NIce ship, great entertainment

Island Princess Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 54

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Island Princess

15 Night Panama Canal - Ocean To Ocean (Ft. Lauderdale To Los Angeles)

Sail date: March 24, 2016

Ship: Island Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: A624

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

My wife and I just completed a 15 day Panama Canal cruise, so here are my impressions:

The ship's crew worked extremely hard to keep all areas spotless. I was amazed how clean everything was during the entire trip. There was hardly a wait for anything, including dinner, shows, disembarking, etc. There's a lot of high tech features on the ship such as the beautiful theater which had a huge LED video screen and a drop-down stage area. Their sound and lighting system was best I've seen anywhere. The on-board wi-fi that allows you to see upcoming events as well as your invoice, all up-to-the-minute was very well done.  The cruise director and his staff I give high marks to.  They were allows pleasant and offer a wealth of info every morning on the "Wake Show" on the TV in each room. The entertainment on-board was top-notch.  I would have liked to see some interesting meetings/seminars such as life-time learning talks.  Trivia seemed to be the most prevalent afternoon activity as well as an almost daily art auction. The two main pool areas (one indoor, one outdoor), were well populated by guests.  They offered a Pizza, ice cream and hamburger grill that were nice options for a quick meal that ran all day long till around 9 or 10pm. The outdoor pool area had a super large LED video screen with amazing sound. Cabin room size was adequate, but showers are a little tight if you're over 200 lbs (fortunately, not my problem).  I'd rate the food about average.  Nothing exceptional in the main dining room or buffet area, just a lot of it. However, we enjoyed the Bayou Restaurant which had a top-of-the-line steak selection. We had a table of 8 at the Bayou and everyone raved about their meal. Sabitini's Restaurant was a different story. There the same eight diners gave it mixed reviews.  These specialty restaurants charge $25/person and is not a bad price to pay giving us an alternative to the regular dining room menu that started getting a bit boring.  My wife (63 years old) and I (65) met up with some very nice fellow travelers on the ship that were in our age group, but there were a large number of older people, many using wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen, that kind of made me feel like this ship was more geared for an older crowd (a lot older than me).  Next time, I think I'd rather look for a ship where the average age was a bit lower.  All-in-all a fun time with good memories.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
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10 Comments

dhansen413    8 years ago

dhansen413    8 years ago

About is awesome, not spicy. Not impressed with Sabatini's, a lot of sea food.

suechristo2    8 years ago

We did the same cruise 2 years ago. Loved every minute of it. We're in our late/early 50/60's. We have only cruised on Princess so far and yes you probably tend to get an older clientele. Having said that it also depends on where you cruise and if you want a lot of kids on the cruise. On our Panama cruise there were quite a lot of 20/30 year olds including honeymooners. Would defindo it again

Johngold    8 years ago

Glad you enjoyed the Island. I too like it very much, We want to take another trip with her. 

TeamDavonavo    8 years ago

My wife is sensitive about her age.

TeamDavonavo    8 years ago

this is Mrs. Davonavo... don't let my husband fool you. we may be 74, but we are hardly old. LOL... The canes we bring are because we once were on a very rough cruise and our sea legs aren't that good. I have very high heels I like to wear on formal night... all I need is a big wave to interfere with my strut.... Also, we got some very cool, elegant canes... I thought maybe we could use them in a dance routine at happy hour. Mine is Bronx with little diamonds just below the handle and a beautiful handle. We got a few lessons on how to properly use a cane from watching Downton Abby. 😁

Daniel159    8 years ago

We start our Panama Canal cruise on the Island Princess next week. Thank you for your review, sounds about right for Princess, but being at sea makes any average experience extraordinary.

barbschickmecom    8 years ago

Are you saying Bayou is better then Sabitinjs? Was the food spicy at Bayou?

deboftheseas    8 years ago

The Panama draws an older crowd, by nature. Princess seems to be targeting a 50+ crowd now too. whenever you have longer cruises you get the retirees. friends of mine were on you sailing, Wilma and Herr sister Norma, perhaps you may have met them. I haven't spoken to them sine they returned, they had as minisuitte

TeamDavonavo    8 years ago

We did the same cruise last year, same boat. We pretty much feel about the trip as you. My wife wants to do it again! We didn't do any of the speciality restaurants, and I believe that was a mistake. $25.00 for a good steak is ok in my book. We've got you beat by about 10 years, but that didn't slow us down. We each carry a a cane for when there is too much motion from the ocean. It's amazing how much help another point of balance is. Also very handy for preventing elevator doors from closing too early! Doing a 15 day Land /Sea Alaska trip in June on the Ruby Princess. We'll let you know how that turns out.

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