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Live from the Crown Princess / Jan 18th-Feb1st

lor74

By lor74,
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lor74

lor74

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We were in bed watching the Proposal last night, and I felt myself getting warmer n warmer. At first I assumed it was just me since I am usually hot, but when I came to the realization that I would not be able to sleep, I got up and checked the vent....nothing was coming out! I called customer relations, and was asked if I wanted to wait for someone to come or have it checked in the morning. I chose to have it looked at right away.....it was too hot to sleep. Misaki, the person I spoke to on the phone was very good, and checked in with me every 15 minutes for a status update. After a period of time, 2 officers came to the room and confirmed there was no air. I then waited again, until a maintenance guy showed up. He attached some kind if reader to the thermostat, and took the grill off the vent. He then left to go check the hvac system. Eventually the air came on, nice and strong. It was now midnight, and I was wide awake! I had a very restless night. At 7:30am, I was thinking to myself "do I stay in bed all morning and try to get some sleep that probably won't come, or do I force myself to get up even though I am exhausted". I got up and spent the next hour walking n running outside of the gym. It was very windy on one side, but I had a good workout and watched the ship drop anchor at P. Cays, and saw the sun first break through the clouds. Not a bad way to start the day! It was now 9am. I got Ro out of bed and I took a shower. The shower.....I am 6'3" 270, and had about an inch of room to rotate in that coffin. I miss the tub of the mini suite! That is really the only negative with the inside cabin, storage space was not a problem....we'll just need to be a little neater than normal. It is now almost 10am. The buffet is hoping and the tenders are on the move. We are just sitting by the pool, neither one of us is hungry yet. As of now we are not getting off. The problem with beach days, is that there is never anything to way for Ro.....how hard is it to bring a few vegi burgers ashore? Looking forward to the football game this afternoon.

 

Of note, I checked our folio, and all of our credits are there. I received 250 minutes of Internet for Platinum on an 8+ day cruise. Balloons and a card showed up today for Ro :)

 

 

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lor74

lor74

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It was a cool cloudy morning with very little sun. After resting by the pool for a little while, we went down to the IC. While Ro was waiting in line for a coffee, I downed two chocolate donuts. I rarely eat donuts at home, but the ones on the ship remind me of the kosher style offerings that the bakery near my house used to have when I was a child. The sweet icing brings back good memories :). Ro got a parfait, and we went to the buffet, where I had a small plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and a Belgium waffle which was fresh off the griddle....very good!

 

After that we went back to the pool, where we saw the following concerts for the umpteenth time on a Princess ship: Barry Manilow, Coldplay, & Beyonce. The clouds finally cleared in the afternoon, and it was time for the sunscreen. I eventually decided it was time to eat again. I went back to the IC, and got another Cuban, and brought Ro a goat cheese salad....it was all the same stuff as I posted yesterday. I went to the lunch buffet after that and I had a salad with a few roasted potatoes and a smidge of pasta. I thought I was done eating until dinner, but just as the football game was about to start, I suddenly smelled fry chicken. Looking up, I was down wind from a guy with a plate of chicken fingers, fries and nachos. Looked good, so I had the same. I watched the first half of the game, then came back to the room. I am surprised that the game is not being shown on the TVs....in past cruises it was.

 

Tonight's show is piano entertainer Tom Franek.

 

 

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Kmkub Great Review Rare

Kmkub

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After that we went back to the pool, where we saw the following concerts for the umpteenth time on a Princess ship: Barry Manilow, Coldplay, & Beyonce.

 

...

 

Tonight's show is piano entertainer Tom Franek.

 

We got off the crown yesterday. I strongly recommend you see Tom Franek. He is the best in Crooner's I've ever seen. After the first night, Crooners will be packed without seating at least 30 minutes before he starts. We had a hard time seeing him after that first night. They will have to seriously consider putting him in the Explorer's Lounge in the future.

 

Aleks from Serbia in Crooners is amazing! Tell her the hat crew had a great time!

 

And - Barry Manilow - ugh. Hurts my ears!!!!

 

I was thrilled that the food this cruise was the best we've ever had on Princess. Everything was delicious and everyone in our party of 8 ordered at least one thing, twice. Especially those appetizers - wow!

