Recap of our California Coastal on the Crown Princess

 

I always have good intentions on doing a recap of a cruise but seems once I get home and get back to "normal" life I don't find the time and then it is just too late.

This time I wrote it on my to do list and that list has been staring at me for a week since we got back so here I go.

If you know me, or have been reading my blog for a while you know I am glass half full kind of person. And this review will be like that too.

Embarkation:

Very smooth, very easy when arriving at the pier, easy to find porters, easy to find the appropriate lines.  Security was quick and relatively painless.  We were there later and missed the mad rush so we were able to go right on with our Priority Boarding.  Although I think if we had not been Priority we would of had to wait cause I did hear in the background them calling out a group to board.  In all I would say it was a half hour from dropping off our bag to walking into our cabin.

Cabin:

We had an oceanview cabin on Emerald Deck and it was just right.  The layout is exactly the same as an average balcony cabin, except where the door is there is a large picture window.  Lots of storage, big tv, great view out the window.

But the cabin did look tired.  The mattress was in bad shape with a very noticeable sag in the middle. Steward said he would work on getting a foam for the bed and said they were bringing on new mattresses in San Diego.  For some reason Princess can't seem to provide good mattresses, if hotels can do it not sure why Princess can't.  Carpets, bedding, walls, and furniture look old and tired, but not horrible.

Food:

This is a personal thing and I have to say I thought the food had improved considerably since we were on the ship for 49 days earlier in the year to South America.  On that trip many items were way too salty, cold or no flavor.  This trip we found the food to be quite enjoyable.  When we did encounter an issue with something being cold it was quickly remedied.

We dined at the Crown Grill and the experience was lovely. We did have an issue with the soup being completely cold but it was quickly remedied.  All other items were great and the wine recommendation was perfect.  We tried to book into Sabatinis but had such a hard time getting the reservation line on the first two days.  We even stopped by there at dinner time the first day to be told they weren't taking reservations at that time but to call the dine line. And since we couldn't get thru to the dine line we just gave up.

Overall I love the variety of food that Princess offers and all the different venues you can get a meal from.  Sadly I just didn't find time for pizza, afternoon tea, room service during the day, Crab Shack or Sabatinis but hopefully next time.

us goofing around with Mark and Lorelie

Dining room was the highlight of our trip.  Being able to be served again by Lorelie and Mark Joseph was the best.  They are some of the best servers we have ever had on any Princess ship.  I can see them both going far within Princess.  Mark is so attentive and patient and so willing to assist people. Personally I think he would be great in the Purser's Department helping passengers.  Lorelie definately should be promoted to waiter now, she is the sweetest and most caring person.  Miss them both so much already.

Internet:

We had been warned that the ship was in the process of running new wifi cables.  And yes we did notice the guys doing this, but for some reason the wifi signals I got were never that great.  It seemed slower than normal and gave up trying to connect a few times.  I am just thankful I have a free internet package and don't have to pay for it.

Entertainment:

I wish we could report more on this but this trip we did not attend a single event in the Princess Theater or Explorers. But they did have numerous Production Shows and game type shows in Explorers and we heard a lot of people speaking highly of those events.

We really did enjoy the Mariachi band that played every day in the Atrium.  They were great and really got us in the mood.  Also enjoyed the variety of Movies that were shown up on deck with MUTS and also in the Theater.

I have to say that the Cruise Director Billy Hygate was out and about much more on this voyage than he was the last time we sailed with him.  He even said hi to us a few times. Still don't really care for his morning show, just too boring but I am sure others liked it.

I will say his staff were outstanding, always around, lots of activities, always a friendly hi or even hug from a few we knew from past sailings.

Bars:

We noticed a lot more people enjoying the All Inclusive Drink Package this trip.  We personally did not get it, but friends Mark and Lisa got it and they liked it.  They did comment that it was inconsistent with regards to ordering two drinks and they would sometimes put the order on one account or sometimes one on each.  Sometimes they had to sign a bill sometimes they didn't.  

They did have a Clean Sweep Bar Bill draw but not once were we offered a card or asked if we had a card.  So after two days we just decided to forget about partaking in the draw.  

Fletcher

We loved a few bars on board. Skywalkers at sunset is amazing. Fletcher took very good care of us there. Crooners bar for a pre/post dinner drink was a highlight. Victoria the bartender there made the best Brambles.
  

And finally Vines! Anthony and Red took such great care of us, welcoming us by name each time we stopped by. Great wine recommendations and great service kept us coming back. Oscar the sushi chef we can easily say was one of the best we have ever had.  

We loved the Stammisch table we did on New World Wines. What a great venue and experience.  Monica and Red hosted it and the food parings really did enhance the wines. We fell in love with a new wine this way.  

Ports:

San Francisco:  what is not to love about this port.  With an entire day and evening here we got to really explore.  The new pier is amazing and with still a few hiccups to rectify still, but it will be top notch soon.  Everything is close by or a short taxi away.  

Santa Barbara:  this is a tender port and this would probably be the only downside about this port. But once ashore it is easy to get around.  Lots of sights to see, shopping, tours, restaurants and just walking is close by.  

San Diego:  Docked right near the heart of the city, close to public transit and many sights.  Easy to get around and easy to spend a lot of money.  

Ensenada:  We love this port, it is nice to be in a foreign port and experience a taste of Mexico.  Head ashore even if it is just for a meal or a nice walk.

Overall the ports are not what drove us to book this trip, but they were all lovely.  

Disembarkation:

We did self disembarkation and we were the third group and it went very smoothly.  We cleared customs and were outside the port building about a half hour after getting off the ship.  

