Crown Princess from Galveston - Lengthy review

[DrSch]

For those that want to read it.. here is my review posted to cruise critic:

 

Overview

Being familiar with Princess and this class of ship, there were no surprises. Everything seemed generic and functioned properly for the most part (exceptions below). I wouldn’t call this a luxury cruise, as it isn’t intended to be. For an above average cruise it did just fine, and we enjoyed the trip. Princess offers a good product, and we got what we expected.

 

 

Embarkation

Being Elite does have its privileges… Embarkation could not have been easier. We arrived at the terminal at 11:15, dropped our luggage off, parked the car and were in the terminal by 11:45. We were whisked over to the elite lounge and on the ship by 12:05. Baggage was up at the room, within a few hours. One thing of note, while we were standing on our balcony, we noticed that the luggage handlers had accidently dropped a suitcase in the water. They spent about an hour trying to get it out, and it was like watching a 3 Stooges movie.

 

 

The Ship

The ship is in adequate shape. All the public areas are in fairly good repair, and they were making an effort to install new carpet and update parts of the ship while we were on it. This is great for the people on the next cruises, but this also meant they needed to close off areas at times.

 

 

The Staff

This is my second cruise with Lisa Ball as cruise director. While I tend not to do too many things that involve interacting with her, I found her to be lacking when we were on the Ruby. She seemed to be doing things just because they were required, and not like she enjoyed her job. I have friends that were on their first cruise with us on this ship, and they were put off by Lisa, as she had snubbed them and was rude to them. From my experiences with her, I don’t doubt it. She needs to be retired.

 

 

The majority of the staff in the dining rooms and shipboard was friendly and helpful. You can tell that Princess has reduced the number of staff in the buffet and in the rooms, as the service wasn’t as personal as it has been on previous ships due to understaffing. Some mornings it was difficult to get someone to bring juice / coffee as there was no one in sight. However, once we found the people we needed to, they were always courteous, helpful and gracious.

 

 

Dining

We started in the Botticelli dining room for the first night or two, but found ourselves tired and not up to waiting for late seating by the end of the trip, so several of our dinners were up at the Horizons buffet. After a few Princess cruises, the food is the same and nothing special. (Talk about first world whining I am complaining because I am tired of having gourmet food). We found that many of the dishes that we liked in the main dining room found their way up to the Horizon, so there wasn’t much we felt like we had missed. And, since we had begged the head waiter to bring us the escargot the second night, we were quite happy.

 

 

I had not done Sabatini's since they changed the menu, and we found the dinner there to be awful; So bad that we told friends of ours not to dine there and requested a refund from Princess for the cover charge. The calamari was greasy, the tomato sauce on the pasta had the same sweet sauce found on the pizza near the pool, and the lobster 3 ways was inedible: The risotto was undercooked, the lobster was overcooked, and the sauce was lacking in flavor. Having been to Italy, and having had authentic Italian food, I can say this was not. The wine list was minimal, and we ended up getting a 30 dollar bottle of wine presented with the bottle cap to sniff. However, the server was wonderful, and the atmosphere was quite nice.

 

 

The Chef's Table was an enjoyable experience as usual. It was a bit different than the one on the Emerald, as the galley tour seemed rushed. Granted we were happy to get to the appetizers and champagne, but I enjoyed hearing about the galley the last time we had done this. As there was no sommelier on this ship, (or if there was we never saw him), the wine was presented by the maître de. The appetizers were pretty much the same ones we had had on the emerald, but the displays were quite nice on this ship. The dinner consisted of the usual suspects: pasta, lemon ice with vodka, cheese and figs, insane desserts, and the main course on this table was a combination of veal shank, and steak. There was no lobster, and having been unimpressed with the lobster at Sabatini’s, I did miss it.

 

 

The wine bar across from the International Cafe was a fun place to end up at before dinner. They served sushi and/or tapas, and wine by the glass. You did not have the option of ordering the sushi and sashimi separately. They serve a few wine tasters, with 3 or 4 half glasses of different wines for about 9 dollars each.

 

 

As usual, the international café was great, filled with wonderful pastries, deserts, and salads. When I purchased my coffee card the first day, I asked them if they had the different flavors of brewed coffee, such as Jamaican Blue. When I had been on the Ruby the previous summer, the machine was broken. The person selling me the card said they did, but when I went to get one the next day, I was told they no longer had different flavors of coffee because that machine was broken and had been removed. The coffee in the dining room is still pretty much undrinkable, however a friend suggested that if we mix the caffeinated with the decaf, it gets a better flavor. We may have to try that next cruise.

 

 

Stateroom

This was my first time in a mini suite, and I must say that having a bathroom and a couch were wonderful.. a whole new feeling in cruising. The room was large and comfortable, and we had the end cabin which has the extended balcony. The room was a little dated, and in need of a update. The bathroom fixtures were old, and the drain stoppers in both the sink and bathtub had to be manually removed as the plunger did not work. One evening the toilet stopped flushing, and the Princess staff was quick to get it fixed.

