We were on the modified 7/22-7/29/06 sailing of the Crown Princess sailing (NY, Day at Sea, Day at Sea, Grand Turk, Day at Sea, Bermuda, Day at Sea, NY) We are 40 (me) and 39 (DH).

We left our home in Central Jersey at 10:40 a.m. and were at the terminal before 11:30 a.m. The baggage handlers came right over to take our bags, we filled out the Norvo virus form, stood in line for maybe two minutes before going up to the counter. There were many check-in stations with specific areas for the Platinum and Elite members and those with mobility problems. We showed our paperwork and signed the credit card forms and had our room keys made within minutes. It was 11:40 and we were walking towards the ship. After stopping to take the boarding photo we were on board. We stopped to buy our soda cards as soon as we boarded (they had an area setup near the elevators). We deposited our carry on bags in our room shortly before noon. Embarkation was definitely much smoother since there was no debarkation that morning.

After checking out our room, D-503, a mini-suite located midship on the starboard side, it was off to explore the ship. One of the first stops we made was to book the Crown Grill for that evening since it was a perk for booking through American Express Platinum Travel. The food in the buffet was not too bad for buffet food. (We are not big on buffets but the food (especially the carved turkey) was quite tasty. The weather was inclement and it rained on and off all afternoon. We headed back to our room after a while to discover our bags were there. The bag that had all our clothes on hangers was soaked from the rain. Read more