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Your escort to a world of dazzling amenities, sublime dining options and exotic destinations
Enjoy sweeping views of the world while sailing on Crown Princess. From her nearly 900 balconies to the breathtaking three-story Atrium, you'll discover a relaxing atmosphere filled with an array of world class entertainment and dining options that will greet you each day when you return from making fascinating discoveries ashore.
This was our first Princess cruise, and we booked it because we liked the itinerary and we have always wanted to do a cruise at Christmas We had read some recent reviews of Crown Princess, and were a bit concerned about the number of negative reviews – but we needn’t have worried, as we really enjoyed the cruise on Crown Princess and couldn’t really fault anything. Embarkation – Was very easy at the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal. We dropped out luggage off at 10:45am and we were on the ship in the explorers lounge less than 30 minutes later… very fast! Stateroom – The room was not huge, but perfectly adequate. It had a very large wardrobe with heaps of hanging space and shelves. Bathroom was small, but functional. The bed was extremely comfortable. Our room steward put an ice bucket in the fridge to make it cooler and that was nice. He was very good Service – all the staff were very friendly and always greeted you with a smile and a “hello / good morning” Food – This was a high point for us – the food (particularly in the MDR) was exceptionally good. The buffet was ‘ok’ nothing spectacular and the International Café / slice pizza, salty dog grill, were also very good Entertainment – There was plenty of entertainment throughout the ship, from bingo / trivia / karaoke / solo piano guitar players and singers / live band ‘Extasea’ and the production shows / guest entertainers in the main theatre. Pools – there are 4 pools on Crown Princess, including an adult only pool on deck 16, but this pool was only open for about the first 4 days of the cruise, then it had a net on it and was out of use for the remainder if the cruise – not sure why this was. The 2 main pools (Neptune / Calypso) were good, but to my surprise they were deep and way over my head (I’m 5”8). I’m not sure why the pools needed to be that deep – especially as they were mainly used by the kids. None of the pools were heated either – this was my only gripe about the whole cruise Disembarkation - we booked a tour / excursion through Princess as we had a late flight and the tour was very good and dropped us off at the airport - very convenient Being a Christmas cruise, there were plenty of families on board with children, and most were well behaved and didn’t cause any issue. We did have a young child in the stateroom next to us who would often throw a tantrum around 7am, and in the stateroom above us there were 2? children who liked to run around their stateroom / corridor around 7am, so we didn’t get much of a sleep in unfortunately. But this is not a fault of Princess Cruises Overall, we were more than happy with our Crown Princess cruise, and we’d happily cruise on the Crown again.
This was our first Princess cruise having previously cruised with Royal Caribbean and P & O Australia. According to friends who have sailed numerous times on Princess, we would find the cruise to be a “step up” in terms of what we had been accustomed to on our previous cruises. Other key reasons for choosing this particular cruise were that it would give us a chance to celebrate Christmas at sea and we liked the port-intensive itinerary. So, how did it go? The good The itinerary was great and we had a chance to visit places that we never would have considered visiting previously. Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln were beautiful places and we would certainly consider coming back at a later date to spend some more time. Missing Port Arthur was disappointing but understandable given the conditions. We had onboard credit and used it on specialty dining which was excellent. This was our first experience of specialty dining, so we don’t really have anything to compare it against, however, it was much more affordable than similar venues on Royal Caribbean. $68 per person was extremely reasonable for the quality of the meal and the service that we received. A helpful tip - Sabatini’s is well worth booking, but only have a really light lunch if you do. Five courses is a lot of food to digest! The Main Dining Room was a bit up and down in terms of the options available on the menu. The menu was great on some nights but, on others, it was a bit of a struggle to find something that we liked. In this regard, it was really no better than either Royal Caribbean or P & O Australia. The service, however, was impeccable and the waitstaff went out of their way to ensure that dining was a memorable experience. A big thank you to Judith and Lammim. We enjoyed learning about their respective countries (Zimbabwe and Indonesia). Prior to the cruise, we were not sure what to expect in terms of entertainment. On the whole, we were pleasantly surprised. The production shows were high quality and, unlike Royal Caribbean, you could actually understand the storyline (I still have no idea what “Starwater” on Quantum was about). There was always a good vibe in the Piazza level after dinner although, in the context of a 12 night cruise, a little more variety in terms of entertainers would have been appreciated. The cruise director and entertainment team were excellent, particularly Dan, the Cruise Director. We had been a bit spoiled by having “Aussie Mike” and “Sophie from Leeds” on previous cruises, but Dan was right up there with them. In particular, we enjoyed watching “The Wake Show” and his presence around the ship at all times of the day and night was much appreciated. His assistant, Nick, was also a lot of fun- especially with the Trivia sessions. Christmas Eve was very special and will be remembered for many years to come. Christmas dinner in Michelangelo’s was wonderful with one of the best menus of the entire cruise. The Christmas show was exceptionally good and, as Christians we appreciated having the opportunity to join in an interdenominational service at midnight. There was also a Jewish service to celebrate Hanukkah. Embarkation and disembarkation were brilliant. On embarkation, we left our hotel at Circular Quay where we had late checkout (11:00am) and walked straight onto the ship. The