Two teachers traveling with 3 teenage kids. Veteran cruisers....have taken cruises over the Xmas/New years Holiday for 5 years now. Always cruised with Carnival in the past. Went with Princess this time due to rate offered in June. $699 pp for 7n/Mexican Riviera cruise 12/26-1/2/10. Booked 2 interior cabins. 3 in one - 2 in the other. Satisfied with staterooms. Better use of the space than Carnival ships; more storage &/or closet & drawer space.

Embarkation process was smooth and went without a glitch. Very simple process. Somewhat antiquated facility at Pier 93 in San Pedro. Kind of a "yucky" area of the city, but no big deal as we were just there to get on and off the ship.

Two days to reach Puerto Vallarta seemed like a lot; especially because the weather was so awful. Too cold and windy to sit outdoors one day & next day it poured rain the entire day & night. Felt like we wasted 2 days of our vacation; no one's fault -- just weather. Sea felt rougher than that in the Caribbean. I never seem to notice the "rocking" of the boat when I'm on Carnival. I was almost always aware of it on the Sapphire Princess. Don't know if it's due to the ship or the sea. Two different times I was kind of nauseous. Never has happened to me before. Read more