Island Princess cruise report: Panama Canal 9/20/07

[Sandy R]

We boarded the Island Princess on Thursday, Sept. 20… the weather was perfect and boarding was quick and easy. We were on the ship by 11:30 a.m. and our luggage was waiting for us in our mini-suite after lunch. We were traveling with 3 other couples but when we boarded, we discovered we weren’t seated together at dinner. With a wait of over 2 hours to see the Maitre ‘d, we were all seated at the same table. We had a wonderful cruise with some really interesting ports. I had planned private tours in many ports, several months prior to the cruise… so if you want info on them, please ask.

 

Friday, Sept. 21 – a sea day: the weather continued warm and sunny, with lots of passengers out by the pools. Both DH and I bought a $100 Internet package (250 minutes), credited back to us on our shipboard account because we’re both Elite. For those that weren't Platinum or Elit, if you didn’t buy a package, the charge was 75 cents a minute… needless to say, there was always a computer available, although most of the time, the computers were quite slow.

 

Saturday, Sept. 22 – Cabo San Lucas: we arrived in Cabo early, 10:30 a.m. instead of 12 noon. Since we’re Elite, we had priority tendering which was nice. The weather was hot and humid. We’ve been to Cabo several times before so we just walked around the marina and stopped at one of the many restaurants for a beer. In the past, we have taken a taxi to San Jose del Cabo, which I’d recommend… a quaint little town, not overrun with tourists.

 

Sunday, Sept 23 – a sea day: another warm and sunny day with lots of passengers outside by the pools, with the band playing and pool games for entertainment.

 

Monday, Sept 24 – Acapulco: we had a private tour with R… mentioned frequently on the boards. We started out at 9 a.m. and saw the Flamingo Hotel (an old Hollywood hideaway), some amazing vista views, had a shopping stop, visited the Future Zone (wealthy area) and the Cliff Divers. The weather felt warmer and more humid here than in Cabo and the traffic was miserable. Since majority rules, we cut our tour short by 1 ½ hours and returned to the ship at 2 p.m. and missed meeting Rosie’s family.

 

Tuesday, Sept 25 – Huatulco: we were on our own in this quaint stop. For a few $$, we took a taxi to the next little town, La Crucecita, and walked around for awhile. Our stay was so short, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., having this be a beach day was out, so after coming back to the port, we just walked around the shops and the small marina area before returning to the ship.

 

Wednesday, Sept 26 – a sea day: lots of outdoor and indoor activities to satisfy most tastes. I did bring home the Patters, so if there are any questions about the daily activities, time changes, etc., I can provide answers.

 

Next installment tonight or tomorrow... Sandy

[makeup face]

I'll be on the Island Princess in December!!

 

Can't wait for the next installment.

 

Thanks:D

[ccrain]

Keep it coming...

[Sandy R]

Thursday, Sept. 27 – Puntarenas, Costa Rica: hot weather and humidity greeted our day. We were excited about our tour with C… also recommended on this board. We were picked up at 9 a.m. for a 7 hour tour. First we were taken to an area to see birds and monkeys roaming freely. Took some really great photos but the best was yet to come. Next was the Crocodile Man Tour. We were treated to a 2 hour tour on the Tarcoles River. Several times, the boatman got into the river with raw chicken and fed the huge crocodiles that make their home there. Got amazing photos up close and personal of the crocs opening their mouths and gulping down the chicken. We also saw several varieties of birds along the banks… even saw the endangered Scarlet Macaw. We stopped for lunch along the beach then drove to the area where ziplining is done and took more photos of the foliage and the waterfall. Also had a shopping stop with great local crafts and jewelry. Are expectations were not only met but exceeded! We didn’t get bitten by mosquitos during this stop but other passengers said they did, so be prepared with something that keeps the bugs away.

 

Friday, Sept. 28 – at sea: more hot and humid weather.

 

Saturday, Sept 29 – Panama Canal: we entered the Canal about 6 a.m. We were at the front of the ship in the darkness to see the beginning. The weather was actually very nice during our partial transit and return… not so hot and less humid. Beware… there were mosquitos, I got bitten 3 times even with using Cutters. We stayed on Deck 11 foward, just below the Bridge, for most of the day… taking time out for lunch between locks, the only time it rained during the whole day. What luck! I had read that last year's 19 day Panama Cruise had done the partial transit and return in one day, so I wasn’t surprised when it was announced that were were doing the same thing. We reserved a ship’s tour of Panama City at night for Sept. 30, but canceled them when we found out we would be there for a whole day.

