After 3 days in London, we arrived at the port in Southampton around 1045. Check-in went very quickly and we were allowed to board the ship at 1100. I was amazed they let us board so early; most of the cabins were not ready. We ate lunch up in Horizon Court and that was the last lunch I ate there the whole cruise. Something I ate did not agree with me and I missed the first dinner in the dining room which had a wonderful menu.

The Crown Princess is a beautiful ship, but not a good one to do a northern crossing on. The weather was bad enough to keep the outside decks closed for the most part. It was too cold to use the pools or stay outside for long. You really knew there were 3100 people on board in the public areas. Entertainment on board was very good. Movies shown were fairly new and many to choose from. An excellent group, Indigo, played all types of music; in Crooners lounge Sammy Goldstein did a credible job on the piano. In the piaza Rita Mustaine played an excellent selection of songs on the piano; the Crown Qunitet tended to mangle the music they played. The comedians on board were ho-hum and some jokes were quite racey. The cruise staff were excellent. Neil Chandler and his staff had plenty of fun activities going on. Because of weather we ended up missing 3 ports and Halifax was substituted for St. Johns. The staff did an excellent job of rearranging activities so we never had a boring day on board.

Food on board was pretty good and there was always a selection to choose from. I personally didn't care for the food in the Horizon Court although the service there was very good. We ate most of our meals in the dining rooms. For dinner we had traditional seating and had the best wait staff. They worked so well and complemented each other so we were served quickly and efficiently the whole trip. For breakfast and lunch we had mostly good service. I was a bit disappointed in the scrambled eggs at breakfast as they seemed to be made from instant eggs. On sea days the Wheelhouse had a pub lunch and it was very popular. We made it to one on the last sea day and the fish and chips and shepard's pie were delicious. The Crown Grille had the best filet and onion soup I have ever eaten. The International Cafe had light meals (salads, quiche and desserts); gelato was $1.50 for 3 big scoops; beverages there had to be purchased. Best was the fresh baked cookies. Seating was difficult to come by since people would sit and read or just visit with each other. Read more