First Timer's Brief Impressions of Crown's Inaugaural

[lolostx]

I found reviews written by other Cruise Critic members invaluable and wanted to share my impressions of the Crown's inaugaural cruise. The Crown's inaugaural cruise was the first cruise for my boyfriend and I. We were both very pleased with this cruise and look forward to booking our next cruise.

 

My boyfriend and I both live in Brooklyn so we thought getting to the cruise terminal would be a breeze. And it would have been except for the traffic and except for getting lost. Unfortunately there were not many - actually no signs clearly directing cars to the cruise terminal. Our driver was not familiar with the area so we basically told him to drive towards the water. On our way we saw another car with passengers who were also lost. We eventually found our way inside the terminal parking lot with the help with a police officer who was standing on a corner. We had planned to get to the terminal between 2:00 and 2:30. We didn't get to the terminal until 3:30. Check-in and embarkation was painfree. Luckily, the majority of passengers had already boarded so there was no wait once we got into the terminal. In retrospect I'm glad we missed the mad rush.

 

Once onboard it took us a few minutes to find our room. We booked an inside stateroom on the Lido deck. I have to say I was a little surprised at how small the room was. lol. I knew it would be small but WOW!!!. The room however, was adequate for us - especially since we only used it to shower, change, and sleep. :) We really enjoyed being on this deck - it was convenient to be close to the pool, Horizon Court and Carib Cafe. The only annoyance was that we were on the side of the ship where smoking was allowed on deck and the smoke wafted through the halls and we often smelled it in our room.

 

We used the first day to acclimate ourselves with the ship. We were thouroughly impressed with the style and layout. The Piazza was absolutely beautiful - I often thought I was in a high-end hotel.

 

Prior to this trip I was worried that the ship would feel crowded because of the large number of passengers. I'm happy to report that I never felt like the ship was overcrowded. The ship had soooo many areas for people to hang out and lounge. There was also an amazing number of activities throughout the day. There was no reason for anyone to be bored on this ship. There were ballroom dancing classes, wine tasting class, line -dancing classes, pool activities, bingo, afternoon tea, and top-rate evening activities. There were two top rate comediens, whose names escape me. One performed one night in the Explorers' Lounge and the other in Princess Theatre. They both had the audience rolling. I was also very impressed with the two production shows - "Destination Anywhere" and "MotorCity". The entertainers in these shows are very talented. When my boyfriend suggested we attend these shows I hesitated at first because living in New York and having attended many broadway productions I was worried these productions would be a little "corny". But again I found both to be enjoyable and entertaining.

 

I found that there was something for everyone on the ship. If you liked Jazz there was a great trio performing in the Wheelhouse Bar. If you liked dance music you could go to either Club Fusion or Skywalkers Nightclub. However, Skywalkers is definitely geared to a younger crowd. More glitzy than Club Fusion. Club Fusion had a theme every night (Country, 70s music, Country, etc) which was alot of fun. Princess Pop Star was held in Club Fusion, but was pretty stale. Not many people signed up to participate.

 

The food onboard was average but adequate. No meal wowed me. However, I did find the soups onboard to be very good. We chose anytime dining and ate in the Michelangelo Dining Room, DaVinci Dining Room or the Buffet at Carib Cafe. I definitely preferred anytime dining, however there were not many tables for two between 6-8. We often ate after 8 so that we wouldn't have to share a table. I would suggest booking the evening before if you want a table for two.

 

We also enjoyed visiting the islands. Disembarkation for the excursions was painless. We booked our excursions through Princess and had no problems with this process. We went to Shaw Gardens and Dunns River Falls in Jamaica- the tour guide was friendly and entertaining. In Grand Turk we booked the kayaking and snorkeling excursion. We both loved kayaking. My only complaint was the onslaught of mosquitoes that came after a rain shower. We should have been warned to bring insect repellant. Many of us on this excursion were bitten pretty badly. We visited 7 mile beach on Grand Cayman, the beach is beautiful however, it rained a good deal on this excursion. The sun emerged when we left the beach and were walking about the town.

