Review Island Princess SB 7/09/05

Now that I finally had my turn to use all the info I learned on this board, I want to return the favor, in the hopes of helping someone on their future cruise. I'll try to give details without making it too long.

Island Princess - beautiful ship, spotless, the crew was friendly and helpful. We had a balcony room, which was very comfortable and bigger than I expected. Bathroom and shower were small, but adequate. My husband raved about the shower quality....easy to turn on, perfect temp, lots of water pressure! Hey....it's the little things! We were on the port side, but looking back, I don't think it really would have mattered which side. The public areas were very nice and open. We never felt crowded. It was frustrating to try and find an open spot on deck to watch the scenery because of the blue, glass panels. We did find a spot that not too many people seemed to know about. On deck 10 and 11, if you walked all the way up to the front of the ship and through the emergency exit door, it opened to the very front, under the bridge. No one seemed to mind that we were out there, the views were incredible and it wasn't crowded.

Food - we loved the buffet....A+! Great variety, good food, great views, plenty of tables. Dining room.....A. Food was okay, but a little wierd at times. They used some strange seasonings, too. Waiter was okay. Not great, but accomadating. We did the traditional, late seating and really got lucky with fabulous table mates. Hello Jim, Joyce, Suzie and Joe! The lobster was incredible and the baked alaska on the last night was ijust the best dessert ever! Sabatini's - a true test of endurance. It lasted 3 hours! Way too long to be comfortable. The seafood was okay. Everything seemed to have a shell, an eyeball or antenna. Made for a kind of crunchy soup! Next time, I would skip this $20 per person+tip expense. They worry about whether to wash your towels every day, but think nothing about using 40 dishes per person for each meal. Ridiculous. It took us 10 minutes to understand that they were going to serve us EVERYTHING on the menu and we didn't have to choose. Every item on the menu, and there were plenty of courses, was served individually. Halfway between the appetizers and the soups, my husband wanted to go to the buffet to get a cheeseburger. He was starving! We had to take two bathroom breaks to make it through to the bitter end!

Excursions- 1)Skagway - Glacier Point Wilderness Safari..........A+++++!

Wonderful trip! Great group of young, energetic, enthusiastic tour guides who actually live on the remote Glacier Point. About 65 of us took a hydro-foil boat about 45 minutes away to Glacier Point. Our guide, Jeff, talked passionately about Alaska and the area. Once there, we boarded 4-wheel drive buses and took a 15 minute ride to the other side of GP where we were outfitted with high boots and coats. We then walked about 1/4 mile to the water, where we were divided into groups of 10 and got into large canoes. They seemed pretty stable and there wasn't a ton of paddling. The guide used a motor most of the time. You paddle out to Davidson Glacier - just beautiful scenery. Dress warmly in layers. We had shirts, polartec sweatshirts, jackets and a life jacket. The closer you got to the glacier, the colder and more windy it got. After an hour, you paddle back to shore and do everything backwards til you're back in Skagway. GP was covered with beautiful fireweed, which made great photo taking ops! On the way back to Skagway, our boat stopped near a bunch of sea lions and they let us go out to the front of the boat and take photos. They made SO much noise.....barking and climbing all over each other....splashing in the water. They seemed as happy to see us as we were to see them! A definite highlight of the trip! Also.....great lunch was served on the way back.....sandwich wrap, chips, water, and a HUGE cookie! I told the guides how their trip always got rave reviews on CC message board and they were really excited about that.

Excursions 2)Juneau - Photo Safara by Land and Sea.........A+++!

Loved this one, too! It's new this year. Our guide, Cam, was a professional photographer who wanted to try something different. He was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Juneau and photography. There were only 13 people, so you could get as much or as little help as you wanted. It was a very mixed group of serious ametuers, like myself, and people just curious with point and shoot film cameras. A group of older ladies had a little bit of trouble with the walking and boat trip. There wasn't a ton of walking, but it was a nature hike that had uneven ground and some hills. We started at Mendenhall Glacier, then took a bus to a boat dock in Auck Bay. We boarded a very strange looking boat.....small, aluminum hull, surrounded by big, blue bumpers. It went about 45 mph and was incredibly bumpy and bouncy. When we came to a photo spot, we would all help unsnap the clear, plastic sides and lean on the bumpers to take photos. We saw a lighthouse, a buoy with sea lions and then hunted for whales. You had to really pay attention to see the first sign...the spray. After 2 hours of chasing, we saw several whales, and finally.....a tail! We had a good time! It was exciting to watch and when the captain turned off the motor and you could hear the spray of the whales.....just magical! It was also nice to be so close to the water. Hard to take wildlife photos from the cruise ship when you're so far from the water.

