Very poor experience overall. Starting it all off my baggage "lost" (sitting behind front desk), first customer service agent told me to come back at 6pm and didn't even check, this was at 4pm and we boarded in the morning mind you. The rest of my cabin mates received their luggage between 11a-1pm, and we all placed them in the same a truck. Went back at 5pm, a new customer service agent was there and actually looked for my bag, she quickly found it sitting behind the front desk. Of course all my clothes and sunscreen were in it so I was unable to enjoy the best the day time activities like swimming with my group. Waited at the bar twice for a couple cans of coke for about 30 minutes each time to receive no service. On the third attempt, after about 15 minutes of waiting, we were able to purchase coke cans woohoo! We found a bloody finger print on the counter in our deluxe balcony suite bathroom, likely from a used feminine product or bloody nose from the last passenger, extremely disgusting.. During dinner I ordered a ribeye steak for dinner which cost $19 extra, cut into it and it was literally raw in the middle (asked for medium but will eat rare). Replacement steak came medium-well, shouldn't be that difficult to cook it medium. The icing on the cake was the 4- hours of standing in line to depart the ship because proper procedure wasn't followed and customs weren't cleared at the port it was supposed to be done at. I would not recommend this cruise line to anyone as I've never had a worse cruise experience. Read Less

Embarkation- super easy out of San Pedro. Was in boarding group 9 and on the ship before 12:30. Ate in the main dining room-delicious! Kept my carry-on with me. Rooms were ready by 1:00. Stateroom L311- nice and clean. Furniture had a few scratches. No USB Ports. No barrel chair. Bed was heavenly. Balcony could use paint. Got Lotus Spa lotion every day. Had to remind steward for ice once. Buffet- nice selection. Mainly made salads for lunch. Coffee and Cones- pizza was good. Baristas seemed like making coffee was a bother. Salty Dog Grill- the Triple Smoke Burger is outstanding. Will cook burger to order. Fries were always fresh. Chef’s Table- WONDERFUL! International Cafe- great as always. Casino- too many of the same machines. Spa- wanted the thermal spa. Signed up and went the first night. Got lost. No one to help. Went back again at 9:10 (closes at 10). They were picking up water. Just relaxed at 9:40 and housekeeping came in. Got my money back and will never go back. Shops- wanted Matrishka Dolls. Asked if they would be available next day. They said yes. Went back next day and they were gone! Asked for them and they said no. On disembarkation they were in the window. Bummed. Disembarkation was easy but too soon! Took a Princess transfer to the airport. Had a bit of a wait so I checked bags and took Sky Train to Outlet Mall (2 stops). Customs was harried. Would have been a 5 except for spa experience and shops/dining options not keeping their hours. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it left from the Port of L.A. and returned to same Port plus we liked all of the ports that were visited over the 12 days. We live in L.A. so this made it very convenient. The ship itself felt very outdated. The Jacuzzis were constantly being shut down randomly for no apparent reason. This being a cold weather cruise, we looked forward to spending out time in the spas/jacuzzis. The HOT sauna was constantly broken. The robo calls to the room from the Lotus Spa were excessive and inappropriate We received 2 and if I hadn't complained, they might of continued calling our room. This ship seemed old, out of date and in need of upgrades. Embarkation was confusing and disorganized. I am in a wheelchair and couldn't find support on where to go and even difficult to flag down a porter. The thermostat inside the stateroom was difficult to keep at a low temperature. it was always very stuffy. Toilets backed up easily in our room. The Staff was pleasant. We found the entertainment lacking with only 30 minute shows. We learned the hydraulics on the main stage were broken and had been for some time so the shows were tailored.. unfortunately not in the guests favor. The ship felt very crowded all the time especially in the common areas were there was always picture taking happening.. of course for you to buy later. Offensive ART MURAL FRAMED PICTURE outside explorers lounge-PICTURE OF bull elephant fighting- killing SCENE. SHOULD BE REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH MORE APPEALING ART WORK This was the first ship of the season so it was nice to be at the ports without all the congestions. Unfortunately the salmon were not running during this time. Loud "good morning: GREETINGS BY STAFF IN THE HALLWAYS in the morning TO PASSENGERS AS THEY PASSED NEAR THEM...HALLWAYS NEAR STATEROOMS AT 7 AND 8 AM- NOT COOL- STAFF SHOULD BE ADVISED TO HAVE SENSE OF DECORUM IN THE MORNING AND TO KEEP VOICES LOW. OK TO SAY HELLO BUT NOT AT TOP OF LUNGS. We are not foodies but the options for dairy free/vegan was not apparent. Read Less

