Island Princess Dry Dock Schedule

[gardenbunny]

FWII, I just read on Cruise Critic news today that Holland, Princess and Seabourn have canceled the 2022 World Cruises…..Due to the start up of bringing ships back into service, etc etc

[caribill]

4 hours ago, gardenbunny said:

FWII, I just read on Cruise Critic news today that Holland, Princess and Seabourn have canceled the 2022 World Cruises…..Due to the start up of bringing ships back into service, etc etc

 

It is mainly due to total uncertainty about which ports around the world will be willing to accept cruise ships (and with what restrictions) by the time the cruises were scheduled.

[piper28]

On 8/27/2021 at 2:35 PM, loge23 said:

Likewise. We're booked on the July 2022 Fire & Ice sailing. Not optimistic - about this ship or the cruise line for the matter at this point.

 

We're booked to do back to back starting on June 29th (for our 25th anniversary), and I've just about reached the point where I figure it's unlikely to go - or if it does, it'll be with enough restrictions on it that I'm not going to pay to do it.  (I'm not paying that type of money to deal with a cruise where I'm having to wear masks all the time, or take only cruise ship excurisons, or things like that.)

 

I'm not overly convinced this is really a Princess cruise issue at this point though.  The issue is more that countries are still trying to figure out who and how they'll allow people in, and often aren't even thinking about how that will apply to cruise passengers much.  Some of the Caribbean countries have done more thought on it, but they're also far more incentivized to do that.  For trips like the European sailings that the Island is supposed to do next summer.  World cruises this winter would have been a laughable proposition at this point. But realistically, at this point, there haven't been any "normal" european sailings by any cruise lines so far, visiting a "normal" range of countries.  So realistically, the earliest that that's going to happen is probably going to be late april or early may - by which point we're pretty close if not past when we'd have to make final payments for that end of june cruise, and it's going to be very hard to judge at that point how things are going to be.  So definitely not optimistic myself.  I've already done some looking, and they do offer the same 30 days that we wanted to do in 2022 in 2023, so might have to move to that, but with it being 2023, there's also a good chance we might have moved on from Princess largely by that point anyways.

 

On 8/27/2021 at 2:35 PM, loge23 said:

Something has to go, and the Island and Coral (2003) are among their oldest in service now (the Caribbean Princess is now the oldest, 1998). Princess has all but ceded their Caribbean cruise business to Celebrity for now.

Hope I'm wrong here, but this isn't looking too good for the Princess Cruises we all knew and loved. The latest cancellations really hit home for us - or I should say, kept us at home. 

 

I'm not overly convinced they're going to be in a big hurry yet to get rid of the Island and Coral.  I guess part of that might depend on whether they want to give up the idea of world cruises at all.  I'd make the argument that the Island and Coral are already a little on the large size to do these types of cruises (and continue to allow more interesting ports on the trip), but if they dropped those two ships, I'm not sure how practical that'd be on a 3k passenger ship.  Realistically, I've always been somewhat underwhelmed by the Princess world cruise offerings anyways (110 days or so, and typically over 50 of them are at sea, there are other lines with much better ratios).  Admittedly though, since they're no longer limited to these two ships for the Panama Canal, that does make them somewhat more expendable.  

 

If they do drop those two, Princess will definitely move further from my first choice for a cruise.  Even now, that's started to waver because of losing the Pacific.  I recognize that my other choices for smaller cruise ships are more expensive, but realistically, a lot of those Pacific Princess cruises tended to cost more anyways.

[Kamloops50]

On 8/25/2021 at 6:48 PM, JaniceB said:

Sorry cruises are cancelled but the Island Princess is in drydock right now so the dry docks are still going on.  I just wondered why Princess doesn't post what the changes or new additions are.  

It could just be routine maintenance. A ship has to go into dry dock every three to five years work on the hull ( cleaning and repainting) and other maintenance that can't be done with passengers onboard.

Medallion Net is probably being installed as well. faster to install when in dry dock , don't have to work around passengers. We were on one ship and they were install cables to expand the WiFi . They were only allowed to work during certain hours but never during the night.

[azbirdmom]

With the announcement today about the huge new Sphere class of ships coming out, it did make me wonder if the days of the "smaller" ships like the Island and Coral are numbered.  I hope not but anything can happen these days.

