Just off the Crown Feb 10-17

[TMull]

First some general thoughts, impressions and ramblings, then I’ll take each day one at a time with a boring account of what we actually did.

This was our second cruise after doing the opposite itinerary on the Golden last year. On the Golden, did not know what to expect and we were very pleasantly surprised by the level of service and food. This year the service was good, but not quite excellent. One exception was our cabin steward who had trouble figuring our random cabin schedule, but was eager to please; he was great. We found that anything was available if you asked…but you had to ask. Don’t expect someone to ask if you want a drink, get your hand up. Oddly, this situation seemed to get better as time went on.

Eat a lot of kiwi and papaya. They’re yummy.

The food was also good; just good. The beef in the dining room was excellent, but everything was good. Perhaps we are just jaded. Considering the mob, they really did a good job. We only waited for a table in anytime dining on the second formal night around 8 PM. The combination of a long day in St Thomas and the formal attire pushed most diners toward a later schedule so things backed up. We waited a nominal 20 minutes before our beeper went off.

Café Caribe is nice. If it’s open, hit it rather than Horizon.

Do your own excursions if you are more adventurous. We did our excursions without Princess; slightly more risky, but less “produced” and generally more intimate. Don’t worry about getting back to the ship. Every vendor on the island knows that you have to catch the ship. Don’t sweat it. Last year I worked hard to set up excursions for each stop that combined shopping, sights and beach. It worked out great for us as first time cruisers. This time we were less structured and more inclined to wing it. It worked for us but it’s not for everyone.

Other passengers ranged from friendly and pleasant (the vast majority) to obnoxious and disgusting. We saw bare feet in Horizon, tongs dropped and returned to food service trays, tank tops in the dining room on formal nights. We heard loud voices and out of control children. Enjoy the good, ignore the bad. We met a lot of really nice people.

The entertainment was really good. We enjoyed both the “Destination Anywhere” show and the “Motor City” shows. The comedians were really good, and the regular bands were solid. One critique was the Crooner’s Lounge; it’s a great idea, but the electric drums, microphone and amplified piano are more than needed for that small space. We felt that it ruined the “man and piano” feel.

Use the stairs. We rode in the elevator less than 5 times. If you don’t like waiting, the stairs are a healthy alternative.

Head to the stern and watch the ship sail out of each harbor each evening. It’s a great view and very relaxing.

Dress up for formal night. It’s fun and it adds to the formal mood for everyone. Take a formal photo and spend the money for a copy.

If you like to check email and surf a bit, bring your wireless laptop. Access is plentiful and reasonably cheap once you get off the ship. Even without a laptop, you’ll find at least one place in each port where you can access the net for a few dollars. It was really nice to see an internet use charge of zero dollars on my bill.

We were surprised at the number of Brits and Canadians on board; much more than on the golden last year.

We had no problems getting deck chairs. Plenty were saved, but always a selection available.

If you are a 50+ year old newlywed couple that is having trouble having sex and you seek medical advice, ask to speak to the doctor privately before disclosing this fact. It freaks out the other patients when you just blurt it out to the nurse at the reception desk (your husband looked a tad uncomfortable too, BTW). Also, it’s worth the $60 to see the doctor to try to correct this problem. If it’s enough of an issue to warrant the trip to the Medical Center, it’s worth dropping $60 for a shot at fixing it.

Above all, don’t sweat the small stuff. Far too many times I have seen posts here were folks have complained about terrible cruises but seen to only site one concrete example of a problem. Your cruise will be a ton of fun, but if you expect perfection from the ship, crew and other passengers you will be disappointed.

After 2 cruises in two years, I still don’t consider us “cruisers”. We had a great time and learned a lot about some islands we hadn’t been to, but next year’s vacation will probably be land based for a change of pace.

