LIVE on the Crown 7/22

[shereemcg]

grounds for sculpture is very nice. it's very large and spread out. lots of walking! i haven't eaten at rats, although everyone else i know has! very, very good, expensive.

 

there is so much here in the princeton area, even some nice museums in trenton

 

sheree

[madelinerose]

Thanks, sheree. We have no problem with lots of walking. When it comes to restaurants, expensive is usually where we usually seem to be. ;)

 

 

grounds for sculpture is very nice. it's very large and spread out. lots of walking! i haven't eaten at rats, although everyone else i know has! very, very good, expensive.

 

there is so much here in the princeton area, even some nice museums in trenton

 

sheree

[Othellocruiser]

OK, now don't laugh, but when I first saw the name "Homeboy Tours", I searched for a website. Yes, I'm absolutely sure you can make anything possible! ;)

 

btw....Carolyn Spencer Brown, the Editor-in-Chief here, recently wrote a wonderful travel article in Baltimore Magazine about the Princeton area. She's formerly from Baltimore and lives in your viciinity currently. I've been curious to visit the Grounds for Sculpture and dine at Rats. Been there? Could be a little Fall trip for us.

 

Yes, Madeline, There is a Homeboy Tours :-)..

 

Glad to hear that you are planning to visit our neck of the woods. You will enjoy Princeton. Take sometime to visit the art museum at Princeton University. There is also a Tony award winning theatre on Campus.

mccarter Theatre. You can Google it to see what show will be there when your'e in town.

 

There are a variety of fine restaurants including "Rats" all of which serve gourmet meals. If any more questions, Homeboy Tours will be happy to help you :-)

[Suncat]

Brad, Brad, Brad..............:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

LunaMoon:

 

I have two requests:

 

1. (not to keep repeating myself, but...) Ask Suncat about the carpet in C752.

 

2. I am sure that you will encounter Jacinta of the CD's staff. Be sure to give her a HUGE hug from Carol and Nancy, and tell her that a friend found our pictures for us!

 

The carpet and the room were great. It looks like they may have replaced it. It looked brand new. Was it wet before?

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

Frank, Captain Andy was indeed the Captain of the Crown during the "list" incident, AND was still the Captain of the Crown last week when we sailed, 7/22.

 

I always thought that the Captain of a ship was ultimately responsible for the well being of his ship and all of the passengers and personnel aboard.

 

It will be more than interesting to see if indeed Captain Andy has been relieved of his command of the Crown.

 

I think it a little foolish to assume that the Captain will be fired, yes he is responsible for the ship but saying a captain of 35 years experience should be fired because of something that happened when he was off duty is misguided. If it came to light that he put a cleaner on the bridge to steer the ship then I would agree he should be fired. Should he be fired if the light fitting falls and hits you during dinner, or you slip on a wet flour and hit your head?

 

Of course not, he is responsible for the overall safety but firing him would not do any good and actually would only do Princess harm as he is an excellent captain.

 

Also a 'rumour' that 25 people were fired is just that, a rumour. There would have only been two minimum and four maximum on the brideg at the time of the accident, so why would 25 people be fired? Surely the only person to be fired would be the one who made the ship turn at such a high speed and anyone who allowed it to happen?

[pollyanno]

I think.. if there is seating in the venue that positions guests with their backs to the source of the music, then the music is intended to be (and would be correctly percieved to be) ambiance. if all seating is aimed towards the source of the music, then.. the focus is on the entertainment.

 

any deviation from that is a design flaw. :)

 

anno

 

We will agree to disagree then. But let me ask you this: would you feel completely free to make as much noise as you would like in this space as say, in a sports bar or some such other venue? Was there nothing that spoke to you that suggested, hey, this man is performing on a mini-stage and I might want to pay attention to him rather than engage in a private ongoing discussion in clear view of the performer, or take the conversation elsewhere? Do you really think that in a room that size, and we both were there, so we have the same point of reference, that it would be ok to make as much noise as one wants when a LIVE performer is on stage?

 

As an honest and heartfelt aside, I have read all (or almost all) of your posts here about your experience on the last sailing and I would like to tell you how much I admire your poise and good humor in the face of adversity.

 

In the end, I agree with you (I think, and not to put words in your mouth) if you are implying that no one should have been approached so aggressively for misunderstanding the nature of the space (at least to my thinking), and if in the estimation of the staff their conduct was not in in keeping with the atmosphere that they were seeking for the venue, they could have been politely and quietly asked to tone it down or find another suitable place to carry on.

