Thanks for sharing your story Mike. We actually stopped cruising with Princess 4 years ago not because of anything specific, but after that last trip, cruising just wasn't an appealing option anymore.

Cordelli commented that the tipping policy was a partial cause, and I agree with that. Our first cruise on Royal Carribean, where tipping was still done by envelops at the end of the cruise, had everyone hustling for you. Princess ran much better ships (food, entertainment, decor, people management), but Royal had better people hands down, even from our first cruise. By our last cruise, the staff seemed apathetic.

We are giving cruising another shot in April, but we have moved well down to the other end of the spectrum to give it a try.

Cruising seemed like such a easy and consistent way to take a break for work, I was sad to stop enjoying just being on a Princess ship.

Good luck in finding a replacement for Princess.