We had a wonderful cruise because Alaska is gorgeous, however the Ruby was the worst ship I've sailed on. Not only does the ship appear old and tired, so does much of the crew. Our steward didn't address us by name, so if that's your thing, good luck. Personally, it doesn't matter to me. I'm more concerned about having service, like ice in the cabin, without having to beg a few times. It took 3 days for pre-purchased alcohol to get delivered to our cabin. The flowers finally made it on day 4. Air conditioning seems pretty basic and certainly expected in a premium aft-facing balcony. No, it's wasn't. Four phones calls, three techs, and finally we were told that would just be the temperature of the room. Never thought we would literally sweat all night on an Alaskan cruise. So, if air conditioning is high on your list, look elsewhere because sleeping on the balcony for cold air is miserable. The food...well, it's there and usually lukewarm. You pay extra for the good food. We did have the $100.00 balcony dinner and that was awesome. I can't comment on the MDR because we never went. On all other cruises, the stewards are like ninjas. You walk out your cabin for an hour and POOF, your cabin is refreshed and the bed made. Our bed was made 5 times on a 12 day cruise. I told y'all the crew seemed tired. I can say that the big suite next to us seemed to always have their door open with the steward in there. Lucky dog. Anyway, I know that I forgot a lot because this looks much too pleasant. Oh, it's a 2ft square shower with a non adjustable shower head. Take a good bath before you leave and when you get home. Not sure how a large person fits in there. Definitely can't shave legs. No, I'm never going back on Princess. Never, ever. I've sailed Holland America, Norwegian, Carnival and Princess is absolutely last place. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it started in Los Angeles and returned to Los Angeles, we did not have to Fly either way. Also we did not have to worry about weighing our luggage. We loved having a balcony, the King size bed was heavenly and the food was fabulous. We came on this cruise to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary, at our Dining Room they brought us a delicious dessert and the staff came arround our table and sang Happy Anniversary to us. We met 3 other couples that were sitting at our table and we ate together every night and we became very good friends. The 12 days of the cruise we were very happy with everything on the ship, the excursions were terrific. All the shows, games, auctions were so much fun. So glad that the weather was somewhat comfortable, and that Mr. Sun was with us the whole time. Read Less

While the Alaska Cruise was pleasant & enjoyed, here are a few thoughts on our experience. Parking: $18/day is overpricing for parking. Other Airports only charge $10/day long term and provide a shuttle. No shuttle here Food: In general pretty good with the exception of the Lido Deck Horizon Court. It appeared that about 60 percent of the ships guests were Asian. The group came in mass, saved the majority of tables, were rude and wasted enormous amounts of food. One person took a whole tray off the service line for their table. Because of the chilly weather the Horizon was always filled to capacity. Pizza: The specialty daily pizzas weak. Vegetable pizza is not a pizza. What happened to the Duck Pizza? Pineapple is something that does not belong on a pizza The Chef’s Table: dinner was exceptional….good job and a wonderful experience. The Crown Grill: still can’t make a good steak. The portions are too large and lack flavor. My New York was dry, poorly seasoned and not seared well as the kitchen can’t use an open flame to sear meat. No demi glaze or béarnaise sauces were offered. I had to ask. Share: was a nice change and presented a perfect menu with flavorful food. Shows: Why have the shows been cut down to 45 min. Used to be at least one hour. The Princess Band is really good Bars: Miss the ability to use a Crows Nest bar forward to watch the ship enter & leave port, read and have a drink. Internet: Offer it for free…Viking does The State Room Account: the daily and final on board bill lacked any details. Was my bar charge a mixed drink, a coffee or a soft drink. Who can remember. Tell us what we ordered Wine Packages: what happened to the wine packages? We always bought a few. Not interested in a $71/day beverage package. Don’t drink that much. Toilet Issues: A Bad Smell: The ship had a bad plumbing issue. Toilets wouldn’t flush, one couple on Deck 8 we talked to had their toilet overflow and also had a wall leak. The men’s toilet on Deck 6 off the Showroom was full of feces and would not flush. The smell was very noticeable not just on that deck Read Less