[TMull]

Feb 10 – Boarding in San Juan

We got a rough start to the cruise. I was winning the battle with a head cold when the tables turned after a very late Friday night at a birthday party followed by our early morning vacation departure; the cold was leaving but I was in the beginning stages of the sinus infection. We were tired and crabby on the way down but made to San Juan around 3. The airport is run very efficiently and we were quickly dispatched to cab with a slip of paper noting the $20 fare. As traffic slowed to a crawl our driver queued up a movie on his portable DVD player and watched it with us (traffic is common in San Juan). It was about 30 minutes to the terminal, which was nearly deserted. We walked right on to the ship. My wife was issued a blue cruise card rather than the expected gold card (this is our second Princess cruise) so we went directly to the pursers desk. We were sent to Member Services where a spelling mistake was fixed, then back to the Pursers for a new card. We checked out our cabin then hit Horizons for a snack. It took 2 hours, but our luggage finally arrived and we dressed for dinner - prime rib for me, Zander fish for Robyn. It was late and we were pretty tired after dinner so we went back to the cabin for bed after dinner at 11 pm. I slept 13 hours.

[TMull]

Feb 11 - At sea.

I awoke at noon feeling like hell. I had a sinus infection, unfortunately a common problem with me. Robyn had wisely abandoned me for the pool at around 9 AM. I took some Dayquil, felt a little better, and headed up to the pool. After an hour, I had some lunch at Horizons and returned to the pool until 4:30 when the Medical center opened.

Oddly, as much as being sick while on vacation sucks, my trip to the medical center was very pleasant. The place was dead (pun intended) and the idle staff was more that happy to talk with me, give me a complete tour of the center (amazing). An hour and a half and $160 dollars later I returned to the room. Dinner dress was formal. I had Mahi Mahi, Robyn had Filet Mignon. Food and service were good. Just good. After dinner we saw Michael Harrison, the ventriloquist, at Explorers – over the top, but funny. Not yet ready for bed, we caught “Destination Anywhere” in the Princess Theater – a pleasant surprise. It was a very good show, lots of energy, excellent costumes. In true cruiser spirit, we grabbed another bite to eat at Horizons before turning in after the show.

[TMull]

Feb 12 - Barbados.

After a good night’s sleep and some drugs, the sinus infection was no longer a player. I was feeling better, but still a little tired. We were up at 9 and off to Horizons for quick food before heading out to port to get a tour. We grabbed a random cab and for $80 Melvin gave us a tour of the island and dropped us off at Malibu beach next to the Malibu Beach Rum distillery. The beach was nice but not beautiful, but it was only a few miles from the ship and it was late enough in the day that we did not want to roam. Two hours later Melvin was back and he returned us to the ship by 4 PM. We had an afternoon snack at Horizons before Robyn retired to the pool while I returned to port for internet access. I paid $2 every 10 minutes for a computer at the telephone store in the terminal. Close to sail time I returned to the ship for a few minutes by the pool, then shower for dinner in the dining room. We saw Steve Morris at Explorers which we enjoyed. After the show, we hit Caribe for a snack before bedtime.

[TMull]

Feb 13 - St. Lucia

This was an early morning. Again we hit Horizons before meeting Frank, our guide for the day, at 8:15. He was late. A taxi driver held on to us and helped us locate him, obviously hoping that he wouldn’t show but not pushing us to bail out on Frank at all. Consol Tours called Frank and he appeared in minutes. After slipping the cabbie $5 for helping us, we boarded Frank’s clean, new bus, waited for some late arrivals and sped off to town to pick up four Celebrity passengers. We got a late start but made up for it by covering a lot of ground. We toured the pintons, the sulfur pits, some views, water fall, etc. We had a nice cafeteria style lunch at a small open restaurant with a view of the pitons. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t have time for the beach. We were back to the ship at 4 to park Robyn at the pool, then I slipped back off the ship for some internet time at the white pyramid just outside the terminal - $3 for as long as you want. Dinner was very good and the service was the best we have seen yet; lamb shank for Robyn and beef medallions for me. After dinner we changed clothes for a casual photo and then off to Explorers for Uber Rossi and Lorenzo Clark, both very good. We skipped the Divas at the theater, but it sounded good as we passed by (if you’re into that kind of thing).

