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REVIEW
OVERVIEW
On September 12th, 2006, I had the pleasure of visiting the
Crown Princess while docked in Brooklyn. The Crown Princess is the latest
addition to Princess Cruises’ growing lists of Grand Class ships.
Princess Cruises has incorporated learnings from it’s previous Grand
Class ships and have created the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess
improvements include:
A larger Skywalker Lounge. This lounge, which doubles as a bar, lounge and
disco, is built into the base of the ship’s funnel and is accessible via
an elevator. Other Princess ships in this class have a smaller lounge
which is accessed via a moving sidewalk. The lounge is also moved forward,
while on the other Princess ships, the lounge is located higher and further
aft. Although modified, Skywalkers still provides dramatic views of the
ocean with its floor to ceiling windows and is popular with passengers of
all ages. The increased size of the room definitely provides a more open
and spacious feeling to the area.
With the relocation of the Skywalkers Lounge, the pool area on the
Riviera deck is improved dramatically. The pool area is now no longer in
the shadow of the lounge. The entire area seems larger, more airy and more
inviting for sun bathing. It was noticeable that may more passengers were
enjoying this area and admiring the New York Skyline in the backdrop.
The public rooms onboard appear larger, but I think this is primarily
due to a change in the color scheme of the ship. The Crown Princess public
rooms seemed brighter than the other Grand Class vessels. This is
accomplished by using lighter colored fabrics and paints, improved
lighting and utilizing sources of natural light.
The ship has incorporated a wonderful feature located just above the
Spa called “The Sanctuary”. The adults only deck, has very comfortable
lounge chairs and is covered by a canopy which allows passengers to find a
shady, relaxing spot away from the crowd. At The Sanctuary you can have an
outdoor spa treatment or just find a spot to relax. The area overlooks the
Spa pool. There is a charge for using the Sanctuary - $15 per day per
person for a ½ day. If you receive a spa treatment ½ day use of the area
is included.
On the Crown Princess, the Mini-Golf area is located above the
Skywalkers Lounge and allows you to play nine holes of mini-golf while
enjoying the view!
AMENITIES/PUBLIC SPACES
The Crown Princess has a very spacious feel and flows quiet well. The
ship has many public rooms, lounges and activities to keep everyone
occupied.
The Princess Theatre is decorated in red and has a coliseum like
feeling. There isn’t a bad seat in the house. Whether you are on the lower
level or upper level, the view is unobstructed and you are always close
enough to the stage to enjoy the show.
The Explorers Lounge is quite inviting. The lounge is ideal for an after
dinner drink or dancing. The pleasantly decorated Explorers has a large dance floor and ample
seating. Overall it is stylish gathering place.
Club Fusion is a very flashy lounge, with neon lighting, large dance
floor and a Mediterranean color scheme. This room is also idea for an
after dinner drink or for dancing into the wee-hours of the night.
Additional lounges include the Crooner’s Bar which overlooks the
Atrium. This bar is ideal for a break and to do some people watching. The
Wheelhouse Bar, which features dark wood tones, has a nautical theme. In
addition to the nautical memorabilia, there are a number of paintings of
early ships in the history of P&O.
The Adagio Bar is an excellent place for a drink on that formal night
or night where you choose to eat at one of the specialty restaurants. The
bar has a feeling of sophistication and (in my opinion) is one of the best
bars onboard.
Moving from the lounges you may want to try your luck at the Gatsby’s
Casino. The large casino offers slots and most major gaming tables. The
casino also has a very decorative bar which can supply drinks when you’ve
worked up a thirst.
As far as activities, the Crown Princess features Movies Under the
Stars, which is a large television screen mounted to the ship’s funnel
pool side. The screen has excellent resolution even in the bright
sunshine. Featured programming includes newly released movies, concerts and
variety shows
for passenger enjoyment. The day of embarkation, the volume was extremely
loud, so much so, that people poolside, were yelling to hear each other.
Although loud, there are ample quiet places to reside elsewhere on the
ship and it does seem like a great activity, especially for families.
For the active person, there is a jogging track, lap pool with a
current, basketball court, swimming pools and a fully outfitted gymnasium.
The ship also has a golf simulator. If you would like to
be pampered, there is the Spa which provides a full array of treatments
and has its' own pool. You can also have your Spa treatment
outdoors at the Sanctuary – the adults only deck. The ship features 4 pools. Deck space on the ship,
does seem limited, but this is because designers intentionally divided
the sunning areas to provide a feeling of privacy.
Like most ships today, there is an art gallery which has many art
pieces available for sale. The pieces are sold through an auction which is
held on board. During the cruise, the art is proudly displayed in the Art
Gallery for passengers to examine more closely.
Other public rooms include the Wedding Chapel, a modest-sized library –if you would
like to curl up with a good book, writing room and internet café.
For the shopper in you, the Crown Princess offers a wide array of shops
featuring jewelry, perfume, liquor, Princess Cruises branded sportswear
and much more.
DINING
Princess Cruises offers what they refer to as Personal Choice Dining.