 

Have fun!

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lor74

lor74

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We went to see Tom Franek. He plays the piano and sings....Sinatra, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond...to name a few. He was good. From there back to the room to get a couple glasses of wine, then up to the buffet for dinner.

 

One note about the wine that I forgot to mention, they did have the wine check in table at port Everglades. We had two 1.5L bottles in a carry on, which got flagged going through security. We were directed to the table where a sign said one 750ml per person. We said that we had two bottles, and they did not actually check the bag. Also, we had bought the wine at BJ's which is a club store. You do not need to be a member to buy wine.

 

It was Bavarian night at the buffet. I started with a chicken Caesar salad w broccoli. After that I had a mixed plate of spaetzle, goulash, oxtail pasta, mustard chicken, and a soft pretzel. So far I am happy with the food at the buffet. From There we went to the IC. Ro had a coffee, and I had a choco mouse & a piece of devils cake. The Caribbean band was playing there, and people were dancing. Next stop was the casino. I opened the let it ride table, and within 10 minutes I hit 4 jacks!!! Add a straight shortly after, and I had a good night!!! A co-worker had given me $10 to play #21 on roulette...my luck didn't carry over to her, #31 came out.

 

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow is a sea day & the first formal night.

 

The temperature around the ship is comfortable so far. Hopefully it stays that was as we go into warmer weather.

 

 

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kesam

kesam

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..I am 6'3" 270, and had about an inch of room to rotate in that coffin. I miss the tub of the mini suite! That is really the only negative with the inside cabin, storage space was not a problem...

 

Just an idea for you that a friend of ours did, when you are at the gym, use the shower up there :D. They are big

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lor74

lor74

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a few months ago I started a thread on ear plugs. I have very sensitive hearing, and am frequently kept awake by noises that other people such as my wife would ignore. I received some good advice in that thread, and went to Walmart and bought a pair of foam plugs. My previous attempt to use foam plugs was a failure because the cheap plugs didn't have a round end, and I didn't use the proper technique when inserting them. Last night I awoke at 1am to the sound of snoring coming from both of my neighbors, and a vibration noise coming from the wall by the tv. I put the plugs in, and am happy to report that I was able to sleep with them :)

 

I was woken up by the sound of the cabin door closing. It was 7:40am, and Ro was gone......oh, it is a sea day....she is going to get her chair by the pool. My goal is to try and exercise when I wake up since I know that I will not do it later in the day. My back is very tight today as a result of yesterday's running, so I threw on a swim suit and was in the pool doing laps at 8am. The water was a little cold, but it was great to have the pool to myself. it is now 9:45am, and it is a mix of sun n cloud. When the sun comes out, it is very hot! I just picked up a coffee and banana muffin for Ro from the IC, and a mocha and donut for myself. It should be a good day.

 

 

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Yuprules

Yuprules

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Hi Lor

 

This is your co-worker who is replacing you while you are enjoying the sun :) After this morning's madness, I can see why you need a two week cruise.

 

Sounds like you are having fun so far, strange that you can hear snoring? I've never had that on my two cruises, thin walls!

 

Did you go eat some yummie pasta (my fav food) on my behalf yet? :)

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lor74

lor74

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today is an almost perfect day at sea....just a little too windy. There is stuff going on all over the ship. I am watching the pool games right now. Earlier Mamma Mia was on, followed by Pink in concert, and Fever Pitch is starting now. The cafe caribe had an Asian menu today.....I had spring rolls, dumplings, rice, noodles and chicken. Breakfast was just a small plate of eggs, bacon, French toast and yogurt.

 

Yuprules....I have had my share if pasta, and almost every other food group....tonight is filet mignon and lobster.

 

Ro has been like a rotisserie chicken in the sun since 8am.

 

 

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windsor26

windsor26

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Love the review Keep enjoying the cruise Please may I ask a favour

 

 

can you look and give me an idea of the price of say Gin Bacardi or Brandy and specially the two bottles for $$$ prices I will be eternally grateful Thanks

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lor74

lor74

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Although I don't actually take the sun, I am nice and red. It looks worse than it actually is....I burn very easy, and in the first half of my cruising life I got fried many times. I eventually smartened up, and I cover myself up now and wear a hat. For sure I will have good color when I get home.

