Island Princess - Honest Thoughts Please

[Nicole&Pete]

Hello all,

 

We are looking at a cruise on the Island Princess this year, there is however a similar cruise on the Sky Princess, but the itinerary is not as good as the Island. 
 

We were on the Sky Princess last year and liked that ship especially with the number of complimentary dining options available, however the ship was half full at the time so that may have swayed our view a little as it never felt crowded. I have reservations about the Island because it is an older ship, the recent refurb means less public areas but more cabins, no Alfredos and international cafe and I have heard about lots of issues cruisers have had both in terms of service and accommodation (plumbing/ air con issues, old beds etc.) as it was only back in service last summer. So we are debating whether the Sky Princess might be better for us even though the itinerary is not as good.

 

Honest opinions would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance.

[avonlady6390]

I have been on both the sky and island if the ship is an important destination for you I would go with sky having been on royal class ships before the island I think the problems you quoted made it seem worse I really missed the IC especially.

[wowzz]

We did a Panama transit on Sky shortly after the refit with the extra cabins added. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but have subsequently cruised on Sky and Regal. Despite having more passengers, we preferred both of them to Island - far more dining and bar options. If the itinerary was unbeatable,  we would sail on Island again, but otherwise she would not be our preferred choice. 

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, avonlady6390 said:

I have been on both the sky and island if the ship is an important destination for you I would go with sky having been on royal class ships before the island I think the problems you quoted made it seem worse I really missed the IC especially.

Thanks very much. Have you been on island since the refit?

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, wowzz said:

We did a Panama transit on Sky shortly after the refit with the extra cabins added. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but have subsequently cruised on Sky and Regal. Despite having more passengers, we preferred both of them to Island - far more dining and bar options. If the itinerary was unbeatable,  we would sail on Island again, but otherwise she would not be our preferred choice. 

Thank you very much. That’s what we liked about the Sky, there were lots of dining choices, however we did sail when they were half full so I don’t know what the ship will be like full.
 

Did you find the Island Princess quite crowded? Also is it looking a little tired now?

 

We are looking at a cold weather cruise so one benefit for the Island is the covered pool area, but we would definitely miss the dining options we had on the Sky. 

[wowzz]

13 minutes ago, Nicole&Pete said:

Thank you very much. That’s what we liked about the Sky, there were lots of dining choices, however we did sail when they were half full so I don’t know what the ship will be like full.
 

Did you find the Island Princess quite crowded? Also is it looking a little tired now?

 

We are looking at a cold weather cruise so one benefit for the Island is the covered pool area, but we would definitely miss the dining options we had on the Sky. 

I have to say that we didn't find Island crowded.

As to looking tired, our cruise was about four years ago, so can't give you an up to date opinion.

[avonlady6390]

22 minutes ago, Nicole&Pete said:

Thanks very much. Have you been on island since the refit?

Yes I had one of the new cabins which was nice but the lack of eating venues was not good the ship itself was not bad so it will come down to which is more important a nice newer ship or the port stops.

[tml1230]

Since we are cruising to Isreal on the Island next November ,we have been looking at reviews etc here.

we found some great information ( and a REALLY  GREAT " semi "live from!!) currently on this board. Although the writer is blogging on a world cruise from there Island, we found a lot of good info on the ship itself.....plus its a fascinating   read. authored by we_like_ to_ cruise.

[Yehootu]

Bayou Steak House isn't as good as the Crown, but we still love the Island.

[disneyochem]

I spent 14 days on the Island this past January (FLL to LA) and I will try never to sail her again!  The staff and service was phenomenal though!  Absolutely great staff!

 

What I really didn’t like was the dining options.  The food in the MDR was great (as was the service)—I don’t think we ever had a bad meal during our two weeks on board.  But other than the MDR, we didn’t enjoy the food or options.  Not having an IC or Alfredo’s forced us to go up to the buffet for breakfast and lunch.  One had to get in line at the grill at 11 am to avoid lines/delay.  And the buffet was very limited ( especially for me since I can’t have gluten) and poor quality.  We ate at the Bayou Cafe one night — steak was good but the sides were terrible.  Our waiter tried to steer us away from our choices (Are you sure to want to order that?  Or maybe I just bring you some mashed potatoes?) and I wished I had listened to him!  The food was so bad we canceled our other specialty dining reservations.  MDR was much better!

 

We missed not having an aft pool area and the fitness room was terrible.  Too many people trying to use the equipment in too small of a space!  Zumba and dance classes were held in the Wheelhouse Bar daily.  The ship doesn’t seem to have a lot of public spaces to be able to just have a drink and read a book.  We were in a mini suite(fortunately) so ended up spending a lot of time in our cabin.

 

We did enjoy the covered pool but the chair hogs were out in force early in the morning!  I saw a number of people who had crew remove belongs because they were there for hours!  The ship didn’t seem crowded except on the promenade in the morning at 9 am!

