Crown Princess Reviews

The ship could have used some refurbishing.  Service was standard, at best.  Food was not so good.  I had a prime rib with so much membrane that I couldn't cut it, let alone eat it.  No matter how your steak was ordered, rare, med rare, med, it all came out the same way...Well Done.  Princess used to be our favorite cruise line, but not based on this one.

The ports visited were very interesting especially, St. Petersburg,Tallin, Stockholm and Brugge

However, the rating is low because of 5 days of toilet problems where we actually had to find a toilet in the night. Sometimes we didn't get it fixed until after midnight.

Princess did have some compensation but not nearly enough to make up for the first part of the trip. Sorry Princess, you failed on this one

Enjoyed the cruise very much. We found it very relaxing with excellent service as always.  Nice size cabin, will repeat again, perhaps next year with a different destination.

 The food in the main restaurants were tasty and had a good variety; however the food in the upstairs buffet restaurant seemed to be the same every day.

I have traveled many times on Princess and this is not the level of service I have come to expect from them.  There did not seem to be enough staff to cover all the passengers even though they tried very hard.  The service in the dining room was extremely slow.  They seated my husband and I at a table with 7 other people - it was only designed for 8 people and with 9 it was very crowded.  The waiter often would wait for everyone to arrive - and they were always late.  Even after we asked him to take our orders without waiting we usually ended up finishing up dinner at the same time as the whole table - which meant that there were long periods of time we were just sitting at the table waiting while the others ate.  It also meant that we missed activities we wanted to attend.

These ports were fabulous and exceeded our expectations!  Besides the warnings we had for pick-pocketing in Lisbon, we still felt safe wherever we went.  Punta Delgada, Azores had a wonderful walking area along the marina, and it and Lisbon, Portugal had wonderful architecture and cobblestone streets to explore.  In Bilbao, Spain we did a lot of walking to see museums and the old part of the city with Basque history.  From Le Havre, France, we went on the ship's Normandy excursion, in which we saw a lot of territory in 1 day...the beaches and American Cemetery were so moving and the provided lunch at a B&B was delicious!

Crown Princess, built in 2006, refurbished in 2011 (we thought again in 2015 but going into dry dock next year) lacked the enclosed protection over the pool which we could have really used.  Both the Balcony and the room was very small, dated and worn out and the shower was super tiny.  Laundry facilities were available on almost every floor which was a huge plus for a TransAtlantic Crossing.

Staff was wonderful and we loved that they had "Happy Hours" that were BOGO for $1.00 (3 times each day but we only did it 4 times.)  International Cafe was free pastries and sandwiches; coffee and/or hot chocolate was $1.67, gelato also but for 3 big scoops. Captain's night was Champagne and Mimosa's. 

Buffet Cafe not very good as they were inclined to serve the same items for several days in a row and choices were not that great.  Omelets had to be ordered delivered so were generally cold. Breakfast and Lunch in the Dining Room had limited menus.  Dinners were excellent and the Servers and the Service were awesome.  

Entertainment was mediocre and activities were inclined to be somewhat limited other than Zumba, Line Dance and BallRoom Dance Lessons for me, silly games and of course Karaoke. But talks, which are hugely popular were scarce. "Movies Under the Stars" were 3 times a day but it was too cold to even think about it.  The movies were excellent and showed the next day in one of the lounges and then again the following day on TV in the room.

We talked to well traveled Princess guests who had the same problem with the ship - even those that had been on it before.  So, thinking the ship is tired and the crew in addition to the ship needs a "lift." 

The Captain was fabulous.  Very vocal, kept us informed, and kept the ship steady even in a "following sea" and winds of over 40 knts.  Days at port were all pleasant and sunny with Ponte Delgada in the 70's, Lisbon and Bilbao in the 60's and LeHavre in the 50's.  Loved Ponte Delgada (Azores) and Bilbao, Spain.  Lisbon is a huge Metropolis, congested and prone to pick pocketingWe took the Hop On / Hop Off (HOHO) bus and used it as a tour, never getting off.  The Shuttle to town in LeHavre was 32 euros (roundtrip for 2) I thought was rather steeply priced.

Nice way to travel to Europe. Food was good, entertainment and programs were lacking.  Very limited time in Paris with long bus ride each way.  Difficult to get tables for two in the dining rooms.

the cruise was excellent....would like to say that jaun and marian ,bartenders at the mermaids tail bar,were above excellent....hope too see them on my next cruise!

