Crown Princess Repositioning Review! Day by day...

[bickee]

Hi all!

 

I'm also planning on writing a fairly long "day to day" type review, hope Empress doesn't mind!

 

Hubby and I went on this cruise, I am 31, he is 32. We live in Manhattan and enjoy eating out, wine, drinks, living the good life, more or less! This is our 6th cruise, we've been on Princess, Carnival, and Royal. Princess has always edged ahead as our favorite. This has not changed!

 

Since we live in NYC we had a car service pick us up the morning of the cruise. Typically we like to show up a little later in that we find it much less congested and line free. I decided we should show up about an hour prior to our normal time, after hearing how great Brooklyn port was. So the car service (Carmel, highly recommended) showed up at noon, and we got to the port about 12:30ish. And the reports were correct, I have NEVER, EVER experienced such an easy and fabulous embarkation. Dropped the luggage and were HURRYING to fill out the "sickness" form as there was no line and they were waiting for us! Walked right on the ship. Literally 5 minutes if that. Unreal. I will definitely sail from this port again!

 

Our room was ready, aft corner balcony B749. LOVE THIS BALCONY! The room was a typical balcony size. Lots of storage, tiny bathroom. The usual. But the balcony was a nice large aft that was semi wrap around. It was wonderful and totally private. You were almost in a seperate hall then the other cabins, quiet and peaceful. Hubby and I have had a few afts in our day and this was the best. Call us aft addicts, and proud of it!

 

We met Silawan, our wondeful steward almost immediately. She was a sweety from Thailand who was always smiling and cheerful. We ended up filling out a "you made a difference" card for her at the end. I asked for an egg crate and she had it on the bed before I could blink!

 

Hubby and I are NOT buffet people. We try to avoid it if at all possible. In fact on RCI we like to call it the "wind-germer". So instead of the normal madness of the buffet lunch, we indulged in some pizza. Living in NY we are pizza-spoiled it wasn't great, but it didn't stop us from finishing!!!

 

We went back to the room to find our luggage! Great! I unpacked (I always do, I like to decide where things go, hubby's useless for that). He unpacked the box of 6 wines that we brought (packed in a wine shipping box, checked with the luggage, no problem!) and set up our bar with his VO (packed clear as day in luggage) and our waters and his diet ginger ales. Ready to drink!

 

Had muster drill and I've said it once and I'll say it again, Princess is HEADS AND TALES above RCI when it comes to these drills. We don't waltz around with the lifejackets on, we don't line up like cattle outside the ship. I was escorted to a nice seat in Club Fusion and it was easy as pie. RCI needs to learn from this.

 

After muster we explored the ship. Having been on the CB (our favorite cruise) we were familiar with some of the areas. I think the Crown is much more elegantly decorated. Love the dark wood and even the artwork! Checked out the international cafe. Good stuff! The staff didn't seem to all have the same answer as to WHAT the coffee card actually got you. So we just said forget it, we'll buy as we go. Hubby drinks coffee and I figured I'd have a fun latte or two.

 

Went to one of my favorite places, the SPA! to sign up for the week long thermal suite pass. LOVE THAT PLACE! Something I've dreamed about since the last princess cruise! Entered the spa raffle and of course didn't win.

 

Time to go up on deck for sailaway! Had my first drink, my favorite, the mojito. Princess makes great ones, not too sugary. Hubby had a red bull and absolute to wake up! I couldn't believe the weather for sailaway. 70 degrees and sunny. It was great. Even though we live in NY, there's nothing like seeing the skyline and Statue of Liberty. And the Verrazano bridge was awesome! You just can't believe how close you get unless you see it.

 

About dining. We were originally confirmed for second seating MONTHS ago. Leading up to the cruise we considered trying anytime for the first time seeing as that the Red Sox MIGHT be in the World Series and ALCS and we absolutely had to plan around that. We're diehard Sox fans from way back. ;) Anyhoo the night before we figured out that the Sox WOULD be in game 6 at the very least so it was too late to change our reservations until we got on the ship. WELL our cruise card said, of course, "anytime dining". It seems they just switch EVERYONE over to anytime and hope that you don't want to wait in the absurdly long maiter D line that first day. Since we were planning on switching anyway it made it easy for us but I felt bad for everyone else in line.

