Ok. I travelled with my mother for the first time(she is 79, I am 45). She absolutely loved Princess (which she took on a long Panama cruise back 6 years ago). This is the first time for me travelling with Princess. I thought it was going to be superior to all the other lines I have taken. I have been on Carnival (yuck) (2 times), Holland America (2 times), Royal Caribbean (4 times).
Embarkation: Seattle. Fairly quick, although not as organized as all the RCCL cruises I have been on.
Disembarkation: The best part. My mother lives in Victoria, BC, and I live up north. So we were able to disembark in Victoria (since they arrive so late, and we wouldn't miss much on the ship that night). The was the fastest and easiest disembarkation ever. I would do a Seattle to Alaska route again (have previously only gone from Vancouver) just for the simple and painfree disembarkation. My travel agent arranged it with Princess prior to us cruising. We didn't have to do anything extra, just carried our 1 bag off (we travel light).