Just off the Crown

[tedd]

For those of you that have used Princess in the past....Crown does not hold a candle to our previous cruises with Princess (Grand, Caribean, Golden). The staff is no where ready to running a Grand Ship. We had a good time but not like the last 3 trips with Princess.

 

Overheard on disembarking that a family was missing a 14 year old son. The last they heard from him was 4PM Tuesday (this was 9AM Wednesday). Any one aware of this?

 

Hoping things turn out well for these folks.

 

 

If you are cruising on Crown hopefully you will have better service.

[Clutterlady]

For those of you that have used Princess in the past....Crown does not hold a candle to our previous cruises with Princess (Grand, Caribean, Golden). The staff is no where ready to running a Grand Ship. We had a good time but not like the last 3 trips with Princess.

 

Overheard on disembarking that a family was missing a 14 year old son. The last they heard from him was 4PM Tuesday (this was 9AM Wednesday). Any one aware of this?

 

Hoping things turn out well for these folks.

 

 

If you are cruising on Crown hopefully you will have better service.

 

No, haven't heard about the mission by! Please tell us more about your cruise. What was it about the Crown that you disliked? Would really love to book our next cruise on the Crown.

[Sandytoes]

I also, just got off the Crown....Several names were p.a.'d but not any one in particular...

No name was mentioned over and over again, which they would have done if someone was missing.....

 

As for the staff, I think they did a marvelous job.....Our cabin steward saw to our every need and request....We used the Personal Dining and found a waiter (Frances) that worked extemely hard to please us....Friendly, giving, joked with us, gave us outstanding service....The entertainment crew worked their butts off....magnificent productions....

 

I'm sorry you did not have the service I received....

[cynbar]

Sorry your cruise did not meet your expectations -- can you give us more specifics, please ???

[sea glass]

The family in the room next to us had a missing teenager for four hours yesterday. The mother was hysterical. But he WAS found. I dont know if this is the same boy. I agree that if someone was still missing they would have made innumerable announcements.

 

I agree that the shows were wonderful and also ...the comedian Sarge was hilarious and it was standing room only.

 

I had a lot of trouble with service in the dining room. We had anytime seating and it took repeated requests to get herbal tea...almost every time. In addition,the salads were often wilted. HOWEVer, the salads in Cafe Carib and Horizon Court were fresh and plentiful.

 

The spa needs to get it together. I waited a half hour for a massage and then the lady spent the entire time trying to sell me things. She had no interest in doing the massage...just wanted to sell me vitamins and creams.

 

On the other hand, i liked the thermal suite. I enjoyed the heated loungers and the aromatic steam.

[mrscruisequeen]

Indeed, if someone is missing, they will make multipal announcements to try to find that person.

 

We were on a princess cruise about 2 years ago, and a woman was reported missing by her male companion...don't know if it was her husband or boyfriend.

 

I started hearing the announcment of her name in the public areas of the ship in the early morning, around 5am or so. We were sleeping, but woke and could hear it in the corridors.

 

Then, they started announcing IN the cabins, around 6am !! Later they even had flyers of a photo of the woman going around the ship. Don't know if these flyers were meant for cruise members only, but they did get around to the passengers.

 

Now, there's good news and bad news on this story.....she was found just fine, in a male crew members cabin !!!!:o

 

The rest of this story, one can only imagine.

Jeanne

[sbharr]

Just got off the Crown this morning - Hiya to all my fellow CC'ers!

 

I will write a more formal/detailed review later, but quickly, one of the best parts of the cruise for us was the food and service, had no troubles in the buffet or dining rooms. There were things we were not thrilled with on the Crown, but service was definitely not one of them. Our issues had more to do with the number and manners of some of our fellow passengers than anything else.....

 

Overall, it was a good cruise, but we may not choose such a large ship again....

 

More details to follow - when I have had some rest! Feel free to post questions, I will try to answer them in my review!:)

[Cindy]

Indeed, if someone is missing, they will make multipal announcements to try to find that person.

 

We were on a princess cruise about 2 years ago, and a woman was reported missing by her male companion...don't know if it was her husband or boyfriend.

 

I started hearing the announcment of her name in the public areas of the ship in the early morning, around 5am or so. We were sleeping, but woke and could hear it in the corridors.

 

Then, they started announcing IN the cabins, around 6am !! Later they even had flyers of a photo of the woman going around the ship. Don't know if these flyers were meant for cruise members only, but they did get around to the passengers.