 

Had our first wine/vo and diet ginger ale predrinks on our balcony! Went to dinner early, around 6:40, in hopes that we'd find the Sox on SOMEWHERE that night. Went to DiVinci, had our first table for two. It was kind of nice not having to make the typical small talk and feeling a bit awkward. As usual, the food was AMAZING! My opinion only, (and hubby's) Princess has by FAR the best dining room food. I only eat fish and there was plenty for me. That night I believe I had barramundi(?) ceasar salad and a watermelon appetizer. For dessert...I forget the name but it was chocolatey goodness. Flourless chocolate cake of some sort. Did I mention that I am a chocoholic??? Hubby had some kind of red meat, shrimp cocktail, some other app, and a banana dessert. Sorry I was too busy stuffing my face to notice his! I did notice right away that our waiter had really no interest in us at all and seemed overworked. More on that as the days progress!

 

One more thing about dinner, we brought a bottle of wine that first night and were informed about the corkage fee. No big deal, but I think in traditional you have more of a chance NOT getting charged because the waiters hope for a better tip.

 

It was time to do a Sox search! And guess what...nowhere to be found. Apparently they couldn't get Fox signal at that time. We were CRUSHED to say the least. Went to the casino for a bit, then headed up to Adiago to drink our sorrows away. Well it was here that we found our favorite bar and bartender! Igor was great. He was an excentric, wonderful man that loved to chat and was so knowlegable about drinks! The olives and breadsticks were also great, not that we needed them! After this we were off to bed. Wanted to be thoroughly rested for my favorite part of the cruise...sea days!

 

Wow I can't believe how long this is already. Hope all of you will hang in there. Back later for day 2!

[rdsqrl]

Thank you for spending some of your precious Internet time and money to share with us! Sounds like you're off to a fun start, and since the Red Sox have already won the Series, you won't have to fret about missing any action for the rest of the cruise.

I love Adagio, too -- best bar on the ship, and one of my favourite rooms on any ship I've ever sailed on. Is it still totally uncrowded in the evening?

Sorry your dining room waiter was subpar -- please don't say it was George from Romania, who was mine in Da Vinci and was excellent! If he's still onboard, you should try and ask for his section. Tell him he came highly recommended!

Have fun . . . I'm sooo jealous you're there and I'm not!

[bickee]

Don't worry, this is a review, not a live post! I'm using my home internet unfortunately! Wish I was still there!!!!!!!!

[CruisinMinnie]

Thank you so much for posting. I look forward to reading more. As you can see from my signature, I have not sailed on Princess before. But, the Crown Princess itinerary for next July caught my eye, and I booked without a second thought. I'll be reading everything on Princess and especially the Crown between now and then. :)

[East Coaster]

Thanks for your review. Looking forward to reading more. My DH and I are also Red Sox fans and I'm glad they won so I can get some sleep! LOL There is a big parade tomorrow for them as they came back to Boston this afternoon. We are so proud of our Sox!

 

We are cruising on the Crown in 3 weeks from San Juan and are really excited. We have also cruised on RCCL, Holland, and Carnival and keep coming back to Princess.

[bickee]

Day 2, At Sea:

 

Well thanks to the "drinking our sorrows away" the night before, we didn't make it in time for the dining room breakfast. A little note, hubby and I are NOT early risers. If I want to make it up for the breakfast I need to set our alarm. When it went off we said...heck no! I ventured up to horizon court. I don't mind it THAT much for breakfast. I always eat the same thing on my vacation breakfast, lox and bagel w/cream cheese, tomato, and onion. It was perfect weather! 70's and sunny. Not what I expected of our first sea day out of NY. Hubby went to the International Cafe with his laptop for some pastries. This became his favorite spot on the ship. I then headed off to my favorite sunning spot, the spa pool area. Set myself up on the spa deck and read some of the first of my two books, popped into the hot tub a bit. This area seemed much more crowded then I remembered on the CB. Even the pool itself was packed. Not sure why.

