Overall, the vacation was as close to perfect as could be. Even having cruised a few times recently, including one on Princess last year, we were still impressed by the service - we were treated like royalty at every step. Other than one VERY minor negative, absolutely everything was top notch.

Details:

- SHIP: The ship was clean, well run, and not very crowded even though it was full. Of course, central walkways, pool decks and (very rarely) elevators reflect the amount of crowd, but Princess does a great job of having enough to do around the ship that rarely are spaces crowded. Almost always, we could get a seat at all bars/lounges, shows, and deck chairs (except, of course, those right next to the pool on sea days). We didn't enjoy the late muster drill start, which was delayed by 20 minutes waiting for people to arrive, especially since they offered a second muster drill for folks boarding later. But there was plenty to do, inside and out, and some fun games hosted by the cruise staff. It was easy to maintain cleanliness since there were sinks with soap at the entrance to the buffet and all public restrooms suggested opening the door with a paper towel, and had a receptacle by the door. There were also hand sanitizers around the ship, and there was a discussion on personal cleanliness at the muster drill. Still, you'd occasionally see someone sneezing into their hand or whatever, but you can't control every single person's every move. We didn't get sick, didn't see anyone sick, and didn't hear of anyone getting sick. Read more