This was our 2nd Princess cruise and we sailed on the Voyage of the Glaciers Alaska cruise in September 2013. While not a true "sister ship" to our previous cruise aboard Caribbean Princess, its layout and interior design was a very close match.

Cabin - We stayed in a balcony cabin, A743, which is starboard aft, only the 2nd cabin in from the back door which leads to the aft pool and then up another short flight of stairs to the aft bar & entrance to the Horizon Court buffet restaurant. We love this convenience. In warmer climes, we love access to the quiet adult-only aft pool, but that was only available for a few hours of sunning ourselves on nicer days during our Alaska journey. The cabin was decent in size and just as expected with the exception of the beds running horizontal from the door perspective to allow access to the balcony. This would be fine except that we had a third passenger in an upper bunk that had to squeeze between the beds to access the ladder. This would be fine for children but was a slight challenge for an adult to maneuver. I quickly learned the best way to manage this, though.

Dining - We opted, as usual, for the early traditional dining. We love the assigned waiter (we had Roy from the Philippines). On this cruise we did miss 2 dinners in the dining room because we were in port late or attending other activities on the ship (in our case - whale watching). The dining room staff was right on point with food selections & timing, with the exception of the last night where the Baked Alaska on Parade is a highlight, but took too long for our preference and we left before the festivities. The other two nights we could have reserved an "Anytime Dining" time with 24-hours advance notice, but opted for the casual approach of the Horizon Court buffet. On our previous cruise the Horizon Court offered some of the same dishes featured in the main dining room, but that was not the case on this sailing. Regardless, the options were tasty and varied and the service was appropriate for the casual setting. We did not choose any of the specialty restaurants on this cruise, but there is also a steakhouse (located in the far aft section of the Horizon Court) and Sabatini's Italian Restaurant whose aroma was beckoning! Read more