This was our 10th cruise with Princess and 15th cruise over all, so we are pretty loyal to the brand. We were traveling as a family of three and arrived a couple of days early before our cruise. We stayed at the Radisson Fisherman's Wharf hotel which by location alone was amazing. Close to all the attractions, restaurants and Pier 27. Hotel was fine, going through some renovations but it never was an issue.

We had received an email from Princess advising that embarkation times had moved back one hour and that they would be boarding in a specific order etc...I never saw much organization of this but it didn't matter it was a breeze to get on board. Very quick process for us. The porters at Pier 27 were less than cordial mind you...more concerned about asking / demanding tips then really helping you out..

There was an issue with departure mind you...as it was delayed considerably. I think it was after 11:00 p.m. when we finally set sail. From what I understand there was an issue with luggage being dropped in the bay and then the longshoreman stopped moving luggage for some reason. We finally got all our luggage at about 1:00 a.m.. Unfortunately the ship staff was very evasive about the whole thing and provided very few updates....were told there would be a two hour delay but it turned out much longer. I feel bad for those folks who either lost bags or had them dunked in the bay...not a good way to start a holiday. Read more