IS THE CROWN PRINCESS REALLY THAT AWFUL???

[I Love Cruising 3]

We're not planning another Crown cruise for a while but since we know the ship, it's interesting to read what some of the other people perceive a major problems. 

[Fat Tuesday]

19 hours ago, chrysalis said:

We too have spent a decent amount of time on the Crown.....and have had no issues.

 

Looks like you will be joining us on her this March, and on the Sky in 2021.

Looking forward to both cruises, we loved the British Isles cruise but missed the tropical weather.

Can't wait.

[Grego]

We did the transatlantic voyage on her in September and loved our experience.  She really is in great shape and the crew was terrific.  This class ship is one of our favorites.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, Trevor Fountain said:

Will be on Crown on November 2020, so not following this thread, because regardless of any negativity, I will have a great time, as I would even if I were sailing in a bath tub.

There is a lot of truth to what you have said. If you come in expecting a good time, that is what you will experience. And if you come in expecting a terrible time with all the things you expect to go wrong, that is what you will get.

[I Love Cruising 3]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

There is a lot of truth to what you have said. If you come in expecting a good time, that is what you will experience. And if you come in expecting a terrible time with all the things you expect to go wrong, that is what you will get.

There are exceptions to that thinking especially if they can't resolve major problems with you cabin.

We've been in that situation on other Princess ships & wouldn't return to that ship again after hearing other people with the same problems again & again.

It pays to read everything. 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, I Love Cruising 3 said:

There are exceptions to that thinking especially if they can't resolve major problems with you cabin.

We've been in that situation on other Princess ships & wouldn't return to that ship again after hearing other people with the same problems again & again.

It pays to read everything. 

Well, every rules has exceptions. For instance I don't think a good attitude could have helped one much on the Costa Concordai disaster. But, I think it is fair to say that your attitude plays a major part in how much you will enjoy your cruise,

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

Last time I was on it a year ago I thought it was in great shape. But like anything it depends on the person.


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[Steelers36]

While not reading every post, I have the general concept that most posters are saying variations on the theme that they quite enjoyed their recent sailings on CROWN.  We just returned home from a 10-night Caribbean trip on the CROWN (my first time on her), and it was great.  Same great Princess staff - friendly and attentive.  We had great waiters.  Room steward was okay.  Everything went well.  Ship seemed to be in good shape.  I could see new style decor in public areas, although some cabins still had older gold floor carpet with the "white" circles (us), while lots of cabins have the new gray/beige carpet that looks great and goes nicely with the new gray hall carpets. 

 

Casino has the old-style poker table (which was down for 1/2 the cruise with software issues) and it made me appreciate the new ones.  I had forgotten how large the casino is compared to a Royal Class vessel.  Much appreciated that they confined the smoking to the starboard side only, leaving play tables, including poker on port side (poker table is so far from smoking area, you notice nothing).

 

Sanctuary has the original chairs and cushions, but they must have replaced chair cushions at some point as ours we like new in terms of firmness.  They have added more loungers in the shaded section up front than last time we were on one of this style (EMERALD 4 years ago).  I still think this class of ship has the best Sanctuary if you like decent amount of shade.

 

We thought meals were well prepared and presented.  Every time I had beef steak of one type or other, it was cooked perfectly as requested.  This includes a great CG filet mignon I ordered in the MDR one evening ($19 upcharge).  Once our waiter understood that I was asking for Applewood Smoked Salt and not Applesauce (LOL), it arrived.  I thought this was a good deal since I didn't need a CG appetizer and another molten chocolate dessert (also wife and friends weren't much interested in going this trip).  I saved $10 and got the main attraction anyway, IMO.

 

We had embarkation lunch in DR (for the first time as I recall) and that was a meal enjoyed by all.  I'd do it again, but don't consider it a "must" as some do.  I think it is a great option on this class of ship, but sometimes like other options on Royal Class ships.

 

We were in a mid-ship DR and never saw much of a line for ATD other than right at 5pm.  Hardly anyone waiting when we exited our early dining (we had reserved TD table).

 

We had no internet issues.  We booked a 4 device plan on board and shared the cost.  Medallion Class app worked well for us in general.  I noticed the locating cabin-mate function was pretty much pin-point accurate compared to this summer on Regal.  It was great having the new Medallion Class app, with all the functions accessible from one app.  I could easily check on board account.  I even ordered our FCD's with the app as dinner service began on second last night.  Confirmation emails were received before dinner was over.  They are still offering first drink free, so we took advantage of that, but didn't order using the app any other time.  That worked fine, except my favorite drink is not part of the app.  I do think there are more drinks offered than earlier this year on the older OCEAN Now app. 

