LOOK for it on the menu there, but I'm 96.39% sure that there was no sake on the list.

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

THANK YOU for posting live. Have read the other "live posts" and enjoyed them very much. From what I recall... there was a mention of no sake. Hope everyone is staying well and cool.

 

Tim

 

P.S. Try playing roulette and play number 33. It will be a winner.

[dimondzzzz]

Thx sooooooo much for the posts Jaggie.....good job!!

Just a couple of questions...have you or anyone in your group tried the simulated golf? did u pre-book if u have? also read something about ballroom dancing lessons, am i correct? any port excursions u would recommend?

Enjoy the ride............cheers !!!!!!

[sealegs9]

THANK YOU for posting live. Have read the other "live posts" and enjoyed them very much. From what I recall... there was a mention of no sake. Hope everyone is staying well and cool.

 

Tim

 

P.S. Try playing roulette and play number 33. It will be a winner.

I finally get your screen name. My son's favorite exclamation! ROTFL

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

It is just foxtrotting great! Get it Sealegs?

[bella25]

Jaggie! My husband and I were on the June 23rd cruise and Nick and Adrian were OUR waiters too! Call Adrian . . . Metolay (me to lay) . .that's his last name. =) Please tell them Jami and Jason said hi. .I wonder if they will remember us! Anywho ENJOY YOUR CRUISE. . .and enjoy those cookies from international cafe. . my mouth is watering for one! =)

[Jaggie]

Hey all,

First to answer some questions (so I don't forget). Vines does not have Sake as I saw it but they do have a little sushi bar there. I'm not much of a sushi eater so I can't comment on that but I have frequented Vines and it's great! Our typical nightly schedule is to get dressed, go to Vines for a wine sampler (2 oz. of three different wines) and have some cheeses, then to Wheelhouse Bar to meet the rest of our group, then dinner.

 

As far as golf I haven't checked it out, but I've heard good things about the simulator. Also haven't heard anything about ballroom dancing but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

So yesterday was a great day! Captain Proctor has done a really good job ensuring our trip is a good one despite the storm. The Dominican Republic was a bit of a let down but was still a relaxing day aboard the ship. Yesterday was St. Thomas (which I've been to several times and love). The weather was very overcast with threatening storms but that didn't stop the GF and I from going on our excursion to Maegan's Bay. I've done that excursion three times now and it's great. A truly wonderful beach (National Geographic once ranked it in the top 10 in the world). Despite the clouds we had a great time. The ride there and back is a little harrowing (check out one of my other posts about a previous incident on a ride there) but we had a great time.

 

Now last night we went to the Crown Grill as a big party (12 people). Overall I'd have to say it's a very nice place. It's definitely on par with some of the land-based steakhouses (Smith and Wolensky, Ruths Chris, etc.). The steaks were perfectly done, everything was plated nicely and we had great service. A few of the drawbacks were the appetizers were a bit unapproachable (I tried a raw lamb dish that I couldn't eat) but the wait staff is glad to help you find something else. The soups were great, especially the Black and Blue Onion soup (french onion soup with some blue cheese on top). Also, the deserts (if you can make it that far) are wonderful. The WORST part? A terrible, almost deafening sound that would not go away all meal. It sounded like a loud hum that came in repeating waves. It was like an audible radar was going off in your head all dinner. The staff said they had no way to fix it, they even had an engineer to check it out. It was very surprising that this sound is present in an area you have to pay extra for. But, as soon as the food came and we all relaxed it sort of faded into the background. Without the repeating sound, the Crown Grill is a must if you like steakhouses. The only other regret we had was having to leave our normal wait staff for the night.

 

Another staff member I'd like to call attention to is Bo in the Wheelhouse Bar. He is extremely attentive and knows all our drinks (12 of us). Be sure to stop in there after 7 and say hi!

 

We hit some rough seas last night that Capt. Proctor warned us about but certainly nothing unmanagable. He put out the stabalizers and all was well. We have another beautiful day at sea and we have a few chairs my GF is holding at the back adult pool. So off I go so that she doesn't realize I actually snuck away to get her a corsage for tonight's formal night!

 

Any more questions I'll try to address in my next update.

 

-Jaggie

[Philly Fillie]

Hey all,

First to answer some questions (so I don't forget). Vines does not have Sake as I saw it but they do have a little sushi bar there. I'm not much of a sushi eater so I can't comment on that but I have frequented Vines and it's great! Our typical nightly schedule is to get dressed, go to Vines for a wine sampler (2 oz. of three different wines) and have some cheeses, then to Wheelhouse Bar to meet the rest of our group, then dinner.

