Review of the Crown Princess 7/23-8/2 Long! Sorry!

[nycglitter]

Crown Princess Review July 23. 2007 – August 2, 2007

 

Embarkation: Could not have been easier! Walked into the terminal at 11am and were escorted directly to a window where we received our room keys and set up our shipboard account in a matter of minutes. We were on the ship and in our cabins by 11:15am.

 

Cabin: We had 2 cabins on the Caribe deck (C531/balcony & C533/inside) directly across from one another. We found the cabins to be some of the smallest we have seen, but had plenty of storage under the beds and in the closet, which was spacious. Additional shelving made unpacking easy and there was also an in-room safe, which worked well and held all of our valuables. The bathrooms were very tiny, but did feature corner shelves that worked well for storing our toiletries. Also a large shelf under the sink was useful as well. The shower was as tight as other CC members have stated. The shower curtain helped stretch the room because you did not have to deal with a solid door. Our steward was Frankie who brought us egg crates for our mattress and new (less lumpy) pillows. He also gave us extra towels each day and was very friendly and attentive. We tipped him an extra $20 in the first day and thanked him for all of his help.

 

Food: We went into the cruise very open minded about the food because we are more about the vacation experience as a whole then concerned about the dining. However, I can honestly say that Princess has some of the worst food out there. The portions were on the small side (which didn’t matter to us as the food was VERY salty and below average). The new menus are not very exciting and we actually found ourselves wandering around trying to find something decent to eat. The exception was on lobster night. The lobster tails were delicious! The beef Wellington was not bad either. We tried the pizza, both through room service (with the $3 charge) and at the pizzeria. They were identical in flavor…BAD! There are some frozen pizza’s out there that actually taste better. The ice cream was good, the gelato was great! My husband loved the International Café and made friends with Clive, who is the nicest man ever. He would pull freshly baked, still warm peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookies out of the oven especially for my husband. The cashew chicken salad and panini’s were very good too! We actually had lunch at the International Café most afternoons. My husband bought the coffee card (around $25 for 15 specialty coffee’s, plus you can add an extra shot of espresso free and have unlimited cups of brewed coffee throughout the trip). There has been a big fuss on the boards regarding the dining room coffee, but I have to say, it really was fine. Not great, but certainly drinkable. We did not try the Crown Grill, though many of our friends did and really enjoyed the food and the service. We did try Sabitini’s and have to say it was the best meal during the entire 9 days. Try it; you have to experience it to believe it. Great service and more food then you can imagine. Totally worth the $20/pp charge. Take the galley tour if you get a chance, it will give you an idea of just how much work goes into serving the nearly 4,000 passengers! We did try the buffets. Yes, they are indeed layed out poorly, but it was not nearly as bad as folks have made it out to be. I would recommend the buffet at the aft of the ship (Caribe Café). Much less crowded and we never had trouble finding a table.

 

Lounges: Adagio is the place to go for free stuffed olives and the tiramisu martini! Really not to be missed. If you enjoy Prosecco or champagne, Vines serves the coldest!!! Plus they bring you a small antipasto plate to enjoy and it’s complimentary. Crooners is the home of 56 martinis. We were very surprised at how empty the lounges were each evening. They are sadly underused and quite nice to sit and relax in! Oh, and Wheelhouse is the place to go if you are a smoker. We are not and it was not very enjoyable.

 

Shows: We saw Sarge. Very funny the first night, not so funny the second night. He left the ship during our trip and I am not sure who replaced him. The theatre shows were OK, nothing special. The backstage tour was fun and worth doing.

 

Shops: Limited items (if your forget your toothbrush, you are out of luck until your first port). The prices were actually higher on most everything, though duty free. In my opinion, San Juan was the best port for buying alcohol. Do it right at the pier, their prices were incredible.

 

