First time on Princess. 16 previous cruises all over the world. Preferred line is Celebrity. i'm 66. Wife 60.

Embarkation in Rio. A total disaster. Took over three hours to board the ship and we were early for our embarkation time. All of the cruisers agreed this was unusual and by far the worst embarkation they have ever experienced. Absolute chaos with no order. The Brazilian authorities had control over this port and they could have cared less. Yet I blame Princess. They knew what would happen and they didn't do anything about it. I suspect the authorities wanted extra money (bribes?) to ensure a decent embarkation and Princess would not pay it.

The ship. Is getting dated. Public rooms are undercapacitied. IE Centrum. Restaurants. Show Lounge. Gym. Gym could have been way better but this would have been at the expense of the chic chic spa services. Come on. This made planning essential. You had to get to the show lounge really early to get a good seat and we ate very late to avoid the over crowding. Centrum is pathetic for a ship this size. Ship feels claustrophobic which is exacerbated by the location of of one of the restaurants a mid ship on deck 6. The buffet was barely serviceable. Read more