We have cruised with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland and decided it was time to try Princess (or maybe it was my wish to finally get on the 'Love Boat').. We thought it would be interesting to sail out of New York and it was. We spent a day in New York prior to sailing- did the double decker bus to try and fit it all in.. Took a taxi to the pier and from the curb to the boat- embarkation at 1:00 was 15 minutes or less- rooms are ready at check in. That was impressive..we did not have the welcome lunch being served in lido.

Room: D619 is a AB class mini suite. The room was larger than the other ships, we thought we would like having a tub, but it did not drain fast- no handheld showers- but the shower head in the shower was nice- the pressure was ok. Tile in the bathroom was dated looking. Closet space was good- did not use all of the shelf space. The bed was comfortable- no sheet -just a duvet comforter. The tv was too high for the remote from the bed and it would also turn on the other tv in the other room. At the makeup area there was a hairdryer, but not a close up mirror. The balcony had 2 large chairs plus 2 smaller chairs and a table- too much furniture and the chairs could not be stacked- also there is no cover on the balcony-so rain or shine its open to the elements and the decks above.. Jovito was our cabin steward, he was amazing. So friendly.

The boat: some areas needed some TLC- like the carpets on deck were frayed and there were areas that needed some paint- but you would need to be looking for it. We did not do the spa, or the pools-looked like a mob of people at all. If you were looking for a quiet place indoors you could find it. The skywalker lounge seemed to be booked for a lot of private parties during the day- we only were in there once on the 1st at sea day. Liked the non smoking casino night- the shops are ok- same boring product on all ships- liquor was pretty reasonable. I am not sure why they insist on alot of clothing and a little section with books, snacks, magnets and toiletries- (don't forget to bring super glue and bug bite cream- they don't have them on the ship.) The boat broke a diesel generator and had to slow down- they gave us a 50 per person credit for it- port time was pretty limited anyway..The gym- You could not use the treadmills prior to 8am- (rooms underneath) No 'Love Boat' reruns on the ship- but the 3rd in command on the ship was named Gavin Mcleod- pretty funny. Read more