Within a few days of Princess releasing the 2019 schedule, found a cruise that met our needs. Ruby Princess, doing round trip to Alaska out of Los Angeles on 4/23/19. We now require an accessible cabin due to mobility issues. We prefer the Caribe deck, due to the setback of the superstructure. I call and secure one of the three accessible cabins left. 565 days out and as usual, Princess is asking full price for newly listed cruises. Over the next year we get new passports with only two weeks turn around. By chance I find that they have used our cabin as the example of an accessible cabin https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/ruby-princess-443/accessible-balcony-cabin-276108/accessible-balcony-cabin--v12728343/ As time goes by, we take advantage of two price drops. 75 days out, news groups going nuts about the one comfortable chair being removed from most of Princess’ balcony cabins. Questioned Princess on this policy since we require it, I was basically told too bad. On a second call speaking to an executive assistant, I was told that because I have a accessible cabin, that chair may or may not still be there, they simply have no idea at corporate what is happening on their ships. Still hoping on having a good time, without having to stand. 60 days out and the emails start. “Information about your cruise” from Princess. Cancellation?, change in itinerary?, cabin reassignment? Each time a flutter of anxiety I see it in the inbox. Soon learn this is Princess’ way of trying to get into my wallet before the cruise. Wine, excursions, specialty restaurants etc etc. I quickly learn to glance at them before hitting delete. Embarkation day has arrived. Get a late start out of the house, at the docks “rush hour” has already started. Utter bedlam from people not knowing where to drive, stop, park or drop off passengers/baggage. Inside the cruise center total calm, walk right up to the desk, have passport scanned and have cruise cards within seconds. Slight bottle neck at security because of the number of pax arriving. On the ship in about 90 minutes from when we left the house, far from a record, but nothing to complain about. Point of interest, I had two power strips (not surge protectors) in my carry on, no issue by x-ray or security. At some point after we pass through, new policy takes effect with security checkpoint. ANYTHING looking like a power strip is being confiscated and a receipt being issued. Attention Princess, while they are not your direct employees, security is your representatives and some education is needed. Since we ran into same situation over ten years ago and there has been no improvement. I predict there will be no action from Princess now. Another “new” policy is in place on the ship, fire doors going to cabin walkways are closed. All 3000+ pax are directed to the public areas on decks 7 and 15. To avoid the masses we grab a table near the Trident grill near open sky. We enjoy a bite to eat and start our favorite past time onboard, people watching. I will take this time to point out I’m not a millennial or generation X’er by any means. We retired three years ago, but looking around, I feel like I’ve been dropped into a convention of Wal-Mart greeters who have been terminated due to age. The wife, who notices these things, has counted less than twenty children in total. I have a feeling they will soon be bored. Just an observation, the vast number of passengers fall into two groups: retired Americans or younger foreign tourists, mostly from Asia. Per two crew members, the average age of this voyage is 65 years. Seems the common dinner conversation concerns medical procedures, prescriptions and what relative has recently died. Not all passengers observe the same dinning etiquette and a lot of food has been seen going into bags headed back to the cabins. To some, the idea of getting in line for services is foolish. Much simpler just to step in front of everyone. At times just getting from A to B is an obstacle course going around people who change direction without looking or just suddenly stop in their tracks in front of you. My wife and others using mobility devices seem invisible to the crowd. About 90 minutes pass and by chance I discover cabins have been made available, no PA announcement was made. Before running off to