We've sailed with Princess before and had a great, but this larger ship was disappointing.

The food was mediocre in all dining rooms except the specialty restaurants, which charged $29/person... this was the food that we've come to expect on a cruise. The drinks were very expensive, and it seemed like Princess was trying to sell something all the time.The ship was crowded, dance floors difficult to get on, hard to see a show without going an hour early to sit and wait... we missed several because of this. They had good entertainment, but most of the shows were single person-show, that one would expect in the lounge... not the grand productions we had on other ships. The theater didn't hold enough people for everyone to see one of the shows each night, so many people just didn't get to see them. Same with the various ship activities... always full, no room left. Here's a ship full of seniors and they offer Zumba?! I would've thought they could've offered a yoga class or Tai Chi mid-morning (the only yoga was at 7:30am... hey, we're on vacation!) The room carpet was discolored and the furniture, drapes and bedding a bland color. Though, the service was exceptional. The shore excursions were very expensive, but the high point of the trip... if you picked the right one! We booked a 25 day cruise, but no one told us it was actually 2 cruises back-to-back, so most of the people got off mid-way through the trip, and a new bunch of passengers got on... it changed the whole dynamics of our cruise. When I 1st started looking for a cruise on-line, a Princess cruise planner called me... he was not helpful, when I called him with a question, he told me I could go on-line and find that for myself, 3 times! Then, when we were onboard we talked with people that paid far less for the same cruise... 1st timers, who also got upgraded! They said they felt they were "being hooked". We would not choose Princess again, unless it was a smaller ship... maybe.