 

We would sail CROWN again.  Our friends had done two 10-nights on her this past winter and will be on her for 30-nights in winter 2020, so they are obviously good with the ship as well.

 

Is there a negative at all?  They are having some issue with tiny bits of rubber seals in water/drain system that will come into toilets and appear to leave gray spots, or "dirt", and this is often reported (per a hotel and steward supervisor).  This didn't bother me much.  However, some toilets can have a stale old odor smell of grime as there is a gap inside the bowl, in an oval all around the upper inside edge.  I think due to age of ship, many of these can get a build up of splashed(?) "whatever" from the toilet, then develop grime cover.  It is all hidden from view, but opening the lid will release a foul odor to any sort of sensitive smell.  Our cabin had this and I figured out the source and mentioned to Stewart.  It still wasn't right and I spoke to Housekeeping.  A wonderful young woman came who had recently been promoted to Supervisor and was a steward, understood the issue, cleaned it herself (it needed a real good scrub with a disinfectant), and spoke to Stewart about how to keep these clean.  I noticed the same thing in a couple of public toilets, but did not report specifically.  This is the ONLY area of concern I had the entire voyage and it was dealt with.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by steelers36

[kendon]

Well, let's face it...Princess is NOT what it once was.  I realize very few things are, but after 26 Princess cruises the changes are enough for me to look elsewhere.  I've been enjoying land trips lately.  Go for it so you can make the decision for yourself.  Enjoy.

 

[Grego]

13 hours ago, kendon said:

Well, let's face it...Princess is NOT what it once was.  I realize very few things are, but after 26 Princess cruises the changes are enough for me to look elsewhere.  I've been enjoying land trips lately.  Go for it so you can make the decision for yourself.  Enjoy.

 

I think you'll find that it isn't any greener elsewhere.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Grego said:

I think you'll find that it isn't any greener elsewhere.

in the immortal words of Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green.".

[Thoth]

terrible, just terrible ☠️    no food except for Spartan gruel, but on a couple of nights we were given some stale bread  . There were no sodas on-board  so we had to drink this salty tasting tap water. Instead of wine we were offered vinegar to drink.  The rooms were simply converted closets . I even had bring my own bedding !  As far as the staff, NONE could speak English with the exception of a few curse words. 

No no ! !!  I am kidding. ☺️  I've been on the Crown 3 times and each time...food was delicious, the room nice, and the service impeccable.   I am being factious in order to point out that online reviews can be a bit overboard with complaining. I've been on 25 cruises and every one of them have been a wonderful experience, with the Crown being a typical ship. 

[heisnuts]

We just got back from a 10 day Caribbean cruise on the Crown and it was great as always. 

 

We were on the first cruise on the Crown in 2006, the 28 day round trip Tahiti cruise from Los Angeles in 2014, and now a 10 day Caribbean cruise this week.   There was not one day on any of those cruises where we thought it was a mistake to book the Crown.  The service was very good, the food was just as good, if not better, than when we go out to restaurants at home and there was never a time where we thought booking this cruise was a mistake. 

 

I do think, however,  that your expectations have a lot to so with how much you enjoy a cruise.  When we take a Princess cruise, we are looking for a cruise where we can sit back and relax.  Both my wife and I have been working a lot of hours at work and really looking forward to a cruise of resting, relaxing, and that is where Princess excels.  We booked a balcony room and spent a considerable amount of time sitting outside watching the ocean go by while listening to music, watching movies and videos on the tablet, catching up with friends via email and text, and sometimes doing nothing at all.  We didn't worry about what time the next so so production show was starting, when the art auction was starting, or going out to scope out a deck chair before someone else got it.   In all honesty, if you are looking for a cruise where you are going to be doing a ton of stuff all day long  and going to outstanding production shows that take your breath away, a Princess cruise is probably not going to be for you.