customer service, I check and find the “barrel chair”, removed from almost all balconies is still in this cabin. Only upgrade to the cabin is the 43” LG television mounted on the desk surface above the refrigerator. Doing my best Houdini impersonation, I am able to get a hand to the left side to plug in a HDMI cable. All that effort for knout, this TV is set to “hotel mode”, no changes possible. Won’t be able to watch media off my lap top. Old habits still die hard, first morning I awake at the usual 6:30 AM to a beautiful sunrise. At7:45 AM, the PA gongs and the Captain twice makes an announcement of a medical emergency C255, which is twenty five feet forward from us. No matter the emergency, I know I am of no use to the situation. But of course curiosity makes me open the cabin door and look up the hallway the two doors to C255. No yelling, crying, alarms or flashing lights, had I heard wrong? 7:47 I hear the thumping of running feet coming from every direction. Brown, blue and white uniforms race by. Radios, medical equipment and a gurney are there in a span of seconds. Medical goes to the cabin and security takes over the hallway. This is happening at the forward bank of four elevators. They lock up three of the four to keep anyone from stepping off this deck and the fourth is kept open for transporting the patient. More security is dispatched as far back as mid-ship in this corridor to keep passengers and the curious away. Through the peephole there are 7-9 people standing around for an extended period of time. Around 8:20 AM an empty gurney is taken aft via the confines of the Caribe hallway. Our steward, Damodar Sheldekar (who did exceptional job), later stated that the passenger was in medical getting treatment. Four days later I see two people on 255’s balcony, a full recovery? FOOD I’m not going to say the food was disappointing, just adequate. Basic ingredients prepared various ways. Chicken done Italian, French, Asian, Mexican or Indian is still chicken. First three nights, the menu for the main dining room appeared just tired and boring. Didn’t bother to get “dressed up” and just did Horizon and Crown grill on first formal night. Crown was a ghost town, only five other tables occupied. This was an example for the entire cruise. Fourth night we relented and went to dining room. I again am proven wrong in the need to “clean up”. Jeans, T-shirts, jogging suits and even ball caps are seen in the room. Feel overdressed in dress shirt and slacks. Nine years ago you always went to the main dining room, now there has to be something interesting/special on the menu. Horizon Court, Café Caribe, International Café, Trident Grill, Slices and room service deliver as advertised. As a side note, don’t disrespect the ingredients. We both made the mistake of ordering lobster 2nd formal night. Extremely tough from either over cooking or being held at too high a heat after the cooking process. On second formal night we were seated just before the “Baked Alaska” presentation. Was not impressed by the electric candles stuck in a fake pies. Entertainment? The “Main Offenders” keyboard, two guitars, drummer and female lead who must use iPad for the lyrics. Four fair musicians in search of an adequate front person. AJ Jamal, solid stand up comedian. TWO separate 45 minute sets on different nights. Very unusual to have 90 minutes of material. David Guidice, a “good” piano bar performer. Put into the theater, backed by seven member ship band that’s amplified. Then add reverb to the vocal, computerized moving lights and some fog. Three more shows in the much smaller Explorers. Learned later he’s been doing the cruise circuit for over eleven years. Jack Lee and The Ruby Princess Showband. The above mentioned seven piece back up band steps out on their own. No special effects, reverb or over amplification. Straight music by guys doing their thing, not the charts brought on by the hired help who get off at the next port. Hello Princess, you have an untapped resource here, use them. Tricia Kelly, another Las Vegas lounge act dropped into a theatre setting. Elyse Branch, gave a solid Motown review Medallion Net, I can only compare to experience nine years ago. True, no “dead zones”, but same slow speed. Forget streaming, two minutes from log on to get to first email, 30 seconds just to load a page. “System” was down for over seven hours one night. Another night it took 2:19 to log on, then 12 minutes to retrieve ONE email and write a two line reply. We had complimentary minutes; if we had paid out of pocket for this poor service I would be demanding a refund. Slow service was experienced on two iPhones, lap top and Kindle Fire. On Demand, I have both Netflix and Amazon Prime. Had seen almost all