Crown Princess Review
Enjoyable Itinerary, but the Ship has Seen Better Days
Rating by category
Additional details
We booked this cruise for my birthday AND because it didn't require a flight. This was our second voyage with Princess...the first being in 2010 on the Diamond for an Australia/NZ cruise.
We drove from Colorado to San Pedro. Laughable amount of freeway changes just to get to the pier!!! Oh, and the traffic? Horrendous, even on a Saturday morning! Stressful, but embarkation was a breeze! Had to park in the farther lot, as the main lot was full. Not too long of a hike, at least. :) $16 a day for parking worked out to $112 for the week...certainly cheaper than any decent hotel with "free parking" IMO. :)
(I hear they were offering CA resident rates on balcony cabins for as low as $399 pp!!! I didn't ask. Some woman in the hot tub piped up with this information. Kind of made me angry and felt cheated as we had paid $719 pp for the same balcony!!! Word to the wise for passengers; if no one asks what you paid, then don't mention it!!! You may be proud of your great deal, but the person who paid more is going to feel like a chump on their vacation. It's just plain RUDE IMO.) Rant finished. :)
Cabin Review
Balcony
Starboard side cabin, mid ship, near elevator. Quite.
Small, but serviceable, balcony. Two chairs and table on balcony.
Cabin was banged up a bit. Bed was super comfortable even though we have Tempurpedic at home! (that's saying a lot!!) Plenty of closet space, storage, and hangers.
Bathroom is TINY; well, the shower was TINY!
Florian, our steward, was unobtrusive but attentive.
Refrigerator was a really nice addition.
Brought a nightlight for the bathroom so we didn't have to turn on light at night. :)
Port Reviews
San Francisco
Did the Hop On Hop Off bus. Stopped in Chinatown for a long walk and visit. Even with the 2.5 hour bus tour, we managed to walk another 12 miles around town! Walked to Ghirardelli Square, the Wharf. Had lunch on the Wharf. Saw the sea lions. Were greeted by a lovely rainbow. :)
San Diego
Did the Hop on Hop Off bus (booked independently) and saw more of the city than I had in YEARS!
Balboa Park was one stop where we ambled around. Also, Old Town for a root beer float and some sightseeing.