Princess’s Crown achievement

For kids and teens

So parents can “Escape Completely,” the Crown Princess offers a strong children’s program arranged by age, each group with its own facility and counselors.

“Princess Pelicans” (ages 3–8) offers a mini rock-climbing wall, beanbag chairs and a crafts area. The 8- to 12-year-olds program, formerly known as “Princess Pirateers,” is now named the much cooler “Shockwaves” and offers an air hockey table, PlayStation 2 and lots of space for sitting and chatting. My kids raved about the Junior Chefs@Sea program that takes Shockwaves participants to the ship’s galley to learn cooking from the executive chef and staff.

Princess has reconfigured its programs to appeal to its finickiest cruisers. The “Remix” area for teens (previously called “Off Limits”) is now a mature living room setting similar to a coffee shop. It comes equipped with air hockey tables, foosball and PlayStation2 consoles. Teens also have their own outside whirlpool (no adults allowed) and a small arcade room across the hall. A bonus is the teen makeover program, run by youth counselors and boutique staff in conjunction with Clinique, which teaches skin care to girls and boys, and makeup techniques to the girls.

Another innovation, which Princess has quietly rolled out over the last 18 months, is the “Youth Security Program,” in which staff in their early 20s watch over the teenagers. These highly trained personnel continually monitor the hallways and public areas to make sure kids don’t drink or get out of hand. Captain Andy Proctor noted that this program has substantially cut down on the number of complaints from adults about teens’ shipboard behavior. It should also give parents an added measure of reassurance about the safety of the ship for younger passengers.

Crown achievement

Princess has a winner with the Crown Princess, and it is definitely a hit with passengers. There are some “teething issues” (mainly slow elevators and long immigration lines for customs clearance in San Juan), and the cost for “extras” on board do add up. But in the end, if you’re going to cruise with the masses, I cannot think of a ship that does it with more style and elegance than the new Crown Princess.

Anita Dunham-Potter is a Pittsburgh-based travel journalist specializing in cruise travel. Anita's columns have appeared in major newspapers and many Internet outlets, and she is a contributor to Fodor's "Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises 2006." E-mail Anita or visit her Web site anitavacation.com .

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