This was only our second cruise on Princess, an October 2016 28-day round trip run from LA to Hawaii & the South Pacific. We have always concentrated on Royal Caribbean because of their excellent affinity program so they are our comparison standard.

Recent reviewers have characterized Crown Princess as "tired" and "badly in need of a refresh", but we didn't get that impression at all. Although she isn't spanking new, our take is she is looking pretty good. With the exception of some metal elevator doors & frames, neither our cabin nor the public areas looked at all beat up, no frayed carpets or excessively gouged wood or walls, although admittedly our cabin's carpet did show it had experienced its share of wear & cleanings. Exterior woodwork (railings, etc) are always an ongoing maintenance item, so you have to expect some will be freshly finished, some in average condition and some due for re-varnishing, that's the nature of the sea.

In terms of personal service we were quite pleased. Staffing levels seem a bit higher than our "standard", particularly in the food service area, so one of my cruise annoyances, the sometimes painfully dragged out between-course periods at dining room dinners, were often at least a bit shorter. Being a long-duration (28 day) cruise, our passenger demographic was mostly old folks, who need a lot of extra service & hand-holding. The staff handled all with a smile. Read more