Just off Crown Princess yesterday - fab!

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks, Belfast Belle, for your thoughts.

 

I haven't yet been on the Crown, so I am fascinated by the many different opinions.

 

Best wishes, all 😊

[WatchHill]

We were on the Crown for its inaugural, and recently for the 14 night Summer Solstice cruise in Norway. As with all cruise lines, things have declined over the years, but we try not to let negatives obscure our enjoyment. It's the memories of the various ports that keep us returning to the sea. The fjords were spectacular.; no pictures can ever capture the scenery. We made every port, though the abbreviated time in Bergen was a downer. That is one port I wish we had more time to explore.

 

I thought the Spanish lessons a funny addition to daily activities. Fourteen night in Norway and Princess offers Spanish! Maybe I can find a cruise to Spain ports and hope for Norwegian lessons. ;)

 

We were on Coral deck, port side, had a wonderful cabin steward, Eli, who was very friendly and enjoyed chatting with us about our day in port, called us by name within the first few hours of our being on the ship, and kept us well stocked with ice and beverage glasses. Staff at the International Cafe were always very friendly - that's where I used up a few old coffee cards.

 

Food - so subjective. However, both DH and I agreed the food at the buffet was so much better than what we experienced on the Coral last fall on a Panama Canal trip. We had anytime dining, but gave up in frustration trying to secure a time to be seated. We called the dine line daily, but were told either "stop by" and we can seat you - never happened - or you can come to the dining room at 9: PM. So, anytime dining means just that - go to the buffet and you can eat any time. These ships were not designed for this style and until Princess addresses this issue, [and I wonder if they really want to], it's not going to work. We have been on the Royal and Regal; their buffet is set up differently so it seems to work better.

 

The buffet seems a bit under staffed to keep up with the volume of passengers using it for their meals. Yes, we had to search for a clean table a few times, and I got my own ice tea and extra silverware a few times. Only dining glitch was our trying to secure a gifted bottle of wine at dinner. The table steward said we should have gone to the dining room! I pointed out that the gift card said to request the wine at ANY dining venue and the last time I looked, Horizon Court was a dining venue. He wasn't too happy - we finally got the wine delivered to the table about the same time as I ventured over to check out the desserts.

 

Worst drink service and appetizers - at the Welcome Back cocktail party - one soggy dough ball and a watered down cosmo. I requested an alternate drink and was told, "No" however a few couples adjacent to us were served snifters of brandy.

 

 

Crown Grille - the a la carte dining has declined significantly. Both filet were tasteless, unless you count the heavily salted flavor, and both over-cooked. The bar there got the chairman of the board wrong - straight up doesn't mean on the rocks with olives and orange slices floating! That placed used to be packed with passengers, not any more.

 

We had a great time, meeting others from CC, loved North Cape, Trodheim, the Flam rail trip was a highlight.

 

Darcy

[Woobstr112G]

We were on the Crown for its inaugural, and recently for the 14 night Summer Solstice cruise in Norway. As with all cruise lines, things have declined over the years, but we try not to let negatives obscure our enjoyment. It's the memories of the various ports that keep us returning to the sea. The fjords were spectacular.; no pictures can ever capture the scenery. We made every port, though the abbreviated time in Bergen was a downer. That is one port I wish we had more time to explore.

 

I thought the Spanish lessons a funny addition to daily activities. Fourteen night in Norway and Princess offers Spanish! Maybe I can find a cruise to Spain ports and hope for Norwegian lessons. ;)

 

We were on Coral deck, port side, had a wonderful cabin steward, Eli, who was very friendly and enjoyed chatting with us about our day in port, called us by name within the first few hours of our being on the ship, and kept us well stocked with ice and beverage glasses. Staff at the International Cafe were always very friendly - that's where I used up a few old coffee cards.

 

Food - so subjective. However, both DH and I agreed the food at the buffet was so much better than what we experienced on the Coral last fall on a Panama Canal trip. We had anytime dining, but gave up in frustration trying to secure a time to be seated. We called the dine line daily, but were told either "stop by" and we can seat you - never happened - or you can come to the dining room at 9: PM. So, anytime dining means just that - go to the buffet and you can eat any time. These ships were not designed for this style and until Princess addresses this issue, [and I wonder if they really want to], it's not going to work. We have been on the Royal and Regal; their buffet is set up differently so it seems to work better.