 

I played a little in the casino in the afternoon and gave a few dollars back. Besides that I read some more and will be finished book #1 tomorrow. I have showered and am relaxing now before we go to the CG for dinner. Ro is at the gym. The Wolverine is on MUTS tonight. The other MUTS movies this week are: The way way back, Despicable me 2, World War Z, Jobs and there were the football games.

 

Tonight's show is Destination Anywhere, and Comedy magician Chris James in the Explorers.

 

The Crown Grill: we go to the CG at least once on every cruise. Just like any other restaurant, the experience differs from visit to visit. Tonight was a very good night! We had a 7pm reservation and knew what we were having before we even got on the ship. Our meals consisted of the goat cheese salad, black n blue soup, an appetizer of the grilled tiger prawns in whiskey/chili/garlic, a side of the brioche breaded prawns, a filet mignon, lobster tails, wild mushrooms, French fries, and mashed potatoes. Everything was excellent! I like my filet to just be a little pink in the middle....technically it is between medium & medium well, and it usually arrives over or undercooked. Today it was perfect! I have never cared for lobster, but today I had 2 tails. They were the best I have ever tried. For dessert Ro has the lemon meringue, and I had the molten chocolate. They also brought a birthday cake for Ro and they sang to her :).

 

We are now both stuffed and tired, so that is the end of our day. We arrive in Curaçao a little after 2pm tomorrow.

 

I'll look at the alcohol price list tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

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lor74

lor74

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someone had asked who the maitre d'hôtel was......Ig****o D'agostino is the the answer.

 

weird that it doesn't like his name I g n a z i o

 

 

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caribill

caribill

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someone had asked who the maitre d'hôtel was......Ig****o D'agostino is the the answer.

 

weird that it doesn't like his name I g n a z i o

 

 

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The letters replaced by **** form a forbidden word.

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lor74

lor74

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I awoke at 4am, and the ship was rocking quite a bit. I popped a couple of ginger pills to be safe. When Ro woke up she was a little queazy, but it passed. We both put our sea bandz on. At 8am, she went to get her chair by the pool, and I went to get some exercise on the promenade. In all my cruises, this is the first time I have ever walked the promenade. There were a good amount of people doing the same. I did around 3 miles before I gave into the burning in my legs n feet. From there I went back to the room to change, and then to the pool. I spent several minutes in the shower, then sat with my legs in the pool as my entire body was actually getting wet from the violent rocking. After drying off, I had breakfast: a cheese Omelet with bacon, sausage, hash browns, a bagel, and a yogurt.

 

I finished the Tyson book: although I was interested to hear his story, the book was half filled with the repetition of him getting drunk, doing drugs, sleeping around with a ton of woman, and getting into trouble in general. Half of it was interesting, but it was not a good read. Today I have started the Michael Connoly book. I have a good spot in the shade....hopefully the ping pong players will be finished soon....time for a nap.

 

 

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lor74

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The cafe caribe for lunch had Mexican. I had a plate with a variety of items, and I brought Ro some nachos, salsa & guacamole to go with her vegi burger. We stayed by the pool till around 3pm....we arrived in Curaçao at 1:30pm. We just walked around when we got off the ship. We saw the pontoon bridge move, and took the ferry to the other side. By the time we got back on board, my legs were dead, and I somehow managed to get my face fried today without taking the sun....even with a hat on. Tonight is Italian night, and we are once again eating at the buffet. I overdid it on this meal, having 2 helpings of salad, pasta, pasta, pasta, shrimp, chicken, mini pizza, etc. Next stop is the IC for my mouse and a coffee. This evenings show is Matilda again....no thanks. There will be a deck party at 9:30pm. I don't know if I will be awake. Hopefully the weather stays like this for the entire cruise. Tomorrow we are in Aruba.

 

So far I have very little negative to say for this trip. The toilet and a/c problems in the cabin were fixed fast enough. The staff are great. The food is good.

A minor annoyance is the placement of 2 ping pong tables in front of the grill....they just shouldn't be there considering the amount of traffic and the balls flying into all the people. My biggest issue would be the repetition of entertainment and what is shown on MUTS....this is a fleet wide problem.

 

 

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