A few reflections of our cruise on the Crown Princess 2/12/11 to 2/19/11

[mamk]

We just returned from the Crown Princess. I read so many negative and positive reviews. I can honestly say anyone booked on this cruise will have a great time. The ship is beautiful, the food is very good - even the buffet which so many people criticized. The breakfast buffet offered a super large bowl of fresh strawberries everyday, lots of fruit, rice pudding, baked apples, bread pudding. lots of assorted pastries, omelets and many other options. The lunch buffet had something for everyone. I don't drink coffee, but my husband enjoyed his coffee after dinner. I read so many negative comments about the coffee. We enjoyed our dinners in the dining room. If you love lobster, don't miss the lobster claws in the Club Caribe on the first night. This if the open from 11:00 to 4:00 am buffet. Everyone we met on the ship was so friendly including the crew. We never met any of those "rude" people previously discussed. If you love to dance, you will have lots of fun. They even offer Zumba onboard. We enjoyed the shows every night. The entertainment staff was top notch. Don't miss the chocolate chip cookies at the International Cafe and of course the Gelato. I didn't have any of the chicken salad a lot of people enjoy. It was a very popular place. The beds are not hard. I requested a foam pad before we left just in case and slept well. All and all we really enjoyed this cruise, and we were really impressed with Princess!! For all those booked in the future, have a great time and enjoy every minute like we did.

[oldmancurtis]

glad you had a great time,we leavenext saturday. was wondering what time was the muster and are themuster stations the differrent lounges

[mamk]

Hi oldmancurtis, The muster drill was held in the various lounges about 4:15. You don't go out on the deck at all which is nice for hot weather. You carry your life jacket with you and then they instruct you how to put it on correctly. Nice way to the muster drill instead instead of being packed like sardines on the deck.

 

Have a good time. I'm jealous!!

[NJRonbo]

This is great to read.

 

We are cruising on the Crown April 30th.

 

So nice to hear positive things -- though most of

what I have read about the Crown has been very

positive.

 

Princess has always been the most pleasurable

cruises.

[Puckolio]

I have to concur with mamk's post. We just returned from the same cruise. I had seen so much negative posted about the Crown as well, but really enjoyed the trip.

 

To me the ship did not feel over crowded at all. We had a 15 minute wait at the MDR one night so we just walked over to Vines and had a pre-dinner drink. Also decided to not wait in the tender line at Princess Cays, so we just stayed on the ship that day which was fine with us. However, my warning to anyone who runs out of of sunscreen... there is no place to purchase it while the ship is in port.

 

The only negative experience we had was in the Crown Grill one evening. The service was absolutely terrible. The hostess was rude, and after finally sitting us down they took 20 minutes to even take a wine order and bring over some water.

 

Everything else was great! Took the catamaran snorkeling tour in Roatan which was really fun. The catamaran and crew were great (and the boat looked nicer than the catamaran in Cozumel as well). Also took the time to tour the ruin's at Tulum which was very interesting but made for a long day.

 

Now we have to wait 7 months until our next sailing on the Grand Princess.

[ssbeagle]

IThe only negative experience we had was in the Crown Grill one evening. The service was absolutely terrible. The hostess was rude, and after finally sitting us down they took 20 minutes to even take a wine order and bring over some water.

 

I'm surprised you had such bad service in the Crown Grille. If it was that bad I would have spoken with the Maitre D' and told him what the problem was. He would have gotten it straightened out pretty quick. Princess does not stand for that type of service.

 

A lot of people will complain because things aren't the way they want them. Nothing makes them happy. For the most part the people who cruise Princess a lot like the product and keep coming back. I guess I would be considered a complainer on the RCL threads since I got such rotten service there. Princess ships are great and I can't wait for my next Princess cruise!

[blueridge20]

Thanks so much for your positive comments:D:D We will be on this cruise on April 9th, and were wondering about the time changes. Does the ship change to the local time of the port, like when you are in Cozumel and Roatan, or do you stay on EST? We are trying to book our excursions and are trying to figure what time we need to go by. Thanks for your help:D

[mamk]

We set our clocks one hour ahead late Wednesday night after Cozumel. With our time change in the east in early April, I'm not sure if that will still apply. Someone might be able to answer that question correctly.

[caribill]

Does the ship change to the local time of the port, like when you are in Cozumel and Roatan, or do you stay on EST? We are trying to book our excursions and are trying to figure what time we need to go by.

 

Normally the ship will switch to local time.

 

If you are in a tender port, be sure to allow the time it may take you to wait for a tender and then get to shore.

[michigan tim]

What time were the lobster claws offered? (looks to be a typo in original post)

[molme]

The lobster claws were offered on the buffet during the evening dining time. They also had prime rib on the buffet the same night. We were also on this sailing and had a great time. Some of the shore excursions were cancelled in Grand Caymen and Roatan. The lines for the tender in Princess Cays was terrible. They need to have a better system than what they have now. The wait to get off the ship was anywhere form 45 min to an hour. It is a short stop and by the time you get to the island and get lunch it is almost time to get in line for the tender back to the ship.

[BoardwalkBabe]

Thanks for a great review! My trip is coming up soon. :D