Some random thoughts from the Crown Princess 2/2/24

[Cruise Raider]

We cruise on Princess frequently and we absolutely love the Royal class ships in the Princess fleet.  There’s one thing we enjoy even more than the Royal class and that is cruising out of our home port of San Francisco.  
I was not expecting to enjoy this 5 night sailing so much but it’s starting out to happily surprise us. We’ve cruised n the Crown Princess before and I will admit, I really didn’t care to cruise on her again but she is homeported in SF, so not sure what choice we have if we are not wanting to fly to catch a cruise. 

 

Yesterday, or cruise day as we’ve come to say in our household, started out very rainy and windy.  What was so very nice was that we were able to sleep in, get updates from our friends on the weather over in the city that were disembarking from the Crown in the morning.  We were sort of instructed that things were running slow.  Well, we decided to wait for the rain to clear at home and as soon as we got off the freeway over in SF, it began pouring.  Since the streets were so crowded, the downpours were done just a minute before we were dropped off.  Such good news. The bad news, if I would even call it that, is that the line to even get into the terminal was so very long and just grew and grew by the time we were finally allowed inside.  It was well over an hour from the time we were dropped off until we were able to board. It really wasn’t that bad, though.  We’ve waited much longer than that and the weather wasn’t horrible, like we would have experienced if we got there 30 minutes earlier. 
Of note, people were bringing full sized large suitcases through security and in the scanners.  We always try to pack in carry on luggage due to many broken wheels lately, both at the sea ports and at airports.  I just hadn’t realized the scanners at the port took full sized suitcases. 
 

We boarded on deck 7 so, we didn’t even bother to drop our carry on luggage in our cabin when w got onboard, but instead, we opted to have a cocktail at Crooners.  The bar waiters and sommeliers were in full force selling the packages.  We happened to get a great deal on the premier package ahead of time but, we try to wait until we are onboard to buy it or upgrade as they get credit for selling them.  But, we also try to stick to a travel budget so, if we can get it for a better price, we do.  
 

We were surprising some long time friends that didn’t know we were going to be onboard so, we met up at Vines and it was so much fun to see them!  
We ordered the charcuterie board with crudities there and Marc, made sure we got a custom order .. less meat and more cheese, no truffles.  Shey, the bar steward went over to Good Spirits to get my favorite Chardonnay and was kind enough to put it in a Reidel glass.  Of course, they don’t like you to take those glasses out of Vines but no problem there as far as we are concerned.  

 

We had dinner at the Crown Grill and the sommelier did a great job in finding a perfect Chardonnay to go with my meal and a perfect Cab for my DH to enjoy with his rib eye.  I thought the meal was excellent.  I even ordered dessert, which I rarely do and it was so good.  We split everything so we could have a taste of several offerings.  
 

After dinner, we went off to the Classic Rock Trivia .. we did well, but not well enough compared to some other lovers of rock and roll.  It was so much fun!  That’s what is is all about.  We stayed in place for the Yes/No game show and I rarely join in but I did and that also was so much fun!  The cruise director, Jodi and her activities staff are so much fun!  
Sweet Soul Music was the production show last night but we’ve seen it many times and we’re just playing it by ear last night.  We are back onboard in a couple of weeks, so may try to see it again then.

Tonight is formal night and the Champagne Waterfall.  I think we are just going to go to the GastroPub for dinner, though and forget the dress up for tonight.  I see the Captain’s Circle party is at 6:00 PM on the last evening of the cruise and the dress code is listed as Dress to Impress.  So surprised to see 2 dressy nights on such a short cruise. 
 

Now, for the random thoughts and comparisons to the Royal Class ships …

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

The ship seems to be in great condition for her age. 

There is a slight sewer smell in certain areas of the ship, though.  So far, I’ve only smelled it on different decks midship and in the midship stairs.  I do have a very sensitive nose.  

The nonsmoking side of the casino is actually not smelling of smoke. Maybe there are fewer smokers on this cruise or maybe their ventilation is pretty good but it was fun going in there today.  The machines were actually a bit generous so we held our own.  
 