the films offered. On demand movies in roo is far cheaper than having fresh live acts. KETCHIKAN Princess ties up at Berth 4, street construction to the South or is it cheaper. Sales people have taken position at the foot of the gangway, however are not pushy at all. First ship of the season and there is a lot of “on the job training” around the docks. Tourists haven’t spoiled it. JUNEAU Again Princess ties up at the furthest dock away from town. Next to the Chevron fuel dump that has it’s own stench that drove passengers off their balconies. Several thousand feet from town, cheaper or Princess wants you to observe the homeless while you walk to town? More excursion booths at the dock, but salespeople a little more aggressive. Have lunch at a place looking over the sea plane operation, do some shopping then back to the ship. SKAGWAY Due to landslide, the primary dock is unavailable for the foreseeable future. Have to walk to the train for the only Princess backed excursion that is accessible. Wonderful small town, can’t imagine the place over run by three or four ships. Lunch at the new “Sweet Tooth” Café, sign says they close at 2 P.M., they will quickly learn to stay open while tourists are walking around to save for that long cold winter. This will always be a small town. OBSERVATIONS We have been away from cruising and Princess for nine years, I can only go by my own past experience. Princess has changed their target demographics to an older crowd. If it were just this cruise, it would not explain the shift of the dinner service fleet wide to earlier times. There were a couple of days of warm weather at the start and end of the cruise, yet this cruise had the least number of physical actives we have experienced. Musical acts concentrate on songs 40-60 years old. While speaking of musical acts, adding fog, reverb and 60 computerized spotlights to a so-so act still leaves you with a so-so act. My opinion the stripped down sets by the ship’s band were far better than any other act We had already experienced the Princess onboard sales pitches of a decade ago, but that has quadruped. Hard sales pitch while eating breakfast and dinner. Almost every organized event ends with some ship’s store “sale” sepal. As I write this, it’s day ten of twelve day cruise. I have collected close to an inch of ads shoved under my door. Oh, another issue. As stated we are in an accessible cabin. Whose bright idea was it to remove the “mail box”. There are quite a few people on this ship who can’t do the simple act of picking up anything from the floor. The idea of charging more for a specialty restaurant is fine, except there still has to be value. I am speaking from experiencing the first offerings so many years ago. A screened off section of Horizon Court called “Sterling Steak House” for the exorbitant surcharge of $5.00 getting huge steaks with large sides. Rather off putting paying $29.00 at the “Crown Grill” for a $15 steak and a bowl of potatoes and vegetables. As stated before the place was deserted at dinner. Another side note, same venue used for “English Pub Lunch” with the same wait staff. The airs of a high end restaurant disappeared quickly as a two hour line snaked from the entrance. Looked like a toy store on “Black Friday” with waiters confusing what orders to what tables right off the bat. Cruise director and staff were both approachable and knowledgeable of ship’s activities. Although at times some events were questionable for upper end cruise line; paper planes or egg drops………Please disregard comment about paper airplanes. Just saw over 200 people entertained by 50 pieces of paper thrown off deck 6. Princess requires separate form NOW should you be bringing mobility device on board for each cruise. Why not ask for letter of need/requirement of accessible cabins. You keep records of past passenger’s information, this would be a onetime verification and data entry. To get to the balcony of this accessible cabin, a narrow metal plate falls into place to bridge the gap between the inside/outside ramps. Great idea, except the only way to retract this plate is to reach down and lift it up with a finger. If there was a mechanism to lift this plate, it was broken a long time ago. Can’t comment about others, but my wife is physically unable to this maneuver. Princess still “offers” coin operated washer/dryers. Very useful on extended cruises, easily reduces amount of packed clothing over 50%. Although the machines look like the originals from the ship’s maiden voyage, the cost has increased over 100% since our last cruise. $3.00 wash with inadequate spin cycle resulting in a sodden load. Another $3.00 for a 35 minute dryer cycle on high to get a warm damp load that ended up being hung about the cabin. Can I bet a large some of money that Princess will soon totally do away with the laundromat, forcing passengers to use the more profitable ship’s laundry. Bottom Line Been away from cruising close to nine years, but have been on twelve Princess cruises for a total of 100 days. I know what cruising on Princess WAS. I can only say that except from crew performance, this cruise was of a lesser quality. From conversations with others and this experience, it is unknown if we will return. I do know I would not recommend Princess to a relative or friend at this point. I do know a large number of passengers on this cruise volunteered they will not be returning to Princess. Read Less

