Island Princess 3/20/05-4/4/05 Review

Island Princess 3/20/05-4/4/05 Hawaii

Warning! This is long. I’ve been accused of being too wordy and this proves it. Please keep in mind that this review expresses my opinions and others may have different views and experiences.

Introduction

My friend and I are seasoned travelers, both with cruises and land trips. This cruise was planned to celebrate my 50th birthday. My friend is a few years younger. I have traveled on several cruise lines but now concentrate on Princess. I feel that Princess has the best value for dollar spent. I have Elite status on Princess which offers nice perks.

Pre Cruise travel

I drove to the port from the California desert stopping by the Ontario airport to pick up my friend who flew down from Northern California. It was a Saturday afternoon and an easy drive. We stayed at the Sheraton in San Pedro which offered a great pre cruise package. For $149 you received one night’s lodging, free under ground parking for up to 30 days, free shuttle to and from the port and to local attractions, free breakfast buffet and a free bottle of wine or sparkling champagne. We met up with 6 other cruisers from our Cruise Critic roll call for dinner at 22nd Street Landing (http://www.22ndstlandingrestaurant.com/), my personal favorite seafood restaurant in San Pedro. The Sheraton took us from the hotel to the restaurant and back at no charge. This hotel officially changed it’s affiliation on 4/1/05 and is no longer a Sheraton but will still be offering the same package.

Embarkation/Disembarkation/Security

Times have changed folks! I arrived at the port long before I was supposed to and payed for it by waiting in line in San Pedro. It was difficult to find a porter to pick up the luggage for awhile too. The porters were supposed to go down the line of people waiting first but of course others who just arrived cut in making it harder for those standing in line to get rid of their luggage. I’m going to try to get over this arriving too early thing. Embarkation ended up starting only 30 minutes late but was very slow due to security. The port only had two scanners set up, one for Elite/Platinum and one for everyone else. Once you got through security there wasn’t any line at all for the Princess reps for any of the lines. People with physical challenges were let on first and some unscrupulous passengers were making up stories to get on first. One woman had a moon boot on from foot surgery and managed to use that to get on first with her party of 8.

Security varied in each port. Sometimes your carry ons were scanned, sometimes hand searched. Sometimes you walked through a scanner, sometimes you were scanned with a hand scanner. The carry on search varied from a cursory glance to a detailed search. In each port, there were limited port security agents so the line could be quite long so be prepared. In some US ports the ship was guarded by the Coast Guard with guns mounted on the front of their boats. In Ensenada party boats would come right up next to the ship with their music blaring without any security at all. For the first time I had to remove my laptop for embarkation. I have no problem with this but I do wish it was posted or notification was made prior to getting to the scanners. Port security would wait until you sent your carry on through the scanner, then notified you that you had to remove your laptop. I nearly lost my laptop because port security took it out of my hands and sent it through the scanner (right on top the rollers without a basket) before I could follow it through. A passenger picked it up “because it looked like his” and I had to bolt past security to retrieve it while leaving my other belongings behind. Port security was not paying attention and I think it would have been gone for good.

For disembarkation customs and immigration was done on the ship. You were assigned a time to show up at the Bayou Café. The lines were long but kept moving. Princess did a good job of keeping the lines in order and not letting people cut in line. They had three coffee/water stations set up so you could grab a drink while you were waiting. It took approximately 45 minutes to get through the line. The good part of this is that you didn’t have your carry ons with you to lug along and once you got off the ship you could breeze out of the building after picking up your luggage and dropping off your stamped immigration/customs form. Princess has requested additional immigration/customs agents to speed this process up but so far more haven’t been sent. Disembarkation was delayed due to a few folks who didn’t go. I was sitting in one of the lounges with friends when they started calling the names of people who didn’t go. One man stood up and said “See, I told you they would call us when they wanted us.” Apparently he felt it was beneath him to stand in line like the rest of us so he held up disembarkation for everyone. On a somber note, a mass for the pope was played in the Platinum/Elite disembarkation lounge. There were several passengers who thought everyone should remain silent during this service but for many of us it was a chance to say our last good byes to each other. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful in any way, but this was a disembarkation lounge, not a church.

