Crown Princess- Slipping?

[blackfoot]

I have booked 2 cruises on the Crown princess for this winter and am starting to get concerned. I have started reading recent reviews and they are mixed with weak service,food that doesn't measure up to Princess standards,and a tired ship!

 

I have a hard time trying to sort out the "complainers and whiners" because I know there are always some of those.Can anyone give a current opinion of the ship?

 

I have a had a good experiance w/ Princess and have always thought that they provided quality. I hope they are not slipping and cutting corners.

 

Thank you!

[robgvic]

I think lf you go by comments on here you would rarely cruise. Forget about cruise comments and go and enjoy yourself. Too many people on here spend their time finding anything to complain about and when on the ship they spend all their time complaining or looking for things to complain about

[RickEk]

I have booked 2 cruises on the Crown princess for this winter and am starting to get concerned. I have started reading recent reviews and they are mixed with weak service,food that doesn't measure up to Princess standards,and a tired ship!

 

I have a hard time trying to sort out the "complainers and whiners" because I know there are always some of those.Can anyone give a current opinion of the ship?

 

I have a had a good experiance w/ Princess and have always thought that they provided quality. I hope they are not slipping and cutting corners.

 

Thank you!

 

We were on the Crown Princess for last New Year's and had a great time (I know, it's been awhile). The food was great as was the service. The ship is currently in drydock, so it should be spruced up just fine for your cruises...

[Hulagirl]

We were on the Crown this past May for the TA cruise. So not that many months ago. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and our time on the ship. I saw nothing tired about it and found the food to be perfectly fine along with the service. I've also read some of the comments you are referring to and wonder if they were even on the same ship! We have it booked for 14 days this Christmas, so that should say something too. Looking forward to going back and being on the Crown again.

 

Agree with Rob! The complaints amaze me at times. I think you will totally enjoy your cruise on the Crown, I know we did.

[robgvic]

I was on the TA in MAy too,hulagirl. Great trip.

[Pam in CA]

You can have two people on the exact same cruise with polar opposite opinions. One will say the food and service sucked and the ship was shabby, and another will say that the food and service were great and the ship in fine shape.

 

A cruise is what you make of it. There are so many food options that I always take a "food sucked" opinion with a grain of salt. If something isn't prepared the way you expect it, tell your waiter or table captain. Get it fixed right away. If there are scratches on the furniture in your cabin, will that really ruin your cruise? When you consider the literally thousands of passengers using (and sometimes abusing) the furniture, carpeting, etc. on a ship, it's amazing it's in as good condition as it is.

 

Some people love and appreciate string quartets, others think its only for 80 year olds or anyone who isn't "hip." Some comedians appeal to some people, not to others. The good news is that there's usually something for everyone. We're all different and have different expectations and preferences. If you board the ship with a positive attitude, you'll disembark your cruise the same way. :)

[Talisker92]

Well said, Pam! we just got off the Crown on the Canada and New England cruise,and were very happy with it. We did the cruise tour from Toronto to Quebec with 150 people on 3 buses. We were very happy with the appearance of the ship. We were in a midships balcony cabin on Baja deck. FYI, Aloha and Baja deck balconies are completely covered, so you have more privacy. We had booked mini suites a few cruises ago, but found we did not need the tub, sofa and second TV, so it saved some money.

We are retired, but very young at heart-we did the Reversing Rapids jet boat ride in St. Johns, as an example.

The MDR food was OK, but service was leisurely. If you wanted to catch a show you had to get there early. We had anytime dining, and made our reservations by phone.

I finally gave up formal nights and we dined at the Horizon Cafe. We were very happy with the selections every time we went there for dinner. In fact one night, the Horizon featured lobster claws!

To get an example of really divergent views for the same cruise, look up Reader's Reviews of Costa and MSC especially. You will find comments ranging from one star to 4 stars on the same ship at the same time!

To read about our cruise and see the pictures, please go to our website http://www.stevekathytravels.com.

[compozer]

We were on a cruise earlier this year and ran around with two other ouples everyday and had a rally fun time BUT one of the ladies complained about the food everynight. All the rest of us thought it was wonderful and really enjoyed it so it each his own. We will be on the Crown for Christmas and even if the food is just so so - heck it's better than staying home in the snow and old.

 

Go and have fun - be thankful you are able to go on two cruises.

[cruisingallover]

we were on the TA as well and it was a great cruise.....ship, staff and food.