 

Now, there's good news and bad news on this story.....she was found just fine, in a male crew members cabin !!!!:o

 

The rest of this story, one can only imagine.

Jeanne

 

On the Grand in March, the captain reluctantly woke the entire ship at 3 a.m. to page a missing teenage girl. Apparently she had decided to test a different category of cabin!:eek:

[tedd]

Things we were not pleased with:

 

1) Cabin stewart.

We had no soap for 1 1/2 Days. Asked four different times.

(We had 2 balcony rooms side by side both no soap)

We are a clean family- shower 2-3 times a day.

 

Rooms were vacumed only once in our 9 day cruise.

 

2) Gym opens at 7AM not 6AM like other Grand Ships of Princess.

 

3) Da Vince dining room mater'd was very impolite.

 

4) Disembarktion was forever to get off & I and my family sat on the floor from 8AM to 11:20. There were other families exiting after us- God only knows when they finally got off the ship.

 

5) One night at 1:45 AM 2 teenage boys were fist fighting in our hallway and woke up the entire hallway. A call down to the front desk did nothing.

It took another neighbor & myself to chase them away.

 

6) A group of teens roamed the ship and were tappering with the equipment closets on the 11th floor. Again no one from Princess seemed to care.

 

7) The Movies under the stars screen was smaller and not as cleat as the Caribean Princess. Also lots of times no movies ran at all during the day.

 

8) Some shows were sooo bad. (Sarge was very good). One comedian I felt sorry for (he was soo bad). The Motown show was very good.

 

9) The Captain's Cocktail party (for 2nd or more timers who cruised with Princess) left before it ended. Every other party the captain would stay for photos with customers.

 

10) Experienced several smart remarks by the staff to other customers.

 

11) Never seen so many children on a Princess cruise. I have two teen age children myself. At times it seemed 1/2 the ship was children.

 

12) My stateroom was so noisy it was hard to sleep at night. Alot of squeeking from wall between bed and closet. Our Patio door sounded like it was going to fall overboard. Again no help from Princess. Toilet would sometimes flush and sometimes not - maintance man could not figure it out and could not understand english well. A lot of vibration (was on the 11th floor in rear of ship).

 

Crown looks great and is laid out simular to their other Grand Ships, so it makes it easy to find things if you cruised Princess on other Grand ships.

[sea glass]

Da Vinci dining room mater'd was very impolite. (We agree)

 

YES. He tried to sit us right next to the busing station. We asked to be seated at a different table and he said, "Why don't you eat in a different dining room? " How boorish!

 

YES. The comedian(impressionist) towards the end of the cruise had no stage presence and everyone was walking out. I also felt sorry for him. We then went to the back stage tour(which was interesting) and were told some comedians only get to perform once or twice. Could they be referring to that one?

 

Yes. Our room was not cleaned properly. The floor was never vaccumed. There were marks on the walls from the list. They only cleaned that yesterday.

 

Also the money grubbing by Princess staff was reprehensible. Everywhere we went someone was trying to sell us a new item...creams, makeup, vitamins, shopping books, CDs, icecream, extra tips, drinks (there is nothing to drink for free except boiled water)...etc

 

In the aft, certain passengers took over the area and would not share chairs or personal space. They acted as if they owned that part of the ship. Didn't we all pay the same money? The rules say no chaise saving. The aft area is so beautiful and certain people took over the area from early in the morning.

[tedd]

If you cruise Crown Princess - Use the Michael Angelo Dining Room.

 

Staff is very friendly, Ricky from Granda is very funny and everyone of our waiters were very good. Same food in both dining rooms so use the Dining Room that cares..... Di Vinci is not the place to be.

 

Tip: Free Ice Cream in Horizon Court 3:30 to 4:00 PM (only on one side-you must find the correct side). Princess best kept secret.

[cynbar]

What cabin were you in ??? I'm just hoping it is nowhere near ours on 8/25!! Also, we will stay with the Michelangelo DR. Were there any signs of the youth security team we've heard so much about ??

[friend of Eeyore]

1) Cabin stewart.

We had no soap for 1 1/2 Days. Asked four different times.

(We had 2 balcony rooms side by side both no soap)

We are a clean family- shower 2-3 times a day.

