3/22 Crown Review (long)

[Gr101997]

Im typing this while waiting for my flight at Ft Lauderdale. I am severely depressed right now. It took us about 5 minutes to get off the ship, pass through customs and get on the bus. One of the most easiest processes I have ever gone through. The hardest part was locating our bags in the sea of them but even that only took a minute or so. Getting on the ship was also quick. We arrived at the terminal around 12:45 and we were in our stateroom by 1. The Caribe deck balconies are huge. I didnt mind the smaller room (didnt even notice it really), because the balcony was so roomy. It was also nice to have the open part as well as the covered because at the end of the day you could sit in the sun.

 

Oh and before going I read alot of people debating as to the ship and if it rocks or not. If you took a poll of the 3200 passengers and the 1100 crew that were aboard the ship this week, 4300 people would tell you it rocks. ALOT! Its not even just the up and down. The side to side combined with that made us feel like we were on a roller coaster everytime we tried to lay down. Ive only been on one cruise before and with the exception of a few sways here and there, dont remember rocking at all. The first night alone my GF and I woke up numerous times. It was like that for most of the week with of course yesterday being smooth as glass. If someone on here wants to debate with me that this ship doesnt rock, Ill fight them to the death about it. Im sure it also could have to do with hitting some wind, or weather but everytime I walked on that balcony and looked at the sea, it looked pretty normal.

 

Despite that, the cruise was great. This was the first time my gf and I went away together and it was beyond wonderful. I can not express how sad we both are sitting here in the airport right now. The only hitch we really came across was that we had been confirmed for 2nd seating since we booked in Nov yet when we got our cards, it was Anytime. Had to wait a while to get it fixed with the Matre D but he sorted it out. I guess he put us at the 'problem people' table because the first night, we were all alone. We found out the 2nd night that the other 3 couples had the same problem and didnt find out where they were sitting until day 2. The Dinners were awesome. There wasnt one night or one meal that I didnt enjoy (and the 20 or so lbs I packed on this week will attest to that). My only problem with it was that the Botticelli dining room vibrates from the engines and since its in the back, really rocks at times. Our waiters, George and Manuel were very nice and always had our wine ready when we sat down. On the first night, my gf was so sick from the rocking that we ended up leaving before desert. George was kind enough to run and get her green apples and crackers so she would feel better.

 

Ultimate Balcony Dining... if you have a balcony room, do it. It was perfect. We did it the night of my birthday (weds) which turned out to be the nicest night of the cruise weather wise. The food was great. The lobster tail was the size of my forearm. The two waiters were very nice and friendly. I felt bad that they would have to wait in the hallway while we ate but they got a nice tip...

The Champagne breakfast was so-so. It was sent as a bday gift from a family member so it didnt bother me too much. I much rather would have saved the 30 bucks and gotten the usual breakfast of fruits and cereals that we did every morning.

 

We didnt do much as far as going to the shows. I saw part of the comedian but I thought his humor was a little too corny for my taste. Something about hearing jokes about the size of the showers and bathrooms thats a little too "hack" for me.

 

The Islands were all nice. Princess Cays was very relaxing but the weather was a little iffy. The water was a little chilly too. We managed to decide to grab some food right as the torrential downpour begin so we were lucky enough to be underneath. It was amazing how it can rain like that for 3 minutes and then brighten up again. I was a little disapointed with the St Martin excursion we did. I think it was the afternoon beach bash. The bus driver was a lunitic, the beach was ok and the rum punch was disgusting. To charge 50$ to drive someone to a beach and then give them a chair seemed a little much. We did Capt Nautilus in St Thomas which was really good. Saw lots of turtles, a ship wreck and plenty of fish. The girls running it were very funny and friendly. We had about a half our left over so we went to Water Island and hung out there for a bit. I would be interested to know what kind of cut Margaritaville gives to the cruise ships for dropping everyone at that port in Turks and Caicos. They must make a fortune. It was a very relaxing day and we opted to sit by the pool instead of the beach. I did the Flowrider which while it was fun, the woman instructor seemed to get annoyed when we couldnt do what she wanted us to do. I just wanted to ride the wave and she kept trying to make me flip and crap which just led to me wiping out and busting my ass.