 

Cheers and best wishes,

[marlinmike]

I’ve been sitting here eating Cheetos and Coke reading through Luna’s blog, reliving every moment and I must say, without pause – this stuff tastes like s**t compared to the International Café. The Prosciutto sandwiches with a glass of wine from Vines was to die for. I heard about this report daily and have been dying to read it, much like most of you. I have to tell you, I don’t know where the woman gets the energy. Luna worked hard on these reports and, as she said many times, for the good of the cause. She worked hard on accurately reporting what was going on. She is a positive, good natured person who feels that negativity gets nothing accomplished and life is a lot more fun when people are having fun.

And that is what we had. From the moment Mrs Marlin and I met up with Luna and Othello on Saturday night, July 16th in Brooklyn for our 5 hour dinner to the time we said our good-byes in the Wheelhouse yesterday we had nothing but fun. We dealt with changes in itineraries, changes in plans made for over a year at San Juan and changes in 60th birthday party plans. We dealt with Othello loosing his cruise card while ashore in Bermuda and being held by authorities, various different odors where they shouldn’t be, crew members at times a little short because they’ve been working their asses off the last couple of days to get the boat “ship shape” for our cruise and even a short tempered entertainer. Luna and the rest of us remained positive throughout the two week period. Sure there were times of frustration and times of disappointment, but we made good times out of everything we did and had fun doing it.

After reading through this thread though, I think the most disappointing thing is seeing all of the negativism generated in the comments about the entertainer. Like Luna told me, “this thing has taken on a life of it’s own” and, IMHO, that was too bad. Shame on those that tried to make more out of it than what it was on this thread, those that made negative comments out of Luna’s mention of the occurrence and kudos to those who tried to turn it back into something she was trying to do – make lemonade. Or, like we always say, if life hands you lemons say please pass the tequila. Also, praise must be given to Princess for the professional manner in which they handled the situation.

Thanks for the wonderful time members of Homeboy Tours - you know who you are :)

 

Marlinmike

[Franknca]

Hi Everybody,

 

Here is a photo tour of Pre-Cruise NYC with Homeboy Tours!

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/552682101CbbvHb

 

No captions to tell who was who?

Frank

[Franknca]

Here are some pics of our CC Meet and Greet on the Crown last week.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=388121

 

Thanks Suncat and MarlinMike for setting it all up for us! :)

 

Anyone notice Princess spelled "Cruise" wrong in the 3rd photo? (G)

 

I'm a little confused. I replied in the area where the picture info is posted but this reply ended up back here?

Frank

[LunaMoon]

Hi Frank,

 

Gee... I thought I did add captions to those pics. Let me know if you cannot see them; if not, then something is wrong with the album. Thanks!

 

AND YES, we all noticed that Princess spelled "Cruise" wrong in the Meet and Greet sign at Skywalkers! We thought it was a hoot! :D

[Franknca]

I think it a little foolish to assume that the Captain will be fired, yes he is responsible for the ship but saying a captain of 35 years experience should be fired because of something that happened when he was off duty is misguided. If it came to light that he put a cleaner on the bridge to steer the ship then I would agree he should be fired. Should he be fired if the light fitting falls and hits you during dinner, or you slip on a wet flour and hit your head?

 

Of course not, he is responsible for the overall safety but firing him would not do any good and actually would only do Princess harm as he is an excellent captain.

 

Also a 'rumour' that 25 people were fired is just that, a rumour. There would have only been two minimum and four maximum on the brideg at the time of the accident, so why would 25 people be fired? Surely the only person to be fired would be the one who made the ship turn at such a high speed and anyone who allowed it to happen?

 

I thought the individual that told me was in error (to put it nicely). That's why I am trying to verify it and I haven't been able to. One of the reasons given, besides overall responsibility, was that he made announcements that upset the passengers rather than calm them down. Again, unverifiable. Like you indicated, with that much experience, it doesn't seem feasible that he would have acted in that manner. Hopefully I'll find a topic where passengers from the tilted ship can report the real scoop.

Frank

[Franknca]

Hi Frank,

 

Gee... I thought I did add captions to those pics. Let me know if you cannot see them; if not, then something is wrong with the album. Thanks!

