CROWN PRINCESS: WHERE CHOICES ABOUND, by cruise industry veteran, Art Sbarsky
Sailing on Crown Princess gave me a great chance to see how Princess Cruises has made even more evolutionary changes to their onboard experience. This is a cruise that features excellent diversity in dining, activities and entertainment.
Crown Princess offers 1540 rooms and a maximum guest capacity of 3599. The ship's total of 900 balconies is only exceeded by QM2. The normal crew size is 1200 but on this cruise there were 1250 crew aboard; over half were from the Philippines, Romania and India but there are 33 nationalities in total; I did not experience any language issues with any service personnel. Princess' service program C.R.U.I.S.E. emphasizes positive interaction between crew and guests and, except for a few occasions, it was certainly in evidence during the cruise.
The ship has undergone some new design adjustments resulting in the disco being moved forward and the underneath area used for an enlarged Sabatini's Italian restaurant and the Adagio lounge next door. Adagio, featuring piano music throughout the evening, thus becomes a lively before and after dinner spot. Sabatini's benefits as well since it's larger and the views during pre-darkness hours are splendid. One of the few areas which did not benefit from the rearrangement was the ceramics location; it's a separate, very inviting room on Coral Princess but here it's an outside alcove on pool deck.
A new feature is the Sanctuary, an adults-only, non-smoking outside area, far forward, with a total of 72 exceptionally comfortable chairs and loungers (some built for two), both in the sun and in the shade. During the ship's first sailing, there was no charge for the seats but it became very crowded; thus, on my voyage, the ship's second one, they implemented a $15 per half-day charge which served to lower the demand although it was still high on nice sea days. I suspect there will be some tweaking of hours, offerings and cost to make sure the balance is right. The special attendants in the area offer cold towels and an assortment of beverages and spa-type snacks (for a charge of course). There are also two private cabanas for spa treatments.
The lower level of the three-story atrium is also a popular spot as it features all sorts of daytime cabaret-type entertainment such as doo-wop singers, pianists, stilt walkers, magicians, opera/classical music, mimes and more. Around this central entertainment area are the Internet Café (which had some new-ship slowness issues; there's also wi-fi availability in some places around the ship); a future booking desk; Vines, an attractive wine and sushi bar (there's a charge for the sushi as well as the wine); the International Café, a combo bar and snacks area, open 24 hours a day (it serves to replace the late night buffet set up on other Princess ships) and offers food items ranging from delicious croissants and cookies baked right there to tomato and mozzarella sandwiches and tasty sautéed shrimp. Other items such as gelato and fancy seafood snacks cost a few dollars.
Entertainment options abound during the cruise: there were two production shows (to be increased to three once the third one is ready) which the audiences seemed to appreciate; multiple comedians; an opera singer; live music ranging from lounge pianists to jazz combos and classical strings to the nine-piece Princess orchestra; movies on large screens indoors and then "Under the Stars." This latter feature was very popular, even for the late night showing of Titanic. Popcorn, special chair/lounge cushions and blankets make it that much more of an event. Movies were also on the outside screen during the day and, while the picture is very sharp even in sunlight, it's not the same feeling. Princess has also introduced a video engagement opportunity whereby a guest can ask another guest to get married via video just before an evening movie showing outdoors. There was one on this cruise and it was relatively romantic and, thankfully, she said yes. Other entertainment and activity options added are the Ballroom Blitz, Bee at Sea (for all ages), and Peer Factor.
Activities for kids and adults ranged from cerebral to the fun. There were four lecturers on aboard, giving talks on subjects such as geology, behind-the-scenes stories from the White House and tales of the sea by one the industry's greats, John Maxtone-Graham. There were classes in photography and computers (a fee was charged), dancing, martini-making, cooking, towel-folding, ceramics (a fee for materials) and more. All of this was part of what Princess calls the "ScholarShip@Sea Program" which may the most extensive in the industry. But, happily for those of us who want pure silliness, there were the always zany and popular pool games. Add in the sports deck, the jogging track, miniature and cyber golf, the library and the art gallery, I defy anyone to say they did not have enough to do.
Princess has been very innovative in offering both Anytime and Traditional Dining options for dinner. Guests can choose one or the other before the cruise but have the ability to change once the cruise starts. For traditional diners, the Botticelli Dining Room has two sittings; Anytime Diners have both the Michelangelo and Da Vinci Dining Rooms to choose from. Guests can even reserve "Anytime" tables once on board, a welcome option. Two alternative restaurants which offer reservations but also carry a cover charge are the aforementioned Sabatini's Italian restaurant and the Crown Grill offering steaks/chops and shellfish. Both are certainly worth the extra cost. Further dinner options are the buffets offered in very casual Caribe Café; the outside grill for burgers, hot dogs, etc.; the pizzeria (I still believe this is the best pizza I've had at sea; this, crispy and a New Yorker's delight) and room service of course. Breakfast and lunch options include open sitting in Da Vinci Dining Room, buffets in Horizon Court and the pizzeria and the grill.
The kid's program is broken down into three age groups (3-7, 8-12 and teens) with daytime and evening programs offered with varying degrees of parental control. A welcome addition is the Youth Security patrol which has young adults walking around the ship wearing bright yellow t-shirts with "Youth Security" on the backs. With special training, this group (one per fifty kids) helps keep an eye on things such as running and making sure kids are not venturing into adults-only turf.
The nicely sized fitness center had lots of treadmills, bicycles and other exercise equipment. There were many types of classes offered ranging from complimentary Stretch and Relax, Meditation and a variety of health and beauty seminars to the classes carrying a charge such as Pilates, Spinning and Yoga. The spa and salon offered an extensive range of services from simple massages to exotic wraps and hot stones, from acupuncture to Rasul (a very enjoyable yet funky, private mud treatment for couples). Many spa and salon services could be ordered in advance through the Princess website.
All new ships experience some introductory problems but this ship was really ready. Only minor issues, which should be easily fixed, were in evidence. There were some comments from guests about the charges for certain items, such as the sushi at Vines, the specialty items at the International Café, the special gym classes, having a slice of pizza delivered to the Sanctuary, etc. But the industry is not now and really has never been all-inclusive. It's just less-all-inclusive than ever before as lines strive to generate additional on-board revenue. But, off course, all these items are optional and guests can avoid them without really taking too much away from the quality of the experience.