 

At 12:30 I headed to Skywalkers for our CC meet and greet! It was very well attended and I enjoyed chatting with Golfy and his wife and Karen a great deal. Thanks to Jocelyn for making the pins and the name tags! I was supposed to meet up with hubby at 1:15 for lunch but we were in the middle of a picture taking extravaganza and I couldn't get out! He ate without me.

:( This is when I made my mistake...headed up to the Horizon Court again. Ugh! I really hate buffet lunches. Had some semi-cold bean burrito, some random salad, etc. Cookies were the only saving grace. Needless to say I am back on "breakfast buffet only" mode.

 

Headed back to the good ol spa pool. Spent the afternoon reading and sunning. I had to keep moving my seat as I really wanted a quiet area to sun. Lots of loud groups sitting here which surprised me. And no, they weren't all New Yorkers. I'll leave it at that. I had a lovely, relaxing time, regardless.

 

Then it was time for the THERMAL SUITE! I always like to have a nice drink right before to give me the extra relaxed feeling. I must say, Princess definitely has better drinks then RCI. Again, my opinion, but I had remembered it before and it was still true on this cruise. The thermal suite was as wonderful as I remembered. Fell asleep for a bit on the stone lounger. The one thing I will say is that I think they need to be more dilligent about is watching who goes into the thermal suite. It would be perfectly easy to waltz in and out without having the pass, and I suspected some doing so, as they didn't have the robe on that was handed out. Anyway, I need to build one of these in my future home, I told hubby. He wasn't thrilled. ;)

 

I should say that one of the things hubby LOVED about the CB was the Sunday football on MUTS. So when they didn't put it on this cruise he was hugely disappointed. I'm not sure why they changed this, I remember seeing it in previous Crown Patters. He was able to see one game in Club Fusion but it wasn't the same. He wasn't the only disappointed guest.

 

Off to get ready for dinner early again...we had heard rumors that the Sox game would be on in Club Fusion, as they got Fox earlier for the Giants game. After having a few drinks on our fabulous balcony we went to dinner again around 6:40 in our formal duds. Black dress for me, black suit for him. We went back to Divinci and encountered our first and ONLY wait for anytime, a total of 5 whole minutes. Sat alone for the second time. That was nice. Food was good again, I had butter fish I believe, don't remember what hubby had, but all was good. Had one of the souffle's that night, definitely the best desserts on the ship. Love these! Again, service was lacking. This is the one problem with anytime. Waiters just don't care. Easily got our bottle of wine from last night.

 

Then we were off to club fusion, with hopeful hearts, only to find...nothing. No game. Game 7...nowhere to be found. Staff told us different stories, they didn't have signal for fox (but...they just had it hours ago), etc. We made one desperate attempt to go back to our cabin and drag our clock radio out to the balcony to get an AM station. Lo and behold...it worked! Sort of...we'd get a signal and then it disappeared, and we'd find another channel. So we were able to listen to most of the 2nd half. And they won! So exciting. Hubby wanted to go to Adiago and celebrate but my stomach wasn't feeling so hot...definitely not used to eating so much and so unhealthily! So off to bed we went.

[joand452]

Enjoying your report and looking forward to your next installments. We loved our cruise on Crown Princess, too (I admit I'm one of those "walk-ins" to the thermal suite, but I didn't know. I only stayed about 20 minutes.). I'm hoping to get back on her.

[EmpressofPurple]

Becky, I am LOVING your review!!! It's so neat to hear about all the aspects of the ship I didn't get to see (and it's amazing that we are both aficionados of the thermal suite and the spa pool and yet NEVER ran into each other in either place).

 

One of the things I loved, walking on the pool deck, was seeing all the different types of people, playing cards, mah-jong, drinking, whatever -- it's incredible that cruising can provide activities to interest such a wide range of individuals. As you can tell from my review, my friend and I adored the buffet; I love hearing about the dining room breakfasts and lunches from you (I have made these in cruises past but not this time).

