This was our second cruise... first with Princess. We arrived in Vancouver 2 days early- fantastic city, well worth the extra time added to our trip. The hotel was the Sandman Suites on Davies Street- great location, great staff, easy walk or cab to anywhere we wanted to go. Embarkation was a breeze... well organized, friendly... and we were on board within 45 minutes of arriving. We went to the ship around 11:30 AM so the crowd hadn't gathered yet. Staff assisted with directions at every turn. Our cabin was ready... although not very clean, and not fully supplied as requested: no robes, no mattress pad,pens,ashtrays,matches,pre-ordered food & bar items. Small stuff I know, but key to first impressions. We had a mini-suite which was quite nice. I had read about the open deck issue, and it was a bit disconcerting to realize someone was standing right above you- altogether no big deal, and wound up being a fun way to meet fellow passengers.The ship was large, kind of pretty in a faded 80's glory kind of way.The decor was very "Miami Vice"- strange for a 2001 ship. Oh well.Our only other comparison was the Queen Mary 2, so I think our standards were a little biased. Horizon court food was typical buffet... really not that bad. COFFEE IS HORRIBLE ! We bought a coffee card, and spent the entire cruise running to the coffee bar for double shots... spendy, but fun. The specialty restaurant Sabatini's was a huge disappointment. They fed us and 2 other tables like an assembly line, and the Lobster was smaller than I have had at Sizzler. The Desert Rose ( Sterlings ) was much better- stay away from the huge Porterhouse (nasty) and go for the filet! The Bernini dining room was our anytime dining choice... a table for 2 was hard to get, so we chose to share a table with a stranger.. nice company, slow service, inedible food- I sent back my salad after watching another server spin it around until our server came to give it to us. Beef Wellington was so tough and overdone I thought I was going to bend my knife, so it went back as well. I really am easy to please.. nice service goes a long way with me, and food just needs to be good. This was neither, so we skipped the dining room the rest of the trip, and ate in Horizon Court. I don't drink, so I stuck to bottled water. They put it on ice, and replenished my glass just like it was wine... very nice! The ship never felt crowded- the public rooms were all large, easy to find and navigate. We went to a couple of the main shows- very high school ish productions. Lots of energy, not much else. It was amusing to watch the performers strut through the ship like they were really something.Pools were beautiful, hot tubs were great, steam room was way too hot& smelled funky, sauna was perfect. Well equipped gym, huge selection of spa services- spendy but fun to splurge on at least once.The itinerary was Victoria ( charming tourist trap, but so well done you really don't mind), Astoria, OR (who lobbied the cruise industry to get this place on the map? What a waste!), San Francisco ( great dock space- close to everything and everywhere ), and Catalina Island. We had to tender to shore in Catalina- what a mess! Long lines, limited organization- by the time you got ashore, it was time to turn around and get back in line to go back to the ship. Charming town though- glad we put up with all the hassle.Dis-embarkation was rough. Anyone who bought over $200 worth of stuff had to meet with customs at 6:30 AM... and customs never showed. At 7:30 they announced we could leave, and began general Disembarkation. If this is a new trend I think they will lose a lot of on-board shoppers. Would we sail Princess again? Yes. Was it everything we hoped it would be? No. They really need to step up the food, beverage, and service standards. Bedding could use an overhaul as well. But the price point is so good you have to realize that there will be some trade-offs