What's wrong with the Island Princess?

[kelmac]

My wife and I spotted are really great itinerary on the Island Princess, Jan of 2020. It's to South America and really covers the area well, including Easter Island.

We are experienced cruises, but have never really felt positive about Princess. Princess only accounts for three of our 64 cruises, but we feel the need to give them another chance.

Here's the problem -- most reviews of the Island are pretty negative. Even long time Princess fans aren't impressed with this ship. We hear that the recent refurbishment ruined the promenade deck and added so many cabins that the space ratio is out of whack. Food and service problems?

 

What is your take on this ship?

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[shepp]

Many of us love(d) the Coral and Island because they were smallish ships with really good passenger/space ratios (tied for best in the fleet). Now the Island has 10% more passengers and one very major public space gone. The refurbishment put additional cabins where the aft showroom, the Universe Lounge, used to be. No more full-circuit Promenade Deck and the big viewing verandah aft on Caribe deck, one of my favorite places to hang out, is no more, replaced by still more cabins. All in pursuit of revenue.

 

The Coral's still lovely, though.

Edited June 30, 2018 by shepp

[fishywood]

I was on Island in Alaska in May. I have been on its former twin Coral Princess before.

 

Island increased passenger capacity by over 200 when refitted a few years ago.

But truthfully I did not notice any real difference in population density.

 

Yes the removal of the aft viewing decks for new suites probably made the upper decks more crowded on Glacier viewing days. But one expects a crowd anyways.

 

Yes they have to pack more people in the dining rooms. My assigned table at late sitting dinner was a 10-top, first time ever on Princess. Probably used to be an 8-top in that spot before. But the times I went to the buffet it was no harder finding a table than on any other ship. Nor getting reservations for Sabatini's. Though it appeared that they made a faux pas by prominently advertising Crab Shack the in the Patter even though it was fully booked.

 

Most nights I went to the late show and had no problem getting a seat. Nor did I the one time I went to the 7:45 show which did require arriving more than 30 minutes early. The biggest issue was the lack of a second theater due to the removal of Universe Lounge. Which results in a cascade of activities to less useful venues: those that should have been in Universe were either in Explorer's or (in the case of dance classes) Wheelhouse Bar; activities normally in Explorers likewise either in smaller venues or actually doubled up: one afternoon a talk by the onboard naturalist and the art auction were conducted simultaneously in Explorer's Lounge.

 

 

I think South America will play similarly to Alaska: the ports are 90%+ of the experience. If I had the time and means for a full-circle South America cruise I would not hesitate to take Island Princess. I did a two week round-the-horn cruise on a similarly sized ship (different cruise line) and on days not in port just relaxing and taking in the scenery was fine with me. Island was still just fine for that on my Alaska cruise--and I was in an inside cabin.

[frugaltravel]

I was on the Island Princess on a PC cruise. The entire ship seemed very crowded - Anytime Dining, theater, public areas. Personally I would never sail on that ship again.

[pjwaz]

We were on a Panama canal cruise last year on the Island. You would need to get seats for theater at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the shows. Some shows in the longue were also crowded. We had traditional dining so that wasn't a problem. The fish and seafood on this ship was excellent, even in the buffet at lunch.

[Thrak]

Many of us love(d) the Coral and Island because they were smallish ships with really good passenger/space ratios (tied for best in the fleet). Now the Island has 10% more passengers and one very major public space gone. The refurbishment put additional cabins where the aft showroom, the Universe Lounge, used to be. No more full-circuit Promenade Deck and the big viewing verandah aft on Caribe deck, one of my favorite places to hang out, is no more, replaced by still more cabins. All in pursuit of revenue.

 

The Coral's still lovely, though.

 

What shepp says. I totally agree.

[cdngrl]

i agree with fishywood. i was also on the island in may. i didn't notice the extra passengers on deck or at the buffet, we always found seating.

 

the theatre was always packed for the early show (arrive half an hour early) and activities held in explorers were overfull--no seating, poor sound, noise from the bar.

 

for me, i'd have to think about taking the island again. the crew was top notch though and if the itinerary and price was right, i could be persuaded.

 

why have you "never felt positive about princess"? if you can share that, we can chime in on what our experience has been.

[kelmac]

 

why have you "never felt positive about princess"? if you can share that, we can chime in on what our experience has been.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Cunard, HAL, Celebrity and NCL all have voyages to South America, but the Island Princess cruise is by far the best itinerary. Having said that, we prefer the food onboard Celebrity, HAL and Cunard. Princess food is not bad, it's just not great. Even there alternative restaurants are so so. When we cruise NCL, we add the UDP (ultimate dining package) and eat every evening meal in one of their wonderful alternative restaurants. Oceania and Azamara have wonderful cuisine, but their costs are twice as much. MSC is great, if you can afford the Yacht Club.