 

12) My stateroom was so noisy it was hard to sleep at night. Alot of squeeking from wall between bed and closet. Our Patio door sounded like it was going to fall overboard. Again no help from Princess. Toilet would sometimes flush and sometimes not - maintance man could not figure it out and could not understand english well. A lot of vibration (was on the 11th floor in rear of ship).

 

We were in B751 during the "incident" cruise, and had Glennard as our steward. Don't tell me that he was yours, please. We never had a problem with service. He consistently was in there as soon as we were out, and changed the sheets, cleaned, etc. I didn't use the toiletries provided, for the most part, so don't know about replacement.

 

Plus, right after the incident, he came out (technically he was still on his break), having been woken up from his sleep, and cleaned up everything (tv on the floor, table all over, stuff all over) by himself, and made sure we were okay.

 

As for vibration, I was a first time cruiser, and didn't have problems with vibration. Swaying, yes, esp. the first couple of days - a little ginger ale solved that problem.

 

I'd sail the Crown again in a heartbeat.

[SueM.]

We were in B751 during the "incident" cruise, and had Glennard as our steward. Don't tell me that he was yours, please. We never had a problem with service. He consistently was in there as soon as we were out, and changed the sheets, cleaned, etc. I didn't use the toiletries provided, for the most part, so don't know about replacement.

 

I am going to put a sign on that beam that says THIS BEAM SAVED "friend of Eeyore" DURING THE TILT!!!! I am still not very happy about the "minor obstruction" and figure decorating it might help.lol

 

sue - in B751 - 8/25 sailing

[CSkier71]

My parents, myself [15], and brother [16] were on the Crown this past week. We thought overall that it was a great cruise and it met our expectations. The food was great and the service was too. Our cabin stewards, Vicente [C720] and Nora [C718], were always there to assist us with any problem. They were awesome at making sure everything was nice and neat and clean.

 

We ate in the DaVinci Dining Room. I can agree that the mater'd there wasn't friendly, but we didnt have a problem. We had a stadning reservation for Razvan & Harry. The service was great and they had a great sense of humor. If you are going to travel on the Crown in the future, I would definitely recommend them!

 

I agree there were A LOT of teens. A grand total of 376 from 13-17. [thats a personal record on all of my 13 cruises!:D] We made lots of friends. In fact, I met a few on our Roll Call that I was with for the whole cruise. I didnt doubt it when you said there was a fist fight. A lot of the teens were very loud and rude in the "quiet hours." There were 4 or 5 youth security people and they alternate by cruise which two go on in the day and which are on at night. Well, this cruise the "stricter" one, who I know from my cruise in April, was on in the day. And trust me, if there was a fist fight and she was on duty, it would END. lol

 

I totally disagree about the size of the Movies under the Stars screen. I thought it was most definitely the same size. The movies were very new and I wathched quite a few, mostly with the teens. The thing I didnt like about it was that they had times where you could play playstation on it :confused:. That is very stupid IMHO.

 

I also disagree about the staff. On new ships, they have the best in the fleet. For example, Daniel, the Teen Cordinator, started with the Crown in June. [He was on the Coral with me in April] He is going to be on the Emerald, starting when it comes out, next April. They definitely try to place the best of the best on the newer ships. Also, the CD, James Lay, was very good IMHO, which is why he was on the new ship.

 

One thing I did not like was disembarkation. It has never been that slow. We had Cream 3 colored tags and left the ship at 11:15. It was horrendous. Anyone going on the Crown in the future do the walk off luggage. Our friends who went with us did that beacuse they had an early flight and said it went very smooth. You will regret it if you have to wait forever to get off! You'll thank yourself in the end for the bit of extra work on your part. Waiting in the louge for 2 1/2 hours is awful.

 

All in all, it was excellent for a new ship. I loved the itinary. It was very convienent because we had a short, 3 1/2 hour drive from Dartmouth, MA. It did not seem like there were 3100 passengers on the ship. The most crowded was at the pools on sea days and that is about it. We had a blast and will definitely do Princess again:D!

 

 

 

-Chris

[cprofits]

and it was not my favorite cruise. I had similar negative thoughts regarding our dining room experiences, some other staff issues and my fellow passengers but decided not to try to point them out as I didn't feel like defending *my* experiences and opinons to those that would have surely tried to explain to me that *my* experiences and opinions were incorrect. Not many people here enjoy hearing anything but wonderful reviews.