 

Sunday, Sept 30 – Panama City: Tendering began at 9 a.m. The 8 of us hired a van and driver/guide to take us on a tour of the city. I had read various reviews about the dangers of Panama City… which for us, turned out to be absolutely the opposite. The new part of Panama City is amazing. There are beautiful hi-rise condos with unobstructed views of the coast and a great deal more under construction. There are houses clustered behind entry gates, just as lovely as any upscale neighborhood in Beverly Hills… palm tree landscape and all. We stopped at the city’s old ruins and took some great photos… kind of reminded me of a very scaled down version of Pompeii, Italy. We then went to the old town and and walked the streets, viewing the old architecture, which is being preserved, while the insides are being updated. We stopped at the center plaza of the old section, where there was a market fair going on. Everywhere, the local people were friendly… many spoke some English. I speak some Spanish and sat on a bench with a woman and her mother and had a lovely conversation with both of them. Our day was wonderful. We definitely wouldn’t have had the same experience doing a night tour of Panama City.

 

Monday, Oct. 1 and Tuesday, Oct. 2 – sea days: 2 more warm and humid days with lots of passengers out and about. The seas remained calm throughout our cruise and I think only rained for a short time in 2 ports… we couldn’t have asked for better sailing conditions.

 

More to come... Sandy

[jerseyk]

Thank you very much. This is soooooooo helpful!

Walter

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

I will jump in here and add my comments as I just got off the Island's Sept. 20 Panama cruise with DH. Wow did we have a good time and I was very sorry to have to disembark. I'll let Sandy tell more about the ports but I will advise future CC groups on the Island to not necessarily count on the ship's CD (John) or his ACD (Anna) or his staff to facilitate your M&M. As keeper of the roll call, I sort of morphed into the leader in terms of getting people together. We had four meetings of the PIPS - the first two planned for Crooners and the Bayou Cafe with promises from Princess for logistical support - and the last two at the very front of the ship outside Hoirzon Court totally arranged by us when the aforementioned logistical support did not materialize. I'm just suggesting that future CC groups be prepared to set up their own meetings if necessary. My favorite entertainment staff member by far was Bernadita from Chile.

Oh yes, here's something that may (or may not) be true but if it is it's kind of cool. I purchased a coffee card as usual - as much to get all the fresh brewed coffee we wanted as for the specialty coffees. The coffee in the dining rooms and Horizon Court are syrup rather than ground bean based. Toward the end of the cruise I commented at the coffee bar that I wasn't going to nearly use all my alloted specialty coffees and the barister said "so keep it, they never expire". Hmmm - it is true they use exactly the same cards every time. So this time I'm holding on to our card for our December TA on the Star. But I won't know for sure if this is true until I try to get my first cup!

[Sandy R]

Thanks BayCalif, for the info. So sorry we only made one CC meeting but we were a group of 8 and our activities seem to be around the same time as the added CC meetings... plus on sea days, Trivia was a must. We only won once but still, it was great fun. Just as an added thought, we've been on 30+ Princess cruises and maybe I'm wrong but I don't recall relying on Princess staff for CC meetings. The CC meeting we've attended, were planned by CC members.

 

My review continues...

Tuesday, Oct. 2 – sea day: this day should have been a stop in Nicaragua. We were to have docked at 8 a.m. but at 10 a.m. the ship was still waiting a few miles off shore for port authority clearance. Finally, at 10:30 a.m., there was announcement that a ship was still in the spot where we were to have docked and would be there the whole day. To everyone’s disappointment, we sailed on to our next stop. Rumors spread as to the reason for the missed port. I spoke to an officer who told me an oil tanker that was supposed to have left before we were to arrive, sprung a leak and needed repair, which was going to take the whole day. This officer also told me, the Captain requested clearance to tender passengers ashore but the Nicaraguan authorities refused. Have not idea if the info I received was reliable but the rumors that spread seemed extremely unreliable. The 8 of us were extremely disappointed because we had booked a pre-paid privat tour of Nicaragua… Leon, Leon Viejo and the bubbling pots. I e-mailed the tour operator as soon as it was announced we would be by-passing the port. I am still negotiating with the tour company but beware… when paying any tour operator in advance of a tour, make sure you have something in writing as to the refund, if a tour doesn’t take place because the ship misses the port. Luckily, we paid by credit card and Visa stepped up to the plate for us.

