Great for some people, not for others.

Crown Princess Cruise Review to Mexico

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 51

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Crown Princess

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 29, 2014

Ship: Crown Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: L302

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

I really enjoyed our cruise and would recommend princess to many people, but not everyone. The food was good, staff wonderful, and entertainment terrific! I've cruised a lot and they are really what you make of them. I was happy to just relax and read during the day. I wish there had been more port education. Excursions vary so much they aren't fair to review a cruise on. My big problem is that the ship wasn't very clean and our cabin was filthy. If you squig at cleanliness issues like other people's hair I can't recommend this cruise to you. If it bothers you but you can move on, its a good value. My other complaint is the nickel and dining on costs. We spent almost as much on little extras (mainly drinks and not all alcohol, which is normal to pay extra for) as we did on the cruise itself. The reason the cruise is priced so low up front is that you will pay extra for everything. That said, the up front price is low enough you can afford the extras, just plan for them. As I told a friend, princess is the Red Robin of cruising - consistent, basically reliably good but not what you'd generally call great or rave about. If you've cruised on top ships you'll be disappointed in the comparison. If this is your first cruise this could be an excellent one. I would do it again for what I paid but not for full price. I enjoyed the chance to have a week of free time with my love, enjoy some shows, and good food and I got that. Speaking of food - absolutely pay the up change to dine at the higher end restaurants on board! The grill was to die for good and the Italian one was delicious!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Very good food in dining rooms, buffet OK at best, high end restaurants amazing

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Would have liked more port education not focused on shopping.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Lots of options, lots of fun

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
So friendly and wonderful

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Not very clean

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
It was pretty filthy, unfortunately. If it had been clean it would have been fine. Not luxurious, but serviceable. The bed was very comfortable and the balcony was worth every penny! If you haven't cruised before, be aware that all rooms are basically the size of closets and you'll constantly bang your elbows in the shower as you wash your hair. This is just normal.

Ship tip

For cruising in general - take something to do that you love but never get time for (reading, etc. In my case it was coloring) and you'll never be disappointed in your cruise, even if activities aren't to your taste. Plus, always take the ship tours - they are fascinating!

Ports of call

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

3 out of 5
I lived in LA so we didn't tour it. The excursions list had a lot of stuff on it that I remember being fun.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5
We did the snorkeling at Maritas island here so we didn't see the city but had a wonderful day. Not many fish, but lovely just to be in the water and the tour staff was terrific!!!

Mazatlan, Mexico

3 out of 5
We did a bus tour: drive to here, get off for a picture, get back on. Repeat. Lunch was a decent lunch and mediocre folkloric dancing. It was OK, but I wouldn't do it a second time.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

3 out of 5
We did a bus tour: drive to place, get off for photo, get back on, repeat. It felt a little like a marketing tour because the stops were for shopping, mainly. A glass place (demo was interesting), tequila place (tasting was interesting), bar to stand on the deck and look at a landmark, etc. Not bad, but not very memorable.
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1 Comment

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.