 

The buffet seems a bit under staffed to keep up with the volume of passengers using it for their meals. Yes, we had to search for a clean table a few times, and I got my own ice tea and extra silverware a few times. Only dining glitch was our trying to secure a gifted bottle of wine at dinner. The table steward said we should have gone to the dining room! I pointed out that the gift card said to request the wine at ANY dining venue and the last time I looked, Horizon Court was a dining venue. He wasn't too happy - we finally got the wine delivered to the table about the same time as I ventured over to check out the desserts.

 

Worst drink service and appetizers - at the Welcome Back cocktail party - one soggy dough ball and a watered down cosmo. I requested an alternate drink and was told, "No" however a few couples adjacent to us were served snifters of brandy.

 

 

Crown Grille - the a la carte dining has declined significantly. Both filet were tasteless, unless you count the heavily salted flavor, and both over-cooked. The bar there got the chairman of the board wrong - straight up doesn't mean on the rocks with olives and orange slices floating! That placed used to be packed with passengers, not any more.

 

We had a great time, meeting others from CC, loved North Cape, Trodheim, the Flam rail trip was a highlight.

 

Darcy

 

Thanks for your report. I agree with you about Flam. I absolutely loved the rail trip.....:):):)

 

Bob

[phabric]

I will be cruising on the Sapphire for the 7 day Norwegian Fjords July 2018.

 

SInce there are not many Norwegian Fjords cruises to get any information, I would like to know -

 

Did you take Princess tours? Or, heard from others about Princess tours?

 

Which tours?

 

Your thoughts on the tours?

Edited July 10, 2017 by phabric

[Happy2cruise]

Very nice. I've cruised the Crown twice and think she's a beautiful ship. :):):)

Agree, we have also sailed the Crown twice and have another cruise booked on the Crown for December;)

[WatchHill]

I will be cruising on the Sapphire for the 7 day Norwegian Fjords July 2018.

 

SInce there are not many Norwegian Fjords cruises to get any information, I would like to know -

 

Did you take Princess tours? Or, heard from others about Princess tours?

 

Which tours?

 

Your thoughts on the tours?

 

There are so few tours provided by locals, we were at the mercy [and financial benefit] of Princess. However, we did a few ports on our own, Tromso, Trondheim, and Bergen. I found port guides to use for each of these, and did a little research to identify what we wanted to see. Lofoten Islands was through a CC member and private taxi company. I later found out that we could have taken a local bus for $50 pp to North Cape - would have enjoyed that rather than being restricted by how much time were were allowed by Princess. You can book Flam independently, though with all the OB's we had, we opted into Princess' full day tour.

 

Darcy

[upwarduk]

I find Cruise Critic invaluable for the hints and tips I've picked up ---

 

 

We cruised on Crown 13-27.05.17.

We had booked at an excellent price in January.

My biggest complaint on the ship was the sub standard 'British' food, especially the soggy battered fish and the burnt Yorkshire puddings that were served. The chef apparently practiced constantly the next day!

Although it was our first time on Princess, I might hesitate to book another cruise with them, due to the fact that 6 weeks after disembarking , I still have not had my OBC refunded.

Apparently, as a cheque needs to be issued in sterling, a copy of our final statement needs to be issued by Head Office in America, before Customer Services in Southampton can send me the cheque.

If you reside in America this is done automatically in 4-6 weeks.

Even though I e mailed Princess last week, I had to ring Southampton today to be told this.

If all works to plan now, it will be 8 weeks since disembarking before I see the OBC ( which I paid for in March, in an attempt to spread the cost)

[phabric]

I will be cruising on the Sapphire for the 7 day Norwegian Fjords July 2018.

 

The ports are -

Stavanger

Olden

Hellesyit

Geiranger

Bergen

 

SInce there are not many Norwegian Fjords cruises to get any information, I would like to know -

 

Did you take Princess tours? Or, heard from others about Princess tours?

 

Which tours?

 

Your thoughts on the tours?

[majortom10]

We were on the Crown for its inaugural, and recently for the 14 night Summer Solstice cruise in Norway. As with all cruise lines, things have declined over the years, but we try not to let negatives obscure our enjoyment. It's the memories of the various ports that keep us returning to the sea. The fjords were spectacular.; no pictures can ever capture the scenery. We made every port, though the abbreviated time in Bergen was a downer. That is one port I wish we had more time to explore.