 

When we want an action packed cruise, we book one of the largest cruise ships in the world on Royal Caribbean.  There is nothing like being a a ship like Harmony of the seas with Captain Johnny.  When we cruised on Harmony, we were blown away with all the activities and entertainment on board.  From the 10 story slide off the back of the ship to the 5 story water slide mid ship to the 2 flow riders where you can surf or boogie board to the zip line 10 stories above Central Park in the middle of the ship to booking one of the many amazing production shows going on every night to ice skating on a real ice rink to just navigating the 1,200 foot long ship that is over 200 feet wide and 200 feet above sea water it is a real challenge to get to do everything everything on board in the 7 day cruise even if you do not get off at any of the ports.  However, we know that when booking this type of cruise we are going to be coming back a little exhausted from all that we have done over the last 7 days. We also know that when booking a cruise like this the cost is going to be more than a comparable Princess cruise and it will only be a 7 day cruise since that is all that is offered on this type of ship.   This time we wanted a longer cruise where we could sit back and relax, which is exactly what we got on the Crown.  

 

And then there is Captain Johnny, who is truly one of a kind when it comes to ship captains.   When the ship is not coming into or leaving port, Captain Johnny is usually out and about on board joking around with guests, holding Q & A seminars for the passengers, walking around on board with his parrot, riding his Segway and even a few times he can bee seen riding one of his personal Harley Davidson bikes he has on board with him so he can take a bike ride at some of the ports.  I have never met another captain who was so visible and shared their passion for cruising at sea with the guests on board.  This type of interaction does not take place on a Princess cruise.  

 

Back to the Crown, I was really impressed with the Medallion system as it unlocked the door to the cabin as I was walking up to it with food in my hands.  When getting on or off the ship I do think it takes a second or two more for the system to scan the new medallion than the old card because you have to actually hold the medallion on the reader for a couple seconds where before security could just scan the bar code on the back of your card with their portable reader before.  However, it never really held us up too long getting on and off the ship.    The internet worked well, and allowed us to not be completely shut out from the outside world if we didn't want to be, and by buying the unlimited package ahead of time we were able to leave it connected all the time and not worry about sending and receiving texts and emails from friends and family during the trip.  In our opinion that was money well spent.   

 

We also liked the new TVs in the stateroom, which are now a lot bigger than before and has a lot more options for on demand movies and TV shows and a HDMI port in the back if needed.  However, the live TV options are pretty limited to just a few news programs like MSNBC, Fox News, NBC news and several sports channels like ESPN.  

 

So there you have it.  I think you first have to decide what type of vacation you are looking for and then pick the cruise line that targets that type of vacation.  I get a big chuckle out of people on this board who complain about having to get to a production show 30 minutes or more before just to get a seat for a so so show, where Royal Caribbean has amazing shows that put most (if not all) of the Princess shows to shame AND Royal has a reservation system where you can plan and reserve all of your shows ahead of time so you don't have get there 30 minutes or more ahead of time just to get a seat.      

[abs]

We were on the Crown for a 12 day cruise of the British Isles in May/June 2019 with no issues. Going out on the Crown December 7, 2019 for a 10 day cruise so you might say we like this ship..

 

[Madio]

On 11/11/2019 at 1:04 AM, Colo Cruiser said:

Just off the Crown on Oct 28th. 
 

Not sure what you are reading but ours was an awesome cruise.

We have sailed the Crown many times.

I take reviews with a grain of salt. One person onboard will post a bad review with the next person on the same cruise having the cruise of their lifetime.
Go figure.  🙄

  What are the Embarkation Day Lunch options other than buffet?  We're doing a 10-day Southern Caribbean on Dec. 17.  I think I read somewhere that there was a dining room open for lunch. If not, we'll catch a burger or pizza if available.  Who was your captain?

[Madio]

On 11/11/2019 at 11:53 PM, Skai said:

 

Wow!

 

I would be understanding if there was an emergency maintenance issue requiring closure of a passenger area. However, performing elective renovations that eliminate a 'favorite of many' service station while sailing with paying customers...

 

Ouch. 

 

I would never sail with Princess again if that occurred during a sailing that I paid hard-earned money for.  Princess used to be a somewhat classy line.

That sounds terrible.  We are on the Crown Dec. 17 sailing.  Did this occur in November? Could it still be going on?

[jennybenny]

We enjoyed our Crown cruise and in the end we’ve never had a bad cruise. There could be an issue with crew turnover times but we had a good time there. Have not been affected by Noro and while there can be “issues” on cruises, it’s never been enough to sour our experience. We still enjoy the Princess product. Once we have a terrible time or the issues are so huge we will try another line without concern. 

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Madio said:

  What are the Embarkation Day Lunch options other than buffet?  We're doing a 10-day Southern Caribbean on Dec. 17.  I think I read somewhere that there was a dining room open for lunch. If not, we'll catch a burger or pizza if available.  Who was your captain?

Embarkation Day lunch in Da Vinci deck 6 (atrium)

Not sure of the Captain.