Island Princess Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Princess does an excellent job of keeping passengers as busy as they want to be on days at sea, and offers those who jist want to relax plenty of open soaces to do just that. The Island Princess is a mid-size ship (approximately 1,700 passengers), but you never feel crowded, even when the ship is full, as this voyage through the Panama Canal was.

Can't say enough good things about cruise director Simone Smith. She was smart, organized, theatrically talented, warm, witty, funny, friendly, creative, gracious, enthusiastic, energetic (enough for three people), welcoming, appreciative (she thanks people for coming to the shows and stopping by to chat), and professional. Everyone liked her. Just a sweet, engaging woman. She is a terrific cruise director and represents Princess Cruises well.

The ship was clean, the entertainment outstanding (Las Vegas-quality performers), the food good and plentiful. 

There are a few things that Princess needs to work on. They placed a smokers' lounge in a room on the middle deck of the midship atrium, which was filled with the scent of cigar and cigarette smoke amost hours of the day. There are only four comfortable chairs in the library; several card tables in the librthe library were occupied by chatty people, which is counter to the need for quiet in a library. Some of the port excursions were not good. And the Internet service is spotty, depending on satellite connectivity, and overpriced, since waiting for connectivity often eats up the minutes purchased.

Overall, this was a very good cruise with an interesting itinerary. 

The Panama Canal cruise was much anticipated by Jan and me because it was roundtrip from L.A. The ship was well staffed by friendly and very helpful personel. The staff in the buffee were especially kind. I rely on crutches for mobility and need help to get food. I was always greeted a helper and never had to ask.

We really liked going through the Canal and listening about the history of the Canal. We were on deck 10 in C230 which was about 10 cabins from the secret deck. We watched going through the Canal from there.

We were really impressed with embarkation and disembarkation. Both of them were really smooth. I think it took about 20 mins. to get the ship. And maybe an hour to get off and part of that was just waiting at our assigned place. Once we started moving, we were off the ship in no time.

The mini-suite was really comfortable and roomy. The shower had a tub, which it gave more room for showering. Our steward was awesome. In fact everyone we came in contact with were extremely nice.

We didn't go on too many excursions. We just went off the ship and walked around. Only in a couple of places were the vendors were pushy. But over all the ports were nice.

Going to the shows were fun, like people said, you need to get to them early in order to get a good seat. But the shows were really good. I liked the fact that they had a band, instead of canned music during the shows.

We did have some bumpy seas. Made walking interesting! Watching people in the pool when the water was moving around was fun. Had our own wave pool.

We really did enjoy this cruise! 

I loved to learn the interior of Alaska. Yet I experienced a cruise also. It was just wonderful

 All the people I know, and some, will here all about this trip and I HIGHLY recommend this to all!!! A wonderful time. We already have another trip planned.

We had anytime dining and found the wait staff to be friendly and all did an excellent job. We went to nightly theater shows and found them enjoyable especially "the voice".  We also enjoyed the informative, narration segments.  Our steward was always helpful....would recommend the Island Princess Alaska trip!

Our favorite part of the cruise was sitting on the top deck and watching the mountains, then attending the shows in the evenings. It was very relaxing and entertaining. 

What a wonderful cruise!  We stayed in Vancouver the night before and when we woke up early and walked down by the pier at 7:30, the Island was already docked.  We watched as she was being tied up and waved to the passengers on-board.  We wanted to miss the long wait lines and craziness of the busy embarkation, so we opted to take a Vancouver City Tour that morning (we found it in one of the emails from CrusieOne).  Boy was this a great idea!  Not only did we get to see the beautiful city, we didn't have to worry about our bags.  They were loaded on our tour bus from our hotel and the next time we saw them, they were in our stateroom (when we boarded).  The tour brought us to the pier at around 2:15.  There were NO lines at check-in.  That was nice!

For sail away, we found two chairs in the front of the ship, not the middle where the party was.  We didn't want to deal with all the noise and large crowds.  We had the perfect view.  We could still hear the party, but it wasn't crazy loud.  Our first night, we just explored the ship, had dinner (the lines were long for Anytime Diners; they offered us a table in the Traditional Dining Room at 7:45).  After dinner, we went back to our room, unpacked, and just relaxed.  

The weather  was awesome most of the cruise.  It was sunny with a little bit of cloud coverage in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway.  The only day it REALLY rained was in College Fjord.  However, the Promenade (deck 7) is covered and there are heaters occasionally; thus, it wasn't too bad.  I brought my winter jacket, but I never used it (or my gloves and hat).  I wore just a sweatshirt and a windbreaker on the cooler days.  I did see others with winter gear on though.  I am from Chicago, so I am used to cold weather.  I can see that if your not used to cold weather, that it would be cold.  It was probably around 50, but wet.  Other than the College Fjord day, it was in the 60's and 70's.  I had just a t shirt or long sleeve shirt on most days.