Cabin

We booked a balcony cabin, C411 for it’s half covered balcony. My friend loves to lay in the sun while I hide in the shade so we both got what we wanted. If it had been up to me, I would have booked a guarantee like I usually do but at least partial sun was required so I couldn’t do this. As usual, the cabin seemed small at first, but grew comfortable over time. There was a lot of storage with two drawers and a shelf in each bedside stand and the same at the other end of the desk. The closet had one section with 6 large shelves with another extra large shelf over the closet. We had plenty of hangers (25 each) and the floor space. I brought two pop up hampers which were really handy for dirty clothing. The bathroom had three small shelves above the sink as well as a large shelf below the sink. All our suitcases fit easily under our beds. There were two outlets on the desk but I brought a power strip so that we could plug all our electronics in at the same time. The voice mail system was down for the entire cruise which made it difficult to leave messages at times.

Our room steward was good but not the best I have ever had. I tipped him at the beginning of the cruise and asked for eggcrate mattresses, extra towels and two wine glasses in the room. He put the eggcrate mattress on the first night and we always had extra towels, but the wine glasses never showed up unless we brought them. The room was always clean.

Dining

We had late traditional dining which is the only way I would consider cruising. We had a delightful table of eight next to a window. Service in the dinning room was fair and they tried hard but were very slow. It was the assistant waitresses first time in the dining room and it showed. It was difficult to have your wine or water refilled. No after dinner drinks were offered except for one night when they had lemocello only. I wish the wine stewards would return because our wait staff did not have the time to address wine and cocktails. On a good note, there are a lot of new items on the dinner menus. It's really nice to see something new!

The Horizon Court buffet is laid out well with little congestion. We only ate here for breakfast and a couple of snacks. Eggs were available made to order as well as omelets that were delicious. You could order omelets made with egg substitute too. Breakfast had a large selection of fresh fruits, pastries, and hot items. I never went to the dining room for breakfast. A nice breakfast overlooking the bow of the ship can’t be beat. I had lunch in the dining room three times and had great selections and service all three times. Pizza and the grill were each visited a couple of times and were great.

We had dinner at Sabatini’s for my birthday and another friend’s birthday with a group of 14. The dinner was a gift from my travel agent. I enjoyed the meal but I didn’t find anything that special about it other than the company. The waiter we had seemed put out that I didn’t want all 16 courses. Why order something I’m not going to eat or stuff myself until I am uncomfortable?

We had lunch at the Bayou Café for another friends’ birthday and it was spectacular. I would recommend the Bayou Café over Sabatinis. The menu was unique and we were able to order small sides of many items. Due to recommendations I had read, I ordered the filet which is one of the best filets I have every had, on a Ruth Chris’ quality. The service and live piano player here were perfect and I only wish I had time to eat here a second time. The wait staff was very good about letting us know which foods were spicy and which weren’t. I am used to spicy food and found all their food quite mild.

Bar Service

The first week was great in Crooner’s Lounge with three great bar waiters who remembered us and our preferences from the first day. The bar staff were all moved half way through the cruise to “even out the tips.” Unfortunately, service was dramatically different after the change. It was sometimes difficult to buy a drink in Crooner’s after the change. There was one bar waiter who was rude to someone in our group and I refused to order from him after that.

La Patisserie offers brewed coffee (decaf and regular) at no charge as well as coffee drinks. A café mocha was only $1.75 and delicious! There is always a tray of pastries available there too.

I did purchase the soda card and was able to get refills wherever I choose. It was nice having the bar in the buffet area so the sodas were easy to get. I did walk up to a bar to get my refills usually rather than have a waiter deliver them.

Trading out my mini bar was comical at least. I never managed to get someone on the phone in room service who I could communicate well with. When the room service waiter showed up to do the exchange, he was much more helpful.

As an Elite passenger I had free admission to the first wine tasting. I’ve always enjoyed these in the past but this time it was a long infomercial with a little wine in between. I will most likely skip the next wine tasting even if it is free. On the other hand we had two wine tastings hosted by Cruise Critic members which were a lot of fun and we had some interesting wine. My favorite was a red wine from Germany. I liked it so much I soaked the label off the bottle and I’m determined to find it again. One caveat, this group would have had fun tasting bottled water!!