 

AND YES, we all noticed that Princess spelled "Cruise" wrong in the Meet and Greet sign at Skywalkers! We thought it was a hoot! :D

 

I didn't see captions, just information on who loaded it and to report any violations.

 

Yes, that sign was a hoot. It could have been worse as I've seen typos of cruise as curse. (G)

Frank

[Merion_Mom]

The Sanctuary is a new Princess concept on the Crown. It is a secluded, shaded, luxury outdoor lounge area with premium service. The lounge chairs are cushioned with thick padding, the towels are extra fluffy, and it is a super quiet zone right above the Spa pool and next to the Lotus Spa.

 

Waiters will bring cool wet face towels to you, and indulge you with iced fruit-flavored water; you can order healthy treats and snacks which will be brought to you by the staff.

 

On the first sailing of the Crown it was free, first come first serve. Then the hordes stormed the bastille of this Sanctuary, and the bickering and cat fighting supposedly began, and they imposed a $15 for a half a day fee on its use to deter hoggers and hoarders of lounge chair space from commandeering the "Sanctuary." :)

I walked up to the Sanctuary the afternoon that we were in Ocho Rios and I returned to the ship filthy and hot. I took a nice dip in the Lotus Pool, then walked up to the Sanctuary. Several lovely workers took the time to talk to me, and let me snoop around as much as I wanted, with only minimal attempts to get me to book a spa treatment. :)

 

But the best part? I got fruity ice water for free! ;)

 

The carpet and the room were great. It looks like they may have replaced it. It looked brand new. Was it wet before?

The only damage that the cabin sustained in "The List" was that my glass of red wine went FLYING. It landed all over Nancy and her brand new white pants, and all over the carpet. I was wondering if they had cleaned it, or if they had replaced it. It seems that whichever they did, it now looks brand new. Kudos to Princess. :)

 

I’ve been sitting here eating Cheetos and Coke reading through Luna’s blog, reliving every moment and I must say, without pause – this stuff tastes like s**t compared to the International Café. The Prosciutto sandwiches with a glass of wine from Vines was to die for. I heard about this report daily and have been dying to read it, much like most of you. I have to tell you, I don’t know where the woman gets the energy. Luna worked hard on these reports and, as she said many times, for the good of the cause. She worked hard on accurately reporting what was going on. She is a positive, good natured person who feels that negativity gets nothing accomplished and life is a lot more fun when people are having fun.

 

And that is what we had. From the moment Mrs Marlin and I met up with Luna and Othello on Saturday night, July 16th in Brooklyn for our 5 hour dinner to the time we said our good-byes in the Wheelhouse yesterday we had nothing but fun. We dealt with changes in itineraries, changes in plans made for over a year at San Juan and changes in 60th birthday party plans. We dealt with Othello loosing his cruise card while ashore in Bermuda and being held by authorities, various different odors where they shouldn’t be, crew members at times a little short because they’ve been working their asses off the last couple of days to get the boat “ship shape” for our cruise and even a short tempered entertainer. Luna and the rest of us remained positive throughout the two week period. Sure there were times of frustration and times of disappointment, but we made good times out of everything we did and had fun doing it.

marlinmike, I would LOVE to cruise with you some day! :)

[LunaMoon]

Frank,

 

Is this the album you're referring to? The one of us in NYC before the cruise?

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/552682101CbbvHb

 

Click "slideshow" and let me know if you can see the captions now.

[LunaMoon]

I just had to let you all know what a wonderful group of people we were dealing with on the ground in San Juan for our elaborate 60th birthday celebration for OthelloCruiser.

 

For one whole year we planned a huge gala welcome at the pier in San Juan: a full salsa band; a tent with tables and chairs; tuxedoed waiter passing glasses of champagne and delicious native delicacies; an air conditioned van fully stocked with treats and special drinks, and a driver; an itinerary that would take us to El Morro, San Cristobal; a look at the birth place of our beloved CEO; a favorite seaside restaurant at the Escambron Officer's Club for lunch; a tour of historic Old San Juan; dinner at the Parrot Club; dancing at Nuyorican Cafe; and then back to the Crown.

 

When the Crown's "list" cut short our trip by 2 days and Princess eliminated San Juan as a port, we were devistated.

 

When the company that we were dealing with on the ground in San Juan heard what happened, they immediately contacted me on the ship by email and said that they would refund all of the money we had sent them!

 

Today, I in fact received all of our deposit money and other monies paid to them as a refund in full!