 

Some people rave about their Princess experiences, so we want to give them another try -- maybe we are missing something?

 

I'm not anti-Princess, just looking for a good match.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[Jmanly]

We were on the Island in April. Did not experience any problems with crowding. Thought the food was the best we've had on a ship in quite a while.

 

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[matadams4u]

The only good news from the retrofit is that you can get some really good deals for Alaska cruises this summer. The windowless gym was a big disappointment. The redesign really tested the limits of how much you could take away from the cruise experience without giving anything back. Couldn’t even give an IC which would have been a no brainer. On the other hand if I was retired I would have booked the summer cruising on the Island going back and forth between Alaska and Vancouver.

 

 

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[Murray's Pop]

If you like going to the casino you will hate the IP casino. Tiny and very cramped, especially the blackjack tables.

 

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[cdngrl]

Princess food is not bad, it's just not great. Even there alternative restaurants are so so. :D

 

We were on the Island in April. Thought the food was the best we've had on a ship in quite a while.

 

i know food is subjective. here's my 2 cents.

i thought the main dining room food was excellent.

i didn't like much in the buffet. breakfast was good but there was too much repetition and 'odd' choices at other times. there were often foods that i didn't know what it was. but then i don't get around much. :) the seafood was excellent both in the buffet and the mdr.

the grill outside was good.

i didn't try any specialty restaurants.

[OCruisers]

Nothing really wrong with Island Princess now ... just many of us liked her better before the renovation.

We wouldn't have a problem cruising on her. :)

[Ladyinflight]

I was on the 60 day cruise around SA in January-March. The food was terrible, period. Will never do Island again:mad::mad:.

[zalusky]

We did a pacific coastal on the Island a couple of years ago. Will never do it again! It wasn’t disgusting but there are just better options. I hate the workout room being in a small inside room with no beautiful views outside which virtually every other ship has. What were they thinking?

 

 

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[Steelers36]

We did the 60-night trip around S.A. this past winter on ISLAND. As I have said before, if I could have selected a ship from the fleet for this trip, Island would not have been any of my top choices (never sailed on her before). I had a lot of concerns before stepping on board. OTOH, we had Captain Tuvo for most of the trip and I knew that would be fun.

 

So, what was it like? Well, not even near as bad or a problem as most reviews led me to believe. Yes, I can see how the ship as the CORAL would have been nicer to be on. After the re-model, things have changed. It had a nice intimate feel and some modern upgrades. We thought the staff team was pretty good in general with some really good/nice people.

 

I can see how having the Universe Lounge in the aft section would allow for more entertainment options.

The early theater shows could be crowded and early on in the cruise, 30 minutes would get you almost any seat, and 20 minutes was still fine. Later on, and for certain shows, there wasn't as much demand. The top shows and attractions were well-attended. Comedians tended to have a second show in Explorers.

 

Never really felt the public areas were crowded. The Casino is relatively small, but poker table was only full once for a short time the whole trip (figures - not like Caribbean). Table games were often busy in early evening. Slots were usually only busy in the smoking section.

 

Buffet always seemed to move well and never tons of passengers trying to get at food trays. Seating could be busy at peak times, especially if outdoor seating not hospitable weather-wise. I read where lots of people complained about the wait times with trying to eat dinner early with ATD. We made sure to book Early TD. So, I asked people early in the cruise - and a couple times later on - about waiting for early ATD, and no one had an issue and all stated the wait wasn't long or an issue. I did see a long line downstairs for early dining on a formal night, but I guess maybe it was just at opening and line must have moved quickly. I am sure there were SOME complaints, but I didn't find any.

 

Menus began to repeat/recycle after two weeks. It was our first experience with a long cruise and I had been hoping for more time before repeats. That said, it was an opportunity to try a different offering or repeat a favorite. I thought the food was pretty good for MDR. We had the best HW in our section.

 

We had some tender ports and we also booked almost all private tours, so we needed to get off the ship promptly. Lots of fellow passengers in the same situation. We just made sure to be ready to go early and be in place ready to go and no problem. No issues at all with docking ports.

 

If you planned ahead to make it in decent time to popular shows, and were ready to get off at ports in time, then there wasn't really any issue with lines or crowding. Didn't have any problem getting service at BOGO-for-$1 Happy Hours on sea days.

