Crown Princess Profile and Photo Tour; Breakfast at Sabatini's

             I have long felt an affinity for Crown Princess.  I first experienced her shortly after she entered service in 2006 and was impressed by the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the ship.   The Piazza, the center point of the ship both structurally and spiritually, was a visual feast with its use of marble and European-inspired detailing.  While this ship was clearly for the more demanding traveler, it was relaxed at the same time.  And the food, particularly the Italian dishes, was impressive.

            Since then I have been back for visits and have encountered her in various ports - - New York, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, St. Martin, Fort Lauderdale, Southampton to name a few.  She has always been surprisingly photogenic.  Perhaps the best shots were of her in Barbados as the orange light of the setting sun engulfed her.

            Accordingly, I was excited to be able to spend a week on her recently, cruising the Western Caribbean.  I had spent the previous week cruising on the recently refurbished Grand Princess.  Although Grand’s refurbishment had given her many of the features first seen on Crown Princess, the two ships still present different cruising experiences.  Although she is a large ship, I found Grand to have a more intimate charm.  Crown remains, as she has always been, elegant with an almost sumptuous luxury.

            Beyondships’ profile of Crown Princess was one of the first profiles posted on the site.  Over the years, new information has been added to it.  However, I felt that it no longer did the ship justice.  Therefore, I have completely redone the profile with new daily programs, menus and other information.  In addition, I have created a new and much larger photo tour and commentary of the ship.  The new address for the profile is http://beyondships.com/Princess-KP-Profile.html and the new address for the photo tour is http://beyondships.com/Princess-KP-Tour-1.html.

            I have also added a specialty restaurant review entitled “Breakfast at Sabatini’s”.  Sabatini’s is Princess Cruises’ signature Italian specialty restaurant.  In order to enhance the cruise experience of guests traveling in the ships’ suites, Princess has opened Sabatini’s to those guests for breakfast.  My review recounts my morning experiences at Sabatini’s on Crown Princess and on Island Princess. It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/crown-princess-island-princess-sabatini-review.html