Island Princess - 4/19 Sailing - Very Long

[bdjam]

Your Review just made FRONT PAGE HEADLINES ON OUR ROLL CALL....... Again...... Thank you..... GREAT JOB.....

Wow – thanks. You are going with the right attitude. One of the most important things I took away from that trip was new friends – both crew and passenger. The cruise itself would have been great even if we hadn’t met these people. But it became exceptional with their friendship. We both miss them all. So if you all stick together no matter what, chances are your experience will mirror mine.

[SaylorGirl]

Brian, once again an excellent review. I felt I was touring the ship along with you. I will be keeping this ship in mind for next years cruise, this fall the Baltics. It seems like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for all the details. Since I also love the Regal I'm glad we will still have some great choices.

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

Excellent review! When we were onboard the Sapphire last June our friends booked this trip and we hoped to join them. Unfortunately the timing wasn't right for us. After reading your review I have an idea of what I missed and regret not being able to join them. Maybe next year..

(I did check the bridge camera daily)

[bdjam]

Brian, once again an excellent review. I felt I was touring the ship along with you. I will be keeping this ship in mind for next years cruise, this fall the Baltics. It seems like you had a wonderful time. Thanks for all the details. Since I also love the Regal I'm glad we will still have some great choices.

Thanks – and yes, if Princess keeps these Sun Class stunners in service, I think those of us who will miss the Regal and may not be entranced with the Grand Class will continue to have our “Personal Choice” at Princess. Every time I worry that Princess may be losing it, I cruise on one of these ships and my fears are removed. And of course I note on my comment card they should build more!

[laughing husky]

Thank you for such a great review. We are going on the Princess next Sat. and I was beginning to wonder if perhaps I had made a mistake. You have reassured me that I have not....I have been on 8-9 cruises but never on a Princess. Thank you very much.

[Quacker]

Thanks for the great review. We were getting off the Island as you were getting on. We had a fantastic cruise with a fantastic CC group. We love the Island Princess!! Quacker Don

[jjssitters]

Wonderful Reveiw,i Was On The Island Princess To Hawaii In October And I Couldnt Agree More With Everything You Said. :)

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Ditto.....Ditto.....Ditto.....to all the compliments on your review Bdjam. Wonderful review. Can't wait until our Island Princess Hawaii cruise on 10/23/05!!!!!! Can't come soon enough for me. Sounds like the perfect cruise. Also agree about doing it the 2nd time. We were on the Serenade of the Seas last October for 11 days. Liked it so much we booked the 15 day roundtrip Hawaii. No flying as we live close to the port. Can you tell we enjoyed the sea days????

[blkjac]

Thanks for the great Review. We will be doing the same cruise , leaving on Oct. 8th.

Our first 2 cruises were on Princess and they were wonderful.

We are glad to be back and can't wait ....6 months and counting....

Thanks again for that fantastic review.... Joe

[louiesqueen]

I know that other CCer’s will be posting their impressions of this trip here, and again, I must apologize for never being able to hook up with the group. Here’s what I thought about my time on Island Princess…

 

 

 

I’ve just returned from a 15 day Island Princess Hawaiian cruise and when I left, I thought 15 days seemed like quite a long time to be gone. Upon returning, I realize how quickly the days zoomed by and how much I miss being at sea on such a perfect ship. Island Princess is a contemporary ship which Princess has designed to offer the up to date amenities today’s cruiser wants to a discriminating cruise audience - experienced cruisers looking for quality on board experiences, engaging passengers and crew members and intriguing itineraries. To sum up the experience in one word – EXCELLENT!

 

We began our journey with a limo pick up to take us to the airport on April 19. Although it was a bit pricey, we decided it was worth the money. The limo had to make two stops to pick up myself and my traveling partner, and then get us to the airport in commute traffic. The timing was perfect and we arrived at the Oakland airport for our hour long flight to Los Angeles in plenty of time. The return trip worked just as well – when we had our bags, we called the driver and he was curb-side within five minutes.

 

We arrived in Los Angeles and since we had Princess transfers, we looked for the Princess representatives. Our flight was a bit early and they were no where to be seen. We got our bags and were then able to find them after a short search. There was some confusion about what was to happen next – the representatives were not ready for early arrivals. As more passengers arrived, some became irate because Princess no longer handles baggage from airport to ship – a result, I would think, of increased security – and you have to retrieve your own bags at the airport and deliver them to the bus. This just added to the confusion of the situation. In due time we were on our way to San Pedro and arrived about 40 minutes later. We were amongst the first passengers to board the ship.