Excursions: We only did one. The 1/2-day catamaran tour from St. Thomas to St. John. Unbelievable! The best part of our trip (with Bermuda being a close second!!!) So worth the money, so well done. The tour includes a total of 40 guests, but you are not crowded at all. My family had a blast and my 11 year old said it was her favorite part of the entire trip! Grand Turk is a waste. Yes, you can walk off the ship and into Margaritaville, but other then oceanfront, there is not much exciting to this port of call. The shops are expensive and offer little variety. The drinks run around $12 and the pool is pretty, but it’s a pool. We spent around 2 hours first thing in the morning at Margaritaville and then headed back to the ship where we enjoyed the pools to ourselves and had a great afternoon. In San Juan we did our own sightseeing and bypassed the cabbies that accosted us trying to get us to take a tour, even telling us that it was a holiday and all of the stores were closed. Not true. At the first store we encountered, we asked and the clerk told us everything would open around 10:30am and she was correct. Bermuda was awesome. We bought a day pass for $12 per adult and $6 for kids and used it for the ferry and the buses. We have never encountered such nice people before. Everyone on Bermuda was very helpful. The bus system is clean, as is the ferry and very easy to get around the island. The cabs are outrageous! We went to the Swizzle Inn in St. Georges for lunch and tried the native drink the Rum Swizzle (yum!) and then walked across the street for ice cream (very good) and then it was off (by bus) to Horsehoe Bay Beach. WOW!!! Probably the most beautiful beach we have ever seen. We all fell in love right there and then with Bermuda. We plan on going back someday. By far the most beautiful island on the itinerary.

 

Debarkation: Horrific. We had to be our of the room by 8am and one dining room served breakfast (until 8:30am) and then it’s off to sit like cattle for two hours until our color was called. What a nightmare. Once off the ship you face a sea of luggage and have to stand in line to catch a porter. Then it’s off to face the mobs of people waiting for rides. Despite how close parking was, this was a nightmare way to end the cruise.

 

 

When it was all said and done, we did enjoy our cruise. Princess has it’s faults, but then again, don’t they all in some ways? The people that we met on CC were the best and we enjoyed meeting everyone the first day at Outriggers.

 

Sorry this is so long, if you have any questions please feel free to ask! Pictures will follow soon. Still uploading…took hundreds!

[Clutterlady]

Thank you for the very informative review. What did you think of your Caribe balcony?

[Crusin Karen]

Thank you for your review. We are going on Crown in October. It is not the same itinerary as yours. This will only be our 2nd Princess cruise and I enjoy reading these posts. Been to Bermuda 6x and I totally agree: there is NO PLACE like Bermuda! :)

[nycglitter]

We loved the Caribe deck. The balconies are the largest I have ever seen. 2 metal chairs and a round table, plus two comfy lounge chairs and a smaller table!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[Dixe Lee]

Great review! No need to apologize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You covered different points that will really help anyone who will be sailing on the Crown for the first time (like us :D )

Any suggestions as to what someone can do to make disembarkation easier? Have read a few reviews lately that comment on the problem getting transportation at the pier. Did you see any people who had reservations with various car services or were taxis the norm? We will have to get to LGA, so is that what everyone ends up doing - waiting in line for taxis? That does sound like a dilemma.

[nycglitter]

Unfortunately it is all a mess and I am not sure what would clear it up. I guess the ideal situation would be to sign up to disembark first by carrying your own luggage. (Not an option for us as we had way too much) If you had a car and carried off your own luggage you could potentially be off relatively easily.

 

However, we had a limo (along with 1,000) other passengers and that was bad. Traffic was jammed with cars trying to get into the pier. Folks coming to the ship to board crown wait in the same line with the cars coming to pick people up. Taxi's actually seemed the better mode of transportation. There was a line, but not very long and way less crowded then car service area.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[nanfromatlanta]

Crown Princess Review July 23. 2007 – August 2, 2007

 

Shows: We saw Sarge. Very funny the first night, not so funny the second night. He left the ship during our trip and I am not sure who replaced him. The theatre shows were OK, nothing special. The backstage tour was fun and worth doing.

 

Welcome back. What did you think of Tim Donovan, the CD?

[frofro]

Great review.

 

I came back the day you boarded, other than the heavy downpour, I thought disembarkation was as easy as getting on the ship.

 

Next time if you are ever at Grand Turk, avoid that whole Margaritaville and take a short taxi ride to Bohio Resort. LOVED it! Next to Bermuda it was a very favorite part of our trip! I think if I'm ever in St Thomas again, I would do that catamaran excursion!

 

You are so right about the lovely lounges being underused, it was weird actually.

[nycglitter]

Welcome back. What did you think of Tim Donovan, the CD?

 

Tim was just OK. Tim liked Tim enough for everyone! Tim had very little time for the passengers, unless he was hosting something. I realize the job comes with tons of responsibility, but I would think he would have done a better job of mingling!

[nycglitter]

Great review.

 

I came back the day you boarded, other than the heavy downpour, I thought disembarkation was as easy as getting on the ship.

 

Next time if you are ever at Grand Turk, avoid that whole Margaritaville and take a short taxi ride to Bohio Resort. LOVED it! Next to Bermuda it was a very favorite part of our trip! I think if I'm ever in St Thomas again, I would do that catamaran excursion!

