Live from the Crown Princess

[gooch47]

New York to Quebec City
Crown Princess
October 13 – 25, 2009

Getting There and New York City – October 13

The trip from Columbus to New York City was uneventful. We left Columbus around 7:50 a.m. and arrived in New York about 1.5 hours later. The bus took us to the port where we checked in quickly. We were quite early, so we had to wait in the Elite Lounge for about 1.5 hours. After boarding the ship and finding our cabin, we ate lunch at the buffet and then explored the ship, checking out the casino (of course) and signing up for the internet. We also discovered the International Café. We knew about it of course but hadn’t actually used it before. I’m afraid this will be a BAD thing. We had some delicious shrimp salad and an éclair for a snack. And I had cappuccino and DH had some wine.

Our cabin looked out over the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty and what I assume was Ellis Island. As evening approached, we took some very nice photos. For dinner we decided to try the Seafood Buffet and were underwhelmed. We were a little late leaving, so the casino didn’t open until 9:00 p.m. As some Cruise Critic people had advised us, our cash shortage (due to forgetting the banks were closed on Columbus Day) won’t be an issue since we can, indeed, charge casino credits on the slots with no fee.]

We had no problem getting internet access in our cabin.

It has been a while since we were on a Grand Class Princess ship, and we so far have been pleasantly surprised by what we didn’t remember about them. Our cabin is nicely located (D301). We haven’t been to a dining room yet and won’t again tonight since it is formal night and we no longer participate in dressing up. Our cabin steward appears to be new, but he is doing a good job. Our mini-suite seems roomier than we have had on other ships, but that may or may not be really true. The casino was nice with lots of variety, but tight as all cruise ship casinos are.

Newport, Rhode Island – October 14

Weather: Very cool, high about 55, but sunny. Breezy.

We had breakfast in the buffet. Standard buffet fare. This was a tender port. As we waited in the Princess Theater for our tour, they reminded people that they needed official government photo ID. Several didn’t have it and at least one group got separated because a member had to go back to their cabin to get theirs when the group was called to the tender. Why not just remind people before they sat down?

Our tour of the “Best of Newport” took us around the city and to the “cottages” owned by the rich and famous. We had lunch at one of the mansions (the Elms) in the old stable. Lunch was potato chips, a sandwich (we had chicken salad wrap), a large cookie and drink. I heard some complaints but it was fine for us. We then toured the home which had many spectacular rooms with fabulous art and tapestrys and furniture. The bathrooms were especially interesting with very old time fixtures. We walked around the grounds for a while and then boarded the bus to go back to the tender docks. The ship left on time. We napped and skipped the wine tasting. Our chocolate covered strawberries were delivered as scheduled.

The evening was completed by dinner at the buffet. It was very satisfactory and included lobster claws and one of my favorite appetizers, Crab Quiche. A short visit to the casino was also unproductive.

[FTLAUDER]

Thank you for this review. My DH and I are warm weather cruisers and have been curious about the weather and the clothing you pack for this type of cruise. Since most of our activities include spending the day at the pool, we are not sure if we will have enough to do on a cool weather cruise. I look forward to the rest of your review.

[LollyMoz]

Thanks for the review. I'm enjoying reading it so far and hope you continue to have a wonderful cruise. Stay warm!

[5fathom]

Be sure to check out the International Cafe on Plaza. It is great !

[mikelan6]

Thanks for the great review. We are sailing on the Crown in a few weeks and will have a cabin very close to yours.

[Shogun]

Hi gooch47

Have a great cruise

take care of the Crown we join her as you get off.

If you see Tony the PSD say hello from Shogun from Scotland

yours Shogun

[chloedmom]

Looking forward to your posts. Others seemed to really like the seafood buffet. What were you particularly underwhelmed by?

Also, the patters typically tell people to have their ID with them when they get off at ports but perhaps not on this cruise. Probably just a reminder right before.

[jp20]

Thank you for writing about your experiences and letting us live through you.

[SF]

Thank you for posting "live" from the Crown. Glad to hear you are having a good time and that the weather is cooperating. Looking forward to your other posts as like Shogun said we will be boarding after you disembark and the excitement is building.

[caribill]

Originally Posted by chloedmom

Also, the patters typically tell people to have their ID with them when they get off at ports but perhaps not on this cruise. Probably just a reminder right before.

On this cruise a couple of weeks ago, the notice was in the Patter for each port. Still many people did not read it.

And yes, at most of the ports they did check the picture ID before allowing you to enter the terminal or the ship area.

[gooch47]

Boston, Massachusetts – October 15

Weather – Cloudy, high of 45

Our Boston tour included a tour of the city and then on to Marblehead and Salem. I expected more historical sights in Boston and Marblehead consisted of mostly expensive cottages and a brief stop at a modern looking lighthouse. Salem was the biggest disappointment. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but a large city was not it. There were many old, old houses that were interesting. We had a nice lunch (choice of fish, chicken or pasta) at a bayside restaurant. Don’t expect the “Witch Museum” to be a real museum. It consisted of a 20-minute canned talk with lighted mannequins showing the various phases of the witch trials. We didn’t stay for the second “half” of the show which consisted of viewing a time-line of the period. It was a long day, cold because the bus was late twice and we had to stand outside to wait for it.