The food on the ship was really good.  I am not a sea food fan, but there was a lot of it.  My mother (who I cruised with) had sea food almost every night and she said it was delicious.  The only thing they didn't have which she was hoping for was King Crab.  Maybe they did in the Crab Shack?  We didn't go there, so I am not sure.  I had steak almost every night...and it was delicious!  The food in the Horizon court was good as well.  There was always something new, but they had the staples at the same time.  

All of the staff we met were super friendly and helpful.  We did not have a bad experience with anyone.  The ship was super clean.  We were told to bring Clorox wipes on board and wipe everything down before unpacking.  I started to do this, but noticed that it really wasn't necessary.  Surprisingly, the shower has a lot of pressure...I was worried about that.  The blow dryer, on the other hand; you might want to bring your own!

For the most part, the seas were very calm and there was just a slight rocking of the ship (if any at all).  Our first sea day was a little noticeable, but not bad.  The College Fjord day was choppy!  They put out sea sickness bags by all the elevators just in case.  It was one of those days where you would be walking on an angle and occasionally bumping into the wall.  It wasn't horrible by any means, but but far the worst day of the whole trip.  Nobody really seemed bothered by it though.  

Overall, this was a great experience and I would gladly do it again.  I miss the gentle rocking of the ship every night putting me to sleep ( I slept so well on board).  I'm already thinking about my next Princess Cruise (although I don't know when or where it will be).      

My favorite part of the cruise was the afternoon tea that they had daily.Also they had putt putt golf on the ship that we really enjoyed. We went daily to play.  We had a nice cruise, the staff was very friendly and accommodating. The ship was in great condition. It really looked new. They food was good and plentiful. The ship was kept very clean. Some things that could have been improved were.. They didn't list the complimentary afternoon tea or the complimentary stretching and exercise classes in the itinerary. I didn't even know about them till day three of the cruise. There was soft serve ice cream on the ship and I asked at the service desk if it was complimentary and was told no that there was a 1.50 charge only to find out it was free and included. We went to a specialty Italian restaurant and I though the food was not any better than the main dining room and the service was so slow that after 2 hours and 15 min we still hadn't had dessert and coffee and had to leave without getting it in order to see the evening show. I asked it we could come later and they said yes but they always closed at 9:30 and it never worked out. I feel like I would never do the specialty restaurant again. It wasn't worth it and we even preferred the regular dining room. I was glad the Princess didn't push the specialty dining like on some other cruise lines when they repeatedly approach you with offers. Also the hot tubs close at 10:00. Keep in mind it doesn't get dark in Alaska. Most people wanted you use the hot tubs in the evening and they made us get out. I really felt 10:00 was way to early. They said it was for cleaning but I don't think it takes that many hours to clean the hot tub. Over all the cruise was good but I felt like the cruise should better communicate the good things that they have that are available to you at no cost. If they provide the perks why wouldn't they let you know. They did have a fun balloon dance party one night but there was no dance night club. The shop also had a very nice champagne welcome that included chocolate truffles on sticks. Also an art auction with champagne was fun too. I also wanted to mention the cabins were bigger and nicer than any other cruise ship I have been on. VERY spacious closet area. We were all very impressed with that and the overall space in our rooms. I would have preferred to not have the fridge in the room. I wondered how many people on a cruise would really want a fridge rather than more drawer space.

Having a cabin with a balcony was definitely a plus.  Food was excellent, with many choices.  Food was fresh, well seasoned, attractive.  Staff was great.  Land tours were fabulous.  Highly recommend having land tours planned, booked and paid for prior to departure.

We enjoyed the scenery.  The glaciers were beautiful. The food, especially Spectialty Dining  was awesome.  The shows were entertaining.  The boat was beautiful.  The naturalist was informative and helpful. 

We actually did the cruise from Vancouver to Whittier and then did the land tour hosted by Princess up from Valdez to Copper River to Denali and back on the train to Anchorage. All was great, but we enjoyed the land tour as the best part of the trip.  

From embarkation to disembarkation our trip went as smooth as silk! We were so impressed with the Princess Line! This was our first trip on Princess but it definitely won't be our last!! We loved the ship, the crew, the food, tours, shows, special events! Everything was outstanding! Our steward was Nilo and he was a delightful young man who made our cabin up so nicely and any time we needed anything, he was right there! Also Jacob a super guy at the passenger services desk, helped us sooo much with tours, we loved him! Our trip was on the Island Princess, we can't recommend this ship any higher, we LOVED our trip, and we LOVED the Island Princess!!

