Need advice - Crown Western Caribbean in April

[nattie]

We are coming back to Princess after 2.5 year hiatus (yay!!! finally!) and will be sailing on Crown over Easter week. I have been reading the reviews and was getting a pinch scared... However, my fellow Princess cheerleaders should be able to reassure me, right? :)

 

I would like to ask couple questions to the people who have recently sailed on Crown. Background: 2 adults (upper 30th), 1 baby (2yo), 1 senior (grandma). We booked Balcony and Inside across from each other on Baja (no connecting balconies, what a bummer!). We are pretty experienced cruisers (except grandma, this is her 2nd) and recently completed a sailing out of NYC on Norwegian (not too bad).

 

Questions:

1. We would like to request wheelchair assistance for grandma during boarding in Ft. Lauderdale. I have indicated that in Cruise personalizer, is there anything else I need to do? Is assisted boarding faster?
   
2. I have read that Crown has a Thermal Suite (similar to NCL's Thermal Suite) with lounges and spas for a fee. What is the fee and what exactly it entitles me to?
   
3. Is Spa pool (covered I believe) adults only? We are not planning to put DS in water, no worries.
   
4. I am planning to feed grandma and baby in the buffet (her preferred choice, she doesn't speak English and being able to see dishes makes huge difference), but we are planning on having dinner in the dining room (freestyle) after 8 pm bedtime for DS. How crowded is it after 8?
   
5. Grand Cayman - has anyone done turtle farm excursion recently? How crowded was the farm and beach? Was it worth the money?
   
6. My son will actually turn 2 during the cruise. I couldn't find any kid appropriate birthday packages. Do you know if I can get some ballons for him on the ship? May be a cake?
   
7. Any "Best of the Crown" tips out there? Almost all our Princess sailings were on Carribean Princess.Crown should be similar, but I might be missing something.
   
8. Any tip on a spot with half-price drink specials will also be appreciated!
   

Thank you in advance for any advice I can get.

[shepp]

We would like to request wheelchair assistance for grandma during boarding in Ft. Lauderdale. I have indicated that in Cruise personalizer, is there anything else I need to do? Is assisted boarding faster?

 

Not to be negative, but when my Mom and I sailed out of Port Everglades, she'd requested a wheelchair (from HAL) beforehand, but it still took repeated requests to port staff and a wait till one arrived. Once it did, the boarding was faster, but I'd advise you to prepare to be patient.

[gsmiles4u]

I can answer a couple of your questions, although my first cruise on the Crown is in April, too. The Crown offers the same Sanctuary that is on the Caribbean Princess. It's adults-only, and provides comfortable lounges, which are specifically reserved for you. A full-week reservation costs $15 per day. Daily reservations cost $20, and are hardest to get during at-sea days. Spa services cost extra. The spa pool is adults only.

 

I learned about the drink specials from CC boards: The drink specials are offered after 8:00, and are supposed to be offered at every bar, but are limited to house-brands, certain special cocktails [pina coladas, long island ice teas, singapore slings are most often mentioned on these boards], and certain beers. I was on the CB last summer, and didn't know this, so I'm for sure going to check it out this year!

 

The Crown's International Cafe has gelato for $1.50 for 3 scoops, which the CB does not have.