 

Check in was, as usual, very easy. Being a Platinum passenger, we used Platinum Check In and there was no one in line in front of us. We quickly had our cruise cards and were on our way. Any delays in check in seem to be at the security stations. The obligatory photo before boarding actually came out quite good. We had our ship security photos taken by Nikki, one of the very accomplished Cruise Staff (and certainly a standout amongst the group we would discover as she deftly handled many different events), and after a hectic morning, stepped aboard our sanctuary, Island Princess.

 

Island Princess is a brilliant ship. Everything you could want in a Grand Class ship reduced down to a Sun Class ship size. More details later, but suffice to say, she is a first class lady and excellent representative of what Princess Cruises should be. The crew on board is obviously very happy as we found them for the most part to be engaging, friendly and professional. There were always plenty of “good mornings” and on our first day “welcome aboards” to be passed around. If Regal Princess didn’t have a special place in my heart, Island Princess might supplant her as my favorite Princess ship.

 

Our cabin was Caribe 606 – a balcony on the port side of the ship. As usual, first arriving in the cabin, I wonder how I am going to survive in such small surroundings. Once settled, of course, things become quite functional and there is plenty of room for two. There were only a couple of times that my traveling partner and I had to excuse ourselves from bumping into one another. This cabin, however, had bunks and could have slept four – I can see two adults and two kids, but four adults for 15 days might have become unbearable. There was ample closet and drawer space for our combined 30 days worth of clothes (neither one of us was about to set foot in a laundry room on this trip) and we divided the bathroom shelves and used them efficiently with the shelf under the bathroom sink for overflow. And of course the balcony was a joy – it was partially covered, partially open, so we could pick and choose when we wanted to be out in the open (or when we wanted those above us to see us). Except for times when we were entering or leaving port, the balconies were pretty deserted.

 

A bonus on Caribe deck (and I would assume on the others) is an aft terrace overlooking the stern of the ship. This area was seldom used and since those at our dinner table were all on Caribe deck, we used it very effectively for an informal cocktail party one afternoon.

 

Our room steward, Joe, was efficient and quick if not overly friendly. Sometimes he’d joke with us on passing in the hall; sometimes he’d give us a short grunt good morning. But no request went unanswered and at no time did we feel he wasn’t there to take care of us.

 

As I said before, Island Princess is a brilliant ship. She really does have all of the up to date modern amenities anyone could ask for, but she presents a high quality experience that one might expect on a more traditional ship.

 

High up on top of the ship, Sports Deck contains the 8 inch deep (!!) Splash Pool forward and aft, basketball and shuffleboard courts as well as a large scale chess set. Didn’t spend much time in these areas, but they looked like they were used quite a bit during our eight days at sea. The Splash Pool area looked great for tanning away from the masses, but if you like to take a plunge between baking sessions, this wasn’t the pool for you (although sitting in it might be a way to cool off).

 

Sun Deck was used extensively by those seeking the sun as we sailed toward Hawaii – the first couple of days were a bit over cast and dreary and there was some bumpy water, but hardly enough to cause concern – in fact some staff on board said it was the smoothest trip of the season. Up on Sun Deck is the often used Grill where hamburgers, hot dogs and bratwurst are prepared with all the fixings. We visited the Grill between a morning tour of Honolulu and setting out on our own. Sitting there overlooking the quiet pool on a balmy day in Hawaii, with hamburger and French fries in hand and the Aloha Tower in view. It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

Lido Deck – now things start to hop. Forward is Horizon Court. One of the remarkable things about Island Princess is the amount of room she provides. We almost never knew there were 2000 passengers on the ship. One place we would see crowds would be at Horizon Court, but it seemed to be only on early mornings when everyone was going on tour. Otherwise, the place was not crowded and we were always able to find a nice spot by the window for breakfast. Breakfast was plentiful and good. I visited the omelet man almost every morning. My friend sampled Eggs Benedict and Florentine and pronounced them excellent. French toast was great as were pancakes. And my new guilty pleasure – fresh squeezed orange juice on sea days. Yes there was a fee for it, but it was worth every penny and I became good friends with Martin the waiter who brought it to me every morning. We didn’t eat at Horizon Court any other time except for little bits here and there from the lunch buffets or a snack in the late afternoon. All the food was very good. Not to mention some elaborate buffets they had – desserts, sushi and Mexican food to name a few. Staff members were quick to clean used dishes from tables, were full of good mornings, and were friendly and very efficient. Excellent.

