Quiet, drama-free and luxurious

Item: Island Princess
Rating: 4.7
Author: Hiroshi

Island Princess Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Hiroshi

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 13

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

Verified Review

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

Sail date: January 04, 2024

Ship: Island Princess

Cabin number: GUAR

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 months ago

Review summary

This was a very relaxing cruise for us. We only had four ports of call and one day transiting the Panama Canal, but the rest of our cruise was spent at sea. There was plenty of entertainment for everybody on board; but this ship probably isn’t for a family with kids since it’s an older ship, and it doesn’t have all of the modern amenities of the newer and larger mega cruise ships. However, if you’re looking for a quiet, drama-free and luxurious cruise ship experience, this is the ship for you.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Princess made the embarkation process very easy to navigate. We didn’t experience any problems at all.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

All of the ship’s dining rooms and restaurants were excellent. The service was top notch, and the food was well-prepared and presented. Being of Asian descent, though, I only wish they served more Asian food on the ship — which I don’t think would have been too much of a stretch considering the majority of the crew was Asian.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The Island Princess is an older and smaller ship, so it didn’t have all of the modern amusement facilities you’ll find on the new megaships. However, the cruise was far from being boring — at least for those of us who are older. We really enjoyed the ballroom dancing classes, the fitness classes and the various lectures on the Panama Canal.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

This was where Princess really stood out. The entertainment on board was some of the best I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship. We really enjoyed all of the shows during our cruise, but the three that really stood out were magician Nathan Phan, instrumentalist and singer Janice Martin, and ventriloquist Michael Minor. They really wowed the crowd.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Princess does a really outstanding job of training their teams. Every member of the ship’s crew was very professional, polite and friendly during our entire time on board.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship is old, and it’s showing its age a bit. However, Princess does a very good job of maintaining the ship and keeping it clean and modern. There were specks of paint all over our balcony mat and chairs, but that was the only blemish I noticed.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The overall comfort of our balcony cabin was very good, and it was clean and modern. I really liked the large flatscreen TV in our room. The only issue I had with our cabin was the size of the shower. I’m of average height and weight, and that shower was a super tight fit. I can’t even imagine how any who may be tall and/or plus size could use that shower comfortably.

Ship tip

It’s an older and smaller ship, so it’s not going to have all of the amenities that a larger and more modern cruise ship is going to have (i.e. large pool slides, rock-climbing wall, go-cart track, etc.). However, if you’re into a quiet luxury experience, this is the ship for you.

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