Crown Review 7/5-7/14

[tsj]

Just a quick review of our Crown Princess Cruise 7/5/07-7/14/07

 

We traveled as a family of 10, My DH, 2 DD (13 & 15), MIL and myself, all from Illinois and my MIL’s family from Denmark, her brother, his DD, her husband and 2 teens.

 

We arrived in NYC on 7/3 for a short pre-cruise stay, loved the city, friendly helpful folks everywhere we went, fabulous city! We stayed at the Embassy Suites in the Financial District/ Battery Park. We were very pleased, location, rooms, breakfast & cocktail party were very nice, we would stay here again.

 

Embarkation was a breeze, no lines to register, short wait in the holding area, in our cabins shortly after 12:00. We had 4 balcony cabins midship on Aloha. The steward opened the balcony dividers providing us with a great space to visit with one another.

Our room steward was Ariel, we rarely saw him, never needed to, he was efficient and kept our cabins in great shape. Great steward.

 

The Ship just as beautiful as I had heard, lovely, not crowded.

 

 

Dining- We had early Traditional in the Botticelli, our servers were Kliment and Pat, they provided outstanding service. I wish I remembered the name of our head waiter, best we’ve had, saw him every night, very helpful, gave us great tips on touring the ports.

 

The International Café is terrific, great for lunch or after returning from port, spent a lot of time here.

 

Entertainment- Loved the entertainers in The Piazza, varied and fun. I cannot say enough about the CD, Kelvin Joy. I contacted him several months ago regarding my 15 yo daughter, she has two loves, dance and travel, I asked if she might be able to meet with a dancer for Q & A or perhaps see a rehearsal, he responded promptly and said he would be glad to arrange something for us. Kelvin personally took us on a backstage tour, introduced us to Tracy the Dance Captain and allowed us to watch a rehearsal. Tracy and her dancers were great, they answered questions and posed for pictures with my daughter.

Kelvin called the next day to make sure we enjoyed the tour! It was much more than we ever expected, Kelvin’s kindness and generous spirit truly impressed us.

 

Ports

 

Bermuda- Amazing, we shopped and went to Horseshoe Bay, incredible. Bermuda has a great bus/ferry system, easy to get around. Can’t wait to go back to Bermuda!

 

San Juan – We took the free shuttle to El Morro and shopped our way back, very hot that day. Some of our group took the Bio Bay tour, sold out on Princess so they went with a private guide, wound up at the bay with the Princess tour. They raved about this tour, said it was by far the best tour they had ever taken. One note of caution if you are not experienced in kayaking you might consider the boat tour, after capsizing a couple of times one of our party had to transfer from the kayak to the boat.

 

St. Thomas - Once again we used Godfrey great value for the money.

 

Grand Turk – Margaritaville and shopping were lots of fun, some of our group took the ships Snorkel and Stingray tour and really enjoyed it.

 

 

We had a wonderful time on the Crown, fabulous service, would sail her again in a heartbeat. On our last sea day one of our family members from Denmark said to me

"This trip was better than I had even dreamt." LOL, another cruise addict is born!

 

 

Teri

[High C's]

Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for the review!

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Thank you so much for the great review. Six days and counting until we are on her!

[Solara]

Who is Godfrey in St. Thomas??????

[play21cw]

Just a quick review of our Crown Princess Cruise 7/5/07-7/14/07

 

We traveled as a family of 10, My DH, 2 DD (13 & 15), MIL and myself, all from Illinois and my MIL’s family from Denmark, her brother, his DD, her husband and 2 teens.

 

We arrived in NYC on 7/3 for a short pre-cruise stay, loved the city, friendly helpful folks everywhere we went, fabulous city! We stayed at the Embassy Suites in the Financial District/ Battery Park. We were very pleased, location, rooms, breakfast & cocktail party were very nice, we would stay here again.

 

Embarkation was a breeze, no lines to register, short wait in the holding area, in our cabins shortly after 12:00. We had 4 balcony cabins midship on Aloha. The steward opened the balcony dividers providing us with a great space to visit with one another.

Our room steward was Ariel, we rarely saw him, never needed to, he was efficient and kept our cabins in great shape. Great steward.

 

The Ship just as beautiful as I had heard, lovely, not crowded.

 

 

Dining- We had early Traditional in the Botticelli, our servers were Kliment and Pat, they provided outstanding service. I wish I remembered the name of our head waiter, best we’ve had, saw him every night, very helpful, gave us great tips on touring the ports.

 

The International Café is terrific, great for lunch or after returning from port, spent a lot of time here.

 

Entertainment- Loved the entertainers in The Piazza, varied and fun. I cannot say enough about the CD, Kelvin Joy. I contacted him several months ago regarding my 15 yo daughter, she has two loves, dance and travel, I asked if she might be able to meet with a dancer for Q & A or perhaps see a rehearsal, he responded promptly and said he would be glad to arrange something for us. Kelvin personally took us on a backstage tour, introduced us to Tracy the Dance Captain and allowed us to watch a rehearsal. Tracy and her dancers were great, they answered questions and posed for pictures with my daughter.

Kelvin called the next day to make sure we enjoyed the tour! It was much more than we ever expected, Kelvin’s kindness and generous spirit truly impressed us.

