Houston Bayport is a great option for us in the Midwest. We loved the relaxed pace and boarding was efficient and smooth. Great facility, only wish there were more itineraries out of there.

Having traveled on the Royal in Feb, we fell in love with the Belini Bar and the Sushi Bar. I wish Princess would expand Vines to include pay Sushi and Belini like the royal. The way it works now (on ships other than the royal) is that you have to buy wine and you get some very basic Sushi. I notice that it is empty a lot of the time.

Our evening dining service was very slow. Late sitting dinner typically took several hours, with appetizer being served 45 min after sitting. I was curious as to why that was and I noticed that my waiter spent many round trips getting wine and bar drinks for all the tables in the area. That extra duty, not typical of our other cruises, took him out of the area for 40% of the time. No wonder so slow. I recently read that they have eliminated wine stewards, perhaps that is the issue? Read more