I've cruised multiple lines in the past and on my last cruise I thought I'd try a Princess ship after viewing them across the ports of call (most people check out the other ships, right?). They looked like good ships and indeed they are. The Star Princess with a few exceptions is pretty well laid out (I'll get to the exceptions in a moment). The Star Princess was clean and in good repair. It was not uncommon to see maintenance crews cleaning and painting. The mini-suite had more than enough storage and the large suitcases easily slid under the bed. The mattress was full-size; not two beds pushed together (a very nice surprise). The buffet wait staff was quick and friendly. The tables were rapidly bussed as soon as people vacated; very well done. We ate breakfast and lunch in the dining room as often as time allowed and never had a problem getting a table for two. We opted for traditional dining, second seating, and our table was always ready when we arrived. On formal nights, there were multiple photo stations with multiple photo backgrounds (not everyone wants a Titanic staircase scene) so the lines were relatively short for those wishing to get photos taken.

I also want to mention the pasta dishes. The Italian chef prepared some of the best pasta dishes I have ever tasted; kudos! These were some of the high points.

Now to the things which weren't so great. One of the reasons we chose to sail with Princes was their smoking policy which prohibits smoking in staterooms and on balconies. Being strongly anti-smoking, we wanted to cruise without being assaulted by cigarette or cigar smoke. Imagine our distaste when we smelled cigarette smoke very strongly as we boarded the ship and went to the central elevators. The cruise staff responded the smell was coming from the cigar lounge. Well, it was always present when we were in the central area and on the mid-ship and forward stairs (the lounge is on the sixth floor forward-ship and the doors are left open so the smell freely enters the central part of the ship). Now we expect to avoid the casino at all costs due to the smoke smell, but to have it be that pervasive was a real issue. Furthermore, we often had to come in from the balcony due to the smoke smell (we assumed it was from nearby balconies). Many times you could smell smoke as you passed cabin doors (so much for the policy). There also seemed to be a liberal number of places where smoking was allowed. That made it pretty difficult to avoid second hand smoke. One of these days, I hope the cruise lines will get the message that this is not just a personal preference, but is a significant health issue and ban tobacco from ships. Smoking is not something you can "escape completely" from on a Princess ship. Be forewarned. Read more