Crown Princess--Caribbean Sail

Last week we spent seven nights aboard the Crown Princess in the Caribbean sailing to Princess Cays, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk. This is the largest Princess ship we have been on and it is called the crown jewel of the Princess fleet. It is no wonder. The ship is beautiful.

The interior design of the public rooms is rich in wood tones and elegant furniture. Many of the lounges offer comfortable seating where you can enjoy the many and varied musicians and vocal groups on board ship. One of our favorite areas was the Adagio right next to the Sabatini specialty restaurant. We enjoyed the pre-dinner music of Rita Mustaine most nights there. On the evenings when the wind and sun were not at the back of the ship, we slipped out the Adagio back door and sat on the balcony there on comfy chairs with lovely fountains behind us and enjoyed the weather and the sea view.

This was the first Princess ship for us where the large screen outdoors by the midship pool played movies and concerts all day and much of the evening. Nice warm blankets are offered in the evening showings along with popcorn.

The dining rooms were all themed: Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Michaelangelo. Because we were a party of 8 and celebrating a birthday (any excuse to take a cruise), we opted for early dining in the Botticelli. But we ate often in the Da Vinci for breakfast (we were disappointed with the offerings in the Horizon Court). Service was wonderful no matter which restaurant you were in.

There were several pools scattered about the ship and each had it's own gathering of regulars especially on sea days. If you wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle and the kids who were on spring break, you could opt for the Sanctuary, "The Pocket of Tranquility." Of course for this pleasure you had to pluck out $10 for a half day or $20 for a full day. It did look tranquil but so was our balcony and it came with the room.

The Princess theaters are notoriously small but in order to let everyone have the opportunity to see the production shows, they are repeated twice a night and two nights in a row. The Explorers lounge acts as another venue for entertainment and featured two different comedians and a magician. We especially enjoyed Rodney Johnson's humor. It was inventive, clever, and clean.

Bob took advantage of the thermal suite offerings and signed up for a "couples" package with his brother. The week cost them $70 each. Normally an individual package is $89.

During our cruise, we ate at Sabatini's and the Chef's Table which was absolutely amazing. I'll be posting on each of those later.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our time aboard the Crown Princess. It is always a joy to find a crew that seems happy to be there and enjoying their work. It shows in their attitude and their productivity. I credit those in charge from the Commodore (Giuseppe Romano is Commodore not Captain) on down. They are the ones who need to set the atmosphere for a good work place. Congrats!