This was my first time cruising on the Crown Princess and it started just 48 hours after I returned from an 17 day China adventure ending in San Francisco. I boarded the ship in Ft. Lauderdale and met my wife on board. She had been on the previous week for the last Caribbean cruise of the season. From the time we boarded the ship we met wonderful fellow travelers who we are remaining in touch with, we had extremely helpful wait staff and cabin attendents, and the food was outstanding. On our way out of Ft. Lauderdale someone thought they saw a person in the water and so we backtracked to see if we could find the person.

After two face to face roll calls it was determined that all were on board and that no one, at least not from our ship, was missing. So we continued on. Then the next day, east of Bermuda, someone on board was determined to need surgery that could not be performed on board and there were no long range helicopters available to evacuate that person. So the captain turned the ship around and we sailed for Bermuda. After almost a full day of sailing in the wrong direction we reached Bermuda and offloaded the patient to a pilot boat and the trip to the hospital.

From that point on the trip was uneventful. Smooth seas, warm temperatures, excellent entertainment, and the meeting of even more wonderful fellow passengers. We have just started doing traditional dining and it was not a disappointment. We really got to know our table mates and we will be sure to stay in touch with them in the future. Read more