This mega-ship has 2600 passengers at capacity but seems much smaller. Crowds are seldom a problem; two times that were a oribken was disembarkation in Barcelona, where the Spanish seemed totally NOT in control [we tried to get a bus for our group of 45; it made sense since we were all on the same flight - other people haphazardly rushed to the bus we had been assigned that had pulled into an out of the way space away from the buses] and the other times areas seemed very crowded was just prior to tours in the early morning in the Horizon Room, the Lido restaurant-but that was understandable. One morning I counted 160 buses waiting for tours-at approx. 50 per bus, you have 800 people trying to have breakfast at the same time! Where it never seemed to be crowded was around the pools & in hot tubs -- which was very nice. And the dining rooms, 3 of the "seating" rooms plus two other "choice" restaurants plus the Horizon-kept crowding at a minimum.

Our stateroom was efficient if small, our balcony in constant use! We unpacked almost immediately & stowed our bags under the beds-freeing up quite a bit of space! We were fairly tidy people, so the room seldom looked very messy, thanks to Leo, our room steward.

A comment about the servers' Leo or room steward & Nestor & Michael in the Michaelangelo dining room. The multinational crew is one of Princess' greatest assets; they are MARVELOUS. However, I did overhear an exchange with a young English woman from one of the gift shops & a passenger; the passenger wanted an extra suitcase after the ship had reached Barcelona & the shop [by law] was closed. The young woman just shrugged and said "Too bad!" and walked off. It seems to me an offer of WHERE the problem could have been fixed would have done better; and it seems as if the Philippino crew is held to a MUCH higher standard than the English crew; that seems unfair.

The itinerary was delightful; Istanbul was wonderful -a mix of Asian & European. Kusadasi an adventure in shopping and bargaining, Athens; a singularly ugly city-rebuilt quickly after WWII with concrete apartments; The Acropolis a wonderful adventure & so beautiful. Venice...Ahh, Venice. Probably the most beautiful city in the world! With its canals & bridges, its alleyways and squares -- it is wonderful! Livorno & Naples [I had a tour to Pompeii; destroyed 79AD -excavated in the last 100 years and found to be virtually intact under volcanic ash; bodies of people crouched as their oxygen ran out] Monte Carlo -a pretty and very French part of Monaco with several casinos-and into Barcelona, Spain for disembarkation and home.

The ship-for all its size is easy to get around; color-coded carpet gives you Blue for odd numbers, brick for even. The walk from Stern to forward is long, but reasonable. Many bars and rooms give you cubbyholes to read, visit or drink. The style is shipboard wood & soft brick, blue & beige's.

Probably the biggest asset that this ship has is its Captain-Captain Andrew Proctor-late of the Royal Princess; he is terrific with a wicked Scots humor and a twinkle in his eye. On our Transatlantic cruise in 1998 we rode out the remnants of hurricane Bonnie & Captain Proctor kept us well informed all day during the storm; something I will be forever thankful - I can cope with what I know-but not with the unknown.

The food was terrific, the dining room staff great. Would I go this route again? In a flash!