gregjm

The window suites are very nice---the location is very convenient and we never noticed any noise from the casino. Definitely a great choice.

We have had both covered and uncovered during past Alaska cruises and definitely preferred the covered.

If you want to get a seat sure you get to the theatre at least 30-45 minutes before showtime.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Great review.

Was it soda or soda and more that was available.

 

I purchased the soda package....

[quote name='Greyhound3']I will also confirm that the disembarkation instructions were to vacate the cabin by 9:00 am.


Grey[/QUOTE]

If anyone would like a copy please send a private message with email and I'll send it.

Update: I received a phone call from a Customer Service Representative from Princess in regards to the comments/suggestions on my online survey, as well as the compliant I filed regarding our excursion fiasco in Mazatlan.

After the expected apology for it not being a perfect "Princess Experience" he wanted to know more about the items I mentioned----Food being subpar, staff attitude (especially bartenders) and the excursion issue. I also shared with him that we were pleased with the entertainment and the Cruise Director.

He told me that Jan Swartz (President of Princess) was on this sailing and that "they are already aware" of many of the issues I raised. Too bad she didn't make her presence known----I'm sure she would have gotten some direct feedback.

Bottom Line after a 30 minute conversation: He hopes we will give Princess another change and, in addition to the partial refund for the excursion received on board, gave us a $200 OBC for our next Princess cruise.

Just off the Crown (11/28) and the soda package was still available. However, I did note that they were really pushing bottled water sales (Crystal Geyser), both in the cabin and with employees walking around dining venues, etc., trying to sell bottled water for excursions, etc. I really found it strange that main dining room breakfast and lunches were interrupted with on-going attempts to sell water "for excursions"

Thanks for the review. I agree with another poster---post it here as well.

 

It's sad to see so many negative Princess reviews for the 11/15 & 12/15 sailings. Princess---You listening?

It looks "newer" to me. I'm one that keeps my cruise cards (all three of them!) and I like "unmarred" cards.

 

As I said, it's probably silly, but that's what I prefer. It's an aesthetic thing.

 

I also don't wear my card around my neck, so two reasons for the price of one.

 

I agree with you. Also, if the passenger service desk is busy, just go to the casino cashier and they will do it for you.

[quote name='Dunk']Reviews are so subjective. I was on the sailing after the OP, and I found it to be one of the best Princess experiences I've had. I've been on twenty-something Princess sailings, and for the most part I've had a great time. However--my last trip on the Crown a couple of years ago was one of the worst--so I was pleasantly surprised on this sailing.

I found the service to be friendly, in both bars and in the dining facilities. I loved Magic to Do--hands down the best cruise ship show I've ever seen. My cabin was in fine shape. As far as the Salty Dog, the service was phenomenal--but I hated the food. It just wasn't for me. I wish they had kept just a little more Wheelhouse "lounge seating"--it was sometimes hard to find a seat, when the Salty Dog was empty (which it mostly was).

BTW--that fountain in the Piazza was fixed halfway through my cruise. :)[/QUOTE]

I agree about the subjective nature of reviews and am pleased to hear that you had a good experience.

Linerguy. This being my 54th cruise I know what to expect. I have posted thoughts on the Wheelhouse, on the beds, and on the itinerary. That was a reader is not burdened with a subject which is not of interest.

 

We all know the good stuff. Correcting the bad stuff, or knowing in advance, is how we profit from our experience. Got it!

 

AMEN...and look forward to reading more

[quote name='sanmarcosman']The printed debark instructions notice placed in our room stated 9am on the Crown the cruise of 11/28-12/5. I wish I had saved it but I didn't think I would need it here ;)
I don't know if this sailing was a one-off of the usual procedure for vacating the cabins or not. 8am seems reasonable to us.[/QUOTE]

I still have mine. From the disembarkation instruction sheet:
[B]
Taking care of business on the day of disembarkation:

Clear your stateroom safe deposit box and leave it open.

Check that you have no personal belongings left in your
stateroom.

Please vacate your stateroom by 9:00am.
This will allow your stateroom steward to have the rooms ready for the incoming passengers.[/B]

You'll probably be happier sailing with another cruise line as you seem to have a disproportionate amount of complaints. However, I'm relatively sure you'll find something wrong with them too. Maybe a land trip to Cabo would suit you best.

 

Seriously, Working2cruise?? Are posters not allowed to express opinions without being attacked?

[quote name='Linerguy']Not trying to be snarky so please don't take it that way...but, if you were at breakfast, how do you know what time your room attendant came in?

Just curious.[/QUOTE]

Because the bed had been stripped and remade sometime between the time we left for breakfast and when we returned around 7:45.. Our few personal items left to pack were moved to off the desk and to the counter above the refrigerator.

Disembarkation instructions said to be out of the cabin by 9:00. We returned from breakfast at 7:45 and found the "privacy please" tag still in place. Simply not acceptable, IMHO.

I was on the Crown 11/28 - 12/5 and agree with the OP about the Wheelhouse and the change addition of the Salty Dog. We tried it, and while the food was OK, it was nothing special. Plus, it is very uncomfortable with the only seating options being high tables and bar stools.

