Is the Island Princess REALLY that bad???

We have just booked the IP for February, 2019/Panama Canal. I haven't sailed Princess for many years. Now in reading posts, almost everyone says "do not sail the Island". I like the itinerary, but am really apprehensive. Is the ship really-really that bad??? I also saw it goes back into dry dock in December. Does anyone know about possible upgrades?

We have a mini suite booked on Deck 9.

When a ship increases its original number of berths by nearly 250--and does so not only without adding additional public spaces but removing some--there is bound to be mostly negative reaction. I wouldn't completely cross the Island off my future cruises list as long as I will go with Traditional Dining and plan to see any shows/entertainment outside of the peak 8:00 hour.

The gap in Island's sailing schedule is from November 26 to December 6. Barely enough time to scrape the barnacles off her bum plus finish adding the Luxury Beds and redo the Kids/Teen clubs as per their respective rollout schedules. You almost never see major refits such as was done to Island a couple years ago on consecutive dry docks.

We just sailed on the Island Princess last month on a 6 day Cali Coastal. We sailed her twice prior to the botched surgery but I feel she's still a good ship. If I hadn't been on her before I probably wouldn't have noticed anything "wrong"..

My biggest complaint is probably no IC..

We have just booked the IP for February, 2019/Panama Canal. I haven't sailed Princess for many years. Now in reading posts, almost everyone says "do not sail the Island". I like the itinerary, but am really apprehensive. Is the ship really-really that bad??? I also saw it goes back into dry dock in December. Does anyone know about possible upgrades?

We have a mini suite booked on Deck 9.

I agree 100% on this below.

When a ship increases its original number of berths by nearly 250--and does so not only without adding additional public spaces but removing some--there is bound to be mostly negative reaction. I wouldn't completely cross the Island off my future cruises list as long as I will go with Traditional Dining and plan to see any shows/entertainment outside of the peak 8:00 hour.

 

The gap in Island's sailing schedule is from November 26 to December 6. Barely enough time to scrape the barnacles off her bum plus finish adding the Luxury Beds and redo the Kids/Teen clubs as per their respective rollout schedules. You almost never see major refits such as was done to Island a couple years ago on consecutive dry docks.

We have sailed the Island many times, the last time was after her major changes.

The biggest issues for us was the removal of the aft 1/3 of the promenade deck the removal of the Universe Lounge, and major dining issues

There were long lines every night of our 14 day Med cruise for AT dining that stretched around the atrium from 5pm to 8:30.

Don't expect any changes in an 11 day dry dock. This sounds like a normal maintenance DD.

I seriously doubt that we will find the Island Princess to be anything but wonderful. I have yet to see perfection anywhere--on any ship, even at home--and have found most criticisms of ships to be very subjective and somewhat snobbish. Sure, the addition of a hundred staterooms has changed the ship, but on the other hand I have never been on the Island before so what I find will be great. Our first cruise was on the NCL POA, and then we repeated the cruise several years later. Comparing the two, we found the crew--American, by the way--to be sadly inferior to the first crew which was international during its first few cruises. But guess what--we still enjoyed the cruise! It may be that on the IP Anytime Dining causes us to change our favorite time to eat, but so what? We will not starve. Just check out the videos of MDR food offerings and also the Horizon Court buffet. It could be that a bit of rust may be found, but check out the underside of your car at home. If the steward is late for cleaning your cabin, just give her/him a call or a comment when you pass in the passageway--besides, do you expect that kind of daily work from your spouse at home? I am sure that we will enjoy the wonders of this ship and crew immensely, as long as we don't expect God to stop the universe to suit our whims, as some posters seem to expect,

We did the Island this past Dec/Jan from Florida to LA and loved the cruise and ship. We even stayed in one of the new aft suites and our cabin had no more vibration than any other aft suite we've been on, and we always stay in an aft, usually Vista suite. We were in one of the two Vista suites behind the children's center. We never heard any noise from the kids, and since our sailing was over the holidays, there were quite a few kids. We loved the extra large balcony. Sure, there are things I like better on other Princess ships, like a larger Piazza or International cafe', but that wouldn't stop me from going on the Island again if I wanted that itinerary. I, too, was concerned because of all of the complaining about the changes on these boards. We enjoyed the ship and cruise.

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I seriously doubt that we will find the Island Princess to be anything but wonderful. I have yet to see perfection anywhere--on any ship, even at home--and have found most criticisms of ships to be very subjective and somewhat snobbish. Sure, the addition of a hundred staterooms has changed the ship, but on the other hand I have never been on the Island before so what I find will be great. Our first cruise was on the NCL POA, and then we repeated the cruise several years later. Comparing the two, we found the crew--American, by the way--to be sadly inferior to the first crew which was international during its first few cruises. But guess what--we still enjoyed the cruise! It may be that on the IP Anytime Dining causes us to change our favorite time to eat, but so what? We will not starve. Just check out the videos of MDR food offerings and also the Horizon Court buffet. It could be that a bit of rust may be found, but check out the underside of your car at home. If the steward is late for cleaning your cabin, just give her/him a call or a comment when you pass in the passageway--besides, do you expect that kind of daily work from your spouse at home? I am sure that we will enjoy the wonders of this ship and crew immensely, as long as we don't expect God to stop the universe to suit our whims, as some posters seem to expect,

The OP asked for opinions.......