 

You are so right about the lovely lounges being underused, it was weird actually.

 

 

You were lucky regarding debarkation. The porters that were helping everyone said that our day was the worst they had seen and they were not sure why. The rain on the 23rd was a mess! Great day to leave the ship, not so fun for our sailaway!

[nanfromatlanta]

Tim was just OK. Tim liked Tim enough for everyone! Tim had very little time for the passengers, unless he was hosting something. I realize the job comes with tons of responsibility, but I would think he would have done a better job of mingling!

 

ROTFL... :D :D

 

So, as am MC, he just got passing grades?

[nycglitter]

ROTFL... :D :D

 

So, as am MC, he just got passing grades?

 

Exactly!

 

I would love his job and would love to mingle with the people on the ship. Think he would consider giving it up? LOL

[happy cruzer]

So you are reporting that the food on the Crown was worse than on your Carnival and your NCL cruises. Did you have breakfast or lunch in the dining room? I usually enjoy it better than the buffet. Did you have the crab legs or lamb? Just trying to get an idea of what you got to try that was so disappointing. glad the ice cream and coffee were good.

 

The debarcation sounds fairly typical. Most lines have you out of the room by at least 8 and most don't have the dining room open for breakfast just the buffet. Then it can take upto 2 hours pretty easily to get off unless you have those early flights through the cruise. And it is a pain to wait, I agree.

[frofro]

You were lucky regarding debarkation. The porters that were helping everyone said that our day was the worst they had seen and they were not sure why. The rain on the 23rd was a mess! Great day to leave the ship, not so fun for our sailaway!

 

My color was called pretty early, 9a.m. so I guess that helped. Also I found my luggage SO fast and easy. Having my own car was a plus too!

[frofro]

Tim was just OK. Tim liked Tim enough for everyone! Tim had very little time for the passengers, unless he was hosting something. I realize the job comes with tons of responsibility, but I would think he would have done a better job of mingling!

 

LOL I TOTALLY agree!

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the review.

[nycglitter]

So you are reporting that the food on the Crown was worse than on your Carnival and your NCL cruises. Did you have breakfast or lunch in the dining room? I usually enjoy it better than the buffet. Did you have the crab legs or lamb? Just trying to get an idea of what you got to try that was so disappointing. glad the ice cream and coffee were good.

 

The debarcation sounds fairly typical. Most lines have you out of the room by at least 8 and most don't have the dining room open for breakfast just the buffet. Then it can take upto 2 hours pretty easily to get off unless you have those early flights through the cruise. And it is a pain to wait, I agree.

 

Actually the Carnival food that I had was many years ago, and don't remember how it compares, and even if I did, it wouldn't hold up this many years later. As for NCL, we did enjoy the food more. Portions were better (normal) and they weren't buried in the bowl of salt. I am surprised the ship didn't tip or sink from everyone's water retention!!!

 

The crab legs were good and I don't eat lamb. I would say across the board, with the exception of Sabatini's, the food was all pretty much the same. Everything tasted the same actually. We were not alone in our complaints. Everyone we spoke to said pretty much the same thing. We loved the cruise, but it sure wasn't for the food! I am ok with that though because I have no desire to go on a ship to eat myself silly. It would just be nice if they could step it up a little.

 

Each cruise we have taken has served breakfast in the dining room, so I didn't find that unusual. Just the time you had to eat breakfast. NCL let's you stay in your cabin until you leave the ship and you can take a little more time in the morning which is really nice.

 

I am not a fan of buffet's in general so I wouldn't know good from bad. To me they are the option if you want quantity.

[Jfeasel]

I was on the same cruise and agree about the food, we did have better food on Carnival. I actually liked the Caribe Cafe and didn't have a problem with the set up at the Horizon Court because it's similar to the buffet on the Pride of America.

 

Getting off the ship was a royal pain. We had 11 in our group with transfers to LGA purchased through Princess. After finding our suitcases, we then had to find the bus, which was parked in the farthest line of busses. Then those working the transfers didn't have accurate print outs of who should be on the bus so that took a while to figure out.

 

We liked the beach on Grand Turk, did Magen's Bay on our own (not as crowded as I had expected), did a tour through the ship in San Juan and rented a scooter in Bermuda (highly recommend).

 

We thought the staterooms (balcony and inside) were bigger than Pride of America, and the other ships we've been on except for the Disney staterooms.