 

Ports

 

Bermuda- Amazing, we shopped and went to Horseshoe Bay, incredible. Bermuda has a great bus/ferry system, easy to get around. Can’t wait to go back to Bermuda!

 

San Juan – We took the free shuttle to El Morro and shopped our way back, very hot that day. Some of our group took the Bio Bay tour, sold out on Princess so they went with a private guide, wound up at the bay with the Princess tour. They raved about this tour, said it was by far the best tour they had ever taken. One note of caution if you are not experienced in kayaking you might consider the boat tour, after capsizing a couple of times one of our party had to transfer from the kayak to the boat.

 

St. Thomas - Once again we used Godfrey great value for the money.

 

Grand Turk – Margaritaville and shopping were lots of fun, some of our group took the ships Snorkel and Stingray tour and really enjoyed it.

 

 

We had a wonderful time on the Crown, fabulous service, would sail her again in a heartbeat. On our last sea day one of our family members from Denmark said to me

"This trip was better than I had even dreamt." LOL, another cruise addict is born!

 

 

Teri

 

 

Aersome, tell your friend from Denmark to sign up on CC!!

 

?- What time did you arrive at the terminal?

 

I am planning to arrive at 10:45-11:00am on the 1st of Aug in hopes to get onboard first (or atleast as soon as i possibly can)

[tsj]

dteich1,

 

Godfrey is an independant guide. For $25 he drops you off for a couple of hours of shopping, then takes you on a tour of the island, and then will take you either to the beach for two hours or he will take you back to the ship. He will also come and pick you up after you are done at the beach to take you back to the ship. We have now done his tour twice and enjoyed it both times. His $25 is a bargain just for transportation alone. His website is godfreytoursvi.com

 

Teri

[tsj]

play21cw,

 

We arrived at the terminal around 11:30. Hope you have a great time on your cruise!

[sailorJo]

 

Bermuda- Amazing, we shopped and went to Horseshoe Bay, incredible. Bermuda has a great bus/ferry system, easy to get around. Can’t wait to go back to Bermuda!

 

Teri

 

Thanks for the terrific review. One question: is it still the n. 4 bus that goes to Horseshoe Bay from Naval Dockyard, and how much is the fare each way? Thanks.

[ck53]

Thanks Teri and I 'm glad you had wonderful weather.

 

How was the ocean leaving from NYC? Calm, I hope, we have one who gets seasick.

 

It is nice to hear that you thought the people in NY were nice and friendly. One lady started a thread and wanted to know, how exactly pushy and nasty New Yorkers were and should she be afraid to cruise out of NY.:confused:

 

Thanks again!

[play21cw]

Thanks Teri and I 'm glad you had wonderful weather.

 

How was the ocean leaving from NYC? Calm, I hope, we have one who gets seasick.

 

It is nice to hear that you thought the people in NY were nice and friendly. One lady started a thread and wanted to know, how exactly pushy and nasty New Yorkers were and should she be afraid to cruise out of NY.:confused:

 

Thanks again!

WOW! I didnt think people were that naive, its sad actually, i love going into NYC, for the most part everyone is fairly nice, sure you run into some rough people now and then, but you'll find that everywhere.

 

I Love NYC!

[tsj]

Josie, We went to Hamilton(#7 Bus) and from there to Horseshoe Bay, can't remember the bus # to the beach, we got directions from the locals, they were very willing to give directions. We bought the all day pass for 12 for adults, kids under 16 were a little less, the pass is good for the bus and the ferry, I thought it was a great value. Enjoy your cruise

 

 

CK53 It was a little rocky the first night out but not bad at all, after that it was smooth sailing!

Maybe someone from NYC should start a thread about how narrowminded

some tourisits can be, :eek: LOL, Just kidding.

People helped us out everywhere we went with directions and such. We live in a small town now, but my husband I grew up in Chicago, it was neat to see how amazed our daughters were by the size and activity in the city, they loved it. Happy Sailing. Teri

[cruisinbuddy]

Glad you had a good time, I just booked the Crown for next Feb. And that was very nice of Kelvin to do that for you.

[High C's]

Thanks Teri and I 'm glad you had wonderful weather.

 

How was the ocean leaving from NYC? Calm, I hope, we have one who gets seasick.

 

It is nice to hear that you thought the people in NY were nice and friendly. One lady started a thread and wanted to know, how exactly pushy and nasty New Yorkers were and should she be afraid to cruise out of NY.:confused:

 

Thanks again!

 

Unbelievable! We have visited NYC twice (both times for pleasure, not business) and have been treated wonderfully by everyone! The hospitality of the native New Yorkers was outstanding, and is always a big part of our story when we speak of our time there.

[crissyp]

If I can remember ( and it's only a few days since I'm back ) it is the #4 bus that takes you Horseshoe Beach, and it was $4.00 each way.

 

Have a wonderful cruise, we sure did!!

Crissy

[Solara]

Thanks Teri, I'll check Godfrey out.

[sailorJo]

If I can remember ( and it's only a few days since I'm back ) it is the #4 bus that takes you Horseshoe Beach, and it was $4.00 each way.

 

Have a wonderful cruise, we sure did!!

Crissy

 

Thanks!

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the great review!