For our 50th anniversary, we took a 12-day Princess cruise to Alaska originating in Los Angeles. From the moment we stepped aboard the 5-star Ruby Princess, we were surrounded by helpful, smiling faces of staff. Our balcony room gave us a wonderful view and fresh air throughout our cruise. The bed was SO comfortable with cozy Egyptian linens. Our cabin Steward, Christopher, was so helpful and attentive. The ship holds about 3500 guests and about 1500 very service oriented staff- which is a nice size and ratio. The restaurant meals were fresh and fabulous with very attentive waiters.There were fresh food options 24- hours a day! We enjoyed the flexibility of "anytime" dining. The entertainment was nonstop. We especially enjoyed the nightly musical shows in the Princess Theater. They have very talented performers- bands, singers and dancers.The different lounges also had good entertainment and often dancing. The casino is spacious and has lots of variety, including blackjack tournaments which are really fun! The gym provides nice machines with an amazing view! We especially enjoyed the tram excursion in Juneau and the train in Scagway. We plan to fly to Anchorage on our next Alaskan trip to explore the more northern regions and to do a land tour to Denali. We highly recommend Princess cruises without reservation! We look forward to our next Princess cruise!! The 12 days flew by!! Read Less

I had never been to Alaska (or Canada) before, and I already had experience with Princess, so we booked this cruise. First off, the ship was really nice, way better than the Star Princess (which desperately needs an upgrade). The beds are very, very comfortable. I booked a mini-suite, which I prefer over the suite due to the combination tub/shower. (I disliked the separate shower in the suite because it's tiny and there is nothing to hold onto). There was plenty of sitting room in the living area, plus there are two tv's in the stateroom. I enjoyed the overall look of the ship, which seems to have undergone an upgrade. The dining was good news/bad news: The Michaelangelo and Da Vinci dining rooms served very good food (included in the fare). The Crown Grill was just as outstanding on the Ruby as it had been on the Star (try their filet mignon!) and well worth the $29 charge. However, the Share by Curtis Stone and Salty Dog restaurants (which are not included in the fare) were major disappointments. The entertainment activities need improvement. There just isn't enough to do on the ship during the day. I enjoyed the night time entertainment in the various venues, and I really appreciated the first-run movies at my disposal. But there really isn't much to do before dinner. I would recommend replacing the often obnoxious trivia games with something more substantive, such as a lecture series. The service was really, really good. I cannot say enough about the consistent helpfulness of everyone I encountered. Bravo to Princess' training department! The ports were pretty good: Loved Skagway especially. I recommend taking the train ride there. I also enjoyed viewing Glacier Bay although I think it was twice as long as it should have been. But still, very beautiful. I would definitely go again. Read Less

Chose this ship for its round trip out of Los Angeles to Alaska itinerary. Have previously done a one way inside passage. Embarkation- Flew in the day of the cruise from the East coast and took an uber. No problems, had a great Uber driver, booked air through Princess EZ air, no issues. Cabin was on Aloha deck, Balcony, standard, 1 chair at desk, 2 on balcony, no extra chair in room so you had to sit on bed if chair in use. Storage space limited. Bathroom appears small even by Princess standards. Balcony was nicely sized, door worked well and was easy to open and close, TV worked well. Safe in working order, standard mini fridge. Our pre-ordered cases of water were in the room upon arrival. The stocked minibar for Elite was not quite as plentiful as prior cruises. Beds were soooo comfy! Our room steward Rodelio