This was our first cruise with Princess. Previous cruises were on much smaller ships - 500 passengers, so we were a little apprehensive about the large ship experience. Overall we were very impressed and comments should be viewed against that backcloth. The ship has been cleverly broken down into many smaller intimate spaces so the size is not really apparent.
Our cruise started in Venice which must be one of the greatest ports in the world to depart from. Sailing past the Grand Canal, St Marks Square, and the assorted palazzos in the early evening light is magical and certainly starts the whole thing off very well.
For the benefit of London passengers, the flight to Venice was with Titan Airways. And here was the first surprise. Instead of the usual airline charter fare of barely edible food and plastic cutlery the offering was imaginative and the cutlery was steel. Small point but it makes a big difference. Transfer from the airport in Venice to the ship was very easy with luggage being taken straight from the aircraft to your cabin. No hanging around at the baggage carousels. It does, however seem to take a long time to arrive, ours didn't show up for 2-3 hours after getting on, which seems long when you're wanting to change from travelling clothes into something fresh.