Embarkation was a breeze in Fort Lauderdale as we were local and took the advice to arrive around 2pm. There were no lines at the desk, security or boarding. Once on board we found our cabin which was interesting because we had chosen a minisuite for the first time(usually taking a cabin and balcony. The minisuite has two areas, the bedroom and sitting area with a couch ,table and chairs. The bathroom is much larger having a bathtub shower combination which was much nicer than the little shower area in the bathroom of regular cabins.
The Food at the buffet was disappointing, as it was not as hot as it should be, but we had breakfast there as it was easier than going to the dining room. We started off as late seating, but found that on this trip Princess had not done their homework on tablemates and as a result we switched to Anytime dining. We met some people and formed our own table.Be aware that anytime dining becomes reservations for the week if you so desire. The food in the dining room was pretty good except for 2-3 nights which is good for a 17 day cruise. We had great service everynight. And all the food we wanted. Lobster tails twice and seconds on those available without asking. Oh yes a tip to the maitre'D early in the cruise gets you specials that no one else sees. Dinner at Sabatini's one night is an absolute.
I was worried about the 5 sea days across the Atlantic as being boring, but there were art auctions, lectures on every subject from History of Music to Astronomy and the entertainment in the evening was very good. We had two rough days but the dining room remained full thanks to the modern day stabilizers.