Personal Choice Dining allows you to choose traditional dining at a set
time with the same waiters and table mates or passengers can choose
Anytime Dining which provides the flexibility to choose the time and
restaurant. Onboard the Crown Princess there are 2 flexible dining rooms
and one traditional. The dining rooms are named Michelangelo, da
Vinci and Botticelli. The Michelangelo provides the traditional dining
experience with fixed table assignments and fixed dining times. The da
Vinci and Botticelli Dining Rooms provide Personal Choice Dining
(available between 5:30 PM and 10 PM). All three dining rooms incorporate
the same color schemes, using rich wood tones, sculptures and paintings
representative of each artist. (All of the featured artwork in the dining
rooms are reproductions).
In addition to the three dining rooms, there are 2 specialty
restaurants where you can dine at an added cost. These restaurants are the
Crown Grill – featuring Steaks & Seafood, and Sabatini’s which features
Italian food. I was very impressed with the décor of Sabatini’s which was
tastefully decorated in Mediterranean tones and possesses an air of
sophistication.
The Crown Grill is decorated in very dark wood tones and features
traditional English paintings including scenes from King Arthur. Both
restaurants serve more sophisticated meals with a higher level of
attentive service. Again, dining at these restaurants is available at an
added cost.
Another dining option includes what Princess Cruises refers to as Ultimate Balcony Dining in
which dinner is served on your own verandah.
For less formal dining there is 24 hour food service in the Horizon Court
(Buffet and Cavalry), The Pizzeria for a quick slice, The
Trident Grill for burgers and hot dogs. Other dining options include the Caribe Café, Café International, Vines for
wine and seafood and there is always room service, which is
available 24 hours a day as well.
While on board, I headed up to the Horizon Court to examine the buffet.
The quality of the food seemed very good. There also was a wide variety of
entrees and sides. My only observation was that the buffet featured some
common foods, such as tuna salad, meat loaf, fresh roasted turkey, shrimp salad, rice and fried scallops. There was a
pizzeria serving freshly made hot pizza and a grill area serving hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken and sides. All of the
food was of good quality and tasty.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Crown Princess has inside, outside, balcony, mini-suites and suite
cabins. While I was on board I was not permitted to view any cabins. This
was primarily due to the fact that the ship began boarding
passengers for a 5 PM departure at 11:30 AM
Looking at the cabins in the brochure, they appear to be brighter than
most cabins I have seen aboard ships. The cabins have light colored walls
with rich wood trim. Bed coverings and window treatments appear to
complement the room and add to the simple elegance of the cabin. The
bathroom facilities are modern and ample.
I was also very impressed with the passageways outside the cabins,
unlike most ships, they were very bright and spanned the full length of
the ship. Many of the other ships I have been aboard have twisting and
dark hallways making them seem confining. The Crown Princess’ straight
hallways also give passengers an appreciation for the length of this grand
vessel.
KIDS PROGRAM
Princess has an extensive kid’s program. The structured children’s /
teen program are divided into 3 groups. The Princess Pelicans (Ages 3-7)
where your young one will partake in Videos, cartoons, kids karaoke and
kids Olympics to name a few of the activities.
The next age group – Ages 8-12 are know as the Princess Shockwaves.
These lucky children will enjoy such activities as arts, crafts, sports
tournaments, scavenger hunts and much more.
The last group, called Remix, is for kids ages 13-17. The teen
center is packed with video games, movies, giant screen TVs, card games,
board games, ping-pong tables and a Jukebox.
I toured the children’s area and was impressed with the amount of space
dedicated to the children and related activities. There was even a teen
disco. Each group has their own room with a private entrance.
In addition to the kids program, there is also a video arcade.
ITINERARY
The Crown Princess will be offering alternating 9-Day Western Caribbean
and 9-Day Eastern Caribbean Cruises from Brooklyn, New York May thru
October.
The 9-Day Western Caribbean Cruises sail to Grand Turk, Turk & Caicos,
Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Port Canaveral
Florida.
The 9-day Eastern Caribbean cruises call at Grand Turk, Turk & Caicos,
San Juan Puerto Rico, St. Thomas US VI, and Bermuda (West End).
During the winter months, the Crown Princess sails from San Juan Puerto
Rico on 7 day cruises to the Southern Caribbean.
SYNOPSIS
The Crown Princess entered service in June of 2006 fresh from the
Fincantieri Shipyard in Italy. Weighing in at 113, 000 tons and a length
952 feet, the Crown Princess is definitely an improved upon version of
Princess Cruises' Grand class ships. The Crown Princess is registered in
Bermuda and carries 3,080 passengers.
The Crown Princess is a beautiful and well maintained ship. All of the
public rooms are grand in size and unlike most large ships, she has a very
“spacious” feel. The public rooms are nicely decorated and are warm and
inviting. I was very impressed with the selection and display of
artwork throughout the ship. The walls of the ship are also adorned with
numerous wall murals which add to the ambiance. The pool areas are
adequate and Movies Under the Stars is a nice touch. The hallways,
landings and stairwells are nicely decorated with complementing artwork
and have an open feel. The food onboard the ship was good and the
service was attentive. The ship offers the standard choice of cabins and
suites – with or without balconies. There is an accommodation for
anyone’s pleasure. |
