Tell me about Crown Princess

[cocacola86]

What can you tell me about this ship, we've never been on Princess only Carnival, so how're the pool areas, dining options, things to do and is the sanctuary free like on Carnival and do they have a dinner at sea?

[Bimmer09]

What can you tell me about this ship, we've never been on Princess only Carnival, so how're the pool areas, dining options, things to do and is the sanctuary free like on Carnival and do they have a dinner at sea?

 

Hi, welcome to the Princess Board.

 

I notice your question has been on the board for 6 hours or so and has been read by 94 people-and yet no response. That would normally be odd but for the fact that what you're asking can be researched first on Princess.com-just click on Crown Princess under "ships" and the four pools will be shown as will the dining options. They have dinner at sea every night included in your ticket cost or you can have a private Ultimate Balcony dinner ($100 for two) or dine in for-fee specialty restaurants ( 2 of those on the Crown, shown on the Princess site)

 

Sanctuary is NOT free.

 

If you want to see what the ship looks like inside and on deck then you should search for reviews and to get you started you can click your mouse on mine listed below-that will also address your questions, with photos.

 

Norris

[OCruisers]

Welcome to the Princess Board! :)

Crown Princess is a wonderful ship so feel sure you're in for a great time!

You'll enjoy being able to go to your cabin as soon as you board the ship without having to get the FTTF thing.

No Carnival bashing but Princes really is nicer in so very many ways. ;)

LuLu

[lovevacadays]

What can you tell me about this ship, we've never been on Princess only Carnival, so how're the pool areas, dining options, things to do and is the sanctuary free like on Carnival and do they have a dinner at sea?

 

I sailed on the Crown in January. It was my second time sailing her. I love the Crown. She is a really beautiful ship. Lots of marble and sparkle. There are two main pool areas on the Lido deck. Both are uncovered. One of the pool areas has Movies Under the Stars while the other pool area does not. Then there is an adult's only pool at the very aft of the ship. You can walk out of the Horizon Court Buffet and be there. The pool is small. I love the area, though. It has such a beautiful view of the wake. There is a bar back there and you can take food from the Horizon Court to eat back there as well. The other pool is the Lotus Spa's pool. it is actually under the Sanctuary. You do have to pay for the Sanctuary but you do not have to pay to use the Lotus Spa pool. It is a very quiet place. You won't really get much sun there but it is nice for quiet time.

 

In regards to dining, there are the main dining rooms that have early and late sitting as well as Anytime dining. There are two fee restaurants: Crown Grill which is a steak and seafood restaurant and Sabatini's which is an Italian Restaurant. There is also the International Café on Deck 5 next to the Coffee Bar. There is no charge for the food there. There is charge for specialty coffees. You will find breakfast sandwiches, donuts, pastries, etc for breakfast. For lunch, several types of salads, Panini's, other sandwiches, etc. as well as some really good pastries. I really like the IC for something quick and tasty. Of course, up on the Lido deck you have a pizza stand and a grill that does hot dogs and hamburgers. A lot of really good choices all over the ship.

 

I'm not sure what types of things you like to do. I've sailed Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Princess can be a bit quieter. There are lounges that have singers, game shows, comedians, piano players, trivia, etc. There is a main theater with Production shows. There will be a small amount of pool games but not like I remember on Carnival. During the day you may have things like fruit and vegetable carving shows, how to make a martini, ice carving, etc. There are typically some type of crafts courses during the days as well. Line dancing too.....

 

Not sure what you mean by dinner at sea.... They do have a Chef's Table which is pretty costly. They also have a program where you can have a special dinner on your balcony.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[joeyancho]

The sanctuary is not free. However the regular pool area is very nice and not rowdy, like on Carnival. As for dining options, you have the MDR, where the best food is IMHO, the horizon court buffet and the caribe buffet, They are very similar, a couple times during the cruise they turn the caribe into crab shack. 20 bucks pp for crab shrimp etc... Also during the cruise one of the buffets will serve themed lunches and dinner. For example, Indian food, Mexican food, Bavarian food, etc. Several afternoons the pub will serve English pub lunch, traditional English food. There also is the international cafe. It serves pastries for breakfast and salads, sandwiches, cakes and desserts for lunch and dinner. It is open 24 hrs. It is very popular. There is 24 he room service. There also is the pool grill, burgers, dogs, fries, etc... Next to the pool grill is the pizza and ice cream stand. Don't miss the pizza, it is terrific. Way better than carnival. There is the pay venue restaurants, sabitinis and the crown grill,Italian and steak house respectively. 25 buck pp, less than carnival. The wine bar also serves tapas with the purchase of a drink. I think that covers all the food available. You won't go hungry. Again, IMHO, although carnival food is good, princess is better, especially at the buffet. There is much more variety at all times of the day. The buffet is open continuously from 6am to 11pm.

