Crown Princess Review Feb. 9-16 Cabin E701

[PrincessMelody]

Thanks for the great review Sadiea!! I'm glad to hear that the food was so good! I got hungry just reading about it!!

 

Can you share where in St. Thomas to get the $1 and $2 cabs? I'll be on the Crown in October, and that would be a great help.:)

 

Thanks again!!

[sadiea]

"The next day was St. Thomas and after 3 previous visits to this island I finally figured out where to find the $1/$2 taxis! Instead of costing $40 for my husband and I to go to Sapphire Beach it only cost us $8!"

 

Please share the secret to the lower priced taxis! Where might they be located?

While the Crown Princess has routinely been docking at Crown Bay, for whatever reason this past week, the Crown Princess docked at Havensight. So these directions are for docking at Havensight. Additional directions from Crown Bay to the cheap local taxis are available on the St. Thomas cruise critic board. So from Havensight, I just got off the ship, walked past all the shops, jewelry stores, touristy shops, etc. and past all the taxis that were herding unsuspecting tourists onto their $10 taxis. Once I got to the main road and out of the entire pier shopping area, I turned left and walked about 1 block and there is a Wendys hamburger place. Across the street from the Wendy's is a little roadside fleamarket/shopping area and it is right at this spot that the local taxis do pickups. The local taxis look exactly like the tourist taxis. They are the trucks with the open air seating in the bed of the truck. When the driver stopped, I just went up and asked the driver if it was the dollar taxi. He said Yes and I asked if he went to Sapphire Beach and he said Yes, so my husband and I hopped on. The taxi then stopped at KMart, a laundromat, some government building and picked up a few locals along the way. I saw the Sapphire Beach Resort sign from the road and pushed the little button on the ceiling and the driver stopped to let us off. One of the locals riding the taxi got off too, apparently she worked there. When we got off I asked her if I could ride the taxi back to Havensight from there. She said that I just go stand in the same place that I got dropped off and that the taxis would stop. Apparently the taxis go in one big circle around the island all day long, so it wasn't necessary for me to stand on the other side of the road. While the taxi itself looks the same, the people riding the taxi do not! If you see a taxi full of white tourists wearing beach attire and carrying towels and snorkeling gear, it is probably the $10 taxi. If the taxi is full of locals (black or dark skinned people) wearing normal clothing and carrying purses, briefcases or grocery bags then you probably have the right taxi! On our way back to the taxi stop from Sapphire beach we had to walk right by all the taxis at the resort in the parking lot. One of the taxi drivers aggressively accosted my husband and I about getting on his taxi. I asked him loudly if it was the $2 taxi. He acted really surprised, immediately said NO! and then one of the tourists on his taxi yelled at me, "Hey, there is a $2 taxi? Where?" But the driver jumped back in his truck so fast and drove off the tourist didn't have a chance to get off! The taxi driver didn't want to lose the tourists he had. The local taxis go right by Coki beach, Coral World, Red Hook etc. You might have to walk a block or two to these destinations, but as long as you're able bodied, you shouldn't have a problem. Plus, the local taxis don't give you the "tourist talk" on the loudspeaker and they don't stop every mile or so for scenic photos! I found the locals on St. Thomas to be extremely friendly and helpful, so don't be afraid to ask about this. The cruise ships and the people at the pier certainly won't say a thing about them! Good luck!

[Elizabeth K.]

I was on this sailing too, my 3rd with Princess and my traveling mates and I agreed it was a fabulous cruise. I thought about doing a review but I'll just add to Sadie's. BTW I'm in my 40's and traveled with a couple of friends and 2 of our mothers. We booked a BF garantee and ended up with a BD balcony on Baja. Room steward was efficient and did all that we asked of him (not much--robes and an eggcrate). Embarkation was a breeze at 1 pm and so was disembarkation. We paid the $15 to have our bags taken directly to the airport (I think it was called EZ Check) so that we could enjoy San Juan until our 3:30 flight home. We still had to collect them in the terminal but then you hand them off to a special porter. Princess will give you infor about this in your room early on the week.

