Crown Princess Review

Alaska Cruise on Crown Princess / Seattle things to do

Review for Alaska Cruise on Crown Princess
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Elegant88
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Aug 2016
Cabin: Balcony

I had always heard the Alaska cruise was wonderful and wanted to experience the raw beauty of Alaska. It is gorgeous and pristine. I traveled with a friend as our husband's did not want to go. We decided to spend two days in Seattle previous to the cruise and glad we did. Seattle is a gorgeous city. The Chihuly Glass Garden was amazing which is a must next to the Space Needle. The restaurant in the garden area was very good, expensive but good. A great way to start day #1 of our vacation. We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel which was arranged by Princess. It was expensive as all Seattle hotels are. The hotel was lovely however it is right next to a freeway so very hard to sleep. Next time I would prefer to be closer to the water as walking up those Seattle hills was brutal! We took a ferry to Bainbridge Island and would recommend this. It was only $4.20 (senior rate) and gave you a lovely perspective of Seattle and the area around it. Walked the island to art galleries, shops, etc. and had a healthy lunch at Fork and Spoon. I really would suggest spending time in Seattle before or after the cruise. Pikes Marketplace was so-so for us. First of all, it was a record 92 degrees and very crowded. The shops are expensive and a lot of flea market type of stuff. Some shops were nice and we bought our wine for the ship there. The fish throwing area was fun and the flowers were stunning! It was fun to do but would not do it again. The Crown is the sister ship of the Ruby which I have been on twice so very familiar with the layout. We had a balcony cabin on Carib deck which I always ask for because the balcony is large. I have been on 6 Princess cruises mostly to the Caribbean and Mexico. I have to say the food on the Crown was exceptional. We were going to do specialty dining but didn't because the meal selection was so good including the Horizon Court buffet. The entertainment was the best I have seen on all my Princess cruises, make sure you go to the shows including The Voice competition. Everyone on the ship was friendly and helpful and the passengers were very nice. Lots of diversity. Alaska is really God's country. It is very windy so be prepared for that. And cold especially in Glacier Bay and Juneau on the glaciers. We did the glacier helicopter to Mendenhal and it was freezing on the glacier where you are walking around for about 30 minutes. I did bring layers but I really needed my down coat. A vest is not enough. They supply you with glacier boots over your shoes and I also wore boots so my feet were warm. You need a warm hat, gloves and lots of warm layers when you go outside. Be prepared for cold wind even on a sunny day. We had no rain even thought it was predicted. The weather was gorgeous. Because it is the end of the season you can buy all these clothing items at very good prices on the ship (lots of sales) and on shore shops. I wish we needed more of this but in San Diego it doesn't get that cold. We did the Ketchikan duck tour which was so much fun. The 4 hour train ride was great but maybe one hour too long. The bus tour in Victoria was a total waste of time and money, it was dark and you could not see anything. The town however is beautiful so I would suggest just getting off the ship and walking around and having a nice meal there. The gardens (if you go in the daytime) are stunning. We stayed in cabin C602 it was the standard cabin however the bed was awful and the room steward Roland did a great job in making it comfortable. They need new beds in that cabin. I booked a Christmas cruise to Mexico for this December on the Ruby the same layout as the Crown. We are looking forward to it. I also went to the casino every night and play blackjack. I didn't win but look at it as entertainment and met some very nice interesting people. I did get a casino credit for the next trip so was happy about that! We do Anytime Dining for flexibility and meeting new friends. Pack layers for windy cold days and you will be fine. People did sit by the pool in the beginning and end of the cruise, it was too cold for me. Enjoy your trip!

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BF

I love the size of the balconies on the Carib deck of the Crown. The cabin is standard and plenty of room for clothing, etc. It is efficient even though small. The beds however were not good. We had twin configuration and my bed had a huge sag in it. I felt like i was sleeping in a hole! Ronald the cabin steward did a great job in fixing this so after the first night it was fine. The cabin is a bit shabby and needs new carpeting and drapes but we didn't spend a lot of time there. We used the balcony for Glacier Bay and in the morning when we had breakfast delivered to the cabin each day. It was quiet which for me is very important. It is a standard Princess balcony cabin which was perfectly find. The view of course amazing.

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