Embarkation: My opinion, Barbados is not equipped to handle the massive influx of cruise ship passengers. Our flight (non-chartered Delta) arrived about 2:15 p.m. as did four or five other flights. Needless to say, we 'queued' for a good two hours or so. Our CC group had planned to meet at 4:30 on our first day for a meet and greet. We missed it by a mile! On the positive side, we were ever so happy to finally be onboard and in our cabin. Our long flights probably had something to do with our attitudes regarding the whole embarkation process. Fellow passengers: 99 percent (seemed like) were from the United Kingdom - mostly England. We enjoyed them very much, and made some new friends, however, did not take into account that most of the entertainment (humor, etc.) would be geared to their taste and therefore like a foreign language to those of us from the U.S. Also, it was our observation that there is a different attitude towards the crew than we have noticed on other cruises where the makeup of the passengers is mainly from the U.S. Seemed like the crew was treated almost like they were invisible. These folks are working their tails off for the comfort of the passengers and they seemed for the most part to be ignored, and this included at tipping time. The general attitude seemed to be that Princess should be paying the help and it was not the passenger's place to have to do that. I'm afraid that many of the room stewards and wait staff were short changed in the tipping department. Most of the passengers we talked to had the automatic gratuity removed from their accounts and we did not see very many white envelopes being handed out on that last day. Tipping is covered in depth here on CC, but I forget that only a small percentage of cruisers knows of this site. I'm trying to get the word out! Food: Also aimed at the British clientele. Lots of lamb and fish on the dinner menu and not much beef. It was my opinion - although this was our first Princess cruise, that the nicer cuts of beef are now mainly saved for the for-fee Sterling Steak House and are not really offered in the main dining room except occasionally. This is probably a way for Princess to cut costs, but it's the first time I've noticed this on any cruise. Food was good though, and of course there was plenty of it! It was interesting to see beans on the breakfast buffet! We had late traditional seating in the Traviata Dining room. All the food we had there was excellent as was the service. Our waiters, Rico and Allen were great! We ate at Cafe Corniche one night. Pizza looked okay, but the lasagna was a disappointment. We are in agreement with a previous review, that the service in the Cafe Corniche wasn't so great! Ice cream was served during tea time in the Horizon as well as dinner time. There is also a for-fee sundae parlor on deck 12, I think. Cabins: Tiny! Ours was an inside on the Baja deck, Deck 10 and while it had plenty of closet and drawer space, enough even for a 14 day cruise, the cabin itself was very small. Bathroom was nice and roomy - shower only. DEcor was good, but furniture is getting tired. Room Steward, Jules - Excellent. He took wonderful care of us and we loved him. Public areas: It was our opinion the ship looked great. The Wheelhouse was beautiful. Princess Theater was a strange set-up for shows with traditional theater seating, making it difficult to see or get a drink, while the Vista Lounge was more like other ships we've been on, but also not a very good set-up for viewing the entertainment. We enjoyed the movies under the stars a time or two, but didn't like that there was soccer playing there so much of the time. There was a game area adjacent to the Casino which I thought odd. Not really a place for children in my opinion. Library was beautiful. Internet and Photos too expensive! Crew: Everyone we came in contact with was pleasant and helpful. Met one or two wait persons in the Horizon with an attitude, but if they'd been on the ship for awhile, maybe they knew they wouldn't be getting much in the way of tips and that could explain the attitude. Nellie and Leslie in the shops were wonderful. We got to know them and really enjoyed them a lot! Where it counted, we were very well attended to and taken care of, but then, this has always been our experience when cruising. The captain was probably the most personable and approachable we have ever had. He was great. Ports of Call: This was the best part of the cruise! We did all excursions on our own, from recommendations here on CC and had a wonderful time. We choose a cruise for the ports of call and this one didn't disappoint! Wish more cruises offered this great variety and number of Ports! We especially enjoyed our day in Isla Margarita with Steve & Marcella. They treated us like family. It was great! Spa & Fitness: Can't really comment on this, since we didn't use the fitness center or the spa. We walked a couple of miles every day on the Promenade deck and climbed the stairs to every destination on the ship, so felt this was plenty of exercise, but the facilities looked nice! Disembarkation: Not too much better than embarkation, but then the cruise is over. Can't expect to feel happy about leaving under the best of circumstances. It may seem from some of my comments that we didn't enjoy this cruise. On the contrary! It was great. Any day cruising is good as far as we're concerned. Just being candid about some of the things that we weren't expecting and that's why I read reviews - for an honest opinion.