This was our 10th Princess cruise, having also cruised with RCCL, MSC, Carnival and HAL. We have been on the Island 3 times and was a little worried with more people from the added cabins, less upper deck space and a sold out ship for Alaska! No worries! It never felt like we were sailing with a full ship. There was always plenty of deck space and viewing areas.
Embarkation was a breeze, especially after taking the morning train in and getting on the ship the earliest. Ships looked a bit more fresh to us. Our cabin was an obstructed ocean view and was fine, even offering some great views! Weather was amazing, sometimes even getting a bit too warm directly in the sun! Food is subjective, but we thought is was good overall. Sometimes the buffet food wasn't hot, just lukewarm. We did Anytime dining about 3 nights and thought the food and service in the dining room was good.
We thought all the staff were polite and friendly and loved our cabin steward.
We had pretty good views out our window, and the area was quiet. I would choose this cabin again!