This was one of the very first cruises my husband and I ever did. We had such great memories of it that we wanted to do it again. Unfortunately, now that we have over 15 cruises with various cruise lines under our belt, Princess has lost some of her luster. This was a land-sea tour and the land part was great, although some of the Princess lodges along the way are in need of new mattresses and updating. The excursions were outstanding with the best being the jet-boating up Devil's Canyon to a Category 5 rapid out of Talkeetna at the McKinley Lodge. The cruise part of the tour was rather a let down. The ship was nice, the excursions continued to be good, but Princess left a lot to be desired. Making a buck every way possible has become more important than customer/passenger service. They nickel and dime you for all it's worth. Water in your stateroom and elsewhere is $2.00 a bottle. The only drinks provided with meals are water, tea, or coffee. You can not leave your stateroom without being accosted by a photographer trying to document... and sell back to you,,,your every move. There is a Princess Shopping Concierge who gives a daily lecture on what jewelry to buy in the next port and the daily Princess Paper contains a daily Shopping Spotlight Newsletter and map showing you the location of her highlighted stores. This is what Princess now does well- bringing in the money. The shows were mediocre. The food was mediocre- in all restaurants. They offer Anytime Dining when you can go to eat any time you desire- not just at the 2 traditional seatings. When signing up, it sounds as though you can eat at any restaurant, including the Traditional one. This is not true. You are limited to only two separate restaurants- the Bernini and the Donatello with the Donatello available only after 7:30. Can't even think of one memorable meal we ate! All and all- this was one of the worst cruises we'd been on. By time you were done with this cruise, it probably would have been cheaper going on an all-inclusive cruise. Very disappointed in Princess!
Clean and comfortable.