Hope you have a great cruise. After at least 15 carnival cruises we took a princess cruise, never going back to Carnival.

[Colo Cruiser]

You will enjoy the Crown. :)

[shredie]

You may find the buffet is not as rich as on Carnival. No deli sandwiches. No wok. But everything else is probably a notch up on Princess. The Crown is beautiful with very elegant decor.

[KruzPrincess]

I just got off the Crown on 4/11/15. It was my third time on the Crown. It was a 7 day CA Coastal. I had a nice time. I'll add a link below to a thread I started while on board and I did a brief review. While there were things I complained about, I really did enjoy the cruise and would happily do it again. The ship is still in good condition. Right now, the cruise director is Kelvin Joy and he has a fun staff who organized a lot of activities. Food was pretty good. I enjoyed dining in the Crown Grill (for a fee).

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2193805

[Colo Cruiser]

I just got off the Crown on 4/11/15. It was my third time on the Crown. It was a 7 day CA Coastal. I had a nice time. I'll add a link below to a thread I started while on board and I did a brief review. While there were things I complained about, I really did enjoy the cruise and would happily do it again. The ship is still in good condition. Right now, the cruise director is Kelvin Joy and he has a fun staff who organized a lot of activities. Food was pretty good. I enjoyed dining in the Crown Grill (for a fee).

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2193805

 

 

Yes! A great review. :)

[skynight]

What can you tell me about this ship, we've never been on Princess only Carnival, so how're the pool areas, dining options, things to do and is the sanctuary free like on Carnival and do they have a dinner at sea?

 

Pools, 5 pools + splash pool.

Main Lido Deck Pools include the Neptune's Reef Pool and The Calypso Reef Pool. The latter has MUTS (movies under the stars) which operates mostly all day with older movies and concerts and at night with newer releases. Both pools have two adjacent hot tubs.

Lotus Spa Pool, deck 16 fwd. adults only, hot tubs, sauna and steam. No charge to use his area.Terrace Pool, deck 14 aft, adults only.

Chill Out Pool and Splash Pool, Deck 17 aft. family area, no bar in this area, on cruise without lots of youth on board this is a very quiet area.

 

Sanctuary, $20/half day, $40/full day - discount if you book full day for the entire cruise sea and port days. Reservations are required. Visit the Sanctuary as soon as you board. This area has large comfortable lounge chairs which are reserved for you no matter if you are there or not there. There is no pool in this area. To take a dip you have to go to the Lotus Spa Pool which is next to the area. The Sanctuary closes at night.

 

Free Dining:

3 MDR's which have both Traditional fixed seating and Anytime Dining. One DR is open for breakfast each day and lunch on seas days. The DR is closed for lunch on port days. One DR is open from noon to 1:30 for lunch on boarding day.

International Cafe open 24/7

Horizon Ct./Cafe Caribe Buffet: one or more sections open from 6am until 11pm/midnight, never closes during that time.

Trident Grill & Pizza & Ice Cream Bar open 11am to 11pm

PUB Lunch in Wheelhouse Bar on some sea days.

Room Service

Surcharge Dining:

Crown Grill steak, chops, seafood & Sabatini's, Italian $25/pp reservations recommended

Crab Shack held a few nights during the voyage $20/pp

Other special dining includes the Chef's Table, balcony breakfast and dinner.

 

Coffee & Tea: Free in the buffet all day and night. Special espresso drinks are available at the coffee bar next to the International Cafe. There is a charge. A coffee card is available for $31. Look here for all the different beverage packages available. They can be purchased in advance or on board. http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-gifts-celebrations/gifts-and-services/culinary-delights-wine/

 

Evening:In addition to the shows, there will be live music, game shows, theme nights, etc. in all the lounges including the Wheelhouse Bar, Explorer's Lounge, Club Fusion, Piazza area, Adagio Lounge(maybe). Skywalker's Nightclub opens late night with a DJ.

 

Boarding: When you board go directly to your cabin it will be ready. There is no "first to the fun" on Princess. Those arriving around 11am are normally on board before 12:30.

