Just back from Island Princess!

[Wan]

I want to thank everyone on this board for helping make my cruise so fantastic! The advice offered here was almost always right on the money, everything from tours to hanging toiletry bags to duct tape! (Don't leave home without it!) We just came back from 4 days of independent touring of Alaska, then a southbound cruise on the Island Princess. I am in my late 40's and traveled with my husband and 11 yo daughter, plus other family members ranging in age from 14 to 72. We all enjoyed it. My husband and I have previously sailed on Celebrity Galaxy (1998). We chose Princess this time for the itinerary which included Glacier Bay. Here are some thoughts/reviews:

 

We rented a car for our pre-cruise touring and it was expensive. However, I was so glad we did this because we got to know areas north and east of Anchorage including Palmer and the Glenn Highway. We would have totally missed this had we done a package land tour. The Glenn Highway is incredibly scenic, much more scenic than the Parks Highway. The whole area around Palmer is very charming, and we stayed at the Alaska Gold Rush B and B whose owners are truly gracious and the place was very clean and lovely. We were not too impressed by Anchorage but try not to miss the Alaska Native Heritage Center. We got there late and missed the dancing, but we caught the last tour and learned fascinating details about native life.

 

The day prior to the cruise, we took the train down the Seward hIghway to catch the Kenai Fjords tour. The train ride was the most scenic of all. Do not miss this. The Kenai Fjords boat trip was also well worth it, plenty of wildlife.

 

As for the cruise, we really enjoyed the ship and the service, and of course it's tough to top Alaska for scenery. For those of you who like comparisons, I would say the Princess experience is a bit more understated than the Celebrity experience. The Princess crew was always ready to help, but not fawning all over you, so to speak. The physical decor was also elegant but, again, more understated than the Galaxy. I noticed very few tuxes on the formal nights, but this seems to be a general trend from what I hear.

 

Food: Very good (but not gourmet) in the dining rooms. Especially done nicely were the meats, fish, and hot soups. Somewhat hit and miss in the Horizon Court. Fabulous in Sabatini's and the Cajun restaurant ( don't miss the special restaurants, try at least one). Again compared to Celebrity (and remember that was 6 years ago), I thought the dining room food was actually about the same, Horizon Court not as good, specialty restaurants were great. Note: I recall in the buffet on Celebrity, the staff will take your tray and carry it to your table for you. They did not do this on Princess, possibly for hygiene reasons. And speaking of hygiene, on the Island Princess this trip, there was a policed hand gel dispenser at the entrance to every dining area, and its use was enforced. We were so thankful for this. Not sure if they're planning to use this forever, or just because of the recent Norovirus outbreaks. I did not hear of any outbreaks on our cruise and none of our group of 8 got sick. My husband thought the pizza was greasy but my 11 yo loved it, and the burgers and fries looked good. Lastly, everyone on the boards had said the Princess coffee was horrible and bring your own!! I thought it was fine, but then I only drink for medicinal purposes...The personal choice dining was a big hit with our group.As it turned out, we met a great waiter the first night and requested him all other nights, only at different times and they were very accomodating.

 

Rooms: Comfortable. We had a really nice mini suite on Dolphin deck with a completely uncovered balcony. We thought the lack of cover would be a problem, but as we had sun the whole trip, it turned out to be great, and we had great overhead visibility! I think for 2 people a minisuite would not be necessary unless you really like the extra space or plan to spend more time in the room.

 

Entertainment: Well, hmmm. Overall I was not particularly bowled over. However, my family loved the juggler comedian, and I really liked the Broadway stage production. The musicians in the smaller venues were actually quite good, also.

 

Kids Program: The teens looked like they were getting to be good buddies. I can't speak for the younger set, but the 8-12 age group program definitely needs help. ("The Dating Game" (?) for 10 year olds?) They had so few outside activities for the kids, such a shame. My daughter did not spend a lot of time there. (But she still had a good time on the cruise!)

 

Service: as above, very good.

 

Tours: My family did the whale watching (reported as excellent) and I did a Juneau Deluxe city tour which I enjoyed. We all did the Bus/train up the White Pass and the driver surprised us by taking us to Emerald Lake!! We stopped in Carcross for lunch and that was fun. We did the Totem and Town tour of Totem Bight and I would not pay big money for this. The big winner trip out of Ketchikan was the planes over the Misty Fjords, which we will not miss next time. Other than that I would consider renting a car for the day and exploring on your own. I did not get any feedback from any other excursions, sorry. By the way, since we had a late flight out of Vancouver we did the Capilano Canyon excursion (booked on the ship) and this was a very pleasant way to spend the morning and lunch prior to our flight.

 

Embarking/Disembarking: Be patient.

 

Other: I did not do any spa activities, but it looked nice. The pool areas were attractive, and especially the Lotus pool was soothing and lovely. Did not do the casino, can't stand cigarette smoke. On board activites seemed fun and well-attended. Average age of passengers: I would say about half were 50-70, about 25 percent were over 70, and the rest was families with kids or teens. We had about 150-200 kids and teens, and they seemed well behaved. I think single young adults or couples would have a tough time making new friends in their own age group on this trip.

 

In conclusion, this cruise suited our family's needs well, and I would highly consider Princess again in the future.

 

Thanks again everybody!!

[barbarat]

Great post - on Island Princess Northbound late July.

Just one query - duct tape?

barbara

[Kaylas Mom]

Wan,

Thanks for the most excellent and helpful review. You have helped us so much in planning for our August 2005 cruise on the Island Princess.

