Island Princess Review
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We embarked from Vancouver which we found to be an absolutely beautiful city. Canada Place is an excellent facility and the embarkation process was relatively painless considering we were technically foreign nationals. Princess's transportation to the terminal from the airport was fine. We actually came into Vancouver the day before and did a bit of sight seeing - recommend the train pass if you have limited time. We thoroughly enjoyed Vancouver and returned to the airport for transport to Canada Place.
On board we acclimated ourselves with a scavenger hunt (designed by Princess to encourage added spending - as did many of their activities - one of the things I dislike about cruising in general and Princess specifically) and quickly got a good feel for the layout. My wife actually won a certificate to one of the shops form the scavenger hunt so we got off to a good start. Lunch in the Horizon buffet area was good and we settled in to watch the water and mountains.
We opted for the traditional dining, late seating and, as experienced on other cruises, met some very pleasant people with whom to share meals during the cruise. Our servers were adequate, but not spectacular. The same could be said of the food. Some meals were quite good; some so-so. None was fantastic. We did not try the optional restaurants because nothing on their menus appeared to be worth the added cost.
Cabin Review
Oceanview (obstructed view)
Although view was obstructed, we had a good view and have determined the location with its proximity to elevators and only one flight above the promenade deck was superb. We seemed to have easy access to nearly all the things we wanted to do - which largely consisted of standing on deck and gaping at the fantastic scenery! I booked late and selection was slim. As it turns out we were quite pleased with cabin E311 - if / when we return to Island Princess I will book it or its starboard counterpart.