Crown Princess Review
W. Caribbean Crown Princess Sailing 12/10/2011
Rating by category
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We had a great time on the Crown. This was our fourth cruise on Princess, and second in the Caribbean. We booked late at a good discount and got upgraded to a BB balcony stateroom. Overall the ship is in good shape, the crew was friendly and helpful, and shore excursions were excellent. Dining left something to be desired, however (see below).
We arrived by plane from the West Coast and so stayed overnight at Fairfield Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port. They're all set up for cruisers coming and going, no problems. We were able to check in to the ship early, which was a pleasant surprise: on board and in the stateroom by 12:00 noon! The stateroom was clean and just as expected from previous cruises. Our steward Ryan was attentive but managed to keep out of the way unless we called on him.
We reserved a double chair in the Sanctuary and definitely were able to enjoy it almost every day (exception was the day of the Coba Ruins tour) in the nearly perfect weather. The exercise facilities were fine, with plenty of treadmills and bikes. Everyone seemed careful to wipe them down before and after use, as we were under norovirus procedures from the second day onward.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Riviera deck starboard side. Many of the Riviera balconies in this class of ship (like Ruby) are underneath the outer walkways around the pools and aft buffet dining areas of the Lido deck, but this particular block on Crown Princess is positioned underneath a bank of forward Lido cabins, and so we were free of the thumping of little feet at 5:00 AM on their way to early breakfast or from a late night bar experience. The head of the bed is on the forward wall and the balcony door sits to the right of the bed if you're facing forward. The stateroom itself is the same as the rest of its siblings: bed, desk, minibar with wide-screen LCD TV on top, good-sized closet with more hangers than we could use, an 18" wide or so floor-to-ceiling storage unit with safe. The bathroom features the standard mini-shower -- hey, at least you can't fall down in there -- high-suction ear-popping toilet, sink, and mini shelves. Balcony view is unobstructed with a mini-suite double-balcony abutting on the forward side.