Princess exceeded my expectations this time around! We are 8 adults (35-38 yrs). This is my 5th Princess and my 15th total cruise experience. I started cruising in the late 80's and I must say the service this time around was comparable to the service I received back when I started. Our waiter remembered our names and drink preferences after just one night. Commendable , especially for anytime dining where they see many many people night after night. The food was average to above average for the most part. Our most disappointing meal was Sabatini's. On the Sapphire 2 years ago the dinner was amazing- along with the service. Buffet food---- well, it's buffet food. The Caribe Buffet was always a bit nicer than the Horizon Court. We had a sit-down lunch on Day 3 and it was so horrendous that we never went back. Sit-down breakfast was adequate. I prefer to do the buffet and get a little of everything. Just me! We had a really great cabin. Riviera 403. It was an inside cabin, but the layout was wide vs. deep like most cabins. Very spacious. Bathroom wasn't right at entry door. Excessive closet space, too. Would highly recommend this layout on any boat. It was right below the pool and it sounded like a generator or pump cut on every hour on the hour starting at 2am. My earplugs got good use this week. But, the room was so great we didn't want to complain and have to move.
We were one of the first to be able to dock in Cozumel. That was nice. Tendering was fine. Not my favorite, but sometimes it's unavoidable.
I find the photography very expensive and they force you to buy an extravagantly decorated photo no matter the shot. The cheapest photo is $9.95. I found one picture of my husband and I that we loved, but it was made into an 8X10. I asked if the same picture could be made smaller without all the decorative trim and was told they could do it , but I would still be charged the same price. That photo was $19.95 (boarding photo)