Elite on Celebrity books on Crown Princess

[maggie.1008]

I have just booked a Crown Princess cruise on Oct. out of LA We are Elite Plus on Celebrity but they are not present on the West Coast. I made the mistake of looking at CC member reviews. Not good. Has anyone sailed on the Crown lately that can make me feel better about this booking. I now have buyers remorse.

[chrysalis]

Lots here.....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=50688693

[skynight]

Each Cruise line has it's own feeling and way of operation. When we go on other lines we take them for what they are and don't try to compare them. The Crown is a very nice ship, lots of public space, lots of quiet space , like the Adagio Lounge and Skywalker's for example, lots of evening entertainment options, lots of places for ballroom dancing, multiple shows, plenty of live music at night in various lounges, 5 pools with two of them adults only, steam and sauna at no charge, and more. I guess you are either going on a 7 day coastal or the 28 day South Pacific. If you are going on the 7 dayer as I suspect, what can really go bad in 7 days, not much. I have attached a Princess Dining guide for you to look at. There are lots of free and a few surcharge dining options on the Crown Princess. My favorite is the International Cafe (Free, open 24 hours). If you book a balcony cabin on the Caribe Deck, those balconies are 9'x9' with four chairs and a table. If you have any specific question just ask and someone will have an answer.

Dining Guide - Princess 1213.pdf

[KirkNC]

Your status on X has no meaning to Princess.

[OCruisers]

Maggie .... We are Elite on Princess but still cruise on Celebrity from time to time. Both are very nice cruise lines! :)

As I mentioned in your thread on the Celebrity forum, we were on Crown for 14 days in January (2014) and had a really great cruise.

If you have any questions about Crown, either I or someone will be happy to answer.

Look forward to having a wonderful cruise! :D

LuLu

[shredie]

Your status on X has no meaning to Princess.

 

And no other line cares about my Princess status. :( What I miss while on another line is my free internet minutes. I suspect you will miss things you get as perks on X, but there are always good differences to discover when trying a new ship. As mentioned, the International Cafe is a wonderful thing, and you should try it.

[Ahhh]

I am Elite+ on Celebrity but still enjoy my sailings on Princess. I like seeing what other cruise lines have to offer and comparing them, not so much as which is better, but what the differences are. Don't judge a whole cruise line by one ship, nor one sailing. Observe the differences and enjoy the whole package.

 

I've not been on the Crown but most of their ships look and feel very similar. If I were to be blindfolded and put on one of their Grand Class ships, it would be very hard to tell which one I am on, as the decor and color schemes are basically the same on all of them, unlike Celebrity.

 

Go with an open mind and you will enjoy yourself. If you are doing a CA Coastal, you may not miss the internet minutes as much as you think, as you can use your phone in most every port, or find an internet cafe. You may miss the Elite Cocktail hour more :eek:;), but there are drink specials in most bars every evening, during specific hours. Ask about them!

 

Enjoy your voyage, David

[MtnBikerFallDown]

We were on Crown in February and just loved it. The friendliness of the staff just MADE the cruise for us. But, as far as other things...

The ship was in great shape and very clean. Our room was spotless. Seriously, my house has never been, nor will ever be, that clean. LOL!

 

The food was great. We are not much for main dining room, so I can't comment on that. But, the "extra" restaurants were amazing. We are rare, in that we preferred Sabatini's to Crown Grille. They were both excellent, but I think the service and the calamari (oh. my) pushed Sabatini's to the front of the line. Also, don't miss the Pub Lunch. It's no extra charge and it's very, very good! Go early, it fills up quickly. And no matter what they tell you... the mushy peas are good! Try them! Also, the pizza on Princess is amazing. Super thin crust and very tasty. Can you tell I enjoyed the food?

 

The other thing I loved were the "nooks and crannies" on the ship. If we wanted to be in a crowd, it was easy to do. There's always something going on. But, when we wanted to just find a quiet spot, and watch the ocean go by, there was always somewhere.

 

I posted a review, but it's about the East coast itinerary. So, about half the review won't be that relevant to you. But, here's the link: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=250792 And, please, don't be afraid, I think you'll really like it. Go into it with an open mind and ready to relax and enjoy. I bet you will!