 The room has a usb port built into the desk .. one for USB-A and one for USB-C.  I’ve never seen that on any other Princess ship.  Some have a USB port built into the lamps, this one is covered and sits on the desk.  Love it!  
 

They are hosting the Zumba classes in the morning in Club Fusion and not in the piazza.  
They still had some demonstrations and games scheduled a bit later in the piazza and there is a piano player scheduled there throughout the day but it’s not a loud venue.  
 

I am not sure if the crown Class ships have enough offerings to make the Premier Package worth it for a longer cruise, as the only casual dining is at Vines and then at the GastroPub.  I do tend to only like the premier package wines but to us, the premier package is also about the casual dining.  I still believe that this class of ship, the ones without Alfredo’s, should allow you to order a pizza for no charge with the package. 
And I have not really searched for it, and meant to do so, but don’t believe they have any pop up casual meals.  

The MTP (Most Travelled Passenger ) event is a cocktail party for this short sailing.  The cut off is around 500 days.  
 

The carpeting on the port side of the hallways in the decks with cabin passengers has small red dots for the port side and green dots on the starboard side.  
 

There was an event in the theater this morning in which they were giving away a free Premier Package one winning passenger.  You had to be present to win. I believe if you already have the premier package, you would receive ONC in lieu of the package.  
 

Ordering through ocean now is so easy and the order was delivered in about 40 minutes and was accurate.  The food was really good!  

 

We had some problems with getting my DH’s muster drill viewing to register on the new app.  Even though he watched it, it wouldn’t give him credit.  He got a letter in the cabin instructing  him to be sure to watch it so, he put it on the cabin TV and that seemed to do the trick.  On my last cruise on the Discovery, I had the same problem but mine registered this time around.  
We did go to the guest services deck, spoke with Delonai to have him combine our accounts.  We also asked him if my DH’s mandatory muster drill was satisfied .. it was! 
And, my DH’s status on the new app had him listed as new to Princess.  He wasn’t too concerned as everywhere has us listed as elite.  Delonai took a photo of the page on the app that showed this and took it upping himself to contact Ocean Navigator and got it fixed.  Nice job and many thinks to the guest services desks for fixing these issues without sending us to a different dept, which we were more than willing to do .  
 

The WiFi has been very decent .. no problems to report.  
The new app, other than that issue with the muster drill and captains circle status has been all good!  I like it!  The bugs will get worked out and we will all be happy with it, well, most of us, anyway.  
 

Crooners, while they used to have snacks in a small carafe in some of the bars, they don’t have them on this ship.  Our bar steward  in Crooners is going to bring some olives and cocktail onions to snack on, although, they aren’t the huge stuffed olives they used to serve.  
 

BTW, I love meeting fellow cruise critic members and @sfpd3000met up with us this afternoon.  It was sure a pleasure to finally meet such a nice man in person.  I sure hope to see him on many more sailings out of the city!  
We are pretty convinced that we will trade in a cruise on a Royal class ship for the Crown up to Alaska this summer.  The positives far outweighs any negatives.  
 

more to come … 

 

[dickinson]

Have a wonderful cruise!

[travellingnana]

Have a great time!  We will be boarding the Crown on the 17th for the same 5 day cruise. Can’t wait!

[avonlady6390]

I was just on the sky last month downloaded the new app and had the same problem as your dh  with the muster video not crediting me as watched the app also went white for a little while as well but after about an hour it came back on and I didn't have any other issues with it.  I had to turn on the muster video on my cabin TV as well not going to say I actually watched it got my unpacking done while it was on.😀

[Cruise Raider]

3 hours ago, travellingnana said:

Have a great time!  We will be boarding the Crown on the 17th for the same 5 day cruise. Can’t wait!

We will be on that one as well.

Thankfully, we live rather close to the pier.  

Edited February 4 by Cruise Raider

[Cruise Raider]

Dinner at the GastroPub tonight was even better than we expected.  We didn’t get dressed up formal night and went in around 5:30 PM.  We were the first ones in there and wow, did it ever get crowded quickly.  
 

