This was my 5th Princess cruise and perhaps my last. It's been a few years since our last one on Princess -- we've used Royal Caribbean most recently. We never had a problem with embarkation before and didn't mind lines that moved relatively quickly. But now Princess has a policy that you board based on your deck. We were on Baja -- not the cheapest; not the most expensive -- and we had the last boarding slot before sailing. When I called Princess to inquire, I was told this was mandatory and I would not be allowed to board earlier.

The passengers -- it was a floating assisted living facility. Make fun of Holland America but Princess is right there with HA. I've never seen so many walkers and wheel chairs in such a confined space before. Elderly are certainly entitled to travel but know before you go -- it makes a difference in your cruise experience when the average age seems to be 80.

The fitness center -- despite my comment about the elderly, the fitness center was still inadequate. It must have been designed by someone who never set foot in a gym. Our last cruise was on Liberty of the Seas (3634 passengers; Royal Princess says it can accommodate 3600, so ships are equal in size) and the fitness center on Liberty of the Seas was 2-3 times the size of the one on Royal Princess. If there was a class or a seminar (frequently), there was no place to do stretching. There was adequate cardio equipment, but the weight section was a joke. Two benches squeezed in next to the barbells, making them inaccessible. Very limited equipment and no redundancy. No added a/c in the center so it got very, very hot when you exercised and the sun was beating in through the large glass windows. When I commented to a few senior crew members, they each said they had many complaints about the fitness center. Read more