Entertainment

I didn’t attend many shows because of the volume (too loud for my sensitive ears, even with earplugs) and the fact that I preferred hanging out with my new found friends. I did see one of the comedians but almost had to leave because they put a production show on first which wasn’t advertised. On the trip back I saw Wille Tyler and Lester. He puts on a good family show and has an incredible singing voice which I never knew about.

In Crooner’s Bar was Eric Stone a very animated talented singer and piano player. He took requests and did mostly show tunes. The music was a perfect back drop for this lounge. One night a passenger who thought he was more talented than Eric essentially took over singing his favorite songs. Eric very graciously played back up for him but I left because I wasn’t interested in hearing a passenger’s made up songs.

There is a beautiful library but it is locked when there isn’t an attendant present. The ship also offered trivia of some type daily which you could pick up in the library and the answers were posted the following day.

Ports

Hilo-We took the volcano hiking tour here. I want to warn anyone thinking about this tour that Princess down plays the difficulty of this tour. I went to the tour desk to ask specific questions about this tour and did not get a great description. It is a very physically demanding tour and it would be helpful if you had rock climbing experience. The lava is hot and as slipperily as glass and requires a great deal of balance. There isn’t any type of trail to walk on. Only approximately 25% of the tour group made it to the flowing lava before we had to turn back. I have an inner ear problem which made balance a problem. I was afraid I would hold the group up so I turned back early on my own. The lava is beautiful and I might try it again if I am staying on the island so I can start out early in the morning and go at my own pace. Port security here was understaffed and there was a long, long line to get back on the ship.

Kona-I rented a car from Alamo and the shuttle was waiting when we got off the tender. It is approximately 15-20 minutes to the airport which is exactly what Alamo had stated. They had two shuttles back to the ship and you could choose your time and a spot was reserved for you. We drove the Place of Refuge (http://www.nps.gov/puho/) which was only $5 for each car and a great historical stop. We stopped at a cute shop in Kealakekua called Donkey Balls. (http://Http://www.donkeyballs.com) for some unique gifts for special friends. They have flavored coffee and their speciality is chocolate covered macadamia nuts hence the name. Not to mention that the nuts are really good! After that we drove up to Holualoa (http://www.holualoahawaii.com/) which was recommended by a SunViking and visited several art galleries. We loved this spot and wished we had more time here. I bought a few small pieces of art. We walked around the harbor area after dropping the car off and then got in the long line to reboard the ship. The line was long, you guessed it, because of port security.

Kauai-We missed this port because the harbor master closed the harbor due to high winds. Apparently the entrance into the harbor is very narrow which does not have any room for error. Princess arranged for us to go onto Honolulu after a circle tour around Kauai. I had booked the Movie Tour (http://www.hawaiimovietour.com/) for this port and called them as soon as I knew we wouldn’t make it in. They are a very professional company, very easy to deal with, and had agreed in advance that I would not be charged if the ship could not dock. Next time I am in Kauai, I will book with this company again. If you are planning independent tours in any port, on any cruise be sure the company will not charge you if the ship cannot get in. You can never predict which ports might be canceled. It was a beautiful day at sea as long as you stayed out of the direct wind.

Honolulu-We docked at 930PM and left the next day at 1100PM giving us more than 24 hours in Honolulu. After dinner we walked around the Aloha Tower (http://www.alohatower.com/) although all the shops other than the bars and restaurants were closed. The next morning after breakfast we took the free Hilo Hattie’s shuttle to their flagship store and then another free Hilo Hattie’s shuttle to Waikiki. They have several stops and we got off in front of the Sheraton Moana Surfrider.(http://www.moana-surfrider.com/index.htm) I had stayed here about 15 years ago and was shocked by how small the beach had become. We had a traditional Mai Tai on the patio which was the best I have ever had, partially due to the location and partially because they use fresh squeezed pineapple juice.

After the drinks we walked up and down the street doing a little shopping. We saw a flasher right in front of the police station with nothing on but a towel. At Martin & MacArthur a beautiful home furnishings store (http://www.MartinandMacArthur.com) I bought a large carved gourd. I considered having it shipped but decided to carry it home since it was so light and I was driving home from the ship. .(http://www.islandgourds.com/)

While the gourd was being packaged for me we had lunch at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel (http://www.royal-hawaiian.com/index.htm) Again a beautiful setting on the patio made the lunch taste even better. We also visited the ever kitschy International Marketplace and bought a few souvenirs. I heard it was closing this fall and wanted to see it one last time if that was true.

