This was our first cruise, to Alaska.  We were not happy with the on-board experience.  The most annoying thing was an unrelenting barrage of requests for us to buy extras.  Upon boarding the ship we went to the top deck for a drink.  Within 30 minutes we were approached 5 or 6 times to buy extrascoffee cards, bottomless soda glasses, champagne breakfasts, etc., etc., some more than once.  This continued throughout the cruise.  For example we usually had our meals interrupted for a sales pitch.  The only thing I can compare it to is walking down the beach in Cancun one time and being hit up every ten feet to buy one thing or another.  We finally asked an employee what was going on and were told that they have been given quotas, and must sell so-many of one thing or another each dinner (or whatever), on threat of being called in for a reprimand and sales re-education.  If you are also annoyed by this kind of thing, stay away from Princess.Second, the food was very disappointing.  It was all executed well enough, but you could tell they were skimping on ingredients.  The buffet had tasteless pink tomatoes, the kind you find at your neighborhood grocery store.  I had a slice of "cherry" pie that had one cherry in it, suspended in undifferentiated red-fruit goo.  Seafood soup was seemingly made of shrimp, some fallen-apart fish, and canned chicken stock.  I was reminded of fine-dining establishments in the rural Midwest.Finally, the "anytime dining option" allowed you to dine anytime you wanted as long as it was 8:00 or 8:15 in the evening.  We found ourselves wishing we had gone for the traditional seating as it would have been less hassle in terms of making reservations.Otherwise the crew was friendly and we got good service in the restaurants.  The scenery in Alaska was beautiful of course.  But on the whole it was bad experience for the reasons given above, especially the first one.  If we go on another cruise it will not be with this line.