Best Food on the ship - ice cream....incredible! Especially the blueberry sorbet! Pizza....thin, wonderful! Cookies during the afternoon tea! Lobster. Baked Alaska.

Disappointments - not many. The biggest disappointment had nothing to do with Princess cruises. We finally got to Ketchikan and it was so windy, the ship couldn't anchor in Ketchikan harbor. We had to skip the port and spend 2 days at sea headed to Vancouver. I guess they just went slower. We didn't stop anywhere else. Everyone was disappointed, but there wasn't much we could do. Nothing more was said about it and we didn't get any credit, or free drink or anything special. Just an extra day at sea.

Another disappointment was Vancouver - I know this won't be a popular opinion, but I want to be honest. After 6 days in the wilderness, Vancouver is something of a culture shock. It's a huge city. Beautiful, but with problems that most big cities encounter.....many homeless people begging for money and hand-outs. We stayed an extra day before going home, and it was both too long and not long enough. We were too late to take any tours that would have taken us away from the center of town. We spent the afternoon walking around and taking a trolley tour of the city. We stayed at the Pan-Pacific and it was almost too fancy. We were tired, but to eat at the hotel, we would have to spend at least $90 for two of us. If we had more time, we would have visited Victoria, or driven out to Whistler resort. Lots to do, just not enough time.

Hope this wasn't too long. I'll post photos soon. I think I took about 1,000! I promise only to post the best ones! For anyone getting ready to cruise Alaska, I'm very jealous. I would go back in a heartbeat. It was beautiful! Glacier Bay is almost a religious experience. Totally breathtaking scenery.

That would be why we passed you after we left katchikan bum prop and all. I was really supprised to see you poking along while we were trying to make all the speed we could to get to Victoria. I got a couple of decent shots through the mist and rain.

Hey.....were you able to get off the boat in Ketchikan? They told us everything was canceled because of the wind. We were all pretty sad.

Hi Scraphappy!

Hey! We were on that cruise too! We were a group from New Hampshire/Massachusetts...stayed on the Baja Deck...Alaska was SPECTACULAR! We did a Land Tour to Fairbanks, Denali, McKinley, Kenai before getting on the Island Princess.. The Land tour was awesome! We got to see so much and especially liked the train..

We especially liked Skagway, did a Hike/Float trip and were able to hike a couple miles on the Chilkoot trail then raft on the River..our guide Eric was fantastic.. very knowledgeable..after that trip we rented a car though Avis and drove to the Yukon ( Thanks Yukon Murray for your terrific driving guide!)

We were VERY Disappointed about missing Ketchikan due to sea conditions! I was crawling the walls after TWO "Fun days at Sea" ..and you are right..Princess did NOTHING for us, not even a free drink, Free Ice Cream etc( a "Wizard of Oz Singalong does NOT Cut it!")..This is the first time we've cruised with Princess..we would not choose them again..Princess seeemed to nickel and dime you for things..an extra charge for gym classes, charging for ice cream at the ice cream bar, no 24 hour soft serve machine,2 restaurants you had to pay for.. pizza only available at certain times etc..we found them rather restrictive..the service was all very good by the wait staff, stewards etc...entertainment was mediocre at best...no live entertainment on deck, no good dance music...

But Alaska was absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed every second we were out enjoying it! We also stayed at the Pan Pacific..it was pricey and nice...we took the SeaBus over to North Vancouver and did the Capilano Suspension Bridge ( FUN!) also walked to Stanley Park from the hotel along the waterfront..lovely!

When we returned to Logan Airport..we found out that Alaska Air has lost our luggage..we recieved ONE piece of lugage out of FIVE for our family..as of today ( Monday) 11pm we still don't have it back..Alaska Air has not been helpful at all in locating it..in fact, they looked it up and have a different person's name associated with our claim ticket numbers! :mad: They are "looking into it"

All in all, it was the trip of a lifetime..and we will definately go back..next time will rent an RV and stay for 1 month :D

Snowshooz :p

We were able to get off becuase we were able to dock.The tour we were on was cxld due to rough seas at the light house point we were going to but we picked something else and did some shopping and such. We did see you after we left at sea.

Thanks for the review - we were on the same route in May - we were able to tender to Ketchikan but it's so odd that some ships can dock and some have to tender.

Snowshooz........Hi! I'm sure we ran into you because we were on Baja, too! B708. Sing Along Wizard of Oz.....I forgot about that!! I wish we would have followed you around Vancouver. We just couldn't find a place for ourselves. What you did sounds perfect. That was our first cruise, so I have nothing to compare it to. Up until the weather changed, it was our best vacation ever!

