Crown Princess

The 2006-built Crown Princess is the 7th GRAND-class Princess Cruises ship, together with Caribbean, Diamond, Golden (Carnival Adventure), Grand, Emerald, Ruby, Star (Carnival Encounter) and Sapphire.

The vessel (IMO number 9293399) is currently Bermuda-flagged (MMSI 310500000) and registered in Hamilton.

History - construction and ownership

Princess Cruises is a USA-based passenger shipping company headquartered in Beverly Hills CA. A former subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises (1977-founded), in 2003, the company merged with Carnival Corporation - the world's largest cruise shipowner. Among Princess Cruise Lines Ltd's assets is the Caribbean private island resort Princess Cays (on Bahamas Eleuthera Island's southern end), located approx 80 km (50 mi) from Nassau.

The 3100-passenger ship Crown Princess aims to showcase everything that has come to define the cruise line. This is quintessential Princess with marquee facilities: Movies Under the Stars, a poolside big-screen theater represented on Caribbean Princess ship (and since nicked by just about everyone in the sphere); the bustling, 3-deck Piazza, a combination bakery, Internet cafe, wine/sushi/tapas bar and performance facility; the Sanctuary which is only for adults, a mostly shaded top-vessel retreat with thick, plush loungers, massage cabanas and a spa menu; and Princess' signature duo of specialty dining venues, the Crown Grill (steaks, chops and seafood) and Sabatini's (Italian multi-course repast).

Decks and Cabins

Most Crown Princess staterooms (1531 total, in 33 grades) are 170-ft2 balcony cabins (677). Almost 80% of the ship's outside accommodations have private step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 31. The largest accommodations are the Balcony Suites (410 ft2 / 38 m2, with terrace sized 180 ft2 / 17 m2).

The boat has 18 decks, of which 15 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Crown Princess features three dining rooms, all offering a tasteful, Caribbean-themed menu. Botticelli is for fixed-seating dining, while Michaelangelo and Da Vinci are for passengers who have chosen "Anytime Dining". Reservations are available but are not required. Da Vinci also welcomes guests for waiter-service breakfast and lunch. Rotating menu options include soups, appetizers, mains and desserts. There are also signature pasta and choices like Caesar salad and salmon. The healthy Lotus Spa selections are low in sodium and fat.

Cafe Caribe and Horizon Court look identical and are open all day long. The Horizon section serves as a lido buffet restaurant and features breakfast buffets. Lunch choices may include unusual dishes like peanut butter sandwiches and fried banana. 

Follows the complete list of Crown Princess restaurants and food bars.

• Michaelangelo Restaurant (ship's aft Dining Room; dinner only - offers “Anytime Dining” between 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.)
• Crown Grill (160-seat steakhouse/seafood restaurant, reservations recommended; on select days serves British Pub Lunch, complimentary)
• Da Vinci Restaurant (ship's forward Dining Room for Breakfast 7-9 a.m., Lunch 12-1:30 p.m., Afternoon Tea 3:30-4:30 p.m.; features “Anytime Dining” for Dinner between 5:30-8 p.m. or 8-10 p.m.)
• Botticelli Restaurant (dinner only aft Dining Room; with 2 fixed seatings at 6 p.m. or 8:15 p.m.)
• Sabatini’s Restaurant (Italian specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Trident Grill & Prego Pizzeria (self-service, complimentary fast food bar)
• Horizon Court (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary)
• Cafe Caribe (aft self-service buffet restaurant)
• Pizza & Ice Cream Bar (complimentary)

In April 2024 Princess Cruises announced that starting September 14th (2024) fleetwide would be introduced 3 distinct main dining/dinner table service options – Traditional, Reservable, and Walk-in Anytime. By the new program (introduced with Sun Princess) on each ship are allocated 3 separate dining rooms - one for Traditional dining (offering early and late dinner seating), one with Reservable times, and one for Walk-in Anytime (open-seating). The new options are integrated with the OceanNow service, allowing anything to be ordered anytime, and delivered anywhere onboard.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Princess Theater is the main venue on Crown Princess for comedy acts and production shows with a variety of music and selections appealing to a broad mix of ages. Each of the ship's venues has a different offering. Crooners feature music trivia contests and a pianist. Explorer's Lounge hosts events for everything from Wii sports tournaments to art auctions, plus comedy shows and magicians.

The Piazza offers various demonstrations, circus-lite acts and musical performances throughout the day.

Club Fusion is a part game show, part nightclub venue. Skywalker Nightclub, Princess' trademark, hosts the 70s-, 80s- and 90s-inspired nights and a few nights with a variety of modern music.

For low-key dancing, head to the Wheelhouse Bar, which hosts combos playing standards and soft rock.

Follows the complete list of Crown Princess lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open floor area; features live performances entertainment and lobby Bar Piazza)
• Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Platinum Studio
• International Cafe (24-hour specialty coffee bar and patisserie); Escapes Travel Cafe (computer room)
• Vines Bar (wine/seafood/sushi bar)
• Library (with Internet stations); Internet Cafe (24-hour)
• Princess Theatre (2-level musical and show productions; hosts workshops, seminars, game shows)
• Speakeasy Lounge & Bar (smoking lounge and sports bar)
• Calypso Cove Shop; Essence Shop; Meridian Bay Shop; Facets Shop
• Gatsby’s Casino
• Crooners Lounge & Bar (live music; also used for seminars); Adagio Lounge & Bar
• Explorers Lounge & Bar (disco/show lounge; hosts karaoke, comedy, game shows and art auctions)
• Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar during the day and an English pub nightly)
• Club Fusion Lounge (hosts dance classes and quizzes, after 7:30 p.m. becomes Disco & Nightclub)
• Outrigger Bar (poolside bar); Tradewinds Bar
• Crown’s Lotus Spa complex; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center (with Aerobics Studio)
• Hearts & Minds (Wedding Chapel)
• Movies Under the Stars (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• Video Games Arcade; Teen Center; Youth Center with Paddling Pool and outdoor playing areas
• The Sanctuary (adults-only sundeck/open-air area)
• Calypso Reef & Pool area; Neptune’s Reef & Pool area
• Jogging Track; Center Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Shuffleboard; Princess Links mini-golf course
• Skywalkers Disco & Nightclub