 

So sorry all you sports fans didn't get the coverage of games that you wanted; this is not an issue for me, but I know it is so important to those that care about these things. While a sports bar or MUTS/lounge presentations of big games would hold no interest for me, I love that cruises can provide entertaining for people who like everything from string quartets in the Piazza to rock bands in Explorers... seems a shame the sports fans didn't get what they wanted.

 

For the person who has booked Crown for the Scandinavia and Russia itinerary, wow, sounds like an amazing cruise -- believe me, the Crown is a terrific ship and you will have a great time.

 

Becky, I am looking forward to your continuing review!!!

 

-D

[cruisinbuddy]

Not meaning to be picky, but the short form for the Crown P. is KP.:)

I like reading things that will apply to our cruise on th "KP" :D in Feb., like the food being good.

[bickee]

Not meaning to be picky, but the short form for the Crown P. is KP.:)

I like reading things that will apply to our cruise on th "KP" :D in Feb., like the food being good.

 

Not sure if you're referring to me, but I'm comparing this to the CB, or Caribbean princess in my review. That's what I mean when I say CB.

[bickee]

Becky, I am LOVING your review!!! It's so neat to hear about all the aspects of the ship I didn't get to see (and it's amazing that we are both aficionados of the thermal suite and the spa pool and yet NEVER ran into each other in either place).

 

One of the things I loved, walking on the pool deck, was seeing all the different types of people, playing cards, mah-jong, drinking, whatever -- it's incredible that cruising can provide activities to interest such a wide range of individuals. As you can tell from my review, my friend and I adored the buffet; I love hearing about the dining room breakfasts and lunches from you (I have made these in cruises past but not this time).

 

So sorry all you sports fans didn't get the coverage of games that you wanted; this is not an issue for me, but I know it is so important to those that care about these things. While a sports bar or MUTS/lounge presentations of big games would hold no interest for me, I love that cruises can provide entertaining for people who like everything from string quartets in the Piazza to rock bands in Explorers... seems a shame the sports fans didn't get what they wanted.

 

For the person who has booked Crown for the Scandinavia and Russia itinerary, wow, sounds like an amazing cruise -- believe me, the Crown is a terrific ship and you will have a great time.

 

Becky, I am looking forward to your continuing review!!!

 

-D

 

Thanks! It is interesting to hear different sides! I saw your cruisemate in the thermal suite a great deal! ;)

[arizonaperson]

Don't worry, this is a review, not a live post! I'm using my home internet unfortunately! Wish I was still there!!!!!!!!

 

I hope you will post a review under the member review section under the ship name? Enjoy reading all about the Crown and your adventure.

[bickee]

Day 3, At Sea:

 

Just a note, due to the fact that this was a repositioning cruise, our itinerary was somewhat strange, 3 sea days and 3 ports, in that order. I loved all the sea days though, I could do a whole week of them!

 

Woke up feeling guilty about all I had eaten so far and headed over to the gym for a little treadmill work. A little background about me...I manage and teach power yoga at a studio here in NYC...tend to eat healthy, lots of excersise, even walk a few dogs during the week! So when I go on vacation I usually take relaxation to a new level! This past year I have aquired 2 hamstring injuries which take ages to heal, I think it's been about 10 months for the left one. So I was NOT supposed to be doing ANY excersise at all this week. Full week of rest. Anyway I simply walked 2 miles on the treadmill and then felt a little achy...and said that's it. I can go a week with just rest and that's that. So this was my only visit to the gym. It was nice though. Somewhat rocky so I had to keep grabbing the bar on the treadmill!

 

It was cloudy this morning so we went off to the dining room breakfast and didn't rush. Sat with some lovely folks from Jacksonville (hi jeff and heather) and I had some papaya and my usual lox and bagel. I couldn't believe that I actually PREFERRED to get the lox in the Horizon Court, simply because I could get more tomato and sides. I know, I could have asked the waiter for more...but I"m not one to keep requesting things and bugging the waiter. They seem overworked as it is! I enjoyed being served at breakfast and I loved how all cruise I got my decaf tea in my own little pot. I can drink a lot of tea!

