Welcome aboard the Crown Princess

This time we were welcomed on board Princess Cruises. Princess Cruises had been on our wish list for a long time. Not only because the famous US television series “The Love Boat” was filmed on board Princess Cruises, but also because there are a particularly large number of cabins with balconies on board and the food is said to be excellent. So we boarded the Crown Princess, which was renovated in April 2018, for a week. The cruise started in Barcelona and went via Gibraltar, Marseille, Genoa and Livorno to Civitavecchia near Rome. The sun was shining brightly and we could already see the Crown Princess moored in the port of Barcelona in the morning, so we took the bus (one-way 3 euros per person) from the Moll de Barcelona to the check-in at the cruise terminal at lunchtime.

Check-in in Barcelona

Our bus stopped directly at the cruise terminal. Our suitcases were taken from us straight away and we went to check-in with the travel documents we had printed out at home. As we had already filled in everything online for the check-in and our credit card was already on file, we received our boarding passes after a few minutes.

Our pre-booked drinks package was already on the boarding passes. The “Unlimited Soda Package” we booked for non-alcoholic drinks cost 45 euros per person for the whole trip. This includes drinks such as cola, Fanta, tonic water and ginger ale, non-alcoholic cocktails and some milkshakes. You can then use the card to order drinks from the included package in any bar or restaurant at any time and as often as you like. We have made extensive use of it. However, water is not included. For this we had ordered an extra water package with 12 bottles of 500 ml each for about 5 euros.

We went on to the upper floor of the terminal with our boarding pass to board. Here we first passed Alcohol Point. With Crown Princess, every adult is allowed to bring a 0.75 liter bottle of sparkling wine or wine on board free of charge in their hand luggage at check-in. This can then be drunk in the cabin. Each additional bottle costs a corkage fee. Other spirits are not permitted. At the alcohol point you can indicate whether you have a bottle of sparkling wine or wine with you. Then we went on board.

Our balcony cabin on board the Crown Princess

The Crown Princess has a total of 19 decks and 1,541 cabins, 1108 of which are outside cabins. More than half of these (678) are balcony cabins. We had one of them, namely cabin R702. The R stands for Riviera and refers to the deck on which the cabin is located. Each deck on board has a name and Riviera is deck 14, so we took the elevator to deck 14 and went to the stern area where our cabin was located. We were already very excited about our cabin. As part of the refurbishment in spring 2018, the cabins were partially renovated and equipped with large TVs and new beds, among other things.

Our cabin was decorated in a subtle beige and brown color scheme. Directly in the entrance area was the door to the bathroom and a large walk-in closet. There was also a safe, life jackets and two fluffy bathrobes. All in all, there really was a lot of storage space. Two large suitcases, hand luggage and all the clothes a woman takes with her could easily be accommodated in the cabin.

The bathroom was relatively small but quite functional. There was a small corner shower with Grohe shower head and clothesline, as well as a WC and washbasin. There was a relatively wide corner shelf at the side of the washbasin, so that even the small bathroom had sufficient storage space. The bathroom also had the only European socket we found.

The main part of the cabin was furnished with the large bed, which was really very comfortable, and two bedside tables. Between the bed and the balcony there was a desk with a chair (where the hairdryer also hung) and an armchair. During the renovation, the cabin was equipped with a (slightly too) large flat screen TV, which hung in the corner facing the balcony. This position proved to be unfavorable during the course of the trip, as you had to be very careful not to bump your head on the TV when stepping onto the balcony. Overall, however, we were very impressed by the space on offer and the elegant color scheme.

Our balcony and the Ultimate Balcony Dining

Our balcony was covered and furnished with two sun loungers and a small table. The blue plastic flooring on the balcony was certainly functional, but not very appealing. From our point of view, this flooring unfortunately did not match the beautiful cabin. However, the balcony on board the Crown Princess offers a special experience in a class of its own. All passengers with balcony cabins have the opportunity to experience a real Love Boat feeling on their own balcony. You can book the Ultimate Balcony Dining, where you can dine on your own balcony with private service. We tried it for you last evening at sunset and were totally thrilled.

The Ultimate Balcony Dining is a chargeable 4-course dinner served and eaten on the balcony of the cabin. This service must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance via Room Service. The offer costs 100 US dollars for 2 people. The price includes a welcome cocktail with canapés, a bouquet of flowers, the 4-course menu, half a bottle of champagne and a souvenir photo (8×10) taken by the on-board photographer. Our balcony was festively set with a large table for dinner.

Dinner starts with a selection of canapés. There were canapés with salmon, goose liver pâté, shrimps with cream cheese, caviar and poppy seeds. This was accompanied by a welcome cocktail or the glass of wine we had chosen as an alternative. The first course was a crab cake. The second course was a large portion of salad with marinated goat’s cheese.

As the sun slowly sank into the sea and the Crown Princess sailed out of the port of Livorno, we enjoyed our lobster with lemon butter and vegetables as our main course. We also had half a bottle of champagne and ice water.

For dessert we had a delicious quartet of chocolate mousse accompanied by a fresh raspberry. The crowning glory was a fine plate of chocolates with coffee.

We would like to thank Princess Cruises Deutschland and Inter-Connect Marketing GmbH. This article is not sponsored, we are only reporting on our own impressions.