[AKman2495]

I spent 2 weeks on her back in Jan/Feb and found her to be a delightful ship. I ate in the MDR most times and I can tell you the food was great (keeping in mind that all food comments are subjective).

 

Service was excellant from everyone and I couldn't have been more pleased.

[maggie.1008]

Your comments have made me feel better. I am bringing 83 yr. young dad on the 7 nt. Pacific coastal. I know my status on Celebrity has no baring on Princess.

[skynight]

Your comments have made me feel better. I am bringing 83 yr. young dad on the 7 nt. Pacific coastal. I know my status on Celebrity has no baring on Princess.

 

FYI, If you, your Dad or both are active or ex-military your can get $100 OBC. This is per person, so if both of you are military then both get the OBC AND it is additive to any other OBC's you may receive. Also, if either of you have Carnival Corporation Stock either holding it separately, or as part of an IRA, 401K, other individual retirement account, or an investment account you can also receive an additional $100 cabin OBC. Check out this web site: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Your comments have made me feel better. I am bringing 83 yr. young dad on the 7 nt. Pacific coastal. I know my status on Celebrity has no baring on Princess.

 

I totally forgot to mention the ballroom dancing. They have a couple on board that are pro ballroom dancers. They perform frequently in the area in front of the central stairs and near the International Cafe. We loved to go down about 15 or so minutes early, grab us a coffee (or some wine from Vines) and snag a seat nearby to watch them. They were not only good, but very sweet. They'd often be at the IC hanging out and talking to folks before they started. Your Dad might enjoy that, if he's like my 74 year old mother who is a rabid Dancing with the Stars fan. :D

 

Hope you both enjoy it!

[Kenosha Cruiser]

Maggie.1008, my wife and I just got off the Crown Princess May 10th in Vancouver. We had a wonderful time on the Crown. I just wrote a long review and submitted it to cruise critic on Tuesday night. Cruise Critic should post it any day now. I also have a photo review of the itinerary on our roll call for May 3 if interested. This was the fourth time we have cruised on the Crown Princess.

[DrivesLikeMario]

We were just on the Crown last year and totally enjoyed ourselves. For perspective, I'm Elite with Celebrity and also with Princess. I like both lines for different reasons.

 

IMO, the service is much, much better on Princess than Celebrity especially bar service and buffet service. Food was great on both lines, but I like Princess' buffet food a lot better. The desserts on Princess are much better than Celebrity while they win out on balcony cabin configurations.

 

You can't go wrong with the Crown Princess. It's a great ship and has a lot to offer.

[maggie.1008]

We will be in a mini suite. Other than cabin size are there any other benefits ? We will have anytime dining. How hard is it to get a table for 2 ?

[Ahhh]

IMO, the service is much, much better on Princess than Celebrity especially bar service and buffet service. Food was great on both lines, but I like Princess' buffet food a lot better. The desserts on Princess are much better than Celebrity.

 

My opinion is exactly the opposite :), which just goes to show you, decide for yourself. I think food has more to do with the Executive Chef on board a particular ship, at that particular time, than anything else. Not all Celebrity ships have the same food nor do all Princess ships. They may have the same menus, but it's different. I've had completely different food experiences on different Celebrity ships as well as different experiences on different Princess ships, but overall I prefer Celebrity. As said by others, IMO ;).

 

I totally forgot to mention the ballroom dancing. They have a couple on board that are pro ballroom dancers.

 

I would not expect to see them on other sailings. Do you know if they were they hired by Princess to entertain, or conduct dance classes on your sailing? Even when I have been on sailings where a couple was hired to conduct classes, usually it was for a sailing or two at most. Most recently those things have been cut back to save the cruises line money.

[IECalCruiser]

We will be in a mini suite. Other than cabin size are there any other benefits ? We will have anytime dining. How hard is it to get a table for 2 ?

Haven't sailed on the Crown, but the short answer is that it depends. If you go after 7:30 you should have no problem. You should also be able to make a reservation for a table for 2 before 6:00. Between 6:00 and 7:30 you may have a wait and you may be given a pager.

