In April, 2011 we took our first cruise with Princess to the Western Caribbean on the Crown. It was a dream cruise! So, it only made sense when booking our 25th wedding anniversary cruise we would choose Princess again. What a disappointment!!

NON-SMOKING POLICY: For starters, Princess is not enforcing its no smoking policy on balconies (or at least that was our experience). I am extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke, so when I kept smelling it, I started looking to see who it was. People who think they are hiding don't realize you can see their reflection in the glass on the balconies. It turned out to be the balcony next to us was with a group of people who had also rented the inside stateroom across from them and were using that balcony as their private smoking area. We complained several times, but nothing was done about it other than warnings given. It was truly frustrating since we paid for a non-smoking balcony that we could not enjoy. Management on the ship did not seem to know how to handle the situation, just kept apologizing, and told us they would bring us contact information for customer service, but failed to do so.

GRUMPY PEOPLE: Not only were the staff not helpful, but the passengers in general were grumpy and rude on this cruse. Note to self: Don't cruise the week before Christmas! ;) Read more