Island Princess dry dock

[jackieo]

We are travelling the panama canel on the Island Princess in February 2014. We thought she would be refurbed in Oct 2013 for a IC to be added. But looking at the schedule that dry dock has been cancelled. Very sad if no IC onboard. Does anyone know when she is likely to go in for refurb?

 

Thanks.

 

JackieO

[IECalCruiser]

We are travelling the panama canel on the Island Princess in February 2014. We thought she would be refurbed in Oct 2013 for a IC to be added. But looking at the schedule that dry dock has been cancelled. Very sad if no IC onboard. Does anyone know when she is likely to go in for refurb?

 

Thanks.

 

JackieO

Her drydock was postponed and, as of now, there appears to be no opening in her schedule until the end of her 2014 Alaska schedule on September 24, 2014. That would be my best guess for the start of her drydock before she goes south for the Panama Canal season. That is assuming she will have her drydock in Victoria as in 2010. Edited March 15, 2013 by IECalCruiser

[doublin9]

If it makes you feel better, I was just off the Island Princess and thought she was beautiful and very well maintained. While there is no IC, there is a wonderful coffee/ spirits bar in the atrium. The servers are great, and the specialty coffees just like any IC I've experienced. True, there are minimal offerings of food, but the food generally was great in all other areas of the ship. Enjoy your time on the Island.

[Astro Flyer]

I searched & found this site that shows it's unconfirmed for March 2015 but have no way to know if accurate or not:

 

https://sites.google.com/site/princesscruisesfaq/ships/fleet-drydock-schedlue

[IECalCruiser]

I searched & found this site that shows it's unconfirmed for March 2015 but have no way to know if accurate or not:

 

https://sites.google.com/site/princesscruisesfaq/ships/fleet-drydock-schedlue

I have no inside info, but I would place my money on 09/24/14. That would be just about four years since her last drydock in Victoria at the end of the 2010 Alaska season.

[runnerodb83]

I searched & found this site that shows it's unconfirmed for March 2015 but have no way to know if accurate or not:

 

https://sites.google.com/site/princesscruisesfaq/ships/fleet-drydock-schedlue

 

that day is a placeholder. i had to put in a date on my website.

[StLouisCruisers]

My son overheard people talking to the flight attendant Friday about the Island, and they had just gotten off her after their Alaska cruise. He said they remarked they liked Princess but not the Island. They also said it was "being sent for renovations now", meaning that the drydock someone above mentioned for Sept. 24 was correct. I'm sure the Island is a lovely ship and just needs a refreshing, but perhaps those people are overly critical. All ships get worn down and it's up to the cruise line to make sure they put them into drydock regularly so the reputation of the ship and cruise line does not suffer.

[2pbears]

We just disembarked the Island yesterday and she is now on her way to Fort Lauderdale via the Panama Canal so the September 24th dry dock date is definitely not the plan for her. I will agree that she is in desperate need of a refurbishing. We have never sailed on a Princess ship that was in such a worn state. Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful cruise but could not help but notice the deteriorated condition of the ship.

[waltd]

This thread was started last year. We were just on the Island in April and we did not find her to be in a deteriorated condition . Her dry dock will now be in Europe in April 2015.

Edited September 28, 2014 by waltd

[Cruise Raider]

We just disembarked the Island yesterday and she is now on her way to Fort Lauderdale via the Panama Canal so the September 24th dry dock date is definitely not the plan for her. I will agree that she is in desperate need of a refurbishing. We have never sailed on a Princess ship that was in such a worn state. Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful cruise but could not help but notice the deteriorated condition of the ship.

 

We were on this same sailing and had a completely different impression of her. I thought the ship was amazing and in very good condition. I recently sailed on the Celebrity Century and thought she was really in need on some maintenance and others thought I was crazy.

I think the Island Princess is the best Princess ship to date -- along with the Coral (guess that says something about my tastes seeing they are sister ships).

The service in all dining areas could have used a bit of improvement but thought the ship itself was just fantastic. I didn't see anything that needed to be updated or replaced (except those hard as rock mattresses).

