This was our first cruise on Princess Lines. The most striking thing about the ship was its absolutely spotless cleanliness. This emphasis on clean and germ-free was reassuring after the publicity a couple years ago about epidemics on ships. Our cabin steward was very efficient and responded to all our requests, but he rarely smiled and often commented how busy he was. Other posters have commented about how rough this ship sails. We had to agree. Although seas were often calm ("wavelets"), the ride was anything but calm.

We boarded the ship before noon in an easy, speedy process and headed for a sail-away cocktail and lunch. Our luggage was already at our cabin when we returned--super speedy. Dinner in the dining room was a hint of things to come. Our table was perfect--in a corner by a window. The service, however, left something to be desired. Our server had three tables and she always waited until she had all orders from all tables before she served anything. On the third night, her assistant was not there (ill, she said) and the ship gave her little help. They brought down someone from the buffet to help, but he knew little about serving people at tables. Unfortunately, that was the case throughout the remainder of the cruise. A different assistant every night; mediocre service at best.

Food was, overall, good. Some was truly excellent; some was just ordinary. After two nights of spotty service in the formal dining room, we changed our plans and sometimes ate other places: the buffet, the burger grille, or a specialty restaurant. At the trivia game the first day, my husband won dinner for two at one of the specialty restaurants, a $40 prize! We were glad we hadn't paid for it. Although we had heard portions were large, no one said anything about the actual process of ordering or the fact that it would take over two hours. Although I love sea bass, mine wasn't fresh and I sent it back. I've never done that before. Read more