[TMull]

Feb 14 – Sint Maarten

Philipsburg is one of the best organized ports with the best shopping of the trip. The cruise ship pier looks like it can accommodate 4 ships. The town is visible from the ship, and is easily walkable, but almost everyone takes the water taxi. $5 buys an all day pass in the form of a purple bracelet. This also helps local businesses by making the cruisers stand out from the rest of the crowd. While this sounds like it might make the cruisers more of a target for street vendors, isn’t a bad thing. It works. The Front Street system absorbed 3 ships full of passengers this morning. Vendors are plentiful, but gentle. Having been to the island several times, we relaxed our pace. We got a late start, then shopped along Front Street in the morning. We took the water taxi back to the ship for lunch, and returned to Great Bay Beach in the afternoon. While there are far better beaches, the Great Bay beach is easy. Walk down toward the end away from the ships to get some peace and quiet. We got back to the ship shortly after five and sat on one of the open decks at the stern for our slow exit. We were late to a dinner of tilapia and missed the comedy show at the theater. Explorer’s lounge was closed for an art auction.

[TMull]

Feb 15 – Antigua

Another slow start and we didn’t get off the boat until 10. We walked around St John for a few hours then grabbed a cab to a beach slightly to the north. The nicer beaches are in the south, but this place was almost deserted. We paid $12 each way for the cab, and $20 for two chairs and an umbrella. Robyn went to sit by the pool and I grabbed the laptop and walked back into town where I found an open wireless network and a 120 volt plug and I happily surfed the internet for an hour before returning to the ship to sit at the stern pool for our sail out of Antigua. We donned our formal duds for dinner of lobster tail and went to see the Motor City show, which was good but not great.

[TMull]

Feb 16 – St Thomas

We after a quick trip through Immigration we grabbed a quick breakfast and set out for St Thomas ($4 cab ride). Unfortunately there was a large group of runners traveling with us and their morning race closed roads and created a traffic mess that delayed our trip to Charlotte Amalie. We shopped for about an hour then grabbed a taxi to Red Hook for a trip to St John. It was noon before we arrived and we missed the 12 o’clock ferry. Our driver insisted that there was a 12:30 ferry; we knew he was lying but continued on anyway. We discovered that there is a vehicle ferry that goes more frequently but you need to be in a car to go. We found a local lady who would let us ride with her at 12:30 (so technically the cabbie wasn’t lying) but the idea fell apart when her boat ran late. We jumped on the people ferry at one and landed at St John at 1:30. In addition to some small shops there are several restaurants with light fare. We split a turkey sandwich before cabbing to Turtle Bay ($6 each way and $4 to get in). Turtle Bay is part of the US National Parks system. It’s gorgeous and clean; no garbage, no vendors, no development. We left at the last possible second and caught a cab back to the pier. This time we took the ferry all the way back to Charlotte Amalie. We shopped for another hour before catching yet another cab back to the boat. All told a great day, but the cabs and ferries added up quickly to nearly the same price as the Princess excursion. Of course, we were happier doing our own thing.

We sat at the stern to sail out of St Thomas, then packed our stuff and ate a late dinner. We caught the last part of Sarge the comedian in the Theater; very good. We bought some ridiculously expensive pictures from the formal nights, then caught a late movie in the theater before turning in really late.

[TMull]

Feb 17 – Disembark in San Juan

We woke up at 7 AM to make an 8AM breakfast at the formal dining room. We wanted to avoid Horizons because we knew it was going to a zoo. It turned out to be a great plan. We were all cranked up to disembark, and the slow pace of a formal breakfast chilled us right out and relaxed us. We maintained our calm through Customs, which looks like a real zoo when you see the huge lines, but actually moves rather quickly. Soon we were curbside with all our stuff but no plan. For $25 each we jumped on a tour of the forts, Old San Juan and new San Juan. Our “Go Happy” tour included lunch and a ride to the airport. If we ever forgot for a second why we hate SJU airport, we were quickly reminded: after rushing to get there on time, we found that our flight was delayed and we had plenty of time to get reacquainted. I found free wireless internet across the street at Wendy’s, so I was content for an hour or so, and Robyn finished her book. It is a real shame that SJU is so nasty; too many people passing through too small a space.