Moving aft is the Lido Bar and Pizza counter. I didn’t try the pizza myself, but my friend did and pronounced it very good…especially if you like thin-crust.

 

The Lido pool was very busy during the sunny days at sea and lounges were at a premium if you wanted to be pool side. Poolside entertainment varied from pool games (Flip, Flop and Fly; Survivor) to piped in Hawaiian music to the Hawaiian band that played. The band went from good to bad – they were great at parties and with some music, but a little strident at other times and a little bad at others. I think the main issue was the volume. To go from gentle Hawaiian music to blaring Barry White music in the space of a couple of minutes was a bit jarring.

 

Aft of the Lido Pool is the Lotus Pool and Spa area. Now this is part of the brilliance of the design of this ship. A wonderful sanctuary this area is. The retractable roof over the pool remained covered for most of the cruise, bringing a certain warmth to the area that was relaxing and in no way overbearing. Music playing around the pool was meant to be relaxing and rejuvenating for the spirit – and coupled with the sound of the water in the pool splashing, made this an excellent place for both. Of course the design of this area is impeccable. This was one of my favorite places on board.

 

The Lotus Pool also houses the Ice Cream bar where, for a fee, GOURMET ice cream is served in the afternoon. Please note, gourmet…that’s what the fee is for. Regular ice cream is available for no fee in dining rooms.

 

More in Part 2 -

bdjam...I am new to posting on this board infact it is my very first post here,I just read your review about your 15 day hawaii cruise on Island Princess,infact my husband and myself are booked on this cruise for Jan 6,2006. this will be our very first cruise it is for our 25th wedding anniversary,and not knowing what to expect,your post was awesome..could you let me know more info if you have it? we are in room #408 on the Dolphin Deck. thanks

 

Susie Q

[louiesqueen]

We will be aboard the Island Princess Jan 6,2006 for 15 days from LA to Hawaii,how rough are the seas at this time of year? it will be our first cruise:) for our 25th wedding anniversary, at cruise time we will both be 43

and we are midship rm 408 Dolphin Deck.We are soooooo looking forward to it,every night at bed i go through the whole cruise in my head over and over

its like the excitement of xmas when you were a kid:D what about motion sickness does the boat really rock? any info would be greatly appreciated.we are from the Great White North of Ontario Canada so weather wise at that time of year should be a welcome break.

 

243 days and counting WHOHOW

 

Susie Q

[bdjam]

We will be aboard the Island Princess Jan 6,2006 for 15 days from LA to Hawaii,how rough are the seas at this time of year?

It’s difficult to predict how rough the seas might be – our trip was relatively smooth according to some of the crew. The first couple of days out will be the worst, although how bad that might be just depends on the weather conditions. If you’re concerned about motion sickness, take along one of the common remedies so you’re covered. Anything else you’d like to know?

[JustCruizeIt59]

bdjam

 

EXCELLENT review. You didn't say it enough. I'm another one leaving on 10/23/05 with JAGMANSS1 on the Island. Just can't wait.

 

Thank you.

[pamwinn]

Great review...thank you! :D

[bdjam]

EXCELLENT review. You didn't say it enough. I'm another one leaving on 10/23/05 with JAGMANSS1 on the Island. Just can't wait.

Thank you – and enjoy your cruise. You will have an excellent time! :D

[LARGIN]

[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkred]bdjam.. So I guess you liked the Island.. :D [/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkred]Bet if you take one more cruise on her, she will replace the Regal as your favorite.. Regal was our favorite until last year when 2 cruises on the Coral changed our mind..[/color][/font][/b]

[bdjam]

[quote name='LARGIN'][b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkred]bdjam.. So I guess you liked the Island.. :D [/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkred]Bet if you take one more cruise on her, she will replace the Regal as your favorite.. Regal was our favorite until last year when 2 cruises on the Coral changed our mind..[/color][/font][/b][/QUOTE]
[font='Comic Sans MS']Yes I did – everyone who told me I would was right on the money. But Regal Princess has some intangibles for me which will make it very difficult to replace her in my heart. Island Princess is much the same – while all of the hardware is in place and creates a beautiful ship, there was that unidentifiable atmosphere about her that made her special. [/font]

[Batinfla]

Great review! We were on the Island Princess, same 15 day cruise to Hawaii, in February. Everything you said was true. I am ready to go again!

[joyride]

Wonderful detailed review, very enjoyable reading! Thank you!

