My favorite trip yet. This was the first time that it did NOT feel good to be back home when we returned because I wanted to spend another week on the boat!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Very smooth. I'm not sure how many passengers really followed the time schedule of when they were supposed to embark, but even with so many people, it really went pretty quickly. It does feel like a bit of a cattle call at the beginning, but once you're in line, you move fast.
We all liked the pools, of course - it was always easy to find one that wasn't too crowded. I loved the Movies Under the Stars (and sun!) feature - I couldn't believe you could view movies so clearly even in the middle of the day when it was so bright and sunny! We did trivia a couple times which was fun (and informative). Liked walking through the art gallery. I felt like I could spend another week onboard because I didn't get to do nearly enough of what was offered!
Neptune's Reef and Pool
5 out of 5
This is really a review about all the pool areas and especially deck chairs. The last cruise I went on (different line), it was close to impossible to find chairs each day. On Princess, they were plentiful (and comfortable!). Also, I LOVED being able to watch movies while catching some rays or chilling in the pool. The Movies Under the Stars is such a great add!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
There's just so much variety. Even if you don't thoroughly love one of the performers, you can't deny the fact that they're all professionals, and there's something for everyone. The comedian on board hit it out of the park the last night. Our whole group was in tears with laughter.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
I can NOT say enough good things about the Princess Pelicans (Kids Club for ages 3 - 7). My daughter LOVED it. Twice we came to pick her up and she "sent us away" because she wanted to stay longer. They thoroughly entertained her, showered the kids with little gifts, and had a variety of activities each day. The staff were very attentive and you could see how much they cared about the kids. We even saw a couple of the Children's Program staff off the boat (and "off duty") in Ft Lauderdale after we disembarked, and they still remembered my daughter by name, gave her a big hug and were so sweet. The Children's Programming allowed us as PARENTS to finally have a vacation. That was the best gift ever!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
No complaints. They're on top of their game!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It's amazing you can put so much on one boat! Well taken care of. The last cruise I went on was at the same time of the year and the ship was run down, tons of broken deck chairs, lots of roped off areas because something was broken. Crown Princess was fantastic!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We were surprised at how great our room was. Obviously cabins are going to be small, especially when there are two grown-ups and a small child. But our cabin set-up was great, we slept well, I was surprised how much closet and storage space we had, and our room steward was amazing!
Ship tip
There's so much you CAN do, but you don't HAVE to do it all. Sometimes I feel like I want to do as much as possible to "get my money's worth," but the key is to just relax and do only what you want to do ... and then your trip will be worth more than you can imagine. Try some new things, but don't obligate yourself to stay or commit if you don't like it. The best part about cruising - especially with Princess - is that you can do as much as you want.
We didn't do an excursion, and I don't care much for Ft. Lauderdale in general, but we had a nice time taking the water taxi around. Ft. Lauderdale wasn't the main focus of the trip, though.
There's not a ton to see in Amber Cove, but it's great for relaxing and taking it easy. We went to Ocean World, which was good. Nothing like Sea World, but it had some nice pools, a man-made beach, and very interactive dolphins along with some other animals to see.
We took a cab into Cockburn town which was really fun. We got to see more of the "real" island, and had some more authentic food, walked on the beach, shopped at some of the market/tent vendors, and even checked out the Grand Turk Museum which was pretty fascinating. Reading about John Glen's Apollo splashdown was cool, too. I don't know if you could really spend more than a day here, but it was very entertaining for the time we had.
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