First time on Princess

[maxydu]

Hi all,

After 13 voyages on Carnival and number 14 coming up in May on the Vista, I thought it was time to branch out to another line.( My wife says turning 60 is the main reason). Truthfully, I'm very disappointed

in the cutbacks on Carnival especially when it comes to evening shows and entertainment. I grew up going to the shows in the Catskill Mountains (the Borsht Belt) and have always enjoyed live entertainment.

For those who have enjoyed both lines, I was hoping that you would be kind enough to share what I will

have to look forward to on the Crown Princess. We're booked on an eight night voyage to the ABC islands in Dec. Is the ship in good condition? How is the food? The service? Are the chair hogs out in force? Thanks!

[Lucky TGO]

Hi all,

After 13 voyages on Carnival and number 14 coming up in May on the Vista, I thought it was time to branch out to another line.( My wife says turning 60 is the main reason). Truthfully, I'm very disappointed

in the cutbacks on Carnival especially when it comes to evening shows and entertainment. I grew up going to the shows in the Catskill Mountains (the Borsht Belt) and have always enjoyed live entertainment.

For those who have enjoyed both lines, I was hoping that you would be kind enough to share what I will

have to look forward to on the Crown Princess. We're booked on an eight night voyage to the ABC islands in Dec. Is the ship in good condition? How is the food? The service? Are the chair hogs out in force? Thanks!

 

Ship condition is good. I think the food is good. Just not as many selection as there once was. The service is good but there have been cutbacks in the staff. Chair hogs absolutely!!! I went to the adult swimming pool on our first sea day about 9:00am. I counted 41 chairs with books, towels, sandals, hats and bags and NO ONE WAS THERE. :o :o

Tony

[maxydu]

Ship condition is good. I think the food is good. Just not as many selection as there once was. The service is good but there have been cutbacks in the staff. Chair hogs absolutely!!! I went to the adult swimming pool on our first sea day about 9:00am. I counted 41 chairs with books, towels, sandals, hats and bags and NO ONE WAS THERE. :o :o

Tony

 

Thanks Tony. How long ago were a passenger? Do you recall which nights were elegant nights on an

8 day voyage?

[easyboy]

The last time we were on the Crown was in 2007 and we enjoyed every aspect of cruising at that time. We will be embarking on the Crown this March and have been monitoring any post concerning it. So far, there were no major criticism on the ship's condition, the food and its service.

In case you need some more info on what to look forward on the Crown, you can visit this site:

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/kp-crown-princess/

[JF - retired RRT]

We were on the Crown for 43 days in Nov/Dec 2016.

One of the issues that I noted was that the food in the buffet at lunch (never did dinner there) stayed essentially the same for 3 or 4 days at a time.

Same pasta dishes, same fish dishes, same veg, same soup.

This may have been a head chef thing or it may have been some kind of corporate meddling. But after the second week and counting, it got kind of boring.

[jeromep]

We're booked on an eight night voyage to the ABC islands in Dec. Is the ship in good condition? How is the food? The service? Are the chair hogs out in force? Thanks!

 

 

I've never been on a Princess ship that wasn't in good order. You'll notice a spot of rust, I mean a very small spot of rust, here and there, usually where seawater or condensation might easily get trapped, but the ships are generally immaculate.

 

I think the food is excellent. Food is very subjective. I think that food is better on longer voyages than shorter ones. That seems to be substantiated by others here, though not a universal thought. Food is continental in nature, lots of nicely presented dishes with sauces, drizzles, and dollops. Generally, the food you find for dinner in the MDR is inspired by the local culture of the place you are sailing. You'll find lots of seafood on Alaska cruises, Jamaican and Caribbean inspired dishes on Caribbean cruises, etc, but there are "old standbys" and some vaguely comfort food items that are always on the MDR menu night after night. You'll find selected MDR dishes up in the buffet, too. So, buffet diners aren't left out of some of the MDR selections, but I've seen the difference in presentment between the MDR and the buffet, especially for things like beef wellington, and I'll take the MDR dish over the buffet, even if they are made in the same kitchen.

 

You'll find burgers, hot dogs, and pizza on the Lido deck near the pools. Don't pass these up. I think that all three are the best on the sea and have very little to compare to on land.

 

The buffet is a zoo on embarkation day. Avoid it. You can seek out, on your own, MDR lunch. Don't ask about it because you won't be told where it is, but if an MDR is open during the typical lunch time, noon to about 1:30, you can get a nice sit-down lunch. If no MDR lunch is available, then you should eat at the International Cafe. They have wonderful sandwiches, salads, pastries and this is the coffee bar.