I'm still suffering from post-cruise depression from my April Coral Princess Cruise. But alas, today I read your review of the Island as I hit my 90 day mark until I will board her in Alaska. Now I can live with that!

Hope the banjo player got off the ship, boy - that's not my cup of tea!

The wine tasting sounds really nice, I think I will have to do that on the Alaska trip!

[bdjam]

[quote name='joyride']Hope the banjo player got off the ship, boy - that's not my cup of tea!

The wine tasting sounds really nice, I think I will have to do that on the Alaska trip![/QUOTE]
[font='Comic Sans MS']The banjo player is gone – he left on our bus to the airport. Since we were down in front at the show, he knew who was not enjoying his act…so we kind of hid under the seats of the bus! As for the wine tasting, it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon. The canapés were all wonderful as well, and yes, you got caviar, lobster and other treats on them. [/font]

[NitaBcruising]

bdjam,

Great review! Thanks for posting! These take time, so your effort is appreciated! :)

[Cruisin' Chick]

That was one of the best reviews I've read on these boards. I printed it out and was astonished at how many pages it ended up being but very helpful as we will be taking the same cruise next December (and how slow the clock is moving).
We will be in an inside Caribe midship (last cruise we were far aft inside Caribe on the Sapphire). That little terrace you mentioned: how did you get there and did you have to reserve it? Or is that some place connected to your own balcony?

[kryos]

[quote name='bdjam'][font='Comic Sans MS']The banjo player is gone – he left on our bus to the airport. Since we were down in front at the show, he knew who was not enjoying his act…so we kind of hid under the seats of the bus! As for the wine tasting, it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon. The canapés were all wonderful as well, and yes, you got caviar, lobster and other treats on them. [/font][/QUOTE]
LOL ... guess I didn't miss much then. :)

Originally I felt bad about missing so many of the shows ... shows are generally not my cup of tea, unless it is a good stand-up comic. I missed most of them, including this banjo player, but based on what I've been hearing about him, sounds like I spent my time more wisely in Crooner's listening to Eric Stone. :)

Blue skies ...

--rita

[bdjam]

[quote name='NitaBcruising']Great review! Thanks for posting! These take time, so your effort is appreciated! :)[/QUOTE]
[font='Comic Sans MS']You’re welcome Nita…I find that I have so much enthusiasm for the cruise when I get home, that the words just come out…a lot of them![/font]
[font='Comic Sans MS'][QUOTE] [font=Verdana]We will be in an inside Caribe midship (last cruise we were far aft inside Caribe on the Sapphire). That little terrace you mentioned: how did you get there and did you have to reserve it? Or is that some place connected to your own balcony?[/font][/QUOTE] [font='Comic Sans MS']It was 8 pages on my PC when I finished…I kind of was astonished…8 pages???[/font][/font]
[font='Comic Sans MS'][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][/font]
[font='Comic Sans MS'][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][font='Comic Sans MS']The terrace overlooks the stern of the ship. All you have to do is walk aft in the passage way and when you get to the end of the ship there is a door that opens out on to the terrace. It’s open to the public, so you don’t have to reserve it – there were a few people out there at different times during our gathering, but we kind of took over a corner for ourselves and so we all cohabitated fine. The one problem we had was that it was HOT – the sun was out full force and was behind us…it was difficult to find shade – I ended up sitting on the deck against the lower metal part of the rail where the sun wasn’t hitting. [/font][/font]
[font='Comic Sans MS'][font='Comic Sans MS'][QUOTE][font=Verdana]I missed most of them, including this banjo player, but based on what I've been hearing about him, sounds like I spent my time more wisely in Crooner's listening to Eric Stone[font='Comic Sans MS'][font='Comic Sans MS'][/font][/font][/font][/QUOTE] [font='Comic Sans MS']Yes you did! A banjo player – good or bad – wouldn’t necessarily be my cup of tea either, but we wanted to see David and Susan perform. If we knew they weren’t coming back at the end of the show, we would have made a bee-line for the door. Funny thing is, I think of the entire crowd we were part of maybe a dozen who didn’t like the show…everyone else was wild about the guy. Our tablemates were at the show too and they weren’t any more impressed than we were. [/font]
[/font][/font]

[ssantow]

[size=3][font=Comic Sans MS]It is very refreshing to find such a positive upbeat review after reading so many downers.

We will be on the Island Princess for the [url="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=111952"]December 7, 2005 Hawaii cruise[/url] and enjoyed your review thoroughly. It was such a wonderfull review I have but one question. You said check-in was a breeze. What time did you arrive at San Pedro?

Stan


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