Mixed Bag on Crown Princess, Pacific Coastal, April 2014 Review

[bigtexxx]

My wife and I are just back from the May 26, 2014 California Coastal Cruise aboard the Crown Princess. Here are a few pros and cons of the experience.

 

CABIN

We had a balcony cabin, forward on the starboard side. The cabin itself was OK. Even though we had a balcony, the room only had two chairs, no loveseat. Décor was serviceable, if a bit bland—everything except the carpet was beige. TV was a decent-quality flat screen. Balcony furniture seemed new and was comfortable.

 

Best part of the room was the bed! Extremely comfortable. We had the steward add the egg crate mattress topper, and slept like babies. The bed in “king” formation seemed wider than most as well. Excellent thermostat control in the room—did a nice job of keeping the room temperate without burning up or freezing. We asked for and got the plush robes instead of the standard waffle weave; not sure if it mattered that we were “gold” level past passengers.

 

Room steward was excellent, very much the “silent butler” type. He was efficient and inconspicuous.

 

FOOD

 

This was our biggest disappointment overall. Food was just…mediocre. Wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t tantalizing, either. In the dining room, rather than feeling we had many good choices, we felt we were having to stretch to put together a satisfying meal. It felt like with most of what we ate, the “hot” food was rather cold, and the cold food was somewhat warm.

 

The buffets had a lot of choices, but it all had that “served with a feed scoop” feeling to it. Not a lot of style or subtlety to any of the food, sauces or presentation thereof.

 

We never could quite figure out what was going on with the Caribe buffet. It was supposed to be the “alternative” buffet, serving slightly more exotic fare. We got to eat there once the first sea day. After that, it never seemed to be open. It was scheduled to be, but every time we went by, it was closed. Many days, it was only set to be open 5-6am (!) for continental breakfast. Weird.

 

Breakfast buffet was serviceable. I tried the made-to-order omelet station one fairly slow morning. I ordered, then stood there for maybe 10 minutes. Still no omelet. The guy in front of me canceled his order, and I followed suit. The system just didn’t seem to be working smoothly. They were trying to cook them on a central grill, rather than the usual guy working a couple of pans set-up. The grill cook couldn’t seem to keep up with the (modest) demand.

 

We ate in Crown Grill one night. The food was marginally better there, but still nothing we’d return to if it were a land-based restaurant.

 

We didn’t try the limited room service menu.

 

The “Anytime” dining didn’t really work for us. The service was terrible—the sensation was of the service staff throwing your food on the table and running off. They seemed harried, never had enough time to, say, check back and see if your food was OK, and just weren’t engaged with the diners. You have to make a reservation every day (via phone, and prepare to be on hold quite a while), and if you don’t, you stand in a very long line to be seated. About half way through, we switched to traditional dining, and the service was vastly improved: much more timely, more friendly, more coordinated, no daily phone reservation, wholly a better experience.

 

The ship did have a nice selection of sugar-free desserts throughout the cruise, and the breads were excellent. But overall, I’d give the food about a 4.5 out of 10.

 

CABIN

We had a balcony cabin, forward on the starboard side. The cabin itself was OK. Even though we had a balcony, the room only had two chairs, no loveseat. Décor was serviceable, if a bit bland—everything except the carpet was beige. TV was a decent-quality flat screen. Balcony furniture seemed new and was comfortable.

 

Best part of the room was the bed! Extremely comfortable. We had the steward add the egg crate mattress topper, and slept like babies. The bed in “king” formation seemed wider than most as well. Excellent thermostat control in the room—did a nice job of keeping the room temperate without burning up or freezing. We asked for and got the plush robes instead of the standard waffle weave; not sure if it mattered that we were “gold” level past passengers.

 

Room steward was excellent, very much the “silent butler” type. He was efficient and inconspicuous.

 

SHIP

Again, eh. We kept saying, “this ship feels rabbit-y!” There’s just not a lot of flow (IMHO) to the design of the ship. Seems like you’re always having to detour around something—a panel on the deck, a potted plant to get to your buffet table, needing to go down a deck to get forward where you want to be. It just wasn’t smooth navigating on board.

 

The Movies Under The Stars seemed lame. (Note to Princess: really? MUTS was your best choice for an acronym for this feature?) The screen was atrocious. Maybe it was impressive when the ship was built, but in the era of Jerryworld’s high-def megascreen, the image quality here was pathetic and nigh unwatchable.

 

Handy tip: if you want to go out on top of the flying bridge, go onto deck 15 Forward, and just keep going. There are a couple of beige, unmarked doors all the way forward—just walk through those, and you can go up 5 steps onto that area. Quite a nice view back along the side of the ship. But hang on—it’s windy up there!

