All in All, A Wonderful Cruise
Island Princess Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America
10 Night Panama Canal With Costa Rica & Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)
Sail date: January 09, 2019
Ship: Island Princess
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
All in all, a wonderful cruise. My biggest frustration lay with the timing of dining in conjunction with evening activities. Great one time activities were scheduled during the 7:30 dining times (which were sluggish) and the activities weren’t repeated so all could participate. Reportedly “Anytime Dining” was a disaster for guests. Calling to reserve a table at 8:00 each morning for dinner was allowed for “Anytime Dining” but at 8:05 slots were filled, leaving guests with the only option of going to the buffet. Yuck! Definitely pick a dining time. Accept that you’ll miss some things and then kick back and enjoy the experience.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Horizon Court
Great made to order omelets. If possible, though, go to the dining room instead. It doesn’t cost more. It’s much more relaxing and better food.
Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse
Enthusiastic, kind staff.
Onboard Activities
Sanctuary
Lovely! Enough said....
Entertainment
The Library
If you can’t find a book, you must not like to read. Lots of newly released books.
Princess Theater
Crowded! Get there early. Arms for drinks don’t all work. Masking tape remnants on some. Watch out for those arms when walking in or out. Some don’t retract properly and will give you a nice bruised leg.
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Book a dining time. My biggest frustration lay with the timing of dining in conjunction with evening activities. Great one time activities were scheduled during the 7:30 dining times (which were sluggish) and the activities weren’t repeated so all could participate. Reportedly “Anytime Dining” was a disaster for guests. Calling to reserve a table at 8:00 each morning for dinner was allowed for “Anytime Dining” but at 8:05 slots were filled, leaving guests with the only option of going to the buffet. Yuck! Definitely pick a dining time. Accept that you’ll miss some things and then kick back and enjoy the experience.
Ports of call
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
Panama Canal (Cruise Into Canal)