I typically cruise with Celebrity and enjoy it, but saw this cruise with Princess out of San Diego and decided to give them a try, since I have heard that their service is comparable to Celebrity in many ways. With that said, I could not be more underwhelmed with this experience, especially after reading so many positive reviews about Princess and this ship prior to embarking on my cruise.

Embarkation was a mess, which is not entirely due to the cruise line, especially since the port authority here seems completely disorganized. My check-in time was supposed to be at 11:30, but there were multiple long lines due to passengers checking in whenever they wanted. Additionally, I never received my medallion in the mail prior to sailing, and although I got on the ship with a key card, I had to stand in line for a long time at guest services to get my medallion before I could complete the muster requirements (Just the way I wanted to start my vacation!).

The food variety, especially in the buffet, was sorely lacking. Soups were watery, meats were dry and salty, and dessert options were quite limited compared to my past cruises. There were also a number of items that appeared to be recycled from earlier meals (and tasted like it). Additionally, the "Good Spirits" show, which the description appeared to indicate would be a live demonstration with mixologists, was basically a bunch of passengers sitting around a watching a video of bartenders making drinks. That was just pathetic, especially compared to the amazing flair bartenders that are on Celebrity ships. Read more