Thread: crown 6-17-2007 review LONG

THIS REPORT IS NOT COMPLETE!!! I WILL POST HERE WHEN IT IS COMPLETE WITH PICS! There are lots up now, but may post some more.
WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG!! The report is done, but keep reading because some fellow cruisers have added some info as well

Immediate Cast: Lorie, Bill (both 40ish) and Andrew (almost 17)

This was our 5th overall cruise, but our 1st on Princess. The others were sailed on DCL.

Other important players: ALL CLF's!
Janet & Kent
Sonia & Eric
Lisa & Erik
Paul & Esther (JR)
Jim & Kathy & family
Paul & family (PG)
Rahmah & family
Melissa & family
Jeff & family
Sam & Louisa

This will be broken down into 3 basic parts: Pre-pre cruise, pre cruise and cruise
LINKS TO PHOTO
NEW YORK Bill : photos : snap shots of New York - powered by SmugMug
UNDERWATER Bill : photos : Underwater 2007 cruise - powered by SmugMug
Grand Turk Bill : photos : Grand Turk 2007 - powered by SmugMug
St. Thomas Bill : photos : St.Thomas 07 - powered by SmugMug
San Juan Bill : photos : San Juan - powered by SmugMug

Pre-pre cruise

My experience on the CLF roll call thread for our cruise was so much fun. I really think it had a lot to do with how much I enjoyed it. I encourage you all to participate in yours. I had previously been on the disboards for earlier cruises and had fun as well, but I swore when I booked this cruise I wouldn't get so involved. Well, with over 3000 posts of my own on the roll call, I guess I lied!!

I originally posted on the DS but I got banned for posting about the disboards to some disney roll calls. Well, in my defense, no one was answering the roll calls! Luckily, Sonia and started this post and enticed many from the DS to here. Thanks Sonia!

Even though it got you permanently banned over there!!!

Now our roll call was a bit......lets just say.....unusual! We asked tons of questions about the trip and talked about everything imaginable!! From the mundane things like work issues, passport woes, laundry dinner recipes to many triumphs-Paul and Esther's Wedding , a bunch of anniversaries , Sonia's weight loss and Jim's marathon .

We discussed our families sicknesses fender benders . I actually named my birds after 3 cruisers

We even discussed the frivolous things, frubal begging (that was Janet and Sonia) and avatar vote begging (that was Janet and Sonia too! do we see a pattern here????)
Shameless page turn contests, creative writing with smileys

Shopping hints: KOHLS, KOHLS AND KOHLS!!!!! Did anyone else get a "where have you been the last 10 days?" email from Kohl's ????

We actually did talk about the cruise! Hotels, flights. We posted our families pictures so that we could recognize each other, listed our room numbers, our excursions

In hind sight which actually provided us with many laughs on board the ship, we realized perhaps that was TMI!!!! You know, we teach our kids not to post personal info, but yet we were pretty bad about this!

Those who would like can post there SSN, home address and phone numbers, post color copies of your passports/DL/BC may do so RIGHT HERE so we can share just a bit more information to the entire internet!!!

Well hopefully I didn't bore you too much!!! Next....Pre-cruise!

Pre-cruise!

Our shuttle in Columbus, Ohio was here at 5:30am the day before the cruise. I was up late posting on the board so I didn't have much time to sleep. Ok, I didn't sleep at all, because I WAS TOO EXCITED!!!

We landed at LGA after a very short flight and took a shuttle (free!) to the Crowne Plaza near the airport. Pretty reasonable ($180 total for 3). Our room was ready and Bill napped for 2 solid hours!!! DS was SOOOOO impatient because he was dying to see NY! Why is it that at home he can watch tv or play video games for multiple days without saying a word and now he can't wait 2 hours while his dad replenishes his energy! After all, tomorrow was Father's Day!