Guess they decided to wait on the dry dock as it definitely wasn't on the 24th. Not sure if you noticed but the second day, they had large boxes lining the hallways. They had all new lampshades in them. We noticed they were under the bed when we disembarked yesterday....in the new Port of San Francisco. Yoohoo!!

[Illyria]

We were on this same sailing and had a completely different impression of her. I thought the ship was amazing and in very good condition. I recently sailed on the Celebrity Century and thought she was really in need on some maintenance and others thought I was crazy.

I think the Island Princess is the best Princess ship to date -- along with the Coral (guess that says something about my tastes seeing they are sister ships).

We just got off Island Princess last week, and for the most part I'd agree that the ship is in very good condition...certainly not "run down". However, they do appear to have intermittent issues with the toilet vacuum systems. At one point the women's restroom between the shops and the dining room on deck 6 didn't have a single toilet that would flush (you press the button, and nothing). You'd be walking through random decks (whether in the atrium or on stateroom-only floors), and the smell of sewage would just waft in. We weren't the only ones that noticed; one of our tablemates at dinner said that he had complained about it.

[2pbears]

We were on this same sailing and had a completely different impression of her. I thought the ship was amazing and in very good condition. I recently sailed on the Celebrity Century and thought she was really in need on some maintenance and others thought I was crazy.

I think the Island Princess is the best Princess ship to date -- along with the Coral (guess that says something about my tastes seeing they are sister ships).

The service in all dining areas could have used a bit of improvement but thought the ship itself was just fantastic. I didn't see anything that needed to be updated or replaced (except those hard as rock mattresses).

Guess they decided to wait on the dry dock as it definitely wasn't on the 24th. Not sure if you noticed but the second day, they had large boxes lining the hallways. They had all new lampshades in them. We noticed they were under the bed when we disembarked yesterday....in the new Port of San Francisco. Yoohoo!!

 

Everyone sees things differently. That's what makes the world go round. We too loved the Coral and because of that we had high hopes that we would love the Island as well. And, we will probably love the Island after they do a bit of sprucing up.

 

Yes, we did see the large boxes in the hallways which contained not only new lamp shades, but new lamps as well. Our lamp definitely needed replacing as there seemed to be a short in the switch. The things we noticed that needed attention were:

 

• When we boarded the ship after a night of heavy rain there was a large bucket in the hallway on Dolphin deck which was catching the steady stream of water from above.
   
  
• One of the hallways had a "hill" where the floor had buckled perhaps 4-5".
   
  
• Lots of rust on our balcony.
   
  
• All of the windows and plexi glass needed a good cleaning (although I realize they just completed a season in Alaska where the precipitation was heavy and they had not had a chance to clean up after that).
   
  
• The one thing that you mentioned that we did not find to be an issue was the bed. Our mattress was so soft and comfortable that we slept like babies.
  

 

We found the Any Time Dining operation to be the worst we have encountered on any Princess ship. This is not a maintenance issue but a management issue. To be given a pager when you are willing to share a table is not something we have ever encountered on Princess.

 

That said, in talking with the staff on board the Island we consistently got the impression that they love their ship and are happy to be there. We felt that the friendliness of the staff and their eagerness to please reflects favorably on the ship's management.

 

I don't mean for these comments to sound too negative. I repeat, we had a wonderful cruise and enjoyed our time on board. We just felt that a dry dock was past due.

[Rockway51]

Confused like everyone else but if you go to the deck plans on their site Island requires you to choose before or after May 2015. My guess is dry dock just before that.

[crystalspin]

@Rockaway51

 

Thanks for pointing that out! I pulled up both of the deckplans in different tabs and compared each deck. This is what I saw!

 

CHANGES ON THE ISLAND PRINCESS DURING APRIL/MAY 2015 DRYDOCK,

AS SEEN IN "pre-released" DECK PLANS.

Sky -- no real change.

Sun – Sanctuary area at aft is a bit bigger – extends farther back over the new extensions below?

Lido -- loses fitness center, gym, aerobics and the Sanctuary. Gets small "teen center" with no windows, 19 balconies, and five suites.

