We are long time Princess cruisers, with Platinum Captain's Circle status. This is going to sound like a negative review, and I don't mean for it to. If I were brand new to cruising, I would have had only glowing things to say about our trip, but seen through the lens of past cruises with Princess and aboard this same ship, I was disappointed. We traveled with a group of 16 friends, many of us cruised together three years ago on the Oasis of the Seas. We chose this cruise because of Princess' reputation in Alaska, and because of my previous positive experiences.

Let me start with the good things: embarkation was a breeze. Our status meant we (and the friends traveling with us) got to skip the line. From curb to onboard took about ten minutes. I've always liked the layout of this ship, it's logical and easy to navigate. Our Caribe level room had an enormous (by ship standards) balcony. There were many exceptional crew members. Our cabin steward was a gem, and we had several waiters and servers who went above and beyond and were engaging, informative, and truly pampered us. The food in the main dining rooms was great. Our excursions were fabulous, and the scenery on this itinerary was breathtaking.

Now, the bad. The ship just feels a little tired. It's dark and a bit dated, and I think it's time for Princess to invest in a dry dock to breathe some new life into it. The ship is over ten years old, and while it seems to have been well maintained overall, it is showing it's age. One of the friends we traveled with had a suite, and the same "painting" was hanging over the bed and the couch, within site of each other. It was a lack of detail and care that we felt was pervasive. Read more