One of Princess' Grand-class ships, Crown Princess excels at providing fun, relaxing and enriching experiences for adults, from popular nighttime Movies Under the Stars to decadent spa treatments and culinary tours. Plus, it also features great children's spaces and special programming for families traveling with little ones.
The Crown Princess Deck Plan Includes Ample Sun Decks and Four Pools
Despite having a maximum capacity of 3,080 passengers, the Crown Princess layout, featuring four spacious pool areas (two for adults only), combined with varied, popular activities planned around the vessel, means that the ship rarely feels crowded, even at full capacity. We loved how easy it always was to find a seat for nighttime shows, a deck lounger near the pool, a spot to sit at the buffet restaurant (even during peak times) or to get a reservation at one of the specialty restaurants.
Crown Princess deck plans include six room-only decks (Emerald, Dolphin, Caribe, Baja, Aloha and Riviera), four of which are sandwiched between other room-only decks, allowing for quiet nights in a large percentage of the cabins. Additionally, two other decks (Plaza and Lido) offer a mix of public spaces and cabins, but even then, guest staterooms are all located within their own section, which effectively blocks off the noise in most of them. If you don’t plan to dance or gamble the nights away, the Crown Princess cabins to avoid are those on decks 5 (Plaza) and 8 (Emerald), as they’re subject to noise from loud public spaces such as the casino, the main theater, or restaurants and bars.
Refreshed during a dry dock in 2018, the ship was embellished with new offerings, such as super comfortable Princess Luxury Beds in every room, rebranded poolside dining options and an upgraded kids' center.
Princess does an excellent job of ensuring cleanliness in areas such as the buffet, where traffic is monitored by crew members who ensure that everyone uses hand sanitizer before entering the line.
The Crown Princess Ship Offers Good Entertainment Options
There is always enjoyable nightly live music, but some of the main theater evening shows got mixed reviews. Probably the best-loved entertainment option, Voice of the Ocean (Princess' version of karaoke taken to the next level) captivated the attention of our fellow passengers for the duration of the cruise, and had many of us rooting for our favorite contestants all the way through to the final round. When we weren't listening to music, a movie under the stars was always a great way to spend the evening.
Crown Princess vs Discovery Princess
Crown Princess Alaska sailings are hugely popular among those seeking a somewhat less over-the-top experience as that offered by larger cruise ships. The vessel has a lot going for it, including great deck layouts, tons of dining options, and itineraries that include Glacier Bay.
However, sister ship Discovery Princess, which debuted in 2022, has drawn much praise, too. The main differences among these vessels are size (Discovery is larger and can hold almost 600 additional passengers), suite options (Crown Princess has fewer), and amenities. It is this last point – along with itinerary – that might tip the scale for many, as the Royal-class Discovery has a better spa and more features, including a jazz club and an infinity-edge pool.
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Inclusions
Included with your cruise fare:
· Meals in three main dining rooms, the two buffets, plus meals and snacks at the Salty Dog Grill, Slice Pizzeria, Coffee & Cones (selected items), International Café; also 24-hour room service (excluding select menu items)
Water, coffee, tea (including iced), and select juices in the buffet area
All main theater production show
Most daily activities and events onboard, including games and events like the High Seas Heist
Movies Under the Stars, including complimentary popcorn
Use of the fitness center (excluding classes)
Use of the sports court and kids’ splash park
Scheduled activities in the Camp Discovery Youth Center through 10 p.m.
Not included with your cruise fare:
· Gratuities (amounts vary depending on cabin type)
Most specialty dining
Lotus Spa and Salon services
Beverages outside of water, tea, basic coffee and select juices in the buffet
Auto-gratuities of 18 percent for beverages and spa treatments
Most fitness classes
Access to the thermal suite inside the Lotus Spa
Use of The Sanctuary sun deck
Shore excursions
Activities including, but not limited to bingo, casino gaming and wine tastings
Internet access/packages
OceanMedallion accessories
Group babysitting after 10:00 p.m. in Camp Discovery
Photos and art gallery purchases
Fellow Passengers
Crown Princess generally skews toward a slightly older crowd, with several couples and groups traveling together and young families in the minority, while still attracting a variety of ages and nationalities. To serve the multinational passengers onboard, you'll find several tour options available in languages such as Japanese and Spanish.
Crown Princess Dress Code
Daytime: In general, wardrobes vary based on your specific voyage and the climate where you're traveling, but passengers tend to dress fairly casually during the day, with shorts, jeans and T-shirts being fairly common (as well as the ubiquitous cruise lanyards holding cruise cards).
Evening: In the evenings, all dining rooms except the buffet and casual dining restaurants have a designated smart casual dress code. On a typical weeklong cruise, two nights are designated formal nights, and most passengers tended to dress up, from typical business attire to more formal outfits. Many women wore cocktail dresses and men generally wore a jacket and slacks (with or without tie).
Not permitted: In the dining rooms, items such as tank tops, shorts, baseball caps and distressed jeans are not permitted. We confirmed with cruise staff that they do ask passengers to leave the dining room for dress code violations.
Read more about Princess Cruises Dress Code.
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