Crown Review 8/22-29

We sailed on the Crown 8/22-29/04. Our group consisted of myself,my husband,our two girls 5 & 7,and my inlaws. We have sailed previously on NCL,RCCL and Disney.

EMBARKATION: The NY pier was much less congested than last year. No traffic at all. We arrived at 11:30,lined up and at 11:45 they let us in to check-in. This took about 10 minutes and then we were on the ship. A very friendly staff member named Nardan showed us to our suite.

CABIN: We had an AB suite, #1017. It was one large room in the shape of an L with queen bed and pullout. The room was in great shape and spotless. Plenty of closet and drawer space- 4 closets in fact. We did not use all the storage space. Bathroom was roomy for a ship,with marble and a tub as well as upgraded toiletries.

The balcony was outstanding! The biggest we’ve ever enjoyed. There were two lounge chairs as well as a table and 4 chairs,with plenty of room to walk around. One afternoon while sailing we saw dolphins from the balcony, and the last morning we got up early to see the Statue of Liberty. The balcony was a wonderful respite when the pool deck got crowded and noisy. Also great to take a relaxing break there every afternoon.

BUTLER & CONCIERGE: Our Butler Karan introduced himself and brought us glasses of champagne. There was also a bottle chilled and fresh fruit and flowers. He took our order for 3 bottles of liquor as well as soda and water. Fruit,soda and water were stocked throughout the week. Every night before dinner appetizers were delivered,and there were sweets delivered nightly after dinner.

Our concierge Shahana arranged a shore excursion for us as well as Le Bistro reservations. We got a few videos for the kids through her as well. CD’s,DVD’s and tapes were available.

SHIP: The ship is in great condition,very clean,and you would see staff working on this continually. One day they changed our curtains- I have no idea why as the old one looked like new. There’s a minor amount of rust on the hull.

The ship is considerably smaller than others we’ve been on. For instance, less restaurants and bars,and smaller pool deck than the Dawn. But on the positive side,it is so easy to get around. Everything is a short walk away. We didn’t find any of the public rooms crowded. We found that overall service was similar to larger ships,and it was nice with fewer crew members you saw them more frequently and they were more familiar.

Pool deck is relatively small. We are early birds so had no problem getting a table and spending the morning there on sea days. Pool band was OK. By early afternoon it was too loud and crowded so we went elsewhere. They could use a larger pool deck,but this would not deter me from choosing this ship. There are also deck areas on deck 10 and 11 for lounging. I liked deck 10 also as they have barbecues there some afternoons. This was also where we enjoyed the sailaway, great views and not as crowded as deck 7.

DINING: We ate all dinners except one in the Seven Seas. We eat early with the kids,and enjoy traditional dining. So the maitre d’ arranged the same table and waiter nightly at 5:50 PM,and this worked out well for us. The food in the Seven Seas was good to excellent. I personally enjoy the President’s dinner most,but the lobster was surprisingly good as well. Our waiter Yolin was excellent and took very good care of us,and knew how to keep the girls occupied through a relatively long (for them) dinner nightly- about 90 minutes to an hour and 45 minutes.

We ate in the buffet a few times for breakfast and lunch. I thought it was fine. It is what it is after all. During breakfast they had a fresh fruit bar and omelet and waffle stations. During lunch ice cream was available and the girls enjoyed a few cones.

Breakfast and lunch in the Seven Seas were very good, but more time-consuming.

Twice we had lunch on deck 10 at Café Italia which is an outdoor buffet and barbecue. I really like the NCL barbecues as I enjoy eating outside. It was also easy to carry a tray back to the room and balcony.

We had dinner one night in Le Bistro. Atmosphere is quiet and the food same or slightly better than the Seven Seas. Service however was not as good. I think the waiter just had too many tables, he seemed backed up most of the night.

SERVICE: Service was very good to excellent throughout. Yolin,our waiter was a real pleasure to “come home” to nightly. His service was flawless. Other waitstaff worth mentioning are: Nardan asst waiter who never waited on us but always had a very big smile for us whenever we saw him and Christina from Romania a waitress who was very personable. Andres the maitre d’ was very congenial. One lunch he brought a plate of cookies for the girls to bring to our room, a thoughtful touch.

Roberto,bartender in the Top of the Crown is excellent,a real gentleman, who we looked forward to seeing nightly.

Had a few encounters with the reception desk. They always were very pleasant . There was a minor problem with our bill which we discovered the last evening. They had it fixed the next morning before debarkation.

CD and staff were great. Simon the CD is so energetic. He even came into the Kids Club to play Simon says. His asst Carl was also excellent,in a quieter way with a dry sense of humor.

In general,we found if you smile at a staffmember and treat them with the respect they deserve, ,they will bend over backwards to accommadate you.