 

I thought the Spanish lessons a funny addition to daily activities. Fourteen night in Norway and Princess offers Spanish! Maybe I can find a cruise to Spain ports and hope for Norwegian lessons. ;)

 

We were on Coral deck, port side, had a wonderful cabin steward, Eli, who was very friendly and enjoyed chatting with us about our day in port, called us by name within the first few hours of our being on the ship, and kept us well stocked with ice and beverage glasses. Staff at the International Cafe were always very friendly - that's where I used up a few old coffee cards.

 

Food - so subjective. However, both DH and I agreed the food at the buffet was so much better than what we experienced on the Coral last fall on a Panama Canal trip. We had anytime dining, but gave up in frustration trying to secure a time to be seated. We called the dine line daily, but were told either "stop by" and we can seat you - never happened - or you can come to the dining room at 9: PM. So, anytime dining means just that - go to the buffet and you can eat any time. These ships were not designed for this style and until Princess addresses this issue, [and I wonder if they really want to], it's not going to work. We have been on the Royal and Regal; their buffet is set up differently so it seems to work better.

 

The buffet seems a bit under staffed to keep up with the volume of passengers using it for their meals. Yes, we had to search for a clean table a few times, and I got my own ice tea and extra silverware a few times. Only dining glitch was our trying to secure a gifted bottle of wine at dinner. The table steward said we should have gone to the dining room! I pointed out that the gift card said to request the wine at ANY dining venue and the last time I looked, Horizon Court was a dining venue. He wasn't too happy - we finally got the wine delivered to the table about the same time as I ventured over to check out the desserts.

 

Worst drink service and appetizers - at the Welcome Back cocktail party - one soggy dough ball and a watered down cosmo. I requested an alternate drink and was told, "No" however a few couples adjacent to us were served snifters of brandy.

 

 

Crown Grille - the a la carte dining has declined significantly. Both filet were tasteless, unless you count the heavily salted flavor, and both over-cooked. The bar there got the chairman of the board wrong - straight up doesn't mean on the rocks with olives and orange slices floating! That placed used to be packed with passengers, not any more.

 

We had a great time, meeting others from CC, loved North Cape, Trodheim, the Flam rail trip was a highlight.

 

Darcy

 

We were also on the Land of the Midnight Sun recently and sorry but Crown Princess could easily handle anytime dining if they stopped people booking tables in advance. The whole idea of anytime/freedom dining is just that turn up at anytime and you will more often than not be seated unless you want a table for 2 then you might be given a pager. If they stopped people booking tables in advance there would not be a problem and if people want to book a table they should book select fixed dining.

[travelgirl45]

Have been seeing all these comments about the Crown. Have sailed on the Royal twice and no complaints. We are sailing on the Crown on August 26 and am not sure exactly what to expect. Guess we just need to be positive and make the best of it. The Cruisers who have had "issues: on the Crown, have you contacted Princess to express your displeasure?? It would be doing you and future Crown cruisers a big favor. I cannot imagine Princess would let the Crown go "downhill" as some of you have expressed. The right people may not know what is going on. MOO ! ! Looking forward to our cruise inspite of the negativity of a few.

[Dollyhaycart]

We had a fantastic Baltic cruise on Crown in June. In our opinion the ship was in good condition. Our room was clean and comfortable. The staff were all lovely, very helpful and cheerful. We had fixed seating in MDR and the food was very good. All our table mates felt the same. The buffet was often very busy but tables were being cleared quickly. The waiters were always on hand to get our drinks. We tended to go to the buffet for late lunch so maybe our experience has something to do with that. Overall we felt our trip was good value for money. We are not loyal to any one brand but choose our holiday based on itinerary and price.

[Mad dogs and Englishmen]

We were also on this cruise, our second time on the Crown and 4th cruise with Princess. We are relatively 'newbies' and have never cruised any other line so can't compare but our first cruise to Alaska on the Sapphire in 2011 was so good we had no reason to look elsewhere.

 

All cruises have been booked because of the itinerary, not the ship so we take what suits us, the Sapphire was great, the Diamond last year looked more tired and Crown is my least favourite of the 3 but all have been fabulous, we've been comfortable and well looked after by the staff.

 

Yes I've noticed cut backs over the years and not as good a selection of food as some would hope but could always find something that I liked and it was all of a good standard in my opinion.

