We picked this 15 day cruise because it was the same price as the 7 day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands leaving out of Honolulu. We flew in to LAX a day early and stayed at the Crown Plaza next to the harbor. Great location within walking distance of the ship and also the USS Iowa which we toured that afternoon. Nice area by the port as they have a very nice wide walking path along the harbor. Very easy walk to the ship with our luggage. Embarkation was a breeze and walk off disembarkation was even easier with no wait.

We thought the ship was very nice. We liked the layout of our inside room with plenty of storage. One of the nicer rooms that we have had. The highlight for me was the steam room in the men's locker room. Most of the steam rooms in the ships aren't hot enough but this one was perfect and I had a nice steam every afternoon before dinner. We really liked the 5:15 dinner seating. It seems like everyone wants early seating and this was the earliest we have ever eaten on a cruise. It would be fine with us if they would move it up to 5. We thought the food in the Horizon Buffet and dining room were excellent. We have never been able to understand how anyone can be dissatisfied with the food. A person would have to be very picky or super spoiled to not find food that they enjoy. This was our first time on Princess and we liked a lot of the things they did. They seemed to have more people working in the buffet getting drinks and clearing off dirty plates. I like it that they have servers serving the ice cream instead of having a serve yourself ice cream machine that people abuse. We enjoyed some good movies in the Princess Theater. We thought the crew in the Horizon Buffet were very friendly, especially Zelda and Ferdinand at breakfast. It never felt crowded at the buffet but we avoided peak times. The captain was very visible and friendly and I think this rubbed off on all the crew.

This was our 17th cruise and this one flew by. The entertainment was excellent. The Asst. LA DA (retired) gave a lecture on one of the top ten LA cases (Bobby Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Onion Fields, DNA, OJ, Natalie Wood, Menendez Brothers, etc. each morning at sea which ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. They have a BOGO (buy one get one for $1) happy hour every afternoon. We don't usually drink even at home but this motivated us to have a fancy drink each afternoon and was something we really looked forward to. Lectures in the morning, BOGO and steam in the spa in the afternoon, the great entertainment in the evening, incorporating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and our days flew by. Only had time to read one of the 5 books I brought to read. Read more