Crown Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,240 reviews

Looking for water and relaxation

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Crown Princess
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shoulda' been a mermaid
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Apr 2010

As a last minute booking, Princess offered an irresistible price. I put our cruise reservation on a 24 hour hold so I could nervously arrange a flight and hotel. We needed a hotel to fly in the day before since the flights seemed dangerously close to boarding time. The airport in Ft Lauderdale ended up very close to the cruise port. We might have been ok flying in the same day, but why risk it. I booked the Sheldon hotel which was ideally located on the boardwalk. Our taxi driver didn't know of the Sheldon but he typed in the address and off we went. He dropped us off at an alley entrance which gave us concern. Later we noticed the front entrance is completely boarded up due to renovation. There was also not a working elevator. Which would have been nice for the luggage we were carrying. We enjoyed our room mostly for its location right on the beach. But our room was also spacious with a large king size bed with very nice bedding. The Sheldon is obviously very old, but clean, and so worth the boardwalk locale. The port area had decent security. Entering the port in a taxi we had to show our ID's and boarding passes. We had such a short wait to board the ship it was almost confusing. We got there around 2pm and breezed right thru. The very friendly Princess staff gave us our cruise cards, took our pictures and sent us aboard where we quickly found the buffet. The Crown Princess was by far the easiest floor plan I've tried to remember. On previous cruises I've stumbled around for days trying to find my way. Our room was very close to the center elevators. I was concerned there could be noise from the elevators . But it was never noisey and very convenient to have the stairs or elevator right there. Our room steward was very good, never interrupting and always respectful of our privacy. There was chocolate on our pillows every night and Love Boat on our tv every morning, both of which I loved. I did very much miss the towel animals we had every evening on Royal Caribbean. I completely enjoyed our dining on board. The dining room wait staff never disappoints. We chose anytime seating, and we only waited one night. Even then we only waited 10 min. They matre'd even remembered us and frequently gave us the table we had previously enjoyed. We were surprised by the menus. They seemed to not have as appealing a menu as in the past. We were not disappointed by any food we ordered, but the selection wasn't there. We also enjoyed the sushi and salads in the atrium area. My favorite dining, other than the dining room, was a toss up between the excellent pub lunches served in the pub and room service. Excellent fish and chips in the pub. and room service at no charge, it doesn't get any better than that. Entertainment was very good as usual. I was very smitten with the movies under the stars. Its like a drive in, a fun "date night". Grand Cayman, Stingray city not to be missed. But we also enjoyed the town. We found a very nice snorkel area near the farmers market. There is a small restaurant on the water side of the road that rents snorkel gear for $5. Or use your own. Steps right into the water. Lots of fish, very enjoyable. Roatan, my favorite. We took a taxi-van for $20 each to Tabiyana beach. Our guide who stayed with us for the day, talked us into trying a zip line. He got us a very reasonable price ( $32 ea. )We had great time. Good guides. They took good care of us and carried our cameras getting good shots for us. I only regretted not having more time to snorkel once we got back to the beach. The water was perfect. Lots of fish to see. Cozumel. We booked an excursion to the Mayan ruins which was well worth it. The ferry to the mainland was not for the weak stomach. Take your dramamine early that day. Princess Cays was a sea shell lovers dream. The water was very,very cold in April. But the snorkeling area had a lot of fish to see. I braved it. The disembarkation was almost as easy as embarkation. Princess seems to know how to get it done. Not a sporty ship but a great time to be had by all.

Cabin Review

good size closet and shelves.

shower was extremely small.

nice view, barely obstructed.

excellent cabin location. right next to stairs in the center of the boat.

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