 

The vibe on Princess is more subdued. I call it casually elegant. Cabins are decorated in light wood tones, light beige, cream, and pastels. There is an emphasis on light in most places, especially in cabins, hotel areas of the ship and the Piazza. On board activities aren't in your face. My wife and I aren't huge "participants", we attend the things that interest us, and we aren't even aware of the things that don't.

 

Just a few thoughts.

[joeyancho]

If you have only cruised carnival, you are in for a pleasant surprise. It is an upgrade in every way. The food is available, at the buffet, from 6 am to 11pm. It doesn't close. For dinner the buffet has theme nights. Don't miss German night. The MDR food is higher quality and a bit more adventurous. The pizza is terrific. Room service has better offerings also. And don't miss the International Cafe, great nosh. . The entertainment is MUCH better. Carnival entertainment has really sunk low. There is pre-dinner entertainment in the piazza every evening.

The ship (I have sailed the crown 3 times) is beautiful. The decor is classy, not in your face, unlike carnival. The service is superb. Everyone will know your name. I am sure you will enjoy the difference. Bob Voyage.

Edited March 1, 2017 by joeyancho

[OCruisers]

We have cruised on both Carnival and Princess. Mostly on Princess which is a better fit for us. ;)

Crown Princess is a great ship! You'll love the International Caf? which is open 24 hours a day so no need to ever be hungry. :D

The food and total service is good!

Going to the ABC Islands is great! Enjoy your cruise! :D

[Thrak]

If you would like a laid back venue for drinks where you can read during the day or have a less hectic experience anytime go up to deck 16 aft. You will find Adagio. It's a fairly under utilized lounge and there is a door out the back to a small public deck area. We found it by accident when we cruised Crown and loved it. One night the crew jazz band played there in the late evening. There was an intimate crowd of folks who all appreciated the music and the crew jazz group was tight.

 

Adagio is directly across from Sabatini's and shares the same small aft outside deck space. Great wake view. We sail on Emerald Princess in October and have the AIBP. Like Crown Princess, it has Adagio. I plan to spend a bit of quality time there. :)

[Gabrielle R.]

I've been on the Crown, and we have sailed 3 times with Carnival. DH and I really have enjoyed Princess. The Crown was a great ship. We liked the wrap around promenade deck- it's great for walking and you don't have to dodge as many runners. The food was very good. We liked the International Cafe which has many different sandwiches, salads, donuts & rolls in the AM and deserts! They have specialty coffees too. Some people get a coffee card and like that a lot.

We enjoyed Coffee in the morning at the back pool on the Lido deck. The Horizon Court is the main Buffet and in back of there is the Cafe Caribe- we enjoyed that too.

They have some great excursions to the ABC islands Bonaire is my new favorite island.

The biggest difference between Carnival and Crown Princess, is the coloring is not as LOUD as Carnival. Not as many kids (Being a school teacher that matters more to me.) We liked to go up to the Sports deck and catch some sun in the seating near the Sanctuary (Which is the adults only area that you have to pay for. we always found a quiet spot back there. So there are many different pools that you can hang out by. I thought the food was better on Princess. Any Time dining went very well on both, but Crown Princess was better.

Hope that helps!

Gabrielle

[maxydu]

Thank you all for your tips and recommendations! We're looking forward to experiencing the upscale changes from

Carnival. A couple questions regarding elegant nights......Which nights are they on an 8 day voyage?

Is a jacket required in the MDR or will slacks and a button down shirt due? Are the specialty restaurants elegant attire on

elegant nights as well? I usually leave sports jackets at home.

Lastly, is there a check in desk for those with physical disabilities?

 

Thanks again!!

[JimmyVWine]

A couple questions regarding elegant nights......Which nights are they on an 8 day voyage?

Is a jacket required in the MDR or will slacks and a button down shirt due? Are the specialty restaurants elegant attire on elegant nights as well? I usually leave sports jackets at home.

 

Thanks again!!

On Princess, they call them "Formal Nights" and rather than editorialize, I will simply print the published information directly from the Princess website:

 

When formal nights are held, please observe the dress code in the Traditional Dining and Anytime Dining venues for the enjoyment of all our guests.

• Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for women
  
• Tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with a tie for men
  

Now, you ask what is "required". That is where things get interesting. I don't think anyone on this Board has been on a Princess ship in that past 10 years where a gentleman was denied entry into the Main Dining Room while wearing a light suit instead of a dark suit, or a blazer and tie instead of a suit, or a blazer and no tie instead of a suit. So any and all of those combinations will suffice. And if you remove the blazer, then I'd say that only 2% of passengers have reported being denied entry into the Main Dining Room in the past 10 years. So if you want to leave the blazer at home, you are not at any real risk. Do be aware, however, that on Formal Nights, the majority of men will be in either a tuxedo, a dark suit, a light suit, a kilt, a military uniform, a blazer with a tie or a blazer without a tie. Men who just wear a long-sleeved shirt will be admitted into the dining room, but they will be among the less dressed up folks in the room. For some people, that is perfectly fine. For others (and I admit to this, but do not judge), they would feel uneasy and self-conscious. (Just something my dad instilled in me, which is: "Never be the least dressed person in the room.") But not everyone is required to heed my dad's advice.

 

 

The Specialty Restaurants are always Resort Casual even on Formal Nights. You will see suits, blazers, Tommy Bahama short-sleeved shirts, polo shirts and the like.

 

 

As for which days will be Formal Nights, it will depend on the itinerary. It is not going to be the first night, as the ship cannot be sure when everyone's luggage will arrive at their cabin. And it will not be the last night as passengers are required to put most of their luggage outside their cabin door before they head to dinner (unless they are carrying it off themselves). Sea Days are usually a very good bet. If you have a sea day on Day 2 or Day 3, one of those will absolutely be a Formal Night. And if you have a Sea Day on Day 6 or Day 7, that will be the other one. If you don't have two Sea Days, then look for a day when you depart the port of call early, such as 4:00. Part of this is for the convenience of the guests who need time to get ready, and the other (main) part of this is that Formal Nights are a big revenue generator for the ship with photos, hair appointments, etc. So they want the passengers to have ample time to get glammed up and have their portraits taken. It isn't good for the ship to rush this on a day when passengers are on shore until 7:00.

[maxydu]

Thanks for the clarification. Looks like I'll be enjoying the Specialty Restaurants on Formal Nights per my better half!

That works for me.....Looking forward to the new adventure!

[bamelin]

I've been on Carnival Magic (Dream class) and Star Princess (Grand Class).

 

There is no comparison, Princess was SO much better.

 

Some thoughts re Carnival-

 

Carnival balcony cabins are actually very nice - big room, linens and towels are high quality and beds VERY comfortable. This is a good thing because after seeing how badly crowded the rest of the ship was and how crappy the entertainment- we rarely left our room making it a "balcony" cruise.

 

The buffet was bottom tier quality on the Magic and it was always rammed in terms of lines and there were literally zero drink waiters. That was a recurring theme that cruise (lack of staff).

 

MDR was great on Magic ... the one area that didn't seem to have cutbacks (with the exception of the Comedy "Brunch" i.e. combining breakfast and lunch MDRs into one service :/ )

 

Entertainment on the ship was a joke.

 

Atrium was such a letdown after having experienced princess. Like comparing a 3 star to a 4 and a half star.

 

Bucket of beers everywhere on top deck. Bar staff overwhelmed, not enough staff. LOTS of 30 - 50 year olds getting trashed.

 

I did like the large Promenade deck with bar/whirlpools.

 

In the end I got on that ship at a casino rate of $400 pp for the week in Caribbean with a balcony. It was worth what I paid but was definitely a big step down from the refinement Princess offers.

 

 

Star Princess had-

 

A way better buffet, with lots of attentive staff. Much fewer lines at buffet (and everywhere on ship in general)

 

MDR food better imho

 

STUNNING atrium

 

Far better Live entertainment/live music ... and this offered all throughout the ship.

 

Amazing HUGE balcony (caribe deck)

 

Ship had way more classier decor than Magic.

 

 

Anyways you will see. It's just imho but Princess is a way better cruise ... the price usually reflects this difference.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the clarification. Looks like I'll be enjoying the Specialty Restaurants on Formal Nights per my better half!

That works for me.....Looking forward to the new adventure!

 

 

I suggest adding Crown Grill to your list of Specialty Restaurants for dinner.

[caribill]

Lastly, is there a check in desk for those with physical disabilities?

 

 

 

If you mean when you are checking in for the cruise on embarkation day, the answer is usually yes.

[maxydu]

Once again thanks for the information. As I read this board it appears that a lot of loyal Carnival cruisers are seeking

a new adventure. I won't say I won't venture again on a CCL cruise, it's just time to venture out. Sure will miss the

Platinum perks!