Live from the Crown Princess 8/25/2006

[cynbar]

Coffee is free in the buffets, room service and the DR. You now pay for specialty coffees everywhere, like espresso, but you can buy the coffee card for $25 which gets you 15 specialty coffees and unlimited fresh brewed coffee from the International Cafe in the Piazza. Without the card, you pay $1/cup for that fresh brewed coffee in the International Cafe. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I can;t comment --- DH bought the coffee card because he enjoys specialty coffees and it is a savings, but he also doesn't mind the regular coffee available elsewhere. In other news, it was a great day in Bermuda today, sunny all day and warm but not stifling temperatures -- this was quite a relief because the forecast wasn't good. Feel free to send along any questions. We"re having a great time and won't hesitate to recommend this ship.

[Netnurse31]

To answer you coffee questions, I don't think the coffee is that bad. Honestly, I drink coffee at work all day that isn't the greatest so don't go by my judgement...lol.

 

We are having a great time. I met up with a few of the people from the boards and everyone has been so nice. We went onto bermuda today, did the glass bottom boat and beach tour which we enjoyed a lot. They took us out, showed us some coral reefs and fish thru the glass bottom boat and then took us to a beach where we were able to snorkle for about an hour. Great opportunity to swim with the fish. My kids enjoyed it very much. On the way back they offered free rum swizzle which was pretty good too.

 

Tomorrow is another day at sea. I'm heading to the spa in the morning for a deep tissue massage. I'll let you know how the spa was when I return.

[barbarah33]

Thank you all for the posts and information! It’s great to hear every detail.

Please keep them coming… :p

[Golfinesq]

We were on the 8/16 cruise. The coffee in the dining rooms, buffet etc is passable but wouldn't taste good to coffee lovers. The brewed coffee in the International Cafe is great as are the specialty coffees. To my taste the coffee card is well worth it. I know we drank more than 15 specialty coffees and still had a couple of punches left. Guess the wait staff liked us.

 

Charlie

[Guest BeckyThane]

We are booked in room L104, in the front of the ship and would love to know what kind of view you would think we might have. It looks like there is a door right beside that room that would allow you to go out onto the front of the ship. If you could check that out some day, we would be forever in your debt.

Just got back from the 8/16 cruise, and yes, there's a door by L104 and another by L103 that takes you out to an area on top of the bridge. We went there for sailaway a few times and noted that people being there seriously impinged on the privacy of people on their balconies in L101-107. We never went up there when the ship was underway, however -- it would have been waaaay too windy, and the railings are considerably less than those found on other parts of the ship -- too dangerous, IMHO. We stuck to the front of the Promenade Deck (accessed by stairways at the front of deck 7, but actually on deck 8) when underway.

 

~ Becky

[Runner06]

Hi Netnurse and thanks for posting live. We were on the Crown 7/29 and

had a great trip. I am seeking out photos of the kids center. They are

divided into three age brackets. Our group spent time in the 8-12 room

and the teen remix. Would you be able to take a photo of each and

post it for me? I need it for a slide show I am putting togther for our

post cruise party.

 

Thanks and have a great time!:)

 

 

 

 

Good morning Cruise Critic!

 

For any of you who will be sailing with children, the kids clubs are wonderful. My 17 year old DS met a great group of kids last night and came tumbling in at 2am :eek: . My 11 yr old DD is at the kids club right now having a blast.

 

As for your questions, I haven't seen any info on Sarge in the Patters yet but I will let you know. Local channels are not available on the TV. Major news channels, a couple of movie channels and some channels that have old re-runs...that's about it. Who wants to watch TV anyway????

 

Today is our first sea day and the water has been very calm. The ship remains extremely stable with no signs of "rocking". There is some slight creaking in the aft cabins but nothing to really bother you. As for the cabins above Club Fusion, there is some sound from the music downstairs but again, nothing that really disturbs.

 

Food has been amazing. Some cruise lines have been cutting back in quality and quantity of their food but I can tell you, Princess has not. We have had no compliants at all!

 

My parents are doing a vows renewal this evening so I will let you know how that goes.

 

I'll keep in touch :)

[Johnsy81]

I decided to post live from the ship this week because I enjoyed all of the "live" posts in the past when planning my cruise. A heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who have done so.

 

We left our house in northern Westchester County NY at 10 am in a terrible rain storm. So much for great weather at sailaway! It didn't damper our spirits and we arrived at the pier by 11:30am. Not bad for driving with a tornado watch on our heels if I must say so myself ;)

 

Howdy...we live in Somers and will be driving to Red Hook this Saturday for the QM2. May I ask what route you took to Red Hook from Mahopac? We're thinking of going into Manhattan and taking the FDR Drive to the Brooklyn Bridge. Glad to read that it only took you 90 minutes in rain...we too are allowing 90 minutes for the drive to Red Hook. Any advice you can offer on driving to/from Red Hook would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome home.

