Crown Princess Review
Great Cruise, Great Service, Smooth Ship BUT Forward Plaza Cabins noise issue
Rating by category
Additional details
Great Discounted price for a cruise during Xmas. Nice long 10 day cruise with 6 ports.
The ship is very large with plenty of activities on board. There is food all the time on the ship which is not just limited to pizza and hot dogs like on other ships. Perhaps the ship we have sailed for service which was perfect.
However, the forward cabins on the lower decks are subject to huge wave crashing sounds that I have never experienced on other cruise ships. So loud that it was beyond acceptable in regular ocean waves. While the ship was extremely stable, the cabins took a huge hit in noise from the crashing sounds. I feel this is a designed flaw in the ship since even the folks about 20 cabins in back of us heard the huge sounds. I could understand this problem in a storm but this ship is so big that we should minor wave sounds.
Cabin Review
Oceanview
The cabin itself was designed well except for the bed which was positioned against the wall so one person will have a bit on an issue getting out. The cabin is designed with the cabinets in front of the beds so the bathroom is concealed behind. That way you dont wake up anyone if you open the bathroom door. Huge 50 inch tv. Very fluffy pillows and comfortable bed.
Now comes the really really bad part. The cabins on the forward MidForward to Forward side on Plaza deck will hear huge banging sounds of the waves crashing against the side of the ship while the ship is cruising at fast speeds in 3 to 5 foot waves. The sound can be so loud at night that its like a car crashed into your room. Even the workers that sleep on the floor heard the noise. I spoke to the Engineers on board and they said different conditions can cause this sound.
My issue is that on other ships I have never heard of this crashing problem near the forward section lower levels. Due to mixed reviews on the cabin I assume this problem is more in wavy oceans versus calm oceans. I cannot recommend this cabin for those that want a sound sleep. This only occurs during high speed sea days when captain needs to cover large area (like near 900 miles).
Port Reviews
Princess Cays
Nice port just to kick back and lay at the beach
St. Thomas
Excellent views from the top. You can get your own tour once you leave the ship
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Excellent tours. At end of our cruise they took us to everglades boats and flamingo gardens. Then took us back to the airport.
Dominica
Nice rain forest island.
Grenada
Nice to be at the spice island
Bonaire
Good for diving or snokeling. The rest of the island is rather plain
Curacao
Great city island. The town is fantastic