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This was our sixth cruise with Princess, and the experience was as usual: very good, but not quite excellent. I'll comment on the things that struck me as perhaps useful to others.
Embarcation and departure were a snap, aided by our platinum status. We had stayed at The Sebel in Auckland (recommended -- an easy walk to the pier if your suitcases have wheels).
We were in C103 (Caribe deck). This is at the bow and is actually a balcony at an ocean view rate -- the reason being that the balcony is locked for understandable reasons when the ship is underway. Since it is at the bow, the ship's movement is more noticeable, but that was fine with us. It also means rather long walks to get to the rest of the ship, but that is also fine with us -- one needs the exercise. I'd recommend the location, assuming the motion will not bother you.
We chose any time dining, which works well for us. The food was good. I usually order fish for the main course, and am usually somewhat disappointed. That's understandable -- fish is less forgiving in preparation, and it's hard to prepare well on the scale required. I'm always an optimist -- and am usually not as happy as I'd hoped to be. Mind you, the fish was OK -- but not great. The cold soups and pastas, on the other hand, are usually excellent.
The staff is uniformly pleasant (must be a challenge to be so cheerful so consistently).
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