Where do I begin? As we entered the ship (me smiling ear to ear, since my bottle of 12yr single malt was not confiscated at the security scanner - I could now have my own sail away party!) we were greeted by several staff members directing passengers to their state room. BTW, you'll be amazed at how beautiful this ship is as you enter and make you way through the hallways etc. We headed to our staterooms and were lucky enough to meet our room attendants very early in our trip. Our luggage wasn't delivered yet, but we had swimming gear in our carry on, so we headed to get some lunch at the Horizon Court or was it Cafe Caribe? We were hungry and tired so I just followed my nose to the food. :) After a wonderful lunch we started to "get to know the ship". On our last cruise we didn't take time to learn the ship's layout and we regretted that. Be prepared to spend a couple hrs learning the layout, but its well worth it as there is much to see and this means you know how to get to places you've read or heard about. I'll now break-up the rest of the review into sections so it's easy to follow and so I can keep things organized.

DINING! I'll start off by saying that Princess beats Royal Caribbean (the only other line we've cruised) by a mile when it comes to food. But they can improve on their buffet with a bit more simple foods (seems they tried to hard to provide complicated dishes) and the actual function of the buffet. There is no order or form to the lines and one could easily be mistaken for being rude when you jumped in front of others mistakenly. This was the case in both the Horizon Court and Cafe Caribe buffet. BTW, you have to try the French Toast for breakfast! During our day at sea our girls loved the pizza (probably the best I've ever had, I don't really care for pizza) at the pizza oven (pool deck) as well as the burgers and fries we got from the burger joint (pool deck). These two spots were also a hit when passengers came back from their day on shore and wanted something to snack on before they got dressed for dinner. Every night we looked forward to dinner, even when my wife and daughters were too tired to go, I just had to. We had anytime dining and the only nights there was a bit of a wait was the formal nights. However, you can call and get reservations if you wanted to. This freestyle form of dining was new to us and we have mixed feelings. We loved the fact that we could go when we wanted (gives us time to rest from a day in the sun), but we missed the fact we didn't have table mates to chat with as with traditional dining. If you like privacy and flexibility, you'll love anytime dining. If you're wondering if you get a different menu at the freestyle dining than in the traditional dining room, the answer is no. Both places have the same menu, we were told. If you look through the pictures we have in the "ship Album" you'll see a few pics of some of the amazing dishes we enjoyed; not to mention the mouth-watering desserts. Parents, there is a great kids menu which came in handy with our girls in the event your children don't fancy pheasant and duck. As mentioned above we looked forward to dinner, the food was excellent, the staff were amazing and the decor was very classy. In between all the dining options there's also the International cafe. What a GREAT place to get something sweet, a sandwich or snack. We'd usually stop by here before we headed off the ship, so we'd have a snack while on our excursions. Overall you can't go hungry or complain that Princess didn't cater to you. We never tried any of the restaurants that required an extra fee, but we only heard good things about them as well. As I close up this part of the review I have to mention two things: - be sure to try the afternoon tea. - skip the buffet or pizza joint and have lunch at one of the main dining rooms (Michelangelo or Botticelli) excellent menu and the curry chicken dish is amazing. The Crown Princess truly does cater to everyone's taste buds.

ACTIVITIES We spent a great deal of our time on the different islands, since this was our first time in the Southern Caribbean and islands such as Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua. Plus we only had one sea day, so the entire cruise was very port inclusive. That said, here are some comments on some of the activities: Pools - there were many throughout the ship. Some were designated for the teens and adults, but we hardly ever see those being used. Especially the adults, they only pool at the very back of the ship. The way Princess did the sort of stadium seating for the chairs (lounge) around the main pool (by MUTS) is very effective. At no time did we feel overcrowded or had problems fighting for chairs. Maybe I should mention that we went when school was in (yep our girls complained about missing school for a week :) so there wasn't many kids/families onboard when we were there. Overall the pools (fresh water, unlike RCL that have salt water) and hot tubs were very clean, never over crowded and great fun. MUTS (Calypso pool area) - "movies under the stars" Though I never really ever enjoyed the movies "Under the stars" I did see a couple flicks during my time by the pool during the daytime. I'm big on sound and picture quality and both times I was impressed. The sound and picture, even during the day is amazing. My wife and our girls went at night and they really enjoyed the experience. You're sailing under the beautiful Caribbean skies, you get a comfy (they add cushions I think) deck chair, then you're handed pop corn and a blanket to enjoy one of the feature presentations. Be sure to check your daily compass to see which films are playing and when. Mini Putt Golf- Compared to the course on the Navigator of the Seas (RCL) this one was a bit shabby. No real challenge. But I'm sure you could make fun out of it. Basketball - Our first sea day we went up to the basketball court at the mid/rear of the ship. It was a pretty windy day, so that added to the fun. There were basketball tournaments listed in the daily compass, but we never went to any. I think the basketball court also doubles for the tennis court as well. We all had tons of fun at the court, shooting around and taking some great pics in the process. Kids / Teen Club - Our girls are not really into this sort of stuff so we didn't get any feedback on this. Plus we spent a lot of time on the islands and love having our girls with us to experience everything. They did go to the arcade area and were not impressed. Especially since on our last cruise the arcade was huge, with tons of games. This is one area Princess can improve on providing they want to attract more families. Bingo - Is not to be missed. TONS of fun and very affordable. Nothing beats enjoying your favourite tropical (one with the umbrellas and slices of fruit) and hearing those letters/numbers being counted out. It's very entertaining the way they get the players involved with the little chants/sayings they have for different numbers. Too bad we didn't get that final number to win a prize that we were waiting on. BTW I think it costs $20 a game and you may want to pack your dabber (grab one at a dollar store).