 

The ship is absolutely beautiful! The atrium is a little more elegant than the CB, which I was on last year and loved too. The mosaic tile in the atrium just glistens when you look doen from the 6-7 floors. Almost every staff person was friendly and attentive. We enjoyed the International Cafe and I got good coffees there every morning. Its an extra charge but not bad. $1 for fresh brewed coffe and 2.50-3.50 for specialty coffees.You can also get good pastries there along with salads for lunch and gelato. Gelato and tapas in the evening are a nominal charge but most of the items are free.

 

I agree that the dining room food was delicious. We had 2nd seating in Boticelli with Dan and "T" for our waiters. They were wonderful as was the head waiter who came around twice every evening and checked on us. Only one night when I had the sea bass, did I have to get another selection because the sea bass was in a little too much butterif thats possible:) . Dan happily brought me some crab legs instead. He often said. "you're on vacation! you can have whatever you want." He seemed happy when we were happy.

 

We didn't do too much nightlife except the casino one night. Not much luck there.

 

For excursions we did the Malibu Beach Getaway at Barbados thru Princess and I wouldn't recommend it. For the most part it was nice but you could easily do it on your own. The view toward one side is industrial. And the bartenders were quite rude to us who had the "free" drink tickets. We still enjoyed our afternoon there. The terminal has very nice shops as well.

 

Our best day was in Antigua on board the Excellence catamaran booked thru Princess circling the island and stopping for lunch and swimming/snorkleing at a quiet private beach. I'm happy to share the details but suffice it to say you are treated like royalty, the staff is fun and we had a blast. I highly recommend this excursion.

 

In St. Lucia we booked the whale and dolphin watching tour thru Princess. It was OK. The boat is just OK and it was pretty choppy. I was close to getting seasick but rode it out. No whale sightings but enjoyed the dolphins and the views of the pitons. Would try something else next time. Friends did the arial tram and for them, it was the best of all of their excursions.

 

Also, if you like wine and more intimate venues, be sure to try Vines on deck 5. They have a nicer selection of wines there, and better glassware. Erlin, Shane, and Ver will take good care of you. Its usually not crowded, and has a rustic Italian vibe. They also bring you little tapas for free. We had great service there and went there most evenings before dinner.

 

I'll close for now. Feel free to ask any questions. I think you will love this cruise. Yes there may be something that isn't perfect but all in all, it exceeded our expectations and seemed a notch above in terms of food and staff attiudes than the CB, which we thought was really nice too.

[vulcan500]

Please tell me where to find the $1/$2 taxis! I didn't enjoy St Thomas last month b/c of my unwillingness to spend $60. Would have enjoyed touring a bit instead of seeing nothing but jewelry shops I wasn't interested in.

[serene56]

Please tell me where to find the $1/$2 taxis! I didn't enjoy St Thomas last month b/c of my unwillingness to spend $60. Would have enjoyed touring a bit instead of seeing nothing but jewelry shops I wasn't interested in.

 

 

 

 

wow 60 bucks? where were you going?

[jroban]

Will be sailing on the same itenerary on March 8th. Do you have copies of the Patters from your sailing? I would love to see them before we sail. Thanks.

[sadiea]

Will be sailing on the same itenerary on March 8th. Do you have copies of the Patters from your sailing? I would love to see them before we sail. Thanks.

I did save all my Princess Patters. My scanner is broken at home, so tomorrow my husband will take them to work and copy them. I will post again with a link to these Patters. Will that work for you?

[jroban]

That would be wonderful! Can not wait to see the Patters and to leave on our cruise...less than 3 weeks and counting.

[arb18]

I just changed cabins and upgraded based on the info you provided about cabin E633, do you have a pictures of the view from your cabin E701 or the others next to you? I am curious if it was worth it...when I went to book about 2 weeks ago only really obstructed cabins were available and then this one opened up so I payed the extra money and upgraded from an inside to oceanview...I sure hope that their are no "real" obstructions to the view. I am believing in you a complete stranger...hey we got 50 more in obc by upgrading to an oceanview...

[mainer208]

What is the issue with the rod, post or something on the balcony cabins? Assume these obstructed view cabins, not all balcony cabins? Is Caribe the best deck for balcony cabins (not suites)?

 

Thanks!