We got adventurous and bought a day bus/train pass for $7 each. If you purchase this, it is NOT good for 24 hours, just the day you purchase until 3am!!
Well, this was very interesting for this family who had only really used public transportation in Disney World. It's just a tiny bit different. It wasn't bad, just long from LGA. We went to Times Square. . It was overwhelming!!!! Ok, try to find some place to eat.....hmmm, Shay McDonald's . We saw 7 of them in the time we walked around for 2 hours!!!


A few suggestions for a day in NYC before the cruise.
#1-pay the extra money for a downtown hotel. Much less time spent on travel (50 minutes 1 way for us.)
#2-Do a bus tour. They range from $40 and on up. You will see the sights so much easier and quicker than on your own.
#3-get bus/train maps ahead of time so you are familiar with where you are going.

McDonald's $25
2 ice cream cones $10

deli sandwiches and desserts for later $35

bus/train pass $21 total

teenage son actually excited about a family activity in NYC PRICELESS!!!!

Lower Manhattan has the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Ellis Island. More north in Manhattan is Times Square, the Empire State Building and Central park

Ok, next up CRUISE DAY!!!!

Cruise Day!!!!

No sleep again, but who cares!!!

Check out was easy, 9am requested a car service available at the hotel. When they say how much luggage we had, they said we would fit in a regular car. We had been quoted $40 to the port. Well, look what rolls around the corner...., ummmmm, how much will this cost???


Only $50 total!!! Oh yeah baby, I'm arriving in style!




We were told that it would take about 1 hour to get to the port. Ok, I arranged for the car at 9am, were loaded into the limo by 9:05 and we arrived at the port at 9:30. We were a bit early, but who cares!!!!!!

They took our bags immediately, and we were allowed to wait in the terminal. Around 10:30 we were allowed through the 1st security check, we were the 1st to get our cards for the cruise and then we had to wait......

If you arrive early, please make sure that you get a boarding number!!! They didn't do this right away and I got number 2 even though I was first (well almost) to sit in the waiting area to go on the ship!!!

Don't count on cell phone service in the terminal. I kept waiting for Sonia to call.... I met Paul (PG) and family in the terminal. We chatted a bit, I paced some more.

Finally...time to get on board!!! 11:45

I was sooooooo confused. The little map that they give you, isn't really helpful!!! It took us a few minutes to figure out where we were going.

SURPRISE TIME!!!!Well, not that kind of surprise.....get your minds out of the gutter!!!!
I had upgraded to a balcony and kept it a secret for months! Everybody knew but Bill and Andrew. And I mean everybody, past cruise mates, my family, his family, my birds, ALL my cruise mates!!!!

I asked for the camera (with video) so that I could record the moment! We had E735. This is a back aft deck and I mean at the back of the ship!!!! I loved this room. If I were to do a balcony room on Princess again, I would only take one of these. VERY private!

Cost of the room upgrade-$1200
Looks on Bill and Andrew's faces-Priceless!!!!!

Let the eating begin!

Great review so far, can't wait to read the rest. Very creative story telling!!! Love all the smilies.

We headed up to Horizon court to eat. When you exit the elevators there is only 1 way I can describe the feeling with Horizon Court (buffet style) on both sides and then Caribe Cafe (cafeteria style) also on 2 sides. Everytime including the last breakfast on the ship, I felt as if I were a mouse set in a maze with the cheese placed in a different spot everyday!!!!

Caribe was nice because you had a tray and just went in line. But unless you went in backwards, you didn't know what was to eat.

Horizon Court was the craziest on embarkment day. It is difficult to get around, but most of the time it was fine. It did drive me totally nuts that everyday they moved every breakfast item to a new place. Each day I the challenge of where is the toaster, where is the butter, where did that oatmeal go???????

Suddenly, my cell rings. It's Sonia calling! Yes, I had given out my cell number to a complete stranger!!! She was on her way up to meet me!!!


While yes we had posted our pictures to identify other "cult" members, I had also left purple
wrist bands at my door for other CLFer's to wear. Yes, I did give out my cabin number!! I also had sent Sonia's hers ahead of time. Yep, Sonia gave out her home address to a complete stranger!!! Nothing was missing from your house was it Sonia???? I'll post that address so you can all send her a Christmas card!

