Back from cruise on Crown princess to Grand Turk

[Marylu]

Grand Turk is doing fine and ready for lots of cruisers. Island still doing work to recover from Hurricane but n/p with tourists. Book early on excursions because they did fill up early. Had a great time though not as much to do as on other islands. reminded me a bit of Princess Key a day at the beach or in the pool.

[penny3333]

Hi Marylu, welcome back. Glad to hear Grand Turk is recovering and open for cruisers. I'm sure you wish you were back in the islands where it's warm! Hope you enjoyed Princess and that your entire cruise was fantastic. Get busy booking the next one, it makes the debarkation blues so much better!

[RichC]

Originally posted by Marylu:
Grand Turk is doing fine and ready for lots of cruisers. Island still doing work to recover from Hurricane but n/p with tourists. Book early on excursions because they did fill up early. Had a great time though not as much to do as on other islands. reminded me a bit of Princess Key a day at the beach or in the pool.

Someone else just posted a picture of Grand Turk & it appears that the ship is docked right alongside the beach. Is that correct?

[Marylu]

yes the ship pulls right up to the island. Its very small and very flat. Only two ships could be there at a time. there is a very deep drop off very close to shore so ships can go right in.

[travel bugs]

Hi Marylu,
I was also on the Crown Princess Jan. 11th-18th. Was that the same dates as you?
Just to let mb0620 know, we had a great time. You and I are the same age if that helps. From the moment we stepped on to the ship we felt relaxed. The wait staff are fantastic. We were told that boarding would be an hour later than usual due to the fact that they were sanitizing the ship. There had been a virus onboard and they wanted to make sure everything was very clean before we boarded on Sunday afternoon. It just meant that we had to hang around the hotel pool for another hour! It also meant that the staff waited on us in the Horizon court buffet area for the first 3 days. There was no self-serve.
One feature we really liked was the Movies Under the Stars. They run different movies all day but we only went to the ones at 8:15 PM. They hand out plaid blankets to keep the breeze off in the evening. We also found that because the blankets don't tuck up under your chin, it's a good idea to take your beach towel for your legs!
The sailing was smooth. I had to stop and look outside to see if we were even moving sometimes. Only a few drops of rain on the last day and most of that blew away in the wind.
We had the Anytime Dining which allowed us to visit the Dining rooms and wait for a table to be free. There were great big long line-ups and frankly we were not impressed with the dining room food. We checked the posted menus frequently and it seemed to always be something with lots of sauces. So we only went the one time. The Horizon Court buffet had far better choices...too many some nights and healthy fare as well. There were themed nights such as Sushi buffet, Bavarian, Cajun, Japanese, and something Russian I think. And always lots of desserts!!
I made use of the Spa once and had a pedicure. Wonderful, wonderful. I must have looked pretty tired coz they also gave me a free Collagen Eye treatmen....value $30. My friend won a massage package at a reduced rate and she loved it. Be prepared for the technicians to try and sell you lots of products that pertain to the treatment you are having...but they are not pushy about it.
The shops on board were very nice. All duty free merchandise and they were always having draws for free jewellery. It is also a good way to compare the prices to when you go ashore.(I found that the fragrances were roughly the same price as in the stores ashore.) Just remember that they will have big sales on costume jewellery sets and big pieces on the last couple of days.
The live shows were awesome. Those young people that sing and dance have incredible stamina. Beautiful costumes too. We really enjoyed those evenings. They had a couple of comediens that previewed their acts in the main theatre but actually perform in the lounges but it seems that they all do what I call toilet-bowl humour and we decided to skip seeing them.
Well I'm sure I've prattled off long enough and I haven't even mentioned the great time we had in the ports of call.
I can only tell you how much I miss the Caribbean seas and those luscious breezes since I came home to 4 feet of snow in my backyard. My friend is now an addicted cruiser and came home to tell her children that they all need to plan a family cruise next!
I would like to post a few pictures if I have permission to do so.
Hope this info. was helpful to you folks.

[penny3333]

Welcome back travel bugs! I know what you mean about wishing you were in the Caribbean. Sure wish I could live there, but then I guess it wouldn't be such a wonderful treat. I don't know though, somehow, I think I'd be thankful for every day.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the Crown. Sorry about the food and the wait. I guess we've just been lucky or gone when the lines were short. We've never had to wait more than 5 minutes. I agree that the food at the buffet is great, but I still like being served for dinner. We usually do breakfast and lunch at the buffet, then have dinner in the dining room.

I do hope you post some pictures, I'd love to see them. I haven't sailed on the Crown---yet Take care and try to stay warm!

[Marylu]

Hi travel Bugs Looks like we were on the same cruise. We were also amazed at how calm the seas were. Loved it! We love the any time dining. We never had to wait..we usually go at 7-7:30. Lots of choices we like. Met lots of Canadians onboard... two from Bracebridge small world! Cant wait to cruise again

[Sonny V]

Hi! I was on the Independence while being docked along side the Crown Princess in St. Maarten last week. The Crown Princess is a beautiful ship. It looked almost as big as the Independence! Did you see my waving to you?

Sonny