We decided to do a 4 day get-away to Catalina and Ensenada at the end of January. This was our first time on the Crown Princess and the ship has some pluses and minuses compared to the other ships we have traveled-Coral, Island, Sapphire and Regal. On the plus side, this is a large ship (almost as large as the Regal), but in some ways it feels more intimate. The Piazza is smaller with smaller rooms around yet it does not feel overcrowded. The pool areas are nice and spread out including the aft pool area.
On the minus side, Horizon Court is very small compared to the other ships and the offerings and quality were lacking. The main dining room offered a very good dinner on our embarkation night, but was just ok two nights later. Crown Grill was excellent as always. Our last night we visited Horizon late as we were returning from an all day Winery tour in Ensenada, and had a somewhat disappointing dinner.
The balcony cabin was fine for a short cruise, but anything longer and we would want the mini-suite for the extra seating area and the larger bathroom. Our steward did ok other than one disappointing request. I had asked him on the first day for ice for our room which he promptly filled. Two days later on our sea day around 4 pm, I wanted to make a gin and tonic, but in checking the ice bucket, no ice just water. So, I called for our steward, never received a return call. Called the front desk, they said "call room service". Called room service and was on hold for at least 15 minutes, when I finally gave up and went up to the closest bar to get ice. Never heard back from our steward, even though I had left a message.
Clean, well maintained. Very small shower, but good water pressure. Bed was very comfortable, nice balcony.
A great way to see Catalina cheap is to rent a golf cart and tour the area around Avalon. This only takes one hour and is a lot of fun. Only costs around $40 if you keep to one hour, which you can do if you don't stop too long.
After this, we walked to the Casino, and did a short museum tour they offer, which highlights the history of the island and its many celebrity visitors.