After our cruise on Freedom of the Seas, any subsequent ships naturally appear less glitzy, as was the case with Golden Princess. Also, there is no flow rider. However, we found the other entertainment, such as the stage shows and musicians were far superior than Royal Caribbean.
As for the food, we always eat at the buffet on every cruise, mainly because we prefer not to dress up while on vacation, and because we like to see what there is to select from, and maybe get another serving of the things we like. We found the main courses,like chicken, fish, etc. to be lacking in flavor, as was the salad dressing, which tasted like it came from a bottle; but, the desserts were outstanding.
The piazza area has soup, sandwiches and desserts (complementary), but for some reason, you have to pay for coffee, even if you just want regular coffee!
The mini suites are very nice, with plenty of room, closets, drawers, etc.,but for some unknown reason, Princess has decided that those balconies should not have a roof over them. We had three out of seven days with misting rain. We could have still sat outside if we had had a cover on the balcony. These rooms cost more than regular balcony cabins. Yes, they are larger and include a sofa, but you trade off the balcony cover for the sofa!