[mortysmama]

Thank you for a wonderful detailed review. I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. Three weeks from today we board the CB for the eastern Caribbean. I can't wait. Reading your review hightened my anticipation.

[Nana G]

TMULL-Thanks for the great detail! We sail April 7 and did the same as you did last year on the Golden. 2 questions if you don't mind. What night was the Caribbean Night Menu? What, if any, changes in the bedding were made?I have a severe allergy to feathers and would like to know ahead of time if ducets or pillows will need changing before I enter cabin. Thanks so much.

[TMull]

TMULL-Thanks for the great detail! We sail April 7 and did the same as you did last year on the Golden. 2 questions if you don't mind. What night was the Caribbean Night Menu? What, if any, changes in the bedding were made?I have a severe allergy to feathers and would like to know ahead of time if ducets or pillows will need changing before I enter cabin. Thanks so much.

 

On the bedding, my wife is moderately allergic to feathers and had not problems. I don't think any of our bedding had any feathers.

 

On the Carribean Night, I don't recall it being anything outrageous; neither Robyn or I could recall exactly what was served that night. Sorry.

[hazeleyes]

First some general thoughts, impressions and ramblings, then I’ll take each day one at a time with a boring account of what we actually did.

 

This was our second cruise after doing the opposite itinerary on the Golden last year. On the Golden, did not know what to expect and we were very pleasantly surprised by the level of service and food. This year the service was good, but not quite excellent. One exception was our cabin steward who had trouble figuring our random cabin schedule, but was eager to please; he was great. We found that anything was available if you asked…but you had to ask. Don’t expect someone to ask if you want a drink, get your hand up. Oddly, this situation seemed to get better as time went on.

 

Eat a lot of kiwi and papaya. They’re yummy.

 

The food was also good; just good. The beef in the dining room was excellent, but everything was good. Perhaps we are just jaded. Considering the mob, they really did a good job. We only waited for a table in anytime dining on the second formal night around 8 PM. The combination of a long day in St Thomas and the formal attire pushed most diners toward a later schedule so things backed up. We waited a nominal 20 minutes before our beeper went off.

 

Café Caribe is nice. If it’s open, hit it rather than Horizon.

 

Do your own excursions if you are more adventurous. We did our excursions without Princess; slightly more risky, but less “produced” and generally more intimate. Don’t worry about getting back to the ship. Every vendor on the island knows that you have to catch the ship. Don’t sweat it. Last year I worked hard to set up excursions for each stop that combined shopping, sights and beach. It worked out great for us as first time cruisers. This time we were less structured and more inclined to wing it. It worked for us but it’s not for everyone.

 

Other passengers ranged from friendly and pleasant (the vast majority) to obnoxious and disgusting. We saw bare feet in Horizon, tongs dropped and returned to food service trays, tank tops in the dining room on formal nights. We heard loud voices and out of control children. Enjoy the good, ignore the bad. We met a lot of really nice people.

 

The entertainment was really good. We enjoyed both the “Destination Anywhere” show and the “Motor City” shows. The comedians were really good, and the regular bands were solid. One critique was the Crooner’s Lounge; it’s a great idea, but the electric drums, microphone and amplified piano are more than needed for that small space. We felt that it ruined the “man and piano” feel.

 

Use the stairs. We rode in the elevator less than 5 times. If you don’t like waiting, the stairs are a healthy alternative.

 

Head to the stern and watch the ship sail out of each harbor each evening. It’s a great view and very relaxing.

 

Dress up for formal night. It’s fun and it adds to the formal mood for everyone. Take a formal photo and spend the money for a copy.

 

If you like to check email and surf a bit, bring your wireless laptop. Access is plentiful and reasonably cheap once you get off the ship. Even without a laptop, you’ll find at least one place in each port where you can access the net for a few dollars. It was really nice to see an internet use charge of zero dollars on my bill.

We were surprised at the number of Brits and Canadians on board; much more than on the golden last year.

