This was our first cruise on a Princess ship: we have travelled on Seabourn, Oceania, Celebrity, Holland American, so we thought we would give this new chip a try.

The positives: this new ship is generally well-designed. The interior decoration is tasteful, millwork of a good quality, and furnishings very pleasant. The Piazza atrium is a stroke of genius, offering a great place to mingle, to dance, to watch all the action. For guests who love to dance, there is music from afternoon into the evening. We have never danced as much on a ship and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ship was so steady that we did not feel any movement whatsoever. For the first time, my wife did not need any travel sickness medication of any description. The 24-hour International Café at the atrium was a very good idea.

We had a mini-suite, and were very concerned prior to boarding as to how "mini" it would be. To our surprise, the space was extremely well-used, with ample storage space, and we were more comfortable than in the suites in the "luxury" cruise ships which had cost us 5 times more. Read more