NICE ITINERARY---SOME SHIPBOARD LIMITATIONS

Item: Crown Princess
Rating: 3
Author: pamelabis

Crown Princess Cruise Review to Mexico

pamelabis

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 101

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Mexican Riviera & Sea Of Cortez (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 25, 2016

Ship: Crown Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: A314

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

Favorite part of the cruise was the itinerary. Have sailed on much nicer ships. Direct staff (housekeeping and dinner staff) were great, but beverage service elsewhere on the ship was extremely scarce. Buffet design was very poor and required very long waits in line at major mealtimes; buffet food was very repetitive and mediocre. Dining room experiences were generally very nice. Public restrooms were often unkempt and not up to standards of my previous cruises. One excursion (itinerary of Snorkeling with Sea Lions in La Paz was not really as advertised and did not meet expections (millions of microscopic stinging jelly fish anyone?) I am a senior and would not recommend this cruise to the younger, partying crowd. Some bar venues often closed early or didn't open at all, and beverage service was almost non-existent (and I'm not even much of a drinker!) This cruise might be a good option for the first-time cruiser, but experienced cruisers could find it below the standards of other experiences. I did.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Buffet was small and poorly set-up requiring long waits in line; food was mediocre and repetitive. Dining room experiences were generally nice. I got food poisoning 2 hours after eating a freshly-delivered room-service chef salad. (Room service was fast, though.)

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

OK. Not outstanding. Have seen much better.

Children's Programs

N/A

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Stateroom and dining staff were wonderful (Beth, Catalin, Alvin, Norman); however it was most often virtually impossible to get any kind of beverage service anywhere on the ship except the Serenity pool area outside the spa.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ship is showing its age (10 years). Might not be noticeable to first-time cruiser. Major problem: Most public restrooms were frequently not very clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Balcony was lovely but stateroom was VERY small and bathroom was smallest I have ever been in on a ship. The shower was particularly tiny----impossible to bend over in the shower cubicle. Ladies, leg shaving, uh, had to be done outside the shower.

Ship tip

If you sail this itinerary on this ship, be sure to book a PORT side balcony for best views.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

5 out of 5

Didn't spend time in the area, but embarkation and disembarkation went generally smoothly.

Thumbs Up 1

San Diego, California

5 out of 5

We did the La Jolla tour. Could have been better, so can't really recommend as a must-do.

Thumbs Up 0

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5 out of 5

Swim with Dolphins was fabulous and much better than a dolphin experience I had on a previous cruise (Caribbean). This one was well worth the somewhat hefty expense.

Thumbs Up 1

La Paz, Mexico

3 out of 5

Didn't see much of this town. Ask about stinging jelly fish migration pattern before Snorkeling with Sea Lions in La Paz. Also, ladder for climbing back onto the snorkeling boat was VERY short and VERY difficult for this somewhat overweight senior (65) to negotiate. injured 1 leg and ankle, shoulder (badly), and both thumbs when boat bounced on a wave while trying to connect with short ladder.

Thumbs Up 0

Loreto, Mexico

5 out of 5

Charming, lovely little town to spend time in.

Thumbs Up 1

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

3 out of 5

Looks like a beautiful city and I would like to go back to spend some time there. Unfortunately I saw it only from my ship balcony as I got injured getting back onto the snorkeling boat in La Paz and was too immobilized to experience Puerto Vallarta.

Thumbs Up 0

4 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Thumbs Up 0

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks

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kdlovescruising 8 years ago

Thanks for your review.

Thumbs Up 0

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noname111 8 years ago

Thank you for posting your review.

Always keep in mind that tour vendors are local companies that PC contracts with. This means that the standard of equipment, services, etc. may not live up to first-world standards.

Our beverage experience on the Crown was similar to your own. Unfortunately if you want a drink you often have to get it yourself.

Please be sure to read the specifics of each excursion you are considering. PC is very good about detail down to the number of steps between point A and B.

Thumbs Up 0

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