After picking up the gourd we caught the Hilo Hattie’s shuttle back to the ship and returned to our cabin to clean up and drop off our purchases. That night we had dinner at Gordon Biersch (http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants/) Don’t miss the wedge salad with blue cheese and bacon. It is decadent and very filling. I should have skipped the entree and just had the salad with their famous garlic fries.

Maui-Dobie arranged a great whale watching expedition with the Pacific Whale Foundation (http://www.pacificwhale.org/). It is later in the season but we saw a lot of mother whales and calves with the mothers pushing the calves along. It’s a great trip and they have wonderful shirts and other souvenirs in their shop.

We walked around Lahaina for awhile and then had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise (http://www.cheeseburgermaui.com/) The burgers were good but the onion rings were fantastic!

I received a blown glass piece from Maui Crystal (http://www.mauicrystal.com/) For my birthday. They package their items well and guarantee that they will make it home safe which mine did. It looks beautiful when it catches the afternoon sun.

Fellow passengers

Our Cruise Critic roll call met the first day at sea and these are some of the greatest people I have ever met on a cruise. I felt like they were family by the end of the cruise. We did many planned and unplanned activities together.

This was an Easter cruise but there were only 150 children on the ship. I know others have complained about the kids but I frankly never experienced any problems with them. The last two nights we heard kids running up and down the hallways but it wasn’t even that late. I also stepped on an elevator a couple of times and found that all the buttons had been pushed.

I had a couple of issues on the cruise and they were addressed promptly by the purser’s desk. I quickly learned there was one purser who was not helpful and would wait for another purser to be available.

Weather

We had near perfect weather. I only felt a few drops of rain in Maui but it felt good. I’ve never been in Hawaii when it didn’t rain on me. We did miss Kauai due to the wind but the sea day we gained was sunny and clear. The temps were about 5 degrees higher each day on the way to Hawaii and vice versa on the way back. We used our balcony a lot.

The ship

The ship is in beautiful condition and I was impressed with the quality and cleanliness of the carpet considering how many people walk across it daily

There were 13 computers in the internet café. Occasionally there was a short wait on sea days. As usual satellite connections were slow. I had free internet usage as an Elite perk.

The ship’s air filtration system seemed to handle the cigarette smoke well and the smoke didn’t start bothering me until the last couple of days of the cruise. I’m very sensitive to cigarette smoke so this was very nice. Churchill’s Lounge was enclosed so the cigar smoke did not fill the atrium. There was one cigar smoker on a balcony near ours but it only bothered me when the ship was not moving and we usually weren’t in the cabin at that time.

In conclusion, this cruise wasn’t perfect but it rates as one of the best 3 cruise I have ever taken. The new friends I met on this trip would have made any trip wonderful. If you have read this whole review, you must have eye strain! I know I’ve left something out so I’ll probably add that later.

Thanks for the great review.. Cannot wait until the 19th when we board..

Thanks for the great review.. Cannot wait until the 19th when we board..

Thanks Largin. I'll be waiting for an even longer review from you when you return!

Thanks so much. We have several months to wait for our journey on the Island so it's fun to experience it through fellow CCers.

Maybe they should have had any ceremony for the Pope in the wedding chapel or some other place of choice. Not everyone is Catholic. On our last Carnival cruise, the comedian entertained in the big lounge. That was a good way to pass the time.

We never been to Sabintinis. 16 courses seems a bit extreme for me but then I'm not a big eater. Sometimes I even skip a course on the traditional menu -- usually appetizer or soup. I'll have to remind my hubby to order the omelet with egg substitute as he's watching his cholestrol.

Your advice about making sure about cancellations policy is a great point for people to consider when chosing an independent tour no matter where they're cruising.

Nice review. Thanks! :)

Thanks Desert Nurse for taking the time for the long and very informative review. We loved the Island for our first cruise and look forward to another cruise with her.

Thanks ever so much, Desert Nurse, for the wonderful review. As Largin stated, reading your report made me even more anxious to board the Island on the 19th.

