Summary

This trip review is looked at from two angles: the ports themselves and the cruise experience itself. I will not deal extensively with the various ports (since other reviews last year have done marvelous jobs at that already and, for the most part, these cities have been unchanged for the past 400 years, so I don't think one year between reviews justifies a need for further evaluation. I will, however, try to provide some pointers gained from our experience.

Overall, for the price, we got our money's worth. We got the itinerary we were looking for; the ship was well run; the cabin adequate and well kept; the food acceptable and the service was as to be expected if not better. That said, there were disappointments and from those disappointments, while not many, tainted the cruise experience such that we will think twice before picking Princess again, if only for the purpose of seeing how other cruise-lines operate. The food was only "acceptable"; there was a lack of information; Princess seemed to nickel and dime you; and disembarkation for St. Petersburg was terrible; and Princess' constant pushing of their on-board shops versus buying on land, turned us off. Read more