Case study: Melanie's experience

My first cruise experience was a weeklong Caribbean Princess Cruises trip for my honeymoon. I was hesitant to book it, because I had a preconceived notion that it would be crowded and leave me feeling trapped.
Surprisingly, I had the opposite experience: I had plenty of space to move, excursion participants were capped to reasonable numbers, and my husband and I never saw the same people twice. But buffet lineups could get long, so planning your dining ahead is helpful to avoid waiting.
The best part was the abundance and quality of the food, service and activities that kept everyone busy, both on board and ashore. My recommendation is to ensure you have plenty of US cash on hand when you explore your ports of call, because ATMs can be scarce in more remote destinations.About Melanie’s cruise
- Princess ship sailed: Grand Princess
- Date of cruise: August 26, 2002
- Length of cruise: Seven-day Eastern Caribbean
- Departure port: Fort Lauderdale
- Destinations visited: Princess Cays, St. Maarten and Grand Cayman