I just wondered if you tell me a bit more about the kid's program. Kayla will be ten. She loves kids programs in general - especially games, arts & crafts, etc. She loved RCCI's program in Alaska a few years ago (when she was 7) but hated NCL's in Hawaii because all they did was park the kids in front of videos like Harry Potter which she had alredy seen.

 

Do you have the Patters or a list of kids activities for the age 10 group you could share? I can give you a fax number or email if you do.

 

Many, many thanks. I am thrilled you had such a good cruise.

 

Thanks again,

Cathy

[kdt]

Wan,

I too, am curious about the duct tape reference... I'll be on the same Island Princess cruise in mid-September, also in a mini-suite, so I greatly appreciate the review. One other question - which tour and group did you choose for your Kenai Fjords boat trip? My September date may limit availability for me, but it never hurts to still collect information! Thanks.

[Wan]

About the duct tape, someone previously suggested that the queen configuration of the beds tended to separate, and they used duct tape to hold the beds together. We never had this problem, but we did use it to keep the balcony separater door open btween adjoining balconies, plus one of our suitcases broke, and we also used it to hang maps up in our room. My husband frequently sprains his ankle, and I would have used it for that too (!) but thankfully it wasn't necessary.

 

We used Kenai Fjords Tours at http://www.alaskaheritagetours.com. They did a really nice job, and the trip was fully narrated. Our captain not only was knowledgable about the sea, but also the wildlife and geology of the area.

 

Sorry Cathy, I did not save the kids schedules and they did not put the details on the Patter, but I do remember for the 8-12 year olds there were arts and crafts activities, a Jeopardy-type game, another trivia game, time set aside for video games, and of course the talent show on the last day. At Glacier Bay, they had their own time with a National Park Ranger, but my daughter reported that the talk was on humming birds (?) and seemed aimed at younger kids. The evening activities included a disco night, casino night, plus the above-mentioned dating game. There was a group trip to the big show on the first formal night, which I saw, and would have rated PG-13. My daughter takes a while to warm up to new situations and is shy, so that may be why she didn't want to participate as much. The other kids seemed to be making friends and having a good time. They also showed movies in the evenings.

 

My daughter loves to swim and we used the pools a lot, plus there is also a small miniature golf area on the ship. In addition, there is a pottery studio where you can make your own or purchase ready made ceramics to paint. There were some line dancing classes which my sister and I did, and I think my daughter would have really enjoyed that too. Plus there is that awesome Alaskan scenery to admire. Hope that helps!

[JanetDale]

Barbarat--

My husband and I are on the Island Northbound July 24. Is that your sailing? We haven't seen too many people post for that date.

[JohnQ]

We found tape helpful to keep curtains together in our hotel room since it doesn't get dark most nights until morning.

[bonsai1]

This may be a strange question, but what are the pillows like on the Island Princess? Big, little, very puffy and tight or easy to bunch up. I sometimes get a stiff neck with some pillows and wish I could bring my pillow, but I think it take up a bit too much room.

We will be sailing NB on the IP Aug 21st.

Thanks

Wendy

[Mezzaluna]

I always travel with my pillow- a standard-sized, down/feather pillow. It easily compacts inside a cleaners bag and slips into the outside pocket of the suitcase.

 

For this trip I purchased a space-saver bag. That crunched it down even further! My pillow has traveled to France, Italy, Switzerland, England..... I always use a distinctive pillowcase from home so the housekeeping staff knows it's mine. Never had a problem.

[bonsai1]

I always travel with my pillow- a standard-sized, down/feather pillow. It easily compacts inside a cleaners bag and slips into the outside pocket of the suitcase.

 

I wish I could , but mine is a shaped foam pillow that doesn't get any smaller.

[Wan]

The pillows were foam and more on the flat side. Also the mattress was very firm. I have seen travel-size feather pillows at Walmart.

[barbarat]

Barbarat--

My husband and I are on the Island Northbound July 24. Is that your sailing? We haven't seen too many people post for that date.

 

Janet,

Yes that is our sailing - Rockies tour first then Cruise. Just got tickets yesterday so starting to plan what we need to take - away 14 days overall

 

Barbara

[Kaylas Mom]

Wan,

 

 

That's helps enormously -- Kayla is beside me smiling about the talent show (she makes balloon animals and is actually really good!)

 

Thanks!

Cathy

[geoherb]

Great review. I always take my pillow--king size goose down and feather. On car trips, I take two.

[jennb]

Barbarat and Janetdale,

 

We'll be joining you on 7/24 Island. Seems like a quiet trip - not many CC'ers. Travelling with 3 yr old daughter (her 3rd cruise!), DH, and Mom & Dad. Second trip to Alaska - looking very forward to it!

 

Jennifer

[LARGIN]

Pillows were hard foam on the Coral Princess but a quick call to the room steward brought 3 soft feather pillows.. My new first thing to do when boarding is to request feather pillows.. :)

[Lisa Waverley]

Thanks for the review. We are SB on coral Princess on 7/24 so your review was relevant. Glad to know you can request down pillows on Coral.

(How did this post get to be about pillows?)

[bonsai1]

Thanks for the review. We are SB on coral Princess on 7/24 so your review was relevant. Glad to know you can request down pillows on Coral.

(How did this post get to be about pillows?)

 

Hi Lisa

I started the "pillow post" since I get a stiff neck from pillows that are too fat. Glad the info was useful.

 

Wendy