 

My mother got us both spa gifts for our birthdays so we did that the first sea day. I went for the Shaving thing they do since I dont really care for a massage. It was a shave plus a facial with a scalp massage and hand rub. I went in expecting a barber shop shave yet she takes out a Mach 3 and proceeds to tear apart my face. I had the worst razor burn in my life Weds and Thurs. I looked like I had some disease around my mouth. Thankfully I was tan enough where noone noticed it. When it was over, she was telling me about using some products. I politely listened. She then walked away and returned with a bag with 2 products in it and a reciept for me to sign. I didnt even realize at the time but it was 92$ worth of stuff. While laying in bed friday night, I thought to myself the sheer lunacy of me having something to put on my face once a week for 15 minutes and then thought about what it costed. I returned it Saturday morning. My Gf got a kick out of it because she said the only reason I bought it was because it was a cute swiss girl who pretended to like me and suckered me into buying it. She was right.

 

My biggest problem with Princess was the Photos. 24.95 for one photo? And the on top of it, they would push albums and frames on you. I also didnt understand how they had no problem blowing the pictures up (for a nominal charge) yet they couldnt shrink them. Also, the 2nd formal night photo had Commodore Romano on the picture. While he was a nice enough guy (we met him before he spoke on Tue night), he wasnt the most handsome of men and as much as I liked the photo, was not spending 25 bucks to see his mug everytime we want to remember our cruise. The cruise video, (which Im sorry but if you buy that, youre crazy) contained parts of excursions that were filmed on other cruises. The flowrider video segment had a carnival ship in the background! That just seemed lazy and cheep on Princess's part. Id rather give 40 bucks to the maid who did a great job cleaning up after me all week.

 

My only other complaint was this family at the pool. Neptunes pool, almost every time I went there, there was this family of 6 or 7 that felt the need to take over one of the hot tubs and make it their personal kiddie pool. They would drag chairs up to the pool, inflate this little pool, fill it and then throw the kids in there while they relaxed. I dont have kids so maybe Im a lot less sensitive to this but they make a pool area for kids in the back. If youre going to bring your family with you, use it. I know there are other hot tubs on the ship but I shouldnt have to search one out. I wasnt the only person bothered by this as other people made comments in the pool. Its not so much the space but these were young kids and odds are, they were using it as their toilet at times. On top of that, I dont think a hot tub is a place for kids to be hanging out in all day.

 

Anyways, it was an amazing time. I cant say enough about how great the service or the food was. Odds are we are going to book again for the Western Caribbean in November. Im currently having some post cruise swaying while typing this. Also I just found out my flight is delayed an hour.

[Colo Cruiser]

Nice review, thanks.

 

It sounds just like the other review by Jennangel were you guys together?

[Host CJSKIDS]

Sounds like you had a great cruise. We're boarding the Crown for the 4th time next Sunday and everytime I read a great review it helps to add to the excitement.

 

Sorry that the rocking of the ship bothered your girlfriend, I know there's nothing worse than that feeling. There has been some very strong wind over the last month, especially in the St. Martin area and I'm sure that helped add to the rocking of the Crown. We've been on the ship 3 other times and I do notice movement but have never noticed that it's more than the other ships we've been on. The first night is always "moving" because you cross over the Gulf Stream.

 

Hope you have a great flight home.

[sherman931]

Thanks for the review...I'll be boarding two weeks from today. I agree with you about the photos...Princess must make millions :eek:

[Gr101997]

Nice review, thanks.

 

It sounds just like the other review by Jennangel were you guys together?

 

No but I was reading her review while sitting on the bus this morning. I think reading hers is what brought the annoyance of the pictures to my attention.

 

The other kick in the groin to go with the already delayed flight is that we are staring at the ship in the port right now from the window in the airport. Seeing it just knowing people are getting on makes me feel so much worse.

[lv2teach]

Thanks for the great and timley review of your cruise. Sorry to hear that your flight is delayed and you have sit and look at the ships wanting to be back on.

 

I'm so torn between doing the UBD or Sabati's and the Crown grill . decisions , decisions, decisions.

[Colo Cruiser]

No but I was reading her review while sitting on the bus this morning. I think reading hers is what brought the annoyance of the pictures to my attention.

 

The other kick in the groin to go with the already delayed flight is that we are staring at the ship in the port right now from the window in the airport. Seeing it just knowing people are getting on makes me feel so much worse.