 

Ok still cloudy...I headed up to the spa pool to hang out in the hot tub. There was a family in there as well and one guy never received his luggage! They said it was lost and MIGHT show up in St. Thomas. Poor guy. They gave him a free suit and let him have things from the shops but man...I wouldn't want to be wearing Princess gear all week! Never did find out what happened to him. While I was lounging in the hot tub it started to sprinkle. It was nice, being in the (semi) hot water with cool rain falling. The funniest thing was that once rain started to fall people were RUNNING for shelter...even the ones in the pool! Apparently rain water makes people melt. LOL! Anyway it cleared the hot tub for me!

 

Off to the thermal suite for an early morning visit! Enjoyed the sauna, aromatic steam, hot lounger in that order. Man I love this place. If you like anything "spa" then I highly recommend purchasing the pass. It is well worth it.

 

Ok STILL cloudy...how dare mother nature on my cruise! Decided to meet hubby for dining room lunch. Had some very chatty tablemates, they were fun but definitely different from us! One couple from South Dakota, talking about their first visit to NYC. Something had happened with their flights, they didn't get to use the transfers from Princess and they sent them to the SUBWAY. To Brooklyn! Now these were not city folk, but luckily some fellow Manhattanites saw them looking helpless on the subway and helped them out. The funniest part was that they were staying at the Brooklyn Marriott and had to walk down a "tree lined street" to get to the hotel. The wife said "I am so glad I got to see Central Park!". I didn't have the heart to tell her she didn't see Manhattan OR Central Park. Let her have her memories. :D

 

After lunch..SUN! Hooray! Off to the spa pool. Read and sunned for the remainder of the afternoon, had my afternoon drink (raspberry mojito) and headed back, yes back, to the thermal suite. Simply "napped" on the lounger this time. So relaxing. Stopped at IC on the way back to the room to grab some cookies to enjoy for hubby and myself on our balcony. Read for a while. Utter relaxation.

 

Hubby wanted to go to dinner early so he could see Monday night football at Skywalkers. Again, unlike the Caribbean Princess, they weren't playing it on MUTS but in Skywalkers instead. Another disappointment for my hubby. The strange thing was they weren't even playing movies, just concerts. Not sure why they made this change. May I just say it didn't not "ruin" our cruise, but just letting people know that might also be looking forward to sports on the ship! Again lots of complaints from the men on the ship. ;)

 

Headed to dinner, Divinci for the 3rd time. Possibly our rudest waiter to date. Hubby and I argued (lightheartedly of course) whether he was overworked, it was his culture, or he was just plain rude. Despite the bad service we enjoyed the food immensely. Italian night so I had the eggplant parm, the daily salad, and FETTUCINNI ALFREDO! One of my favorites. It did not disappoint. Hubby got some shrimp fra diavlo type dish. He loved it. For dessert I had the tirimisu which was more like a cake then actual tirimisu. It was my least favorite dessert which is saying A LOT for the week! :)

 

After dinner I went to Skywalkers with hubby for a bit, had a drink, watched a bit of football then headed by myself to Explorer's for the late comedy show. Hal Spears I believe was his name. The passenger feud was just ending and the place was a madhouse with people waiting for seats. Luckily I was alone so I had no problem. As far as the show goes...I'm not sure if it was just the random drunkards yelling out in between each joke (this was SO annoying) or if he just wasn't that funny. I actually left early. I have never done this before. The people shouting out and the jokes just weren't a good combination. Went back to find hubby and we went back to Adiago for a drink and chat with Igor. Met a few nice ladies who also loved Igor and praised him for a bit. Oh I should mention, during dinner hubby and I made a bet on the spelling of our steward's name. I thought it was Siowan...he insisted SiLowan, with an L. Now this is a private joke, but we've had a lot of Limoncello in the past and hated it every time. Igor had insisted we'd love this homeade limoncello, so whoever lost had to drink a glass. Well darn it if I didn't lose. And darn it if I STILL hated the Limocello! That stuff is plain gross! Had a few drinks here (and olives!) and off to bed we go.