Snobbish?? Really? As you stated you have never sailed the Island Princess. So not having ever experienced the ship at all yes you will probably have a great cruise. I hope you do.

So the fact that we have sailed the Island many times before the major structural changes and then after the major structural changes our experiences are whims directed at God?? Ok.......

We spent 30 days on the Island earlier this year and had a wonderful time.

I have never sailed Island, simply because her destinations were wrong for me, now with her alterations I probably never will. However I have sailed her 'sister ship' Coral, many times, (my favourite Princess ship).The biggest reason for this is simple, the Universe Lounge is great!

This unfortunately no longer exists on the Island, so, my chances of ever sailing on her are slim to none.

As a footnote, while I forget the exact numbers, the Coral has more space per passenger, than any other ship in the Princess fleet.

We have sailed on the Island both pre and post addition of cabins and the loss of the Universe Lounge. We had a great time both before and after the changes. That said, there did appear to be an issue with Anytime Dining but it really never affected us as we normally don't go to dinner until 8 or 8:30. Even then take a pager and go to Crooners........

The loss of the Lounge on the other hand definitely affected their ability to provide entertainment options, but again we don't cruise for the entertainment so it was a pain but not a deal breaker.

As for more passengers and less space, we never have a problem finding a lounger or any other type of place to sit, no matter which ship we are on. Again, we don't care where we sit as long as it is in the sun, but if you were the type of individual who wants to be by the pool or in a specific area, it may a problem.

Overall - we have our favorite ships like everyone else (Sapphire and now the Royal which we thought we wouldn't like). Would we sail again on the Island - definitely if the cruise itself met our needs - ports and of course time of year.

Enjoy your cruise - we sure enjoy every one of ours..............

We sailed the Isand this past February for 15 nights. I'd never sailed on her before nor have I sailed on Coral.

The only time the Island felt crowded was at dinner. We had Any Time Dining and generally were given a beeper and waited about ten minutes to be called in. We waited about twenty minutes one night. The productions shows were generally presented twice per evening, so we had our choice of when to attend and work our evening meal around that.

I think my biggest disappointment was the truncated Promenade Deck, even though we went on the ship knowing it had been cut shorter.

I would definitely sail Island again if the itinerary was right. But the itinerary is my primary concern on any cruises I book.

Island Princess isn't "bad". It's just not nearly as good as it once was. We loved Coral Princess which made the changes on Island Princess really stand out. We kept heading aft and "running out of ship" as it was all turned into cabins. The Promenade looked weird with dividers blocking it off. No more aft viewing deck on Baja and Caribe. Those were really special places. We love the wake view and love walking the Promenade. We missed the Universe Lounge. I don't use the gym but heard others complaining about it having been moved inside and not having any windows.

If Island Princess was the only ship doing the itinerary we wanted we would probably book the ship but if there was any other Princess ship doing the same itinerary we would book that other ship instead.

Island Princess isn't "bad". It's just not nearly as good as it once was. We loved Coral Princess which made the changes on Island Princess really stand out. We kept heading aft and "running out of ship" as it was all turned into cabins. The Promenade looked weird with dividers blocking it off. No more aft viewing deck on Baja and Caribe. Those were really special places. We love the wake view and love walking the Promenade. We missed the Universe Lounge. I don't use the gym but heard others complaining about it having been moved inside and not having any windows.

 

If Island Princess was the only ship doing the itinerary we wanted we would probably book the ship but if there was any other Princess ship doing the same itinerary we would book that other ship instead.

This is what is bringing us back to the Island Princess in January. We have been on the Coral recently and the Island several years ago. I don't like the changes that have been made. I guess I will have to live with it, because the itinerary (60 days around South America) is only being done by this ship. But if I were to do the Panama Canal, I would definitely wait for a sailing on the Coral.

We sailed the Island Princess on the April 19 Panama cruise. We had traditional late dining, so we did not have the ATD problem, but occasionally we saw lines. Dining room was a line before noon, and then eased up, but dining room is leisurely no matter what you ask. The Promenade Deck is odd. We had a rear cabin, C731, and I do not recommend it even though it has a corner balcony. Too many problems.

We'll never cruise on the Island again. Princess trashed the Island by eliminating the aft Promenade area, adding cabins, and IMHO ruined the ship. Anyone booking the cabins on the Promenade deck by the doors leading out to the Promenade deck is in for the double doors banging constantly. It's a real shame what they did to the Island. The other Princess ship that can go through the canal was on schedule for the hatchet job, but with all the complaints they got from passengers on the Island, they nixed the plans. You might enjoy it, you'll never know unless you experience it for yourself. The Caribbean Princess is scheduled to be the first ship to go through the new canal. I think it's some time this year, but check the Princess website.

