This was the third sailing of Crown Princess in the last 2 months that had a Norovirus outbreak. We were notified the night before we left that the previous cruise had had an outbreak and that our embarkation would be delayed so they could disinfect the ship. We were under Code Red (No self service) for the entire cruise due to the previous week's outbreak.
Embarkation: We were taken to the Convention Center to wait while the ship was being cleaned. We were able to check in right away, but then had to wait 5 hours to embark. They were only offering free water, sodas, coffee, and tea. Princess supplied no food so you had to use the food vendors and pay for alcoholic drinks. The drinks free drinks ran out around 5:00 and most of the vendors ran out of food around 5:15. We finally got on the ship around 7:30 and left Ft. Lauderdale dock at 10:30.
Cabin: This was the cleanest cabin we have had on any cruise to date (thanks to the ship's deep clean). Mid ship Mini-Suite with balcony (D515). Our steward Jonathan was the best. Very attentive and rarely seen and very cordial. Our only complaint was the the pillows were flat. They need to do a pillow refresh.
D515 is on the Dolphin deck, midships. It has ample closet and storage space. Balcony is large and unobstructed and entirely open so all balconies above you can see your balcony. This area is very quiet with little or no outside noise.