My wife and I recently returned from our 9 day Princess Cruise, our 16th cruise overall, but the first on Princess.

The ship sailed from the Brooklyn Cruiseport on July 23. We used a car service to get from our home in New Jersey and between the weather and traffic the trip took almost 2 hours. Fortunately, we had allowed plenty of time and missed the last of the returning passengers disembarking.

Getting on board was a breeze, although, unlike past cruises, there was no one to help with my wife's wheelchair (only needed for long walks) until we were just about to the check-in line. When we were sighted, we were immediately moved to the nearest empty space and were on board quickly. Our luggage arrived by the time we had finished lunch. Read more