Thoughts on the Crown 7/19-7/31

[Alli Cruiser]

We did the British Isles-12 Day on the Crown. We are a family of four, with two boys ages 16 and 13 from California. This was our fifth cruise overall, second on Princess with last year on the Crown to the Baltic, RCL to the Med, Carnival to Mexico, and RCL to the Carib. We have also done land vacations to Europe, Japan, and China. Cruising is a good value for us now because our boys want to eat all day long! First, thank you to all the CC's who gave me advise. Last year I read the reviews on CC but didn't join the roll call. Our trip was enhanced by the wonderful people and all the information we learned by joining.

Pre-cruise: Wednesday the 15th flew from LAX to Heathrow arriving Thursday around noon. Hired a car service to take us to our hotel, the Marriott County Hall, a former parliament building and on the Thames by the London Eye. Had been to London twice before so didn't feel we needed to kill ourselves. We were determined to stay awake so we went exploring along the riverfront which was a very busy area with a lot of street performers. Had tickets to Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. Walked down to the tour area around 7:30 and explored that area. Enjoyed the ceremony which concluded just after ten. Walked back to the hotel getting in around midnight.

Friday: Got tickets for the London Eye early to ride first thing as the lines were >2 hours in the afternoon ($84.00 U.S for our family). Enjoyed the Eye, then walked to Buckingham Palace and then Hyde Park. Had lunch at Hyde Park at the restaurant adjacent to the lake. Walked to Harrods--the boys were impressed with the Food Halls. Went to the Empire to see Harry Potter 6 cost 36.5 GBP to see the movie as we had to pay more for stadium-style seating.

Had dinner at the hotel, the first of many Fish and Chips. DH thought the mushy peas was guacamole (okay we're from California).

Saturday: Got up early and took the Eurostar to Paris as my older son had really wanted to go. Had pre-bought tickets. Left from St. Pancras station. In Paris we took the Batobus (water ho ho) and saw the highlights. We didn't do this City justice but did get an overview. Arrived back to the hotel around midnight.

Sunday: I got up early and did a run along the Thames--beautiful. Car service picked us up and we had pre-arranged to go to Stonehenge on the way. We got there around 10:15 and the busses were rolling in. Enjoyed the stop; it was just as I thought it would be. Complimentry audio telling you about Stonehenge was available.

Embarkation: Got to the ship around 12:30, after stopping at a "Tesco" in Salisbury for a few last minute things. In the room by 1:15. We had two rooms on the Riveria Deck. We were on Aloha last year and really didn't notice much difference.

Ports: We only did one Princess tour, the other ports we did our own thing or private tours.

Guernsey: Walked around the castle and explored the island. They were having some type of "Carnival week" and had a band playing on one of the streets. This was a tender port with delays (45 minutes) getting back to the ship due to high swells and necessitating switching tender location to the opposite side of the ship. Wasn't a problem for us but felt badly for the mobility challenged as a lot of tours were finishing as this operation was being switched.

Cobh: Had plans to take the train (adjacent to the dock) then bus to Blarney Castle. One of the boys wasn't feeling well so we wanted to stay close. Walked all around Cobh, went into the beautiful catherdral and into some of shops. Was impressed with all the townspeople that came out to the waterfront to see us off as well as a band playing. Went to Crown Grill that night with excellent food and service.

Dublin: Princess offers a shuttle ($5.00 per person one way) into town. It was not necessary to pre-reserve and you could give them your cruise card number in line. The shuttle dropped off at Kildare Street which wasn't on the map Princess handed out but was perpindicular to Trinity College and same location as the ho ho busses. Explored Dublin for several hours. Had fish and chips at a pub called "The Hairy Lemon" sans mushy peas. Found a tea store in Dublin and bought some wonderful tea.

Liverpool: Explored the dock area for several hours. In the afternoon we went to Anfield home of the Liverpool Football Club. We had pre-purchased tickets on the Internet. Evidently this often sells out, thanks to a CC poster we pre-bought tickets. The taxi driver was very excited when he learned where we wanted to go. Princess does this tour as well but we were able to do it for much, much less. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful stadium and hearing the history.

Belfast: Had pre-arranged with a taxi company, Valu Cabs, for a private tour. Met our driver pierside and proceeded to Carrick castle. We had a brief stop there and then onward along the coast. The driver was able to take the coast route which larger vehicles are not able to use. We stopped at the drivers recommended fish and chips spot in Bally Castle, Morton's, and ate on a patch of grass overlooking the harbor. Went to Carrick-a-rede rope bridge and had about one hour there. We couldn't find a tour that would let us cross the bridge and not do only a photo stop so hence the private taxi. It was sunny and beatiful. After the rope bridge we were off to Giant's Causeway, again sunny and beautiful. We spent about one hour there and then back to the ship getting back around 7:30.

