Crown Princess 3/31 Review (long..)

[Familycruzer11]

We just returned from 3/31 Crown sailing from San Juan of Southern Carribbean. This was our 4th cruise, first on Princess. We went with friends and family and all had a fantastic time!

 

We left NY a day early and stayed at Marriott Miramar - in new San Juan. Taxi $35 for 7 of us - we fit in one easily - even with luggage - lots of large vans. It was our first time out of Old San Juan and was very interesting. The hotel had a french restaurant where the food was pricey, but great. In fact, better steak than we had on the ship. We decided to walk around Old San Juan in the morning. We stored the luggage across from the pier. Very reasonable. Then, shopped for supplies, and headed for the ship. Enjoyed Walgreens and Coach outlet (good prices). Taxi from hotel to pier - $25 (for all of us/w/luggage)

 

EMBARKATION: Was a bit slow. I think we arrived at peak time (12:30PM) There were long lines, but they moved. We stopped at the duty free (you pass this after you get your cabin card and before boarding). We were able to buy some champagne, gin, sambuca. Put it in our carry-ons and had no problem bringing it on board. We were in our rooms by 2:30. Luggage arrived 4:30-5:00.

 

FOOD: The food was good. It wasn't the best we've had. Celebrity,we found, had the best food, and Royal Carribean was still better. However, we appreciated not standing on long lines for the buffet, as on the other two cruise lines. The ship was full and the buffet was crowded. We had to weave in out of people, but still better than standing on long lines.

The dining room food was also good. I have had much better steak elsewhere and stuck mostly to chicken and fish. The exception was the lobster tails and shrimp, which were frozen!:mad: We had traditional dining and enjoyed our waiter, Richail. He knew what we liked and it was always waiting for us. We also had a table by the window. We opted not to do any speciatly dining as we had all we needed and saved the surcharges for bingo money instead. Service was excellent. Also loved the burgers at Trident Grill. Hand sanitizers everywhere and we used them and so did everyone else. The first day, they had staff policing it- to get you in the habit.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: We saw Sarge the comedian and he was entertaining. We saw some other comedians as well and some funnier than others. They kept it family-rated (at least the shows we saw) and the 13 year olds really enjoyed it. My DH loved the karoake (spectator only) and heard some really talented singers. Can't say enough good things about MUTS and this (along with balconies) will keep us on Princess. Had to get there early to get 'prime' chairs, but chairs could always be found. Movies were recent - Casino Royale, The Illisuionist, Man of the Year. Blankets, popcorn (dry, unsalted) short walk to Trident Grill for burgers and fries.

 

ROOMS: We had Balcony on the Baja Deck. It was covered and quiet. We connected them to two other cabins we were traveling with, and it was our private outdoor hallway. Never locked the balcony doors and great way to keep an eye on the kids. One night was windy and I think it was louder because of the open hallway. Other than that, it was very quiet, peaceful and a gentle rock that we liked. Bathrooms are very tiny, room average for a ship and bigger than the ones we had on Celebrity and RCL. Loved the balcony and it is a must. Many said the ship never felt full. Why leave your balcony? Bring down food from Horizon Court, some OJ for mimosas and sit in the sun..We brought a power strip and it was very useful. Hairdryers were weak (took twice as long to blow dry my hair) I wish I brought my own. Our cabin steward, Ramon, was excellent and always had 3 buckets of ice ready for our champagne and extra clean towels (beach ones too). Our friends had a differenet steward (Beethoven) and there was a difference.

 

SPA: We all had great massages (hot stone rules!), and while there was a 'sell' afterwards,it was easy to say 'not interested'. My DH loved the thermal suite. He did feel a little 'nickle/dimed' when sitting on a chair and told he had to pay $10 for half day. He moved to a different chair (not as cushioned) and could stay for free.

 

EXCURSIONS: We booked through the cruise line because I am nervous about not making it back, but I am sure there were similar deals for less if booked on shore. We really were intersted in enjoying the ship and kept our time on islands to a min (usually 3 hours or less). ST. THOMAS we went to Megan's Bay - great beach, chairs for $6 for the day (+$5 refundable dep). Bar/snacks avail. After, near the dock, we stopped at a marine food market and got more champagne, soda, water, beer. ST.KITTS - just walked off the ship, shopped and came back. GRENADA we went on a party boatwhich took us to a beach Lots of fun, lots of rum punch (the second is not as bad as the first). We found Grenada to be a bit seedy and lots of hard sells on the beach. BONAIRE - Our favorite!. We did a snorkel and saw amazing fish. The island was beautiful and we did not find hard sells/pushiness as on other islands. ARUBA is becoming a bit touristy now. We went snorkeling (no comparison to Bonaire) and a beach.

Chairs cost $10 each for 2 hours and extra $15 to be near the umbrella! Used our towels, but it was windy and the sand came whipping.

 

KIDS CLUB: My dd and her friend turn 13 in 30-40 days. They were not alllowed in 13-17 club (snuck a few times though) and said there were all 8 year olds in the 8-12 club. I think the teen club was more appealing to older teens and the younger one for younger kids. The "tweens" seemed a bit left out. Luckily, there were so many on the ship, they made many friends just walking around and hanging out (our walkie-talkie radios were very handy). They night swam almost every night and went to MUTS one night.