 

Hope this information is useful

Edited April 20, 2015 by sknight

[flamomo]

I have enjoyed every Princess ship I Have cruised on, but a few are my favorites. The Crown is definitely one of the faves! I spent 42 days on her between October 2013 and March 2014, and hope there will be another itinerary offered on her soon that appeals to me so I can get back aboard!!

[SnorkelMoose]

I've been on the Crown three times, and I would not hesitate to go on her again! :D

[Thrak]

Explore. Locate Adagio at the aft. Quiet venue that many don't know is there. Open deck out the back door.

 

Loved the Crown when we sailed her and would book again in a heartbeat.

[debkaysmith]

I second and echo everyone else's opinion of Crown Princess. She is a beautiful ship, wonderfully maintained, easily navigated, great food, a wonderful spa, and lovely staff. We sailed on her this past February and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Main Dining Room was spot on with some delicious food - listen to your waiter! I also do not want to do any Carnival bashing here, but prefer Princess in all aspects.

[SadieN]

Comparing to Carnival

 

Anytime Dining is done slightly differently than on Carnival. One MDR is assigned dining, another is only Anytime. The third is assigned until 7:30 then switched to Anytime.

Princess allows reservations for ATD. One issue with ATD on Princess is when assigned diners do not want to eat at their assigned times and overfill the ATD. Rarely has our card been checked to see our dining assignment.

 

We were just on the Crown in 3/21 and had a nice cruise. We found the food in the MDR to be very salty and many creamy sauces. Watery scrambled eggs and omelettes in the morning. Carnival's cheese plate has more variety.

 

Buffet is very nice. As is the grill. At night the grill serves BBQ. At most of our meals in the buffet. The lido chef prefers to serve pork several ways each night. Brisket was corned, as in corned beef. Too bad there was no rye.

 

There is ice cream served on the lido til 11pm. No free hot chocolate that I could find.

Edited April 21, 2015 by SadieN

[cr8tiv1]

Comparing to Carnival

 

Anytime Dining is done slightly differently than on Carnival. One MDR is assigned dining, another is only Anytime. The third is assigned until 7:30 then switched to Anytime.

Princess allows reservations for ATD. One issue with ATD on Princess is when assigned diners do not want to eat at their assigned times and overfill the ATD. Rarely has our card been checked to see our dining assignment.

 

We were just on the Crown in 3/21 and had a nice cruise. We found the food in the MDR to be very salty and many creamy sauces. Watery scrambled eggs and omelettes in the morning. Carnival's cheese plate has more variety.

 

Buffet is very nice. As is the grill. At night the grill serves BBQ. At most of our meals in the buffet. The lido chef prefers to serve pork several ways each night. Brisket was corned, as in corned beef. Too bad there was no rye.

 

There is ice cream served on the lido til 11pm. No free hot chocolate that I could find.

 

Hi Sadie...Care to go on another Crown Coastal in October?

 

Need a few specific questions answered:

 

1. Really...Ice Cream (real) served at Sundae's or Horizon? Or just soft served? Haven't made it to the buffet in a couple of cruises now, except for my lemonade.

 

2. How's the BBQ at night from the Trident Grill? Again, have meant to do this, but haven't.

 

3. Deck 6 MDR midship (by the Piazza). First seating is Traditional and Second is anytime?

 

4. What is this Adagio Lounge? Is there room to ballroom dance? DJ? Live combo? crowded? will they play requests? What about the same questions for Skywalkers?

 

5. Did you experience any crowding (tendering/lines/crowds) because of the extra deck?

 

Hope to cruise with you again soon.

 

Renee

[kovhanperl]

I have enjoyed every Princess ship I Have cruised on, but a few are my favorites.

[SadieN]

Hi Sadie...Care to go on another Crown Coastal in October?

 

 

 

Need a few specific questions answered:

 

 

 

1. Really...Ice Cream (real) served at Sundae's or Horizon? Or just soft served? Haven't made it to the buffet in a couple of cruises now, except for my lemonade.

 

 

 

2. How's the BBQ at night from the Trident Grill? Again, have meant to do this, but haven't.

 

 

 

3. Deck 6 MDR midship (by the Piazza). First seating is Traditional and Second is anytime?

 

 

 

4. What is this Adagio Lounge? Is there room to ballroom dance? DJ? Live combo? crowded? will they play requests? What about the same questions for Skywalkers?

