Having never cruised with Princess before I was initially disappointed with the standard, however, following this cruise we had a Royal Caribbean cruise which made me revise my opinion! Check in at Southampton was busy but still got through without too much waiting and found our cabin easily enough. Our interior stateroom was comfortable but as stated in previous reviews the little coffee table is of no use and we had it removed. Of note is that the 3rd and 4th bunk are the type that fold down and when not in use protrude from the wall so that when you have a twin bed situation in your room as we did, you have to be careful not to bump your head. There was plenty of hanging space but found the bathroom a little dated and small with the old fashioned shower curtain causing an occasional flood if not careful.

Food - the International Cafe provided a bit of variety from the food court but always seemed to be crowded and tables were scarce to come by especially as people tended to sit and read or play cards. The Horizon Court food was hit and miss and I notice that there doesn't seem to be as much variety as previous cruises and this seems to be across the board with most of the cruise lines. I understand that to keep the queues down that some foods need to be pre prepared such as toast, eggs, etc but on the whole the most of the meals were lukewarm and only hot if you were lucky enough to be there when being topped up. However we did have a meal in the Crown Grill and I must say it was one of the best I have had in regard to food and service and could not fault it. Worth the extra $25.

Entertainment was quite good with the guest artists quite entertaining. One point which we found amusing was that all the comedians that do the cruise circuit must share the same joke book as some jokes were often repeated on this cruise and the next one we took! The Princess singers and dancers were excellent and the production of the shows were fantastic. Read more