 

-Jaggie

 

Jaggie

Thanks for taking time to post on your vacation. This is the first I've read about a wine sampler. I'm intrigued :cool: Is it a set sampler or do we get to pick our own wines? How much does it cost? I do like sushi and had planned to occasionally visit Vines for that, but this sounds like a bonus that will keep me visiting more often.

[sunshine 229]

Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

I've noticed from deck plans that the Crown seems to have a few smaller pools rather than one bigger one. ( Neptune, Calypso and Terrace pools)

 

Do these poole have different atmosphere or are some adult only and some for kids? Is there one that you prefer to the others?

[Merion_Mom]

Philly: There is a whole list of different "flights" of wine from which to select. Each "flight" contains three specific wines, but there are several "flights" on the menu.

[Merion_Mom]

Jaggie! My husband and I were on the June 23rd cruise and Nick and Adrian were OUR waiters too! Call Adrian . . . Metolay (me to lay) . .that's his last name. =) Please tell them Jami and Jason said hi. .I wonder if they will remember us! Anywho ENJOY YOUR CRUISE. . .and enjoy those cookies from international cafe. . my mouth is watering for one! =)

Jaggie: Please ask Adrian how "Jazmin" is - was she hurt at all in "the list"?

[Steven_&_Daniel]

Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

I've noticed from deck plans that the Crown seems to have a few smaller pools rather than one bigger one. ( Neptune, Calypso and Terrace pools)

 

Do these poole have different atmosphere or are some adult only and some for kids? Is there one that you prefer to the others?

 

 

From what I've read here on CC, the Lotus Spa Pool and Terrace Pools are for adults. The Calypso Pool has MUTS and the Neptune Pool is where the band plays. I believe they also have a kiddie pool on the aft Sports deck, but I'm not positive. :)

[jbrambach]

Thank you to all the posters who took the time to answer my question about the sake.

 

I also am excited to hear about the wine samplers. What a great idea! Often times I just stick with a wine that I know while onboard, but this time I will try some new wines.

[sunshine 229]

From what I've read here on CC, the Lotus Spa Pool and Terrace Pools are for adults. The Calypso Pool has MUTS and the Neptune Pool is where the band plays. I believe they also have a kiddie pool on the aft Sports deck, but I'm not positive. :)

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I've been toying with the idea of booking a Crown cruise but I like to do my homework first and get an idea of where everything is. I would not probably want a cabin next to the kiddie pool for instance. I've been finding it difficult to figure out what is actually going on in some ship areas from the deck plans. There seem to be a lot of blank areas and other things like the kids pool, kids club or teen club I can't seem to find on the deck plans anywhere.:confused:

[rebeccalouise]

On the Crown the children's facilities are on the Sports Deck. When the deck comes up you will see the "Santuary". Scroll down and you will see the back of the ship. That is the kids and teen area. I think Princess is good for the young kids but I don't know how many options are available to teens. Do some research. Read the reviews.

[Jaggie]

Hey all, sorry I wasn't able to do any more live updates, but you know how it goes!

 

I will be doing a full review sometime soon.

[cynbar]

Welcome back, Jaggie --- I'm sure you're busy with laundry and unpacking and so on, and we can wait for a full review, but can you please give us some hints about how you enjoyed your cruise?? There are wildly conflicting reports already posted on another thread!

[Jaggie]

Overall the cruise was a solid 9 with the negatives (weather, new port addition) largely being out of Princess's control.

 

Again, I'll post a more in-depth review soon.

[bonbob]

Hi All -

 

Thanks for all the great info. On another thread, somone mentioned a small fire on one of the decks. I can't remember if it was a single room or several. Somthing about sparks flying all over the place. Does anyone know anything about this? Did this really happen, or is it being blown out of proportion?

[fantasyx3]

Hi All -

 

Thanks for all the great info. On another thread, somone mentioned a small fire on one of the decks. I can't remember if it was a single room or several. Somthing about sparks flying all over the place. Does anyone know anything about this? Did this really happen, or is it being blown out of proportion?

 

hello that was me! its not being blown out of proportion, it was a very small fire so im sure no one knew! but since my room was extremely close to it i smelled it and so did other people. sparks were flying because they were trying to fix it they took all the furniture out and everything! but it was electrical so im sure they fixed it because new stuff was in the rooms this morning.

[bonbob]

Thanks for the info:)

It will take more than that to stop me from going!! I guess there are still a few kinks to work out.

 

I was looking to book my shore excursions and was very disappointed to see that the Rum Beach Bash on St Maarten is no longer listed. Having done it twice already, I was looking forward to it. Boohoo.