A P&O perspective on a Crown Princess cruise.

[daiB]

First I will say these comments are in no way a complaint only an observation. Any bad behaviour from passengers I am sure I would have seen on any cruise line.

 

We had a very enjoyable cruise and would do it again when we can fit it in.

 

Crown Princess to the Mediterranean May 13th 17.

 

 

 

This was our first cruise with Princess after many with P&O. so inevitably there will be many comparisons.

 

Before I start I would say that we enjoyed the overall experience as much as we have our P&O cruises. In fact there were many similarities, far more than the differences.

 

Boarding was much the same as we had Elite status. It was a little earlier but not by much. We were on the ship by 12.15. However there was a hitch at some point as sailing was delayed by about 45 mins. The excuse given was boarding difficulties. We took the advice of others and went to the MDR for lunch which was very nice, very peaceful with very few people using the room. We stayed quite a while and whilst we were there, there was a bit of hard sell on the wine package. After some consideration we succumbed and bought a 10 bottle package, $21 per bottle instead of $29. Only we did not drink it all so brought some home. $21 is a bit more than we would pay for wine to be drunk at home.

 

We dawdled over lunch and went up to our cabin about 13.45. Our steward came and introduced himself. He was Angelo. Very efficient. The luggage arrived a little later and all were unpacked before we had to go for the drill. Because of my scooter we tend to go early to get a seat and the scooter parked. We then were told everything had been put back 45 minutes. The drill itself was much like P&O’s although the details were not given by the Captain.

 

After the drill there was the same problem with lifts with many passengers in scooters and wheelchairs waiting to go somewhere.

 

After this I went up to the Skywalkers Bar for the Elite drinks and nibbles with no real idea what to expect. The nibbles were more substantial and the drinks strong, and all at $5 + 15%. This was a definite plus for Princess however as often as I went, like every night, I never saw more than 50 people there. There were potentially 1200+ people who could have used the facility but the vast majority never got there. The staff in the Elite lounge were excellent and lots of them. Best service on the ship.

 

Dinner was at 8.00 and we had a table for 8 but only 6 turned up a couple from Glasgow and a couple from Montana and us. We all hit it off very quickly. Our lead waiter was from Peru and her name was Jhojany (Jo) and assisted by Jayson from the Philippines. Jo was very bubbly and a good laugh. The first nights meal was the best of the cruise. Rib of beef which was wonderful. As it turned out this was the only dish I would say was much better than what we have had on P&O recently. I have had beef as good on P&O but not for a year or so, although I may not have had the beef for a while. Overall the food was good and quite American, not a lot of veg. In fact some dishes came with no veg at all.

 

After dinner I went to the casino as I usually do. Huge place, think Azura casino with this casino covering the whole of the space that the bar takes up as well. Only as the cruisers on this cruise were mainly Brits, the place was empty, well almost. At 22.00 there were only 2 tables with anyone using them that is out of 14/16 tables. I looked around and saw 11 members of staff standing by the tables doing nothing. No action so I left.

 

We found out that on the ship for this cruise were about 40 from New Zealand 80 from Australia and only 154 from the U.S. I did think that there would be a lot more from over the pond.

 

I am not going to discuss the ports as we had been to them many times before except for Genoa. Only we never got there. It was cancelled a day or two before we got there. Instead we went to Santa Margherita. Only this was a tender port and the sea was a bit choppy. They had to suspend operations for a while and we were told that scooters were not being allowed on the tenders, because of the movement.

 

However we were able to now get a seat in the International Café. I did like this venue as you could get a good cup of tea for free if you had a coffee card. You could also get a range of toasted sandwiches and salads and cakes all free. There was also ice cream which you paid for. Now on this cruise with the weather on sea days being not that hot the IC was mobbed all day getting a seat was always a struggle. Those who had a seat tended to stay for some time. The same area on Azura/Ventura has more seats. The other problem was that there was some entertainment in the atrium and so people were inclined to stay longer for that. Unfortunately if it was entertainment that was to be looked at rather than listened to very few people could actually see and for most it was just a noise. It was much better when the group played or the piano player or the trio of string players were doing their bit as that was very pleasant.