We were very very disappointed that we didn't get to go to Ketchikan. My husband missed his fishing trip and I was going to shop. They didn't do anything for us. Two ports in seven days is not enough. Why did Island not get to dock when other ships did that day? I was very upset. They do charge for every nickel that they can get. Icecream? I wanted to go to an excercise class - well it costs extra. One day I went to a "lose weight now" class. I thought it was something offered and could be some very good information. Well as it turns out in the end after 45 mins of listening - they had a internal cleansing product to sell. - Starting at over $200!!!!! I think we should get some $$ back . We paid a fortune for two ports!!!

I really expected some sort of small credit.....maybe $100 per person. Any small gesture......even a free bingo card! I have no idea how they decide who tenders and who docks, but if I ever do another Alaska cruise, I would probably pay much closer attention to that. Two ports just wasn't enough. Before we left, I thought that all day Friday at sea was way too much. We were certainly comfortable on the boat, but I, too, felt like we missed an important part of the trip.

I had no idea they charged for exercise classes.

Hi Scraphappy and Sharbro...

I agree...Princess could certainly have done SOMETHING for us on that extra "Fun Day" at sea! We were very disappointed with Princess and plan to never sail anywhere with them again! We'd go back to Carnival or try RCCL.. We were hoping that the Captain could get us to Vancouver early and either dock or tender us ashore so we could at least go SOMEWHERE instead of floating aimlessly for 2 days at sea...

Fortunately, we did a 7 day Land Tour prior to getting on the ship so we at least got to see quite a few places..I feel badly for everyone that did the cruise only and just saw 2 ports!

Now to start planning our next vacation after we pay this one off....:D

Snowshooz :p

We too were very disappointed with Princess. Felt the captain gave up way too early in Ketchikan. Deparetd for Vancouver at 9:30. Couldn't he havw waited till noon? Even a few hours in port would have been good. Too many other negatives to list although some were mentioned by other postees.

Bottom lin, we'll never take Princess again. Celebrity is so much better. Truly believe our travel agent gets a bigger commisssion from Princess and that Princess is living on old glory.

Boxster,

Can you please tell me what other things you were unhappy with? Since that was our first cruise, I really have nothing to compare it to. It's been 2 weeks and I still feel cheated out of a part of our vacation. You're right......9:30am was a little early to give up. A few hours in the afternoon would have made everyone happy.

Thanks very much for these posts, really interesting - and especially the review. We're sailing Princess for the first time in September. I really hope we get to land in Ketchikan!!

ScrapHappy05

Other things we were unhappy with the cruise:

Nickled & dimed you--ice cream, patisserie other ships have this for free

Not one smoke free bar

While the promenade deck was great to run or walk on (2.8 laps to the mile), part was blocked off even before we pulled into the 2 ports.

Wait staff in restaurant was so-so. Half the time I asked for items at the Buffet, the person I asked said they had no more. I'd then ask a 2nd person & he would miraculously find it.

I won't even get into our land portion. Bottom line, Celebrity was much better. Princess however, is much better than Carnival.

I am so happy to see that I am not an inherently grumpy woman who cannot be pleased.... by that, I mean I am glad to see that other folks were disappointed by this Princess cruise. I have rarely been so bored while vacationing. This was my third cruise, my first with Princess. Unfortunately, my family experienced a most fabulous ship last year, the Mariner of the Seas, which made the comparison with the Island Princess even more glaring. My three teenagers had absolutely so little to do on the Island Princess that they ended up in our balcony cabin watching movies on our days at sea. Yes, we loved the glaciers and wildlife watching.... but, there is much time to pass at sea and you can only spend so much time standing at the rail watching for birds and whales. The passengers MOST left out of the fun are the 18-20 year olds; too old for the teen area (12-17), too young for the bars (21 and up), no coffee house or pizza-type meeting area. Well, there was a pizza bar that shut down at 6 pm. Yes, you read it correctly. 6 pm. And then no more pizza. This cruise line does not know how to keep kids and teens engaged and happy onboard, and could really learn from Royal Caribbean....they just want folks like me to spend an average of two grand per kid on a vacation (room and excursions and etc) and then hope Mom and Dad don't notice that they are watching "The Terminal" for the third time in the room. And what is with the men wandering the ship in yellow jackets with "Youth Security" imprinted? Quite a jarring note!