 

My only disappointment was Port Canaveral. Since we were there for such a short period of time - we decided to visit Historic Cocoa Village. What a waste. The tour was supposed to run for two hours. We jumped on the bus transport back to the ship after an hour. You could walk around this village in 30 minutes. However, if you are an antique lover, there seemed to be a number of antique stores.

 

The only other issues I had with the cruise were - the $15 uncorking fee Princess charged when you brought your own wine into the dining room. If I had known I would have brought my own corkscrew. :). I also found the waiters to be a little sneaky at times. When they came to take your drink order they would either not ask you what size you wanted and bring you a large drink, or they would ask if you wanted a medium or large drink, and forget to mention they offer a small size. Also, when they offered you water in the dining rooms, they would often only mention mineral or sparkling water and forget to mention that you could have FREE tap water. lol.

 

Disembarkation on the last day took about 45 minutes from the time we left our room to the time we got outside of the terminal. We opted for express checkout. Once outside there were two lines for private car service and one for yellowcabs. We waited for 30 minutes to get a yellowcab. Pre-arranged private transportation were allowed to pick up passengers from the curb. Princess arranged transportation (buses) were clearly marked and waiting outside the terminal.

 

All in all we had a wonderful time. Princess is just a very classy line and I can't wait to book another cruise on one of their ships. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

[Merion_Mom]

Thanks for your "first person" account. :) Did you *visit* the casino?

 

Any report on the Sanctuary?

 

Just as a point of reference, what is your "age bracket"? ;)

[momthecruisedirector]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review and thoughts. Glad you had a good time!

[lolostx]

Merion Mom,

 

My boyfriend and I are in our 30's. We did visit the casino. We are not big gamblers but found the casino to be adequate. There were a number of penny, nickel and 2cent slot machines - which we loved. lol. We also visited the sanctuary and it is truly wonderful. It seemed like a number of people took advantage of this area on the ship. The area really lived up to its name. It was a very peaceful and calming area to relax in.

[MiamiU72]

I found reviews written by other Cruise Critic members invaluable and wanted to share my impressions of the Crown's inaugaural cruise. ....... The only annoyance was that we were on the side of the ship where smoking was allowed on deck and the smoke wafted through the halls and we often smelled it in our room.

 

so which side of the ship were you on and what level? We have a balcony room and hopefully will have non-smokers on either side of us. I don't care if folks smoke...I just don't want to smell it!

[bremmerh]

I was just wondering if there was one dining room you prefered over the other? Also, did you have a table by the window and if you did do you remember the number for the table you had. thanks for the review:)

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds great! Thank you. :)

[lolostx]

I found reviews written by other Cruise Critic members invaluable and wanted to share my impressions of the Crown's inaugaural cruise. ....... The only annoyance was that we were on the side of the ship where smoking was allowed on deck and the smoke wafted through the halls and we often smelled it in our room.

 

so which side of the ship were you on and what level? We have a balcony room and hopefully will have non-smokers on either side of us. I don't care if folks smoke...I just don't want to smell it!

We had an inside stateroom on the Lido deck. (Room 240). Which is on same level as the Trident Grill, Neptune and Calypso Pool. We were on the left side of the ship - smoking was allowed on the deck at this side of the ship.

[Sandytoes]

Thank you so much for giving us your impressions of the New Crown.

$15 uncorking fee Princess charged when you brought your own wine into the dining room.

I also found the waiters to be a little sneaky at times. When they came to take your drink order they would either not ask you what size you wanted and bring you a large drink.

Also, when they offered you water in the dining rooms, they would often only mention mineral or sparkling water and forget to mention that you could have FREE tap water.

 

I also experienced waiters being sneaky. We ordered a drink, when the waiter brought it over it was in a fancy glass $$$ that we could keep. We just wanted a regular size. The waiter looked at us like we were out of out minds.... Also, same thing with the water bit. I now ask for regular water with lemons on the side.

As for the Corkage fee. That is extremely high in my own opinion. If I bought my own it might cost more than if I purchased the bottle right at the table. I have to check out Princess's wine list to way the difference.

 

The food onboard was average but adequate. No meal wowed me.

This surprises me. I thought the food on the Crown would be extra special. Especially being the inaugaural cruise. CB food was superior. Grand Excellent, Golden fair. I was so looking forward to dining on the Princess. Fill me in on what you liked / disliked....