[hill6]

Have you heard anything about potentially bad weather upon your return or any type of rerouting due to Tropical Storm (Hurricane) Ernesto. It is supposed to be heading up the coastline towards the end of the week.

[sfilbert]

I have booked D737 Vista Suite. Can you tell me about this room? It looks like people can walk along side of this room. If you can tell me I would appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

[IKE]

Hi Netnurse,

Congratulations to your Parents on their Anniversary and renewing their Vows this evening. How many Years are they celebrating? Hope You All have a wonderful evening. Sounds like You are enjoying your cruise. Thanks for your daily reports. IKE

[rickm21]

We left our house in northern Westchester County NY at 10 am in a terrible rain storm. So much for great weather at sailaway! It didn't damper our spirits and we arrived at the pier by 11:30am. Not bad for driving with a tornado watch on our heels if I must say so myself ;)

 

After arriving, we checked in to find out they had already started boarding. We were through checkin and in our stateroom by 11:45. Embarkation was, hands down, the easiest we have ever encountered.

 

Can you comment on Parking at the terminl?

[Sandytoes]

Great Live Review....

 

Collect a ticket before entering the parking lot. Lot was only 1/3 occupied with cars on our 8/7 cruise. We arrived before noon and had the first spot. They have tons of luggage carts (free). Lot is not far at all to the terminal. Pay cash or charge before you leave the lot. (Easier to charge - cashier - than putting dollars in a machine). One of the best terminals I've been in.

[quinceemom]

Cynbar, I see that you are in a min on Dolphin. We are in D525 for the 11/12 sailing. Are you in that general area and if so, any comments? How much privacy is there on the balcony? And no, we're not naughty teenagers, but I'd love to sit there in the AM knowing I won't have a rainshower of foreign objects dropping in. I'm so excited to hear your positive comments. One more question, when we were on the Sapphire (10/05) I loved the Lotus Pool area. Have you visited this area and if so, what do you think? I'm in the airline industry and my idea of a perfect vacation is to have someplace I know I can get away from the crowds.

[TheCruisingSisters]

Cynbar, I see that you are in a min on Dolphin. We are in D525 for the 11/12 sailing. Are you in that general area and if so, any comments? How much privacy is there on the balcony? And no, we're not naughty teenagers, but I'd love to sit there in the AM knowing I won't have a rainshower of foreign objects dropping in. I'm so excited to hear your positive comments. One more question, when we were on the Sapphire (10/05) I loved the Lotus Pool area. Have you visited this area and if so, what do you think? I'm in the airline industry and my idea of a perfect vacation is to have someplace I know I can get away from the crowds.

 

quinceemom

We were in D525 on the 7/2 cruise and we loved it. We did have a nasty man who spit down and another tried to throw water and ice over but on the most part we did not have much thrown down. These have to be people that do not know how to treat others below.

 

Hope this helps you. The room stewart was wonderful also!

 

Nancy and Linda

[cruzzers]

Becky...Thanks for the information on the forward, LIDO deck rooms. I think we should be fine since we are hardly ever in our rooms. We actually got those oceanview rooms for less than an inside. If it is bothersome, we will just head to the pool and have a cool drink! If anyone has any pictures of those rooms (L104) We would love to see them and you can even send them to our email address, below. Thanks, and happy sailing to your all!

[Giorgi-one]

are in E732, a Vista suite. The suite is smaller than our Penthouse suite we sailed in last year on NCL but beautiful all the same. We are totally aft on the port side of the ship. The balcony is fantastic with 2 lounge chairs, a table and 4 chairs....all teak. Our room steward has been very helpful and all our requests have been met immediately if not sooner. QUOTE]

 

 

What is a Vista Suite? Is this the same as a minisuite?

[makeup face]

Netnurse....I see you're in San Juan today:) Is it doable to walk from the dock to old San Juan or will I need a taxi?

[SeaMatesNYC]

quinceemom

We were in D525 on the 7/2 cruise and we loved it. We did have a nasty man who spit down and another tried to throw water and ice over but on the most part we did not have much thrown down. These have to be people that do not know how to treat others below.

 

Hope this helps you. The room stewart was wonderful also!

 

Nancy and Linda

 

Cruising Sisters:

 

You must be sisters of the cloth as I cannot imagine tolerating such rude and disgusting behavior without retaliation with airborne projectiles thrown back up or at the very least a stern rebuke!

 

You "did not have much thrown down" - no one should throw a single thing and should be called to account if they do! Is there any doubt that these people are despicable boors of the worst kind and should not be allowed out in public let alone on a beautiful cruise ship? They do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. They sound like "they do not know how to treat people" below, above or any which way!

 

You said one man "tried" to throw water and ice over - I hope he stopped when you told him he was going to follow it off the ship (under escort) if he proceeded any further...please tell me you bellowed a loud warning his direction! Oh my, the world we live in...