We didn’t get back to the ship until around 6:20 p.m. A long day and we weren’t in the mood for a long drawn-out dinner, so we hit the buffet again. It was “Mexican Night” and was pretty good. We went back to the casino again, no luck.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I'm enjoying your posts. I'm sorry that Salem was not as you expected. I agree that the Witch Museum is a disappointment. Were there any 'Haunted Happenings' events with Halloween so close?

I hope that you stay ahead of the Nor'easter that coming up the coast and hitting Boston today.

Enjoy your cruise. The Crown is a favorite of mine.

[jimpod]

I agree about the Witch Museum - we went a few years ago and my husband was bitterly disappointed. If Garry from South Africa is still in Crooners tell him James and Pauline were asking for him. We were on the Crown's transatlantic crossing in September and spent many a night propping up the bar in Crooners listening to Sammy.

[gooch47]

Bar Harbor, Maine – October 16

Weather: Windy, cloudy, cold. High 43

We did a grand tour of the area including Acadia National Park, Cadillac Mountain and a lobster lunch at an 1880’s hotel/restaurant. Lunch was excellent. A lot of the bus ride was riding between two rows of trees without a lot to see. When we went up on the mountain there were icicles hanging on the rocks along the road.

We finally ate in the Anytime Dining room. Service was slow, but in their defense, our area of the restaurant and indeed, the entire restaurant, was packed. It took about 1.5 hours for 3 courses.

Did our usual casino donations and went to the cabin early,



We may have just been tired and that might be why we didn’t enjoy the seafood buffet all that much.

As for announcements about needing ID, they did print it but it seems a lot of passengers don’t read all that carefully. This was the first time in a long time that we really needed to show it. It was only on the first day, though.

They were gearing up for Halloween in Salem. I understand the whole month of October is crazy.

[SF]

Sounds really cold!!!!! We won't be there for a few more weeks so I can just imagine what the temperature will be!!

Glad to hear you are enjoying your cruise and that you were able to tender in Bar Harbor. How was the tendering? Was it rough? Were the waits long?

[lady45]

Thanks for sharing your cruise time with us.

[gooch47]

St. John, New Brunswick – October 17

Weather: Beautiful sunshine, but cool and breezy. High around 50

An absolutely spectacular fall day here. We arrived to clouds and a cold wind, but it cleared up as we left for our tour. We took a short bus ride around the city, then on to the “Reversing River Rapids” where tide overpowers the St. John River and causes rough rapids. Then we boarded the Voyageur II, a small riverboat, for a really lovely cruise of the river. If you stayed out of the wind you could be on the outside decks for some great photo opportunities.

There wasn’t much to see right next to the ship. As we rode around town, there was some shopping available, but just not all that close.

Something about being on a cruise ship makes us sleepy. We took a long nap this afternoon. In fact, my DH is still sleeping and he NEVER does that. We’re sailing away from St. John right now. (My geography failed me on this one. I was sure we were going to St. Johns, Newfoundland!)

We received our invitation to the Most Travelled Passenger Luncheon last night. Yes, it is a luncheon this time. The last few have been Cocktail Parties.

Not sure what our plans for the evening are. There is a production show we haven’t seen called “Destination Anywhere” so we’ll go see that, I’m sure. We are very tired of losing in the casino, but I’m sure we’ll be back there again. Also not sure what to do about dinner. We had a fairly large lunch, and with the long nap neither of us feel much like eating again.



A couple things I forgot to mention about Bar Harbor:

We finally are seeing some color in the leaves. I hate to brag, but nothing yet that approaches back home. Its funny, but back home the leaves are a nuisance and it is odd to see people picking them up and putting them in plastic bags.

At Bar Harbor there appears to be some fantastic shopping right next to the tender dock. It is also interesting to see people at every gift shop, etc. buying hoodies, gloves and hats. Apparently everyone wasn’t totally prepared for this cold weather.

Saw something today that was a little worrisome: people in masks were cleaning the cabin next to ours. All the linen (towels and bedding) were outside the cabin sealed in plastic bags. Obviously something contagious.

Tendering at Bar Harbor was a little bumpy, but not too long. Since we took tours at both places, we didn't have to wait for tenders.

[SF]

Glad to hear that you had a nice day in St. John. That is the one port I'm really looking forward to since we haven't been there before. You really lucked out it seems with the weather. Just read a thread that stated the Caribbean Princess was caught in strong winds so glad to hear your voyage is good.

I hope the incident you mentioned about the cabin next door to you (linens, towels in sealed bags) was only a one cabin incident. Have you heard or has anyone mentioned anything about being on a higher alert for noro or a virus on board?

Did you end up going to the production show Destination Anywhere? Was it good? We haven't seen that one yet.

[SomeBeach]

Originally Posted by jimpod

I agree about the Witch Museum - we went a few years ago and my husband was bitterly disappointed. If Garry from South Africa is still in Crooners tell him James and Pauline were asking for him. We were on the Crown's transatlantic crossing in September and spent many a night propping up the bar in Crooners listening to Sammy.

So you were the noisemakers in Crooners!
Hi Jim and Pauline.

Gooch, I was also on the TA and for a week after leaving I so wanted to be back on board.
If you happen to be in the gym and see a trainer by the name of Jaco, please tell him Michaela says hello. I boarded the ship still needing to do physical therapy on my knee and he was a great help to me. My dr and therapist at home were extremely pleased with my progress due to the Terminators help.

[hightownCO]

Thanks for the live reports!

I love the Crab quiche especially with the jalapeno sauce. If they serve that next month on the Grand - that's dinner! Just bring 2!