 

Yes the photo thing being the same caught my attention. :)

 

As far as seeing the ship from the airport terminal, been there done that, not a great feeling. :(

[curlerguy]

Was the lobster the size of your forearm before or after you put on the 20 lbs? :)

[Gr101997]

Was the lobster the size of your forearm before or after you put on the 20 lbs? :)

 

before :)

 

Jumping into my nice comfy bed when I got home I realized I also forgot to mention that the beds were very uncomfortable. We had an egg crate and it pretty much did nothing. There were plenty of times where one of us would roll towards the other and you could feel the split in the middle. Not just that but they were like sleeping on planks of wood.

[caribill]

 

Originally Posted by Colo Cruiser

Nice review, thanks.

 

It sounds just like the other review by Jennangel were you guys together?

 

No but I was reading her review while sitting on the bus this morning.

 

Amazing, finally two people on the same cruise had the same impression of the cruise!

[CrusinAgain]

We love the Crown Princess and you will enjoy the Western Caribbean alot better than the one you just took.

[happy cruzer]

Thanks for the review.

 

Regarding the photos, I believe Princess contracts out that service. So some contracting company has paid a fee to sell you pictures at whatever cost they set.

 

Regarding the motion, does anyone know if there is a problem with the Crowns stabilizers? When we were onboard, the Crown was very stable, very much like other ships her size.

 

Wow your spa experience was the pits, very glad you did return your products.

 

Keep on cruising as you get more experiences, I think it just gets better. Also you might try some of the seasickness remedies. I use the sea bands and they work great!!

[unboringuy]

Regarding the Spa, Steiner (operator of the spas on all cruise lines, I believe) is notorious for pushing their products. I'm sure the massage therapists get a commission on what they sell. I have found that if you simply advise them up front that you are not interested in any of the product, then they don't go through the spiel.

[JennAngel9]

Colo-Cruiser, while GR sounds like somebody I'd be happy to travel with, to my knowledge, I have never met him (also, not really sure how DH plus GR's GF (DGF?) would feel about that). My DH (tragically) is not a CC member.

 

GR-- Thanks for your comments. While I'm sorry that your shave was so awful, it did make me feel a bit better that my husband never was able to make time to check it out.

[JennAngel9]

 

Jumping into my nice comfy bed when I got home I realized I also forgot to mention that the beds were very uncomfortable. We had an egg crate and it pretty much did nothing. There were plenty of times where one of us would roll towards the other and you could feel the split in the middle. Not just that but they were like sleeping on planks of wood.

 

 

Haha. I just saw this comment and (contrary to my own review) I find myself more in agreement with it after spending a night in my bed. I still don't think they were like planks of wood, but I was SO much more comfortable in my own bed and even though we sleep (cozily) in a full size bed, and it felt crowded at first, I was very happy to have a real mattress and no crease.

[rcacace]

Was the lobster the size of your forearm before or after you put on the 20 lbs? :)

 

I'll have another if you don't mind. :D;)

 

http://inlinethumb47.webshots.com/35182/2669024030103243266S600x600Q85.jpg

[Gr101997]

Thanks for the review.

 

Regarding the photos, I believe Princess contracts out that service. So some contracting company has paid a fee to sell you pictures at whatever cost they set.

 

 

I understand that but then they shouldnt allow that company to just put people over the barrel like that. I went away with just my girlfriend. Obviously we would like to have some nice pictures together to bring back as memories. Buying those pictures is really the only way we can do that without bothering every person or crew member that walks by us and asking them to take a photo. I know you are at their mercy all week anyway with other things but they should have some kind of discount card where you buy 4 and get one free or the more you buy, the more %off you get at the end.

Hell, it might have even been cheeper for us to hire someone to come along and follow us around all week to take our pictures.

 

 

Colo-Cruiser, while GR sounds like somebody I'd be happy to travel with, to my knowledge, I have never met him (also, not really sure how DH plus GR's GF (DGF?) would feel about that). My DH (tragically) is not a CC member.

 

GR-- Thanks for your comments. While I'm sorry that your shave was so awful, it did make me feel a bit better that my husband never was able to make time to check it out.

 

TY for you nice comments. Reading your review, I dont think we ever really crossed paths on the trip.

I dont want to turn anyone off to the spa treatment I got. Honestly, the scalp massage, facial and palm massage were really nice. Its just that they advertise a "barber shop shave" and then use a Mach 3. Im assuming for insurance purposes they cant use a straight razor on a moving ship but they should still put that on the flyer.