Crown Princess Questions

[rustybolts]

We've been on the Grand and now are giving the Crown a try. I understand they are sister ships, but not identical. Could I ask you knowledgable PCL cruisers a couple of questions about the Crown????

 

First, does Princess have priority embarkation in San Juan for penthouse guests?

 

Second, does Princess have it's own version of "Quest" like on RCI ships? Even NCL has started doing a version of this whacky game.

 

Third, the last time I was on a PCL ship, "Personal Choice" didn't seem to be working all that well. Has it gotten smoother? Which one have you done and how was it on your last cruise?

 

Fourth, does Princess still roust everybody up at the crack of dawn for customs on the last day? Nothing more painful than trudging along in a long line on the last morning with a hangover!

 

Fifth, where is the best outdoor bar to have a sailaway get together? I was thinking "Tradewinds."

 

Six, where is the best indoor bar to have a sailaway in case mother nature does not cooperate?

 

Seven, are the rear pool area and forward spa pools still adults only like they were on the Grand/

 

Eight, you said the only time it felt crowded was during the muster drill. When we were on the Grand, it was he[[ trying to get a spot on the pool deck or even the deck above it on sea days. And the smaller show lounge was packed if you didn't get there in plenty of time for the show. What has Princess done to fix that in their newbuilds?

 

OK, that's enough for now. I'll check back later to see your answers. Thanks in advance!!!

 

Rustybolts

 

Thanks in advance!!

[UxbridgeCruiser]

We've been on the Grand and now are giving the Crown a try. I understand they are sister ships, but not identical. Could I ask you knowledgable PCL cruisers a couple of questions about the Crown????

 

First, does Princess have priority embarkation in San Juan for penthouse guests?

 

No

 

Second, does Princess have it's own version of "Quest" like on RCI ships? Even NCL has started doing a version of this whacky game.

 

Not sure

 

Third, the last time I was on a PCL ship, "Personal Choice" didn't seem to be working all that well. Has it gotten smoother? Which one have you done and how was it on your last cruise?

 

We had Anytime dining and it worked well for us. The most we waited for a table for 2 was 15 minutes. Most nights we could have gotten in if we wanted to share a table. Whenever we had to wait we just went to a bar close by and had a drink, they give you a pager to page you when your table is ready.

 

Fourth, does Princess still roust everybody up at the crack of dawn for customs on the last day? Nothing more painful than trudging along in a long line on the last morning with a hangover!

 

Not sure about in San Juan. We are Canadian and had to go through US Customs when we arrived back in NY. Didn't get up earlier than anyone else. Disembark commenced at 8:25am

 

Fifth, where is the best outdoor bar to have a sailaway get together? I was thinking "Tradewinds."

 

I think that would be a good choice. You get the aft view. If you grab a drink or two and head to Deck 19 where the mini putt is, the views are great from up there, just no bar service.

 

Six, where is the best indoor bar to have a sailaway in case mother nature does not cooperate?

 

I would say Skywalkers because it has almost 360 degree views but I don't know if the bar is open or not during sailaway.

 

Seven, are the rear pool area and forward spa pools still adults only like they were on the Grand/

 

Yes

 

Eight, you said the only time it felt crowded was during the muster drill. When we were on the Grand, it was he[[ trying to get a spot on the pool deck or even the deck above it on sea days. And the smaller show lounge was packed if you didn't get there in plenty of time for the show. What has Princess done to fix that in their newbuilds?

 

I have never been on the Grand but I have been on the Star. I would say there is way more loungers on the upper sun decks but they are a hike from the pool. If you don't mind spening the cash, try the Sanctuary near the Lotus Spa pool. 20 bucks per person for an all day pass. Definately worth it for us, they limit passes to the amount of loungers they have. Once you pick your lounger, its yours for the day. As for the Princess theatre, we arrived 20mins prior to show and had no problem gettin a seat.

 

OK, that's enough for now. I'll check back later to see your answers. Thanks in advance!!!

 

Rustybolts

 

Thanks in advance!!

 

 

Hope this helps, I was just on the 10th Aug Crown sailing from NY

[rdsqrl]

Actually, I think Outriggers is the bar aft and Tradewinds is the one up by the main pools. That said, we had our CC sailaway get-together at Outriggers and it was very nice -- not crowded, good views, strong mai-tais.

I can't answer your Penthouse or Quest questions.

 

Yes, I thought the rousting was quite early, but then I'm not a morning person: I think they wanted you out of your cabins at 8am, which I guess isn't totally unreasonable.

I had Anytime Dining, had disappointing service the first two nights but no wait to speak of (only about 10 minutes on Formal Night); but the remaining nights had a standing reservation with an excellent waiter, so overall I think the experience was fine. I also had Anytime on the Grand, and I didn't see any difference between the two ships in terms of wait times, etc., if that helps you.

I never had any trouble finding a chair, but I'm just one person -- if there are lots of you, it might be problematic. Obviously the best chairs next to the pools go right away, but there are tons on the upper decks that aren't necessarily right near the pools, but it isn't like you're in Outer Mongolia (not to diss O.M., which I'm sure is a lovely place).

Have a wonderful time; it's a beautiful ship and while there are that many more pax than on the Grand, except for Muster Drill, you generally don't see them all in the same place at the same time. I never felt any more crowded than I did on the Grand.

[rustybolts]

I'm still in a quandry about which bar to use for the sailaway. We have a HUGE roll call on our sail date - right now standing at around 100. So we'll need someplace big enough to handle about 50% of that - the percentage that usually actually show up at these things. And as I see it, Tradewinds and Outriggers each haver their pluses and minuses. Tradewinds is a little higher up and might offer more panoramic views. And it's a little more wide open with more room for a big crowd. Outriggers is in the adults only area and would be pretty scenic looking at the wake over the pool. But the area seems to be limited in size. What's your opinion now that you know what size potential group we're talking about?

 

Thanks for your other answers. My experience on our last PCL cruise wasn't as good as yours in terms of the PC dining. We often had to wait for over 30 minutes for a table and when we asked for a large table, we got a table for 2. When we asked for a table for 2 we got a large. Whatever.

 

We are regular NCL cruisers. On NCL, you can basically get off the ship and out of your room just about any time you want before 10 am. Say what you want about PCL, but you can't beat NCLs disembarkation procedures. So we are not used to vacating the room at 8 am and I'm not looking forward to getting up at that hour to drag my hangover off the ship.

 

Another challenge we had with our last cruise was that the availability of deck loungers on sea days was BAD. Lots of people wandering the decks looking for a place to sun themselves. And I'm not just talking about right next to the pool. I like the idea of the Sanctuary, though. Another problem I have is that we won't be able to hang out with any of our friends that don't want to spend the 20 bucks. Of course that might be a plus! HA!

 

On the Grand back in 2001, every time there was a show or a concert in the smaller lounge - not the big Princess Show lounge, it seemed like the place was packed well before the show started. Now I think it's great that the shows are well attended, but when you've got a great show, 3,400 passengers and a venue that seats less than 1,000 - that's creates a problem. The Princess theatre was never crowded, in my opinion because the shows just weren't that good. They could have had those shows in the smaller show lounge and had the magic acts and concerts in the Princess. OK, so maybe that wouldn't be logistically possible with all the props and all, but you see my point. You just can't fit 10 lbs of potatoes in a 5 lb. bags!!!

 

Thanks again for your responses. I'll wait to see if anybody has a comment or answer on any of the other questions, too.

 

Thanks!!

 

Rusty