 

The Horizon court always presents a problem for me but this is mainly down to selfish passengers hogging tables after they've finished eating so you have to walk miles to find a seat. The staff were generally okay but yes they seemed a bit understaffed on this cruise BUT... bearing in mind we missed a port and some crew members (and indeed the Captain!) were supposed to disembark at Stavanger so perhaps that explains it. They also had an extra sea day to contend with. These guys work long hours, they must get exhausted yet I've always found the staff fabulous!

 

I think the addition of 'fish and chips' is probably for overseas guests (not UK passengers) as its considered a very British thing! I would tell any American that if you want to experience a proper fish and chip supper visit a small chippy in the North of England!

 

Having had no choice but to do traditional dining last year on the Diamond we decided to do that again this year, being a party of 6. It meant that we were unable to see anything at the theatre as we couldn't get in by the time we finished dinner but our waiters were excellent and very entertaining.

 

The kids toilet was blocked for most of the cruise (C403) and I was constantly locked out of my cabin, I went through 8 cruise cards in the week (and no it wasn't near my phone or a magnet) which was inconvenient but it didn't spoil our week. Also disappointed with a 2 hour wait for tenders at Olden and missing a port but that's just one of those things...

 

Like Belfast Belle, can only say that we had a great time.

Life's too short to let things spoil your holiday, i just go with the flow and make the most of it....

 

Re: the cruise director, Duke was on our cruise on the Diamond last year in Japan, personally I found him extremely patronising towards his Japanese co-director. I think if I was her I would have punched him on more than one occasion!

Our first 2 cruises were the same CD, last 2 were, how odd is that?....

[TonyM99]

Just thought i would say having recently come back from a weeks cruise on the Crown - That I am slightly mystified by the negativity - Overall we felt it was a very good cruise - Food good only one night was the MDR not quite up to standard and that was only on one choice of the main courses - We like Traditional dining and get to know a few other people for chats over dinner. Buffet was good - lots of variety constantly replenished - OK Dining may not be quite as good as when we fist cruised some 15 years ago but that tends to be all lines - Overall nothing wrong with Princess and the Crown - Also Shows were good - ship clean - embarkation and disembarkation at the start and end and at ports of call all good. Crew very friendly so we certainly will continue with Princess

[KBS1607]

Just thought i would say having recently come back from a weeks cruise on the Crown - That I am slightly mystified by the negativity - Overall we felt it was a very good cruise - Food good only one night was the MDR not quite up to standard and that was only on one choice of the main courses - We like Traditional dining and get to know a few other people for chats over dinner. Buffet was good - lots of variety constantly replenished - OK Dining may not be quite as good as when we fist cruised some 15 years ago but that tends to be all lines - Overall nothing wrong with Princess and the Crown - Also Shows were good - ship clean - embarkation and disembarkation at the start and end and at ports of call all good. Crew very friendly so we certainly will continue with Princess

 

I'm glad to see this. We're booking a Thanksgiving cruise and the Crown has a better itenerary for us. I was getting nervous but I think we're just going ahead.

 

Our daughter is getting married in 2018 so this is a last hurrah of her going with us.

[riclop]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[Lucky TGO]

Happy to hear your cruise was so good!!!

Tony

[castle12]

We were on the Crown Princess for the two-week Summer Solstice cruise, disembarking July 1st. Our overall experience was very positive, not at all like some of the negative reports I’ve seen here.

There were 11 of us including two Princess Elite couples. One other couple has sailed on Princess many times. For DW and I, this was our eighth cruise and fourth Princess (2 * Royal, 1 Regal). We all agreed that this was a great cruise.

The MDR food was very good. Some of the group felt that the selection quality was pretty close to the best they had experienced. We had a table for 11 which was quite a challenge for the staff because of the close quarters, but our waiters coped very well.

We went to Sabatini’s once for dinner. I can personally recommend the sea bass and the others were happy with their selections as well.

DW and I were in a suite (courtesy of the upsell fairy) and so we could have our breakfast in Sabatini’s. The breakfast staff and food were exceptional, and the restaurant itself is lovely, with windows overlooking the stern. It’s a great way to start the day.