 

Overall, the ship was well maintained. Unfortunately, that did not extend to the mini golf area. Throughout our week-long cruise, it was “closed for maintenance,” though no one seemed to be maintaining it in any form or fashion, nor was it in particularly bad shape. I think they just didn’t want to mess with it. I find that really annoying, that they offer something like that as a sales point an enticement, then don’t appear to make any effort to make the feature available.

 

The pools and hot tubs seemed to be open and closed with no rhyme or reason. A pool would be closed, but the hot tubs next to it open. We were in port in Ensenada on the warmest day of the trip, and the pool was closed. Very odd. No signs, no explanations—just random closures.

 

It felt like there was a real shortage of just plain fun events on board. No shuffleboard court. No putting challenge. No ring toss for goofy prizes. Everything was geared toward getting more money out of your pocket: “Free acupuncture analysis” to see if they can get you to buy an acupuncture session, “free aging analysis” to see if you need to buy some botox, “free lecture on precious gems” that you can buy in the jewelry store, “free foot analysis” to see if…something is wrong with your feet, presumably—that sort of thing.

 

Take a tour and decide for yourself, but we thought paying extra for the thermal suite facilities ($109 for the week!) wasn’t worth it at all. The saunas were miniscule, and the whole area seemed like a stuffed-away afterthought. You could only get a pass for the week, which was a drag, too. Just not a good value.

 

We toured the “Sanctuary” area as well, which also didn’t seem worth it. It really came down to it being a different set of deck chairs behind a railing…for 20 bucks a half day. You could request sun or shade “on a space available basis.” And it was located on a windy part of the deck, underneath massive, LOUDLY-flapping international flags! It wasn’t much of a “sanctuary.”

 

They did seem to limit the number of announcements on board, and we always appreciate that lack of intrusion.

 

Tenders ran smoothly in Santa Barbara. Not too much waiting.

 

PORTS

We did enjoy the itinerary. No place we hadn’t been before, but each was a fun, “simple” stop, enjoyable and easy to get around.

 

For SF, highly recommend getting a Streetwise map before you go, then getting a 1-day MUNI pass from Walgreens when you arrive, and just seeing the city on your own. Easiest city on earth to get around in! We highly recommend riding Segways in Golden Gate Park. We found this place on Yelp, and it’s the way to go—you get to scoot around on your own at your own pace, aren’t stuck in a tour, and get to go a longer time at a cheaper price! Nice, friendly owner will help you get ready to go, even if you’ve never been. Ton of fun—our most fun outing on the trip! Check it out: http://www.yelp.com/biz/segway-sf-bay-san-francisco

 

Santa Barbara has a shuttle you can take into town from the port for 50 cents. The line seemed long and the sun was hot, so we just took a cab to the far end of State Street for 8 bucks. We walked most of the way back, then grabbed the shuttle to the ship. A $9 shore excursion! BTW, try McConnell’s ice cream! Fantastic!

 

In San Diego, we stopped at the Tourist Info center right on the pier, bought two all-day transit passes for $6 each, got a map and took off on our own. We had to walk a few blocks to catch the 7 bus to Balboa Park, but it was easy enough. Then we went to Old Town for lunch by bus, then took the Green Line train back to the ship. Easy, fun and cheap!

 

And ho-hum Ensenada, we treated as another sea day. : )

 

 

We didn’t do any ship shore excursions—no need to in these cities, IMHO.

 

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION

High praise to Princess for the boarding process. It was by far the fastest, easiest and most pleasant we’ve experience in about a dozen cruises. Part of that may be due to the terminal building in San Pedro, which is well designed and very comfortable. Disembarkation was OK. We did the walk off with our luggage. The process got delayed by customs, as usual, it seems. They had 7 customs officers on duty (the max appeared to be 8) to handle an entire ship. Thus, the bottleneck. But all in all, it went fairly quickly.

 

OVERALL

We enjoyed the trip. Being locals, it was nice to not fly anywhere to get on board. The ports were pleasant, and having two sea days was relaxing. It was an “easy” trip, no big hassles or challenges. The ship was OK and the food was a drag, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. And for $550 for a balcony, for food, transportation and lodging, it was still an excellent value.

 

Overall, we’d give the trip about a 6.5 out of 10, with high marks for the itinerary, price and simplicity of the experience, and low marks for the ship layout, food and feeling of always being squeezed for money.

 

Bon voyage!