 

 

 

Part Two

 

The entertainment on the ship was much like P&O, indeed at least 3 of the acts my wife had seen on P&O ships. There were things on during the day like quizzes, art auctions, bingo and some musical entertainment. One day a jazz band, a piano player and the string trio. There was a very good singer in Crooners, Red Bar Blue bar on Azura/Ventura. He was on most nights. So the mix was much as it is on P&O but perhaps not as much as you get on say Azura but more than Arcadia. The Art Auctions were a pain in the ****** taking over the whole of the central entertainment venue, the Explorers Lounge. This of course took away places to sit inside when the weather was poor.

 

The Captains welcome night was held in the atrium with the same problems as usual lack of seats they had the champagne fountain but not sure what happened to the stuff that was poured as it was still intact at the end. The champagne, well fizz came from the bar next door and was waylaid by people standing around and so never got to most of the people around the atrium we were on deck 7. Which brings me to the greedy old pair I spotted. They were sat next to us in crooners they did not buy a drink in half an hour. After about 20 minutes he got up and rushed to change seats to get one close to where the free booze would be coming from. As it started to appear he dashed up from his seat and got two glasses, which is OK. He then repeated this six times as more trays were brought out. All in about 10 minutes. Consequently those at our end of the lounge got none. His table was filled with glasses. What a total *****. The only consolation was that what they were serving was pretty foul. We were more than happy with our G&T’s.

 

Which brings me to my fellow cruisers, which were exactly the same as on P&O. The age range and the types of people. Most pleasant, some rude and some just plain ignorant. The lift problems were exactly the same.

 

Drinks, when we booked we had the drinks package which was worth a huge $1100 between the two of us. Not quite sure we would have drunk that much but it was not to be. I spotted a price drop, considerable, more than the price of the drinks package and so a quick phone call brought us a change in booking. It turned out to be a very wise move on our part. We had taken wine on with us, our 2 bottles and had the mini bar set up as we were Elite. We would normally have a drink before dinner as we were getting ready but with the timing of the elite lounge at 5 to 7 we tended not to do that and I would go up to the lounge at about 5. So we did not drink as much in the cabin. Of course the drinks in the lounge were cheap at less than $6 and strong so not many needed. We had the wine package at dinner so we did not need much more booze. As well as this the ship ran 3 happy hours in various bars. 3 till 4, 5 till 6 and 11 till 12. Which were all buy 1 get one for a dollar.

 

So in conclusion I would say for us the full booze package would have been a waste. Not needed at all. The best deal was the coffee card.

 

We now do very few trips but from what I have seen there is little difference between all the cruise lines as the coaches and guides are the same for all lines. Royal Caribbean, MSC, Princess, etc. The only difference is the price. We did use shuttle buses but were not happy to have to pay for them, free is far better. In the ports we were lucky with the weather and we just did our own thing, the odd beer and coffee.

 

Over the cruise we tried both the Crown Grill and Sabatini’s. Both venues very quiet. The grill was excellent if a little cold, Air Con working too well. The food was very good, Ribeye perfect. In Sabatini’s there were even less people. The starters were excellent. My wife had a chicken dish which was very good. Unfortunately my steak was not. It had been over cooked being beyond medium and I asked for medium rare. I managed about a half and mentioned it to the waiter. I did not want another one, which he was only too willing to get. Not only was it not cooked correctly it had little taste. Such a contrast to the grill.

 

We did not try the Salty Dog as most of the tables were high with stools round them not conducive to enjoy a meal.

 

We did have an excellent speaker onboard, that being Harry Redknapp. He was interviewed by the cruise director and was very entertaining and had a full house in the theatre. However he was the only speaker, which a number of people remarked upon, another reason for the lack of seats in the IC. I was going to say regarding the IC, the staff were excellent and very hard working. Most of the day they had little down time.

 

Overall we enjoyed the cruise and would certainly go back again on Princess, from Southampton. In many ways I feel it is like having another P&O ship to cruise on, which has some differences as Britannia is different to Adonia.

 

 

 

 

 

Gan Canny

 

Dai

 

 

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[skynight]

Thanks.

 

"We dawdled over lunch and went up to our cabin about 13.45." For information your cabin is ready when you board, so you can go directly there, drop your stuff, then go to lunch.

[Clairelly]

Thank you.

 

As an aside, does your luggage tend to be delivered fairly soon after you embark?