 

We had no problems getting deck chairs. Plenty were saved, but always a selection available.

 

If you are a 50+ year old newlywed couple that is having trouble having sex and you seek medical advice, ask to speak to the doctor privately before disclosing this fact. It freaks out the other patients when you just blurt it out to the nurse at the reception desk (your husband looked a tad uncomfortable too, BTW). Also, it’s worth the $60 to see the doctor to try to correct this problem. If it’s enough of an issue to warrant the trip to the Medical Center, it’s worth dropping $60 for a shot at fixing it.

 

Above all, don’t sweat the small stuff. Far too many times I have seen posts here were folks have complained about terrible cruises but seen to only site one concrete example of a problem. Your cruise will be a ton of fun, but if you expect perfection from the ship, crew and other passengers you will be disappointed.

 

After 2 cruises in two years, I still don’t consider us “cruisers”. We had a great time and learned a lot about some islands we hadn’t been to, but next year’s vacation will probably be land based for a change of pace.

 

Hey did you go to the sanctuary? If so tell me what it included for $15 dollars. Thanks!

[TMull]

Hey did you go to the sanctuary? If so tell me what it included for $15 dollars. Thanks!

 

We skipped the Sanctuary, but it looked really nice. We met another couple who did an afternoon there though. They said it was very relaxing and worth the money, but didn't say what it included. When I looked in a couple of times, it was almost deserted.

[crusdiva]

Wow! Thanks for the great review. My parents are sailing her soon, and I was wondering if you could you tell me the name of the Captain, Maitre'd and CD. Thanks in advance.;)

[TMull]

Wow! Thanks for the great review. My parents are sailing her soon, and I was wondering if you could you tell me the name of the Captain, Maitre'd and CD. Thanks in advance.;)

 

Off the top of my head, I recall:

 

Captain: Andy Proctor

CD: Tim Donovan

I don't rememeber the Maitre'd.

 

I'll check my docs when I get home (working today) and add/correct if I can.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

 

I am sorry to hear that Lorenzo Clark is still plying the Princes waters. :eek:

He really needs to get a new act. If you are unfortunate to see his act more then once then you know what I mean.

(pull the playing card from the pickle). :D

 

Glad you caught Sarge though, I think he is great!! ;)

 

Maitre'd is Generoso Mazone until the Emerald comes on line.

[crusdiva]

Off the top of my head, I recall:

 

Captain: Andy Proctor

CD: Tim Donovan

I don't rememeber the Maitre'd.

 

I'll check my docs when I get home (working today) and add/correct if I can.

 

Thank you so much!

[Doug R.]

Thanks a bunch for the review, got some helpful tips for our upcoming cruise.

[Mack42306]

Thanks so much. We are doing the same cruise next month... so your review was very helpful. Speaking of Caribbean night, which night was it actually? We want to make reservations for one of the specialty restaurants that night.

 

Also, I noticed your review of St. Martin was before our review of Antigua. Was this a typo or did the cruise really go to antigua after st. martin. Just curious because our itinerary had Antigua first. Any reason for this change?

[TMull]

Thanks so much. We are doing the same cruise next month... so your review was very helpful. Speaking of Caribbean night, which night was it actually? We want to make reservations for one of the specialty restaurants that night.

 

Also, I noticed your review of St. Martin was before our review of Antigua. Was this a typo or did the cruise really go to antigua after st. martin. Just curious because our itinerary had Antigua first. Any reason for this change?

 

Sorry, but I don't remeber which night was Carribean (it was that memorable - lol)

 

And yes, we had a change of itinerary. As near as I can figure, there were five ships scheduled for both Antigua and St Martin on the original dates, but by swapping there were only three ships in each port. Pure speculation on my part.

[Mtreas99]

Was Juan Carlos featured as the entertainment the first night of cruise?

[TMull]

Was Juan Carlos featured as the entertainment the first night of cruise?

 

Sorry, no idea here. I was too sick/tired to anything but eat and collapse into bed. I never even looked at the Patter until the second night.:(

[sandc4e]

Great review, thanks for sharing.

 

Sheila