Sandy R

We were on the Crown's December 12 cruise to Mexico and had the same experience as MVT. Had no linen problems. Actually had no problems on this cruise... mattress, food, friendliness of staff, were all good.

I bring my own facial tissues as the ship's are thin and harsh. Folded in baggies they take up very little space. Obviously, I don't put them in the toilet... wouldn't put them in my own toilet at home!

 

Also, on the Crown this December we had facial tissues in the bathroom.

No Tour... we walked to Republic Square. We explored for awhile and other volunteers gave us directions to the Cliff Divers. After seeing the divers, we took a pulmonia back to the ship. All those walking were given a 4 page brochure called "Follow The Blue Line". The brochure says the walking route itself, from the ship into Old Town is 3/4 of a mile.

We disembarked the Crown last Saturday. We had a great time. The Crown has been kept up nicely. The common areas look good. Our cabin was clean when we arrived, our stewardess was efficient and friendly, the beds seemed comfortable to us. We had fresh towels twice a day and our bed linen was changed regularly.

 

We ate twice at the Crown Grill and the food was consistently good. We also ate at Sabatini's and will miss it when it's replaced by Share. We noticed the Salty Dog was practically empty most nights, so I feel it might not be there when we board the Crown again in April.

 

We ate breakfast every morning at the Horizon Court and found it fine. The made-to-order eggs area was never busy so I'm wondering if passengers just don't know about it. The weather was warm so most days we ate lunch outside around the pool at the Pizza counter or the Grill.

 

We liked "Magic To Do". It was nice to finally see a new show. But we noted that Explorer's Lounge had very little nightly entertainment except for music and dancing and passenger volunteer shows like the Marriage Game. Due to the lack of evening entertainment, the Princess Theater was filled to capacity at each show. Passengers were arriving 20 to 30 minutes prior to show time to be assured of getting a decent seat. On the other hand, the Piazza had regularly scheduled entertainment throughout the day and evening.

 

We weren't overjoyed about returning to Mazatlan but we thoroughly enjoyed the city this cruise. There are now a group of volunteer ex-pats that greet cruise passengers just outside the terminal building... a nice touch. I had read about the blue stripe that had been painted along the roadways and sidewalks from the ship terminal to Old Town. Obviously, it isn't for everyone but we enjoy walking so we opted to "follow the blue line". There were 4 ships in port, so we had lots of company during our walk. All along the way, more ex-pat volunteers greeted passengers. We stopped to talk to several of them. There was also a police presence via motorcycles. Once in Old Town, more ex-pats were there to greet passengers. We have never felt so safe in Mazatlan as we did this cruise.

We also just disembarked the Crown yesterday. We had a great time. The Crown has been kept up nicely. The common areas look good. Our cabin was clean when we arrived, our stewardess was efficient and friendly, the beds seemed comfortable to us. We had fresh towels twice a day and our bed linen was changed regularly.

We ate twice at the Crown Grill and the food was consistently good. We also ate at Sabatini's and will miss it when it's replaced by Share. We noticed the Salty Dog was practically empty most nights, so I feel it might not be there when we board the Crown again in April.

We ate breakfast every morning at the Horizon Court and found it fine. The made-to-order eggs area was never busy so I'm wondering if passengers just don't know about it. The weather was warm so most days we ate lunch outside around the pool at the Pizza counter or the Grill.

We liked "Magic To Do". It was nice to finally see a new show. But we noted that Explorer's Lounge had very little nightly entertainment except for music and dancing and passenger volunteer shows like the Marriage Game. Due to the lack of evening entertainment, the Princess Theater was filled to capacity at each show. Passengers were arriving 20 to 30 minutes prior to show time to be assured of getting a decent seat. On the other hand, the Piazza had regularly scheduled entertainment throughout the day and evening.

We weren't overjoyed about returning to Mazatlan but we thoroughly enjoyed the city this cruise. There are now a group of volunteer ex-pats that greet cruise passengers just outside the terminal building... a nice touch. I had read about the blue stripe that had been painted along the roadways and sidewalks from the ship terminal to Old Town. Obviously, it isn't for everyone but we enjoy walking so we opted to "follow the blue line". There were 4 ships in port, so we had lots of company during our walk. All along the way, more ex-pat volunteers greeted passengers. We stopped to talk to several of them. There was also a police presence via motorcycles. Once in Old Town, more ex-pats were there to greet passengers. We have never felt so safe in Mazatlan as we did this cruise.

We always book a mini-suite and haven't had pool towel in our room for at least the beginning of 2015. The pool towels are stacked outside by the pool in a cloth-like cabinet. The cabinet also a place to put used towels. I think this is a much better way than having to carry them from the cabin.

Princess uses Aon Affinity for their trip insurance. Call and ask them: 1-877-846-8833. We cancelled a trip for a covered reason. They were delightful to work with.

We also had already booked a non-refundable promo on a coastal cruise in April 2016. Were you able to keep the cabin you had originally booked? When I called Princess, I could get the new promotion (only $25 OBC each for us because of the inside cabin), but I would not be able to keep the same cabin. I declined for now.

 

Previously booked with our wonderful TA. She got the new promo and kept our cabin. She dis mention she had to call Princess to give us the new promo so maybe that's why we were able to keep the same cabin.

