Island Princess Deck 8 Emerald Aft balconies

[leaneff]

Searched the boards and know that the Island added rooms in this area.  Looking at these rooms for a B2B this fall.  Anyone have any experience staying on the Island since the rooms were added on Deck 8 aft?  What did you think?  Everything I see on the Island for Deck 8 aft seems very old.  

[Tyskie]

We were on the Island in 2015 (Mediterranean) - I do believe the conversion happened a year or two before.

[Yehootu]

We stayed in a "new" mini suites farest aft on the Carib deck. One of our favorite rooms. 

[atlast95]

On 8/28/2023 at 5:37 AM, leaneff said:

Searched the boards and know that the Island added rooms in this area.  Looking at these rooms for a B2B this fall.  Anyone have any experience staying on the Island since the rooms were added on Deck 8 aft?  What did you think?  Everything I see on the Island for Deck 8 aft seems very old.  

We are in E625 right now. What would you like to know?

[leaneff]

10 minutes ago, atlast95 said:

We are in E625 right now. What would you like to know?

Are the rooms quiet in terms of squeaking noises?  I have been in aft rooms, and is it just the usual sounds?  Would you book this room again?  Thanks so much for your response, we are doing about a month on her coming up!  Super excited.  Also, if you are a coffee drinker, have they switched from the syrup of the past to the Lavazza coffee Princess is transitioning to?

[atlast95]

We are experiencing moderate swells at the moment on the way to Iceland and we can hear creaking in the cabin. The balcony is larger than the regular balconies we've had in the past, with higher ceiling (some balconies on this ship aren't covered). We are close to the aft elevator which is convenient but the Horizon Court on this ship is fully forward. Taking the aft elevator to the Lido deck means you have to walk through the spa to go forward which feels a little awkward and probably unpleasant for the spa users. There is a door at the end of our hall to an outside balcony which runs the full width of the ship. There is a laundromat also down the hall which would be handy for a long cruise. Not sure if they've changed the coffee in the buffet -- we don't think it is very good. There is no International café on this ship but you can purchase coffee,which seems a little better than the buffet, from Good Spirits at Sea on deck 5.

$2 for reg coffee. The shower is very tiny and there seems to be a shortage of bathmats on this ship so we are hanging ours up to dry. The bed is comfortable -- better than what we had on the Regal in December. The location is very quiet. I will happily answer any other questions. 

[atlast95]

This is an older cabin so only two outlets side by side by the desk. No USB ports. You might want to bring a power bar since we can only plug in one phone charger at a time. The hair dryer is ancient.

[leaneff]

32 minutes ago, atlast95 said:

This is an older cabin so only two outlets side by side by the desk. No USB ports. You might want to bring a power bar since we can only plug in one phone charger at a time. The hair dryer is ancient.

Thanks so much. Need to plan for no USB ports for sure!  Great suggestion.   And will pack my travel hairdryer and white noise machine for swells and creaks.  Maybe more walking will be good to counter all the desserts.  Are there almond croissants in the buffet with no IC?

[atlast95]

Will look into the Almond Croissant situation and get back to you.

[leaneff]

2 hours ago, atlast95 said:

Will look into the Almond Croissant situation and get back to you.

Thanks!  I can live without the IC, but would miss my almond croissants if there were not any!

Good to know I can pay for good coffee at Good Spirits, happy to have my favorite coffee drinks or drip!

[atlast95]

Found almond croissants in the coffee and dessert area of the Horizon buffet but had to ask for it. He pulled out a tray and put one on a plate for me so I felt obliged to take it. Of course I ate it and now I think I might have a problem because it was so good. Thanks a lot 😆 

[atlast95]

Where are you going on your cruise?

[leaneff]

8 hours ago, atlast95 said:

Found almond croissants in the coffee and dessert area of the Horizon buffet but had to ask for it. He pulled out a tray and put one on a plate for me so I felt obliged to take it. Of course I ate it and now I think I might have a problem because it was so good. Thanks a lot 😆 

Yes, that is my problem as well. They are the best and I don’t normally eat croissants!  Good to know you must ask. Thanks and enjoy your new discovery!

[leaneff]

8 hours ago, atlast95 said:

Where are you going on your cruise?

