My wife and I just returned from our 1st "Christmas" cruise as well as our 1st "Princess" cruise, however this was not our 1st cruise. We sailed on the Star Princess December 19th, 2004, from Port Everglades and of course expected the typical embarkation. To our surprise though, it couldn't have gone smoother. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale the day before as we always do, stayed at the Hilton at the airport and relied on their shuttle to get us to the port. Maybe it was a combination of their experience of getting people to the ships and Princess but it took us no longer than 15 minutes from curbside to Atrium! Princess gets great raves from us for their embarkation process.
One of the first things we always do is verify our dinner seating since we prefer a table for two. We had second seating and I was told prior to boarding that this table would be no problem. I had read on the boards though that these tables were not available so we were prepared to have to switch to "Anytime Dining" if necessary. We did have to switch to this alternative and were able to get the seating we wanted every night. The only drawback that we saw in this method was that you were not guaranteed the same waitstaff even if you made a standing reservation for the same time and table. The reason for this was that even though we reserved a specific table, we were really only reserving the time. Perhaps this doesn't bother most but I like the feeling of being known, the drinks waiting, hello, good to see you tonight, did you enjoy what we spoke of last night...
OK, I have read lots of up and down reviews about this ship but one of the downs that stood out to me was the disappointment others had with their food. My wife and I are "typically" far from gourmet diners but we know good food. I have to say the food served on this ship during the entire cruise was fantastic! There wasn't one thing that we didn't enjoy from appetizers through dessert. Breakfast and lunch were just as wonderful. We didn't get a chance to go to either of the alternative restaurants so I can't personally say how they were but from others on the ship I heard the food was even better than the dining rooms. I can't imagine! Next cruise it will be a must.