Disclaimer: I was invited on board Crown Princess as press.
I was recently lucky enough to be invited on board Crown Princess in sunny Southampton to explore the ship and find out all about Ocean Medallion and Princess Cruises longest ever UK and European season (which was due to take place in 2021, though of course got cancelled)
After a slap up gluten free breakfast in Bill’s (seriously, try the garden plate it’s incredible) I headed over to Southampton’s Ocean Terminal – on board I met up with a couple of the Cruise Collective (many of whom I was finally meeting for the first time!) and after a good chinwag we headed into the Princess theatre for some informative talks by Tony Roberts (Vice President for UK & Europe), John Padgett (Chief Experience Innovation Officer at Carnival Corporation) and Arnold Donald (President and Chief Executive Officer Carnival Corporation).
After a brilliant lunch with the Cruise Collective, we went off on a tour of the ship. I’d literally just finished a cruise on sister ship Emerald Princess so seeing the differences was interesting!
Both ships feature beautiful Atriums, perfect for a pre dinner cocktail, light entertainment and of course Princess’s signature balloon drop party. For me it was dissapointing to see a more crowded, older looking Horizon Court – it felt world’s apart from the clean, open World Fresh Market Place.
Another stand out feature of this ship is definitely the Sanctuary area – a haven of calm at the top of the ship. This exclusive adults-only retreat offers a relaxing alternative to the myriad outdoor activities and entertainment available elsewhere on the ship. With signature beverages, light meals, and al fresco massages, Serenity Stewards attend to your every need, whether it’s to be on hand to provide chilled face towels or Evian water atomizers.
Introducing Ocean Medallion
This exciting programme announcement confirms that very ship based in Europe during 2021 will feature the multi award-winning OceanMedallion. This innovative technology sets out to deliver an entirely new level of service and create a holiday that is more simple, effortless and personalised.
The Ocean Medallion is individual to each guest, and around the size of a 10p piece – it can be worn on a lanyard, clipped onto clothing or on a wrist band – various accessories will be available to style it as you wish!
Some of the features of OceanMedallion include:
- Expedited checkin – Guests who arrive at the terminal OceanReady with travel documents (i.e. passports) uploaded to their profile enjoy a streamlined and expedited check-in process that gets their holiday started even sooner
- Touchless stateroom entry – No need to touch, swipe or insert cards or devices into the door handle to unlock the stateroom. As a guest approaches their stateroom the door automatically unlocks
- On-demand services – Using OceanNow from smart devices, guests have the ability to order drinks, food and retail items such as suntan lotion and have them delivered directly anywhere onboard, including to their stateroom
- Family and friends locator – Accessible on portals throughout the ships and via guests’ smart devices, OceanCompass leverages the OceanMedallion to easily locate and chat with friends and family onboard. OceanCompass is available on portals throughout the ship and from smart devices and guides guests throughout their journey, providing directional information so they can seamlessly navigate to their next point of interest
- Interactive voyage timeline – Available on ship portals and via guests’ smart devices, JourneyView is an interactive timeline that lets guests scroll through all of the events available on board during their voyage and bookmark activities they’re interested in to their own personalized itinerary. Voyage itineraries are available as many as 60 days in advance, allowing guests to start planning before they leave home.
Princess ships also benefit from MedallionNet, which allows guests to stay connected anywhere on the onboard including staterooms. MedallionNet allows guests to share holiday experiences with friends and family back home; stream TV shows, movies and sports events; and make voice and video calls!
Interested in booking a Medallion Cruise?
Princess Cruises are launching a new sale with fares starting from just £499pp for a 7-night cruise and a low deposit of £50pp. Now, I don’t always post about cruise sales on here, but I love Princess and these are some really good cruise deals!
Named ‘Dream with Us’, this sale will mean you can take advantage of reduced fares applied to over 950 cruises across 2021 and 2022! Check out the sale here (affiliate link)
Check out the Princess Plus Fare!
When you’re looking for Princess deals, you can choose from Princess Plus or Princess Fare when booking. While Princess Fare is your standard “no frills” with no added packages, Princess Plus gets you:
Premier Beverage Package – that means cocktails, beer and wine, speciality coffees, smoothies and bottled water….
Unlimited Wi-Fi – MedallionNet is the best wifi at sea, letting you video chat and text with family back home, stream your favourite shows and check email…
Full gratuities for the crew looking after you….
…All for just £35pp per day! Find out more here (affiliate link)