[bjkTX]

We just got off the Crown (first time) after a 12 day cruise last week. We thought she was beautiful, that the staff was considerably more attentive than the staff we had for 2 weeks in Feb, and the food was ok. I say ok because food is so subjective - it wasn't awesome but it was mostly darned good.

 

Example - in the buffet - staff were waiting as you exited the line and wanted to carry your trays to a table and seat you. They almost acted insulted if you didn't let them! The only day we didn't see that was the last day and we were laughing about it.

 

This was our ninth Princess cruise and we prefer the larger ships. I was a bit concerned about the extra passenger load, but we never ran into a crowd issue. We had anytime dining, and the nights we went to the MDR we went about 6:15 or so and we always walked right in and had a choice of sitting alone or with others.

 

We went to the Crown Grill one night and it was very good.

 

We booked her again!

[JanetAlice]

We sailed her in August and had a wonderful cruise. The staff was very attentive and the ship is lovely. You will ave a great time. Pam's comments are perfect. Bon voyage

[Doug R.]

I have developed a theory about the sometimes hypercritical comments you see on these boards:

 

Some people who post here when they have a major complaint, justified or not, then begin to notice every little flaw on the ship and magnify it into a general statement. Examples:

 

-Waiter puts wrong dish at setting but quickly corrects the mistake becomes "Service was subpar."

 

-Notices a stain on carpet where drunk spilled a drink 20 minutes before becomes "Carpets were stained and shabby."

 

-Dish served at one dinner not to liking becomes "Food quality has declined."

 

I could go on and on but if a major complaint, again justified or not, is followed by a general negative rant it is best to take that post or review with a grain of salt.

[Fore on the Floor]

I will let you know in two weeks ;)

[Sanibel*Gal]

We enjoyed the Crown Princess last December!! Great crew, good food...no complaints about anything but we love to cruise and enjoy every minute! And.... the Crown is in dry dock right now, getting all spruced up for our next cruise in April!!!:D

[Host CJSKIDS]

We just got off the Crown (first time) after a 12 day cruise last week. We thought she was beautiful, that the staff was considerably more attentive than the staff we had for 2 weeks in Feb, and the food was ok. I say ok because food is so subjective - it wasn't awesome but it was mostly darned good.

 

Example - in the buffet - staff were waiting as you exited the line and wanted to carry your trays to a table and seat you. They almost acted insulted if you didn't let them! The only day we didn't see that was the last day and we were laughing about it.

 

This was our ninth Princess cruise and we prefer the larger ships. I was a bit concerned about the extra passenger load, but we never ran into a crowd issue. We had anytime dining, and the nights we went to the MDR we went about 6:15 or so and we always walked right in and had a choice of sitting alone or with others.

 

We went to the Crown Grill one night and it was very good.

 

We booked her again!

 

Glad you had a great cruise!

 

Were Alan or Flora working at Crooners per chance? Any idea of who the maitre d was for the crown grill?

[MustangGT]

I agree with not putting too much stock in the negative reviews! Someone told me to check reviews on CC before our first cruise. OMG!! The only thing I didn't read was that people were jumping overboard because it was so horrible!

We went on the cruise, had a fabulous time, and continue to have wonderful cruises!

Too many people put too much emphasis on the "Critic" in Cruise Critic!:D

[Pam in CA]

I could go on and on but if a major complaint, again justified or not, is followed by a general negative rant it is best to take that post or review with a grain of salt.

I completely agree. Unless someone gives specifics, what they tried to do to correct the issue, and the result of those efforts, ignore the moaning and groaning.

[MichCook]

We were on the Crown in February and had a great time.

 

I like to experience things for myself. I'll take other's opinions in stride (both positive and negative), but I realize that my expectations, likes/dislikes are probably totally different from another individual. Sometimes, even my DH. :D

 

Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

Just go and enjoy!

[Astro Flyer]

Glad you had a great cruise!

 

Any idea of who the maitre d was for the crown grill?

 

The ship's maitre d' was Francesco Ciorfito but it was Romeo who greeted & brought us to our table. Going into the brief drydock, there were a lot of personnel leaving for vacation including Francesco & CD Ron Goodman.

 

I enjoyed spending some time with 'bjkTX' & his wife on the same cruise ending on the 26th & had a great cruise on the Crown. I have avoided the roll calls since returning knowing that those who complain about minor issues 'ruining' their cruise create confusion such as experienced by the OP. I agree with the other posts & to not believe some of the whining that goes on in these boards.