 

Over a seven day period, the Wheelhouse was dead. The acoustical guitar player was too sleepy for what used to be a fun venue.

 

Prediction (or wishful thinking): Days are numbered for Salty Dog.

Someone just posted a review of last week's cruise. He had a great cruise! His review, coupled with my own experience, tells me that you probably were looking for problems. Food is subjective and if you love Carnival's (insert cruise line) food, you may not like Princess's.

 

I also find that people are used to a certain cruise line tend not to like changes as different cruise lines operate differently.

 

I was really happy to know the Crown still is wonderful. Too bad you couldn't appreciate it.

 

Wow....I can assure you I wasn't looking for problems. I was expecting a good Princess experience and it fell short. I shared my experience, which---by the way---I have posted glowing reviews of other Princess cruises. No need to bash someone for sharing their experience.

I was told by one of the crew members that Princess does indeed have people who travel around the various ships assessing members of different departments.

 

The key is it needs to be a "mystery" shopper----that is totally incognito. If one person knows their identity, the whole ship knows...

Thanks for the review.

Well that explains the hairs on our sheets on Embarkation day on our cruise last April and the mascara stains on the duvet on our cruise a couple of weeks ago on the Crown.

 

We were on the 11/28 - 12/5 sailing of the Crown. Unfortunately, this does not surprise me and explains the stray hairs we had on our duvet cover when we arrived on the ship.

 

Also---we requested robes and they were never delivered.

We just returned from the Crown and decided to try the Salty Dog one evening. First, as others have stated, it is a very uncomfortable setting with the high tables and bar stools for seating. In fact, this almost made us "pass" on trying it.

 

Secondly, it seems to be in an odd location. The change to the Wheelhouse bar is not a good one, IMHO.

 

As to the food, it was OK, with the burger being the best of what we sampled. I definitely didn't feel it was worth the $19 up-charge.

 

As a sidenote, there was only one other table with guests eating in the Salty Dog when we were there---at 7:00 p.m., on a sea day. There were night when all tables were empty whenever we walked by.

 

We tried and we won't go back.

I agree----I did like the Princess Messenger app, especially being able to access the daily schedule of events. A few suggestions for improvement--the messenger app does not make any sound when you get a messenger from a fellow passenger, so unless you check your phone on a regular basis, you often will have unread messages.

 

Secondly, someone needs to proof the schedule. During one day, there were several items that were listed with wrong start times (creating confusion among many guests who relied on the info and arrived late).

 

It was a welcome addition.

 

As a side note, you don't need to download the app to access it once you get on board. Simply turn on wifi; open your browser (on computer or smartphone) and go to nameofship.princess.com (i.e., crown.princess.com) Register your account and you will be good to go.

OP, we were on the 11/28 sailing as well and this was our first with Princess. The first three days the service staff appeared morose in the public areas, little eye contact and rarely a nod or smile. Many of the staff behaved as though they were above being in the hospitality industry. So strange and off-putting. I found an iPad in a locker in the spa and was told to go to reception to have it logged. The food was no better than Carnival's. To be honest the market share/ passenger mix on this sailing impressed me as mostly middle class people putting on airs and suffering delusions of grandeur. We don't drink or gamble but neither are we stuffy snobs. We witnessed many instances of passenger rudeness to fellow guests by rushing in to elevators before letting others exit etc. One amazon nearly pushed an elderly gent with a cane to the floor in her rush to get on the car. Overall we never sensed a sincere spirit of hospitality from the staff and that is the fault of management.

 

It was a very strange experience----and you hit the nail on the head regarding the lack of hospitality. This cruise was also notable for the lack of a visible presence of the Ship's officers, with the Captain being visible only during the command performances (champagne waterfall, Captains Circle Reception, etc.) Other officers, when seen, would not even say hello.

 

Hopefully, Princess monitors this forum. If so, I have a suggestion: Go under cover on a cruise---unannounced to everyone (including the Captain) and have a "REAL world" cruise experience like we had last week. Enjoy the inedible food; experience rude bartenders; Have your room steward enter your room even when the privacy tag is on the door. Also, experience a Cruise Director who is very good at his job and salvaged this cruise from being a totally awful experience.

 

If they did this, they may develop a sense of urgency in addressing the diminution of the Princess brand.

These issues seem like a big change for the Crown. We sailed her last New Years and the previous Spring Break, and had excellent service in the dining room, Crown Grill, Horizon Court, and in all the bars. The only issues I remember are that we noticed that the Mini-Golf course was always under construction and we always seemed to time our sailings with Noro-Virus on the ship. If there is a systemic problem with service, I hope that Princess takes the problem seriously. Many thanks to the three of you on this thread who have offered your honest feedback from your recent cruises!

 

I agree with you----our previous time on the Crown was near the top of the list of "best" cruises. Hopefully, Princess will take guest comments seriously and make changes quickly.

It was the Pacifico Brewery Tour and Shopping in the Golden Zone. The contracted tour company was Explora Tours. I hope Princess cuts all ties with this company.