I see Sonia first....I don't say anything because she is right next to me but looking the other way. Finally, she turns her head..Lorie Sonia!!! Introductions of the families
and then the talking doesn't stop for 9 days!!!! Most people thought I was kind of shy on the boards. I really am quite quiet and let everyone else talk....

Next one to see...Jeff and family. Just a quick hello here, did we shock you Jeff????

Well, a temporary separation because I had to change my dining assignment.

TIP: check your cruise card ASAP to see if your dining is correct. All my paperwork indicated traditional seating. My card did not. Ok, you can go from 1-4 to change it. Do not wait until dinner to try this. A lady did, and they couldn't help her and she had to take anytime dining.

More to come tomorrow! Remember I will answer questions when I'm all done. That may take a while! Be patient! Lot's of good useful information hidden in my long drawn out personal report!!!

Enjoying your review so far! Great smilies!

Ok, the dining got fixed so I'm off to explore and look for purple bracelets. I find Lisa and Erik at the bar. Cool! Then we think we see Paul and Esther...we stalk a bit and finally agree that this is them! Thanks for the new drink Paul, absolute vanilla and diet coke. Loved it, drank it a lot! In walks Sonia and Eric.

We chatted for a bit and talked about our 2 meets coming up, one at 3 at Tradewinds and one after the muster drill at Calypso Cove bar. Sonia wanted to find the Calypso bar. Hmmmmm, look up Sonia, you're already there!
I was already soooo hot so I decided to go back to my room and change to swim. I spy Janet and Kent's luggage by the door! We're basically right next to each other. I knocked, no answer, well darn it! Roger (our room host) said they just went in there. HMMMM What are you doing in there Janet??? Maybe you need this already? Come to think of it, I saw that used on their door a lot!!! Must be a lot of this going on!

There is a bunch of luggage in our room (Bill had brought it in). I changed, and heard a knock and who do I see.......Janet!!!! Oh yeah! We were a bit worried because she had some flight problems the day before. So Back to the pool to cool off and introduce everyone.

We headed back to the bar/pool at the MUTS. Tip: It is VERY loud by the pool. If you want to actually talk to anyone at this pool, don't try! Go somewhere else because the noise from the pool and the movie is really overwhelming. Also, if you want to actually hear the movie, go up to a deck or two because you can hear it better.

3pm, time to meet the rest of the bunch! We had a great turn out. We met Jim and his family (I actually ran into him earlier!), Paul (PG), Rahmah and family, Sam and Louisa, Melissa and family (I can't remember if I first met you on the ship or if you came to the meet-sorry, I'm still a bit tired!

Lot's of fun meeting all, but it's time for that fun filled muster drill!! Way too much fun for the 1st day!!! We end up sitting next to Janet and Kent. She was making me laugh the whole time, shame on you Janet, we're gonna get tossed over board and we won't know how to use the life preservers!!! Don't forget to plug and cross before you jump!

Back to the room, all the luggage is there and I must start organizining! I'm USUALLY not so eager to do all this organizing but if I can get it taken care of now, I won't have to think about it!!

The Room- The balcony was awesome. It is big enough for 2 suedo-lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs, a small and a large table. I wrote the dimensions down for anyone who really cares, but it was pretty large! Tip: Don't leave clothes out there when you are out of the room. We got in trouble. The reason, someone might toss a cigarette down and catch it on fire! Ok, why get mad at me????? How about blaming the person who threw the cigarette off the ship????!!!!


The living space: We had the bed set up as a queen (funny the rep on the phone told me that they couldn't do this until we talked to the room host). The refridgerator kept things pretty cool. There were to night stands and desk drawers to store stuff. We put our luggage under the bed along with the life preservers. Lots of space for unused stuff under there!


The closet: I liked this closet! Lots of hangers, but I still brought a bunch of my own wire hangers to use. There is no door so it gives the feeling of a walk in closet. There is a cupboard with a door and about 5-6 shelves.