My family and I had a good cruise on the Crown Princess. There were plenty of good memories and firsts for the kids, as well as a few for the adults. I would recommend this cruise line and this ship. It wasn't a perfect cruise, but for the most part, we could find what we were looking for on the ship.

The spring break season tends to make things crowded on board, and the ship was completely full. The crowded conditions reduced some of our options. For example, it was impossible to find seats for the evening shows unless we showed up 30-45 minutes early, so we skipped them. Finding a large table to seat the whole family for buffet meals was difficult, occasionally forcing us to eat outside in the heat of the day. The kids center was crowded and generally very rowdy, so our children generally preferred to strike out on their own. It was also occasionally difficult to find a quiet corner of the ship, though not impossible. Skywalker's Lounge was the best place outside our cabin to have some family reading time.

There were several aspects of the cruise that were outstanding. Seated dining was particularly good, especially our waiters, who went out of their way to accommodate the dietary needs of my grandfather and were wonderful with our children, delighting them with magic tricks and elaborate napkin folds. Similarly, the food was uniformly excellent for both seated dining and the buffets.

Activities aboard the ship were a mixed bag. I wasn't terribly impressed with the staff that handled the social events, especially the trivia events. Some of them spoke such heavily accented English that the audience couldn't understand the questions they were asking. Others simply didn't understand the subjects of the questions they were asking, especially for the trivia event based on space and astronomy. I was also somewhat disappointed at the number and variety of events each day. A ship as big as the Crown Princess can host more activities, and more varied activities, than what was on the daily schedule. Additionally, many of these events overlapped with seated dining hours, which prevented us from going to them, and these events had no alternate times. I've been on ships with a fraction of the capacity that had just as much going on. I would have loved to have seen some daily educational and fitness events, but maybe I'm just weird that way. That said, there were enough that we generally could find a couple that interested us every day.

On the shore side, most of the excursions are tourist traps that aren't worth the money. Even if I was a beach enthusiast, 70 bucks per person to go to a beach is just silly. Roatan is particularly bad, as the ships dock in an isolated, dedicated-tourist-trap part of the island, and the taxis charge 40 dollars per person to go anywhere else. That said, there are some worthwhile excursions. The SCUBA diving at Roatan was reasonably priced and well-managed. For those in the family who don't do SCUBA, the Atlantis submarine ride provided an awesome alternative experience. I went with my daughter to the Chichen Itza at Cozumel, the second time I've been there. It's 6-7 hours of travel time to spend about 45 minutes walking around one of the wonders of the world. The tour guide, Angel, was particularly good, almost single-handedly making this excursion worth the time and money.

If you know what you want and where to find it, this cruise ship has just about got it all, and despite the various shortcomings I've described so far, I might have given it a 5-star rating. However, I'm deducting a star for one reason, which I call "cruise-isms." It used to be that most of Princess' ships were areas open for a variety of activities, and you'd have to go out of your way to come to an area or activity that required you to spend money. Increasingly, Princess is dedicating large portions of its ships, its staff, and its time to paid tourist-trap events on board the ship. A large, central lounge of the ship was home to an almost constant art auction (who goes on a cruise to buy mediocre art?), where before there might be ballroom dancing, lectures on the next port of call, or some other social event. The Lotus Spa takes up half a deck so it can overcharge people for backrubs, baths, and putting rocks on top of their spines. Despite having no interest in buying jewelry, I heard more about Tanzanite than I ever wanted to, to the point where I found myself fantasizing about chucking those pretty rocks into a gravel pit and bulldozing them in. Despite the fact that virtually every adult has a phone with a good camera these days, there is a photo crew trying to stop you every time you get on or get off the ship, as well as interrupting our meals. The ship has several restaurants that take up prime real estate and are mostly empty, because who wants to blow extra money on a ship that's already a giant floating high-quality food trough? The advertisements and announcements for these "pay more money" events and services are everywhere, even in your cabin, and it detracts from the experience. I get that Princess wants to make all the money it can off these cruises, and this sort of thing has been around for a while, but it's getting excessive.

That pet-peeve-rant aside, the overall experience was quite good, and we had a great vacation. Although this wouldn't be my first choice of cruise destinations or times, I would recommend this cruise and ship to other people who want to get away.

We went with several family members on this cruise. It was a first cruise for most of us.  We were surprised by how many different activities were available to a variety of ages. There was definitely something for everyone.  The cruise ship was very clean and everyone was extremely friendly.  I would definitely go on another cruise with princess. 