 

 

Our cabin steward was very impersonal and not as friendly as I am used to having. We never really enjoyed him as we have others in the past. He did everything that he needed to, except that he wouldn’t clear empty bottles or plates from the room unless we specifically moved them into the hallway. This was a problem the night they delivered canapés and we were out, and then left early the next morning without eating them. They were still in the room the following night and smelled a bit off.

 

 

Sea Days

Cabin Entertainment (movies, tv)

One thing that is nice about Princess is that the entertainment in the cabins is usually up to date and new releases are offered. It is also one of the few places that Princess does not try to upsell anything, and there is no Pay-Per-View (don’t get any Ideas Princess), so when we wanted to retire to the cabin and hide away from the rest of the world and watch a movie or TV, we were typically able to find something to entertain us that didn’t cost us additional money.

 

 

Sanctuary

I love the Sanctuary on these ships. Generally the first thing I do when I board is go up and reserve chairs there for the entirety of the cruise. Even though there are plenty of days we don’t get to use them, specifically port days, it is still worth the price, and is nice to have those chairs reserved.

 

 

On past cruises, the staff at the Sanctuary was usually the highlight of the cruise for us. This cruise was no different. They were all wonderful, friendly, and always went the extra step to make sure people were enjoying the area.

 

 

I am not sure if it is a new addition, or if we just missed it in the past, but they had tea service in the afternoons up in the sanctuary. It was a very nice way to end the afternoons up there with friends.

 

 

The only problem we had with this area on this cruise was not the fault of anyone in the Sanctuary itself. Due to construction on parts of the front of the ship, it was impossible to sit out there the last sea day of the cruise due to the smell and sounds of drilling, soldering, and painting.

 

Music

As I said, we tend to enjoy the quite on sea days, and are not big fans of the bands that blast music at the pool or listening to concerts at Muts, which is why we booked the sanctuary. The average age of people on this cruise seemed a bit higher than normal for a 7 night, and we found the music to be exceptionally loud, so loud that the pool areas were not nearly as full as usual. We could hear the live band up at the sanctuary, which to me meant it needed to be made a bit lower.

 

 

Lotus Spa

The Lotus spa has a 10-20-30 program that we signed up for: 10 % of the first service, 20% off the second and 30% off the third. We did this, and signed up for a couples massage as the third service, which made it quite affordable. We planned on having it up in the sanctuary on the last sea day, but as described earlier, we were unable to, due to construction, so we had it down in the normal area.

 

 

The massages were wonderful, and quite enjoyable. The only negative has to do with the upselling they try to do. They push very hard for you to buy the products that they say will change your life, but for the most part are just overly expensive. We had a problem where the spa attendant did not speak English very well, and couldn’t or wouldn’t take no as an answer to the 260 dollar upsell of skin products. It required that I bring them back and see the manager to return them.

 

 

Internet

No problems at all with internet.

 

 

Disembarkation

This seemed to go smoother than most have in the past. Groups were called at the times listed, and we had no problem finding our luggage, getting a porter and getting through customs. We left the ship at 8:40, and were out at our car by 9:15.

 

 

Summary

With the low prices out of Galveston, and decent ports, the Crown Princess was an affordable quick vacation that met most of our expectations. While I have listed many problems above, these weren’t deal breakers, and were more just little things that could easily be addressed. Compared to the Eastern Caribbean, that really goes nowhere at all, the ports of call on this trip are fun, the ship provides a good vehicle to get there, and a pleasant time while doing so.

[KenNBarbie]

We're on the Crown for Easter week, and appreciate you sharing your experience.

[cpayne]

Thank you for breaking your review down by categories. This made it much easier to read. We sail on The Crown 2/16 so almost time to start packing!

[gotta cruise again]

Here is a different viewpoint of cruise director Lisa Ball. We were on the Crown 1/4-12/13. She attended the CC M&G in Skywalkers and I think she stayed 30-45 minutes and interacted with all present. I often saw her on the promenade deck stopping to talk with passengers at length. We would arrive early for the shows in the Princess Theatre and would see her taking her time (she too arrived early) to walk around many of the aisles to shake hands with passengers and spent time talking with them. We had the opportunity to visit with her on 2 occasions other than the M&G and she was lovely and personable. We found her refreshing compared to most of the other CDs we've encountered in the past just because we actually saw her around the ship vs. only when introducing the acts in the Princess theatre. In our opinion, it felt like the 'old days' of Princess when the staff would get to know you (or at least act as if you were old friends), which is very welcoming. We were so impressed with her that we thanked her for being so visible and for talking with the passengers.

 

Just thought some might like to hear this.

 

I pretty much agree with the rest of the review of the Crown: food adequate but not wonderful; steward OK but not too personable; ship clean and functional. Did the Ultimate Ship's Tour and that was GREAT!!

[Paula_MacFan]

Thanks for posting a detailed review. We were on the Crown 2 weeks ago, and enjoyed Sabatini's very much. I suppose food is a subjective thing.