 

DISEMBARKATION: Very slow! If we had known, we would have slept later. We did stay in our room and no one bothered us. We didn't have a transfer, or flight before 2pm (it was 2:50pm), so we were almost last to leave. They said all will be off by 11:00 am, but that was not so. Some people still leaving at 12:00 (or at least in custom/immigration lines). Taxi to the airport $30 for 6 of us with lots of luggage. Much cheaper then Princess transfers and tons of cabs to choose from. There is a tourist booth nearby with the taxi prices, so no overcharging - we had the tariff card.

 

OVERALL: We had a wonderful time on our trip. It went by way too fast. We will definitely book Princess again (in fact, we did put a future cruise deposit on the ship) - and maybe even the Crown's other south caribbean itinerary. We especially loved the service, the balcony rooms and the fact we could bring our own drinks on board (yes, booze, but also bottled water and soda). I know this is long, but before my trip, I was a sponge for info - so hope this helps you lucky future cruisers.

[rdytogo]

Thanks for the great review. We're going on the "other" Southern Carib on Crown in November and CAN'T WAIT!!!

[soccerstar1288]

good review!!! were were a family of 6 on the same cruise and we did the same party boat in grenada!!!...yes I agree it went by too fast :( Looking forward to booking aonther soon!

 

-Joe

[Dixe Lee]

Great review. We, too, will be on the Baja deck in October. Keep hearing so much about the Caribe deck, we were getting a little concerned that no one liked their cabins if they were anywhere else on the ship :D Glad you had a good cruise!

[Familycruzer11]

Dixie Lee -

We were Baja B415 - mid ship. Very convenient. Elevators were a bit slow and crowded,but we did go during spring break. Being on 11th floor, we didn't mind walking up 4 to Riveria or down 5 flights to dinner if we had to. I have to be honest, we did love our Baja room and the privacy, but I think next time, we will try Caribe. The decks were a bit bigger and had the recliners. We did spend a lot of time out there, and we did connect to two other rooms, which made our "bigger". Enjoy your cruise!!

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Would you happen to know if regular balcony cabins have DVD players? Thank you

[Familycruzer11]

I do not think regular balcony rooms had DVD players. They had lots of good tv/movie selectionsthough on regular tv (some of the same movies on MUTS were available in the room at different times - for free). Some people bought portable dvd players or laptops. A power strip will definitely help. We often got a cell phone signal on the islands, so glad to have them charged - not sure what the bill will be though. :rolleyes: .

[ck53]

Thanks for the review, it was great and I'm glad you had a wonderful time.

 

My daughter has a balcony cabin and was wondering if the showers have a curtain or if they have a plastic door?:confused:

 

Thanks!

[Familycruzer11]

The showers had a curtain, on a rail, held by tiny hooks. I had heard there was not enough space for shampoo, etc., but I think there was. My duaghter had a large bottle of her own shampoo and conditioner and it fit. We also brought the mesh shower organizers, but didn't really need them. The shower stalls are narrow and pretty high.

 

I did not care for the Lotus shampoo products. I thought it smelled like men's shaving cream and it dried out my hair. Wish I brought my own. THey do not sell any other on the ship - they tell you to go to the spa (which didn't help me).

[ck53]

Thanks Familycruzer11.

 

I will pass along that info, and I can assure you that I can foresee shampoo in the suitcase!:rolleyes: I will tell her also to bring some clothespins to hold down the shower curtain.

 

Thanks again!

[CMM]

Thanks for a great review.

 

Can you tell me more about the spa experience. Was the thermal part of it. I was confused about your husband and the $10 chair. Thanks!

[Familycruzer11]

CMM - I had three SPA treatments, and my family and friends also had some. We try to get massages whenever we are on vacation and I guess safe to say "know our way around spa services".

 

Couples Massage - they advertise "ritual bath", etc on cruise personalizer, but it was nothing more than a couples massage - meaning we each got a massage together in the same room. There was an attempt to sell us some products - we said 'we'll think about it" and that was that. We were both pleased with the massages.

 

Hot Stone - My husband and I loved it (we did this separately). Very relaxing and my husband said it was one of the best massages he ever had - that is a LARGE statement.

 

Ion????therapy - this was the "lose 1-8 inches guaranteed" treatment.

I lost 4 inches :-) - one inch from the top of my mid-section, one inch from the middle of my mid-section (you get the point). The treatment was a bit painful, but I did see some result (there was a $99 special the last sea day - regular $159). This was where the hard sell really came in. I only escaped by promising to come back with my husband to discuss (which we never did). You see a result, then they sell you the $320/month support package! I can join a gym for much less!

 

Overall - we were quite pleased with the level of expertise of the masseuses. My friend had a 'wrap' skin treatment and was also happy with it.

 

My husband did go to the Thermal Suite a few times (paid) and enjoyed it. He loves 'bath houses' - so this was his thing.

 

The $10 chair was confusing. I think he was at the adult pool - near the sanctuary - and sat on a sanctuary lounge chair instead of a pool chair. That was when he was approached and moved to the pool chair. $10 for half day may be worth it to some - my husband did maximize his time in the Thermal Suite -but to do it every day, I think really would add up and I couldn't justify it. When you stay at a hotel - the spa usually comes with it, and you only pay extra for services, such as massages. Since the Spa is run by Steiner, they can't do it that way I guess...

 

The locker rooms, shower, saunas were very clean and plenty of towels to be had and they provided you with a robe. I also enjoyed the steam sauna.

[Familycruzer11]

I should say that my husband could have signed up for the week long pass on the first day. We didn't discover the spa until Monday (after sailing Sat) and it was no longer available - that was our bad! We will not make that mistake again.

 

Since he liked it so much, the pass would have been worth it to him...