[Coral]

All of the Grand class ships (including the Crown Princess) have the same or similar layout. Most Princess people get used to it and don't understand the criticism/confusion from those who have sailed other lines and then sail on one of these ships. I don't think it is the best layout (after sailing other classes and other lines) but have gotten used to it. If you plan on sailing Princess in the future, expect this layout as most of their ships have it. Your comments are pretty normal for someone who is new to Princess or new to the Grand class ships on Princess.

 

I am surprised that Princess still includes miniature golf in their marketing material as it always seems like an after thought IMO on the ships I have sailed on. RCCL did a much better job with this. I am not surprised that it was closed. When I see it open, it is not well used. Most of the time I have passed by it, it is closed or empty.

 

I agree about the buffet. People who have sailed the Royal and Regal Princess report a much better buffet.

 

My experience on the Crown Grill on the Crown was probably the same as yours. I have had better experience with Sterling Steakhouse, but the last time I sailed, that was a disappointing experience also. Must be hit or miss.

 

Glad you were able to get away and enjoyed your trip.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Coral

[caribill]

I am surprised that Princess still includes miniature golf in their marketing material as it always seems like an after thought IMO on the ships I have sailed on. RCCL did a much better job with this.

 

RCCL is replacing its superior mini-golf on the ships that have it, usually with a flowrider experience.

[Coral]

RCCL is replacing its superior mini-golf on the ships that have it, usually with a flowrider experience.

 

Interesting. I played it on the Radiance and thought it was fun. Oh well!

 

I think Princess should eliminate theirs as it was sort of an after thought.

[caribill]

 

It felt like there was a real shortage of just plain fun events on board. No shuffleboard court.

 

Unless they removed it, there is one on a stairway landing near deck 18 aft. It is only half a court. See the picture below.

[alamojo]

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this up. My wife and I will be taking the Crown to Alaska in 3 weeks. We also signed up for "anytime" dining so I found the comment below interesting. Nice to know you can switch, we'll keep this option open.

 

The “Anytime” dining didn’t really work for us. The service was terrible—the sensation was of the service staff throwing your food on the table and running off. They seemed harried, never had enough time to, say, check back and see if your food was OK, and just weren’t engaged with the diners. You have to make a reservation every day (via phone, and prepare to be on hold quite a while), and if you don’t, you stand in a very long line to be seated. About half way through, we switched to traditional dining, and the service was vastly improved: much more timely, more friendly, more coordinated, no daily phone reservation, wholly a better experience.

[Pamster]

CABIN

We had a balcony cabin, forward on the starboard side. The cabin itself was OK. Even though we had a balcony, the room only had two chairs, no loveseat.

 

Yes, this is my one complaint about Princess balcony cabins. I was surprised on my first Princess cruise to discover that a balcony doesn't have a couch or loveseat, since our previous experience with NCL was that they did. And the chair that was there was very uncomfortable. So we book mini-suites now, just for the couch.

[LynnSD]

We were on this itinerary a year ago on the Sapphire, and the food in the MDR was outstanding. We are longtime Princess fans, and commented every night about how much we enjoyed it. We also had Anytime dining, and had no problem with long waits for dinner - always between 6:30 - 7:30.

 

Makes me wonder if the difference is the chef, kitchen crew, menu ??? Apparently every cruise is different...

[Coral]

We also had Anytime dining, and had no problem with long waits for dinner - always between 6:30 - 7:30.

 

Makes me wonder if the difference is the chef, kitchen crew, menu ??? Apparently every cruise is different...

 

The Crown has 500 more passengers. The dining spaces/seat count are similar (though the dining rooms are not broken into smaller rooms like the Sapphire).

Edited May 4, 2014 by Coral

[ar1950]

...............

I agree about the buffet. People who have sailed the Royal and Regal Princess report a much better buffet.

 

The Regal??? Must be a "back to the future" experience.......:cool:

Edited May 4, 2014 by ar1950

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Coral]

The Regal??? Must be a "back to the future" experience.......:cool:

 

Sorry - close enough. It has had sea trials! Same buffet though - I doubt the experience will be different.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Coral

[ar1950]

Sorry - close enough. It has had sea trials! Same buffet though - I doubt the experience will be different.

 

True. The buffet layout on those ships sounds much nicer than on the other Princess ships.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I personally still very much enjoy mini golf and was disappointed when it was removed from the Sapphire, so I sympathize with the OP.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[likeadisguise]

The Regal??? Must be a "back to the future" experience.......:cool:

 

Well, the whole review is coming at us from the future! :)

 

My wife and I are just back from the May 26, 2014 California Coastal Cruise aboard the Crown Princess. Here are a few pros and cons of the experience.

 

(Obviously OP meant April 26, but it still made me pause for a second!)

