1st time Crown Princess cruiser questions 1/18/2009 ??

[jimmy and allie]

Hi eveyone,

We just booked our 1st cruise with Princess Cruise lines on the Crown for the 1/18/2009 sailing Eastern Caribbean. We have cruised with RCL and Century in the past. We have a few questions ?

1) How are the mini suites ? Are the balcony tables large enough to eat some meals on them ?

2) We will be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary and I was wondering if there is something Princess offers to make the night SPECIAL.. :) Dining etc..

3) We choose the alternate dining any suggestions ? Do we need reservations for seatings ?

4) The intinery is the Eastern Caribbean.. Are there any not to be missed places at the ports ??

I'm sure we'll have a ton more questions as time goes on, but would enjoy any help you could give us !!

Jimmy and Allie

[muffydawg]

Hi eveyone,

We just booked our 1st cruise with Princess Cruise lines on the Crown for the 1/18/2009 sailing Eastern Caribbean. We have cruised with RCL and Century in the past. We have a few questions ?

1) How are the mini suites ? Are the balcony tables large enough to eat some meals on them ?

2) We will be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary and I was wondering if there is something Princess offers to make the night SPECIAL.. :) Dining etc..

3) We choose the alternate dining any suggestions ? Do we need reservations for seatings ?

4) The intinery is the Eastern Caribbean.. Are there any not to be missed places at the ports ??

I'm sure we'll have a ton more questions as time goes on, but would enjoy any help you could give us !!

Jimmy and Allie

 

We had a Dolphin mini last year on the Crown. We love the extra bathroom space and the "living room" area. The balcony table, IMO, was about 24 " round.

 

There are anniversary packages available from Princess (for an extra fee) but what my parents did for their anniversary cruise last month was to call Princess, tell them they were celebrating birthdays and an anniversary, and one night (traditional 2nd) the waiters brought a small cake and sang for them (no charge).

 

I'm sure other posters will contribute answers to your remaining questions.

 

Have a great time and Happy Anniversary!

[Toto2Kansas]

Hi eveyone,

We just booked our 1st cruise with Princess Cruise lines on the Crown for the 1/18/2009 sailing Eastern Caribbean. We have cruised with RCL and Century in the past. We have a few questions ?

1) How are the mini suites ? Are the balcony tables large enough to eat some meals on them ?

2) We will be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary and I was wondering if there is something Princess offers to make the night SPECIAL.. :) Dining etc..

3) We choose the alternate dining any suggestions ? Do we need reservations for seatings ?

4) The intinery is the Eastern Caribbean.. Are there any not to be missed places at the ports ??

I'm sure we'll have a ton more questions as time goes on, but would enjoy any help you could give us !!

Jimmy and Allie

Mini Suites are very comfortable on Princess. But keep in mind they do not come with full suite perks, such as full room service menu (since you mentioned dining on your balcony). There is room service, but it is quite limited. Only full suites are afforded the luxury of the diningroom menu to choose from for room service.

 

As for special things that the cruise line will do for your anniversary without an extra charge? Balloons on the outside of your stateoom for that day and a small cake and 'song' at dinner is about it.

[Oh2Travel]

Mini suites are very nice-you will enjoy the extra space. Anytime dining is THE way to go. You usually don't have to wait too long at the dining room , esp if it's just the two of you. The best feature of it is that you can eat when you want, not at a set time when you may want to nap or swim or lounge. There's nothing more irritating then rushing back from a shore excursion and having to shower and dress for dinner.

In St Thomas, I'd recommend Magens Bay as a nice, quiet beach day. It's beautiul and peaceful. I'll be able to tell you more on the Crown after our Nov sailing. Have fun planning.