[MoonPet]

 

 

 

One thing I did not like was disembarkation. It has never been that slow. We had Cream 3 colored tags and left the ship at 11:15. It was horrendous. Anyone going on the Crown in the future do the walk off luggage. Our friends who went with us did that beacuse they had an early flight and said it went very smooth. You will regret it if you have to wait forever to get off! You'll thank yourself in the end for the bit of extra work on your part. Waiting in the louge for 2 1/2 hours is awful.

 

 

 

 

-Chris

 

 

We were "Gold 2" so we disembarked even later than you did. The porter helping us at the terminal (and the immigration agent) both told us that the reason disembarkation was so slow was because the cruise terminal is understaffed and that there are just too many passengers for the space.

 

Since we didn't get off the ship until almost 11:45, the terminal was swarming with embarking and disembarking passengers. Hectic! But we were home in 15 minutes! :)

 

Interesting to read about the hallway issues. We were on Dolphin and frequently had the problem of kids running through the halls and popping the balloons that decorated the stateroom doors for birthdays/anniversaries. Always after 11pm, of course.

 

We had a great time on the ship, the only thing my mom and I noticed was that the dinner in the dining room, while satisfactory, was not up to the usual high standard for Princess with the exception of the last two nights.

[joannda]

We also just returned from the Crown and I must agree with some of the posters here about the uneven service. The maitre'd in the DaVinci dining room (Ronnie is his name) was VERY unpleasant and difficult to deal with. I was with a group of 20 assigned to Anytime Dining (Problem #1--large groups and anytime dining DO NOT mix!) On the day we boarded, I called the dining reservations line almost immediately after arriving but was told I had to make a reservation for a group IN the dining room. I made the trip down to DaVinci and Ronnie told us that he could not take a reservation for our group and that we should just send one person down when we wanted to eat and he would tell us how long we would have to wait. I walked down to Michelangelo and was able to make a reservation for 8:30. I requested tables of 6,6 and 8 (Problem #2: Tables are bolted down and there is no place in ANY dining room where large tables are positioned anywhere near each other, forcing a large group like ours to split into several tables. On Day #2, we called early in the morning and asked for a standing reservation in either dining room with tables of 6, 6, and 8. We were given a reservation for 8:30 in DaVinci but when we got there , there was only space for 18. Ronnie was unable to help and we were forced to split up again. On Day 3, I called to confirm that our standing reservation in DaVinci was confirmed with the requested table sizes and was told that we did not have a standing reservation!! After 15 minutes on hold, I was able to get a reservation for, you guessed it, 8:30 in DaVinci. On Day 4, I again went to the dining room to ask Ronnie for a standing reservation and was told that it was impossible to make such a reservation because, he said, inevitably , at some point, some portion of our group would not come to dinner in the dining room and he would have "wasted" the table. I pointed out to him that people assigned to traditional dining are "permitted" to eat elsewhere on any given night, and assured him that I would call if anyone in the group changed their plans, but he refused and suggested that it was unreasonable for me to expect him to accomodate such a large group and insisted that I make reservations on a daily basis. I pointed out that it was time consuming for me to have to do this, especially because it meant that I had to track down the others every day (we were in 10 staterooms in different parts of the ship) and he told me that that was my problem. I then went to Guest Services to complain and within 10 minutes the problem was resolved and I had a standing reservation for the rest of the cruise (of course it was for 8:30 in DaVinci!!)

To conclude, I have nothing positive to say about anytime dining. While the flexibility may offer some advantage to couples or small families, for the most part, I think it diminishes the cruise dining experience. I have always enjoyed the rapport that develops with my waiters; in the anytime dining rooms--the waiters did not even ask your name, they cannot learn your preferences, and the service feels a bit more rushed. Since the entertainment schedule seems to conform to traditional sitting times, and since a full ship in the middle of summer is quite likely to contain large families and groups traveling together, I simply do not understand why 2 dining rooms could not be set aside for traditional dining and one for those that prefer the flexibility of "personal choice" dining. Based on the incredibly long line on embarkation day of people trying to get a reservation in the traditional dining room, it would seem as if there are many who would agree with me. I know that in the future, if I cannot confirm traditional dining, I will seek another cruise line!

[Philly Fillie]

Just got off the Crown this morning - Hiya to all my fellow CC'ers!

 

I will write a more formal/detailed review later, but quickly, one of the best parts of the cruise for us was the food and service, had no troubles in the buffet or dining rooms. There were things we were not thrilled with on the Crown, but service was definitely not one of them. Our issues had more to do with the number and manners of some of our fellow passengers than anything else.....