Already had a 7 day booking with a non-refundable promo on a coastal cruise April 2016. This morning, TA changed old promo to Sun-drenched promo and now we have an extra $150 OBC. I'm happy!

Not Pam,:o, but cruise credits are the extra credits that one receives for traveling solo (two instead on one in most cabins, or three instead of one for a suite).

 

Thanks for the explanation!

Is it based on your 50th cruise or 50th cruise credit? There is a difference.

 

Pam... our cruise cards for the August cruise says 49 at the bottom. So, we were recognized for our 50th cruise in August. Not sure what 50th cruise or 50th cruise credit means. Can you explain.

Our 50th cruise was on our August Alaska cruise SF to SF. We received most of what others mentioned. We traded the Champagne for a bottle of very nice red wine. We stopped the plates of extras delivered to our cabin... just can't eat that much food before dinner. Received the flower arrangement, were recognized at the Most Traveled Lunch, had the bridge tour, got the 50th anniversary pins. Would have liked Sabatini's breakfast but that wasn't offered. It was nice to be recognized for 50 cruises but most of all we enjoyed each and every one of those 50 cruises. We continue to enjoy all the Elite perks we get on each cruise we take. And, we enjoy being greeted by familiar faces when we board. The whole Princess experience is what keeps us coming back.

We'll be leaving next Monday on the Golden Princess. Just downloaded app on my phone and DH's phone. Thanks for the heads-up!

They should sell this stuff on the ship!

 

I actually asked the Crown's Internet Cafe to get them. Got back a blank stare. If they were offered on ships it just might cut the number of bacterial and viral illnesses onboard.

 

On the Corox website it says: "Fast kill times on more than 40 microorganisms.

30 seconds to 1 minute contact times on most bacteria and viruses".

 

I use them religiously when I travel. Of course I also go into "maximum" hygiene mode, doing everything posted on this thread!

Error

 

These are what I used on my June cruise. We did not get sick. Then again, I never wiped down my cabin on prior cruises and didn't get sick either. Reading cc made me a little more paranoid. The hand washing was always part of our hygiene repertoire.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Clorox-Healthcare-Hydrogen-Peroxide-Disinfectant/dp/B00F45J8TK

 

Whether this is effective or not, it made me feel better (I am sure some one will be along shortly to tell me the stuff is useless ��).

 

We also bought this product last year from Amazon. It works and doesn't have an odor, a biggie for me. It's a large container so I fold 8 per 3 double snack ziplock bags. They keep moist for at least 3 weeks. We also use the Clorox bleach free Hand Sanitizer 2 oz. spray bottles... I bought a set of 3 at Amazon. It's a great size, I always have a bottle in my purse whether I'm traveling or not.

Toyota... thanks for update. We'll be there on a Sunday. Hoping to get a taxi to Honfleur, if we can't rent a car.

cboyle... thank you for your first-hand information. Our ship will be docked at the Le Havre terminal for the day. According to your experience, that means the Rent A Car office will be open. That certainly makes renting easier! I will definitely contact Julien.

Emailed Le Havre tourism as to whether Rent A Car and/or Sixt was open on Sunday. I heard back from Clement Parmentier, Cruise coordinator Ass't of Le Havre tourism. He said yes, both will be open... that Rent A Car has an office in the Cruise Terminal of Le Havre and Sixt is about a 15 minute walk from the terminal.

 

After reading the CC boards, I was under the impression that neither car rentals were open on Sunday.

 

Does anyone have first hand experience with renting a car on a Sunday? It would make our plans so much easier if we could rent a car.

I always ask for a "regular" blanket with a top sheet beneath and above the blanket. I also ask that the top sheets be "single" sheets... not the empty duvet pocket sheet. I actually give a type-written note tto the steward (with a $10 bill) with the blanket & sheet request + hand towels and wash clothes without the ribbing, ice bucket be refilled every day & a few extra hangers. We always get the extra hangers almost immediately and the rest before we turn in for the night.

email is: customerrelations@princesscruises.com

 

Nice to hear that others had the same positive experience dealing with Customer Relations that we had.

Thanks Colo Cruiser... just looked to make sure OBC was there and printed it out. They not only gave my DH a credit, they gave me a credit, too... enough for dinner at the Crown Grill. Yahoo!

Yes, I definitely took the higher amount in OBC. I thought it was great Customer Relations. BTW, in 49 cruises with Princess I have never found an overcharge at the end of a cruise.

Just returned from CA coastal, 4/18-4/25. After returning home on the Sat. the 25th, looked over our bill and saw an internet charge for my DH of $10. Emailed Princess Customer Service the same day and explained DH had an Elite internet package and barely used it. Yesterday I got a call from a Princess Customer Service agent, who apologized and said he could mail us the $10 or put a somewhat higher amount as OBC on our upcoming August cruise. VERY NICE!

We rented a car and did the drive a few years ago. We stopped where we wanted and as long as we wanted. The scenery was amazing! We've rented a car again this August and will do the drive again. I know after 15 minutes, DH and I would be bored doing the train. We have a 9 year old granddaughter and I know she would be bored doing the train. If you download "Murray's Milepost Guide" (which tells you the places to stop and about each stop), the kids can actively participate in the drive. That should keep them busy.

Hope you're having a great time. We'll be doing the coastal on the 18th. What nights are formal? And, is there a Chef's Dinner on your cruise? If so, what night was or is it?