We were scheduled to depart Houston for a 5 night cruise at 4:00pm on November 11th. This was our very FIRST Princess cruise. We have taken several other cruises with 4 other cruise lines. We arrived early at the terminal - about 11:15am because it looked like it was about to rain. We booked a mini-suite, so we had early embarkation at 12:00. They opened the doors at 11:45 because it had started to rain. Once inside, we filed thru the snake lines and found a seat. We waited.. and waited.. and WAITED. They finally let us board at 2:30! No explanations, no updates, just sit and wait. Two and a half hours - that's the WORST embarkation we had ever experienced.
Once on board, we found the buffet (crowded, as we expected) and had lunch. Muster drill was supposed to be at 3:15, so we went to the cabin and unpacked. The luggage had been delivered in a very timely manner. At 3:00, there was an announcement that the muster would be delayed. Also, the sail away was delayed. (We were part of a group of 120 people from Cruise Critic that had a meeting planned at the outrigger after the muster.) We waited.. and waited.. and WAITED.. and finally, at almost 5:00, we were called to muster drill... YES - the ship was still docked!! It was 6:00 before the ship sailed. We went to the Outrigger, but it was closed due to the rain and high winds... So we went to dinner. Never did get a chance to meet the others from Cruise critic.
At dinner, we ordered the shrimp cocktail as an appetizer. It was served absolutely RAW. It was gray and slimy. The waiter and the head waiter were mortified and apologized. They brought out a second shrimp cocktail and the outer shrimp were cooked, but the middle shrimp was - you guessed it - raw.
This cabin has no privacy on the patio and no roof. If you are sitting at the mirror - you can not get to the drawers without moving the chair.