I, too, was a little concerned about sailing on the Grand Princess after reading so many negative reviews, but reviews are certainly a matter of opinion. Embarkation went smoothly and when we stepped on to the Grand it was sparkling! It is a beautiful ship that is in great shape for it's age. I did see little bits of wear and rust here and there, but I had to look for it. It was much easier and pleasant to appreciate all of the beauty that surrounded us. Our mini-suite on the Dolphin deck had an abundance of storage options and we enjoyed the sitting area. We knew the balcony would be open so that wasn't a surprise for us. When we were out on the balcony to admire the view, others were doing the exact same thing and that was fine with me! Our bed was very comfortable and we slept like babies. The entertainment was very good and we enjoyed the shows. I thought the food was excellent. I eat alot of fresh fruit and vegetables and there was plenty of very fresh and well prepared dishes to choose from. We made way too many trips to the Lido deck for something sweet! What a let down to not have a 'deck 14' at home! The crew was friendly and gracious. Alaska was beautiful, ports were great (although, for the life of me, I don't understand how so many jewelry stores can remain in business!). I guess the one negative would be that Princess is always trying to sell something onboard! It was easy enough to ignore but would be nice if it wasn't 'in your face' all of the time. We're not big cruisers so probably won't be on another cruise for quite some time. But we would absolutely sail on the Grand Princess again.