entire process took 35 minutes. Disembarkation was incredibly smooth and we were at Sydney Airport for the flight home one hour after leaving the ship by taking advantage of the $25 per person ship organised transfer. This was far superior to our experience on Ovation of the Seas in 2023. The bad Not so much “bad” as “disappointing,” the cabin and ship in general definitely did not have the “wow” factor. We have sailed on the Pacific Encounter (P & O Australia) a number of times and the Crown Princess was really the Pacific Encounter (which we know had sailed previously as the Star Princess). There was no perceptible difference in the quality of the venues apart from the price that we paid. The balcony cabins on Royal Caribbean are in a completely different league in terms of their spaciousness. We certainly would not want to be doing a world cruise in a balcony cabin on the Crown Princess. The video on the new Sun Princess was interesting. It seems that Princess have significantly improved the quality and size of the balcony cabins on the new ships. The buffet - BAD - REALLY BAD! The quality of food was reasonable but certainly not great and accessing the buffet was an absolute free for all - every person for themselves! This was strange given that the buffet on the Pacific Encounter was always well organised. Similarly, it was REALLY difficult finding somewhere in the buffet area to sit and eat. For example, on one morning, the family that eventually took our table said that they had circled the entire eating area six times before getting a table! The ugly We acknowledge that Princess Cruises cannot choose who their “seafarers” are going to be and, to be fair, there were many nice people onboard. HOWEVER, for a Christmas cruise, we were absolutely staggered at the number of self-entitled “grinches” who had chosen to join this particular cruise (bah humbug!) Honestly, if you don’t want to be on a Christmas cruise, just stay at home and save your money! This was particularly noticeable in the lifts and buffet, but also in the Main Dining Room where one group seemed to take great delight in making the waitstaff’s job as difficult and as challenging as possible. What we wished we had known Princess Plus package - the quality of the drinks was good (I.e. on a par with a decent Australian pub) but the selections were limited. For example, I like Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris, but neither of these was available in the Plus package, so I had to settle for a good old-fashioned Chardonnay (first world problem, I know). On balance, it was still worth getting the package because you knew that you would not end up with an unexpected bill upon disembarkation. The laundry - having previously sailed with Royal Caribbean, this was a big plus. There is a free laundromat on every floor which is a big saving on a 12 night cruise. A little more detail on the itinerary prior to embarkation would have been helpful. Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart were very accessible but there were issues with Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln. Both were beautiful places and well worth visiting, however, on Kangaroo Island, the tenders drop you off at Penneshaw (not Kingscote) and you really need to hire a car unless you take a cruise shore excursion (all of which were very expensive). The island is very big! Similarly, the township of Port Lincoln is beautiful but, again, you really need to hire a car if you want to venture further afield on the Eyre Peninsula (which we wish we had done). Port Arthur- It was very disappointing to miss this port, however, after the tender mishap on Kangaroo Island, it was completely understandable. In talking with other passengers, though, we learned that visiting Port Arthur from a cruise ship can be a bit hit and miss. If we had known that we would have booked a local excursion from Hobart. Overall On balance, the positives outweighed the negatives and we acknowledge that, with the things that could be controlled, the crew did a very good job. We would cruise on Princess again but would also consider other options. Interestingly and somewhat sadly, the cruise brought into sharp contrast the disparity that exists between the great time that we had as “seafarers” and sacrifices made by the crew in being away from their families at Christmas time. There is no easy answer to this, but I would like to finish by expressing my appreciation for the effort that the crew (aka “teammates) made on our behalf.
From the moment you step aboard, we want you to feel welcomed and right at home. And with attentive service from a friendly staff that knows what hospitality means, you’ll find your Princess® ship truly is your home away from home.
Photos, floor plan diagrams, amenities, and furnishings represent typical arrangements and may vary by ship and stateroom.
Indulge your appetite whenever you wish on board Princess®. Every hour, our chefs are busy baking, grilling and sautéing great-tasting fare from scratch. Princess offers unparalleled inclusive dining options throughout the ship with a wide range of culinary delights to suit any palate, from endless buffet choice to gourmet pizza, frosty treats, decadent desserts and much more.
Speciality Dining
Dining on board a Princess® cruise ship is a joyful celebration and our speciality restaurants always deliver an extraordinary experience. They are among the best at sea – or anywhere. We serve dishes made with the freshest ingredients, and our menus reflect regional flavours from around the world. You'll find our speciality restaurants are the perfect place to celebrate any occasion.
When is a cruise an opportunity to enrich? When it's a Princess cruise. This ship offers area lectures, art exhibits and classes taught by local experts.
Original musicals, dazzling magic shows, feature films, top comedians and nightclubs that get your feet movin’ and groovin’. There’s something happening around every corner; luckily, you have a whole cruise of days and nights to experience it all
Revitalise and refresh body, mind and soul with Princess®. From rejuvenating spa treatments and the tranquility of a top-deck retreat reserved just for adults to our state-of-the-art fitness centres, you’ll find all the elements to come back new.
From family-friendly stateroom options to enriching youth and family programmes, quality time is time well spent. Onboard activities spark curiosity and fuel creativity while excursions ashore engage and inspire!
