Crown Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Having flown in to LAX early in the morning, we were greeted by the Princess staff at the airport. We had about a 3 hour wait ahead of us so the staff suggested we go to the coffee shop in the iconic Theme building. It was nice to get a breakfast and have a break from the crowds (and construction). Once we boarded the bus we were whisked away to the port.
Embarkation went mostly smooth. As Platinum members you would think we would be offered priority boarding, but as wheelchair users (not needing assistance) we were told that we would have to wait until after all Elite and Platinum members boarded and all the assisted wheelchair users and their families boarded. The embarkation staff were pretty much indifferent to our position. Fortunately, this was one of the few low points of our cruise.
The cabin was very nice. This was our 13th cruise overall, 7th on Princess and 2nd time on the Crown so we knew what to expect. Our room steward was polite but not overly outgoing. We had a balcony room so we wanted to enjoy it but was not able to since smokers below us kept us from enjoying the fresh air. We reported this to our steward and he did not want to do anything other than referring us to guest services.
Cabin Review
Balcony
This was an accessible cabin, located immediately off the elevator lobby. It was generally quiet, with a little noise from teens partying in the hallways and stairs, but otherwise quiet. The ramp to the balcony did not work and had to be manually lifted every time we went back into the room from the balcony.
Smoking is prohibited on balconies but Princess did little to enforce it. We noticed at least two other cabins decided to light up. We were not able to enjoy the balcony due to the lack of fresh air.
Port Reviews
Cabo San Lucas
Princess did not offer any excursions that wheelchair users could enjoy. While my wife stayed on the ship, I was able to visit the city, walk around a bit and buy some souvenirs. Shops were open on Thanksgiving and the day after. It did not seem like there were as many "hawkers" on the pier trying to sell their wares and trips. But the vendors in the different ships (expecially the tented shops) were very aggressive, and annoying.