 

The ship seemed to be in pretty good shape—nothing stood out.  I absolutely hated the shower/tub combo.  That damn shower curtain!  We like our cruises on the Ruby, Grand and Sapphire and the Island’s interior was about the same.

 

I got off the cruise in LA and then two days later went on a cruise on the Discovery!  Quite the contrast!

 

But, it was a great cruise overall because of the people we met and the staff!  Just our personal preference to pick another ship.

[Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, disneyochem said:

 Not having an IC or Alfredo’s forced us to go up to the buffet for breakfast and lunch.  

 

Don't they do breakfast in the MDR on the Island? Was that why you were forced to go up to the buffet? I've never been on a Princess ship that didn't have breakfast in the MDR every day, but I've never been on the Island.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Well...I really don't understand all of the comments downplaying the Island.  We were just on her back in October for a Northern Europe sailing and we had zero issues.  It was the first time we'd been on this particular ship (we've been on 8 other Princess ships as well as a handful on other lines).  To give a picture of the "range" we've done...we've done the Pacific Princess all the way up to Discovery Princess...so we've seen a pretty wide range of ships/designs.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the Island and would not hesitate to rebook.

[stevenr597]

We sailed on the sister ship Coral Princess twice.  Coral did not have an extensive a refit as Island, but it, in total, in had less cabins.

 

When we first sailed Coral, it was a brand-new ship.  Our last cruise (both Panama Canal) was just before the Pandemic.

We thoroughly enjoyed both cruises, but the Coral has become dated.  Like the Island it was build to transit the canal, and is longer, but not as wide as other ships.  My impression it did not handle as well in rough seas. 

[TM]

We've sailed on the Island both before and after the retrofit and would definitely sail on it again.  If you go with a positive attitude and not try to look for things to complain about you will have a great cruise regardless of which ship you are on.

[reedprincess]

We've sailed Island both before and after it's refit back in 2015 where they added 150+ cabins, removed the two story Universe Lounge, shrunk the casino and moved the gym.

Let's just say, we won't sail her again - unless she's the only ship, among any line, doing a particular itinerary that we absolutely want to sail. 

The removal of so much public space to add cabins made zero sense - makes all the remaining venues more crowded. The casino is a postage stamp, atrium is very small (to begin with) and with the added hundreds of passengers, makes for extra people vying for even more limited space, seats were not added to the MDR, and so forth.. 

The lack of IC is a major downside for us also as we're night owls - but then, since there is no nightclub or late night dancing venue on Island, not all that big of a deal in the end .. 

1 hour ago, Sea Hag said:

Don't they do breakfast in the MDR on the Island? Was that why you were forced to go up to the buffet? I've never been on a Princess ship that didn't have breakfast in the MDR every day, but I've never been on the Island.

Yes, breakfast is served in the MDR on Island, same as all Princess ships. Same limited hours, which don't work for some.. 

[seachelt]

We cruised on the Island last year to Iceland and Greenland. We requested to be moved to a different cabin due to extreme noise in our origingal cabin. Moved to a premium balcony and were very happy with the ship, food and service etc. We have booked again for this coming fall.

[waltd]

Which cruise has the least amount of revisited ports?   Which cruise has the most sea days?   If a lot of sea days which ship would you be the most comfortable  especially if you have to sit inside? If a cold weather cruise everyone rushes to sit in the atrium during the day.      We go for the itinerary.  If port intensive we like  a sea day between ports, if possible.   We lean towards the older ships.  Have done both types.    The newer ships for us are nice but not as comfortable feeling.     Tough call. 

[StrawberryHill]

Love the Coral Princess, smaller ship cruising.  Was on the Island thru the canal and will be again this summer in Europe.  Dont like the gym location on the Island, it feels as if you are in a basement.  The extra rooms they added did seem to make it feel more crowded. Dining availability was fine with us. We tend not to do the specialty dining or the buffet.   I would not book an aft cabin on the island, the new ones are pretty "flimsy".   Also miss the IC, the same as we miss it on the Coral.  Only on the Island this summer because of the itinerary and being on any of the Princess ships still beats being at work.  

[LACruiser88]

2 hours ago, reedprincess said:

We've sailed Island both before and after it's refit back in 2015 where they added 150+ cabins, removed the two story Universe Lounge, shrunk the casino and moved the gym.

Let's just say, we won't sail her again - unless she's the only ship, among any line, doing a particular itinerary that we absolutely want to sail. 

Ditto for us...

[blondee419]

16 hours ago, Nicole&Pete said:

Hello all,

 

We are looking at a cruise on the Island Princess this year, there is however a similar cruise on the Sky Princess, but the itinerary is not as good as the Island. 
 

We were on the Sky Princess last year and liked that ship especially with the number of complimentary dining options available, however the ship was half full at the time so that may have swayed our view a little as it never felt crowded. I have reservations about the Island because it is an older ship, the recent refurb means less public areas but more cabins, no Alfredos and international cafe and I have heard about lots of issues cruisers have had both in terms of service and accommodation (plumbing/ air con issues, old beds etc.) as it was only back in service last summer. So we are debating whether the Sky Princess might be better for us even though the itinerary is not as good.