 

Since they are NOT a travel agency in any way shape or form, but they ARE a landbased excursion and landbased activity group, I would like to thank them publicly.

 

The Travel Services, Inc. company in San Juan, Puerto Rico are the most honorable, accomodating, and wonderful people that your very own homeboys have had the pleasure to deal with. They are a fine group of customer service people with a great deal of integrity.

 

A special heartfelt thank you especially to the two young women who have literally helped us for months to plan this special return home for Othellocruiser's 60th birthday celebration:

Thank you Meghann and Yasmin!

[madelinerose]

This is fabulous, LunaMoon, just fabulous! :D

 

Since they are NOT a travel agency in any way shape or form, but they ARE a landbased excursion and landbased activity group, I would like to thank them publicly.

 

The Travel Services, Inc. company in San Juan, Puerto Rico are the most honorable, accomodating, and wonderful people that your very own homeboys have had the pleasure to deal with. They are a fine group of customer service people with a great deal of integrity.

 

A special heartfelt thank you especially to the two young women who have literally helped us for months to plan this special return home for Othellocruiser's 60th birthday celebration:

Thank you Meghann and Yasmin!

[celebrity]

Lunamoom: It is terrific that you are posting the name of that company as they will hopefully gain a lot of well deserved business for their outstanding customer service as well as kindness. What goes around comes around so they should deservedly be bombarded with requests from future cruisers.

[Franknca]

Frank,

 

Is this the album you're referring to? The one of us in NYC before the cruise?

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/552682101CbbvHb

 

Click "slideshow" and let me know if you can see the captions now.

 

Yes, I can see them now. Thanks.

Frank

[spingal]

Lunamoon,

 

I was so sorry to read about the plans you had in PR. That would have been devastating. :(

 

You amaze me!!! You decided to move on and have a great cruise. I can learn from your wonderful approach to life.

 

I loved reading all of your posts! THANKS so much for taking the time to share your trip with us.

 

Happy cruising!! :D

 

Jamie

[LunaMoon]

You're very welcome, Jamie. The pleasure was all mine.

 

I guess that many years of life have demonstrated that humor, in all its forms, is the lubricant that makes most things manageable.

 

Anyway, that's what I've taught my own children, and that's a residual that somehow is conveyed to my students by example, along with their Homer, Sophocles, or Shakespeare! :)

 

AND very happy cruising to you too!

[Cruisemama624]

Just wanted to ask you after your spa treatment when you lost the 7 1/2 inches, did you gain it right back or did they stay off. Always wondered how those treatments work.

 

Enjoyed your posts. Was on the 7/11 cruise and just loved it until the end, of course.

 

Thanks

 

fran

[LunaMoon]

Hi Cruisemama,

 

This is what I wrote on another tread that someone else started about this de-tox treatment:

 

Honestly, I would not do this treatment again. Throughout the intermittent shocks on my thighs I kept wondering, and finally asked the woman, if there could possibly be any weird side-affects (I know, I know...I should have asked that question before the treatment! :-)

 

Although she assured me that there could be no nerve damage or any other side affect like that, I was really gritting my teeth in anticipation of each new shock. There is no way I could refer to the session as a relaxing treatment.

 

My husband said that he did not see 7.7 inches less of me! HA! AND he said the only thing he noticed that was different after the treatment was that my hair had curled up!! LOLLLLLL (the CEO is quite a jokester! :-)

If you'd like to read what others said:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=387353

 

I honestly never saw a difference when the woman at the Crown spa told me I "lost" 7.7 inches total, so I cannot really tell you if it's come back or not. LOL

[Julia & David]

I have finally finished reading Luna's blog and what a blog it is. Boy do I miss that lady. We are very fortunate to be a part of the Homeboy's group and proud of it. We enjoyed each and every second of our time spent in NJ, NYC and on the Crown. We miss our friends more than we could ever say and can't wait to spend time with them asap, that usually means 1-2 years, far too long. We have such wonderful memories and we are sure to make many more in the future.

 

To anyone considering the Crown, we were not the least hesitant about sailing her after the incident, we couldn't wait to board. She is beautiful and we hope to sail her again in the future.

[Cruisemama624]

Thanks LunaMoon for getting back to me on your spa treatment. I read the other threads to. Don't think I will be getting that one done anytime soon.

 

I wonder if they use 2 different measuring tapes or just pull it tighter to make you feel like you got something for your money.

 

Fran