We have done about a dozen cruises on Princess over the years and mixed in a few on Holland America for good measure. Last year we did the Galapagos cruise on the Xpedition and were very impressed. But the Xpedition is a very small ship, only about 100 passengers. Could Celebrity hold that level of service on a larger ship?

We weren't planning on a cruise this summer, but my wife was exhausted from a very hectic school year and the flyer had prices that were too good to pass up, so we booked it last minute. We have been spoiled and doing mostly balcony cabins but our travel agent reminded us that we were going to Alaska, not the Caribbean, and we weren't going to be spending that much time outside. Also, the really cheap deals were for oceanview and balcony would have been a lot more.

Normally, I would have just looked for a Princess cruise, but we have been feeling the level of service and the quality of the food were on a steady downhill slide. This would be the chance to compare. Compare we did and we may never go back to Princess. Read more