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

Thanks for the excellent review.

 

We did have an excellent speaker onboard, that being Harry Redknapp.

 

THE Harry Redknapp???? Football manager for Spurs, England and other assorted clubs??? That would have been worth the price of admission for me.

[flamomo]

Thank you.

 

As an aside, does your luggage tend to be delivered fairly soon after you embark?

 

 

I find that it varies from cruise to cruise. It seems to take longer on longer cruise, probably because people bring more suitcases for longer ones. It may get there quickly, but on the other hand, it might not appear till nearer to dinnertime. I'm always pleased when it gets there and I can be all unpacked before muster drill.

[daiB]

Thank you.

 

 

 

As an aside, does your luggage tend to be delivered fairly soon after you embark?

 

 

We got ours by about 14.15, these were the ones we sent by the Baggage Handling Company. The one we handed in ourselves came before the drill.

 

 

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[Hlitner]

Thanks for posting this comparison.

 

Hank

[Owlhelm]

However we were able to now get a seat in the International Café... I did like this venue as you could get a good cup of tea for free if you had a coffee card. You could also get a range of toasted sandwiches and salads and cakes all free.

 

Also of note is that you need not get a drink to enjoy the IC food - unlike P&O's offerings.

 

 

THE Harry Redknapp???? Football manager for Spurs, England and other assorted clubs??? That would have been worth the price of admission for me.

 

We have Peter Shilton on our upcoming cruise. John Virgo is on the cruise after ours. REALLY wish we'd had JV. (Non-Brits now googling this pair).

 

Martin.

[daiB]

Thanks for the excellent review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE Harry Redknapp???? Football manager for Spurs, England and other assorted clubs??? That would have been worth the price of admission for me.

 

 

That's the one.

 

 

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[daiB]

Also of note is that you need not get a drink to enjoy the IC food - unlike P&O's offering

 

 

 

 

We have Peter Shilton on our upcoming cruise. John Virgo is on the cruise after ours. REALLY wish we'd had JV. (Non-Brits now googling this pair).

 

 

 

Martin.

 

 

Sorry Martin but PS is not on you cruise. A friend asked me to check and the CD said there had been a change.

 

Also I do not think P&O are trying to give you a 24 hour food outlet, they have a coffee shop.

 

The IC does suffer because it is so popular. The staff are put under some pressure. On the other hand Vines was hardly used.

 

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[Owlhelm]

Sorry Martin but PS is not on you cruise. A friend asked me to check and the CD said there had been a change.

 

:mad:

 

Did the CD say who (if anyone) had replaced him? The likes of Eggwina Curry are also doing the rounds...

 

Martin

[daiB]

:mad:

 

 

 

Did the CD say who (if anyone) had replaced him? The likes of Eggwina Curry are also doing the rounds...

 

 

 

Martin

 

 

He mentioned the 5th Beatle Pete Best but not sure if it was the same cruise.

 

 

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[san diego sue]

I think any of Princess ships, regardless of passenger mix, that coffee area is very crowded. There are activities in the atrium.

On cool weather cruises, where the pool area is not being used, really crowded, On one of our cruises, the staff brought extra seating out in the Vines area and coffee wait staff came over to get our orders.

Then there are passengers that seem to never leave the atrium area.They sit in the same spots on the comfy chairs and couches. After a while you begin to recognize them.

By the way as far as Sabatini's . We never order Steak anymore. We go to the Crown grill for that. The couple of times in Sabatini's that we did order steak, not good, just as you described.

Glad you enjoyed your first Princess cruise. Amazing by cruising P&O being Elite that you are Elite on first Princess cruise.

I know this is done. We Princess Elites don't enjoy that on any of Carnival Corp. cruise lines.

[daiB]

 

 

Glad you enjoyed your first Princess cruise. Amazing by cruising P&O being Elite that you are Elite on first Princess cruise.

 

I know this is done. We Princess Elites don't enjoy that on any of Carnival Corp. cruise lines.

 

 

It is clearly because of the close link between Princess and P&O in the past. Up until 2002 Princess was owned by P&O.

 

I actually registered about 7 years ago on the Princess website and was given Elite status then.

 

 

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[san diego sue]

On any of our cruises with a very large British population,people are the most polite we have ever come across cruising.