The safe is in here. Do not bang on the safe, it will loosen the battery. I had heard a tip about not being able to access the safe and to drop 1 number and try. Tip: I just re-entered the same code each time so that wouldn't happen.

The bathroom: Now here is where Princess really lacks in design. The shower is about 1/2 the size of a shower at home. Tip: just soap the walks and spin around to get maximum use of the shower! It was a bit difficult to shower in, but you get better each time. Hey, I only cut myself 3 times while shaving my legs!! There are 4 nice shelves and a shelf under the sink for lots of stuff.

I did use an over the door shoe hanger on the outside of the bathroom door. Be patient if it doesn't go on easy or allows the door to shut completely. Once you find the right spot, the door will shut!!

We were suppose to meet after the muster drill, sorry I couldn't make it! I just had to get all the stuff out! I don't think many people went because we met almost everyone at the earlier one. Plus we had dinner at 6 to get to!

Roger (Rogelio) was our room host. He was fantastic and very friendly. He always chatted with us. While on Disney the room host were fantastic as well, I don't think they are encouraged to chat with the passengers. Personally, I loved his chattiness. Big extra tip for him!!

Let's take this time to talk about the food on the ship. Please keep in mind this is my own personal opinion and it doesn't mean that the food is not good. Let me explain.

The food is very upscale at dinner. For those of you who like seabass, pheasant, duck, lamb, lobster, veal for example...you will find the menu to have an excellent variety of choices. I'm not of fan of seafood or unusual foods. I found it very difficult to find something on the menu each night to eat and that included the appetizers/soups/salads.

Now they always have available, ceasar salad, shrimp cocktail (which I had at least on 4 nights since nothing else appealed to me), chicken and steak. I ate the chicken and steak 4 of the 9 nights. It was very bland. It also always came with a plain baked potato. They did offer sour cream, but I'm not a big fan.

Tip: Order the meat temp. one lower than normal. For instance, if you want it medium (a little pink), order medium rare. If you don't, it will be over cooked. This happened to me 4 times!! I finally got smart and ordered my steak medium rare, and it was really bloody. I guess I was cursed!

While I know I can send it back, but I don't like to waste food. This is my own problem so don't think that I'm saying the food is bad. The side dishes are pretty basic and there is not much of it. EVERY night there was asparagus on the plate and a few potatoes.

Desserts were ok, I was a bit disappointed in the selection. On past cruises, I had trouble narrowing down my choices and would normally order 2 desserts. Here, it was more like, what might I like. Most desserts were pretty good, but nothing I would write home about.

I do understand that the food is being prepared for 3000 people, so I can't expect the food to be perfect all the time. As long as I don't have to cook, it's all good to me!

International Cafe: This is the best kept secret on the ship!!! There are a few items that you have to pay for, but most of it is free. People thought that you had to purchase everything, not true.

breakfast at the cafe were basically pasteries and donuts. Nice selection, but you could get most of this at the buffets.

lunch: chicken cashew salad, shrimp salad, 2 other side dishes, grilled chicken sandwich, ham and cheese croissants, tomato and mozzarella panini, tuna sandwich, there was another choice of sandwich, but it slips my mind. They also had some quiches there as well.

While this was very tasty, they never changed the menu all week. The gelato is a great bargain at $1.50 for 3 large scoops. There are 6-7 flavors to choose from and yes, you can choose 3 different flavors. The flavors didn't change all week.

They had some very good desserts that did change everyday and were free!

Davinci's -we went to lunch one day with Lisa and Erik. It was very nice. This is were we also had dinner with a bunch of the group on formal night.

I had breakfast almost everyday at Horizon's court. Everyday they had, fruits, oatmeal, over easy eggs, scrambled etc. They did have a variety of other foods as well. One morning I saw eggs benedict, eggs florentine etc. They also had a different variety of hot side dishes each morning. A+++ for the breakfast.