Greenock: Explored Greenock in the morning. In the afternoon we did the Princess Lochs tour. We enjoyed this and especially the town of Luss which reminded me of Thomas Kincaid paintings.

Did the Chef's Table dinner that night and enjoyed it very much. Nice people, excellent food, enjoyed the galley tour. DH wasn't convinced going in but he thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

Sea Day: Finally some down time! Fish and chips at the Wheelhouse bar then met up with fellow CC's for book club at tea which was very nice.

Invergordon: Had pre-arranaged with a private company to go mountain biking in the morning and canoeing in the afternoon. They met us pierside with the bikes and off we went. We went to a National Forest with views at the top of King George's Fort and the lighthouse. The trails were color coded related to difficulty much like a ski resort. Stopped at a market for sandwiches then canoeing on the Beauly River. We launched the canoes via a farmer's pasture where the sheep were grazing. I asked if the farmer was "okay" with this and was told Scotland has a law that allows access to public waterways via private land.

Had a great time canoeing along the river with beautiful scenery. The boys were goofing around and capsized their canoe (they had PDF jackets on) and so we were again thankful for the laundry facilities on the ship.
Got back to the ship around 5:00, filthy but thankful for such a wonderful day. Had dinner at Sabatini's.

South Queensferry: Tender port--took the train to Edinburgh. The train station is very easy to get to as long as stairs are not a problem. Bought roundtrip tickets at the machine outside using Visa and the cost was U.S $12.32 for two! Did the Royal Mile in Edinburgh as well as the Parliament building and then some shopping.

Second Sea Day: Enjoyed a relaxing day. Fish and chips again at the Wheelhouse Bar which was more fried food then we've eaten all year but was excellent. Went to the Maitre ' D wine tasting which was held in Sabatini's and was well attended.

Le Havre: Had pre-arranged to rent a car and GPS at Rent-a-Car which is at the dock. The cost was 95 Euros plus another 10 Euros for the GPS. Spent about an hour at Omaha Beach then off to the American Cemetary which was very moving would have liked to walk down to the beach from the cemetary but wanted to see Pointe du Hoc. Spent about an hour at Pointe du Hoc. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of this area with old stone farmhouses framed with bunches of hydrangea. Got back to the ship around 5:00. The cruise center building (which is rather sparse with no ATM), has internet available for 2.5 Euros for 30 minutes. We were able to check in with the airline. I did not see any printer for boarding passes but at least you can check in. The lines at the Internet Center that evening, as expected, were quite long so this is an alternative.

Dining: Had second traditional. Initially were were at table 40 which we had a problem with. This must be right under the smoking area of Club Fusion? where it vents because we smelled smoke throughout our dinner and were sneezing. After the second night and realizing this wasn't an abberancy but a problem for us, we asked to be switched to another table. They switched us to table 94 on the other side of the dining room (still in the back) and experienced no further problems.

Staff was attentive. Menus were alot of the same as last year. Towards the end of the cruise we got tired of the dining room and went to Vines and had sushi and a glass of wine for dinner which was perfect.

Crew: Recognized many from last year overall almost all attentive and friendly.

Lotus Spa: Didn't use but DH did. Massages were $89 on port days vs. $129 on sea days. DH got two and was able to schedule late on a port day taking advantage of the savings.

Gym: Did almost every day as well as some runs on the Promenade (very early) or on the jogging track. Found the equipment clean and an attendant circulating. Few bikes other than the ones used for the spin class but plenty of treadmills.

Entertainment: Didn't do much of. Went to Club Fusion one night to see Princess Pop Star (ship talent show) and too smokey even on the "non-smoking" side so we left.

Destination lectures: Compared to John Lawrence last year on the Baltic Cruise, this fell short. John gave advise and showed pictures of the local transportation, (e.g. what the ferries looked like, what the bus stop looked like and you really felt you could go at it on your own), this husband and wife team said "The tour desk is on level six". Went once and really didn't learn much.

Suggestions: Fire Maintenance drill from the Bridge one day advising people to stay away from Fire Zone Three or something like that with no indication of where that area was (e.g. mid-ship, level six). Not a bigh deal.

Disembarkation: Luggage system a little crazy with our five pieces all over but other than that easy. Had a car service take us to Heathrow and we were there at 9:35.

Overall, a great cruise. We did experience some of the ungracious/aggressive behavior others have mentioned in Horizon Court (two people racing towards the same table) people reaching directly in front of you as well as lack of elevator etiquette but took it in stride.

Happy to answer any questions and again thanks to all the CC's who enhanced our trip.

[Pia1913]

You folks really know how to DO a cruise. You had a great time and I loved reading it.

