Having sailed many times, this was my first Princess cruise. Wanting an easy and relaxing getaway I chose this cruise for several reasons. The itinerary was perfect with the majority of the cruise at sea. Living in Northern California, the port of Los Angeles meant we could avoid airline travel and drive to San Pedro. We arrived a day before and had a great overnight stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is literally within walking distance to the port/ship.
Embarkation was a breeze. There was a port agent at every turn to answer questions and point everyone in the right direction. The ship was beautiful...great decor, very clean, fairly easy to navigate with great crew and staff. Public rooms were impressive. Our favorites were the Adagio for jazz after dinner and the Skywalkers Lounge as a daytime quiet hideaway. The Piazza was great fun and offered many options for shopping, food, bars good entertainment. The Princess Links on the Star Deck need an upgrade...pretty worn and tattered.
Meals at the Included Dining venues were just okay. We did the Anytime dining in the Da Vinci and Michelangelo, ate in the Horizon Court buffet for breakfast and lunch and did speciality dining in the Crown Grill. Both the DaVinci and Michelangelo are nice rooms but, in each, it took a long time to get your meals. The Da Vinci was the most hectic...staff appeared overwhelmed and rushed. The biggest negative was when we were told that seating for two were for Suite passengers only. Not good customer service. We did get a table for two the last night at sea...guess late is better than never. Food in the Horizon Count was mediocre. The best by far was the Crown Grill. Loved the ambience, the service and the food was excellent. We also had room service twice for breakfast and it was wonderful. Orders arrived on time and complete.
Our cabin was as expected (based on Cruise Critic reviews) and comfortable. The bed and pillows were pure bliss. Plenty of closet and cabinet/drawer space. The bathroom is too small. Our cabin steward, Rudi, was excellent. He was very attentive without being a nuisance and immediately responded to our needs. We especially appreciated the acknowledgement of our anniversary...very cute.