The main problem we encountered was there were minimal taxis.  The queue was long and it appeared that many taxis were loading up at the other ship that was docked in port along with us before getting to us.  We ended up walking over to the Super Shuttle stand just past the taxi stand and we were able to join others in a van going to Long Beach Airport right away.

Overall this was a lovely trip.  It is a great trip for a quick get away.  We much prefer getting away to more foreign ports and experiencing different cultures but for a great vacation to really rest and pamper yourself the 7 day California Coastal was great.

Santa Barbara

We wake early to the sound of the announcement that we are able to go ashore.  Today we are in Santa Barbara and we are also tendering ashore.  Again we are in no real rush to go ashore, relaxing takes priority.  I catch up on my blog and Bernie heads to the Horizon Court for some breakfast.

We don’t even head down to the tender until 10:30 and we head straight to the gangway with our elite perk of priority tendering ashore.  Although it helped having this perk today our tender is very slow to fill and head out. 

The tender ride is around 20 minutes cause they can’t go very fast in the harbour and then when they get the breakway they really need to slow down.  Not to mention all the paddle boarders in the water that they need to watch out for.  But it is a lovely day and we enjoy the ride.  But my recommendation is if you don’t want to wait long for tenders go early (I recommend go before 9:30). 

Once ashore we are lead down the pier and at the end of it we are greeted by numerous volunteers that can offer maps, answer question and lead us where we need to go.  Here is also where you will find your tour if you have one booked with Princess.  They have great signs all along the road there with big letters identifying where you meet. 

You can easily also get on a hop on hop off bus here too, pick up a taxi, or take one of the shuttles (for a small fee, I believe it is .50) that will take you uptown. Here is a website that talks all about transportation click

But for us we decide to walk and who comes up behind us but Michelle and Mark, and since they know this area we walk with them.  We walk along the water to State Street, which has a beautiful pier that you can walk out on.

We turn left and head inland on State Street making a quick detour at the train station to check out the huge fig tree.  

We travel under the highway underpass and once we come out the other side there are lots and lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, galleries, you name it to see.

I see a Starbucks and we all head in for a drink.  Fueled with my espresso we can continue on. 

We detour off State Street to head over to a sushi restaurant a friend recommended on Bath Street called Sushi Teri.  It is easy enough to find and we enjoy a meal of sushi.

After leaving the restaurant we continue walking up Bath Street to Victoria where we turn right and visit the Santa Barbara Public Market, which is like no market I have ever seen.  Not very big and very high end, but looks like a great place to come for a meal.

We walk around and start to head back down State Street but I am fading, in fact I feel like I have hit a wall.  I guess the lack of a restful sleep last night is catching up with me.  So we agree we will just head back to the ship.

intersection at the beach on State Street with the pier

Once we arrive at the tender pier there is a line but it is not horrible and it seems to be moving.  The time is 2:15.  A lot of the line is under cover and that helps keep us out of the sun, but it is not hot hot but certainly beautiful weather.  Don’t forget to wear sun screen though.

We are back on board around 3 pm and I head right to the cabin where I crawl into bed and crash for two hours and when I wake I feel rested and comment “that is just what I needed”. 

I can hear the Captain coming on making announcements but I don’t know what is being said.  There are quite a few announcements but I am just too lazy to get up to hear what is being said, even too lazy to get the remote.

Episode One - California Coastal Discussion

So even though I gave up on doing a Podcast the other way, someone on my fan page suggested I put it up on Youtube as a video with just an image.  What a great idea!  Thanks Peter.  

I quickly put together a video with the audio we recorded and here it is!

In the future if you wish to hear my podcasts you can go to my Youtube channel at any time to listen or you can come to this blog and click on the Episodes label and see all Audio Episodes we have done.

Thanks for your patience.

Vickie

November Trip to California and Booking the Three Day Back to Back

I have already posted how we will be doing a 10 day Mexican cruise on the Grand in November.  But since we have two weeks of holidays at this time we thought we should add on to the trip.  

At first we thought about just staying in California.  We checked out hotels and seeing that there was not much under $200 a night that was half decent, then add on transportation, food and the such we changed our minds.

The Golden Princess is doing three day cruises at this time that go from LA to Ensenada with one sea day put in for good measure.  So why not just book that?  All meals, entertainment, and great accommodations are all thrown in.  So we were looking at the November 20 and 23rd sailing as a back to back.

Prices were quite reasonable at $200 for an inside and a bit more for an oceanview.  

At first I thought I will just wait to see if it will come down and one cruise did come down but the other one didn't. Then the other came down but the first one did not. Today I log in and take a peak at the second cruise and I see all inside cabins are sold out!  Price has not changed but now I don't have the option of even booking an inside (of course I could go on a waitlist if I wanted).  

What to do?  

My options are book an inside on one leg and an outside on the second leg, book both in an outside, or splurge on a balcony, or hey why not go crazy and book a suite. Okay I held back on the last two options. Costs wouldn't justify us doing two in an inside for the price of one cruise in a balcony.  

So in the end I booked the highest oceanview guarantee I could get for a great price.  I made sure to link both sailings and now the waiting game begins. If I get the category I booked, fine, but there is a good chance we should get an upgrade.

In the end with tax we are looking at $100 a day for the cruise per person.  $200 total per day, and that is what we would of paid for a hotel on land including taxes. Plus we still would have to pay for entertainment and food and transportation.  

But you can see that even I, with all my travel experience made a mistake in waiting.  If I would of booked a month ago I would of had more options and in fact would of saved a little bit of money too.  

This voyage is not so much about seeing sights as it will be about relaxing before going back to work. 

Plus while we are gone on this voyage my bathroom at home will be under renovations so there will be no rush to come back and deal with that.

Stay tuned.