[bickee]

Day 4, at sea: (well technically day 3, but I've been counting embarkation day as day 1)

 

Boohoo last sea day! So sad. I like ports but honestly, I could stay on the ship for a week and be happy. Woke up to sunshine which I was thrilled about. Hubby wanted to sleep in so I went to get my lox and bagel at Horizon court. I can never get enough of this stuff, but I don't really allow myself to eat it at home. Too much fat and cals in the bagel and cream cheese! Met hubby at the International Cafe for some tea. Note: they had been charging me a dollar for decaf tea at the IC and I had no clue why seeing is that it's free everywhere else. I finally found out they had specialty teas that I should have been offered...but wasn't. Oh well. Since it was only a buck I never worried about it. I MAY have dabbled in a jelly donut as well, god damn it was good.

 

I decided to make a change this morning and head over to the aft pool area. I didn't really enjoy this area quite as much as the spa pool. The actual area aroudn the pool is jam packed, and the upper decks have very limited chairs. I ended up in some "teenagers only" area, although there were no teens. Strange. I eventually headed back to the sports deck and spa pool area to sun. Read some more and popped in and out of the hottub. Bliss.

 

Hubby and I decided to meet at the dining room for lunch. Sat alone today. I had a yummy salmon salad and mango yogurt for dessert. It was great. Then hubby was off to watch something on MUTS and I headed back to the spa pool. I know, I'm boring. Oh I should mention that I attempted to sign up for the sanctuary that day at probably around 9:30 AM and it was booked solid! I was surprised since it seemed on this board that no one wanted to pay. It looked great and I'm a bit sad I never got to partake. Comfy chairs and lots of quiet. Next time!

 

Of course it was drink time (seabreeze) and off to the thermal suite for my hour of joy! The worst is when a couple of people know each other and yap back and forth at top volume. HellO, I'm trying to nap here!!! ;)

 

Tonight hubby and I had planned to have the ultimate balcony dinner. Let me just say it was the BEST thing we have ever done on a cruise. We were worried that it wasn't worth the money, and that the waiter would seem intrusive...not so at all! Let me start by saying that I was a vegetarian for years and only recently re-introduced fish to my diet for better protein sources. With that being said, I am still picky about what fish I eat. I don't eat shellfish, so that left out the crabcake and lobster. Well when we called they were MORE then helpful to change the menu to my liking.

 

Let me interject for one moment about our balcony "neighbors". Having a corner aft we only had one set of neighbors. But they more then made up for the other side. They apparently had never learned how to whisper, and we could constantly hear them yelling back and forth to each other. Well today we had an extra special treat, they decided to have a FIGHT out on the balcony. Yelling at each other, slamming the balcony door then coming back out to yell some more. While I was debating whether to say something NOW or wait until the dinner began when it was truly unacceptable...someone from the other side said "hey I'm SLEEPING out here, can you keep it down?" Well the man said he didn't think anyone would be sleeping at 5pm. The woman that had yelled at him said, "not the POINT! you're disturbing everyone else! go inside to fight!". Then they sarcastically apologized, but did go inside. Go woman on the other side!!! Anyway we still heard them yelling to each other but luckily that fight was averted before our romantic dinner. So cabin b751 if you're reading this THANKS for your INCONSIDERATE behavior. Please learn how to whisper. ;)

 

Back to the actual dinner. Our wonderful waiter, Jovi, showed up to decorate the table, flowers, tablecloth, etc. Our balcony was PERFECT for this! It was nice and warm out. The photographer came first and it was a bit awkward, the poses were cheesier then our WEDDING photos. We felt a bit ridiculous but it ended quickly. We then sat down to our predrinks. When they asked us what we wanted we figured we'd go big, a Bombay sapphire martini for hubby, Grey Goose martini for me, straight up with olives. And they didn't blink an eye! We also were given half a bottle of champagne and had brought a bottle of Sterling Pinot Noir we bought in Napa 5 years ago. Yum!

 

Hubby started with the crab cake that he said was unbelievable, I had a goat cheese souffle which was FABULOUS! I cannot say enough about it. Then we both had a salad with pears and peppercorn cheese, also great. They were nice enough to make me a HUGE filet of salmon which was awesome. I cannot begin to explain hubby's surf and turf...HUGE! Enough for 3 people, at least. For dessert we were stuffed but tasted the different chocolate mousses presented on a plate. Jovi was a great waiter, she seemed to know just when to show up. It was totally private and wonderful, and I HIGHLY recommend this. We've already decided that on our next cruise we're doing it more then one night.

