just off the crown(12/15),some observations

[ricruzer]

embarkation- arrived around 11:30am,very little lines and we were in our

cabin by 12:15pm. luggage was there by 3pm

 

traditional dining- we had first seating in the Botticelli dining room .If you are there ask for Nick(from Romania) to be your waiter ,he was the best we ever had. Food was good and they always have a steak and chicken available.If you love chocolate don't miss the "Love Boat" dessert!!(available every night)

 

Soda card- the best deal on the ship if you drink it. There are live bars on every deck and you can use it at dinner. You just go up and ask for a drink and they pour it for you. no signing,very quick and no limit how many you can get.It was especially convenient in the pool areas.

 

MUTS- we liked the feature.it can be inconvenient during the day but just go to a different pool.At night,they cover the lounges with covers so you don't get wet,then they come around with blankets and popcorn.It was a good way to spend a late night. It is not always movies,they had live football on the week-end and concerts(Elton John,Beyonce,Tina Turner) and others at other times.

 

Elevators- not the coolest place on ship,they do not seem to be air conditioned!!Also,not the fastest in arriving,but not as confusing as some have made out.We usually used the center ship set and had no problems getting anywhere.

 

Entertainment- good,not the best we have seen, the best show was Sarge,see him if he is on board.Also some of the comedy shows in the explorers lounge were very good. Some nights we saw two shows the 8:30 in the Princess theater and then the lounge at 10:30

 

Ports- we did not do any excursions,so I can not help you there.

St Thomas-if you do not want jewelry or a watch,I would suggest going to the beach!!It has been a while since we have been shopping in St. Thomas and that is all there is in the shopping district.

 

St. Kitts- nice little shopping area right off the ship.we did that and got right back on.

 

Grenada- very similar,nice mall right at the terminal(maybe 20 stores),then right outside are the locals selling their spices. Then we took a walk into the city ,nothing there and not very appealing.

 

Bonaire- we had a great day. Take a taxi to the Plaza resort($2 per person),it is only a mile away.You actually see the ship docked while you are at the beach. The taxi leaves you off at the beach gate. To get in it was $15 per person plus $5 per person if you want to use the chairs or hammocks they have on the beach. You also get full use of the beautiful pool and facilities there. One important note is the water bottom is formed from coral so it is a great help if you have water shoes( I found mine at Taget for $5). With these shoes you walk right in and there is also fairly decent snorkling around the coral reef. You do not even have to go over your head.Without them it hurts to walk in as there are a lot of rocks on the bottom.They supply you with water and fruit punch for no charge on the beach. It was definately our best day.

 

Aruba- you can walk right into the city from the ship and shop for hours if you like.We did not do the beach here.

 

a final note on the ports,we did not have to tender in anywhere which was very nice.

 

Safes- a BIG problem still.I was with 2 other couples and all 3 of us had to call for help as the safes would not work all the time. You call passenger service and they send someone up to fix it. It was inconvenient as the time you usually want to get into your safe is when you are ready to leave. So,get what you need from safe first to save time in case of a problem.

 

Internet- very slow compared to what we are used to,but we are platinum so there was no charge for us to use it. If not at 50 cents a minute it adds up real quick!!!!!!!!!!

 

Pizza- very good and available from 11am to 1am. Plus they give you big slices and as many as you want. It was very convenient to get 3-4 slices and bring it back to the pool chair.

 

International cafe on deck 5- open 24 hours and very good. This is where you get "the" cookies and pastries(no charge) part of the day.Lunch time they have chicken salad with cashews,greek salad,mushrooms, and 4 kinds of panini sandwiches(no charge). It is definately worth stopping at!!!!!!

 

That's about it,hope I have helped some people answer some of their questions.

[joand452]

Thank you, ricruzer (are you from RI? DH and I are natives-Warwick and East Greenwich). We're going on the same cruise in April, so I love learning about the different ports.

[20SomethingJeff]

Great Job,

I will be on her in Aug. I am getting excited reading this stuff.

Jeff

[FuzzyMelton]

Thanks,

 

not to many reports on the itinerary you did, since it is rather new and the Crown has only been in San Juan for about a month. We are leaving in 48 days and I can't wait. The time will fly by with Christmas and everything else going on.

 

Questions,

Do you have copis of the menus?

What was the best nights to go to the alternative restaraunts? Did you try them?

Was there a show you would recommend seeing besides Sarge(or missing for that matter)?

What is the problem with the safes, any suggestions?

 

Thanks for the reviews of the Ports.

[ricruzer]

i am from RI.

 

i did not get any copies of the menus, and we ate traditional which we like better than anytime(we did that last time). We feel we get better service having the same waiters every nite. We did not try any other restaurants as I knew there was always something I would like on the menu. We do not eat to fancy and I do not like seafood.

the problem with the safes is that once you set your combination,when you go to open it again sometimes it would not take all thenumbers. Every time you press a number you get a beep,sometimes the key pad would not beep thus your number was not accepted. I think it is because they are run by alkaline batteries in the back of the safe door and the door is cheap plastic so if you close the door to hard the batteries lose their connection. that is my guess but it happened to all 3 of us in adjacent cabins.

the ships singers and dancers did put on good shows,however we would have preferred something with a little more contempary music.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review. :)

[LEtue]

Thanks for the tip about the International Cafe :D