We chose the cruise because of the (original) port selection. Due to unrest, Princess cancelled Istanbul, which we understood and expected. However, they also needlessly cancelled Kusadesi AND Malta, neither of which were affected by the unrest. In substitution, they gave us Kotor, Corfu, and Elba. We had no problem with Kotor or Corfu ONCE. Princess, however, does not respect its passengers on a three-week cruise (since what they sell as a "three week cruise" is actually three "one-week" cruises). As a result, they returned us to Kotor and Corfu a SECOND time a week later, cut short our visit to Messina, and sent us to Elba -- that's right, the island where Napoleon was sent to exile. Most passengers were tendered ashore, took an hour to walk around (all the shops were closed), and returned to the ship. Thanks a lot, Princess.

The excursions were okay, I guess, considering that these small ports can't really handle 4000 passengers at a time. You'll be herded like cattle and everyone moves so slowly. If you like that, you may enjoy the cruise a lot. If you are a very active person, you'll constantly be frustrated with how slow everything moves, and how little you actually get to see because of it.

The cruise ship itself was also frustrating. There is far too much selling and we were misled as to the cost of a "Super Tuscan Dinner," which cost $60 a person instead of $60 total as we were told -- "it's the same price as regular Sabatini's." Our receipt said "2 persons - $60" which met with what we were told, but the desk staff refused a refund because the "Princess Patter" advertised the dinner in the small print for $60 a person. Well, shame on me for not reading all the fine print, but shame on them for misleading me verbally, and for an extra $60 profit they made me steaming mad and lost a customer forever. Read more