This was our first experience of Princess Cruises, we were attracted by the itinerary and the opportunity of the " smaller ship" experience. There were pros and cons to both aspects but we certainly would not agree with the contention another contributor on this forum that the ship is broken down and should be scrapped.

Pluses: Absolute ease of embarkation and disembarkation; prompt transfers ashore by both tender and when alongside a dock; stateroom and balcony of acceptable size - well maintained by our steward who responded very promptly to our needs; knowledgeable help from the manager of the computer centre; friendly staff at the "front desk"; small but good boutiques.

Not so plus: the fare in the main dining room was of highly variable quality, maybe 2 nights out of 8 passed muster as being enjoyable; at least one bar-tender (pool bar) was clearly out of his depth and seemed to have little undestanding of what customer service and product knowledge meant; the woman manning the future cruises desk was downright rude and condescending - after enduring her patronising manner we terminated the meeting (and I should say we were/are seriously in the market for another cruise within a year). Read more