KIDS CREW: Superb. The planned activities were fun for both our girls. There were different themes, i.e. pirate night,prince and princess,game night,spy night, juggling lessons, unbirthday party etc. Some nights they paraded the kids through the public areas of the ship,which was too cute. The counselors were outstanding. Lots of energy and good skill in handling the kids. Very sweet as well,especially with the 2-5 year olds. Our girls preferred this far and away to the Disney kids program as the groups were smaller and there were more counselors. For instance,most nights there were 8-10 kids in the 2-5 y.o. group,and 3 counselors for this group. Not a bad ratio. There were more kids in the 7-9 y.o.,but the counselors did an excellent job handling the larger group. Overall we were extremely pleased with the Kids Crew.

As an aside,being August there were lots of families on board. But the kids and teens throughout the ship were very well behaved.

SEA DAYS: As mentioned,by afternoon sea days got crowded around the pool. But there were lots of other activities- the usual bingo,art auction, casino,shops, trivia,etc. One or two afternoons and one evening there were movies.

ST GEORGE: We had planned to take a carriage ride in the AM,but did not book it through the ship. Mistake. All the carriages were contracted by the ship. We walked around a little. There are a few streets with shops. Saw the town square and dunking chair. There’s not a lot to do in the immediate town. Lot of folks went to Tobacco Bay. I heard St Catherine’s was less crowded. We returned to the ship before lunch and the girls had a little time in the pool,which was empty. I highly recommend ashort pool break when in port, it’s refreshing and not crowded. In the afternoon we took the Turtle Bay Catamaran trip. This was great! We sailed out to Turtle Bay,anchored, swam with noodles and drank rum swizzles. The water was warm and beautiful. Beach was clean. I would do this again. The crew really was interested in everybody having a good time. It rained a little but passed quickly..

HAMILTON: Here we took a carriage ride for an hour , which was very enjoyable. Had planned on using the voucher for lunch at Hartley’ at the Southampton Princess,but we were hot after the carriage ride and shopping ,and headed back to the ship. Then it rained,so we stayed on the ship. The hot tub is a cool place in the rain! The girls and I enjoyed it immensely. Harbour nights festival was cancelled due to rain. We shopped a little after dinner.

DOCKYARD: Took a cab to Horseshoe Bay for the day. It was $20 each way plus tip. I recommend a cab or bus ride to everybody,as it gave me an appreciation of how beautiful Bermuda is beyond the ports.Horsehoe Bay was fantastic. Because it was cloudy,it was not crowded. For families it’s a good choice as there are restrooms,food,chairs and umbrellas and lifeguards. Chair an umbrella I think were $18. There was very little surf,also good for children learning to swim. For some reason,everyone drops anchor right at the entrance. If you want less crowded,walk to the left. If you keep walking farther to the left you will find smaller,quieter coves and no people.

At the Dockyard,there is a craft market and smaller branches of some of the shops in Hamilton. I loved the glassblowing studio. There’s also dolphin encounter and the maritime museum. I would suggest planning to spend part of the day elsewhere,as its not a full day destination.

Snorkel Park is at the Dockyard. What a great idea! We went there the last morning for two hours and swam. They have rafts with slides into the water. The water is very calm. You do need watershoes because of coral. We got a few cuts on our feet. Also my littlest got stung by a jellyfish.I thought this worked out well for the last morning,as there is not much time to go elsewhere.

DEBARKATION: Freestyle debarkation is the best. No cattle calls. On this cruise however,a large number of people utilized express debarkation where you carry your own bags off the ship,and are the first to leave. This slowed things up a bit. We had priority debarkation due to the suite,were the first group to leave after express and were off the ship by 9:15. In the terminal finding our bags was easy,not like the chaos the year previous exiting the Dawn,an advantage of a smaller ship with fewer people. The street area was also not crowded and our ride picked us up easily and quickly.

FINAL NOTE: We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and would sail the Crown again. I heard a number of people expressing disappointment with the Crown,having sailed on the Dawn last year. We were not disappointed,as I researched it on these boards and knew what to expect. They are by nature very different entities, but both very enjoyable.The Crown is a more intimate,more comfortable,and slightly more laid back ship than the Dawn. For us the Dawn was the destination last year whereas Bermuda the destination this year.

I am happy to answer any questions. Thanks to all who've answered mine.

What a wonderful review you have written. We too enjoyed our Crown cruise in July.

Thanks for taking the time.

It was my pleasure to recall this trip! Also wanted to pay back those who have written the helpful reviews I've read.

Thanks. It was a great review. I had to book a party of 6 for the weekend of May 22 on some cruise from an East Coast port and finally decided on the Crown. So you good review of the Crown was a major relief! I have printed it out and will share it with the rest of the group.

Thanks for the great review, and putting my mind a little at ease. I will be sailing to Bermuda on 10/31, amd must say that I had had many reservations about the trip after reading so many "bad" reviews.