This was our 19th cruise and 3rd with Princess.  Service was great.  One of the things I love is when you go to the buffet at Horizon Court is the servers come to ask what you want to drink and bring it to you including your omelette if you have ordered one.  I thought this was great especially if you have a problem standing as many of us old folks does ...LOL

The one negative was the Love Game was scheduled at 9:15 in the Explorer's Lounge.  This is one of the popular events on the cruise. This venue was way too small as there were people standing everywhere including the hall.  The second show in the Princess theater was at 10PM.  This is the show for those who ate dinner at 8PM. The Love Game didn't end until 10:10 PM which made you late for the second show and if there was a seat you had a hard time finding it in the dark.  Recommend the Love Game not be schedule this close to the show and that it be held in the theater.  I still rate this cruise 5 Stars as this was the only hiccup we experienced.  

We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise.  We needed time away from stress, email and phone calls and this fit the bill.

The time at sea was filled with activities (a lot of activities) but we really just chose to sleep late, get room service and veg out... it was great.  The movies under the stars were fantastic.  Princess does a great job at making sure you are taken care of-- no complaints at all.  The food and drink were great  (we bought a coke card-- so we didnt have to pay for each soft drink individually)..

My only negative feedback was that there wasnt enough time at each port-- felt a little rushed at times.. other than that it was an amazing trip and we came back refreshed and planning to do this again.

My favorite part of the cruise was the entertainment at the theater.  The food was good but there were some strange things on the menu like "oxtail" and seafood soup.  It would be nice if the Internet could be cheaper.  Some of the bars did not give us a receipt for our drinks.  I always like to have the receipt.

Our room was at the front of the boat on the 15th deck.  We noticed the waves more than when we were in the middle of the boat.  It was noisy above us.  We have sailed with Princess 3 times and probably will do so again.

We had a wonderful time on this cruise.  Everything went very smoothly.  Embarkation was handled very efficiently and our luggage arrived quickly.  The safety drill was also done quickly and well.  We had excellent service from our waiters and room service.  We have been on many cruises and this one was one of the most trouble-free that we've had.

The food was excellent at dinner in the dining room.  We were also mostly pleased with the selection at the buffet for breakfast and lunch.  The pizza was some of the best I've had on a cruise ship.  The only pizza that compared was on another Princess ship.  The salad bar was also one of the best.  The sandwiches were a bit disappointing.   I wasn't as impressed with the three or four lunches we had in the dining room.  The selection wasn't as good as on some cruises.  I had a grilled chicken salad that was supposed to contain candied pecans and there wasn't a single one in it.  But really, these were minor complaints.

The ports were wonderful!  We did a ship's tour to Stingray City at Antigua and enjoyed it.  At St. Kitts we arranged a mini-speedboat tour through the internet that was terrific fun.  We enjoyed St. Kitts the most.  St. Thomas is always a great port.  We took a taxi to Coki Beach and had excellent snorkeling.  We went to the cruise center at Grand Turk and had a relaxing beach day with a bit of rather disappointing snorkeling there.  I think if we go to that port again we will take a tour.

We took a debarkation tour to the Everglades and the Flamingo Gardens and then the Fort Lauderdale Airport and enjoyed that. 

This was my third cruise. The other two were onboard Celebrity and they were awesome! The Princess is overpriced version of Carnival. It took us two hours to board because the previous cruise was late getting off the ship. When we finally got to our room it was not clean. The employees were rude and the room was always only half clean. The food was disgusting! It just was not a good experience and to top it off coming back the water was super rough to the point I was still sea sick two weeks after. This experience has totally turned me off of cruises. Going back to all inclusive resorts for the next vacation. 

As a frequent cruiser I was excited to board the Crown Princess. I had only done 1 other cruise on Princess and wanted to give them another try.  The food was terrific but I found the service line in the Horizon buffet a bit crowded. There was not much room to go around if you were not interested in what was being served at a certain station.  I am used to having food available 24 hrs, but the only place serving after 11 pm was the international café which had a very small selection.  The pizza, always an onboard favorite reminded me of pizza from a school cafeteria.  The cabin service was good.  The entertainment was good, but missed having a R rated comedy show at midnight. Embarkation lines were way too long!  This was a definite turn-off! All in all I enjoyed the cruise and will be sailing with Princess again. Perhaps the third time will be the charm.

Landing at Florida was the highlight.  My  rights to stateroom privacy was grossly violated.  We waited five hours to board with no water or other support. We waited three hours to take a tour.  The Argentinians and Brazilians were rude and arrogant.  The programs were mediocre.