 

Wednesday, Oct. 3 – Guatemala: the seas remained calm and the weather remained hot and humid. After an unexpected sea day yesterday, we were looking forward to our private tour to Antigua. We were to be picked up at 9 a.m. and driven the 1 ½ hours to Antigua. Antigua was wonderful… the 8 of us agreed we could return there for a week’s stay. One of the hotel’s we visited, was housed inside old ruins but the inside was as lavish as any 5* hotel in the U.S. (can’t recall the hotel name but one of our friend’s has the info if anyone wants the info). Our day was non-stop touring… we visited the local artisan’s market, the town’s main square… with it’s Cathedral, Las, Capuchinas, Avenue 5A… with it’s arch of Santa Catalina, the Jade Factory… amazing jewelry and other items – all made of various colored jade – many quite expensive – over $1000US, the courtyard of Posada Don Rodrigo. Sometime after noon, we stopped for a nice and rather inexpensive lunch on the restaurant’s outdoor patio… a restaurant where President Clinton had lunch during his visit to Antigua. The shops was wonderful and we wished we had more time to leisurely do some shopping but because of the distance from the ship to Antigua and back, our day was filled. It was a great tour. We saw so much more of Antigua than a ship’s tour would have allowed for less money than a ship’s tour. I would definitely recommend the private tour company.

 

Thursday, Oct. 4 – a sea day: again, a day to rest after a full touring day. Again, the seas were calm, the weather hot and humid.

 

Friday, Oct. 5 – Zihautanejo, Mexico: this was a tender stop, which we did on our own. With another couple from our group, we took a van to Ixtapa, to see the resort area of this stop. There were several hi-rise hotels, most bordering the lovely beaches. There were several restaurants, obviously catering to hotel guests, many shops as well, and an outdoor market place, too. After about an hour, we took a taxi back to Zihautanejo, the more quaint area of this stop. We walked around the beach area, bustling with activity and shopped one block inland, where there were, what seemed like 3 or 4 blocks of indoor stalls, selling much the same thing. DH doesn’t like to shop, so he settled down at a covered outdoor restaurant for an ice cold beer and salsa and chips… I joined him after awhile and together, we enjoyed the mariachi’s and the shade. Once back on the ship, I heard that there was a 2-hour wait to get off the ship, if no on a ship’s tour. Again, our priority tendering tickets came in very handy… nice to be Platinum or Elite!

 

Saturday, Oct. 6 – Puerto Vallarta: since we live in SoCal, we have visited PV more times than we can count. Thanks to these boards, a few years ago, we discovered the massages at the Krystal Hotel ($37.50 for a 75 minute massage). Two months prior to our stop there, we reserved our massages for 1:30 p.m. In the morning, we walked around the dock area shops then ate lunch on the ship around noon. Krystal is doing some construction so the massages are in a tent bordering the beach area. Because it was very hot and humid, we requested our massages to be in one of the casitas… we were taken to a 3 bedroom casita with it’s own outdoor pool. After our massages, we stayed around Krystal’s main pool area, swam in the pool and had a beer at the swim-up bar… a wonderful, laid-back day.

 

The finish of my report should be later today as I must be home from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the tech to fix our cook-top... I figure he'll be here about 5:45 p.m... right?

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

Goodness I'm jumping in and out here. Sandy makes the good point that many CC groups never even try to involve Princess in scheduling gatherings. However, a lot do and I've met people who said they've even had the Captain pop in a minute to greet them. I've been on 2 where the CD stopped by. Space was cordoned off for us, and a no-host bar was opened.

As for Nicaragua, I hope I can settle the question of why we never docked. DH took his scanner with him this trip and we listened to the entire radio exchange between the ship and the port (this is not illegal). It started at about 5 am with someone saying in Spanish (which I speak) - "we have a serious problem." What followed was an increasingly strident exchange between the port and the ship about the true length of the ship (now the captain is speaking so we're in Englsh). The port said someone from the Island's pursor's office had faxed them incorrect information about the ship's length so they had allowed the cargo ship to dock and assumed they would have enough room for the Island to dock as well. The Captain literally demanded that they immediately fax him that pursor's message and stated categorically that the port knew exactly how long the ship was. I'm not clear on whether the port was able to come up with such a message. In any event, the Captain asked if they could move the cargo ship and the port replied no. I never heard anything about an oil leak - it simply appeared that the cargo ship was in the process of loading or unloading its cargo and they would not be able to move it in timely fashion. Also, the port did not "refuse" our Captain's request to tender ashore - it simply was not an option. Naturally our Captain was quite upset about this whole situation and informed the port we were "aborting" the landing and were leaving, which we did. The announcement to the passengers came quite a bit earlier than 10:30 - I'd say around 9 or a little before as we had just sat down in the dining room for breakfast. By then, pretty much everybody had noticed something was going on. I don't remember exactly what the announcement said, but I think something to the effect that the port authority had allowed a cargo ship to dock in our space and there was not sufficient room for us. This was true. However, I returned to our cabin after breakfast and resumed listening to the scanner. We were about 20 miles away when the port radio'd us again - they had somehow scrambled and gotten the cargo ship to move and somewhat frantically were asking the Captain to come back and dock. But he opted not to - I know he no longer wanted to deal with the Nicaraguans via radio - only written faxes - and he was in touch with Princess HQ. Ultimately the decision was his and it is not for us to second guess him. Obviously most passengers never knew about this second exchange with the port. We also heard many of the rumors that were circulating around the ship - including one that the pilot had come out to the Island and "demanded" more money to allow us to dock. Pretty preposterous. It was so sad for the Nicaraguans who had come down to greet us and set up their wares. But I'm pretty sure it was entirely the port's fault and our Captain acted professionally and appropriately.