In 2024, Crown Princess' Theater was upgraded with a modern and more energy-efficient lighting system provided and installed by ROBE Lighting (Czechia-based manufacturer of moving light equipment and systems). The installed equipment included 69x Robe ESPRITE and 78x Robe PAINTE (electronic motion stabilizers), 87x Robe Spiider (LED WashBeam luminaires), 98x Robe LEDBeam 150 (RGBW moving lights/fast sweeping beams and washes), and 48x ParFect 150 RGBA (LED source ACL beams with zoom control). Reportedly, the show lounge's stage power consumption was reduced by 50%.

Itineraries

Crown Princess itinerary program is based on 3- and 4-day Baja Mexico and 7-day Mexican Riviera voyages departing roundtrip from homeport Long Beach-Los Angeles CA USA. In the summer, the ship sails in Alaska with departures from Seattle WA.

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Crown Princess ship was paused for 2+ years (March 2020 thru May 2022). Operations were scheduled to restart on May 7th (7-day Alaska from Seattle).

In September 2023 was announced that starting in October 2024, Crown Princess will be deployed year-round in Australia (replacing Coral Princess) and homeported in Sydney NSW. Alternative departures are also offered from Fremantle-Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. The itineraries visit destinations in Queensland and Southern Australia, as well as in New Zealand and the South Pacific Islands.

The Fincantieri Monfalcone-built Princess Cruises Crown ship is from the company's GRAND-class series, with (same-designed) sisterships Emerald and Ruby, and also Pacific Dawn (now Ambassador Ambience).

Ship's christening ceremony was held on June 13, 2006, in Port NYC (New York USA). Liner's godmother was Martha Stewart - US author, TV woman, successful business lady). On June 14 started the inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) from Port Canaveral (Florida USA) to the Caribbean (Grand Turk, Ocho Rios Jamaica, Grand Cayman).

The ship's Captain is Domenico Lubrano Lavadera.

World Cruise 2026

In November 2023, as part of its 2025-2026 Australian program, Princess Cruises announced the brand's longest-ever Around The World voyage scheduled for Crown Princess.

The 114-night/115-day itinerary is a roundtrip from Sydney NSW (departure May 10, 2026) and visits 48 destinations in 31 different countries on 6 continents.

The voyage is also available for booking as a 115-day roundtrip from Brisbane QLD (May 12th) and Auckland NZ (May 6th).

The itinerary includes two maiden ports (Alexandria Egypt and Patmos Island Greece) and three overnight port stays (NYC New York, Calao-Lima Peru, Quebec City).

Smaller segments are offered from Auckland to Dover (59 days), from Sydney to New York (77 days), from Sydney to Dover (55 days), from Brisbane to Dover (53 days), from Dover to Brisbane (62 days), from Dover to Sydney (60 days), from Dover to Auckland (56 days) and from New York to Sydney (38 days).

Crown Princess refurbishment 2018 review

The ship's last drydock was in 2022 (conducted at Vigor Shipyard in Portland OR). The drydocking project included hull cleaning and coating/repainting, below-waterline hull works (steel, stabilizers, thrusters), plus minor hotel updates.

The ship's 2018 drydock (10-day project, March 24 - April 3) was at Grand Bahama Shipyard (in Freeport Bahamas). Following the refurbishment, the liner now offers the following new and enhanced amenities:

• 4 top-deck dining venues were renovated, enhanced and renamed (Salty Dog Grill, Slice, Coffee and Cones, The Mix).
• The Salty Dog Grill (former Trident Grill) offers Princess burgers (with 100% all-beef meat and onboard baked buns) and Street Tacos (with roasted sweet potato-green chile or grilled chipotle-lime chicken.
• Slice (former Prego Pizzeria) offers Neapolitan-style pizzas.
• Coffee and Cones (former Sundaes Ice Cream Bar) offers complimentary ice cream in cones, gourmet ice-cream sandwiches, fresh-brewed specialty coffee (by the company's new "New Grounds Crafted Coffee" program).
• Sabatini's restaurant was renamed to "Sabatini's Trattoria".
• Sun Deck's LED screen (at the outdoor theatre) was replaced with a bigger one.
• Horizon Court (buffet restaurant) was reupholstered.
• The Mix (former Mermaid's Tale) is a poolside bar with an upgraded menu.
• Club Class Mini-Suite is a new premium cabin category with exclusive dining and VIP amenities (new Club Class Dining, reserved dining area with an expanded menu, expedited seating, priority embarkation-disembarkation).

All cabins were upgraded with custom-made Princess Luxury Beds.

Camp Discovery Center (kids and teens facilities serving children ages 3-17) is created via a partnership with Discovery Channel as part of Princess Cruises "Discovery at Sea" onboard enrichment program.

The wellness complex (Lotus Spa and Fitness Center) received renovated and upgraded treatment rooms and beauty salon. The fitness received the latest indoor training equipment.

The Casino received new carpets, light fixtures, large TVs at its Bar.

Shops of Princess (onboard boutiques) were upgraded, and the Effy Fine Jewelry boutique was added.

All lounges received new carpeting and all soft furnishings were cleaned.

Ocean Medallion (digital connectivity technology) was also installed.