This Cruise Has Changed Our Minds About Cruising...Disgrace!

My boyfriend (late 20s couple) and I sailed on the Crown Princess's Transatlantic Crossing from April 8-22, 2017. Our experience left much to be desired, and we have quite a number of complaints and issues. Our issues with the cruise, from service, to the ship, to activities, and more, began on our first day, and snowballed throughout. By the time the cruise ended, we were more than thrilled to escape. I would not suggest this cruise line or a transatlantic cruise for a young couple. You will be the odd couple out, and it is worse than you could imagine that it is. You will also be very bored. But the cruise experience and ship itself is horrible, despite the age difference. That is the least of the issues on board. 

(If this review is too long, please feel free to watch my review video that lists the full 10 reasons I would no longer choose Princess Cruises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8xuMsrq9fo&t=19s )

The first issue we had was with cleanliness. When we first entered our stateroom, room C255, the room was covered in hair. All of the drawers had hair in them, there was hair in the glasses in the bathroom meant for our toothbrushes, there was hair on the bed. Everywhere. It looked as if it had not been cleaned in months. Worse yet, the toilet smelled like a port-o-potty and could not be left open. It was nauseating beyond anything that could be explained in words. Sickening. Despite being cleaned daily, it still smelled and could not be fixed. Also, our towels and bedding were stained. The cleanliness issue spread through the rest of the ship as well. From the moldy smelling carpets on the main decks, to the dishes in the buffet. In fact, the coffee cups had oil in them every day. The oil floated on the top of the coffee. It was disgusting. We put coffee in the water cups to see if it was just the coffee cups, and had the same issue with oil. Thus, it is clear that Princess had been using sub-par dish-washing cleaner, and it is likely that all of the dishes were not clean. Disgusting to think of. This partially explains why 2/3 of the people on the ship got sick. Including me, who left with a sinus infection and laryngitis. 

Another issue was how we had to wait in line for everything. The buffet setup did not suite the number of guests on the ship. We had to wait the whole way through for each person to slowly get their food, every day. Once one makes it through this enclosed buffet setup, the food is cold. Awful design. The restaurant wait isn't designed any better. If one has "anytime" dining, they have to wait in a line for an hour to get a table. Then another two hours to get through dinner. Meanwhile, sitting with strangers, or so close to others at tables for two that people end up listening in and commenting on your conversation. Romantic. The wait continues at the shows - since the theater is so small, you have to arrive an hour early to get a seat, which cannot be done if you go to a sit down restaurant. Too much disorganization and waiting. This wasted almost every one of our evenings. 

Another clear issue was maintenance. The carpets on the ship were old and looked it. There was rust everywhere, especially on the balconies. The doors in the hallways were beaten up. It was shocking for a cruise line like Princess that is supposed to be high end. Moreover, the ice cream machines broke on day 2 of the cruise, and were not fixed until the 2nd last day, when they broke again. 

The staff were also a huge issue on the ship. It was very clear that they were unhappy, and they took it out on the passengers. They were mean and dismissive during embarkation at the ports. We also witnessed the pizza manager act cruelly to another staff member who was asked by an elderly couple to get them pizza. This was apparently against the rules. When the manager learned that the server agreed to wait in line for pizza for them, we saw him get very upset with the staff member. The poor waiter had to go back to the couple and tell them they were not allowed to ask him for pizza. It was very uncomfortable for all. It was clear that service was not first of mind for Princess. 

The staff also knew very little information about the ship or the ports. Before leaving, I researched which dock our ship would stop at in Lisbon. We were provided with a printed document that said we were stopping at another dock, a half hour drive away from the main part of the city. This severely changed my plans. For this reason, I approached a waiter in the buffet and asked if the picture on the map was right, he said it was. Then to make sure, I went to the guest services deck and asked them. They also said it was right. So, I asked them to tell me the name of the dock. It turned out my research was correct, and Princess gave all of the passengers the wrong information. This can be very confusing, especially when staff on board are unaware as well. Moreover, the guest services desk staff also don't know what shoes are coming up throughout the cruise. This makes it difficult to plan as well. They also show no remorse for their lack of knowledge. It's as if once again the passenger is wrong and they don't care. 

Furthermore, a huge issue we had was the daily activities, or lack there of. There were basically no activities to do throughout the cruise. This is unacceptable for such a long cruise with so many sea days. All of the activities listed were ways for Princess to get us to spend more money, like acupuncture sales lectures, and Effy jewelry events. These are not activities. Clearly "fun" is not something Princess cares about or considers. We have been on other cruises where they go to great lengths to make sure people are happy and excited about their experience. This was not the case here. 

The worst part of the cruise was how clear it was that Princess was cutting corners and running out of food. It was not even hidden. Every day's dinner became the next day's lunch. Food was clearly cooked more than once - the breakfast biscuits were literally as hard as a rock almost every day. By the end of the cruise, there was no more coffee cream anywhere. Even the purchased coffee was given in small quantities - the cups were only filled 2/3 of the way, until we requested that they fill it. Every corner was cut, including at the spa where the body wash was 99% water by the end of the cruise. The penny pinching was an absolute disgrace. 

Our entire experience left much to be desired. The food was terrible quality, the activities did not exist, the rooms were dirty and smelled like a sewage plant, the staff were borderline mean, and the ship was disorganized and filled with more and more opportunities to wait in line. We had a horrible experience, filled with tears and boredom.