First, let me say we are experienced travelers, and have cruised with Princess 10 times out of a total 18 cruises. This, however was our first cruise on the Crown Princess. In a word, disappointed.
Embarkation was a breeze, we arrived at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal around 11:30 and got right on the ship, no lines and we did not have to use the Platinum line. We had a mini-suite, and loved the linens and mattress on the bed. We knew there was no privacy on the balcony when we booked but decided the space was worth the lack of privacy. Our room steward was Jesus and he was fine. We had traditional first seating dining in the Botticelli Dining room. We had excellent waiters but were disappointed with the changes to the menu. We asked if they still served French Onion soup, escargot, and creme brulee and were informed we could have them if we ordered them special from the kitchen. Instead of 2 lobster tail at dinner, now you get 1 lobster tail and 2 shrimp. We have concluded that if we expect gourmet touches in the future we had better be willing to spring for the specialty restaurants on board. The food quality was still good but the selections have dropped a notch. Room service on Princess has always been lacking and nothing has changed. We had lunch at the buffet and it was very good.
Ports of call were interesting, but tendering and just getting off and on the ship was a pain. Too many people to move. My thoughts kept going to how we would ever get this many people off in an emergency. I guess I should have expected it would take a big chunk out of our day in port, just waiting in line to get off or back on. A waste! People that had never cruised before kept saying it would be the last cruise they ever took. So sad!