 

We liked MUTS but we had kids ages 10, 12, 14 and 16 and liked the movies during the day and at night. We found plenty of chairs on the decks above the pools which also provided for a nice breeze. The adults loved the spa pool and its hot tubs. The gym was great, most equipment we'd seen on a ship and the spa treatments were very good.

 

This was our first time on Princess and we'd sail her again over NCL and Royal.

[rdsqrl]

Tim was just OK. Tim liked Tim enough for everyone!

 

 

Yes, too funny and soooo true!! Tim, like most CDs, was a typical cross between a budget touring company vaudeville performer and a used-car salesman.

[willysgrandma]

Tim was just OK. Tim liked Tim enough for everyone! Tim had very little time for the passengers, unless he was hosting something. I realize the job comes with tons of responsibility, but I would think he would have done a better job of mingling!

 

Sounds like Omar, who was the CD on our Crown Cruise in November.

 

What is with this ship that they change the CD's so often?

[Clutterlady]

Everytime I read a review whether it's on the Princess board or other boards, and food is mentioned I have a tendency to cringe because food is so very subjective!

 

The OP mentioned that she preferred NCL's food over Princess and I had a hard time swallowing NCL food.....Carnival was better than NCL in my opinion.

 

Just want to let new Princess cruisers know do not be itimidated by food reviews, including mine!! Everyone's tastes are so varied....so not to fear, you won't starve on any cruise line:)

[mrjcharles]

Ok my cruisecritic friends, its time to talk about Tim Donovan. For those of you who did not come to the third party,Tim set it up and advertised it in the patter. He also made mention of it on his morning show. He was always out and about the ship and very personable everytime I saw him. He said he could be found in the Wheelhouse bar between shows and made himself available.

As to the third party,Tim kept his promise and showed up with his great assistant Brett and both were very gracious. We had a small turnout for that party but that didnt deter these two class gentlemen from spending their time with us. Tim did bingo, midnight show and was present at all major events. his morning show was hilarious.

We are all entitled to our opinions, but I felt it necessary to reply to posts that were in any way critical of him and his fine staff. I have been on cruises where you never see the cruise director except to introduce shows. We must realize how much they do behind the scenes.

Greg Kneale, now retired from Carnival, Was in Tim's class.Not many others are. Go on enough cruises and you will see what I mean. I am not putting down any cruise directors. The best analogy is there have been many great basketball players but how many Michael Jordan's were there.

I can't say enough about Tim and his staff.I welcome any comments.

Meanwhile, It was a great cruise. Joe

[nycglitter]

Ok my cruisecritic friends, its time to talk about Tim Donovan. For those of you who did not come to the third party,Tim set it up and advertised it in the patter. He also made mention of it on his morning show. He was always out and about the ship and very personable everytime I saw him. He said he could be found in the Wheelhouse bar between shows and made himself available.

As to the third party,Tim kept his promise and showed up with his great assistant Brett and both were very gracious. We had a small turnout for that party but that didnt deter these two class gentlemen from spending their time with us. Tim did bingo, midnight show and was present at all major events. his morning show was hilarious.

We are all entitled to our opinions, but I felt it necessary to reply to posts that were in any way critical of him and his fine staff. I have been on cruises where you never see the cruise director except to introduce shows. We must realize how much they do behind the scenes.

Greg Kneale, now retired from Carnival, Was in Tim's class.Not many others are. Go on enough cruises and you will see what I mean. I am not putting down any cruise directors. The best analogy is there have been many great basketball players but how many Michael Jordan's were there.

I can't say enough about Tim and his staff.I welcome any comments.

Meanwhile, It was a great cruise. Joe

 

 

Joe -

 

I did not mean to offend, but you should know that derogatory statements were made by Tim about being "hounded" about having the third CC meeting. He wasn't thrilled. Also, in my personal dealings with Brett, he could not have been less interested in conversation and was extremely smug. As you said, everyone has their own opinion and mine can only be formed on my personal experiences. As for Wheelhouse, I wouldn't call a smoky dark bar being "accessible" as not everyone likes a smoky atmosphere! In any case, neither gentleman would deter me from cruising Princess again. As I said, we had a great time!

[xxxx]

I was on this cruise also and I don't know what some people expect in the food area. We've been on over 15 cruises on a number of cruise lines and the food on this cruise was as good or better than most. Just another example of the subjectiveness of food reviews. We were seldom disappointed and for portions: there was too much food over the course of the nine days, eating only at scheduled times in the dining room. The only better food "in our opinion", might have been on the QM2.

As for debarkation, it was pretty normal as compared to our other cruises whether in the US, Europe, or anywhere else. When you have over 3000 people getting off, some have to wait.