Sapphire Princess 7 Day Mexican Riviera January 21-28
This was our first cruise, and we were not sure if we would like it, so we picked a fairly inexpensive Mexican Riviera trip. We bought the tickets only a month before the cruise and got a good deal a balcony cabin was only a little more than an inside cabin. And since we live in the L.A. area there was no expenses for flights or hotels. We absolutely loved it. And now we are spoiled with a balcony and wont even consider a room without one for future cruises.
Princess gave us the best service I have had anywhere. The steward was fantastic, the waiters exceptional, I can go on and on. Here is one glitch: I did a lot of research on the internet beforehand and found that most people who had traditional seating raved about their dining experience, and most people who had personal choice dining complained about their experience. So, I was happy to get traditional late dining confirmed a few weeks before departure. Despite being confirmed, I discovered, after boarding, that I had personal choice. I immediately complained to the concierge and they had it fixed by day two. For the first night they gave me a reservation. Despite the reservation, there was a long line we had to stand in before being seated. Once we had traditional dining we never had to stand in a line again, and we got fantastic service from our waiter who knew our every wish and whim. Personal Choice dining is heavily promoted and sounds good on paper, but in practice it is a disaster. Princess should just realize that the whole thing was a mistake and do away with it. Apparently a lot of people agree, because there is always a wait list for traditional dining.