[Sandy R]

The end of my cruise report...

 

Sunday, Oct. 7 – at sea: What luck… the sun was out and it was warm (usually on the last couple of days before docking in San Pedro, we’ve experienced a drastic drop in temperature, but not this cruise). People were out by the pool and the pool games and live music continued.

 

Monday, Oct. 8 – last day at sea… boo hoo: again the weather was warm and the seas calm. The last day is not one to look forward to… packing up and saying good-bye to new and old friends and knowing you’re going home minus the cabin steward, dining room staff and Horizon Court buffet. We had a wonderful cruise, with some amazing port stops, including the Canal partial transit, with a day in Panama City thrown in. We like the larger Diamond, Sapphire and Star but the Island comes in a close second. The great itinerary (plus not having to fly), the friendly staff, numerous daily activities, plus two different entertainment venues to choose from in the evening – the Princess Theater and the Universe lounge (including the debut of a totally new show “Do you Wanna Dance”), viewing the Canal in a front row seat on deck 11 forward – info learned from the cc boards, attending the Captain’s most sailed passenger lunch and touring the bridge, outweighed the few little problems… missing Nicaragua (hey, things happen), brushing our teeth with warm water rather than cold (we were told the reason was the warm waters where we were sailing), having uneven air-conditioning throughout the ship (freezing in the Princess Theater and over ½ of our traditional dining room table.

 

Tuesday, Oct. 9 – San Pedro: we were off the ship by 9 a.m. and going through customs was fast and easy. Our limo picked 6 of us up at 9:30 a.m. and we were home by 10:30 a.m.

 

Any questions… I’ll try my best to answer them.

 

Sandy

[makeup face]

Question: Did anyone eat at the Bayou Cafe? How did you like it?

[crafticruiser]

My DH and I were also on this cruise. We ate in the Bayou earlier this year on another cruise on the Island Princess and had a wonderful dinner. This time our experience was quite the opposite. The service was awful. We had to ask the waiter to come over between each course to remove dirty plates. Definitely not worth the extra $15/pp in my opinion. We heard some negative comments from others as well.

 

Marcia in CT

[Colo Cruiser]

Question: Did anyone eat at the Bayou Cafe? How did you like it?

 

We went to the Bayou on the Island 2 weeks ago. It was fantastic, had the Surf/Turf. It is one of my favorite places to eat as an alternative. :)

[Sandy R]

Our group of 8 did go to the Bayou and had mixed reviews... DH and I liked it. I had the filet steak, which was done to perfection, you could have cut it with a fork. DH had fish and said it was quite good. The other 6 didn't like their food at all.

[Floflegs]

Sandy, could you tell me who you used for your tour in Guatemala? we go on Island in Feb for a full transit of the canal. Thanks

[BayCalif-Ariz R Us]

Back to the Bayou - six of us ate there this past cruise and our experience was the same as Crafticruiser - the service was awful. We were definitely discouraged from ordering more than one appetizer so we could share. While my lobster ($5.00 extra) was larger than we get in the dining room, it tasted the same. DH's steak was perfect and I kept picking at that. Others at the table were not so happy with their food..mostly because this was supposed to be a "speciality" restaurant. But good company always trumps bad service and even blah food - so we enjoyed ourselves. But in general we avoid anything on board that costs extra..

[britsbest]

Sandy

 

Who ran the tour in Puntarenas?

 

You could email me?