If our cruise is half as good as it sounds like your's was, we're in for the time of our lives.

Blue skies ...

--rita

Cricket -

Thank you so much for your great review. I have some friends who are first time cruisers who will be on the Island Princess next month. It was so good to read your positive review.

Thanks for the great review! I do have one question. What did you mean by "switching out the mini-bar"? Were there drinks in the room that you asked to be removed?

Thank you for the help.

Great review-- Thinking of booking this cruise for 4/21/06. Right now we are book on Carnival Spirit but we're going with 2 other couples and they don't want to have anything to do with Carnival. So this cruise is a little more $$$$ but we'll save on airfare and a hotel stay.

Your review was a great persuader, Thanks!!!

Bill

Thanks for the great review! I do have one question. What did you mean by "switching out the mini-bar"? Were there drinks in the room that you asked to be removed?

 

Thank you for the help.

With Elite status you receive a free mini bar set up. Depending on the ship and who you get ahold of in room service, you can change the items out, usually only for like products. For instance, I changed the sodas out for diet Sprite.

Can you tell me who was the Passenger Services Director on your cruise?Thanks!

Great review, Cricket! I knew we could rely on you to do it. And it wasn't wordy at all.:D

Here are some additional observations from me:

The first and last days of the trip were a little too cold to spend lounging out on the open decks, but the aft terrace on Caribe was perfect, because we were protected from the breeze. I don't remember which other cabin decks have an aft terrace, but the deck plans show them. Not too many people seem to find their way back there, so it's perfect, if you want to enjoy some peace and quiet.

We had cabin C333, identical to Cricket's, and the balcony was very nicely sized. We asked our steward to bring us 2 loungers when it got warmer, and they fit very nicely, even with the table and 2 chairs still being there.

Watch out in the patters for the occasional sushi or pastry buffet in the Horizon court. Even if you don't want to eat, they're well worth just looking at. They always set up one side for display only, so you can easily take pictures.

Desert Nurse, I see you are back in the groove, great review, would agree with you on all items. Three cats, I am going to take a new picture of our babies and send it to you, they really missed us.

We were in Cabin D631, Fuji Suite, Very roomy great double balcony with 2 lounge chairs and table and chairs, all covered. Really enjoyed the perks that go with the suite, our room steward Brando was great, always had a clean room, glasses, anything we needed. Felt real sorry for him after our wine party! We did leave him a extra tip!

We had room service most mornings, they always said it would take 30 minutes, but would come ususally with in 15 minutes. The room service staff got to know us, they knew what we wanted each day, if we changed the order they would ask why we didn't want eggs, etc. The service was both prompt and professional.

We really enjoyed the CC group, best people around, and yes you do feel like family, miss all of you!

The Crooners bar was our favorite, Marney was the best! Too bad they moved him half way through the cruise.

I agree that Bayou is the best between it and Sabatini's. I also had the filet, it was great, but I really enjoyed the jambalaya, I could have made a meal on it. Too bad we did not have enough time to go there more than once.

Our wait staff was OK, they seemed to get better after a few days. We also had 2nd seating, with a real nice group of people.

We did not see may children on the ship the whole time except for fellow cruiser Lampwick's, who were sooooo cute, the stole the show!

We have had a hard time adjusting since we are home, time change, work, etc. It is raining here in Northern California, wish we were back on the ship!

Talk to everyone soon

Tom:cool:

Simply wonderfull information for us future Island Princess cruisers. We thank you. I guess my only problem will be finding the good bartenders and finding out which bar they will be at the second week. Thanks again for the info.

Stan

Yes, that sums it up very well. No such thing a a too long review as long as it's informative and entertaining, and yours was both.

My 2 cents -

DW and I are also Elite, and for us the Island Princess is our favorite ship overall. In regaurds to minisuites Sun or Dawn's minis are much nicer - comperable to the full suites on the IP. I will say this for our room - C727 - It is the furthest aft starboard suite on Caribe, and the location could not have been better. We had an unobstructed starboard view, as well as an aft view. The balcony is 100% exposed, but this wasn't a problem for us. I would just go to the caribe aft terrace, which was right outside our door, if I wanted cover.

Dining room - Our wait staff was a great team and they did a great job. It's funny you mentioned the water glass being refilled. I drink alot of water over the course of dinner and I made a mental note of how good they were about refilling it. The times my glass was empty was rare.