Congratulations to all the staff on this ship! Joni Frakes & Ralph Buchanan

We don't happen to be cruise people.  Not our favorite thing being on the water all the time.  That said the staff on the cruise ship went out of their way to make for an enjoyable trip.  The food was great and the service better.  Anthony,, Dejohn, Louis, and  Memo were above and beyond service.  The canal experience was awesome and really enjoyed Cartagena.  The Spa area was done well and Taiana was a great massage therapist.  Maurice, our cabin steward was always there for anything we needed.

This cruise represents the second half of our Panama Canal adventure. I reviewed the first leg separately and we enjoyed the return just as much because of the wonderful customer-focused attitude of the crew members coupled with an interesting itinerary. My husband and I traveled together on this trip. 

This cruise represents the first half of our Panama Canal adventure. I will review the return trip separately but we enjoyed both legs equally because of the wonderful customer-focused attitude of the crew members coupled with an interesting itinerary. My husband and I traveled together on this trip.

My wife and I spent the better part of a year preparing on seeing and doing "the Canal", only to have the experience shattered by a tired, overcrowded shipboard experience and two wasted excursion opportunities in the most anticipated ports. If it were not for our time sharing the friendship with our ten person travel group, and the service of a several personable ,and efficient, Princess staff members; the trip would have been a complete waste of time and money.  

The Island Princess itself was the biggest disappointment. We had sailed her on a trip to Alaska a couple of years back and had a great experience. This time,

was a  complete reversal. We were told once on board the ship had been re-fitted recently with additional cabins to add more than 200 people. From our stand point, and other we spoke with, this addition was a mistake. This addition apparently was done at the expense of deck space and public areas, and obviously benefited only the Princess shareholders, not the passengers. The increase number of passengers lead to the boarding process being slow (even with "express" passes), the public food services areas being crowded or congested at most times, slow or over-crowded elevators, the "anytime dining" option for the Bordeaux dining room being non-existent (five minutes into the "8 AM, reservation window" only "before 5:30 or after 7:45" dining times were available), and (we, and others) being shut out of three nights of shows in the Princess Theater because of insufficient seating. The final straw came when the "early, unassisted" dis-embarkment process took almost 45 minutes from muster to stepping foot in the terminal. 

While the "re-fit" was done, however, little must have been done to other areas of the ship to spruce it up. There were areas with worn or stretched carpet, hallways that appeared dark or dated, and some sheets and towels that were frayed, even slightly stained. It may well be time for the Island Princess to undergo a complete overhaul, and put on a cleaner, brighter, more up-to-date look in the very near future.

However, as disheartening as the on-board experience was, the Canal portion of the cruise was a disaster.

We booked this cruise knowing it had a generally weak itinerary (four-plus sea days and rather short port calls) because it fit our travel schedule and we wanted to see, and traverse, the canal. But our Princess sponsored excursion was horrific! We spent 13 hours on a scheduled 6-8 hour tour, most of which on an old motor coach over highways and backroads getting to, or away from, a "shopping stop for local handcrafts - most from China.  We were then delayed more than two hours near Gamboa - with no water, food or bathroom facilities available - before finally boarding the ferry that was to take us "on the canal". All through the misery we were kept mostly in the dark as to why there were troubles or delays holding us up. It was so late into the day that when we finally boarded the ferry, our included LUNCH was served at 5 PM.

Two hours later, when we finally entered the last lock, it was long after dark and there was no sighting of the new canal excavations which we thought would be a highlight in itself. We reported the problems to on-board Princess excursion staff and a full refund was given ($179. each) before we disembarked in Florida. That was a great gesture, but one wonders "how can you "refund" a lost life experience and the ultimate reason for making the trip"? In fact, our arrival back to the ship was so late that night, ALL passengers were impacted. Sailing time was delayed to accommodate us and the next days arrival and excursions in Costa Rica had to be altered. My Limon excursion, originally scheduled for early morning, was re-scheduled late in the day. I needed to cancel that trip because of a previous commitment made for that afternoon. So three days of (our) anticipated excursion schedule were reduced to a nice tour of Cartagena earlier in the cruise.

Definitely, not what I thought I was buying when we booked the cruise last year.

I thought it best and waited to write this message as to let some of my anger subside, but I guess I didn't wait long enough. This was a trip I regret making. And an experience I would need to share with others thinking about this trip, when asked.

But I said earlier there was staff that saved some of our experience in a positive way. They need to be recognized. While the entire ship's staff worked hard, and probably harder than they needed to considering the extra pressure on public areas, we need to single some out. We had great service from our dining room waitperson, Karyna (table #28, Bordeaux); cabin attendant Constantin, who solved many of the cabin issues; waitperson, Georgio in Sabatini's; Hannah from the Cruise Director's activity staff; and the entertainers we were able to get in to see (especially the on-board cast of singers and dancers - 2 of 3 shows). They saved mass dissatisfaction.

