Overall, my husband and I had an enjoyable time on this cruise. However, Princess Cruise lines and the Crown Princess have several areas on which they need to improve if they want to keep customers. My husband has traveled on many cruises with his family over the past 10 years, so he is able to compare his experiences.

The embarkation was very easy. It was much easier than I remember on a previous Princess cruise. When we arrived to our cabin, they had our names on our neighbor's door, yet our key worked on the door we were assigned. The stewardess allowed us access to our room and fixed the problem. We had a minisuite, which was roomy and well laid out. I loved having a large bathtub, and the shower water pressure was excellent. We were very disappointed that our balcony did not have a cover, but we knew this before we boarded. Although the decor looked very dated, we were very comfortable in our cabin.

Within 30 minutes of arriving at port, I was already changed into my bathing suit and in the adult pool at the back of the ship. We were very pleased that all of the pools were fresh water, which made for an enjoyable swimming experience. The pools were very well maintained and very inviting. However, there were not enough lounge chairs under shade. As expected, all shaded chairs were taken before 9am, so it is difficult to sit out on the deck in the sun all day. Read more