Grand or Crown?

[6pack]

Similar to food, ship preference is very subjective. What you may not like about a ship I may enjoy and what I enjoy you may detest. It's one of those discussions that you will never win. Either way no one is wrong, it's just your or in this case my opinion.

 

Have a Merry Christmas :)

[Pam in CA]

I've been on both and I would 100% choose the Crown over the Grand. One of the worst cruises I've ever taken, with crowds, lines and rude people was on the Grand. I've taken the Crown several times (on longer cruises) and never experienced lines in the buffet or mostly anywhere. Yes, there were lines to get off the ship and back on but that should be expected. I love the Adagio Lounge on the Crown, one of my favorite places.

 

If both ships were doing a similar itinerary at the same time, it would be a "no brainer" for me: the Crown.

[srpilo]

Room decor can easily be changed while the ship is in service. I have been on a number of ships where carpet, tvs and beds have been changed while I was in port. They usually tackle big things at dry dock (not rooms).

 

While true, the cabin's soft furnishing can be done without a drydock, the point regarding the Grand is they weren't done, and haven't been done since the drydock. All the cabins, specificly including the 14 year old hard figures such as bathroom tile and countertops remain in need of refurbishment.

 

 

While the drydock focused on the interior and exterior upgrades, the cabins still leave a bit of a underwelming feeling onboard the Grand... IMO

Srpilo

[san diego sue]

Pam, How can you say less crowds on the Crown. There are 3100 passengers on the Crown and the Grand has 2600. The public rooms are the same size.I have been on both ships this year. The Grand right after refit (transatlantic) and the Crown on the Iceland Greenland Transatlantic. With cold weather , the Crown was so crowded, no where for the crowds to go. I do prefer the Crown however because it feels newer and the cabins in much better condition. However, I would sail on either ship and base my decision on itinerary.

[Crzn-Life]

We've sailed on both and our preference is the Grand. We were on the Crown the last 2 weeks of November and had a lovely time but... We didn't experience long lines and waits all the time, but we did have a few days of bad weather and that's when you feel crowded because very few people are around the pools. Everyone is inside trying to find a something to do and it truly feels crowded. It's especially bad when there are a lot of younger children on board.

 

We also prefer the layout of the dining rooms. We like a table for 2 and most of those on the Crown are the bench lay-out so you still end up quite close to other tables. We've consistently had better tables on the Grand.

 

The Crown was also experiencing elevator issues and one of the mid-ship elevators was generally not available because of repair work.

 

The Crown also had very few deck chairs on the promenade and many of those that were available were in terrible shape.

 

On our last cruise on the Grand our cabin was a little tired looking and my mattress was horrible (had a huge sink-hole in the middle). On our last cruise on the Crown, our cabin was a little tired looking but my mattress was in better shape, but the bathroom stank like a sewer the 1st few days and the toilets didn't always flush right. Eventually something was done about the smell, but the toilet systems were always a little iffy.

 

We'd sail on either ship again, but if all things were equal, we'd choose the Grand.

[6pack]

We've sailed on both and our preference is the Grand. We were on the Crown the last 2 weeks of November and had a lovely time but... We didn't experience long lines and waits all the time, but we did have a few days of bad weather and that's when you feel crowded because very few people are around the pools. Everyone is inside trying to find a something to do and it truly feels crowded. It's especially bad when there are a lot of younger children on board.

 

We also prefer the layout of the dining rooms. We like a table for 2 and most of those on the Crown are the bench lay-out so you still end up quite close to other tables. We've consistently had better tables on the Grand.

 

The Crown was also experiencing elevator issues and one of the mid-ship elevators was generally not available because of repair work.

 

The Crown also had very few deck chairs on the promenade and many of those that were available were in terrible shape.

 

On our last cruise on the Grand our cabin was a little tired looking and my mattress was horrible (had a huge sink-hole in the middle). On our last cruise on the Crown, our cabin was a little tired looking but my mattress was in better shape, but the bathroom stank like a sewer the 1st few days and the toilets didn't always flush right. Eventually something was done about the smell, but the toilet systems were always a little iffy.

 

We'd sail on either ship again, but if all things were equal, we'd choose the Grand.

 

I read on another thread that the deck chairs were replaced on the Crown with metal leg chairs. I wonder if this was completed after your cruise.

[kywildcatfanone]

Which ship is nicer?

 

I have been on both recently and multiple times, including the Grand last week. I would probably choose by the itinerary first, and then the ship, as they are both wonderful. I do agree with others about the advantage of less passengers on the Grand, but we have never felt terribly crowded on the Crown either.

 

Mike

[Crzn-Life]

I read on another thread that the deck chairs were replaced on the Crown with metal leg chairs. I wonder if this was completed after your cruise.

 

If the chairs on the promenade deck now have metal legs, then that had to have been after our cruise which ended 12/3. If they did replace them, it will be a definite plus because the wooden deck chairs were literally on their "last legs"!

 

I truly hope they were replaced. We love sitting on the promenade deck watching the water and the people.

[Richie2pies]

I cruised the Crown 12/3 - 12/10. The same decrepit chairs were still on the promenade deck.