 

Overall, it was a good cruise, but we may not choose such a large ship again....

 

More details to follow - when I have had some rest! Feel free to post questions, I will try to answer them in my review!:)

 

Hi fellow 8/7 roll call CCers!

 

I agree that the one of best parts of this cruise for me was the food in the dining room and the service everywhere. We had traditional second seating in Boticelli. Our team of Martin & Dimi were fantastic! We had a great time at dinner every night and were often some of the last to leave. I did not enjoy the food in the buffets as much, but could always find something I liked. When I requested service up there, it was never a problem. I had breakfast in Davinci almost every day and lunch once. I thought the maitre d was very effiecient and businesslike. He always treated me respectfully. I wasn't looking for a friend, so he was fine with me.

 

I did not feel nickeled and dimed at all because I knew what to expect and how to say no. I bought what I liked -wine and sushi in Vines, the coffee card with refills in my 20 oz Wawa cup, I enjoyed my time at the spa. Anthony was all about completing the massage. He did the products thing... I said no... that was it.

 

I did have issues with the entertainment in the clubs. It was either very "stodgy" (Crooners, Explorers) or non-responsive to the consumer (Skywalkers) for the most part and if I heard that bland cover band sing "Love Shack" once more I would have screamed. The venues themselves were great but after 11 or 12 Explorers and club Fusion were usually empty even though bands and DJs played.

 

Disembarkation was horrendous! I didn't get off the ship until 11:45 after sitting and waiting for 3 hours.

 

This was my first Princess Cruise and I was somewhat disappointed because I expected so much I guess. I loved the ship and the service however, and the best part for me was meeting my fellow CC roll call members and spending time with them.

[senior lady]

That's why I 'NEVER' cruise on a new ship!!! It takes at least a yr to get all the wrinkles out. Get the crew trained or not!!

 

I think I'll wait until the end of "07 before I cruise on the Crown

[kool kruiser]

I have read the posts on this thread with great interest. Other than disembarkation issues and the subjective opinions on entertainment, most problems have arisen from poor service. Like many, I have generally found that Princess staff are highly trained and courteous, friendly and extremely efficient. However, inevitably with such large numbers, occasionally all will not be as it should. I have suffered this on odd occasions but have always found that my issues are speedily resolved by referring the matter to the next management tier. So, if the maitre d is impolite or unhelpful, complain to his boss (the passenger services director, perhaps?). If the cabin steward is inefficient, see his supervisor. If the youth security crew are not keeping unruly teens in check, speak to the teen co-ordinator. If the spa employee does not perform properly, refer to the spa services manager.

Don't let things fester and spoil your well-earned vacation. I learned this from my US buddies. Before then, I was a timid Brit, but no longer!!

[GoodAsGold]

Oops.

 

 

 

 

Indeed, if someone is missing, they will make multipal announcements to try to find that person.

 

We were on a princess cruise about 2 years ago, and a woman was reported missing by her male companion...don't know if it was her husband or boyfriend.

 

I started hearing the announcment of her name in the public areas of the ship in the early morning, around 5am or so. We were sleeping, but woke and could hear it in the corridors.

 

Then, they started announcing IN the cabins, around 6am !! Later they even had flyers of a photo of the woman going around the ship. Don't know if these flyers were meant for cruise members only, but they did get around to the passengers.

 

Now, there's good news and bad news on this story.....she was found just fine, in a male crew members cabin !!!!:o

 

The rest of this story, one can only imagine.

Jeanne

[ILov2cruise]

If everyone would show up at the time listed on their doc's there wouldn't be a disembarkation problem.

 

I have sat and waited past 11:30 to disembarkation on other lines. Why is that always a major complaint. If your not flying or have a late flight you are always the last off. Need to remember 3000 people are getting off.

[lbiSeaGlass]

(there is nothing to drink for free except boiled water)...etc quote]

 

Come on! There was iced tea, coffee,tea,apple juice,cranberry juice,orange juice, club soda with lemon or lime available at all times. All of these were FREE. I agree with a lot of the complaints re: The Crown but this quote is untrue.

[bbqbrad]

Just a thought.

 

Does anybody think or know if this particular voyage has more children/kids than usual during the summer time?

 

In another post, someone referred to the 800 kids on board. That's alot of children. It can be very draining dealing with so many of them. It's just a thought I was thinking about while reading about the quality of service.

 

 

Brad