We board in Southampton, do Spain snd Gibraltar, Greek and Israel ports and Turkey, getting off in Rome. Doing a back to back and super excited. First trip on Island. Loved Pacific Princess in 2019 for a month so small ships work for us if there are lots of port days. 

[jeanandjim]

On 9/11/2023 at 4:12 PM, leaneff said:

  Are there almond croissants in the buffet with no IC?

Currently on-board. They have specialty coffees and pastries in the furthest forward part of the Horizon Court known as the Amuleto. They also have specialty coffees and pastries in the Piazza deck 5 at Good Spirits at Sea. The pastries have included almond croissants every morning (I've had a couple). But be forewarned they are not the really good ones that are on some ships and have an almond paste inside. These just have almond and sugar on the outside. Good but not the best.

Jim😎

PS We are also in the aft portion on deck 9 and have not realized any creaking.

Edited September 13, 2023 by jeanandjim

[reedprincess]

On 8/28/2023 at 12:37 AM, leaneff said:

Searched the boards and know that the Island added rooms in this area.  Looking at these rooms for a B2B this fall.  Anyone have any experience staying on the Island since the rooms were added on Deck 8 aft?  What did you think?  Everything I see on the Island for Deck 8 aft seems very old.  

The aft cabins were added in 2015. They haven't been sailing empty.. 

[leaneff]

31 minutes ago, jeanandjim said:

Currently on-board. They have specialty coffees and pastries in the furthest forward part of the Horizon Court known as the Amuleto. They also have specialty coffees and pastries in the Piazza deck 5 at Good Spirits at Sea. The pastries have included almond croissants every morning (I've had a couple). But be forewarned they are not the really good ones that are on some ships and have an almond paste inside. These just have almond and sugar on the outside. Good but not the best.

Jim😎

PS We are also in the aft portion on deck 9 and have not realized any creaking.

Thanks so much!  Very helpful.  Guess I will not be eating quite as many almond croissants, I do love that almond paste in there!  My waistline might be happier tho!  Glad the aft area is quiet, we are really excited to try this ship and have a nice cabin aft.  Thanks Jim!

[Teechur]

On 8/27/2023 at 6:37 PM, leaneff said:

Searched the boards and know that the Island added rooms in this area.  Looking at these rooms for a B2B this fall.  Anyone have any experience staying on the Island since the rooms were added on Deck 8 aft?  What did you think?  Everything I see on the Island for Deck 8 aft seems very old.  

The aft cabins on Deck 8 have been there all along. Compare old Island photos with new ones for proof. The new rooms were added on upper decks, aft. Decks 12 and 14 have wider hallways, aft, and the cabins have rectangular showers, I've been told. We are in Deck 8 aft, balcony cabins currently, in Iceland. Creaking sounds when traveling fast, otherwise pretty quiet. I was concerned about vibration, but it hasn't been a problem. Interestingly, the Deck 14 aft cabins were the last to sell. No one seemed to want them.

The worst thing for me is the worn-out mattresses. Each twin has a trench in the middle from 100s of former occupants. When joined to make a queen, there is a steel frame in between the two joined twins.

I am awake right now (2-5 am.) because of a backache. Our excellent cabin steward, Dmytro (Dmy) has tried padding solutions which have helped some, but you can't fix a worn-out mattress. I asked if they have any newer ones in storage but was told "no".

[CaptainPedantic]

On 9/13/2023 at 7:02 PM, leaneff said:

Thanks so much!  Very helpful.  Guess I will not be eating quite as many almond croissants, I do love that almond paste in there!  My waistline might be happier tho!  Glad the aft area is quiet, we are really excited to try this ship and have a nice cabin aft.  Thanks Jim!

We prefer to have breakfast in the MDR and on Island last month we were able to ask for the almond croissants and they DID have the almond paste inside

[atlast95]

The one I had from the Horizon did have the paste inside. I noticed a tray of almond croissants there this morning. 

[jeanandjim]

11 hours ago, atlast95 said:

The one I had from the Horizon did have the paste inside. I noticed a tray of almond croissants there this morning. 

That's great I will be on a mission on our next sea day.

thnx, Jim😎