If you've never sailed during the holidays you are missing out. We choose this particular cruise aboard the Island Princess specifically for the dates that included Christmas and New Years. And the destination was a bonus as well. Having sailed with Princess twice before we knew a bit about how they operate but we were completely thrilled with this cruise. The Island Princess was beautiful, decorated for the Holidays and had just been refurbished a year or two before this sail date. Embarkation in Los Angeles was a breeze. The terminal is specifically dedicated to Princess Cruise Lines and it shows in the efficiency of how things are handled. We had a balcony cabin on deck 11 Baja deck and our cabin was clean and very comfortable. The beds are new and extremely comfortable. Our cabin steward was and friendly and very accommodating. When asked initially to have a clean wine glass every day it was always there. We always like traditional seating for dining and sat at a table with 3 other couples. Its a great way to meet people and always fun. Our dining staff went out of their way to assist us all with any requests and always anticipated any needs. The entertainment on board was exceptional and their stage productions were first class. The Princess Theater was beautiful and the seats were comfortable. That's a big deal, because we've been on other cruises where the seating was awful. The only criticism I have for that is that you had to get there early in order to get a seat. Princess tries hard to discourage seat savings, but it seems old habits die hard for some people. Lots of things to do during the day when at sea and their pools and seating around the pools is comfy and clean. The was always a deck hand available to take a drink order or assist in any way needed. One thing about the refurbishment that I didn't like was that the promenade deck is blocked off now and you can't walk completely around the deck. They added cabins or something and so in order to get a good walk in you have to cut through the ship to get to the other side of the boat. The ports were very nice and we went on excursions in each country using Princess tours. Buses where clean and in well working order. Plus, great air conditioning which is a necessity in the countries we visited. Now let's talk about the staff on board and their Leader Captain Michele Tuvo. He was absolutely fantastic and the involved Captain we had ever encountered on any of our cruises. He was out and about every day and interacted with everyone. His daily weather updates were informative and funny and each sign off was for him to say "never the less Bye, Bye! He was loved by all, staff and Cruise guests and towards the end of our 19 day cruise you could hear everyone saying to each other - never the less, Bye, Bye. And that's how I'll end this review - never the less Bye, Bye!