Edited May 4, 2014 by likeadisguise

[BrandiGreg]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Crown next saturday for Alaska. We have made 22 Princess cruises, so obviously we are happy with the value. I suppose there is better food on other lines but it suits us fine. We always have traditional seating and never eat dinner in the buffet. We like the set time with no waiting (except the chaotic first night of course), so we can know exactly when to start getting ready and when, approximately, we will be done with the dinner, for planning our time before and after dinner. I guess we are used to the Princess ship layouts by now, so really does not bother us. But we are not in a rush to get anywhere, and we don't have mobility challenges, so we don't mind. $550 each for a 7 night balcony sounds like a steal. I would be happy with McDonalds each night if that was the rate!

[bigtexxx]

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this up. My wife and I will be taking the Crown to Alaska in 3 weeks. We also signed up for "anytime" dining so I found the comment below interesting. Nice to know you can switch, we'll keep this option open.

 

I'm sure you'll enjoy your trip on Princess, and Alaska as well. If you DO plan to change your dining plan, we suggest you do it early, so you have some shot at getting the table size and dining time you want.

 

Also, the long days of Alaska are no joke, so we suggest taking along sleep masks. The cabins have "blackout" curtains, but they don't seal well along the edges, and the cabin doesn't stay very dark when the sun is up.

 

Bon voyage!

[Pamster]

 

Also, the long days of Alaska are no joke, so we suggest taking along sleep masks. The cabins have "blackout" curtains, but they don't seal well along the edges, and the cabin doesn't stay very dark when the sun is up.

 

Bon voyage!

 

Thanks for this info. We've only done Alaska at the end of the season - September - when the weather is gray and there's little sun - let along "long days". I've been wondering about doing one earlier in the season to experience that.

[avalon1025]

Thanks for your review, we were on the cruise prior to yours. Overall felt the same, nothing exciting on the Crown, a bland overall cruise. Hated cafe caribe, crowded and never open, really just overflow seating from the very poorly designed horizon court. We ate in Crown Grill and I assume it's what an Outback Steakhouse is like, we returned to Sabatinis for the remainder of the cruise. Decor? What decor, every area on that ship felt boring and beige. I know people love Princess and in the 80's and 90's so did I, but now it's just a mediocre cruise product. I'd rather pay a bit more and get more

Edited May 4, 2014 by avalon1025

[flamomo]

Thanks for posting your thoughts.

 

I have to disagree with Avalon1025 about the Princess decor being bland, because I love the pastels and light woods. To me, that makes spaces look clean, bright, and airy. Just a matter of personal preference, I know.

 

 

I spent 42 days on the Crown between October 2013 (26 day B2B) and April 2014 (16 day itinerary), and really enjoyed every one of those days.

 

While some on this thread report the Crown Grill being mediocre, we enjoyed that venue so much that we dined there twice on the October/November cruise, and twice again on the March/April criuse. We found the meals we selected to be excellent, and the service was always outstanding. We also ate in Sabatinis once; the decor is lovely, but while there was nothing wrong with the food or the service, found we preferred the Crown Grill's food and atmosphere.

 

We did Anytime Dining on both cruises, and had no problems with getting seated quickly. I can only recall once or twice being handed pagers, but even then, we were seated shortly thereafter. During the most recent cruise, we did notice that the service could be a little spotty, but it was not that way on the other cruise.

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks, Flamono, for your good words about Princess decor. I definitely agree.

 

Thanks, too, for your good thoughts on the Crown Grill. I love it!

 

I am planning a future cruise on the Emerald, so I am reading all I can on this class of ship.

 

Thanks again :)

[cruiseclues]

Thank you for your forthright review...very appreciated. :):):):)

[shredie]

Thanks for the review. We are kicking around the idea of the same cruise. Never done the Crown. It sounds like its sisters, with "you can't get there from here" directions. :) Once we figured out the first aft MDR with the separate entrance, we were happier on those ships. :) Those Pacific Coastal cruises do seem a little "rushed," I agree, with the dining staff seemingly just trying to get it done quickly. Maybe it's just me, but the dining experience overall was not up to my Princess standards. Hey! but a cruise is a cruise!:D

[tarheelmjfan]

I have to disagree with Avalon1025 about the Princess decor being bland, because I love the pastels and light woods. To me, that makes spaces look clean, bright, and airy. Just a matter of personal preference, I know.

 

I agree with you, but I think we may have boring/bland taste. ;) I like open, light spaces with no clutter. When my sister comes to visit, I have to fight her the whole visit to keep her from adding some color to the walls or setting up decorations around the rooms. :p I had a friend's DH once say my house reminded him of an operating room. :o It's the way I want it, but experience has shown me that most people prefer a more homey feel.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!