Have had better cruises

This was my 8th Princess cruise and probably my worst one. Embarkation was a bit hopeless but that was nothing unusual, Princess contractors and Chinese officialdom are not a good combination. My cabin was clean and the cabin steward, Sanny, was excellent as were all other staff on the ship. Some people didn't prefer the CD, Tim Donovan, but I found him OK. Anybody is better than Billy London. The ship was spotless but it does have some issues which I put down to poor or lack of, maintenance. Princess will eventually learn that maintenance does not consist of re-varnishing hand rails or dabbing paint over rust. From my obstructed view cabin I could see 5 easily fixable defects on the bow of the tender outside the window. Chances of these being addressed:- Nil.

Compared to a cruise in Feb this year on Dawn Princess (and that ship doesn't get rave reviews) the food on this cruise was mediocre at best. Some dishes were good and others quite poor. It is not rocket science cooking lamb shanks, low and slow till the meat falls off the bone. The majority were uneaten because they were tough and under-cooked. The buffet was similar with some really good food served but there were some dud offerings.

Typical Princess entertainment with some good acts and some that were excruciatingly bad, bad enough to sit through to see how bad they could get. As usual some of the staff in The Crew Show were better than the paid acts.

Like a lot of things the ports visited are a personal thing and for me they are the alternate to sea days which I prefer. The weather was pretty good and the seas were as flat as a pancake.

It could have been a better cruise all up but it is what you make it and I met some fabulous new friends which is what it is all about.