Aloha -- Youth center being extremely cut down! it will be in the center with no windows/deck at all. Getting 13 more balconies and 4 suites.

Baja -- being extended in the stern --losing 2 aft-facing OVs; getting 2 aft-corner suites, 4 aft-facing balconies, 2 additional standard balconies and 2 additional "sideways?" insides.

Caribe -- getting 2 suites near-but-not-facing the aft (and other cabins being rearranged somewhat)

Dolphin -- getting 2 sideways obstructed-view OVs right at the aft.

Emerald -- no change in cabins. The card room will be to starboard and smaller, current card room will be “shore excursions” and “future cruise sales”. NO ADDITIONAL LIFE BOATS.

Promenade -- losing Universe Lounge (upper level) -- getting 2 large aft suites, 2 aft-facing OVs, 16 balconies, 8 insides. Crooners bar will reach across deck to the area currently labelled “Churchill Lounge”; Churchill Lounge moves to port and forward a little, looks a little bigger. Wheelhouse Bar and the theater unchanged in dimensions.

Note the Promenade will no longer have a promenade (full circle) because all the new balconies take the place of the aft boardwalk. :eek:

 

Fiesta -- casino is shrinking on the port side to allow addition of 13 OVs. Also the photo gallery will be moving INTO the already smaller casino! Losing lower level of Universe Lounge, getting 22 side-facing and 4 aft-facing OVs, with the new Fitness Center and Aerobics room in the center area.

Plaza – Where currently labelled Shore Excursions/Future Cruises/Circle desk, in the new plan are labelled (nothing)/Captains Circle/(nothing) respectively. Passenger Services and Patisserie are labelled the same. And the central atrium area is still labelled Princess Plaza.

Gala -- no change.

 

NO INTERNATIONAL CAFÉ IS LABELLED. Will it be the "new" Patisserie?

There are by my count, 120 additional staterooms and suites.

Edited November 12, 2014 by crystalspin
Add title.

[UpcountryTravelers]

I understand the Island is being refurbished and modified for the Mediterranean cruises, because she is within the size of ship that will be allowed in Venice under the new rules. (We sailed the Regal out of Venice, but she is banned as being too large.)

 

Among the changes are a number of additional staterooms, elimination of the wrap-around promenade, elimination of Bayou Cafe (one of my favorite spots on any ship), reduced casino, expanded Crooners. No mention of IC being added, so probably not. These seem to be adjustments to be more in line with what European cruisers want, and to add capacity.

 

Only the Island is getting these changes, so she will no longer be a twin of the Coral.

[crystalspin]

@UpcountryTravelers

 

The Bayou Cafe is still on the "post" deck plan, here:

http://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=IP

 

choose the 'after' version.

 

I don't know where exactly I heard the rumor about the IC -- on CC just don't know which thread. Some people are taking it as 'for sure' and are excited about it. Someone else said, doesn't look like it is happening. All I can say is, it's not on the deck plan!

[NLVCruiser702]

Confused like everyone else but if you go to the deck plans on their site Island requires you to choose before or after May 2015. My guess is dry dock just before that.

 

 

The drydock appears to now be scheduled for May 2016 (yes, 2016). This is the month around which the before and after options are listed when looking at the deck plans. The deck-by-deck changes still match those listed by crystalspin on November 12, 2014.

 

What is Princess waiting for?

[Colo Cruiser]

The drydock appears to now be scheduled for May 2016 (yes, 2016). This is the month around which the before and after options are listed when looking at the deck plans. The deck-by-deck changes still match those listed by crystalspin on November 12, 2014.

 

What is Princess waiting for?

 

 

No the Island just finished her dry dock and the Coral is due for the same changes in Jan 2016.

 

The deck plan changes you see online are being done for all the ships in the fleet and are cabin category changes only. Nothing to do with any physical changes.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[dmwnc1959]

The drydock appears to now be scheduled for May 2016 (yes, 2016). This is the month around which the before and after options are listed when looking at the deck plans. The deck-by-deck changes still match those listed by crystalspin on November 12, 2014.

 

What is Princess waiting for?

 

 

 

Sea this thread, especially the last 10-15 pages...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2127734

 

 

:D