Live from Crown: Carolyn’s Crown Princess Blog

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, just stumbled across your email, glad I didn't miss it before we close shop. Botticelli is indeed on the ship -- it's the traditional seating dining room. Sterling Steakhouse is not. The Crown Grill is a new type of steakhouse that replaces it....

Often times brochures are printed way, way in advance (it's fun to look at them sometimes because you can see how cruise lines changed their mind, in some ways, mid-stream).

Carolyn

 

 

Carolyn, Thank you for your reviews. I have been reading them all week. My husband and I are going on the Crown in about 2 weeks. You have been very helpful. I am curious that the brochure mentions 2 restaurants that I don't see anywhere on CC. They are the Botticelli Dining Room and the Sterling Steak House. Did Princess make a mistake? I would appreciate if you can clarify. Thanks.

[crazy canadian]

Carolyn,

 

From 1 to 10, how would you rate the Crown Princess compared

to other ships you have cruised on?

 

Thanks,

Murray

[editor@cruisecritic]

Okay, this is it, it's really over, it's really...sadly...over. Almost. We're closing the thread at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Eastern). It's last call for questions. At least questions right here, in this (very special) place (of course the board remains wide open!).

We're going to wind it up in two ways. First, I'll definitely check back through about 9 a.m. and answer any new questions. Also if you feel I've missed one of yours (and I think I've got all of 'em but am not infallible) either re-ask or give me the post number and I'll go back and find it.

I'm going to finish off with RLM77's excellent and thought provoking question on my initial hunch that the ship would get a five star rating. He asks: what sets it apart from other Princess ships? And what sets it apart from large ships that have been well-received, like Celebrity's Millennium? I'll provide the answer, here, tomorrow morning.

Beyond that, we're going to feature Crown Princess -- and this thread -- tomorrow as our news item of the week on Today on Cruise Critic (on our home page). In the item, more of an analysis, I'm going to recap the good, the bad, the wacky -- hopefully funny, hopefully insightful -- about the experience this week. Being part of your life, your being part of mine. It was amazing in the best way.

I'll also provide updates on some issues that weren't really clear when I was writing (specialty restaurants, Sanctuary, etc.).

If you're in the thread-blogging mood, you might want to pay a visit to this one: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=374221. Cruise Critic's very own Melissa Baldwin is in Italy, on the brand new Costa Concordia, firing away....

Thanks for helping to make my Crown Princess experience such a memorable one. I hope that the exchanges in this thread will make your own cruise equally special, if not even more so.

Carolyn

[Nliedel]

Menus? Are they going to be posted?

[cynbar]

Hi Carolyn, I want to chime in and thank you for all the effort you have put into this thread for us -- I've enjoyed following it every step of the way. Anyway, I'm hoping you could talk a little about the quality of the food, especially dinners in the DR. I imagine this will be covered in your official review, but could you give us a hint of your perception of the quality and selection ?? As you know, comments on the food result in a great deal of heated discussion on these boards, but I would be very interested to get a hint of your impressions. Thanks again for everything!

[cook5]

Carolyn, Thanks for all your help and clearing up the matter of the dining rooms. I will definately follow all the good advice I found here. Thanks.

 

p.s. CWS I will definately try princess site again. Thanks

[ugly]

Thank you for your responses Carolyn. Hopefully someone else out there will have the children's menu to share. Would you be able to tell us whether the Crown Gill and Sabatinis are open for lunch, not just dinner?

 

Thanks again!

[Colo Cruiser]

Carolyn,

 

From 1 to 10, how would you rate the Crown Princess compared

to other ships you have cruised on?

 

Thanks,

Murray

 

 

100 :D

[Laurab23]

Did you happen to see any of the suites on the Riviera deck and did anyone mention if they were noisy?

 

Laura

[SI Cruiser]

I was on Riviera deck. Room R506 to be exact which is just about midship on the port side. The only noise you ever heard inside the room was the dragging of deck chairs and it never was an annoying problem. You could not hear the MUTS out on the balcony but you could just about hear the bands playing. I would book a room on that deck again.

[SI Cruiser]

I would rate my overall cruise experiences over the last few years as follows from top to bottom:

 

#1 Navigator of the Seas 05/04

#2 Carnival Pride 05/03

#3 Grand Princess 06/02

#4 Crown Princess 06/23/06

#5 Queen Mary II 06/05

#6 Carnival Destiny 11/03

[editor@cruisecritic]

...that I never thought to ask. I would think so. Let's see if someone can report back. Brilliant question.....