was absolutely wonderful! The ship itself, has a lovely interior, the exterior is weathered and showing her age. The consensus amongst passengers myself included is that the ship was very crowded and finding a place to sit in the buffet, or international cafe bordered on ridiculous. Im not sure if they have removed some of the chairs or just redesigned the seating but it doesn't work very well. Nevermind the elevators. (a word to the wise- sometimes it is easier to just go the opposite direction to get on the elevator than fight the masses- at least you will be on the elevator) The Internet- Okay Im blond lets just get that out of the way shall we, the internet is quick once you get on, but and i mean BUT make sure you log off. If you somehow opened a window and that window got shut and you didn't log off before you shut that window well guess what - you will lose your minutes (I'm talking about complimentary minutes not the package) I went down and spoke with IT they reset my minutes and the IT said make sure you log out many times if needed. I repeat verbatim "many times if needed" clearly this isn't an uncommon issue. Still, it happened again today and I really don't want to go downstairs to IT again. Im just over it. I am very glad that they have a fast internet now because it use to take 10 minutes just to get on. (now it just takes ten minutes to get off) Dining Room- Uh Oh... okay so lets start with sea day breakfast, limited choices and while food was not bad, but it wasn't great. On some other lines you go to the dining room because you think it is better than what is in the buffet but sadly that is not the case for breakfast here. Sauces were flat, while breakfast breads were offered it was not until 10-15 minutes later that butter was offered and then 5 minutes later jam/marmalade which wasn't helpful since the bread was already eaten. Things appeared very disorganized. Dinner- Anytime dining- can make reservations at 8am the day of on reservation line ( if you want to eat at a table for 2 this is especially important on formal nights) Dinner choices were average, some dinners were good while others were just okay. We did eat in the specialty dining many nights. Yes there is still lobster on the last formal night. Princess still does a good Creme Brûlée. Specialty Dining- CROWN GRILL- Our first night at Crown grill was incredibly disappointing, i don't know if the chef was sick or what happened but it was not up to standards however, every restaurant gets a free pass because sometimes stuff just happens and we did not say anything. We did eat there several more times and it was very good. I had the lamb and it was outstanding! (incidentally I did not have lamb that first night) The tomato/goat cheese salad is delicious. Our waiter Wilfred was wonderful SHARE- Decided to try Share for something different. Nice location on the ship, the menu was explained to us, 6 courses. I had the Charcuterie with the duck Proscuitto, very very good- please know that the pepper spread has a health kick to it. If you don't like spicy things don't get it. Really delicious. Tomato and Buratta salad is one of the tastiest salads I had all week, really yummy. The soup had beets, I don't remember exactly what it was called but it turned red when you stirred it, It was also tasty. The duck was my main, and I did not care for it, the skin was nice and crispy, the duck was moist but the flavors just didn't seem to work well, almost seemed to have an artificial smoke flavor to it. Got the cheesecake for dessert and it was good but didn't wow. Im glad I tried SHARE but I would not do it again. Casino- Casino is so tight it squeaks, I'm actually going to cancel my players club cruise in October because my experience in the casino was so bad on this ship (way better perks from other lines) Shows-did not attend any PORTS- Ketchikan- we got off briefly walked to the usual tourist shops, got back on, pretty mundane Juneau- got crocked at the red dog, had a great time, ate crab at Tracy's had a wonderful day, spent entirely too much money but have many great memories. Lots to do Skagway- Did Whitepass Railway- cold not have asked for a more beautiful day, well worth the money, absolutely gorgeous!!!! We were the first train of the day, guides are fresh, morning glow on the mountains. Debarkation- Im still on the ship but If there is a catastrophe I will let you know Overall- I still like the atmosphere on Princess, the ships are beautiful and not tacky, the staff are wonderful, the itineraries are great. There is no one single big thing that makes me not want to cruise with them but more a series of little irks. I feel like I am getting less value for my money, more nickel and diming. Read Less