 

bob.barrows@talktalk.net

 

TIA

[Sandy R]

Our tour in Guatemala, from Puerto Quetzal to Antigua, was with Turansa Tours - e-mail: info@turansa.com - website: http://www.turansa.com. We did have to send a check to their Miami, Fla office, for full payment, one month prior to the tour. This year the cost was $40US per person - pick-up 9 a.m. and drop off 4:30 p.m. Provided was a comfortable air-conditioned van, driver and English-speaking guide. Lunch was extra... about $10 per person including drinks. Contact person: Ariel Morales

 

Our tour in Puntarenas, Costa Rica was with Charlie Soto - e-mail: okeydokeytours@hotmail.com - website: http://www.okeydokeytours.com. Charlie also does tours from Limon. We were picked-up at 9 a.m. for a 7 hour tour. Provided was a comfortable air-conditioned van and Charlie as our guide (I asked specifically for him to be our guide). Lunch was extra... about $20 per person including drinks.

[makeup face]

Our tour in Guatemala, from Puerto Quetzal to Antigua, was with Turansa Tours - e-mail: info@turansa.com - website: http://www.turansa.com. We did have to send a check to their Miami, Fla office, for full payment, one month prior to the tour. This year the cost was $40US per person - pick-up 9 a.m. and drop off 4:30 p.m. Provided was a comfortable air-conditioned van, driver and English-speaking guide. Lunch was extra... about $10 per person including drinks. Contact person: Ariel Morales

 

Our tour in Puntarenas, Costa Rica was with Charlie Soto - e-mail: okeydokeytours@hotmail.com - website: http://www.okeydokeytours.com. Charlie also does tours from Limon. We were picked-up at 9 a.m. for a 7 hour tour. Provided was a comfortable air-conditioned van and Charlie as our guide (I asked specifically for him to be our guide). Lunch was extra... about $20 per person including drinks.

 

We're booked with Charlie on New Year's Day.......looks like you really enjoyed his services:D

[makeup face]

:eek: ....I hope the service and the food gets better at the Bayou.....my sister plans to celebrate her birthday there on 1/3/08:)

[jerseyk]

Sandy, thank you very much. Your write up has been very helpful for us.

Walter

[coiran]

My opinions onj the Island Princess - we had a great cruise - good food and great entertainment - but some negatives

1. The current CD, John, is probably the worst CD we have ever had on our 21 Princess cruises - He does not esxist except for announcing shows! Do not expect him to set up a CC Meet and greet meeting.

2. The pursers desk is not very helpful - if you have any problems see the Captains Circle Rep - she is very helpful and can resolve problems in a hurry.

3. Dining service, althought the food is a good as ever, is very slow - I think the problem is in the kitchen staff.

4. Captain Poggi - I wondered if he really existed - in my past cruises one would see the Captain around the ship at varied times during the day - not on the Island. One day as I was standing at the pursers desk the attendant exclaimed OMG their is the Captain! We never see him! - I turned around but missed him. It seems that the Captain and the CD only come out for Photo Ops.

5. Assistant CD - Another grandstander - although they had a professional dance couple instructer aboard she chose to host the BallRoom dancing contest on her own - BadMove.

Please do not take these as complaints - they are only suggestions for Princess if they are watching. We `had a great cruise as we have in our past 20 Princess cruises.

Ron

 

Sabatinis is way overated - the food is no better than that served in the dining rooms - IMHO the bSabatini room is a waste of space.

[Desert Cruisers]

We were also on the recent Panama Canal /Central America cruise.

 

An alternative to prepaying for a Guatemala tour....The tourist authorities have organized tours available at posted prices. We shared a taxi and a driver/guide with another couple to go to Antigua. It cost $150 for the four of us. You pay at the end of the trip. We had a very nice guide who spoke excellent English. We loved Guatemala and thought that it was the highlight of our cruise.

 

Overall, we were very pleased with the cruise. Yes, there were things that bothered/disappointed us. Unfortunately, the quality of the food served as well as the cooking continues to decline. We enjoyed the dance instructors Bill and Francis as well as the cruise staff (even Natalie who isn't everyone's cup of tea but who can do a great salsa).:)

[Floflegs]

The CD was John who? Thanks for the info Sandy

[Sandy R]

The Cruise Director was John Clelford. He sat at our table during the "Most Traveled Passenger" lunch. He was completely different than his CD persona... like he was "on stage" as CD, and a regular guy during the lunch. Yes, he wasn't particularly visible during the cruise and yes, Captain Poggi wasn't particularly visible, either... but, that shouldn't make or break a cruise for passengers.

 

We sailed with numerous Captains, some we were able to converse with throughout a cruise, some we rarely saw. I might be wrong but I doubt the CD and ass't CD set their own rules... IMHO the Captain sets the tone for his officers and cruise staff.

 

Sandy

[Floflegs]

Thanks, Sandy. He was the same CD we had on Sea Princess last year. We only saw him intro the shows although one of his team came to our 2 CC meetings with some bubbly