Crown Princess ship conditions?

[larrybritt]

My wife and I are going on our first Alaska cruise in July and are very excited. But one concern is what the ship will be like. We have been on 10 other princess cruises and most recently on the Sky Princess 2x in past year, the Royal before that. So it has been some time since we have been on lets say a little older ship. We have seen a lot of negative reviews on here recently about the ship conditions. I know negative reviews are easier to write and more likely than positive. I guess we just want to try to keep up the positive vibes and stay excited as we are sure Alaska will be something we have never seen and I assume will be blown away as we are east coasters and only been in Caribbean. Any insight is appreciated.

[SuzieQ521]

Following. We are going on our second Alaska cruise in a couple weeks (first time on the Royal)--Alaska is amazing, you will have a wonderful time.

 

We are also going on the Crown Princess for a Thanksgiving cruise. I did hear the same things you did about the age of the Crown. I've read different reviews; most of the negative ones did talk about some wear and tear (I know they had engine trouble a few years ago but that since has been fixed). But the one thing that Crown has that is perfect for Alaska (Ruby has it too and that's who we did Alaska with a few years ago) is Skywalkers Lounge which has floor to ceiling windows-- perfect for glacier viewing. Unfortunately, Royal Princess does not have any nice indoor viewing areas like that.

[Yehootu]

We were on the Crown for 28 days in March/April. Ship was in very good condition. There was an occasional elevator out of service, here and there. We did have a leaking prop shaft that caused us to drift for about 45-1hr, everything was operable during that time. We arrived at all ports on time, 14hrs ahead of schedule for a medical into Papeete. Our mattress was the worst I've ever had on a ship, and the sofa cushions were a little old. The propulsion problems have been taken care of and we never experienced the toilet problems that were reported. The buffet food wasn't very good, but the dining room food was good. I never saw the  Carib Cafe open but someone else said it was open for some sort of desert special thing.

[Amy G]

We just booked the Crown for July and we are excited for this older ship.  We loved Skywalkers for whale watching, and we miss wrap-around promenade decks.  The Crown has those, so we will look past the oldness of it (we were on the Discovery in April).

[memoak]

This ship came out of dry dock not long ago it should be in good shape 

[Italy52]

We are on the Crown to Alaska in July.  There are a couple of things that I am not too keen about but willing to adjust because we really like the itinerary.  We have sailed multiple times to Alaska on various ships and have never had a bad cruise.  We are looking forward to having a great time.

[Colorado Coasty]

Currently on Crown ( turn around day on a b2b), no problems. The ship is not new but everything is just fine. I would much rather go to Alaska on the Crown than one of the Royal class ships.

[SuzieQ521]

42 minutes ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Currently on Crown ( turn around day on a b2b), no problems. The ship is not new but everything is just fine. I would much rather go to Alaska on the Crown than one of the Royal class ships.

Is that because of lack of wrap around promenade deck and no Skywalkers? Or another reason? (Sailing on the Royal to Alaska in a couple weeks😐). Thanks!

[larrybritt]

2 hours ago, Italy52 said:

We are on the Crown to Alaska in July.  There are a couple of things that I am not too keen about but willing to adjust because we really like the itinerary.  We have sailed multiple times to Alaska on various ships and have never had a bad cruise.  We are looking forward to having a great time.

We are pretty much the same. Never been to Alaska and this Is a dream trip, so no matter what ship conditions are we are hoping Alaska beauty overrides everything else. We leave July4th and staying In Vancouver a couple days before hoping to enjoy time there too. Staying at the Pan Pacific.

[Italy52]

3 minutes ago, larrybritt said:

We are pretty much the same. Never been to Alaska and this Is a dream trip, so no matter what ship conditions are we are hoping Alaska beauty overrides everything else. We leave July4th and staying In Vancouver a couple days before hoping to enjoy time there too. Staying at the Pan Pacific.

Alaska is beautiful, I hope you enjoy your cruise.  Good choice to arrive a few days early for a couple of reasons:  explore Vancouver, refresh yourself before the cruise and less worrying about delayed flights should they happen.  The Pan Pacific is a very nice hotel and great location for embarking on the ship.

[Familycruzer11]

Just off the Crown 15 day to Hawaii.  One of our best vacations ever. It’s what you make of it. Didn’t experience any issues at all. Love the promenade deck, Skywalkers, Crooners, Explorers, Club Fusion.  Food was mostly hit with some misses. To be expected.  Most importantly the staff was outstanding.  It made all the difference.  We would go back on Crown in a heartbeat.  Look forward to your trip - it will be fabulous 

[nasa1974]

On the Crown for a 3 day - 7 day B2B in October (Pacific Coastal). Starting in Vancouver to San Fracisco head south and back to San Francisco. I also plan to stay at Pan Pacific. Love Skywalkers and Crooners.

[DallasGuy75219]

I was on Crown Princess in August 2022 and Caribbean Princess in January 2023.  Both about the same size.  Caribbean entered service in 2004 and Crown in 2006, so close to the same age.  So apples to apples, not like comparing Crown to Royal.

 

IMO Crown was showing more wear and tear and had decor/furnishings that seemed more outdated (or never updated) compared to Caribbean. 

