We had an enjoyable time on our first Princess cruise. The staff, the food, the entertainment and the Lectures were all 100%.

However when first using the potable water in our cabin it was brown and had small black particles in it. One is always wary of health hazards on a ship and this was reported immediately but the situation continued for 6 days - the Asst Customer Services lady took some interest but there was no resolution nor any information as to what the contaminant was - it was intimated that it may be the residue from the pipes following maintenance (about which we had not been warned or advised!). On the final day the Customer Services Director contacted us by phone but had no answers - throughout the cruise he, like the General manager, had been conspicuous by their absence - what do they do - where do they hide? One passenger had a Pomeranian dog in a buggy (complete with rattles and other toy like adornments) and constantly wheeled it around the ship - and was allowed into eating areas where she and others fed it 'tit bits' - most objectionable - many other passengers were similarly disgusted - a dog in areas serving food! Unacceptable.

The internet did not work which bearing in mind this was a 19 day cruise was annoying but this may not have been due to the ship or the company - we know that satellite comms can be unreliable. The SOLAS briefing was good but distraction arose from crew members talking and a supervisor giving Muster crew their instructions whilst the commentary was underway.