 

We were next to three tables for two on our last cruise and those tables were being turned within 45 minutes as compared to 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours for larger tables. When we have a table for 2 we are out within an hour because we don't order all of the courses and we have more time to do other things after dinner.

 

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Edited May 16, 2014 by IECalCruiser

[MtnBikerFallDown]

I would not expect to see them on other sailings. Do you know if they were they hired by Princess to entertain, or conduct dance classes on your sailing? Even when I have been on sailings where a couple was hired to conduct classes, usually it was for a sailing or two at most. Most recently those things have been cut back to save the cruises line money.

 

 

They were on the ship for a couple of months & did classes, private lessons & the exhibitions. We were on the last cruise before they moved the Crown to the west coast. They told us they would be staying on board. Didn't think to ask how long. I hope they didn't cut that. They were so nice & people crowded in to see them. They were really popular!

 

 

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[lovevacadays]

We will be in a mini suite. Other than cabin size are there any other benefits ? We will have anytime dining. How hard is it to get a table for 2 ?

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise on the Crown. I had a great time sailing her. The only "benefit" that comes with a mini-suite is a welcome glass of champagne and it's not very good. No suite benefits at all. The room size is great though as is the larger balcony. Your balcony will be open to those in cabins above you. I don't mind it at all as I love going out on the balcony at night and having a full view of the beautiful sky.

 

As another poster mentioned, tables for 2 can be challenging from 6-730 or so. You may have to wait. Something to keep in mind, is the tables for two are all in a row and very, very close to each other. The people next to you will easily hear your conversation. I still like them and typically request one but thought I would let you know.

[BEAV]

I have just booked a Crown Princess cruise on Oct. out of LA We are Elite Plus on Celebrity but they are not present on the West Coast. I made the mistake of looking at CC member reviews. Not good. Has anyone sailed on the Crown lately that can make me feel better about this booking. I now have buyers remorse.

 

Don't be silly. Just like all the complainers over on the Celebrity board who claim the line is going down the toilet, you no doubt still cruise with them given your Elite status. We are Elite Plus with Celebrity and have enjoyed 3 Princess cruises on the West Coast in the past year, including most recently on the Crown.

 

Variety is the spice of life, go and enjoy! And to answer your question, we never had a problem getting a table for two on Anytime Dining.

[OCruisers]

Maggie .... We always book a mini-suite because we enjoy the space.

The closet is very BIG!

As Michellein mentioned, the only perk is that awful tasting "champagne".

 

Note: Mini-Suites have TWO thermostats -- one in the bed area and one in the sitting area so you'll need to set them both to the setting comfortable for you.

 

LuLu

[Colo Cruiser]

We will be in a mini suite. Other than cabin size are there any other benefits ? We will have anytime dining. How hard is it to get a table for 2 ?

 

 

 

A welcoming glass of headache water.

 

 

Just talk to the MD at the door to the DR about a table for 2.

[maggie.1008]

I just saw on CC reviews that our cabin D624 is across the hall from a crew service elevator. I am a light sleeper so I don`t think this is the best cabin for me. What are the better Mini Suites ? Any with a bigger balcony. Thanks.

[IECalCruiser]

I just saw on CC reviews that our cabin D624 is across the hall from a crew service elevator. I am a light sleeper so I don`t think this is the best cabin for me. What are the better Mini Suites ? Any with a bigger balcony. Thanks.

The aft most mini on either side, D732 and D733, have balconies almost twice the size as they extend to the aft. These two cabins book very quickly. On the Crown, Emerald and Ruby, these are standard mini-suite cabins inside. On the older Grand class ships they were designed to be accessible cabins and have a walk-in shower rather than a tub. The beds were designed to be twins, one on either wall. Unfortunately the door was too narrow and they are not classified as accessible cabins. The most aft covered minis on Emerald deck, E730 and E731, also have larger balconies and are standard mini-suites on all Grand class ships. They may be even more popular than D732 and D733.

 

 

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Edited May 17, 2014 by IECalCruiser