The Island Princess is a quiet, clean, efficient ship. Service is good, Food is iffy, and the cabins are comfortable. Eat lots of desserts.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Canada Place is a very organized port. We never waited in a line. Princess has mastered the logistics of boarding the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food was hit-and-miss. Breakfast, lunch, and desserts were very good. Dinner was inconsistent. Some meals were good. A couple were pretty bad. Beef and lamb were decent. Seafood was usually not very fresh. A couple of sides didn't make sense; such as a spinach soufflé with beef Wellington. Sabatini's was terrible; we had inattentive, indifferent service and mostly boring food. My New York strip was quite good; however. Bayou Cafe, on the other hand, was outstanding. We had good service and excellent food. The filet was perfection. The buffet was a waste of time and calories unless you don't care about your taste buds. It was feed bag.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Trivia was the highlight for us. The comedian was entertaining, but not special. The production shows had talented vocalists. The cruise director was ever-present and engaging. The fitness was okay. The pool area was barely used; it was a bit chilly in Alaska.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
With the exception of Sabatini's, the service on the Island Princess was terrific. Our room steward, Maricel, was cheerful, sweet, and attentive. She also worked quietly and efficiently. Our cabin was never lacking. The dining room staff worked well. Roberto was a fine server. Staff was friendly and hard-working.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Although the ship was a bit dated, it was immaculately clean. Hygiene was a major focus of this ship; Purell was omnipresent. I wished the promenade deck was wrap-around. There was no good place to take a long walk.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
B411 was an inside cabin. It was small but with plenty of storage space. It was very clean and the bed was comfortable. The only complaint was the Lilliputian shower. It was the smallest shower I have ever seen. Bathing was a contortionist act each day.
Ship tip
Don't eat at Sabatini's. Avoid the buffet. Eat dessert early and often. Go to afternoon tea. It is delightful. Spend a couple of days in Vancouver. Don't take kids; they will be bored.
Nice walkable downtown. We went on the Salmon hatchery, Glacier, and Salmon Bake excursion. The hatchery was boring, Mendenhall Glacier was beautiful, and the salmon bake was tasty. It was a cold, drizzly day.
Not much to do unless you are into adventure. Icy Strait Brewing in town had a couple of good beers and fantastic salmon cakes. It is gorgeous scenery.
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