My family's nickname for this boat was the "Snooze Cruise". Too few ports, too few places to wander and explore on board, not enough to do. We DID, however, love Vancouver. We drove up to Whistler, stopped in Squamish for Mama Burgers at the A&W ( I want to revisit!), and also stopped at two waterfalls on the way. Watch for those turn-ins. Quite worth the stop, and one of our favorite parts of the whole vacation. Lastly, the hotel inside the airport terminal in Vancouver (the Fairmont) has great accomodations (down comforters, nice sheets) and the location cannot be beat. You walk out of the hotel, and go down the escalator to the terminal.

Next summer, we will go for a Royal Caribbean boat, and consider ourselves once again the luckiest folks on earth to be able to experience such a luxurious vacation.

A and W burgers get the nod over Alaskan scenery? IMHO I think sometimes people need to do a little more homework and know what to expect. :rolleyes:

Oh my, the reference to burgers was just a bit of detail that fellow travelers might use on on a Vancouver/Whistler excursion. I always like to know the stops people make on a trip, and indeed the research I do on this board has been invaluable. I found my favorite restaurant in Cayman that way, on this board. (It's Rackham's, by the way. On the water, with visiting lizards every time, and great burgers again :)

My review was not intended to downplay the glory of Alaska. Merely to address the issues that families with teens would encounter. The years of vacationing with your kids are limited and precious, so I look for the ways to maximize their fun and interest while giving husband and I a great time too. I have been happy with cruising until this Princess experience. The difference in boats and cruise lines is a course of study that takes time, experience and cash....not just cruising these message boards; but, for some folks, my caveat might tell them what they need to know.

But to prefer Canadian burgers to Glacier Bay or College Fjord? Nah.

We've been back since July 17 now...

Alaska was Gorgeous and unforgettable..we WILL definately go back! BUT Not with Princess!!

For all of the reasons others have mentioned on this board along with mine...Princess seemed very unaccomadatiing the whole way through the Cruise...we were very disappointed with the lack of entertainment, live music, the extra Fees for simple things. I imagine Princess was Once a Great Cruiseline..they need to listen to their customers needs or else people will look to RCCL , Carnival, Celebrity for more entertainment value for their $$$$ in the future.

:rolleyes: Snowshooz

Snowshooz and Feed_Me - Thank you for your honest opinions. I hope that person who posted in the middle was using sarcasm. No need to slam people who post honestly. I appreciate your comments because after the Princess cruise, I'm not really sure I would cruise again. I would certainly return to Alaska, but I don't like the gamble you have to take with the weather and the cruise ships.

We, too, were bored after 2 days at sea. It seemed like when we finally found things to do, they had 4 or 5 things scheduled at the same exact time.

All these negative comments about Princess - We thought it was just us.

Our Family of 4 (two teens) were on the Island Princess July 2 - 9 and loved the itinerary - Glacier Bay and College Fjords were fantastic - but this was our first experience with Princess. This was our 7th cruise - mostly went with RCCL and Celebrity.

Probably our last Princess cruise. (but we still had a great time in Alaska)

We chose Princess because of the Alaska itinerary and the recommendations of cruisecritic.com.

Hopefully Princess is listening - drop the forced tipping (it didn't match the spotty service - we would rather have directed the tips to our favorite waiter, room steward, etc.), extra fees for ice cream, HOT CHOCOLATE in ALASKA!!!

(At least their dinner wine prices were better than other ships.)

Graham

ScrapHappy05

I hope you don't mean you'll never cruise again! Don't give up on cruising; just don't go with Princess.

By the way, when I filled out the cuise questionnere on the last day, under the comment section I said "too many to list here, call me". I gave my name & number. Did anyone else do this? AND do I (we) really think anyone from Princess will be contacting me (us)?

I did the same thing with the land survey that was in our cruise documents. This we mailed back upon our return home.

We'll see how much Princess wants to retain customers!!

We WILL certainly cruise again!!

It has been a traditional fun filled family vacation for us - even our teens can travel with us without complaining. (too much :-)

As a matter of fact we were talking of booking our next cruise soon - we hear booking a new cruise is the cure to beat the 'post cruise blues'.

Graham

About the forced tipping.......at first I thought it was convenient. But by the end of the week, it was evident that everyone was confused and felt like they still had to leave a tip with the head waiter and the room steward. We didn't know what to do. We ended up giving our room steward an additional tip, although we only saw him a few times and wouldn't say he did anything out of the ordinary. Did anyone else feel the need to tip twice?

We definitely didn't feel that "need" - service was overall subpar compared to other cruises. Besides that, we had PC dining so no "head waiter" and our steward made a point to duck out of sight whenever we caught a glimpse of him (the Sasquatch of Stewards) so no pressure to overtip there.