We sailed the Crown last year before it went to dry dock. Many things changed, but some were NOT for the better. First, yes, the carpet and soft goods were renewed. But many things were NOT. Some of the upper decks were neglected, especially in the rear where cutesy places were totally in shambles. The front where the library and floor-show area was had been changed to the exercise area. Nice, but too noisy for the demo shows they had there.

The worst thing they did was the ice cream bar! They took out the hard ice cream bar and replaced it with one of those cheap-o soft-serve machines. Used to be you could get one of three or four flavors of REAL ice cream, rotated throughout the day with great offerings. Another evidence of cheapening up the experience.

Food? Yes, they replaced the chef. The new chef is a pleasant guy from England. Actually, for a Brit he is REALLY a humorous guy! (I love the Brits). However, it is a given that Brits are NOT cooks. Ever heard of that "great British cuisine? Neither have I. Example: Prime Rib. Forget it! I had an end cut because the flavor is (generally) right 'up there'. Yes, the end cut is NOT the most tender, but this end cut was NOT GOOD. A guy at our table had the rare cut and his was tough! Well, I thought mine was tough because it had been so cooked. Not so. I suspect we were served another cut, because this is NOT prime rib. Our travel companions from the other dining room reported the same thing. Yet, the lobster tail and shrimp was splendid! Go figure. Read more