[antsp]

The Staff

This is my second cruise with Lisa Ball as cruise director. While I tend not to do too many things that involve interacting with her, I found her to be lacking when we were on the Ruby. She seemed to be doing things just because they were required, and not like she enjoyed her job. I have friends that were on their first cruise with us on this ship, and they were put off by Lisa, as she had snubbed them and was rude to them. From my experiences with her, I don’t doubt it. She needs to be retired

\

 

 

i agree, i would say she was the worst cd we have had, and we have sailed twice with her

[Pam in CA]

Thanks for the review! I leave Friday for TX and the Crown. As you say, this was an almost last minute Flash sale cruise for us so it's going to be a laid-back getaway cruise. Only hitch is my friend flying out from Boston... that might be an adventure for her.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[highheel girl]

Thanks for the review.

We don't care for Lisa Ball either.

 

Glad you had a bathroom in your mini. ;)

[DrSch]

Oops.. bathtub lol

[gelo7]

Nice review.

[southpawsdakota]

Pam, I hope you friend gets out of Boston early on Friday. I will be waiting for you review as we will be on the cruise March 23rd.

[elpasomom]

Thanks so much for your review! Did you take any excursions? I am on the March 16th sailing. Also, how was your weather?

[Starlaker]

Thank you for your review, DrSch. Any information you would like to share about the ports? We are also on the March 23rd sailing and look forward to your review Pam.

[DrSch]

We had the best time with Roatan Sun Splash on the Dune Buggy and Snorkel tour. I Have a review of them with pictures in the Roatan Port Section.

 

In Belize, we went with Princess on the tour to the Mayan Ruins due to potential traffic and delays that might cause problems with us getting back to the ship in time.. You should check each port to see how many other ships are going to be in town that day (There is a website that tells you this, but not sure I am supposed to say it in here - search the boards you will find it somewhere I am sure).

 

In Cozumel, we got rained out and our snorkel trip was canceled. We were supposed to use Eagle Ray Divers. They had a policy of keeping 8 bucks per person from the deposit that they never bothered to inform us of, so I cannot give them a good review.

[JWJs]

Thanks for your review!

[DrSch]

As to the weather the first 5 days were awesome.. In Cozumel it turned on us, and got really bad going back.. high seas and a choppy ride.. The final sea day was cold and windy.

[DrSch]

One other note.. and I have no idea where I should post this on Cruise Critic, but something people should know if you are going out of Galveston...

 

If you are a travel agent, or a disabled veteran, parking at the Galveston Port is free.

 

Pam... you know your way around these boards pretty well.. any suggestions on where to post that?

[Starlaker]

Thanks for your info on the ports. Which tour did you take to the ruins in Belize? We are doing the Altun Ha scenic River Cruise and lunch for the same reason you gave. We generally don't do ship's tours, but on such a long tour, we wanted to be sure that the ship waited for us in case of any hold up. There will be two other ships in port on our day in Belize.

 

We are signed up with Eagle Ray Divers in Cozumel. The processing fee is listed in the Cancelation Policy and we knew about it before we signed up, so that is not a problem for us. I can see that you would not be happy if you didn't know about it.

[DrSch]

Thanks for your info on the ports. Which tour did you take to the ruins in Belize? We are doing the Altun Ha scenic River Cruise and lunch for the same reason you gave. We generally don't do ship's tours, but on such a long tour, we wanted to be sure that the ship waited for us in case of any hold up. There will be two other ships in port on our day in Belize.

 

We are signed up with Eagle Ray Divers in Cozumel. The processing fee is listed in the Cancelation Policy and we knew about it before we signed up, so that is not a problem for us. I can see that you would not be happy if you didn't know about it.

 

We did the Lamanai Tour. Long day but some great temples to climb up.

 

I hate having to give negativity for an 8 dollar fee, but it was annoying. I see she has the policies up on the website now.

[NauticalOne]

We were on the Crown 1/12 through 1/19. Very much enjoyed the ship and all that was offered. Our last cruise was on Ruby in 2011 and I thought the Crown was in as good of shape as the newer ship Ruby. We did enjoy the food on Ruby a bit more and our steward on Ruby seemed more attentive (but understand that is a hit and miss). We were out and about most of the time and I never saw the CD (Lisa) anywhere accept on the TV during the "Wake Show". I found that a bit odd because we saw the CD on Ruby out and about quite often (was not Lisa then, but another female). Just my two cents. -Glenn

[OnlineMom]

I appreciate you taking the time to write a review!

[DrSch]

i appreciate you taking the time to write a review!

 

 

ty!

[texankhj]

I enjoy every reveiw! The reason we cruise is to getaway, so we never know who the CD is nor do we care. We like to fly under the radar and enjoy our peace and quite. This is why we alway have a balcony. So I am sure I will never know Lisa Ball on our sail Feb. 16th out of Galveston. I still enjoy reading about the good and the bad. Believe me we have seen both, but all in all - the good out weighs the bad. I cannot wait - to sail - next Sat!:)

[K-Roo-Zers]

Thanks for your interesting and detailed review.

 

We have just booked Crown for South America in Feb 2014 for 49 nights, our first time on her.

 

If we survive the long flight from Australia, I am sure we will have a fantastic time!

 

Cannot wait for those addictive Oatmeal cookies - yummo.

 

Nicki