We were on the cruise immediately following a deep cleaning of the ship. Previous passengers had disembarked on Thursday, and on Saturday we began our itinerary as planned. There were many stories about all the illness that had occurred on the prior sailing. Several of our passengers had been on the ship the week before and were completing a back-to-back. Whenever the captain made an announcement, he reminded everyone to wash their hands and observe good hygiene. The ship was very clean, the staff served at the buffet, the sailing went smoothly and there was no illness to speak of.
We have sailed over 30 cruises, primarily with Celebrity and RCCL. This itinerary was of interest and the date (mid-February) fit our schedule.
The Crown Princess is is an attractive ship with cabins that are roomy with good storage. The showroom is fine and the interior lounges and spaces throughout the ship are large and numerous. However, as for us, finding a comfortable spot on any of the outside decks was a real problem. The constant noise and vibration, morning till night, from Movies Under The Stars made it impossible to relax, nap or read, either around the pool or on the upper decks. We tried to seek refuge near the smoke stacks....and found there was mechanical noise from the ship itself and soot. The promenade deck was extremely narrow, so the only chairs to be found there were just for upright seating....no lounges. In addition, half the promenade deck was for smokers.