The Elton John show was fantastic.  We went to see the comedian in Club Fusion right after that but there were no seats left so we headed down to the Explorers Lounge for the Majority Rules game show.  That was fun.  
After that, some easy listening music at Crooners with a great piano player / singer.  
Another great day at sea … 

 

[2 cruises a year]

2 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

Dinner at the GastroPub tonight was even better than we expected.  We didn’t get dressed up formal night and went in around 5:30 PM.  We were the first ones in there and wow, did it ever get crowded quickly.  
 

The Elton John show was fantastic.  We went to see the comedian in Club Fusion right after that but there were no seats left so we headed down to the Explorers Lounge for the Majority Rules game show.  That was fun.  
After that, some easy listening music at Crooners with a great piano player / singer.  
Another great day at sea … 

 

Who is the piano player in Crooners?  I pretty much live them all, easy listening and up tempo.

Edited February 4 by 2 cruises a year

[MLS716]

Thanks for the updates. What time did you arrive at the terminal?

[rocklinmom]

Thank you for doing this review! We will be on the Crown in May to Alaska. It will be our second time on her and fourth time to Alaska. Love being able to drive to and from the port. Did you happen to notice if there is still an Elite priority boarding line? 

[Cruise Raider]

6 hours ago, 2 cruises a year said:

Who is the piano player in Crooners?  I pretty much live them all, easy listening and up tempo.

I think his name is Brian Johnson.  He was impressive.  
Gavin Burke is my absolute favorite but definitely has an audience participation theme to his performances.  
 

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, MLS716 said:

Thanks for the updates. What time did you arrive at the terminal?

We got there around 11:30 AM.  We go again in a couple of weeks and may leave home earlier to avoid that line.  This one, we were simply trying to avoid the rain.  
 

 

[Cruise Raider]

8 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

Thank you for doing this review! We will be on the Crown in May to Alaska. It will be our second time on her and fourth time to Alaska. Love being able to drive to and from the port. Did you happen to notice if there is still an Elite priority boarding line? 

There is no more priority boarding lane per se.  It’s security and only an accessible lane that will get you through that faster.  After security, there are only blue or green lanes.  The blue line was intense and you could just fly through the green lane.  
If boarding hasn’t started, they do have an elite waiting area and you will be amongst the first to board.  

[Cruise Raider]

It’s such a beautiful day in San Diego today.  

[nini]

4 hours ago, rocklinmom said:

Thank you for doing this review! We will be on the Crown in May to Alaska. It will be our second time on her and fourth time to Alaska. Love being able to drive to and from the port. Did you happen to notice if there is still an Elite priority boarding line? 

 

Once you get through security and Princess, you will be separated according to:

Handicapped, Suites & Elite, Platinum. It is in that order that they will board. Remaining passengers are next. At least that has been our experience for the last two cruises.

Edited February 4 by nini
added words

[Host CJSKIDS]

Glad to hear you are having a wonderful cruise again!!  Love following along.  Enjoy every moment.

[Cruise Raider]

3 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Glad to hear you are having a wonderful cruise again!!  Love following along.  Enjoy every moment.

Thank you Carolyn!  We booked two different cruises for August up to Alaska, knowing we will only be going on one of them.  I wasn’t expecting to like this ship as much as I am.  So, it looks like we will be canceling the one on the Majestic and keep g the one on the Crown!  I’m sure my love for it has to do with the crew. And, the ship really seems to have had some TLC.  She has been maintained wonderfully!  I love the Royal class ships and would really love to just drop in at the sushi bar but, the fact we have no flight and an equally competent crew on the Crown has won that contest. 

 

[charliedalrymple]

6 hours ago, nini said:

Once you get through security and Princess, you will be separated according to:

Handicapped, Suites & Elite, Platinum. It is in that order that they will board.

 

We are Platinum.  Do we have any chance of getting a spot in the Sanctuary by the time we board, or will they all be taken by then?  (I'm asking generally, not specifically on the Crown.)

[nini]

10 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

We are Platinum.  Do we have any chance of getting a spot in the Sanctuary by the time we board, or will they all be taken by then?  (I'm asking generally, not specifically on the Crown.)

I am sorry, but I don't have any experience with that. However, I think you have a great chance! At least you will be ahead of the majority.