 

This was the 1st time on the newer Grand-class ships & based on doom & gloom posts about the crowds with the extra 500 passengers that wasn't the case. It was suppose to be even worse on a cool weather cruise like our NE/Canada cruise we just enjoyed but it was not a problem. If someplace was crowded like the Piazza by those who take up residency there, it was easy to find someplace practically to ouselves. While I agree with posts saying the gelato isn't like in Italy, it's still good ice cream & enjoyable. I found the mattress with one eggcrate pad to be a comfortable shipboard bed & my wife enjoyed time in the nearly empty Sanctuary. I even found that on a ship built for MUTS that it was more enjoyable to watch movies or sports onboard.

 

OP...I would not be concerned about a Crown Princess cruise & we look forward to our 32 day cruise on her next November. Just look at some of the titles of threads & you can get a good idea about how objective those OPs are about a cruise. Things go wrong but can't be corrected unless they're brought up to Princess...being unhappy without seeking an onboard solution then complaining on CC isn't the correct way to deal with a problem. :rolleyes:

[ibfern]

I have booked 2 cruises on the Crown princess for this winter and am starting to get concerned. I have started reading recent reviews and they are mixed with weak service,food that doesn't measure up to Princess standards,and a tired ship!

 

I have a hard time trying to sort out the "complainers and whiners" because I know there are always some of those.Can anyone give a current opinion of the ship?

 

I have a had a good experiance w/ Princess and have always thought that they provided quality. I hope they are not slipping and cutting corners.

 

Thank you!

 

I was on the Crown Princess Transatlantic in May this year and we had an incredible time, it was one of the best cruises ever. We loved the staff, we met great people, the ports were nice, and the food was good. We had such a good time, we are considering taking that TA next April!

[Host CJSKIDS]

The ship's maitre d' was Francesco Ciorfito but it was Romeo who greeted & brought us to our table. Going into the brief drydock, there were a lot of personnel leaving for vacation including Francesco & CD Ron Goodman.

 

I enjoyed spending some time with 'bjkTX' & his wife on the same cruise ending on the 26th & had a great cruise on the Crown. I have avoided the roll calls since returning knowing that those who complain about minor issues 'ruining' their cruise create confusion such as experienced by the OP. I agree with the other posts & to not believe some of the whining that goes on in these boards.

 

This was the 1st time on the newer Grand-class ships & based on doom & gloom posts about the crowds with the extra 500 passengers that wasn't the case. It was suppose to be even worse on a cool weather cruise like our NE/Canada cruise we just enjoyed but it was not a problem. If someplace was crowded like the Piazza by those who take up residency there, it was easy to find someplace practically to ouselves. While I agree with posts saying the gelato isn't like in Italy, it's still good ice cream & enjoyable. I found the mattress with one eggcrate pad to be a comfortable shipboard bed & my wife enjoyed time in the nearly empty Sanctuary. I even found that on a ship built for MUTS that it was more enjoyable to watch movies or sports onboard.

 

OP...I would not be concerned about a Crown Princess cruise & we look forward to our 32 day cruise on her next November. Just look at some of the titles of threads & you can get a good idea about how objective those OPs are about a cruise. Things go wrong but can't be corrected unless they're brought up to Princess...being unhappy without seeking an onboard solution then complaining on CC isn't the correct way to deal with a problem. :rolleyes:

 

Glad you had such a great cruise. We leave on the 12th and I'm really looking forward to it. As it's our 6th time in a row on the Crown, I guess we love the ship.

 

I'm thrilled to hear that Romeo is still at The Crown. He always takes the greatest care of us.

 

Ron Goodman's vacation must be a short one because according to our email, he is back on our ship on the 12th. Happy to hear it because I thought he did a great job last time.

 

I'm still hoping that Alan and Flora are working at Crooner's or at least some place on the ship.

[GoodToGo]

You can have two people on the exact same cruise with polar opposite opinions. One will say the food and service sucked and the ship was shabby, and another will say that the food and service were great and the ship in fine shape.

 

A cruise is what you make of it. There are so many food options that I always take a "food sucked" opinion with a grain of salt. If something isn't prepared the way you expect it, tell your waiter or table captain. Get it fixed right away. If there are scratches on the furniture in your cabin, will that really ruin your cruise? When you consider the literally thousands of passengers using (and sometimes abusing) the furniture, carpeting, etc. on a ship, it's amazing it's in as good condition as it is.

 

Some people love and appreciate string quartets, others think its only for 80 year olds or anyone who isn't "hip." Some comedians appeal to some people, not to others. The good news is that there's usually something for everyone. We're all different and have different expectations and preferences. If you board the ship with a positive attitude, you'll disembark your cruise the same way. :)

 

 

Well said! ;)