 

I believe this was the night that we watched Evan Almighty on MUTS. While the movie sucked, the experience was great. One word of warning, GET THERE EARLY! We got there about 15 minutes prior and got literally the last seats. It was a great concept except I keep falling asleep! There was a nice breeze and we had blankets...just a nice time. Then off to bed, ready for our first port day, St. Thomas!

[bickee]

Hmm...no replies but it seems a lot of folks are reading this so I guess I'll work on the next day...to come.

[EmpressofPurple]

Hey Becky, I'm sure reading along... glad you hear you ran into Sheron in the thermal suite (I know that was her favorite spot, too).

 

Love the description of the balcony dinner... AND the noisy neighbors! We had something similar on our second-to-last night; I'll describe it in my thread later...

 

I know lots of folks enjoy these detailed travelogues, so keep it coming!!

 

-D

[nicschick]

Tonight hubby and I had planned to have the ultimate balcony dinner. Let me just say it was the BEST thing we have ever done on a cruise. We were worried that it wasn't worth the money, and that the waiter would seem intrusive...not so at all! Let me start by saying that I was a vegetarian for years and only recently re-introduced fish to my diet for better protein sources. With that being said, I am still picky about what fish I eat. I don't eat shellfish, so that left out the crabcake and lobster. Well when we called they were MORE then helpful to change the menu to my liking.

 

 

Hello bickee,

I'm enjoying your day by day accounts of your cruise. Thank you for taking the time. My husband and I will be on the Crown for our anniversary in January. I'm strongly considering the UBD. Where did you go or call to get it arranged? Was the wind an issue on your balcony during your dinner?

Laura

[bickee]

Ok...so here I go! First port day, St. Thomas:

 

We've been to St. Thomas before, so we wanted to do something relaxing that wouldn't take up the whole day and we could spend more time on the ship! After reading and scouring CC we decided to make our way to Emerald Beach for a few hours, a close beach that's not quite as popular with tourists. I headed off to Horizon for my usual lox and hubby ordered room service. This is the one area I wish Princess would follow RCI's lead and have a full room service breakfast menu. I love to eat on my balcony but I can't eat pastries every day! Anyway, after eating we headed out. I had printed directions from this website to walk to Emerald beach. We briefly began the walk and the directions honestly didn't seem right, and they CERTAINLY weren't as short as promised. So after a few minutes outside of the port we gladly hopped into a van taxi and headed for the beach! A bit of advice, if you're going somewhere close like this beach just look for the van taxis and not the safari cabs. They'll be happy to take you a short distance, just the two of you.

 

We arrived at the Best Western and walked through the hotel to get to the beach. It was great! Quiet, we had a litte area all to ourself. No, it was not AS spectacular as Megan's...but it's a caribbean beach! It was still gorgeous and calm waters! I walked up to the hotel bar and bought a few Carib's and waters which they kindly put into a bucket for me to carry. Nothing like laying on a beach, Carib in hand, floating in the clear water. There were lots of cloud breaks which was actually nice to break up the heat of the sun. After a few hours it did get more crowded then I thought it would, guess too many cruisers are reading this board! We ended up staying longer then planned, it was that great. I will honestly say this was one of my favorite port days EVER on a cruise. Sooo relaxing and peaceful.

 

Got back to the ship around two, decided to get room service lunch. Sandwiches on the balcony, watching the people come in and out. A few cookies and I'm off to...the spa pool! Shocking I know. It was GREAT, completely deserted and quiet. Hung out in the hot tub and then completely passed out on the lounger. Never made it to the thermal today, was so tired (beers + sun) that I went back to the room and napped in the bed while hubby watched a movie. I should say he spent quite a bit of time watching in room movies. He loves this and they have a great selection on Princess!

 

WORLD SERIES begins tonight and according to the Patters, they would have it on in Skywalkers. Again, not on MUTS. I recall again, on the CB, they played the world series on MUTS. But we're used to that disappointment by now, just PRAYING we could actually see it!