 

Never had a problem finding a place to sit or lounge on sea days (that said, we have no interest in sitting at the pool baking in the sun). Lots of space and several loungers along Promenade deck.

 

Folks complain about the lack of full-circle Promenade. Some folks just turned around at the aft and reversed course. Others would enter the ship at that point and cross to the other side and re-emerge outdoors on the other side and continue walking. NBD.

 

I had planned to use the Sanctuary for the hot sea days at the beginning and end of the trip. In the end, I used it for two afternoons I think. I am a Sanctuary fan, but this one is almost 100% in the sun. The overhead shade elements do not really help most of the time. When I did use the space, we were southbound and the afternoon sun cast some shade on the Port side area, at the side of one of the Cabana's. So I used that, but it was no good for northbound. The Sanctuary was hardly used - the only time it had multiple bookings was on the Panama Canal day. I never heard of a Cabana being rented. It was nice and quiet up there, but just way too much sun for my preference.

 

 

Bottom Line - I would not seek out any old cruise just to cruise on ISLAND. But, I would book and take the South America trip in a heartbeat. It was fantastic. We had a terrific time. Our excursions came off very well, with one exception, and a lot of effort was put into them to find a good provider and do it in small groups where ever possible. It will truly be one of those special "lifetime" trips. Doing it on ISLAND will be a good experience. You might wish it was on your favorite Princess ship, but it won't be a bad time. Never does everyone enjoy a trip, but most people I interacted with were happy and felt they had value for expenditure.

[cdngrl]

wow, steelers 36, thank you for this. great post!

[greenie082756]

I too after reading lots of not so good statements of the Island was trying to be optimistic before our cruise in April.

 

We did the 19 day round trip to Panama canal on the Island. We felt it was one of the better cruises we had been on. The crew, food and atmosphere was anywhere from good to fantastic. The CD was fantastic!! The entertainment in our opinion was fantastic. The only thing was that the theatre was small and filled up quickly.

 

We are both walkers and used the promenade. Yes it was a little different that we either had a choice of turning around and going back or (like I did) walk through to the other side of the ship and get a bit of A/C ;). This change was not a deal breaker. However we both did not care for the gym as it had no windows and seemed crammed into a small room. We used it only once on a rough sea day.

 

We would definitely go on the Island again in the future. In our opinion, nothing is wrong with the Island.

[schlot]

Thanks everyone!

 

Cunard, HAL, Celebrity and NCL all have voyages to South America, but the Island Princess cruise is by far the best itinerary. Having said that, we prefer the food onboard Celebrity, HAL and Cunard. Princess food is not bad, it's just not great. Even there alternative restaurants are so so. When we cruise NCL, we add the UDP (ultimate dining package) and eat every evening meal in one of their wonderful alternative restaurants. Oceania and Azamara have wonderful cuisine, but their costs are twice as much. MSC is great, if you can afford the Yacht Club.

 

Some people rave about their Princess experiences, so we want to give them another try -- maybe we are missing something?

 

I'm not anti-Princess, just looking for a good match.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

 

Don't take this wrong but after 64 cruises (except for 3) on non Princess lines, I'm thinking you will be disappointed in any line that isn't one of your chosen lines.

 

At 64 cruises, money is obviously not an issue and your tastes in cruise lines can reflect what you want and not what you can afford.

 

In my case at a whopping 3 cruises, I would be ecstatic to take that cruise. Because of my place in life I would recognize but overlook the shortcomings mentioned above, whereas you will probably not.

 

I'm not being critical of your ability to cruise so frequently just saying you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[kelmac]

We did the 60-night trip around S.A. this past winter on ISLAND. As I have said before, if I could have selected a ship from the fleet for this trip, Island would not have been any of my top choices (never sailed on her before). I had a lot of concerns before stepping on board. OTOH, we had Captain Tuvo for most of the trip and I knew that would be fun.

 

 

Thanks Steeler36!

 

Thanks for all the detailed info! It gives me the entire scoop from someone who's been there. Appreciate all the work it took to create your response.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[kelmac]

Don't take this wrong but after 64 cruises (except for 3) on non Princess lines, I'm thinking you will be disappointed in any line that isn't one of your chosen lines.

 

At 64 cruises, money is obviously not an issue and your tastes in cruise lines can reflect what you want and not what you can afford.

 

In my case at a whopping 3 cruises, I would be ecstatic to take that cruise. Because of my place in life I would recognize but overlook the shortcomings mentioned above, whereas you will probably not.