Other passengers - The CC group really made the trip special for us. I wish we could have attended all the CC functions that were put together, we are slaves to our kids schedules.

Thanks TBetti for the kind words about the kids. Once in a while parents get annoying looks from other passengers when they have their kids tagging along with them on a cruise, but we didn't experence this at all on this cruise.

Once again, great review Cricket, very impressive with the links and such.

Hope to sail with you all in the future. We may do the Canal in '06 - any takers?

Sincerely,

Lampwick AKA TucsonMike hater

I will say this for our room - C727 - It is the furthest aft starboard suite on Caribe, and the location could not have been better.

Lampwick - How was the motion of the ocean that far aft? We are not as far aft as you, but we will be D716, which is still pretty far back.

Thanks!

Thank you so much for the great review. We are going next year and I can't wait. One question I have is regarding room service breakfast. If you used it, were you allowed to order items not on the room service menu such as eggs?

Thanks!

Cricket,

Thanks for your WONDERFUL review!! I really enjoyed it as well as all of your posts from the ship.

Quick question -- how much is the Coke care for this cruise?

We leave on the 19th -- 11 days away!! :D :D

Thanks.

Jamie

Cricket,

 

Thanks for your WONDERFUL review!! I really enjoyed it as well as all of your posts from the ship.

 

Quick question -- how much is the Coke care for this cruise?

 

We leave on the 19th -- 11 days away!! :D :D

 

Thanks.

Jamie

The coke card was $32.50 with gratuity and without the coke bottle.

Thanks Cricket for the review. We concur with everything you said about the cruise but would like to add a few additional comments.

1. Don't do Princess transfers. We did the pre-cruise hotel with Princess at The Marriott plus their transfers. It took Princess an entire day to get us from the hotel and onto the ship. We waited around in the hotel lobby and then in a long line of buses and then in another line to get on the ship. The muster was happening when we finally got on the ship. We never even had lunch. And to think we paid for this service with Princess. Get to the ship on your own.

2. One of our suitcases was lost. One would think Princess could get our luggage from the Marriott to the ship without losing any but that's exactly what happened. Can you believe that the suitcase was in another passenger's cabin for 2 days before she decided to report she had a piece of luggage that didn't belong to her? How dumb is that? To Princess's credit they were going to loan my husband a tux for formal night since his suit was in the missing suitcase.

3. We got our first NO from Princess. We have been on 8 previous cruises and Princess has always given us a full breakfast in our cabin upon request. It is a tradition for us to have a leisurely breakfast the first morning of the cruise but room service on this ship said NO. The room service supervisor also came on the phone to say No and she said she didn't care if we complained. She said that only elite and suite passengers on The Island Princess and on The Coral Princess can get a full breakfast. I told her I was on The Coral last year and they did bring us a hot breakfast several times. She again said NO.

We then went to the Captain's Circle hostess to find out if this is a new Princess policy. We told her we had a cruise booked on The Grand in September and might consider changing to another cruiseline if this is Princess policy to now say no to a passenger. She was even more rude than the room service captain. She said that was the policy on The Island and she didn't care if we cancelled or not.

We then went to the purser's desk. One of the employees there took our complaint. A little while later, the Director of Passenger Services called us. He knew our luggage at that time was still lost and now we had a problem with no breakfast. He granted us the priviledge of having a full breakfast in our cabin and said that he would email The Grand to see what their policy would be. About a week later he called back and read me the email reply from The Grand. They said only Elite and Suite passengers are offered a full breakfast but if any other passenger asked, The Grand will NOT say no because that is Princess's official policy. The Passenger Services director was admitting that his ship was in violation of Princess official policy. He said we should not have had to go to him and room service should not have ever said no.

It would be interesting to know if they will continue to refuse a full breakfast to passengers who make this request.

Now in spite of all these problems and the long waits to get on the ship in ports and the very long wait to get off the ship on disembarkation day, it would be impossible to not have a good time on this cruise. We talked to so many people on this ship and they all agreed all the waits were terrible but they loved this cruise. We could not find one person who said they didn't have a good time. Kind of hard to explain, huh? It was magical.

Please read my previous post about ordering from room service.