About Those Toilets on the Crown Princess ...

[gracie65]

We were on the 06 April cruise on the Crown out of Galveston as well. I think this is one cruise that proves that different people can have a completely different experience and opinion.

 

Our cabin was a balcony located on the Lido deck forward. We were made aware though announcements that there were issues with the vacuum toilet system on board affecting passengers in the aft area is specific zones. If ours was ever out of service we certainly were never aware of it.

 

As for the rest of the cruise experience on the Crown, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think the ship was actually in very good shape overall. We did notice a couple of elevators went off line for short periods of time , but it always seemed like the next time we were using that bank of elevators the previously off line elevator was back in service.

 

I tend to empathize with what the cruise companies have to go through to maintain the ships . When you get 3000+ people every week , many of which don't care if they damage the ship through carelessness (toilets , beverage dispensers etc.) . It is very difficult to fix something out on the open sea. I think the fact we missed Roatan did not help since it would have been our first land port. We did not dock until Thursday (day 5) when we arrived in Cozumel.

 

Overall we felt that the food was very good and there was good variety unlike our previous experience on Royal Caribbean. On occasion, it did seem that the food needed additional seasoning, but that is really up to an individuals personal taste although admittedly I normally do not season my food. One very small gripe I have is the availability of drinks near the pool area. It seemed you always had to go back to the Horizon Court for beverages since they do not have any dispensers located near the grill on Lido.

 

I also appreciated that the Crown seemed more smoke free than the typical Carnival ship . I do enjoy an occasional cigar and in fact I did spend an afternoon at the cigar bar while watching the 2nd round of the Masters. I think that because of smoking rules on Princess as well as the location of the casino, I did not have to walk through smoke filled public areas to go from venue to venue.

 

I will be posting a comparison between Carnival and Princess and review of our experience of the cruise. The short of it is that we will be back on Princess, but we will also cruise on Carnival as we feel both cruise companies offer something for us.

 

 

I have been waiting to see how your cruise was. Glad you enjoyed now get on over to the November Roll Call!!! I am glad you were able to go on another Princess before The Royal because I think we will all be blown away!! We had dinner Friday night with 2 of the other couples cruising with us. Everyone is getting excited.

 

Glad your location was not affected by the toilet issue. The Crown is the ship we were on that had to return last year due to the Noro outbreak. I can't imagine having a toilet issue and all the sick people!!

[Scottydogs]

We were on the same cruise as the OP. I thought the ship was in very good condition. I did notice there were a few dents in the hallway walls on Dolphin Deck where I imagine they were banged by loading and unloading of luggage. Mentioned this DW and she said she did not even notice. Regarding the drink dispensers in the Horizon Court I did not use them since there were plenty of wait staff when we were there to get your drinks for you. It did seem that one of the mid-ship elevators was out of order but that did not bother us. We were on vacation, on a cruise so what was the big hurry?:)

[cqpate]

the wife and I were on that toilet problem cruise, our first cruise instead of the usual anniversary ski trip.

maybe i speak from blissful ignorance but we had a great time except for missing beach time on roatan and my slightly upset landlover stomach one night, from too much pizza or slight rolling ship, maybe both.

i was impressed by the ship condition but then i have nothing to compare it with.

i will say our toilet didnt flush the first day but was fixed before things got nasty.

i remember the announcement the aft toilets were fixed but i never heard anybody complaining about it.

of all the experienced cruisers at our dinner table nights, only one was not impressed. we heard our cruise was 400 people under capacity.

i discovered even on a cruise ship you can find somebody you know or a stranger who knows a friend of yours.

i can only say this first timer will plan to go again sometime.

[Dorset Cruiser]

We just returned from that April 6th cruise aboard the Crown, our eighth Princess ship ... we've sailed the Caribbean, Grand, Dawn, Emerald, Golden, Sapphire and Star. One of the hallmarks has always been the condition of the vessels, irrespective of age. The Crown was a huge disappointment ... and frankly, I'm not surprised that a major issue developed (thankfully we weren't directly affected).

 

I made no conscious effort to nit-pick, but off the top of my head, here's what I noticed:

 

Toilets in areas other than the aft end of the ship (where the major malfunction occurred) were out of order. My wife noted that only one of the three in the ladies' room outside the Da Vinci Dining Room worked ... the other two were down for the entire cruise. I also ran into several inoperative public toilets throughout the ship. Soap dispensers were hit-and-miss ... in this day and age of Norovirus (also recently experienced by Crown passengers) it becomes more significant.

 

The elevators were continually breaking down, and at the most inopportune times ... dinner rush, shows letting out, etc. Waits bordered on the intolerable. We're in good physical shape, and climb stairs regularly ... but to get from the dining room on Deck 5 to our stateroom on Deck 14 was a bit much for two septuagenarians.

 

The coffee dispensers in the Horizon Court were disgusting ... most of them leaked, there was rust on many of them, and the bases were caulked with globs of silicone, most of which had discolored. One was out of operation for two days.

 

In the middle of a warm sea day, the ice cream machine stopped working.

 

I expect normal bumps and bruises for a ship this age, but the Crown had more than I've ever seen ... torn up elevator doors, "dips" in the floors (presumably from worn carpet padding), banged-up hallway walls ... just overall neglect.

 

As for our stateroom ...

 

The shower squirted water all over the place. It took three calls and almost two days for it to be repaired (I guess the plumbers had other problems to deal with).

 

The flush button cover on the toilet came off in my hand.

 

There was mildew in the area above the sink (cheap caulk will do it every time).

 

Another general observation ... while there were hand sanitizer dispensers in the Horizon Court, we were definitely in the minority using them. The individuals stationed there simply handed out plates and silverware, something which I'm quite capable of handling on my own. Their time would have been much better spent reminding passengers to use the sanitizer. There were no dispensers outside any dining rooms ... all of this is asking for another virus outbreak.

 

Overall, it appears as if Princess has adopted its parent company's model of "patch it up, send it back out, and hope that it all holds together." I understand that the toilet problems are recurring on the Crown's repositioning cruise to Europe ... all those sea days without adequate sanitation is a recipe for disaster. Where do they get parts in the middle of the Atlantic?

 

This experience has caused us to stop and think about ever booking another Princess cruise. We were absolutely thrilled when we learned that our cruise line of choice would be returning to Galveston after a five-year absence. Now we're wondering whether we should have booked with Royal Caribbean. Oh, wait ... we already have.

 

Al

 

You must have had the same cabin as ours. Shower was just as you describe. Did not notice any other major problems with the ship except we thought the MDR food was not very good - an example - 3 steaks on different nights, all inedible, even after 2 were sent back and replaced. We also thought waiter service was poor and probably because they now have too many tables to service. Likewise with the nightly turn down service. On several occasions we came down to our cabin to get ready for dinner and found the cabin already made up, curtains drawn and chocs on the bed!

[ready2cruzagain]

I can't wait until December to find out for myself :):D I am very much looking forward to our cruise on the Crown Princess.

 

OP: As far as the hand sanitizer goes...it does nothing to fight against Norovirus. You would be better off washing your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Was on the Crown last year Ok did spring a leak in the ceiling one night,

 

however service was outstanding, crew very friendly, kept in touch with

 

a few so much so that have booked another cruise on her this year

 

before she leaves us and travels the world.

 

yours Shogun

[ready2cruzagain]

Hi All

 

Was on the Crown last year Ok did spring a leak in the ceiling one night,

 

however service was outstanding, crew very friendly, kept in touch with

 

a few so much so that have booked another cruise on her this year

 

before she leaves us and travels the world.

 

yours Shogun

Thanks! Glad to hear this!