I chose this cruise as I had been on the Majestic Princess in March and was very excited for the Sky Princess to set sail. I was very impressed with the Majestic on our 11 days through New Zealand. This was my first Christmas cruise and probably my last. For being a large ship I felt more crowded on this one than the Majestic. Definitely more families cruising for Christmas! Our stateroom was in the Caribe deck forward and the balcony definitely smaller than my last room on Majestic (midship) Here are some of the changes I noticed between ships. First they opened up the Take Five Jazz Lounge which used to be the Piano Bar. It now has an open feel and better flow, easier access to see the musicians which were great every night! They also added a Wake Pool at the rear of this ship which was an added bonus. They opened up the Princess Live! Theater so it opens into the hallway and isn't closed off making it much more inviting if you are walking by catching their activities. The entertainment was ok. Really liked the Princess singers and dancers, great talent and beautiful costuming though the volume was very loud throughout. The comedian AJ Jamal was a big hit and did two shows both were excellent. The magician husband and wife team were just ok. Regarding the restaurants and food....The dining room dinners were good, breakfast not so much, the bread was very hard and not very appealing. Reservations to get into any of the Specialty Restaurants needed to be done before you got on, or you were out of luck. We booked a reservation prior to getting on in the Crown Grill, always excellent and were shut out of La Mer as they were sold out. The Salty Dog hamburger grill didn't live up to its description and pictures. The pizza grill on Lido next to the bar was serviceable. Now my biggest disappointment had to be the World place Market Buffet and adjoining buffet. A new design should be done for this as it was literally like a maze, very congested, difficult to navigate and more difficult to find seating and find your seat if you got up again. The food quality wasn't as good as on Majestic in this area. Being a new ship and with the amount of under 18 year olds (600+) on this trip, hand sanitation should have been paramount before entering the buffet. On my cruise ship travels there have been mandatory hand washing and a crew member was there with a spray bottle sanitizing your hands after you washed them at the sink. Many people were getting sick with upper respiratory complaints during this trip. The Enclave retreat at the Lotus Spa was pretty crowded this trip. You need to book on line before you go to get the best deal. I tried the week of sailing and was shut out of the couples pricing. When we got on the ship we had to pay full price for use of the Enclave, I was very unhappy about that. The ship is beautiful, the staff was great for the most part. The tendering at ports was handled adequately. The new Medallion Class is easy to use, though a little creepy as you are being monitored your every move and I wonder who they are selling our data to? We did our own shore excursions and in the past I've done some through the ship, though they are pricey. I still love Princess but I would pass on a holiday cruise, definitely a one and done.