Review of Crown 10/5

[Cathy p]

Still pooped after our cruise but thought I would just fill you all in a bit.

 

We flew Airtran into FLL the day before and stayed at the ES. There was my DH, DS, FDI, DGS and myself. We got in about 4:30 PM, checked into our room which was on the 11th floor with a view of the ships. Went to the free happy hour at 5:30 and met some of our roll call folks. About 6:00 we were invaded by our roll call people staying at the Hyatt Place. We had a wonderful time getting to know everyone we had chatted with forever on the CC board.

 

After happy hour ended my family was going over to Chuck Seafood restaurant for dinner but it was pouring out so decided to eat in the hotel. We ordered drinks once again and my DS had a dirty martini which I think did him in. Before we ordered his head was on his hand and eyes closed. He was feeling no pain. I told his sweetie that she best take him upstairs and put him to bed. My DH and I were laughing as this 6 ft guy was hanging on to this 5' 4" person going sideways. We ordered a large pizza to take back to the room. It was $15 and was very good. DS did not get to enjoy it as he was sound asleep. He said he woke up at 4 AM and did not know where he was. He realized he was naked and I was in the next bed so he got out and was crawling on the floor looking for his clothes and the bathroom. He said it seemed like forever before he found either.:D

 

We left for the ship at 10:30 the next day by their shuttle. Once we got there we got into the holding room right away as my DGS was in a wheelchair. There was a delay in getting on the ship as their computers were not working. We got on and were in our cabin by 1:00.

 

DS was on the Baja deck in cabin number B302 which was a balcony handicap room. It was very spacious with a big bathroom and large shower with a chair that pulled down from the wall. It also had 2 extra beds that pulled down from the ceiling, however, being that my DGS was 20 they put the 2 twin beds together and then rolled in a bed for him. It worked out really well and then the bed was rolled out in the morning.

 

DH and I were to have a mini suite, however, 4 days before our cruise, my TA called and said that Princess had oversold the mini suites and wanted to switch us to a balcony with a $500 OBC. I told them that was not worth it for us so the next day they came back with the balcony with a $1000 OBC which we took. We were also on the Baja deck in cabin B314. It was fine for us, however, I did miss my extra space and sofa. Also we only had a small shower instead of the tub, however, we endured it for the money we got to spend.lol

 

We had been to the same ports several times before so we did not book any excursions. We got off at Princess Cayes, looked at the shops, had a drink and then back on the ship.

 

St Martin and St Thomas were just shopping trips for us except we did go to Paridise Point and took the tram ride up to the top of the mountain. I am sorry to say I forgot which Island that was on as when we got to the top we had a drink called the Bushwacker. OMG I was walking sidesways after that. Whew, a strong, very very good drink. YUMMY. We had a coupon for $2.00 off the drink so when we bought our tickets they offered several different packages . Just the tram was $19, with a drink was $26 and on with lunch for another price. DH got the one with a drink and I got the tram alone and used my coupon. The drink that DH had was worth $10.50 with a mug to keep. I paid $8.50 for the same drink with the mug. The tram ride was not worth $19 as it took maybe 5 minutes to get to the top if that. We did find that St Martin had better prices on Cigs than anywhere else. I told my EX that was home watching my other DGS that I would get him some and paid $10 a carton for them. We did not buy any jewls this time so can't help with prices there.:(

 

Grand Turk was Margarit aville for us. As we were going past the Island we saw alot of devestation from Hurricane Ike. However, the stop we made was in tip top shape. Very expensive from the stores to Margaritaville. We ordered 4 drinks and nachos. With the tip it was $110.:eek: After that DH and I went back to the ship and left DS to buy his own drinks.:D

 

The food on this trip we did not think was up to the standards of Princess we have eaten in the past. As many crew were getting ready to depart for home the level of service was not there as well. However, Paul the bartender in the Crooner's Lounge was fantastic. He only had 14 more days to go and was tired but he always had a smile and asked about our day. I filled out a crew card on him for great service. It was the only one I did. My Steward was Kristian and kept our cabin very clean but did not have the smiles nor did he ever call us by name which I really missed. I later found out from him that his mother was sick so I guess he had that on his mind.

 

We spent alot of time in the Casino. The slots did not want to cha ching for us very often so alot of my OBC went back to Princess.:( It was ok though as it was not our money so it did not hurt. One of our CC member's DH won the poker tournament and received a trip back in 8 weeks with a balcony cabin for the finals.

 

Well that is about it for us. A cruise is what you make of it in the end. So on that note it was great just being together with my family and watching the smiles on my DS and his family's faces as this was their first cruise. We had told them to start with they were on their own to explore and enjoy the ship. Wow every time we saw them they were so excited about something that happened. That made it all worth a million $$ to us.

 

Yes, Princess, you still are the cruiseline of choice, however, the Star is still my favorite!!!

 

Oh by the way my spell check is not working so sorry if some wdors r mispel led.:p

[956wenbrook]

Thank you. If you get a chance can you say why the food as not very good or just your opinion? Not biggie I am curious. Did you have a fairly new crew/staff that just switched or were they in the process of switching after or in a few weeks? Thank you.