 

 

 

5. Did you experience any crowding (tendering/lines/crowds) because of the extra deck?

 

 

 

Hope to cruise with you again soon.

 

 

 

Renee

 

 

Hi! Going on an MR Carnival cruise in November but we are always looking for a good last minute deal.

 

Scooped and soft serve at Sundae's. A few nights there was a scooped ice cream for toppings on hot desserts in the HC. One night it was crepes.

 

Enjoyed the BBQ. Onion Rings served every other night as a side for a sandwich but the grill chef did fry one (yes, one!) up for me. Only off part was the brisket sandwich-- corned beef does not go well with BBQ sauce.

 

We were surprised how many ate at the buffet. We found the buffet to be less salty than the MDR. We did miss not having the grilled to order chicken, fish, and beef that we enjoyed on the Grand. Lots of pork. Nice vegetarian selections.

 

Yes, deck 5 MDR was assigned and the deck 6 MDRs were ATD and assigned then ATD.

 

Never went to Adagio's nor Skywalker's when there was activity. Adagio's is a very pretty lounge. Wonder if it's used for weddings?

 

Only crowd was during afternoon happy hour. We didn't tender til after the main crowd (around 11am) in Santa Barbara.

 

We had no Noro protocols on our cruise. There was a sentinel standing at the Purell dispenser at the entry to the buffet.

[cr8tiv1]

Thanks Sadie.

 

I hope that Early Traditional is on Deck 5 since my cabin is on the same deck. No Window Suites on the Crown. Keep checking those fares, would love to have you join us.

[skynight]

Hi Sadie...Care to go on another Crown Coastal in October?

 

Need a few specific questions answered:

 

1. Really...Ice Cream (real) served at Sundae's or Horizon? Or just soft served? Haven't made it to the buffet in a couple of cruises now, except for my lemonade. Real soft vanilla, chocolate and swirl Ice Cream plus Hard Sugar Free are no charge, Shakes, floats, sundaes have a charge.

 

2. How's the BBQ at night from the Trident Grill? Again, have meant to do this, but haven't. I would describe it as OK, nothing special, but tasty. Normal burgers, fries are still available.

 

3. Deck 6 MDR midship (by the Piazza). First seating is Traditional and Second is anytime? Yes

 

4. What is this Adagio Lounge? Is there room to ballroom dance? DJ? Live combo? crowded? will they play requests? It is a very quiet lounge day and night. I have never seen it crowded. No ballroom dance floor. I have seen a piano player there in the pre dinner/evening hours, but it's not like Crooner's. It's possible there will be no piano player, I've seen that also. Many passengers use it as a quiet indoor area for reading, or a very quiet place to have a pre dinner drink. Just outside is a nice deck area. Requests? I guess it depends on if and who the piano player is, and what songs they know.

What about the same questions for Skywalkers? A bright lounge during the day with sweeping views of the sea. Many use it to read. At 5pm it is used for the Platinum/Elite Happy Hour. It's also used for private gatherings. The bar is normally not open during the day. It turns into a nightclub with a DJ around 9:30 and is open late.

 

5. Did you experience any crowding (tendering/lines/crowds) because of the extra deck? Tendering is always an issue on every large ship I have been on. If you want to get to shore early you need to get to the tender ticket area with your entire group early. Princess does not hand out extra tender tickets for those not actually present. Depending on the port around 10/10:30am tender tickets are no longer required.

 

Hope to cruise with you again soon.

 

Renee

 

See Above

[Cruisin' Chick]

There used to be mid-afternoon homemade ice cream with sundae fixings served in the Horizon Court, but that was discontinued about 8 or so years ago. It was very popular.

[dz63]

Doing an Alaskan Cruise on the Crown Princess in May.

Are any of the pools covered or heated?

[Sea Day Cruiser]

There is no covered pool. And they are not usually heated. Alaska may be different.

[FunForUs]

Comparing to Carnival

 

 

Princess allows reservations for ATD. One issue with ATD on Princess is when assigned diners do not want to eat at their assigned times and overfill the ATD. Rarely has our card been checked to see our dining assignment.

 

 

 

Hi Sadie, how do you make reservations for ATD? We will be on the Crown for the first time next April. Thanks, Shirley

[OCruisers]

You can call DINE Line in the morning and make reservations for that evening in ATD. We normally have dinner after 7:30 and have never had a problem doing this. It might not be possible for the popular 6:00 - 7:30 dining times.

 

LuLu