I had planned to park on site, but I figured out that Regal was leaving from Terminal 21 and guessed (correctly) that it would be returning to Terminal 2 so we went with Park ‘n Go and were very satisfied coming and going. Perhaps the passengers who care about which terminal are a small minority, but I would have found it useful to get an email from Princess with this information. Thanks to the many Cruise Critic members who provided advice that led us to a successful parking choice.

Embarkation involved about a 30 second wait (at 12:30!). Again, based on Cruise Critic advice, we immediately signed up for the ship tour and the Sanctuary. The former was a snap. The latter took a half hour, despite only three parties being ahead of us. Some process improvement is needed here. It’s the first (and hopefully last) time I’ve had to use a rain umbrella while on board a cruise ship. In the end, we had no trouble finding good lounge chairs, despite the ship being sold out, and cancelled the Sanctuary.

Overall, I would rate the ship, the cabin and the crew attitude as very good to excellent and we were well pleased. The photo staff was great to work with. We particularly enjoyed the food at the Horizon Court and the International Café. The entertainment was not so much to our taste, so we mostly passed, but there was no shortage of opportunities to keep occupied. The ship’s trumpet player did a series of three bush survival lectures which my wife particularly enjoyed. At $150, the ship tour is no bargain, but we found it worthwhile. Ashore, we did the Martha Brae river raft in Jamaica and Xplor Adventure Park in Mexico, both of which are outstanding and highly recommended. The latter is quite expensive. Indeed, out of 5600 passengers and crew, only one passenger and two crew members elected the tour, beside my wife and me. It was worth every penny. Read more