89 days on the Ocean Princess (22 Sep - 20 Dec, 2015) and still married! A small ship allows you to meet more people and develop deeper friendships on a long cruise. Coming across the Atlantic in December on a small ship is not as pleasant. I have determined any cruise is what you make of it. We like a large table for dinner to allow for meeting many people from different backgrounds and countries. The eight we had from Dover were totally compatible and we never tired of each other, or their stories. What a hoot!!! Other tables always wondered what we were up to as there was always laughter and fun. Staff members are there to serve you but need to be treated with respect and appreciation, and I am not talking just extra tips. They work 11 hours a day, and most of them work more, to please you and to keep their job. On a longer cruise, you should develop great relationships with many crew. Let them know you appreciate them, ask about their families and you will learn so much more. Tina Zagar, fitness instructor, has me on the way to better health and condiioning. She has changed my life. As a 69 year old golfer I wanted to improve my flexibility while on board, and it worked. Having not hit a golf ball for over three months, I am hitting the ball 25 to 30 farther off the tee, and my lower back no longer hurts. I am now signed up to continue yoga at home to maintain, or even better my strength and flexibility. Tina also gave my wife some exercises to hep with her sciatica, and it is now under control. She is a great teacher and an even better motivator. Ketut, the grill cook, Selma, a waitress, our room steward, Moises Reyes, are on our list to take home. Captain Lorentzen was very visible and always kept us informed of the good and bad news. When you are kept informed it eliminates rumors and unhappy passengers. Our only gripe is that we had several ports where we arrived on holy days or weekemds when nothing was open, and things seemed deserted. Home office provides the schedule not the Captain, and many things dictate the schedule, but leaving two days earlier or two days later would have been better. The quality of the contract entertainment was outstanding. We had singers from Broadway and West End. We had the lead from Lion King (West End), another male singer from Phantom of the Opera, and a female singer who was auditioning for Wicked in New York the week after departing our ship. These are only the ones I can quickly remember. There was a variety of muscians, comedians and what I would call "out of the ordinary" that were all good. Even if they are not what I would normally pay to see, they did expand my world. The food was the best I have had on ship, although after going through their 14 day menu 6 times I was (unfairly) getting tired of it. Cooking 5000 meals a day is quite an operation. Too bad the Ocean Princess is leaving the fleet and heading to Oceana. She is special, as is her other small Princess ship, the Pacific Princess. They allow you to get into ports not normally accessible to the larger ships. We will miss her, as we do our new found friends, both passenger and crew. God Bless you all. Thank you for a special trip. Read Less