Its also a present to my parents, who haven't been to Bermuda for 35 years, so the info about the town's sights also helped.

Thank you for a great review I have just booked cabin 1002 and do have a question, you mention 3 bottles of liquor and water and soda being stocked in the frig I can find no mention of this in any of my brochures was this all free of charge?????? Did you find the butler intrusive this will be my first experience with a butler?

Thank you for all your help

The Eds

PS booked Sept 25 2005

yes its free in the owners suite... the Butler is not obtrusive at all...on the liquor you get a list which can chose what you want. It includes a small bottle of good port. my favorite..

Great review! Just got back yesterday from Bermuda on the NCL Crown. Had an absolutely fantastic time. To The Eds... we had room 1005. I don't drink but Karan (the non-intrusive butler - but always ready when you need something) did keep the refrigerator stocked with diet soda for me. My hubby had the 3 bottles of liquor - and Karan even delivered his favorite Bloody Mary mix to the room. We also had fresh fruit and flowers in the room. Eds: don't pack robes because they provide the greatest robes going. If you don't want them checking in on your needs (as they do periodically) just hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign outside the door.

I was also skeptical prior to the cruise from comments read by others... but I had one of the best vacations ever. We met all sorts of great people, the staff couldn't do enough for us, and the ship was spotless. (We did have some rough seas last Monday - but met even more folks as we kept bumping into each other.)

Also while traveling around Hamilton, we opted to get a one-day bus pass. This also allowed use of the ferry, which was right next to the Crown. After taking the bus to the aquarium, we ferried out to the Dockyard (Snorkel Bay) and took the bus ride back into town (just to see other areas of Bermuda). The pass was $12 per person. Someone even suggested getting the pass and taking the ferry ride around Bermuda (3-4 hours). You can get on and off as you please - just keep an eye on the schedule.

When I have time (still getting the laundry done), I'll post some photos (especially of the owners suite).

:)

We were on the infamous April 4, cruise from Philly to Canada to Savannah and had room 1009 with Ashawan as our butler. He was great. Kept our bar refrig stocked and was there when we needed him. Never obtrussive. Despite the fact that the ship had mechanical problems and we had to cancel one port, some of us found the trip to be great and still enjoyed the ship and crew. We're happy to hear that all of the reviews seem to be taking a very positive turn. We're now booked on Oceania for December 17 South America Cruise - after eight NCL trips, I guess it is about time to try another line.

Rich & Merlyn

Thank you all so much for being so helpful, now I know why i love the message boards you meet such nice people

The Eds

Here's some of the photos promised earlier. We had room 1006 Owner's Suite on the NCL Crown. Already booked for next year!!!

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/200127584nWtoef

Thanks for the pictures as we will be on the Crown next month.

I got to see the American Eagle accidentally earlier this week which is part of American Cruise Lines (new to me). That was really small and is currently doing cruises on the Chesapeak Bay. I could not find that it was scheduled to visit our local small port of Solomons Island, MD, yet there was a clipper race on the Chesapeake this past weekend in which the bay was so rough that several ships (of size) that were racing, unexpectedly ended up at Solomons. Could be that the American Eagle had to also alter its course, as their web site indicated it was supposed to have been in the lower Bay instead of here. Thanks again.

thank you so much for the detailed and thorough review. I'm on the Crown for a December tour in South America and was also a little nervous due to some of the other not so cheery reviews.

perhaps in time I'll be able to join y'all in the fab owners suites! ;-)

AWATT, I'm booked in the same suite - 1017. Any chance you have some photos?

Awatt, thanks for the great review! It's nice to hear some positive information about the ship and crew. :)

We'll be on the Crown March 28th in one of the smaller suites (room 9008). Has anyone had any experience with the 'AD' category of suites on the Crown? I'm interested to learn more about it.

Thanks!!

tigre

patsicruiser- I have photos in an album on a website. It will letyou view them if I type in your email. Don't know how to post them here.

patsi- try this http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2132980286

Awatt,

I saw your pictures. Thanks so much for sharing them. Looks like

everyone had a good time. Can't wait til June '05!!!

I was on this same cruise! I took 28 other people with me (my Girl Scouts!!!). We had such a great time that my Hubby and son and I will be back on this cruise for the week of July 4th! Lori

Awatt,

You have been so helpful in the past and I was wondering if you could answer

one more question. Does the penthouse suite come with a coffee pot?

I'm pretty picky about my coffee and I don't care for the cruise coffee.

I have read other posts which say that suites come with a coffee pot.

Since I will be staying in the same cabin as you did last year , I know you can provide the answer.

Thanks.

Here's some of the photos promised earlier. We had room 1006 Owner's Suite on the NCL Crown. Already booked for next year!!!

 

Photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/200127584nWtoef

Thanks for your photos and comments. We have a suite on the same deck to Bermuda in September.