This was our third Carnival Corp./Princess cruise ship experience and unless changes are seen, may well be our last. To us, Princess was a respected brand, a step up. But, this trip showed things have slipped.

What we had been looking forward to as an exciting exploration of the Panama Canal turned out to be a frustrating and unpleasant experience.  The Island Princess was a tired ship in need of an overhaul and update.  Conditions on board were crowded and frustrating.  It was difficult to make a reasonable dinner reservation for our "anytime" dining preference.  There were not enough seats in the theater; several evenings my husband became separated from our party and was so annoyed by the shoving, jostling and pushing that he returned to the cabin without seeing the show.  Disembarkation was unorganized with unclear instructions, few signs and a man who nearly collapsed.  We learned that Princess  had closed off part of the Promenade deck and added cabins for about 250-260 extra people onboard...a bad move which made every activity difficult.  In addition, we signed up for an excursion to take us through to the other side of the canal.  It was 13 hours long, much of the time spent sitting on a bus and I mean PARKED, not moving.  We never did learn the cause.  A promised "lunch" on this tour was served at 5:00 and we returned so late to the ship that it had to delay its departure to the next destination thus making all the rest of the cruise a rush.  I would have rated this cruise with negative stars if it had not been for the service provided by the wait staff and the room steward.  I will not book with Princess again.

Good itinerary on one of the most disappointing cruises we have been on yet. We have been on over 40 cruises. This is the most crowded ship we have experienced and the staterooms down below were noisy. I am surprised that the rating system gives this review a 2.7 since they calculate the cruise experience as a whole. So good ports visited on a not so good ship gives a relatively high overall rating.

Boarding the ship in Ft. Lauderdale and at all ports was a breeze.  Their organization made getting off on the last day so simple....no lines, luggage exactly where they said it would be.  The Island Princess is beautiful through and through.  Loved the layout, the ease of getting from point A to point B, the daily "Patter" newsletter, and all the crew.  Food was amazing both in the dining rooms and at the Horizon Buffet.  And the hotdogs at the grill were incredible!!

Ports were good.  We explored Aruba on our own.  Cartagena was our city tour.....kind of boring and fast-paced.  Limon was our canal and train ride.  That was so beautiful to experience.  The banana plantation was so interesting and the wildlife on the canal trip was extrodinary. My husband got amazing pics of the sloth. 

The Panama canal is interesting and the new observatory at the new locks was very, very nice.  The movie about the history of the canal was well worth viewing.  But Ochos Rios wins for best tour!  We did the aerial tram and bobsled.  That was absolutely the highlight of our excursions!! 

Loved the sea days.  So much to do on the ship or just sit on our balcony and relax.  The shows in the evening were ok.....I've seen much higher quality shows on other ships.  Our favorite performers, by far, was the Trio who played in the Atrium before dinner....violinist, piansist , and guitarist from the Ukraine.  Most beautiful music I heard in a long time.  Our only disappointment was the casino on the ship.  We enjoy playing but they took half of the casino to add more cabins recently so there were less than 60 machines and not much of a selection.  Our room was very nice.

Overall, we loved our trip and are already looking to book our next on Princess.

Our 19 night VENETIAN CROSSING was compromised by the many structural changes on board a ship we thought we knew well.  Like many other passengers on board, we were very disappointed by the elimination of The International Cafe,  the reconfiguration of the gym in a tiny area without windows, the absence of the VISTA lounge stern and the absence of seating and gathering spots in the ATRIUM.  Several dozen new cabins may add to the profit margin forf Princess but were a negative factor for almost every passenger on board.

Service from the staff was smiley and wonderful.  Our room steward Marlin was a friendly and ever helpful presence.  Entertainment was good and the Shows were excellent.  But Princess Theatre has only 2 narrow aisles in and out and makes for the feeling of crowding (and even danger in the face of emergency) for anything more than a few score attending passengers.  Movies under the Stars were fun when the weather allowed, but I don't believe I ever experienced the Horizon  Court closing before the end of the movie!

That said, the Buffet is the one grand improvement.  While almost everyone was confused by it being at the FORE of the ship, it is indeed brighter, roomier, more pleasant and less chaotic than almost ever before.  In 19 days I never stood on line for any meal and could always secure a comfortable seat within a few seconds.  Efficient and hard working staff added to the pleasant surroundings.

Let me add a word about FOOD IDENTIFICATION.  As a vegetarian, I was especially thankful for the careful marking of food choices with CAPITAL  V  to make my choices easier and more reassuring.  And any questions I had were dealt with promptly and respectfully by staff.

Smaller suggestions I WOULD MAKE INCLUDE:  more than 4 easy chairs for reading in the Library: separating the ever-noisy game rooms from the reading area;  better signage for toilets on board and once or twice daily messages from the Bridge to be broadcast into the state rooms