[dutchess43]

Elizabeth K. Can you tell me more about Vines? Can you order a bottle of wine there? We are avid wine drinkers. Thanks

[ccemom]

Hi Sadie,

 

It's your Utah/Connecticut friend. I can tell it's you by your cabin and shore excursions. There's also a review of our Buffalo friends' back to back cruise on the Crown here, too! I haven't broken the Cruise Critic habit yet, and I keep lurking to see what's going on. I think we're going to book the other Southern Caribbean cruise for next Jan. with our friends again. They had 9:30 flight out and made it just fine, too.

I hope all is well in your part of the world!

[ccemom]

While the Crown Princess has routinely been docking at Crown Bay, for whatever reason this past week, the Crown Princess docked at Havensight. So these directions are for docking at Havensight. Additional directions from Crown Bay to the cheap local taxis are available on the St. Thomas cruise critic board. So from Havensight, I just got off the ship, walked past all the shops, jewelry stores, touristy shops, etc. and past all the taxis that were herding unsuspecting tourists onto their $10 taxis. Once I got to the main road and out of the entire pier shopping area, I turned left and walked about 1 block and there is a Wendys hamburger place. Across the street from the Wendy's is a little roadside fleamarket/shopping area and it is right at this spot that the local taxis do pickups. The local taxis look exactly like the tourist taxis. They are the trucks with the open air seating in the bed of the truck. When the driver stopped, I just went up and asked the driver if it was the dollar taxi. He said Yes and I asked if he went to Sapphire Beach and he said Yes, so my husband and I hopped on. The taxi then stopped at KMart, a laundromat, some government building and picked up a few locals along the way. I saw the Sapphire Beach Resort sign from the road and pushed the little button on the ceiling and the driver stopped to let us off. One of the locals riding the taxi got off too, apparently she worked there. When we got off I asked her if I could ride the taxi back to Havensight from there. She said that I just go stand in the same place that I got dropped off and that the taxis would stop. Apparently the taxis go in one big circle around the island all day long, so it wasn't necessary for me to stand on the other side of the road. While the taxi itself looks the same, the people riding the taxi do not! If you see a taxi full of white tourists wearing beach attire and carrying towels and snorkeling gear, it is probably the $10 taxi. If the taxi is full of locals (black or dark skinned people) wearing normal clothing and carrying purses, briefcases or grocery bags then you probably have the right taxi! On our way back to the taxi stop from Sapphire beach we had to walk right by all the taxis at the resort in the parking lot. One of the taxi drivers aggressively accosted my husband and I about getting on his taxi. I asked him loudly if it was the $2 taxi. He acted really surprised, immediately said NO! and then one of the tourists on his taxi yelled at me, "Hey, there is a $2 taxi? Where?" But the driver jumped back in his truck so fast and drove off the tourist didn't have a chance to get off! The taxi driver didn't want to lose the tourists he had. The local taxis go right by Coki beach, Coral World, Red Hook etc. You might have to walk a block or two to these destinations, but as long as you're able bodied, you shouldn't have a problem. Plus, the local taxis don't give you the "tourist talk" on the loudspeaker and they don't stop every mile or so for scenic photos! I found the locals on St. Thomas to be extremely friendly and helpful, so don't be afraid to ask about this. The cruise ships and the people at the pier certainly won't say a thing about them! Good luck!

 

We also took the $1 taxis. The locals seem to call them safaris. We took the ferry to St. John. We caught the safari at K-Mart and were dropped off at the Red Hook ferry. If you want to catch the safari from the Red Hook ferry back to Havensight. Walk out of the ferry terminal, turn left, walk out of the parking lot and wait on the corner of the main road. It cost $2 back to Havensight. The locals were really helpful and told us where to get off because the local taxis cannot enter the cruise ship terminal area. That's reserved for the taxis that will gouge you!

[ccemom]

Hey Sadiea,

 

If you read your post again, what was the place you visited in Dominica?

 

Thanks!

[sunnyv]

Sadie, In your cabin E701, was the bed under the window or was it in the center of the cabin with the headboard against the long side wall of the cabin next to you? We have this cabin this October, 2009 and I'm just curious because it seems the Ocean View cabins have the beds both ways; under the window or on the side wall. Thank you for the great review!

[lahoban]

Hi Sadie,

Thanks for the review! Can you tell me where to find the less expensive cab drivers in St. Thomas? We went to Sapphire beach last time and just loved it.