We just returned from the 7 day Alaska Inside Passage aboard the Grand Princess. This is our 8th cruise, but our first with Princess. Sadly, it will probably be our last.

I'll admit that we have been somewhat spoiled by the newer ships from Celebrity and Royal Caribbean but there is no excuse for some of the shortcomings that surfaced on this voyage. When you are on an itinerary that is heavy on scenery and natural beauty, an effort should be made to at least keep the windows clean. I realize that salt spray is a constant issue on a ship in motion, but many windows appeared to have not been cleaned in a very long time. At no time did I observe any attempt to clean them, either in the public spaces or the balconies. I've been on many cruises that its a priority when the ship is in port. Apparently not a priority with Princess.

I probably should have paid more attention to the port arrival times when I booked the cruise, but several late arrivals in port seriously cut down on excursion time as well as impacting dinner plans and evening activities. Pulling into a port at 7pm on the last night of the cruise after sailing at a snails pace far from shore for a day and three quarters was an inconvenience on many levels. I'm not sure of the motivation here, but it clearly isn't about customer satisfaction. Read more