Carolyn

 

PS Now if you'd asked me when I was onboard...:)

 

 

Hi Carolyn,

Thank you for all of the wonderful info you have provided.

 

I was wondering if Vines also serves sake since they serve sushi?

 

Thanks

[editor@cruisecritic]

Yes, indeedy, Princess' Karen T overnighted them to us. We've scanned them -- now just have to design a page around them. Patience, but promise, we'll deliver (we also have...Princess Patters!!!).

Just know that on the editorial side of things here at Cruise Critic we've never before done any of this -- the blog-in-the-thread, the menus, the Patters. So if we're slow I hope you'll understand. After this, once we've figured it all out, we'll be lots faster. But at the very least -- we're offering something now that we never did before! So we're excited and, like you, just a little bit impatient.

Carolyn

 

 

 

Menus? Are they going to be posted?

[editor@cruisecritic]

A hint about food and, for Crazy Canadian, ratings (you'll still have to check out the review...promise?)

 

I am very picky about food and service as it relates to value-for-money. My preferences, my ratings, come from an internal system that measures dollars to dollars rather than peaches to pears. On that scale, I was impressed with the food on Crown Princess. Across the board I'd give it an 8. That's high for a big ship line. If I were sailing on SeaDream, well, I'd be a hell of a lot tougher.

 

I enjoyed the food, bottom line. I have high expectations but am not a food snob. So I think restaurant savvy folks from NY will enjoy. It's not going to be Lutece but then again it doesn't pretend to be. There are things I had -- the french onion soup at the Crown Grill, the oy decadent potato ravioli at Sabatini, the pepperoni pizza at the Trident, the tuna fish sandwishes (on white bread no less) from room service, the decadent everything from International Cafe (from pastries to chocolate fondue) and last, but not least, to the sushi at Vines that converted this previously disdainful raw fish diner.

 

Nothing specifically stands out in the dining room (save for the simple plate of fettucine alfredo, served on a parmesan encrusted cracker, oy) but across the board it was enjoyable.

 

Ratings. I'll go more into that tomorrow and actually our reviews section is revamping this summer to be more in line with that of the community. I will hint that this is my latest-favorite ship (last great big ship cruise was on Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas -- you can do the research).

 

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and frankly the lovely encouragement.

 

What's the next ship we should "blog" on? Totally want to know what y'all think -- drop me a note at editor@cruisecritic.com.

 

Carolyn

 

Hi Carolyn, I want to chime in and thank you for all the effort you have put into this thread for us -- I've enjoyed following it every step of the way. Anyway, I'm hoping you could talk a little about the quality of the food, especially dinners in the DR. I imagine this will be covered in your official review, but could you give us a hint of your perception of the quality and selection ?? As you know, comments on the food result in a great deal of heated discussion on these boards, but I would be very interested to get a hint of your impressions. Thanks again for everything!

[Laurab23]

I was on Riviera deck. Room R506 to be exact which is just about midship on the port side. The only noise you ever heard inside the room was the dragging of deck chairs and it never was an annoying problem. You could not hear the MUTS out on the balcony but you could just about hear the bands playing. I would book a room on that deck again.

Thanks for the info!

[cws]

Carolyn - I understand Princess offers some type of package for about $70 (about $110 for couples, I think) where you get unlimited use of the thermal suites in the spa during the entire cruise. If you purchase this, do you also get unlimited use of The Sanctuary throughout the cruise?

 

Thanks again for everything! I'm sailing Crown in December (only my second cruise) with my wife and both our families (most of whom have never taken a cruise) and not only have you provided great information, but you've done so with a writing style that is educational, witty and fun. It's been wonderful reading!

[Nliedel]

I'm really grateful you're going to post the menu's. I really can wait till next Tuesday. Okay, that's a lie :D

[sealegs9]

I was on Riviera deck. Room R506 to be exact which is just about midship on the port side. The only noise you ever heard inside the room was the dragging of deck chairs and it never was an annoying problem. You could not hear the MUTS out on the balcony but you could just about hear the bands playing. I would book a room on that deck again.

Hi SI cruiser- thanks for your review and feedback. We are right under that cabin on Aloha! I hope we hear the pool band. Per the Crown Western Patter, Robert Smith alternated with the band at the pool. Robert was on our CB sailing and has a fantastic voice. We told him he was the best musical entertainment on the ship. (Bert, in Crooners, was on vacation). We even found his CD in one of the gift shops and bought it! Was he on your sailing? I hope he is on yours.