[cynbar]

Cynbar, I see that you are in a min on Dolphin. We are in D525 for the 11/12 sailing. Are you in that general area and if so, any comments? How much privacy is there on the balcony? And no, we're not naughty teenagers, but I'd love to sit there in the AM knowing I won't have a rainshower of foreign objects dropping in. I'm so excited to hear your positive comments. One more question, when we were on the Sapphire (10/05) I loved the Lotus Pool area. Have you visited this area and if so, what do you think? I'm in the airline industry and my idea of a perfect vacation is to have someplace I know I can get away from the crowds.

You should be fine, your cabin is close to ours, a little more midship (which is a good thing, this is a really long corridor!) Anyway, we have had absolutely no trouble with anything thrown down on our balcony. It's true, you are exposed to the higher balconies, but we haven't found this to be a problem --- someone would pretty much have to stand at the railing and look down to see you, and generally there are very few people on their balconies anyway. We like the mini suites, and for us, the open balcony is a fine trade off. we haven't tried (or even seen) the Lotus Pool, so I can;t help you there. In other news, we could have had a better day today in San Juan. Immigration was awful, so bad that it set us back for the rest of the day. Everyone has to clear immigration if the ship has been to a foreign port. Today they had three lines: one for non-US citizens, one for US citizens with ship tours before 12:30, and the third for US citizens with no early tours scheduled. We were in the latter group, so I can;t comment on the others. Anyway, we were assigned to Club Fusion, with different times depending on your deck. When we arrived, the line snaked all the way down Deck 7, almost to the Princess Theater. It took us just short of an hour to get through, and wasn't helped by some people cheerfully cutting in, joining their friends (and all of them laughing about it.) There were no Princess employees until we got to Club Fusion. Finally, we got to the end -- where there were only 3 Customs agents to handle all those people!!! After we finished, the line was just about as long. It really seemed to us that this could have been handled better (Celebrity, 2 yrs ago, did a MUCH better job.) OUr feet and legs were tired before we even reached Old San Juan. Then, the ship scheduled a Latin show which was supposed to be at 7:00 pm, pre dinner for second seating. Well, at 7:30, they still hadn't started --- Lisa, the assistant CD, came out a few times to say they were stuck in traffic and would be on "in a few minutes", but she kept repeating it, and after a half hour, we gave up. Honestly, I have been accused of being a Princess cheerleader, but today was not well handled at all. Hopefully tomorrow will be better...

[Love Boat Dream]

Can you comment on Parking at the terminl?

 

Parking at the terminal was very easy. We arrived on the later side (3:15) and half the lot was empty.

 

There is only a single file road (each way) leading in and out though. It took awhile to get out. We got off the ship at 10:30 (purposely one of the last ones)

[TheCruisingSisters]

Cruising Sisters:

 

You must be sisters of the cloth as I cannot imagine tolerating such rude and disgusting behavior without retaliation with airborne projectiles thrown back up or at the very least a stern rebuke!

 

You "did not have much thrown down" - no one should throw a single thing and should be called to account if they do! Is there any doubt that these people are despicable boors of the worst kind and should not be allowed out in public let alone on a beautiful cruise ship? They do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. They sound like "they do not know how to treat people" below, above or any which way!

 

You said one man "tried" to throw water and ice over - I hope he stopped when you told him he was going to follow it off the ship (under escort) if he proceeded any further...please tell me you bellowed a loud warning his direction! Oh my, the world we live in...

 

We are real "Family" Sisters, and we did not keep quiet, we opened our big NY mouths and yelled both times.

 

We called the room steward in and pointed out the cabin (the man still up there) and he reported it, needless to say, he never tried to spit down again.

 

As for the Ice and Water, after we yelled, he apologized and never tried again either.

[SeaMatesNYC]

We are real "Family" Sisters, and we did not keep quiet, we opened our big NY mouths and yelled both times.

 

We called the room steward in and pointed out the cabin (the man still up there) and he reported it, needless to say, he never tried to spit down again.

 

As for the Ice and Water, after we yelled, he apologized and never tried again either.

 

Good for you! I had these horrible visions of you putting up with this! You must have just been amazed. My jaw was hanging open just reading about it. What do people think...absolutely astounding.

[loving2cruise]

Becky...Thanks for the information on the forward, LIDO deck rooms. I think we should be fine since we are hardly ever in our rooms. We actually got those oceanview rooms for less than an inside. If it is bothersome, we will just head to the pool and have a cool drink! If anyone has any pictures of those rooms (L104) We would love to see them and you can even send them to our email address, below. Thanks, and happy sailing to your all!

 

 

Since this is a public site Becky...if you do indeed have pictures of the Lido deck cabins, ALL of us staying in those cabins would appreciate it if you can post the pictures ON THIS BOARD. Thanks so...much!!!

[saknight]

I am going on the Crown on 9/30 and I would like to try the Crown Grill but I don't want to miss an exceptional night in the regular dinning room. What day in your opinion would be the best night to miss the regular dinning room?

[Mur-cruiser]

I am going on the Crown on 9/30 and I would like to try the Crown Grill but I don't want to miss an exceptional night in the regular dinning room. What day in your opinion would be the best night to miss the regular dinning room?

 

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