Live from the Crown - Jan 22, 2016 - 3-day Baja Getaway from San Pedro

Hi All! This is my first "Live From" so be gentle on me!

I'm from Toronto, have been working in Los Angeles this week and will still be out west next week, so I figured I'd stay in the warm weather and spend the weekend aboard the Crown. My wife is back home and a little (okay, maybe more than a little) jealous that I'm cruising without her, but she didn't want to fly all the way out west just for the weekend. This will be my second voyage aboard the Crown, the last being a 7-day Alaska (northbound) in June of 2014, which we both enjoyed immensely.

Day 0:

Since I'm travelling solo, I booked a guaranteed inside (IF) cabin, and only received my cabin assignment today. Was hoping for a visit from the upgrade fairy, and did get a slight upgrade to IB, but still inside. Good location though; midship on Caribe.

I received two emails and a phone call from Princess about delayed boarding due to extra disinfection of the ship (there's another thread with specifics). According to the CDC website, the voyage ending January 18 had 180 passengers (5.88%) and 24 crew (2.05%) afflicted with symptoms of norovirus infection. I hope those numbers have decreased on the current voyage. This will be my first time sailing under a code red, so I'll mention any differences I notice.

This evening I checked into the DoubleTree San Pedro, which has a free shuttle to the cruise port. I'm quite impressed with the property. Spacious rooms, and my Hilton Diamond status got me upgraded to a room with a spectacular view of the marina.

I'll be back tomorrow with a report on getting to the port and boarding. If anybody wants anything specific answered, let me know and I'll do my best.

Steve.

What a nice way to spend the weekend (while you are working in our part of the world). Hope you enjoyed Thursday's warm weather. Enjoy your get away cruise. I wish you the best. Not as much fun under a code red advisory.

Welcome to Cruise Critic and thanks for doing a live!!

Bon Voyage!! :)

Thanks Colo Cruiser! My wife's been on CC since it began, and she finally convinced me to get my own account before our last cruise.

Thanks Colo Cruiser! My wife's been on CC since it began, and she finally convinced me to get my own account before our last cruise.

Well its about time then!! :D

Have fun! We are sailing March 5th. I am looking forward to your updates. If it sails as a code red I would love to know if the pool is open or not :)

Excellent. I hope your cruise is better than ours on the Crown a couple of weeks ago when storms kept us out of two ports. You'll still have a great time.

Bon voyage!

Hope you have a great cruise on the Crown! :)

Have a great cruise. We were on the Crown last year with a code red and I actually liked it. Buffet food was served by crew as well as in the Elite, Platinum and suite gathering nightly. Gave me a sense of well being even though it could have been the crew that spread the noro on the previous cruise.

have a great cruise! thanks for keeping us posted. I'm up next on the crown on the 25th so anxious to hear if the noro issue gets under control or if we will be delayed getting onboard as well. I remember someone posting to go visit the battleship Iowa...and thats what we intend on doing since we are driving in from arizona.

Thank you for the Live reports with the pictures. I will be following you to the Crown on Monday so I am watching the reports with great interest. I'm trying to reacquaint myself with princess as its been more than 5 years since I sailed with the line.

Enjoy! If you follow baseball, this is the Los Angeles Angels fan cruise with some players and coaches. A very fun crowd!

Nice! Enjoy! [emoji4]

Day 1.1: DoubleTree San Pedro

Awoke this morning after a very restful night’s sleep. Comfortable beds here. And the bedside electric outlets with USB charging ports are great. Every hotel should have these. After a couple of conference calls to finish off the work week, I headed downstairs for breakfast. There’s a spacious breakfast area with large windows overlooking the marina. I had the full American breakfast buffet, which offers cooked-to-order items as well as standard breakfast buffet fare. I believe the regular price for breakfast is $17.95, but it’s complimentary for Hilton Gold and Diamond members. In all, I was very pleased with the property, and would definitely stay here again for a cruise departing San Pedro.

Packing up now to catch the complimentary hotel shuttle to the port. Back Soon!

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Day 1.2: Check-in

Antonio the DoubleTree shuttle driver was a hoot, telling women beside us in cars to come to the hotel for a free cookie.

Check-in was completely painless. Contrary to the information Princess sent, the terminal was NOT closed until 2:30. I walked right in at 1:30, no lines whatsoever. From being dropped at the curb to being checked-in, through security, and seated waiting to board took eleven minutes. There are lots of people constantly wiping everything, including the check-in counters. The Port of LA also has free wifi in the terminal. It's 2:00, and the preferred boarding area is still mostly empty. In-Transit passengers are being called to reboard now.

They just called Elites, so Preferred should be soon. Stay tuned!

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Enjoy your cruise. I hope it remains uneventful for you;)

Day 1.3: On Board!

It's 2:10, and I've already boarded! No cabins yet, so headed up to Lido.

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I can't resist Princess Pizza! First difference: you can't even get napkins yourself, and the staff will shake Parmesan cheese onto your pizza for you.

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Excellent! Bon Voyage!!

MDR isn't open for lunch today due to the deep cleaning, so off to my favourite place, Crooners, and a martini!

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I can't resist Princess Pizza! First difference: you can't even get napkins yourself, and the staff will shake Parmesan cheese onto your pizza for you.

Just as long as they don't eat it for you too.

Thank you for your "Live From"...following along as I will be on the ship on Feb 9th. Love the pictures. Please let me know what night the 60's rock and roll party is scheduled. I want to dine in the Crown Grill, but just not that night.

Have a great cruise!!

Great photos. Looking forward to the rest of your review!

MDR isn't open for lunch today due to the deep cleaning, so off to my favourite place, Crooners, and a martini!

 

 

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Loved Crooner's on the Ruby! We'll be on the Crown in April - can you tell us who the entertainer in Crooner's is? We had Funch on the Ruby and he was excellent!