We were 2 active female friends in our mid 50's who decided to take an R & R cruise and neither of us had been to NE/Canada. We booked through bestpricecruises.com after gettting a great rate through cruise-compete.com. we received an additional discount for being NJ residents and past princess travelers (this was my 3rd princess cruise) and booked an inside guarantee, cat M (Plaza Deck 5). We got an unheard of deal that was too good to pass up and we didn't care where we were on the ship. We hoped for an upgrade to a balcony cabin but we were pleasantly surprised to get onto the Riviera Deck 14, a 7 deck upgrade and we were very satified with the inside cabin in the front of the ship. It was quiet and not real close the elevators to hear any noise.

Embarkation at Red Hook was smooth and easy. We arrived a bit early but could not begin boarding the ship till 11:30. We were in our cabin about 12:10. We headed to the buffet and explored the gigantic ship and then unpacked. From then on we were busy from early morning till late at night. Princess has great activities and wonderful entertainment.

One mistake was not making dinner reservations (we had anytime dining)so dinner on the first night was not a pleasant experience. My friend and I do not like eating so late and we didn't get finished till about 9pm. When you arrive on ship and want to eat early, call and make a reservation for 5:45 (the latest you can for anytime dining). They will hold your reservation till 6. We shared tables with other people every night and it was fun to meet new people and share experiences about cruising, excursions, etc. We made reservations for the 2nd and 3rd nights but after that it wasn't a problem to get seated in either dining room. Read more