[Scooter-n-GB]

We are staying at the ES for our pre night, and I was curios if you remember your room number? I would like to get a room with a view of the ships.

 

Also, was the ES shuttle free or did you have to pay?

 

thanks!

[steveo2916]

Thanks for taking the time to write a nice review! We're on the Crown in March and this helps us tolerate the wait!

 

SteveO.

[brian72]

Thanks for the update. We are boarding in 18 days so i hope the refreshed crew is up to par. Was on the Crown two years ago and had no complaints.

[Marley673]

I guess we lucked out...my only complaint was the temperature of the water in the pools......pretty warm the first few days...

Overall...no complaints...as far as the computer glitch..we did not have to wait that long..we were on the ship by 1300.....

my best cruise so far...and second one on Princess...

I thought the dining room food was good...but perhaps that was augmented by Gio and Corrina..he was the junior waiter and she was the senior....we were a party of six and they made dinner fun...

So..it is indeed all of what you make it...for me...having my sisters and my brother in law there...well...doesn't get any better than that...

and already planning for the next one

[Cathy p]

956wenbrook, the choices in the dining room were not all that great. The steak I had was not all that great and the lobster was I thought overcooked. There was one night we decided to eat at the Cafe Caribe and it was curry night or something. I tried a bit of everything and it to me tasted all the same. Good ole pizza and burgers that night. The lunches to us were not all that great and people rave about the french toast. I love french toast but not with corn flakes on them. YUCK!! Only our opinion.:)

Scooter, all I can remember is the back elevator and you take a left, first door on the right. Sorry:( We paid $7 per person but I think you can get a cruise package.

Most of the crew I spoke with were getting off either this cruise or the one after. I know they were tired. They all work so hard.

We had a great time just did not gain as much weight which I guess is a good thing.:D

[956wenbrook]

Thank you Cathy.

[bananavan]

I am a food snob. I was on the Crown for 28 days prior to this sailing. The food was more than acceptable. It was very good.

I agree with Marley. We discovered Corinna on the 18 day TransAtlantic. She and Gio were wonderful and enhanced the experience.

I did not gain weight either but that was because I joined Phil and James in the first ever Princess boot camp up in the fitness center. That was amazing and I encourage Princess to develop this concept. It is a keeper.

Kelvin and Brett are also wonderful CDs.

We had Baja 748, the corner aft. Terrific location and great cabin.

[VikingSara]

are you going to be posting patters & menus? thank you, Sara!

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

[Sandytoes]

DS was on the Baja deck in cabin number B302 which was a balcony handicap room. It was very spacious with a big bathroom and large shower with a chair that pulled down from the wall. It also had 2 extra beds that pulled down from the ceiling, however, being that my DGS was 20 they put the 2 twin beds together and then rolled in a bed for him. It worked out really well and then the bed was rolled out in the morning.

 

DH and I were to have a mini suite, however, 4 days before our cruise, my TA called and said that Princess had oversold the mini suites and wanted to switch us to a balcony with a $500 OBC. I told them that was not worth it for us so the next day they

came back with the balcony with a $1000 OBC :eek:

which we took. We were also on the Baja deck in cabin B314. It was fine for us, however, I did miss my extra space and sofa. Also we only had a small shower instead of the tub, however, we endured it for the money we got to spend.lol

 

The food on this trip we did not think was up to the standards of Princess we have eaten in the past.

 

.... That made it all worth a million $$ to us..:p

 

Great review!!!

 

Just wondering did they lower your fare to balcony being they switched you from a suite? Or just offered you the OBC? :confused:

[Scooter-n-GB]

:) Thanks Cathy, $7 is certainly more than acceptable for a ride to the port.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review, thanks. :)

[Cathy p]

Sandytoes, there was a price difference between the balcony and mini of $100. I had a great price to begin with so I netted $800 to spend.

Sara, my computer will not do the upload for the patters and menus, sorry. I just got the dang thing up and working again.:eek:

Bananavan, I am by no means a food snob, however, I am use to dishes with some form of taste.:D

Thanks for the kind words.

[cjh]

I have 2 kids in wheelchairs and we will be in the cabin below the one your grandson was in because I love the caribe deck. You don't happen to have pictures of the cabin with the bed above open do you? We have never had a room together because of the chairs have always had to get 2 cabins so I'm real happy that Princess is now making handicap cabin that will sleep more then 2.

 

We have been to St Thomas and St Maarten before but always looking for something new. Did your grandson go on excursions with you?

 

Thanks

Cindy

[flvol77]

Good review -

 

I thought our food and service met or exceeded our expectations on this cruise.

 

For us it was just nice being back on Princess. Its like our home away from home and now that Princess is becoming even more limited in the Caribbean we may have to travel on other lines more often or we may just go to Disney World...So we cherish our time on Princess.

