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Wednesday 10th March 2010
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IT REALLY WAS A BIG SHIP WITH A LITTLE SHIP FEEL! |
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Reviewed By: Lambert, Huddersfield on 4th Jul 2009
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| Cruise Line: Princess Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Crown Princess |
Sailed:
June,
2009 |
| Destination: Mediterranean |
Age: 36-45 |
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Having previously cruised with Thomson and Island Cruises I was a little unsure what to expect on the 'huge' Crown Princess, but I have to say I've just had the best cruise so far! The ship is only 3 years old and this was evident straight away in the decor and general fixtures and fittings. We had good weather throughout the holiday, just one day at sea where it was cool, but apart from that we were very lucky, especially as we were sailing back to the UK!
In another first, for cruisers who normally fly-fly, this particular itinerary was a fly-sail one, so we flew to Rome, boarded in Civitavecchia and sailed back to Southampton- having done it once I'd have no problem doing it again (even the notorious Bay of Biscay didn't cause many problems!). All our ports of call were brilliant, too!
So, now for the things I didn't like- not many to be honest but just some little pointers! First of all, knock off the dreaded automatic gratuities as soon as you can, even if it means facing the Spanish Inquisition. We always prefer to tip face to face. Princess put shuttle buses on at many of our ports of call- at $5 per person each way, it quite often worked out cheaper to get a taxi, so just shop around! The ports of call maps they give you also do not always correspond to where you actually dock- for example Le Havre's map was for Paris instead- and they are not to scale! So try and get one from the local TI office as soon as you can.
My final gripe (apart from some other passengers, but that's hardly Princess' fault!) is the photographs! WHY OH WHY do ship's photographers insist on printing a million copies of every photo they take?? It is SUCH a waste of materials and money!!! I saw 4 copies of one picture of our group where one of us had our eyes shut- therefore we'd never have bought it so why print 4 copies of it?? I would rather see one or two different GOOD photos and cheaper prices, because if they did, I'd buy more!
Anyway, as I said, they are all minor issues, the cruise was great, I didn't feel crowded at all, even on the days at sea. The trip we went on was very well organised, as was our use of the tender at Cannes. I would have no hesitation in sailing with Princess again (just watch out for the little extras!)
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| We ate in Horizon Court and Cafe Caribe for breakfast and dinner. Tea was in the Botichelli dining room (fixed dining) | | Entertainment |  |
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| | Children's Facilities | n/a |
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