 

Honest opinions would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance.

I would never sail the Island again. We were on her post-retrofit for a Panama Canal full transit. To be fair, this was in the "before times" so she was full, but it was the most crowded and unpleasant cruise I've been on. I've also been on Coral, Island's sister ship, and would 100% book on Coral again. I will never book Island again unless it's a must-do bucket list cruise and Island is the last ship ever to do it. Add on top that the cruise director was the assistant CD on our Hawaii cruise on Star Princess a few years before, and is the WORST CD in my opinion. 

My mom and I were in an aft balcony, one of the retro-fitted cabins. The cabin was fine, but the lack of public spaces meant that there were fewer places for people to go when the weather was bad. 

[Nicole&Pete]

14 hours ago, wowzz said:

I have to say that we didn't find Island crowded.

As to looking tired, our cruise was about four years ago, so can't give you an up to date opinion.

Thank you very much

[Nicole&Pete]

14 hours ago, avonlady6390 said:

Yes I had one of the new cabins which was nice but the lack of eating venues was not good the ship itself was not bad so it will come down to which is more important a nice newer ship or the port stops.

Thank you. Yes that’s the weigh up for us I think. The lack of eating venues does concern me. Il let you know what we choose.

[Nicole&Pete]

14 hours ago, tml1230 said:

Since we are cruising to Isreal on the Island next November ,we have been looking at reviews etc here.

we found some great information ( and a REALLY  GREAT " semi "live from!!) currently on this board. Although the writer is blogging on a world cruise from there Island, we found a lot of good info on the ship itself.....plus its a fascinating   read. authored by we_like_ to_ cruise.

Thanks I will check that out.

[Nicole&Pete]

13 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Bayou Steak House isn't as good as the Crown, but we still love the Island.

Thanks we don’t usually opt for the speciality dining anyway. Have you been on the ship since the refit?

[Nicole&Pete]

12 hours ago, disneyochem said:

I spent 14 days on the Island this past January (FLL to LA) and I will try never to sail her again!  The staff and service was phenomenal though!  Absolutely great staff!

 

What I really didn’t like was the dining options.  The food in the MDR was great (as was the service)—I don’t think we ever had a bad meal during our two weeks on board.  But other than the MDR, we didn’t enjoy the food or options.  Not having an IC or Alfredo’s forced us to go up to the buffet for breakfast and lunch.  One had to get in line at the grill at 11 am to avoid lines/delay.  And the buffet was very limited ( especially for me since I can’t have gluten) and poor quality.  We ate at the Bayou Cafe one night — steak was good but the sides were terrible.  Our waiter tried to steer us away from our choices (Are you sure to want to order that?  Or maybe I just bring you some mashed potatoes?) and I wished I had listened to him!  The food was so bad we canceled our other specialty dining reservations.  MDR was much better!

 

We missed not having an aft pool area and the fitness room was terrible.  Too many people trying to use the equipment in too small of a space!  Zumba and dance classes were held in the Wheelhouse Bar daily.  The ship doesn’t seem to have a lot of public spaces to be able to just have a drink and read a book.  We were in a mini suite(fortunately) so ended up spending a lot of time in our cabin.

 

We did enjoy the covered pool but the chair hogs were out in force early in the morning!  I saw a number of people who had crew remove belongs because they were there for hours!  The ship didn’t seem crowded except on the promenade in the morning at 9 am!

 

The ship seemed to be in pretty good shape—nothing stood out.  I absolutely hated the shower/tub combo.  That damn shower curtain!  We like our cruises on the Ruby, Grand and Sapphire and the Island’s interior was about the same.

 

I got off the cruise in LA and then two days later went on a cruise on the Discovery!  Quite the contrast!

 

But, it was a great cruise overall because of the people we met and the staff!  Just our personal preference to pick another ship.

Thank you this is a really useful post.

 

To be honest we prefer Celebrity to Princess but the thing that we much prefer on Princess is the variety of other dining options and the fact that we didn’t have to use the buffet for breakfast and lunch each day as a result. However that is not the case on the Island which is a shame. 

Is there a pool grill and a pool pizzeria on the island?

 

As we are looking at a cold weather cruise the covered pool appeals to me and there isn’t one on the Sky but like you say the lack of public areas means overcrowding. I can see there are not many loungers in the pool area as well.

 

Can I ask if your cabin had an interactive TV with movies to watch etc.? Was the bed in your cabin comfortable?

 

One thing that does annoy me a little (and this is with all cruise lines) is the fact that cruise lines tend to put their focus into new ships and not renovating older ships. I often find there is a lot of rust and debris on older ship balconies and the furniture and TVs in the cabins have often not been updated. This is a shame as the older ships are sometimes nicer laid out and have a lot going for them but they seem under loved. When they do get a dry dock the focus is usually to put in more cabins not to renovate the ship. 
 

It’s nice to know that you found the ship OK, did you find there was rust in places?

 

Thank you so much for your help and sorry for all my questions