My first cruising experience

Item: Crown Princess
Rating: 5
Author: Shayshay

Crown Princess Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Shayshay

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 57

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 23, 2013

Ship: Crown Princess

Cabin type: Oceanview

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 11 years ago

Review summary

We went on the Crown Princess and they upgraded us from an inside stateroom to a partially obstructed ocean view and it was great. The boat had so many pools that you never felt crowded; we were able to find the pool for us by the second day. The excursion to the Secret River in Cozumel was my favorite, if you get a chance- go, but bring $70.00 to buy the CD of pictures afterwards; they have all been taken by them while you are exploring and the CD is catered to you with over 80+ extra shots of the caves and the beauty of nature as well as your family. The food was good and there were three buffets open so the lines were quick; the elevators were slow, but that motivated us to work our food off by running stairs. We loved the movies under the stars with our lawn chairs and blankets (not to mention the free pizza and ice cream bar by the pool). Our cabin steward was the best, ever time we left he somehow knew it and when we came back there was always something new waiting for us. Our waiter was also amazing, he made our dinners in the Da Vinci Dining Room very enjoyable. The ship was beautiful and clean and I would highly recommend the 7 day Western Carribean cruise on the Crown Princess.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Good food and plenty of options

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

No matter where you went, there was some activity to be enjoyed

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Never had young kids running around.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Amazingly attentive

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Beautiful and clean

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Shower was small, but room was a good size

Ship tip

Book your excursions online or the first day you board because they get sold out pretty quickly. Most of the buffets and pools are on deck 15 and above, so if you like to be close to the action, book a higher deck. Most of the restaurants and shops and casino are on decks 5,6,7 so if you like that action, book lower decks. Get the coffee card for $30 per couple. They have a coffee bar with lattes and you can get unlimited froo froo coffee with the card. Well worth it. The buffets just serve regular coffee with milk and sugars (if you don't want to spend extra). If you want a good lawn chair for the movie under the stars, get there about 40 minutes early and save your spot.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

5 out of 5

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

We did the Mahogany Bay with kayake and clamshell and floaties. It was fine, but don't get too excited about the Kayaking. You are limited to 30 minutes in the cove and so it is not a big deal.

Thumbs Up 0

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

If you are going to Secret River in Cozumel, do your shopping for souvineirs in Belize City because you won't have time to shop in Cozumel. The Secret River takes all day.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

If you do the secret River, you won't have time to shop in Cozumel at all; you will get 1 hour in Playa Del Carmen however.

Thumbs Up 0

3 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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Shayshay 11 years ago

From the cruiseship you will instantly get on a transfer boat to Playa Del Carmen. Then you get in a van and drive 45 minutes to Rio Secreto. You will get your wet suit, life jackets, water shoes, helmet with light and walking stick for free. The first tour is at 9 and you will be in the cave for a little over an hour. They take you in a group of 8 with 1 guide. You will walk and swim and stop for professional pictures to be taken of you. They also have photographers who take random pictures, so always be ready to pose! No rafts or tubes, you are an actual cave explorer, except you never have to go under the water at any time, but it is over your head in some places. Then they bring you back to base camp to change clothes and get a nice lunch. You load back in the vans and get back to Playa del Carmen with enough time to shop for 1 hour; then back on the transfer boat to Cozumel. We arrived at Cozumel at 4:15, so we didn't get to shop there. I must say it was out of this world and well worth the money. The cd of pictures is 70.00 and soooo awesome to have.

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CruiselineQ 11 years ago

Tell us more about the Secret River in Cozumel! Were you in a raft? Was this an all day excursion?

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5th time on the Crown Princess