[LSEA]

Great Review Alli Cruiser, thanks for sharing!

[Hal&Rob]

Thanks! Enjoyed your review. We'll be going on her in 2 weeks for a TA.

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

Alli Cruiser

Can't tell you how much I appreciate your post. We will be traveling with our daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandsons on this itinerary next summer. The oldest will turn 16 the day we're in Guernsey and the other will be 13. Your review is terrific!

What car service did you use to get to the ship from London. Son-in-law would love a stop at Stonehenge on the way to Southhampton.

Please share all of your private company names and contact information.

Is there anything you would do differently? Were the boys happy with everything? Was there anything they came home wishing they had done/seen?

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

[skt4cruise]

We are leaving in a few hours to catch this same cruise, thanks for all the tips, we wondered about the shuttle into downtown Dublin, you solved this for us, we purchased HOHO bus tickets online.
Fish and chips in Wheelhouse, didn't know that either

[TracieABD]

Great reveiw. Thanks.

[Pia1913]

Originally Posted by skt4cruise

We are leaving in a few hours to catch this same cruise, thanks for all the tips, we wondered about the shuttle into downtown Dublin, you solved this for us, we purchased HOHO bus tickets online.
Fish and chips in Wheelhouse, didn't know that either

It's called the Pub Lunch and they'll have it only on sea days, usually between 11:30 and 2:00. Limited menu (4 choices only). Enjoy your cruise.

[skt4cruise]

Were there any ATM machines available in ports and where exactly if you saw them?
Do you perhaps do the ships tour?

[skt4cruise]

Hubby wants to know what is the "Calypso Cove" and "Meridian Bay" close to the DiVinci Dining room, passenger services, thanks for any replys. We booked this cruise 1 1/2 yrs ago, can't believe its finally here, we are already in Europe.....

[pj-atsea]

Originally Posted by skt4cruise

Hubby wants to know what is the "Calypso Cove" and "Meridian Bay" close to the DiVinci Dining room, passenger services, thanks for any replys. We booked this cruise 1 1/2 yrs ago, can't believe its finally here, we are already in Europe.....

I am not positive on this but I believe those are the names of a couple of the stores.pj

[Colo Cruiser]

Originally Posted by skt4cruise

Hubby wants to know what is the "Calypso Cove" and "Meridian Bay" close to the DiVinci Dining room, passenger services, thanks for any replys. We booked this cruise 1 1/2 yrs ago, can't believe its finally here, we are already in Europe.....

Boutiques.

[Murphey]

Thank you for your excellent review. But, now I need a nap! Wow, you guys are the energizer bunnies!!!

[Alli Cruiser]

Originally Posted by SeaTheWorldBySea

Alli Cruiser

Can't tell you how much I appreciate your post. We will be traveling with our daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandsons on this itinerary next summer. The oldest will turn 16 the day we're in Guernsey and the other will be 13. Your review is terrific!

What car service did you use to get to the ship from London. Son-in-law would love a stop at Stonehenge on the way to Southhampton.

Please share all of your private company names and contact information.

Is there anything you would do differently? Were the boys happy with everything? Was there anything they came home wishing they had done/seen?

We used Eddie Manning for the car service for all three trips finding them on London tool kit (google Eddie Manning). They were easy to deal with and professional. Pam (frequent CC'r and also on this cruise recommended a different company, I believe Woodruff?

We used Valu Cabs (pre-arranged on line) for Belfast. The charge was 150 GBP. We used Osprey Adventures (google) for the biking and canoeing. I highly recommend them as they were professional, provided all technical equipment and had a sense of humor (important when traveling with kids).

The boys wished we had more time in Paris, which after our marathon day, who could blame them. One felt badly that we adjusted our day in Cobh due to him being ill but being flexible is important when you travel with kids as we all know.

Enjoy your cruise!

Linda

aka Alli Cruiser

[Alli Cruiser]

Originally Posted by skt4cruise

Were there any ATM machines available in ports and where exactly if you saw them?
Do you perhaps do the ships tour?

Didn't use any ATM's as we took enough with us used the safe. Didn't do the ships tour so can't comment.

[Tallcruiser]

Thanks for taking the time to give a review. Just in time! I am on my way to catch this cruise sailing this Wed!

[skt4cruise]

Originally Posted by skt4cruise

Were there any ATM machines available in ports and where exactly if you saw them?
Do you perhaps do the ships tour?

I was asking if they did the TOUR OF THE SHIP, but too late now to get an answer, off we go...............

[sunsetbeachgal]

Great review...thanks...other than eating thier fill, how did your boys like the cruise and the ship??

[Alli Cruiser]

Originally Posted by sunsetbeachgal

Great review...thanks...other than eating thier fill, how did your boys like the cruise and the ship??

They loved it, as I thought they would.