 

Off to Adiago for a pre-dinner martini with Igor, saw our Adiago lady friends there and chatted a bit. Then to dinner early. Since we hadn't had the best experiences in Divinci we decided to try Michaelangelo for a change. It was quiet due to it being Caribbean dinner night and probably also because it was our first port day. Fine with me! I had some kind of fish, I forget what. Good as usual! All the cold soups had been great as well. Service was a little friendlier but I still think they are overworked. Dessert...souffle I think? Always delish! Food I must say was just as great as I had remembered.

 

After dinner headed up to Skywalkers where lo and behold the game was on! It was pretty packed in there. Should have had it outside!!! Live and learn. Mostly Sox fans (yeah!) a few Colorado fans and of course a couple obnoxious Yankee fans. They quieted down throughout the game though. :D Ordered a couple martinis and not only were they more EXPENSIVE then Adiago but not nearly as good. Going to have to visit Igor the next night and bring our drinks with us! Great game, kicked the Rockies butts. Off to bed after stopping at Horizon court for some chips, guac, and salsa. Ate too early! ;)

[bickee]

Instead of editing I'm just going to add a few things I forgot about the St Thomas day. I had booked a port day spa special, 25 minutes neck and back massage and 25 minutes ankle and foot massage for 89 dollars. I did this at 8 am...perfect way to start the morning! The massage was great, NO sales pressure at all. I always book the port day specials and I've never been asked to buy anything. Maybe that's the key.

 

It took a bit of time to get a cab back from Emerald beach to the port. The cabbie that was there wasn't thrilled about only bringing the two of us such a short distance. In about 10 minutes though he had found a couple takers and we were off. No real issue here.

 

When we were docking at St Thomas at about 6 AM we experienced the most INSANE vibration ever! Normally we feel a bit of this when we book aft cabins but this was crazy. Not sure why. Other then docking in ports we felt no extra vibration. Still standing by this being one of the best cabins ever.

[mamag]

I have really been enjoying your review. I like the day by day format. Thank you for posting.

[cruisinbuddy]

Not sure if you're referring to me, but I'm comparing this to the CB, or Caribbean princess in my review. That's what I mean when I say CB.

DOH! oops missed that, :rolleyes:

[bickee]

Hello bickee,

I'm enjoying your day by day accounts of your cruise. Thank you for taking the time. My husband and I will be on the Crown for our anniversary in January. I'm strongly considering the UBD. Where did you go or call to get it arranged? Was the wind an issue on your balcony during your dinner?

Laura

 

We called room service to arrange it. We didn't have any wind but we were also on the stern (back) of the ship so not sure if that makes any difference. I HIGHLY recommend it, it was the highlight of our trip and we've taken many cruises. TOTALLY worth the money!

 

Antigua coming soon!

[EmpressofPurple]

Hey Becky - I'm SO enjoying reading your day-by- day account; I recommend it to people reading my thread, since we cover so many different aspects of cruising. I'm already through St. Kitts, will post post-cruise in San Juan soon. Looking forward to more details about you and your husband's cruise.

 

Where do you teach Power Yoga in NYC? If you ever teach at Equinox, let me know, I'll come by for a class (all-access, yeah).

[bickee]

Hey Becky - I'm SO enjoying reading your day-by- day account; I recommend it to people reading my thread, since we cover so many different aspects of cruising. I'm already through St. Kitts, will post post-cruise in San Juan soon. Looking forward to more details about you and your husband's cruise.

 

Where do you teach Power Yoga in NYC? If you ever teach at Equinox, let me know, I'll come by for a class (all-access, yeah).

 

I am the manager and head teacher at Prana Power Yoga in Union Square. I have a contract with them so it's the only place I teach. Heated vinyasa, AWESOME! Free first class so stop on in! ;)

[Crusin Karen]

We were also on this cruise and I am enjoying reading BOTH your accounts. No way our paths crossed; never went to the gym :eek: and I have completely different experience and observations, so it's fun to read both of yours. Thanks for taking the time to do this.