I sailed on the Island in December and loved it despite all the negative comments. I have never been on the Coral so for me there was no comparison to that ship. The Promenade deck didn't bother me, nor did the lack of an International Cafe especially with the wonderful layout of the Horizon Court. I would not hesitate to sail on her again if the itinerary was right.

I was on the Island earlier this year and thought it was a beautiful ship. I hadn't been on it before the modifications nor have I been on the Coral, so I can't compare differences. I would not hesitate to sail the ship again. Yes I did miss the International Cafe, but it wasn't a deal breaker. It also wasn't a big deal to cut across the inside when walking the Promenade Deck.

My family did ATD and I will say it was chaotic the first 2 nights out of the 15 night cruise. The first night we waited about 35 minutes for a table and the 2nd we smartly made a reservation. The remaining nights we would arrive between 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm and had a wait of 5 minutes 1 time and no wait the rest. We don't mind sharing so if you share on ATD it will greatly reduce or eliminate waits.

The only time it really felt crowded was trying to get out of the theater, with only 2 aisles there was always a huge bottleneck of people getting out of the shows, even when the theater was not full.

The only thing I can say is to go with an open mind. If you set out saying you will hate the ship, you will.

We cruised on the Island Princess last year through the Panama Canal and would never, ever, sail on this ship on a "scenic" cruise.

I am aware there has been a lot of discussion about the alterations, etc. but my objections are fundamental to scenic cruising.

There is blue glass everywhere on the open decks that limit viewing of the scenery you have paid to see. Consequently there is constant jockeying for unobstructed views and occasionally conflicts arise between passengers. If you are taking pictures it is a constant chore to try and shoot in between blue glass panels.

I am not Anti-Princess. We cruise on them quite a bit.

These ships are not designed for scenic cruising. If the view from open public decks are important to you take a close look at the deck configurations and pictures of the ship before you book. If you are in a suite or balcony cabin this may not be a big deal to you.

The whole point of going through the Canal is to see it in operation and enjoy viewing it. There are other ships and lines (blue glass is a Princess trait) that are better suited to enjoying the Canal. We have been through the Canal four times and the Island Princess was our worst experience through the Canal, by far....

Seems that those who sailed previous to the new fit are most dissatisfied. Having never sailed the IP. I've decided we will most likely enjoy her. I've never had a bad cruise yet. Some better than others. But life is what you make it🌺

While Island isn't as good as she use to be prior to the renovation, she's still a wonderful ship and a great choice for the Panama Canal! ENJOY! :D

Unfortunately the only time we can cruise the Panama Canal is when the Island is the ship going there. I wonder if it's worth waiting until there's a better time for us on another ship???

Taking the Island instead of CP, in October, can't be any more crowded than the Allure was, never felt crowded on a cruise till we went on that ship, not worried

We were on the Island Princess for 14 days last month (May 2017) and enjoyed every day. We really liked the set up of the Horizon Court and the Amuleto Cafe. We stayed in one of the newer balcony cabins on Lido and spent most of our time on the upper decks. One of our favorite things to do on board any ship is walking the Promenade deck, so we were a bit disappointed in the changes to it on the Island, but definitely not a deal breaker. We thought at first that not having an IC would be a big negative, but that really did not turn out to be the case as the Amuleto Cafe was a good alternative.

I seriously doubt that we will find the Island Princess to be anything but wonderful. I have yet to see perfection anywhere--on any ship, even at home--and have found most criticisms of ships to be very subjective and somewhat snobbish. Sure, the addition of a hundred staterooms has changed the ship, but on the other hand I have never been on the Island before so what I find will be great. Our first cruise was on the NCL POA, and then we repeated the cruise several years later. Comparing the two, we found the crew--American, by the way--to be sadly inferior to the first crew which was international during its first few cruises. But guess what--we still enjoyed the cruise! It may be that on the IP Anytime Dining causes us to change our favorite time to eat, but so what? We will not starve. Just check out the videos of MDR food offerings and also the Horizon Court buffet. It could be that a bit of rust may be found, but check out the underside of your car at home. If the steward is late for cleaning your cabin, just give her/him a call or a comment when you pass in the passageway--besides, do you expect that kind of daily work from your spouse at home? I am sure that we will enjoy the wonders of this ship and crew immensely, as long as we don't expect God to stop the universe to suit our whims, as some posters seem to expect,

I agree, except knowing about the changes goes a long way toward my choice of cruise. If I am looking at a Panama Canal cruise and have a choice of the Coral or the Island I am going to choose the Coral.

Unfortunately the only time we can cruise the Panama Canal is when the Island is the ship going there. I wonder if it's worth waiting until there's a better time for us on another ship???

We did the Panama Canal full transit on the Island in February 2016 and had a wonderful time. We did see queues for early ATD and especially for the 8 o'clock show in the theatre. But by going to the early show we could walk in and find good seats 5 mins before the performance and never wait more than 5 mins for a table for dinner around 7.30pm.

While it might have been nice to be able to walk whole circuits on the promenade deck, it wasn't really an issue to cut through the corridor at the aft end or reverse direction.

If the itinerary was what I wanted I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Island again.