 

I'm not being critical of your ability to cruise so frequently just saying you may be setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Hi Schlot,

 

My wife just retired (teacher) and we are looking at all the "bucket list" stuff we have been saving for. We are pretty much middle-class and have to budget all our travel.

Most of our income is disposable because we live in a small condo (paid off), no kids, no pets, no car payments, no debt, not even house plants. ;) We can just lock the door and leave.

 

We are not bound to just one cruise line, but now know many of the nuances that all the lines offer. We prefer small amounts of high quality food and that is not Princess's strong suit. Oceania and Azamara do a great job, but they are too expensive. In the mass-market arena Celebrity is pretty good and MSC in the Yacht Club is good (inside cabin only for us). NCL can be pretty good if you only eat evening meals in their wonderful alternative restaurants. HAL and Cunard are fine. I would put Princess in the same league as Royal Caribbean, with Princess winning in the MDR and RCL shines in the alternative restaurants. We only book inside cabins and will upgrade if a real deal comes along. Never cruised in a suite, and try to keep our costs around $100 per day, per person.

 

This, of course, is just my take on things. Your mileage my vary.

 

Our autos are 20 and 8 years old -- I asked my wife -- "new car, or should we take a World Cruise next year?" Around the world, here we come!:D

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[ecs66]

We took "Island" to/from Hawaii in 2006, and loved her. We did the 10-day Panama cruise on "Island" Feb. 28 - March 10 this year.  The bones of the ship, and overall decor are still beautiful, but it's becoming a bit worn. Our worst problem was with cell reception, "Cellular At Sea", which has worked beautifully on other ships we've taken. This year, it was functional about 5% of the time at sea - IF you'r on an open deck, or IF you're next to a window.  In cabins and other spaces... forget it.  With a 95-year-old mother, and two nieces with serious health issues, we counted on this feature to "work" this time in order to keep in touch back home; it didn't work.

 

It's over crowded due to turning some public spaces in to 110 cabins, which is 220 pax. Not good.  We used to frequent the Horizon Court often, but it's a zoo now so we pretty much stuck to the MDR for meals -- although Horizon's food is better than in the past.  We loved the production shows, but the theater is so packed you have to go in and catch a seat 30-45 minutes early.  (Take your knitting.) The gym used to be great with ocean vistas. Now it's a small, dreary inside "closet" with attendants who don't really "attend".

 

The up side is that the four of us thought the MDR food was so much better than on prior cruises (on Royal Princess and Celebrity Silhouette) - a pleasant surprise. Each meal was outstanding, except for the fact that each one of us had one that we weren't thrilled with. It wasn't bad; just not to our liking. The food was the most positive aspect. Plus we didn't gain weight!

 

Bottom line, we love the general understated elegance of the ship compared to the newer ships and their gauche wretched excess and glitz.  Too bad the changes they've made have negatively impacted the overall cruise experience on "Island".  Until and unless some issues are addressed, we won't sail on her again.

[Colo Cruiser]

30 minutes ago, ecs66 said:

 

It's over crowded due to turning some public spaces in to 110 cabins, which is 220 pax. Not good.  We used to frequent the Horizon Court often, but it's a zoo now so we pretty much stuck to the MDR for meals -- although Horizon's food is better than in the past.  We loved the production shows, but the theater is so packed you have to go in and catch a seat 30-45 minutes early.  (Take your knitting.) The gym used to be great with ocean vistas. Now it's a small, dreary inside "closet" with attendants who don't really "attend".

This is so true.  🙁

 

We have sailed the Island probably 12 times before and after the refit.

We were on her for almost a month in the Med post refit and the lines to AT were into the atrium from 5:30 to 9:00pm every night.

The poor HW at the door was beside himself with people yelling and screaming at him. 

We never got to see "On the Bayou" again because of the crowded theater and we got there 45 minutes early.

Luckily we had seen it before.

 

 

 

 

[Astro Flyer]

2 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Following a blog by someone on the current Pacific Princess World Cruise, she says that they had a presentation yesterday on the 2021 World Cruise and it will take place on the Island Princess. 

 

This doesn’t bode well for the future of the Pacific Princess in the Princess fleet, does it?

 

And in 2021 the Island is scheduled to replace the Pacific Princess...over a 100 days of overcrowding will replace the small ship experience on the Pacific Princess.

 

 

Edited March 12, 2019 by Astro Flyer

[MTJSR]

Having sailed 15 days on the Island before the retrofit, I think Princess took a very sexy ship and ruined it. It now looks like a big white tuna freighter. They double ruined it, by taking down the faux jet engines on the funnel.