[tawlaw1526]

I just got off of the 28 day cruise on Crown and it was wonderful.   I would agree with everyone else that commented before me, ship is older and showing some wear along with parts of the ship being outdated.   None of that are reasons to have a bad cruise.   My bed was the worst ever out of any vacation I have ever been on.   I mentioned it on every survey they sent to my room and my poor cabin steward tried hard to convince me the bed was in good working order. 😵‍💫   That would be my only complaint but I never let it slow me down.     The most important thing of all was the crew.   THE CREW WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!     I have been on over 30 Princess cruises and this crew on board were by far the best crew ever.    If you are booked on Crown, don’t regret it, go knowing you are on an older ship and embrace all the cruise has to offer.   You’ll have a fantastic time.    

[Colorado Coasty]

5 hours ago, SuzieQ521 said:

Is that because of lack of wrap around promenade deck and no Skywalkers? Or another reason? (Sailing on the Royal to Alaska in a couple weeks😐). Thanks!

Royal class ships cannot do the entire inside passage due to their size. Many people think that is the best part of the  trip.

[larrybritt]

5 hours ago, tawlaw1526 said:

I just got off of the 28 day cruise on Crown and it was wonderful.   I would agree with everyone else that commented before me, ship is older and showing some wear along with parts of the ship being outdated.   None of that are reasons to have a bad cruise.   My bed was the worst ever out of any vacation I have ever been on.   I mentioned it on every survey they sent to my room and my poor cabin steward tried hard to convince me the bed was in good working order. 😵‍💫   That would be my only complaint but I never let it slow me down.     The most important thing of all was the crew.   THE CREW WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!     I have been on over 30 Princess cruises and this crew on board were by far the best crew ever.    If you are booked on Crown, don’t regret it, go knowing you are on an older ship and embrace all the cruise has to offer.   You’ll have a fantastic time.    

Is the Promenade deck open where you can walk around the whole ship outside? Just thinking of best places for Boeing outside when scenic cruising like in Glacier Bay. It looks like even up to decks may be good viewing without having even some glass in front of you. The Sky Princess was awesome but I don’t think would be the best for Alaska for that reason.

[Coral]

59 minutes ago, larrybritt said:

Is the Promenade deck open where you can walk around the whole ship outside? Just thinking of best places for Boeing outside when scenic cruising like in Glacier Bay. It looks like even up to decks may be good viewing without having even some glass in front of you. The Sky Princess was awesome but I don’t think would be the best for Alaska for that reason.

The promenade deck is great for glacier days! And now crowded.

[johnmik1]

We were on in Feb. and I thought the ship was in nasty shape.Our cabin had multiple issues and the Caribe Cage was never opened as it looked like it was flooded.We will never go on the older ships again!

[marden1970]

2 hours ago, johnmik1 said:

We were on in Feb. and I thought the ship was in nasty shape.Our cabin had multiple issues and the Caribe Cage was never opened as it looked like it was flooded.We will never go on the older ships again!

We just did the 28 day South Pacific on the Crown, getting back on April 14th.  We thought the ship was fine,  The Caribe Cafe area was always open for seating and certainly not flooded.  We had a great time and the crew is absolutely the best.  

[larrybritt]

56 minutes ago, marden1970 said:

We just did the 28 day South Pacific on the Crown, getting back on April 14th.  We thought the ship was fine,  The Caribe Cafe area was always open for seating and certainly not flooded.  We had a great time and the crew is absolutely the best.  

Very glad to hear. I know everyone can and will Have different experiences. We are pretty easy going. Mainly hope for a decent cabin to go back to recharge and rest. No to picky about food as we know what to expect with Princess. Again everyone will have different tastes. It’s just been a very long time being on a older ship, but I’m sure we will make the best of it.

[tawlaw1526]

6 hours ago, larrybritt said:

Is the Promenade deck open where you can walk around the whole ship outside? Just thinking of best places for Boeing outside when scenic cruising like in Glacier Bay. It looks like even up to decks may be good viewing without having even some glass in front of you. The Sky Princess was awesome but I don’t think would be the best for Alaska for that reason.

Yes, there were many many people walking the promenade deck.   I went up one level above lido deck when we were coming into Tahiti and I was able to view out without having glass in front of me.   It was a great viewing area.    
when I did Glacier Bay, you didn’t need to walk around.   The captain faced one side of the ship towards the glacier for over 30 minutes and then turned the ship for the other side to view.   Most importantly, grab a great viewing spot and stay there, you’ll see plenty.   It’s stunning!   

[Coral]

5 hours ago, Coral said:

The promenade deck is great for glacier days! And not crowded.

Sorry - I meant to say not crowded. Most people head to top deck.

[Italy52]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Sorry - I meant to say not crowded. Most people head to top deck.

Coral, when do you leave on your cruise?  Hope you have a great time on the Crown. 

[Coral]

27 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

Coral, when do you leave on your cruise?  Hope you have a great time on the Crown. 

I leave Monday and get on the ship Friday. Going to Whistler and Vancouver before. Thank you 🙂 

[Happiest when cruising]

We just got off yesterday from the btb to Hawaii and then up to Vancouver. 
The ship was fine. There were definitely signs of aging in the dining room banquette seats, lots of places where they were cracked. Our cabin was ok, and we asked for foam pillows, which were better for us. 
We have cruised on the newer ships and I do think I like them better. I like the contemporary look of them. My husband has no preference and likes the older ships with the wood railings, etc. The Piazza and buffet just seemed so small and cramped to me. 
They did set up the special lunchtime dessert on the last sea day at Caribbe Cafe, I think it was only open a couple of other times over the 21 days. We have another cruise booked on the Ruby, that I just might cancel and rebook on a newer ship.