While I enjoyed this cruise and while I'd be willing to take Princess a second time, I would probably prefer a different line based on this sailing. Note: This was one of the last sailings of the Grand Princess before its 2011 re-fit. Even though there were some leaks and elevator issues, the ship itself was not a problem. The problem was the skimping. Carnival seems to have made Princess more of a nickel and dime line which puzzled a lot of guests who see it as a step up from Carnival and a rival to a RCL's Celebrity. The worst of this appeared to the crew's own experience. Our steward was visibly exhausted (he appeared feverish at times) and we never saw him have any help. He was friendly, though, and thorough. Our waiters were also overworked. Other corners cut included no beverages in the buffet other than water for most of the voyage and a reluctance to let diners have more than one entree in the main dining room, which sounds reasonable to me, but caused complaints.

Here are some good points:

The Princess crew was highly responsive. The issue with only having water in the buffet was met with signs about asking for lemonade. Problems with not knowing where to meet tours in one island were dealt with at the next. When the air went out in our room, it was fixed within the hour. The captain seemed more amenable to waiting for "lost sheep" than any other I've sailed with. The entertainment staff did a great job - although one junior staffer named Daniel couldn't score trivia competitions to save his life, they were overall a very fun and funny bunch. Read more