My significant other and I just returned from this cruise. It was my 1st on Princess/6th overall, and his 2nd on Princess/20th+ overall, so we are reasonably experienced cruisers who know what to expect. We booked the cruise with a large group of friends, and most of us range in age from mid 30s to 50s. Quite a few of us flew into San Juan a day early, but a few of those who had Sunday morning flights ran into weather-related travel problems. Their flight was cancelled and they had to re-book on another airline and drive to another city for the new flight, which was obviously a hassle. We were happy to already be in San Juan, and will continue to always arrive a day ahead of time! We stayed at the Stellaris Marriott Resort and Casino, which is about mid-way between the airport and the Pan American cruise terminal. The hotel is nice, but way overpriced.

EMBARKATION Embarkation was the best I have ever experienced. We had read and heard that we could not embark until 2pm, and to wait until after 3pm or it would be crowded. However, with nothing to do after checking out of the hotel at noon, we went ahead to the cruise ship terminal and were able to walk right onto the ship. Checked the bags, walked right up to a counter agent with no waiting whatsoever, and were onboard by 1pm. Our staterooms were ready as well, which isn't always the case, so we were able to drop off our carry-on stuff and head straight to the pool area after grabbing a quick bite at the lunch buffet.

STATEROOM We were booked on the Dolphin deck in a mini-suite. The mini-suites are long and narrow, with a sitting area beyond the bed. The sitting area had a full sized couch and another chair, and opened to the balcony which had plenty of room for 4 chairs and a small table. Plenty of room to have a few friends over for drinks before dinner. The room had plenty of storage, although as always, there was a shortage of electrical outlets...our desk top was a jumble of cords and wires for the laptop, ipod speakers, cell phone charger, camera charger, etc. Our cabin steward, Luisa, was wonderful. We met her immediately after boarding, and she quickly swapped out the cokes and sprites in our fridge for diet cokes, as we requested. She always kept our ice bucket filled, and brought the extra towels and robes we requested. Several times we left sticky notes for her with other miscellaneous requests and she always took care of whatever we asked. Read more