 

Carolyn- if Robert Smith was on your voyage, what did you think????

[sealegs9]

Carolyn - I understand Princess offers some type of package for about $70 (about $110 for couples, I think) where you get unlimited use of the thermal suites in the spa during the entire cruise. If you purchase this, do you also get unlimited use of The Sanctuary throughout the cruise?

 

Thanks again for everything! I'm sailing Crown in December (only my second cruise) with my wife and both our families (most of whom have never taken a cruise) and not only have you provided great information, but you've done so with a writing style that is educational, witty and fun. It's been wonderful reading!

Carolyn answered this for me several pages back on 7/3.

Doesn't sound that appealing. Probably will just spend $15 for Sanctuary.

*Thermal suite is only available for the cruise -- it's $80 per person, $130 per couple. I have to say I thought the room was depressing and creepy -- it's a deck below the spa (near the Rasul mud room), no music, early 1960s YMCA ambience, didn't care for it. I was thinking of those on Royal Caribbean and Holland America, where they open up to the sea ... now that's lovely.

 

People were a bit hot and under the collar about the fact that even when purchasing spa treatments (especially expensive ones) passengers weren't given access....

 

Did you know that they actually removed passenger cabins to make room for the grotto area?

[SI Cruiser]

Hi SI cruiser- thanks for your review and feedback. We are right under that cabin on Aloha! I hope we hear the pool band. Per the Crown Western Patter, Robert Smith alternated with the band at the pool. Robert was on our CB sailing and has a fantastic voice. We told him he was the best musical entertainment on the ship. (Bert, in Crooners, was on vacation). We even found his CD in one of the gift shops and bought it! Was he on your sailing? I hope he is on yours.

 

Carolyn- if Robert Smith was on your voyage, what did you think????

 

Robert Smith was on our sailing and he was excellant as was the caribbean band "Epithany". I got to know the guys from Epithany well as we often ran into them at the various ports. They do a great Sweet Home Alabama, U2's Where the streets have no name and the Beatles Oh Blah Dee Oh Blah Dah. The lead singer has tremendous energy. The only thing that tends to hold them, as well as Robert, back are the songs that Princess dictates that they play. For some reason Princess wants the bands to play Yellowbird, YMCA ,Macarena, Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffett in every set they perform. They only get to play 3 or 4 songs of their own choice. Princess has to realize that those songs do get stale after a while. I can see playing them occasionally but hearing them 3 to 4 times a day is overkill.

 

Be sure to checkout ELUA in the Wheelhouse Bar.

[sealegs9]

Thank you SI cruiser. Sounds like we'll enjoy the pool music- can't wait to see Robert again. Won't need my Ipod.

As for the songs- at least it's "Yellowbird" and not "Freebird".:p

[Iceman2003]

Any one know if the handicap bathrooms are showers only or if they have a bath or if the shower head is mobile? Thanks

[STEVEPCPA]

I think this has been answered but I'll throw in my 20 cents. The servers get paid out of your service fee -- but you should still tip extra on beverages, such as a bottle of wine, et. al. If we have really excellent service, outstanding, I mean, we might slip the waiter $5 or $10 but by no means is it required.

 

 

Carolyn

 

 

Thanks for chiming in on this....AND FOR ALL YOUR OTHER INFO! You've really helped us to organize our thoughts before we set sail on 7/29.

 

....and now I'll chime in on your question to the folks from NYC. RCCL has usually scheduled FOD meetings when we've sailed with them. I appreciated your positive feedback on this. :) Steve

[Chris]

Carolyn, Saw you on the travel channel last night. You did a great job :) It was nice to put a face with the name. Thanks for all the info, we are not on the Crown until February but your blog has made the waiting exciting.

Thanks again

Chris

[editor@cruisecritic]

...but nope, CWS, the package doesn't include use of the Sanctuary. I did post prices of the thermal suite in an earlier item. But I don't think that the Sanctuary is tied in with the spa....

And thanks for the nice comments! It's been fun.

Carolyn

 

 

Carolyn - I understand Princess offers some type of package for about $70 (about $110 for couples, I think) where you get unlimited use of the thermal suites in the spa during the entire cruise. If you purchase this, do you also get unlimited use of The Sanctuary throughout the cruise?

 

Thanks again for everything! I'm sailing Crown in December (only my second cruise) with my wife and both our families (most of whom have never taken a cruise) and not only have you provided great information, but you've done so with a writing style that is educational, witty and fun. It's been wonderful reading!