[MamaFej]

12 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

With the announcement today about the huge new Sphere class of ships coming out, it did make me wonder if the days of the "smaller" ships like the Island and Coral are numbered.  I hope not but anything can happen these days.

Ugh. 4300 guests on Sphere Class? 

 

I get that that's probably more profitable, but it's a real turn-off for us, especially since we are now retired and want smaller ships and ports up rivers. 

 

Oh, well. 

[pms4104]

21 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

With the announcement today about the huge new Sphere class of ships coming out, it did make me wonder if the days of the "smaller" ships like the Island and Coral are numbered.  I hope not but anything can happen these days.

Wouldn't it be nice if there were 3 Sphere ships ... the 2 big ones and a Mini-Sphere to replace the Coral and/or Island?  

 

I think it's just a matter of time before Princess offloads these older and smaller ships. 

 

And this would be a way to call on ports not suited to Behemouth of the Seas.

[azbirdmom]

12 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

Ugh. 4300 guests on Sphere Class? 

 

I get that that's probably more profitable, but it's a real turn-off for us, especially since we are now retired and want smaller ships and ports up rivers. 

 

Oh, well. 

 

I'm with you.  It's pretty clear that they are going with the larger / more profitable types of ships AND that they are aiming younger.  It would be nice if they still were able to cater to us older folks who like smaller ships and longer cruises but I would be surprised if that's where this all lands in the long run.

[azbirdmom]

The webcam still shows that the Island Princess is still in drydock and the timestamp is up to date.  It's been there almost a month now, two weeks longer than the timeframe stated in another post.  Has anyone been able to find out what changes are happening during the drydock?

[clueless2]

Looks like she's finally out of drydock.  I checked three or four days ago and she was still there.

[azbirdmom]

The ship has been in drydock for over a month and is undergoing sea trials according to the bridge cam.  Sure wonder what was done for her to stay in drydock for so long.

 

[hpeabody]

I am hoping they created an International Cafe in the corner of the Casino like they did on the Coral, her once twin.

[vjmatty]

So I guess canceling the world cruise was a bit premature since the dry dock is finished.... I am booked on her November 2022 so hopefully that won't change.

[Sea Hag]

On 8/27/2021 at 11:35 AM, loge23 said:

Princess has had two new ships come out since the pandemic began: Enchanted and Discovery. Something has to go, and the Island and Coral (2003) are among their oldest in service now (the Caribbean Princess is now the oldest, 1998). Princess has all but ceded their Caribbean cruise business to Celebrity for now.

Minor detail, but the Grand's older than the Caribbean. Grand, 1998. Caribbean 2004.

[loge23]

22 hours ago, Sea Hag said:

Minor detail, but the Grand's older than the Caribbean. Grand, 1998. Caribbean 2004.

Yes, of course! Thank you for that, my bad!

[clueless2]

Heading to Genoa. 

 

[heath_durbin]

I’m on here now, and she needs a dry dock badly….

 

1-2 the cabins on deck 14 don’t have hot water… your lucky to get warm water.

 

several damaged balconies, and in the sauna, I fell like i’m going to fall through due to week/damaged boards.

 

I did see “designers” on and measuring the spa and gym area… hopefully they don’t remove the free spa… it is used often by many.  

[heath_durbin]

Most of the ship cut during COVID were from carnival’s fleet. 
 

but, princess lost at least 1.

 

Holland lost a few.

 

Costa had to give 3 to carnival. 

[Teechur]

1 hour ago, heath_durbin said:

I’m on here now, and she needs a dry dock badly….

 

1-2 the cabins on deck 14 don’t have hot water… your lucky to get warm water.

 

several damaged balconies, and in the sauna, I fell like i’m going to fall through due to week/damaged boards.

 

I did see “designers” on and measuring the spa and gym area… hopefully they don’t remove the free spa… it is used often by many.  

This is the first time I've heard of a free spa on the Island. What does it include? Sauna? Steam room? When we traveled around South America on the Crown, I utilized the "free" sauna several times.

[heath_durbin]

9 hours ago, Teechur said:

This is the first time I've heard of a free spa on the Island. What does it include? Sauna? Steam room? *** I utilized the "free" sauna several times.

The island, unlike the crown, only has a “included” Sauna. (One male only, one female only) The island also has “paid upgrades” to 2+ coed steam rooms.
 

Majestic size and above does not have the male only/female only “included/free” facilities.