Crown Princess - Athens to Barcelona 16-23 June 2018

Crown Princess Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

BJLuck

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 12

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

7 Night Mediterranean & Aegean (Rome To Athens)

Sail date: June 09, 2018

Ship: Crown Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: R503

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Our Itinerary isn't listed, hence the title. Despite booking 5 staterooms at the same time, our party was split between Decks 11 and 14. The food was generally good and we had advised all 9 members of our group that the dress code would be enforced so, no jeans, t-shirts, beachwear etc on non-formal nights where "smart casual" was the order of the day and jacket/tie or tux, with long dress or trouser suit for the ladies for the 2 formal evenings. However, the dress code was not enforced and women in capri pants and beach sandals, as well as men in jeans, t-shirts and trainers were admitted to the Michelangelo and Da Vinci dining rooms. When I complained, the answer, from the Maitre D' and the Cruise Director(Fernando) was "we can't enforce the dress code". If that's the case, don't bother with the dress code then. A rule is worthless unless it's enforced! The photo shows a man in soccer kit on a "smart casual" night. One couple in our group elected to dine in the Horizon Court restaurant because they were than annoyed with dress code contraventions. Entertainment was poor and the musical show by the crew was well choreographed but it was obvious they were amateurs who were trying their best. However, because of the era of the music, we did enjoy it. The cabin attendants were all satisfactory but rarely engaged in conversation. Hank was very helpful in meeting the needs of my 91 year-old mother. The bar staff were not attentive enough, aside from Cedric in the Fusion Bar who was very good.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Avoid Deck 14 (Riviera), the noise from sunbed relocations is annoying

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Salerno (Naples), Italy

5 out of 5

Kotor, Montenegro

5 out of 5

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

6 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks

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graham123 6 years ago

😎😎

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BJLuck 6 years ago

As an extra point, we opted out of automatic tips,preferring to tip as we go based on service quality, helpfulness and friendliness of crew and staff members. We found out, when our final statement arrived, that all bar and restaurant purchases had a 15% tip applied to all bills. If we had known, we would not have tipped key waiters and bar staff with $20 each!

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PanamaDee 6 years ago

I also agree with BJ. Formal nights are fun & when you see people breaking the rules it puts a damper on things. If you don’t want to dress up, go somewhere else to eat. I also agree we shouldn’t let that bother us, but when people do it on purpose, it is just saying that they don’t have to follow the rules & what other rules are they breaking? Let’s just all follow the rules & get alone. 😊 Would it bother the lady above if someone came in naked? 😂. That would definitely bother me. And don’t even get me started on saving the lounge chairs! 😉

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czarinahoy 6 years ago

I agree with you, @BJLuck , on a couple of different levels. First, formal attire takes up valuable luggage space and I would have certainly complained to guest services and emailed corporate, which brings me to my second point. Princess is creating a bigger problem as passengers apply the cruise line’s lenient dress-code enforcement to other rules and guidelines on their ships which can lead to safety issues. There are several options for dining throughout the day and night. If someone chooses to not dress for the evening, they certainly will not go hungry and should not be allowed into the formal venues.

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saururu 6 years ago

I almost wish I had been on that cruise with you. I would have worn pajamas every night to dinner and made sure to sit right next to you. 😂 It makes no sense why people care so much about how other people are dressed. Just enjoy your dinner and worry about yourself. Sheesh.

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