As has been reported elsewhere, the Crown Grill was hit-or-miss. I had the New York Strip both times we went - the first time it was excellent, the second not quite as good … tough in spots. DW had the filet mignon and the lamb chops. She declared both to be excellent. One of our group had the sea bass which she said could have been warmer. The problem came with the Stirling Silver Beef Chop. One of our Elite cruisers had previously been told that this is the best cut of beef on the menu, and indeed it is listed right at the top. But it arrived like a large minute steak … it covered the plate but was very thin. The next time he ordered the rib-eye which he did enjoy (and it sure looked good to me as I was struggling with the gristle in my second NY Strip).

One feature of the Crown Princess that DW and I were looking forward to was the promenade. We missed having a promenade deck on Royal and Regal. But the configuration of the Crown’s disappointed us. The walkway is narrow and there is room only for smaller deck chairs … not the lounge chairs like are found on Cunard and HAL’s Vista Class ships. Moreover, it seemed to me that just about every time I went for a stroll on the promenade deck, some section was closed off due to maintenance.

Maria, our cabin stewardess, gave us the best service we’ve ever had. It seemed that every time we emerged from our cabin, there she was working in the corridor and ready with her big smile for any request we might have. I wrote her up at the end of the cruise (the first time I’ve done that!)

Others have complained that the ship is “tired”. The only evidence we saw of that was two breakdowns in our cabin - plumbing and electrical. Both were fixed instantly by staff, and we received a note of apology.

We were fortunate in our weather. Bright sunshine at North Cape, sunshine for the beautiful mountains in the national park above Skjolden, the low cloud and drizzle magically cleared for us at the top of Trollstigen, and we could sit outside and enjoy the sun in Stavanger and Trondheim. Tromso was a washout, but at least we found a pub with excellent pizza to go with the beer, even on a Sunday morning.

The big itinerary disappointment was Bergen. It’s an interesting city and our weather was perfect, but we were scheduled for only a half-day there, and even that was cut short by an hour because of a conflict for our arrival at Southampton. Could they not have planned around that? The experienced cruisers in our party were suspicious that we didn’t have the full story. And indeed, on sailing away from Bergen we looked enviously at the Queen Elizabeth, still peacefully alongside, but a day-and-a-half later, there was Queen Elizabeth right astern of us entering Southampton! Is she really that much faster than the Crown? I think not. So why did we have to leave Bergen so early?

I don’t have much to say about entertainment. Most evenings a small group of us sat in Crooners challenging the bar staff with cocktail orders and listening to Tommy McPhee who was good most of the time. One evening he was joined by singer Jo Little and they were excellent together. But when we went to see Ms Little in the theatre, I have to confess that I slept through the whole thing. DW said that I didn't miss much. I should mention the ABBA special by the DJ in Skywalkers. The crowd was enthusiastic and I did get up on the dance floor, an unusual event for this old guy.

All in all, I’m glad that we weren’t scared off by the negative reviews we’ve seen here. Given the right itinerary, we would not hesitate to book the Crown Princess again.

 

[wishfulone]

For those above who are swearing off Princess...I don't think it's Princess, it's the Crown.

There's something wrong with the higher ups on that ship, they're not keeping tabs like they should.

Couldn't agree more. Problems like this in any company always filter down from the top but the cruise experience is up to each individual. Go with the flow and enjoy each cruise.

[upwarduk]

The experienced cruisers in our party were suspicious that we didn’t have the full story.

I couldn't agree more!

We were informed on 19/05/17 that we wouldn't be going into Genoa for 'operational reasons' on 21.05.17.

On 20.05.17 we were sitting in a restaurant in Florence and were talking to a couple of passengers from Majestic Princess. They had been to Genoa the previous day. Someone had suggested that we couldn't go into Genoa as the turning circle in the harbour was too tight due to on going maintenance work in the harbour and that the ship had been pushed into the dock and was damaged on the previous cruise.

So either she cannot turn due to being not modern enough, or it's again a case of rumours, which were rife when we left Barcelona 3 hrs late on 17.07.17.

[Warrior Princess]

This has really put me off, as we are sailing for a birthday and anniversary celebration in August I just wish now we had looked at the reviews before booking, oh well should be elite next sailing but will we ever cruise with Princess again?????

[DFWGUYZ]

The concerns of aloof staff usually comes directly from upper management down. Hopefully with all the recent posts about this Headquarters is aware. A lot of CC members know about management. "If the boss isn't pleased, no one is."