The Crown Princess – Our first impressions are always so important, whether it be a new house, a business meeting attire or a cruise ship. That first impression is formed within minutes . . . what did the Crown Princess have to say to me, the ever critical Interior Designer.
In all fairness I have to mention this ship was first released in 2006, it was dry docked in 2011 for some freshening up, and holds 3,080 guests. Each week there are only several hours from the time the guests leave the boat and the new guests enter. That in itself is a – m – a – z – i – n – g.
Since it’s been ten years since this ships original sailing, it’s time for a Crown Princess face lift! The good news, the ship was exceedingly clean. That makes this germaphobe girl happy.
(Above and Below) – This area is the central hub of the ship and is known as “The Piazza” and normally has some type of entertainment while at sea. We met so many new friends here while enjoying the festivities.
Isn’t that ceiling pretty!
(Above) – Need your Starbucks fix? This 24 Hour coffee shop is located on the bottom floor of the Piazza. This was also a great area to wait for your table in the “Any Time” dining room, which is to the left in this photo. Only a few times did we have to wait for a table, and it was never more than 10 or 15 minutes. Just enough time to get a nice drink to take to our dinner table.
(Above) – To the far right of the coffee bar (AKA – Caffeine Fix) you can also pick-up some pastries, a deli sandwich or a refreshing salad to make up for all of the scrumptious pastries.
“Movies Under the Stars” are set-up every night, although I believe it was to cold for most to enjoy on this Alaskan cruise. The Princess crew goes all out to make this a special experience. During the early evening hours the beach chairs are draped in warm comfortable fuzzy blankets and a crew member comes around with a cart serving milk and cookies throughout the movie. Great idea Princess!
There were lots of pools on this ship, I think five. There was always staff pool side making sure things were clean, that there were plenty of pool towels, and that dishes and glasses were quickly cleared. Go Princess team!
Here is a shot of the buffet dining room, although not a great shot, sorry. This always seemed to be a very busy area and you normally had to keep an eye out for an empty table. On several occasions we had to ask if we could share a table with other families because of no table availability.
This was the wine bar located on the bottom floor of the Piazza. I never noticed much of a crowd in this little gem of a hideaway. In the cold weather this would be a great getaway for a quiet conversation, or some time with a good book.
Decorating Notes – This dark wood, faux stone walls and moody lighting would make for a fantastic wine cellar.
(Above) – We celebrated my birthday by making a reservation at this on board steakhouse which required a premium up charge.
Decorating Notes
Faux stained glass lighting fixture . . . just say NO! Enjoyed the dark wood that will never go out of style, and perfectly appropriate for a steakhouse.
Above – Crooners is a piano bar which is located on the third floor of the Piazza. We found ourselves slipping off to this musical oasis when we needed a nice cold drink (okay alcoholic drink). We found that many cruisers made a pit stop here after their time ashore. Because my Mr. Wonderful and Mr. Spunky purchased the Princess Drink Card, they experimented with drinks they’ve always wanted to try. I think we came out on the “win” side of this purchase.
I’ve decided to cover the ship Spa in another post because it deserves some space of it’s own. The running joke among the four of us became . . . what day did I NOT have an appointment at the spa. So continue to read as I make additional posts over the next week.
When I was researching cruise ships and everything they each offered, I had lots of questions. If you are like me and want some honest answers, please don’t hesitate to drop me a “comment” below and I can answer you publicly or privately . . . just let me know your choice.
My next post will cover our Stateroom . . .
Have you cruised? Have you cruised with Princess? Have you cruised on the Crown Princess? – Leave me a note about your experience(s).
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