Island Princess December 7th 2014

[yngcroozer84]

Hello, anyone on the Island Princess Panama Canal cruise? I'll be traveling with my mom and stepdad so hopefully there will be other gay boys and girls onboard. I heard it's an older crowd so yeah...lol.

[NewPennCruiser]

Well you heard right so hopefully you won't be too disappointed. I'm on this cruise with my partner, I'm 51 and partner 65, and I can tell you as a seasoned Princess cruiser that this cruise probably will skew toward the older set given the itinerary and time of year. (between holidays) I've been on a couple of cruises where I brought the age curve down!!

 

That said, I have been surprised on some cruises and the passenger mix has not always been what I expected and there will be all ages. You will notice a lot of "family" onboard (some single but mostly couples) and Princess does typically have daily LGBT get togethers so I'm guessing you'll have an opportunity to meet someone to hang out with. Sometimes the meetings are hosted by a crew member, sometimes not. Also some are well attended and some aren't but even if they aren't, look around and be observant, we'll be well represented. Even with an older crowd, there will be late night dancing with a DJ somewhere and opportunities to meet people who aren't quite ready to be in bed by 10. :)

 

We've cruised on the Island before so if you have any questions, let me know. Looking at your previous cruises, this ship won't be the entertainment equivalent of what RCI and the Getaway offered..... but that just depends on what you're looking for. Dave

[yngcroozer84]

Thanks so much for the reply! I am sad that my boyfriend won't be joining us on this sailing, but it will be fun with my mom and stepdad. Hopefully we can meet up at some point! I think my only concern is if the ship will keep me busy for 11 days, it's the longest sailing I've ever taken.

[NewPennCruiser]

We personally like the longer cruises since it’s a great feeling when you reach day 6 or 7 and realize you don’t have to get off the ship yet. Of course if you’re having a miserable time you might be ready to jump ship by then but I haven’t had that problem yet. We’re really looking forward to this cruise even though it’s just a partial crossing of the canal. For us at least, this trip is more about the itinerary than the ship. We’ve been to Aruba numerous times but everything else on this trip is new to me.

 

The Island is a nice ship. Big ship amenities but never really crowded and an indoor pool if weather is bad. MUTS can be pretty cool if they are showing good movies, the gym/sports options are decent and they tend to have a lot of activities on sea days. But no wave riding, rock climbing, zip lining or other activities that some of the newest mega ships have. Sometimes I’m just happy sitting out on deck with a drink(s) watching the world go by. Dave