We went with a group from our local senior center. We had not sailed with Princess before and looked forward to the experience. We were impressed with how fast the boarding procedure went - fast and no long lines! The service on the ship was very good. However; we found the food, especially the buffet, lacking. The entertainment did not measure up to what we had experienced on other ships. We found the "Movies under the stars" rather awkward as it was rather uncomfortable trying to watch a movie wrapped up in a blanket to try to stay warm and dry! What was really upsetting to us was that we paid for a balcony room and on 2 days of the trip we were unable to use our balcony or even open the door because they were painting right under our balcony and the paint fumes were so strong! The first day they had a glich in THEIR system that led to a notice to a large number of guests that their credit cards were not authorized. After several long distance phone calls and lots of worry it turns out it was their mistake and no apologies or even an acknowledgement that things were OK after all. We did enjoy the tours off the ship, especially the whale watching and the gold panning.