 

We also had $1000 in shipboard credit because of being bumped. In April they moved us from a 4 day cruise to this one (which was fine by us) they gave us a mini suite for the price of a balcony and $1000 shipboard credit, which we came home with a $600 credit on our CC :D

[Scooter-n-GB]

The term "Food Snob" is a bit subjective, as is what each and every person qualifies as "GOOD" food. We all taste food differently, and some of us like more seasoning, while others have a preference for less, simply because, everyone has a different number of taste (sweet, sour, bitter, salty) sensors on their tongue, and the ratio affects how we taste our food.

 

Now, on a whole different aspect, if the food is not cooked properly, no amount of seasoning can save it.

 

Sorry, slightly off topic, but still germane to the part of the previous discussion. :p

[cescape]

Good review -

 

I thought our food and service met or exceeded our expectations on this cruise.

 

For us it was just nice being back on Princess. Its like our home away from home and now that Princess is becoming even more limited in the Caribbean we may have to travel on other lines more often or we may just go to Disney World...So we cherish our time on Princess.

 

We also had $1000 in shipboard credit because of being bumped. In April they moved us from a 4 day cruise to this one (which was fine by us) they gave us a mini suite for the price of a balcony and $1000 shipboard credit, which we came home with a $600 credit on our CC :D

 

how do you do that? don't you loose the onboard credit if you don't use it?

[flvol77]

how do you do that? don't you loose the onboard credit if you don't use it?

 

Nope, not when you are bumped - I have a letter in witting that states the remaining balance would go back our my CC.

 

I made sure to get that in witting, just in case they try something funny.

[serene56]

how do you do that? don't you loose the onboard credit if you don't use it?

 

 

depends on where the OBC came from- most you get back. (I dont like Princess's way of getting my money back to me--last cruise it took me over 45 days. (carnival I got a check the last day)

 

this upcoming cruise I will try to use ALL the credit.

[Sandytoes]

Sandytoes, there was a price difference between the balcony and mini of $100. I had a great price to begin with so I netted $800 to spend.

 

Wow!!! You really lucked out.

I don't know how you did it, getting a mini for only a $100 more, unless you booked a guarantee. :rolleyes:

Usually the highest price balcony go for $300-$500 less then a mini.

To bad you can't mention your TA, I would love to have an offer like this. :p

[jp20]

I pre-paid on board for booking my next cruise and I was supposed to get $100 CC and yet my princess does not show it. It is on my paperwork from my TA and you can be sure that I'm bringing it because I cruise in 54 days and I don't want to lose it. My DH's computer shows his CC on my princess. :rolleyes:

Nope, not when you are bumped - I have a letter in witting that states the remaining balance would go back our my CC.

 

I made sure to get that in witting, just in case they try something funny.

[cruzinjudi]

HI,

 

WE WERE ON THE SAME CRUISE AS CATHY AND I HAVE TO SAY -I HAVE BEEN ON OTHER PRINCESS SHIPS AND I THOUGHT THAT ON THIS CRUISE THE MEALS IN THE DINING ROOM WERE NOT UP TO PAR---I DO HAVE TO SAY THE OUR LITTLE WAITRESS AND BUS BOY WAS ONE OF THE BEST WE EVER HAD --THEY WERE ALWAYS IN SIGHT FOR ANYTHING WE NEEDED AND NO ONE EVER MENTION ANY THING ABOUT RATING THEM ON ANY CARDS.

I FELT THAT ON SOME NIGHTS THERE WASN'T ANYTHING THAT LOOKED APPEALING ON THE MENU---BUT I DID NOT EVER GO HUNGRY.

i LIKE CARTHY SPENT ALOT OF TIME IN THE CASINO AND THEY WERE NOT GOOD TO ME.

ONE THING I LIKED ABOUT PRINCESS IS THAT BEING A PLATINUM I GOT 150 FREE MINUTES ON THE COMPUTER AND IF YOU SIGN UP BEFORE 10:00 THAT FIRST NIGHT -THEY GIVE YOU 20 MINUTES MORE----THAT WAS A NICE PERK

 

JUDI

[Cathy p]

Cindi, our DGS left the ship at every port. Even being tendered, 4 crewmen picked up his wheelchair and put it in the boat. He went snorkeling with DS and had a great time. Other than that I don't think they did any major excursions.

 

Jp20, I did have a guarantee for this cruise. It was the first time I ever did that. I looked every day to see if I had a cabin assigned ever since I paid it off in July. I swore I would never do that again, however, after lucking out this time, I may try it again.:D

 

Scooter, this is the way I was referring to being a food snob:

Food Snob is not snobby, it's someone who just wants real food. Real food does not have to be fancy or gourmet, it's cooking instead of ordering takeout ...

thefoodsnob.*****.com/ - 111k - Cached - Similar pages Of course this is subjective, that is why it was only my opinion.

 

I can not say in the dining room that we really had anyone that was exceptional. We had anytime dining, which we prefer but nobody really was outstanding as they were on the Star. In the Crown Grill we had Chris and I thought he was very good. He did have to many tables to give anyone the personal attention I would have expected. I think they were short handed that day.

 

I hope everyone has a super day!!:D