Princess Cruises
Read all reviews for Princess Cruises →
Senior Princess
I would like to share my overall experience in a brief way of cruising the Crown Princess which is operating in an "old-school " way, targeting mostly senior customers. We are active travelers, we wanted to see Hawaii because of its scenery and nature. That was our priority. Our journey left us disappointed and bored because we expected much more fun, additionally from the advertised 4 Hawaiian Islands, We could just see 2. Crown Princess Service: Embarking: Surprisingly smooth. Information: Poor. The captain announced the important info only once a day, which is absolutely annoying. If Princess uses a Medallion App, these kinds of crucial announcements such as cancellations port docking, or changing itineraries, these things should be available for more time to acknowledge. It was a huge impact on our pre-planned private excursions that we could not be there due to weather conditions or difficult docking and we had to cancel Kauai and Maui excursions and we lost money. Medallion app: We did really welcome the ship medallion class application system, it was easily useable and convenient when we did book services and order food or beverage or look over our account. However, this system needs some updates, because the start of using it was quite a bit of stress. For example, making a reservation in the main dining room was impossible or we have to share our table with others, which frankly is not so ideal. Front of Desk: Felipe from Brazil was helpful, especially since he tried to help us with our Wi-Fi setup. The room: Our room was convenient and had enough space for us, the layout was a bit outdated and the shower head should be adjustable but other than that everything was nice and clean all the time we would like to thank our amazing hard worker stateroom steward Randi who made our room spotlessly clean and he always respectful, kind and helpful all the time. Entertainment: We had just various feelings about our entire holiday and again We did surprise by how many elderly people cruising with us during this time of the year, and day by day we also noticed that the entertainment and activities on the board were adjusted and moderated for this age group. Too many shopping events, quizzes, and trivia activities were adjusted for their demands. I have no problem with this if the management would taking account those who want to dance or play not in an old-fashioned way. The trivia and other games were packed with elder people and the feeling was we were not on a holiday but rather a retirement club. The entertainment management needs to reconsider their offers for younger guests' demands too. There were a couple of board and card games available in the crown grill bar but when was busy the opportunity to play with something was reduced to zero. Table tennis and other sport activity such as basketball, or mini golf were busy all the time, so during sea days we could not find lots of this to do. Activities were mostly sales pitches and poorly planned. We have positive comments on the performances at the Princess theatre, the best show was the Encore! The only show that had a real effort put on the visual scenery on the stage, nice clothes, and the musical artists did such a magnificent broadway show in the evening! The band Ocean Boulevard was great, they played live music, but 45 minutes was just a warm-up to go to bed.DJ Rio played music every night but seemed there were just the same songs from '70,'80, and as always. But We loved that guy though. Foodservice: We were satisfied with the food options and quality. The buffet has good assortments for items, so every day we could find something different on the counter. The pizza was awesome and available every day! The crew members quickly fix tables and serve whatever we wanted. We loved the Brazilian guy Vinicius' big smile and kindness! Well done!Dining: booking dining sessions was not possible or just had limited options, mainly if we did not prefer to get seated with others at dinnertime. It is an F&B management issue that there was so limited space for couples to get private dinners in the dedicated main restaurants. If we find a reservation time on the app, we have to wait extra time to get in. From other experiences with other cruise lines was much smoother and more organized. We usually went to the Botticelli dining room and we have to mention some people there who eased up our stress with their enthusiasm, optimism, and their high standard of customer service skills. Greg and Fabiola, superstars of the gates of Botticelli. Thank you for your cheerful and friendly attitude! We felt we have been warmly welcomed. Franco and Melvin thank you for the best possible dining experience while we cruising. All of them deserve gratitude and incentives for their passion!