I have cruised Princess two other times, a few years ago, and unfortunately have noticed a decline in the on-board atmosphere on this cruise on the Caribbean Princess. Food seemed average in the main dining room. Service seemed rushed there, as servers had too many tables to cover. The new World Marketplace Buffet was better than I expected but seemed to lack much variety. On-board entertainment relied heavily on sales pitches, especially for art auctions and Effy jewlery. While the Caribbean Princess was just refurbished, she still shows her age in many places including my stateroom of P229. Dented walls, mildew shower curtains and tiles, stained carpets and broken drawers. Tendering in St. Peter's Port was suspended due to swells and caused a line to board tenders of 2-3 hours long. While I realized it was out of Princess' control, it still was not such a great experience waiting two hours for a tender in a massive line. All the while, another ship (P&O Azura), kept their tender operations going. The sea didn't seem to be rough but I am not a mariner so that was my layman's opinion.

For the positives....embarkation and disembarkation was efficient. The itinerary is the draw with many ports and a lot of excursions to partake in. We spent an overnight in Dublin which was great. Edinburgh was a highlight! The Crown Grill had good food and great service and I also enjoyed Planks (the new dining venue on-board). The food at Planks was very good and plentiful. I also enjoyed the local entertainment that came aboard. I wish they had more of that and less sales pitches. The service was very good and warm for the most part.

Overall it was still a good cruise, despite the negatives.I am fortunate to be able to go on such a vacation.