This is a beautiful ship with superb staff. Princess is known for the friendliness of their crew. Almost unfailingly one is greeted, apparently sincerely or a good show of the same, with a smile and a warm greeting. We have sailed on Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, and RCI and have not encountered this on another cruiseline. Mark, the cabin steward for L201, was exceptional in his service and approachability. He must have had eyes in the back of his head because he would time his cabin service for the time that people were out of the cabin even if it was only for a short time. He knew everyone's names and schedules within days of the cruise starting so he could plan his service. Thanks, Mark!

The dining on this cruise was good or very good at times but not excellent. We tired of the long dinners with too fancy food selections and sometimes opted for the buffet or the other more relaxed dining venues.

It is true that the ship is too large to dock in the cities so be prepared to go on long bus rides at almost every port. The bus rides can be as long as 2 hours each way which makes for a very long day. By the end of this cruise we were so tired of these long bus rides day after day that we decided to visit the closest city that Princess bused people to from the port. This was Laem Chabang. Many of our fellow passengers did opt for the long bus trip to Bangkok but we were happy with our choice just to go on land. Read more