[Cruise Raider]

13 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

We are Platinum.  Do we have any chance of getting a spot in the Sanctuary by the time we board, or will they all be taken by then?  (I'm asking generally, not specifically on the Crown.)

I really think that will depend on the itinerary.  The sanctuary is oftentimes booked up by those on B2B sailings before new guests even get a chance to step foot on the ship.  It’s not booked up on this itinerary in the middle of winter.  I have even seen where in bad weather, the sanctuary is closed down for the day.

 

[Cruise Raider]

What a gorgeous day we had in San Diego yesterday.  There was a cool breeze in the shade but the sun was shining.  We spent a great deal of our day on our balcony and loved every minute of it.  We even sat out there in our PJs for sail away and it was comfortable with the sun having warmed the air during the day.  
 

This is the sunrise we also woke up to this morning in Ensenada.  My DH just commented on our welcoming committee as we are pulling into port .. yes, all the barking sea lions.  I love it so much!  
 

 

[Cruise Raider]

Here are a few pictures from the ship.  While not very noticeable, the carpet on the starboard side has small green dots and on the port side, small red dots.  I always think of port (red) wine to help me remember which side is which.  
Also, I’ve included a photo of our usb ports built into the desk.  
 

The cruise director, Jody and her assistant Shaun gave a talk on the the ships features, mostly for those that are new to cruising but I still like to learn something new every day.  With the exception of the two elevators on the sides that are midship, when you are exiting the elevators, you are walking forward.  Good to know.  

The cabin TV’s are not mounted on the wall as we’ve seen on other ships.  It works out nicely in the corner as the balcony door opens from the other side. If it didn’t, I’m sure that would be quite the hazard as it reaches far over the shelf on which it sits.  

 

[Cruise Raider]

We’ve noticed how new looking the balcony furniture looks.  We discovered that they put covers on the chairs and footstools.  Brilliant idea.  The blue matting on the balconies, which I’ve never liked, does look brand new.  It does keep the chair scraping noise to a minimum so, I don’t hate it to much.  I’ve always thought that it is a filth catcher but it’s very pristine looking on our balcony.  
 

[rocklinmom]

I have never noticed the colored dots on the carpets! Thanks for pointing those out. And I like the TV's up high in the corner, that way if the neighbor has their TV loud it isn't across from our bed (like when the TV is on the middle of the wall). I hate trying to sleep listening to the neighbor's TV. I do bring a battery operated white noise machine but it doesn't help much. 

[Cruise Raider]

We went to the PES happy hour event last night in Club Fusion.  They had crudités, cheeses with a port wine reduction, preztels and some nuts.  For the hot dish, they had delish shrimp wrapped in bacon.  There was some easy listening music performed by a duo on stage.  It was rather well attended.  We got a chance to get to know the future cruise consultant but he is gong on his holiday at the end of this cruise.  What a really fabulous person!  The staff in that office is also so friendly.  While the main office is on deck 5, the loyalty desk, also run by the future cruise consultants is on deck across from the Wheelhouse Bar.

 

We also got a chance to chat with Micheal, the Hotel General Manager at the entrance of the lounge.  We met him on the Ruby and he always takes the opportunity to make sure we are having a fabulous experience.  Of course we are!  I have zero complaints. I don’t think I could find something to complain about even if I were looking for it.  Even that slight sewer smell that I noticed on the first day has just disappeared. 
 

Oh, and I forgot to mention there was a card on top of our toilet when we boarded, I meant to take a photo to post on here of what it said.  Although mentioned in the muster drill, it also reminded people of what should be flushed and what should never be flushed.  I’ve heard they’ve had a particular problem on this ship with toilets not working.  We have not seen any evidence of that in our cabin or in any of the public bathrooms.  
 

A friend of ours i staying in an inside cabin right next to a crew entrance.  He commented that his room is pretty noisy.  I have a feeling it might be the room service galley.  
Other than the kids that are nearby, our cabin has been pretty quiet.  Oh, and the nearby kids seem to be very well behaved so have not bothered us in the very least.  We did them barking back at the Sea Lions this morning but that just made me smile.  😊