Less than expected
Crown Princess Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern
7 Night Classic Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 16, 2006
Ship: Crown Princess
Cabin type: Suite
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
We were less than satisfied with the layout of the Princess ship. We have sailed over 10 cruises on Royal Caribbean, Princess, NCL, and once on Carnival. The Crown Princess ship layout was confusing and did not disburse activities throughout the ship. If your cabin was located towards the front of the ship, you had to walk through a maze of corriders or through the very crowded pool areas (with beams located in high traffic areas) to get to the far back of the ship for meals. It was obvious that the ship was designed to increase # of cabins and decrease the 'open spaces' for activites. Even the buffet areas were small and cramped, allowing for 'single file' traffic patterns. The Movies Under the Stars was very disappointing. Movies ran during the day and night, but the sound system was not adequate for the noise of the engine/exhaust and people around the pool area directly below the screen. If you are going to watch a movie - do so in your room; or on a ship's 'enclosed' movie theater. Unlike prior Princess cruises, the staff on this cruise (save our traditional dining staff) was not personal or servicing. You could be walking through a door with your hands full of a food tray for your familly and if a Princess staff member (food service or other) was walking through the door at the same time, they would not assist, stand aside to let you pass, etc. I was literally 'bumped' aside of the doorways by food service staff going in and out the cramped doorways on this ship. Never did a staff member offer to open the door or let my disabled mother walk through the doorway before them. I don't know why the attitude of the staff was so different on this cruise. Perhaps they were suffering from 'burn out' since this was a Holiday cruise. I can say that our dinning staff (late seating) were up at 5:00 am the next morning working the breakfast buffets. Perhaps Princess has cut their staffing cost too close which has affected quality of service. The actual cabin was excellent with improved bedding. However, the replacement of the TVs with flat panel TVs made it difficult to view since they were partially blocked by the cabinet railing. There was also a Code Red regarding an illness on the ship that was never formally announced. I asked our cabin steward to vacuum our room and he replied that he was not allowed due to possible cross contamination under a Code Red. I was pleased to see that during the Code Red, the staff was required to serve at the Buffects rather than passengers hovering over the food and touching the serving utencils. They ensured that everyone used sanitzer when entering a 'food station' by requiing a staff member to personally apply the sanitizer to the guest's hands. No one in my family group of 10 became sick on this cruise, thanks to the extra precautions that Princess used during the Code Red incident.Ports of call
Cons: The ship layout and the staff's lack of service
Recommends Crown Princess? No.
Other reviews of this sailing
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency, and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners (travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on external web sites.