This was our first cruise with Princess. Let me start by saying we choose our cruises based on itinerary, not ship. Princess fit the bill for our Alaska cruise based on dates and ports of call.

We boarded the ship around 3pm on the 24th. This was an incredibly smart choice on our part. That late in the day, there were virtually no lines. We were through security and on our way onto the ship within 10 minutes at the most.

We had originally booked a balcony stateroom, but about a month prior to sailing I had contacted our travel agency to see if there were any upgrades available and was pleased to discover that we could be upgraded to a balcony mini suite for no additional charge. This worked out well since we were traveling with our teenage daughter. The cabin itself was a great size, however I felt it was lacking in drawer space. The safe in the closet area was a joke. You couldn't even fit an iPad in it. The cabin was centrally located which was very beneficial. Read more