My husband and I did not know too much about Princess cruises prior to our departure, apart from the reviews on this website and in travel brochures. Aussies do not normally cruise on the Caribbean, as we have our own Pacific cruises. We have travelled quite extensively around the world and this was our first cruise outside of Australia. Apart from the horrendous long haul flight (24 hours), the ship was everything the brochures described. We will never see ships this size in our ports, so we were quite overwhelmed when we actually saw the ship.

Embarkation was very hassle free, which I was very thankful for after travelling such a long way. Our cabin was on Aloha deck with a balcony, and was very clean and comfortable. Cabin steward was very friendly and very helpful. The ship was 6.5hours late leaving port, which was quite frustrating due to the lack of communication from the captain. Finally we were told that we were due to depart and later then told, that due to this complication, we would be arriving into our first port of Montego Bay at least 6 hours late. We found that there was a lack of communication regarding leaving the ship in ports which was very frustrating for many passengers. We had booked our tours on the net prior to leaving Sydney, so this being our first tour, were disappointed to find that we had to cancel and re-book another tour. The tour desk was most unhelpful regarding the alternative tour, and told us that no staff had been on the white water rafting tour, and could not advise us of any details. (They are supposed to help us!!) All we saw of Montego Bay was the tour which was disappointing. Arriving at our next port (Cayman Islands) we were transported across to the pier by tender, only to be told that all tours had been cancelled for the day, due to the safety of the tenders returning to the ship - seas were quite rough. So we spent the day looking at the island from out at sea. Next stop was Cozumel, which was a good day, as we took a tour to Cancun and shopping. This was a great trip, just wished we had more time to see a little of Cozumel when we got back. Princess Cays was a great relaxing day, and appreciated being able to lay on a beach for the whole day. This is not done in our part of the world, due to the problems with the strength of the sun, and skin cancers, so it was a great treat. Arrival back and disembarking was also hassle free, as we were able to leave the ship early due to our flights, so no real waiting in lines.

We found the Horizon buffet on the ship to be our best way of eating. It was only one deck up from Aloha, and we found the selection was quite good for our tastes. We didn't even bother with the restaurants, as we were also quite happy not to have to dress up for eating. We gave the formal nights a miss, as coming from Australia, carrying formal clothes in suitcases this far, is just not an option. Entertainment was good, but not overly terrific. The casino was too smokey for us to stick around and play the tables for any length of time Read more