We will be on the Crown in August and am looking forward sailing on her again.Love that ship.

[junglejane]

I think any of Princess ships, regardless of passenger mix, that coffee area is very crowded. There are activities in the atrium.

On cool weather cruises, where the pool area is not being used, really crowded, On one of our cruises, the staff brought extra seating out in the Vines area and coffee wait staff came over to get our orders.

Then there are passengers that seem to never leave the atrium area.They sit in the same spots on the comfy chairs and couches. After a while you begin to recognize them.

We were on the Crown on a Baltic cruise out of Southamptom, with a large concentration of Brits and an older demographic. The atrium area was packed every day whenever we were not in port. It was so crowded that I would try to cross the ship on a passenger deck to avoid having to thread my way through the crowds. (Still had a great cruise)

[triple7tahoe]

It is clearly because of the close link between Princess and P&O in the past. Up until 2002 Princess was owned by P&O.

 

I actually registered about 7 years ago on the Princess website and was given Elite status then.

 

 

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It is my understanding that while given credit for P&O, and hence Elite without traveling on Princess, P&O cruises are not counted towards the Most Traveled Passenger award and/or party-Would you care to comment on that?

[daiB]

It is my understanding that while given credit for P&O, and hence Elite without traveling on Princess, P&O cruises are not counted towards the Most Traveled Passenger award and/or party-Would you care to comment on that?

 

 

Correct. We were told that ours was the first cruise where this would apply.

 

 

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[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

We could care less what others do. They can have all the swill they want. Hopefully they will have a good long headache.

They are everywhere. :rolleyes:

[smokey01]

"there was a bit of hard sell on the wine package. After some consideration we succumbed and bought a 10 bottle package, $21 per bottle instead of $29. Only we did not drink it all so brought some home. $21 is a bit more than we would pay ..."

 

 

Hi, I'm also a regular P&O cruiser but have also done some Princess cruises now. We will be on the Crown from July 29th, can you remember if there were any smaller wine packages and if so the cost? I would never get through 10 bottles and as you say it is more than I would pay for wine drunk at home.

[daiB]

I think there was but I took no notice of the price. We bought it too early before we sussed out all the options.

 

 

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[Britcruzer15]

Dai

 

a great review, Like you we are experienced P&O cruisers, but first time with Princess (end of July) but well used to this class of ship. We would have happily cruised on either Azura or IoTS both of which leave southampton the same day as us, but Princess was 1/3 the cost!, so rude not to take the opportunity to try something new.

 

our multigenerational party are not big drinkers, but do like wine the odd cocktail or two and beer - the kids are made up about the very reasonable soda & more package.

 

I will probably take the drinks package for me, as I think I could make it work - just - but as it also includes the 40% wine discount on bottles, it will save us some money as a group (we will probably have a bottle and a half bottle per night between 4 of us).

[crows nest club]

Great review. Well considered. We were on this cruise and are doing it again on July 29th. We obviously like this itinerary and in our opinion, was made better by the fact that we didn't make Genoa, but on Captain's recommendation, went to Santa Margherita. Having been to both, what a bonus!! Such a pretty port.

 

We are long time Princess and previous P and O cruises, because of the new rules re the MTP, we made third place which was great. We have 685 days but mostly with Princess. . Happy days.

[Clarea]

Enjoyed the comparison review.

[vet6691]

"there was a bit of hard sell on the wine package. After some consideration we succumbed and bought a 10 bottle package, $21 per bottle instead of $29. Only we did not drink it all so brought some home. $21 is a bit more than we would pay ..."

 

 

Hi, I'm also a regular P&O cruiser but have also done some Princess cruises now. We will be on the Crown from July 29th, can you remember if there were any smaller wine packages and if so the cost? I would never get through 10 bottles and as you say it is more than I would pay for wine drunk at home.

 

We were on the same cruise. You can get a package with 7 bottles. There are two levels, I think one includes bottles up to $29 and one featuring bottles up to $45. We bought the more expensive one as it had wines we knew we liked. Pinot Grigio is not a luxury wine and costs about $35 plus gratuity on board. ouch! I believe with the gratuity the cost of the 7 bottles was around $300. Wine is so expensive on cruise ships a g&t is much better value.