I choose Princess this time as the itinerary was what I needed. I think it is important to note that I am a solo traveler. I normally sail on Holland America and friends have raved about princess and I thought I would give them a try.

On boarding - was significantly easier than HAL. You are in a holding area based on your cabin deck, I was in my cabin by 2PM. I had two things I wanted to accomplish on sailing day, get my name added to the list for Chefs table and I wanted a lounger in sanctuary for a week.

Chef's table I received conflicting directions on how to make this happen. I chose to go to their service desk and get my name on the list. I was on board by Noon, and there were no lines. It took a while for the desk to get in contact with the dinning folks, but my mission was accomplished. Next, I went to sanctuary to reserve my lounger. Read more