thecruiselover7

Yes. I went on this cruise last November, and I highly recommend it.

I was on the Island Princess in November, and it was my favorite cruise so far. And it was my first Princess cruise. I was really impressed. I loved the piano bar entertainer in the Crooners Bar.

Glad you had a great time!

So all of you Island haters... let me come to her defense. We recently sailed on her in December for the Westbound Panama Canal transit, after her so-called "mutilation". Having never sailed her before, I never noticed any shortcomings. A walk-around the deck is still possible; the Promenade needs an interior cross-ship passage to complete (doors are often left propped open), and it's possible to walk around the the Sun deck if one doesn't mind doing stairs aft at the Sports deck (after all, what's the purpose of exercise anyway?). The crew was great. Our cabin steward was outstanding. We had forward viewing areas on the Baja deck. The shows were excellent and the Princess Theater has an LED wall which allows for fantastic backgrounds during shows. Sabatini's was intimate, excellent with wonderful staff. Captain Singer stopped by our table to chat during our dinner. The Maitre D' on this ship is the best in the fleet. The dining room staff staged a special birthday party for someone in our group of 10 with shrimp tempura appetizers (not on the menu), complimentary champagne, a full birthday cake and a solo serenade by a member of the waitstaff. Waiters remembered and greeted us by name during our journey.

 

Oh, and here is a picture of her "mutilation". She may present a different profile, but I wouldn't call her ugly. Despite the addition of staterooms, she was hardly crowded.

 

Don't be a sailing "snob" and give her a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed unless you're looking specifically for disappointment, in which case, you'll be sure to find it no matter which ship you choose.:rolleyes:

Couldn't have said this better myself. I sailed on the Island Princess in November for a partial transit of the Panama Canal. The food, entertainment, and crew were all wonderful. I was not too impressed with the performances in the theater, but I spent all my evenings listening to the very talented piano bar entertainer in the Crooners Bar. It was my first Princess cruise, and it was my favorite cruise experience so far. I've seen many negative comments about the Island Princess, but I would recommend the ship.

I went on my first Princess cruise on Island in November. I look forward to reading your review.

We're on the Island next month with anytime dining. Our only previous cruise was on the Crown where they gave out pagers if there was much of a queue (it only happened to us once). Are they using pagers? I'm guessing not if there are so many people having to queue?

Beth

I was on the Island Princess in November. They were using pagers then.

I was on the Island Princess in November for a partial transit of the Panama Canal. The ship, entertainment, food, and crew were all wonderful. I have no complaints. I have read many complaints on the new makeover of the ship, but I think the ship is great.

I think the Island Princess is a great choice. And the Panama Canal is a spectacular thing to see!

I just did a partial canal transit on Island Princess a month ago.

I've heard good things about doing an excursion there, and I have heard not so good things. On my cruise I heard some great things about the train ride excursion. I also hear that it's a neat experience to take a smaller boat through the locks.

I was told before getting on the ship that it's better to stay on board. And I did stay on the ship. I don't feel like I missed out on anything.

I know the excursions for the Panama Canal are more expensive than other ports. I guess it depends if you want another point of view of the canal from the ships view.

Either way, the Panama Canal is spectacular.

I've never had any problem sitting in Crooners (or any bar) and not order a drink. Sometimes I will get one, but not always.

I even saw some people not order a drink while sitting in Crooners on my cruise a month ago on Island Princess.

I was on the Island Princess from Nov. 25 - Dec 5. It was my first Princess cruise and I really enjoyed it. The Panama Canal is a site to see!

I was not impressed with the production shows, but there is an excellent piano player and singer in the Crooners Bar. I would highly recommend you check him out if you get the chance.

Have a wonderful cruise!

I just got off my first princess cruise on December fifth, and I was quite pleased with my vacation.

The crew, food, and entertainment were good. I was especially pleased with the staff. I had the best bartender and waitress on this cruise that I ever had. All staff members that I talked to were friendly and very helpful.

The food was very good. Although, the first couple of nights the food was just alright, but the ship had just come from Europe and they had changed the chef, and several hands. So, I understand the need for adjustment. After the first couple of nights the food was spot on.

The day time activities were good. I only went to one production show in the evening, and I found it to be lacking. I spent my evenings in the piano bar listening to a very, very talented piano entertainer.

The guests were super friendly. About eight of us at the end of my cruise became a family. We sat at the piano bar each night listening to the pianist, and we became friends. It was a neat experience.

Overall, I was very happy with my princess cruise. I definitely ''came back new''.

I just got off my first princess cruise and I found that people were extremely friendly. There was about eight of us at the end of the cruise that became a family - we sat around the piano bar each night and we got to know each other.

On a side note, it helps when there's a good piano entertainer on board, and a group of people all enjoy the talent the pianist possesses. Friendships can be made over music.

A cruise experience is always better when people are friendly!

Hi Everyone

Thinking of taking the Island Princess thru the Panama Canal. Please let me know what you thought about the ship, food, entertainment and staff.

Thanx Bryna:)

I just got off the Island Princess on it's last cruise, and it was the Panama Canal itinerary. I highly recommend this cruise; the Panama Canal is one of the neatest things I have ever seen.

The food, staff, and entertainment were all good. - Especially the staff. I had the best waitress and bartender on Island that I've ever had. Every staff member I talked to was friendly and helpful.

From the entertainment I saw, it was good. I only went to one production show, so I can't really give you my opinion in that area. I spent every night in the piano bar. There is a really good piano entertainer on board right now. The day time activities were decent too.

As I have stated, I would highly recommend this cruise & itinerary.

Which production show did you see? I thought On the Bayou was terrific, but I felt like Motor City needed more rehearsing. There were several times the singers/dancers didn't seem to know where to be or what to do. And one singer forgot the words to a song.

 

I'm glad you had a good time as well. I thought it was a terrific cruise.

I saw the Piano Man show. It was alright, but after that I knew I wasn't going to spend anymore time in the theater.

The cruise was so good, and the weather was perfect!

I was also on this cruise, and I had a lovely time. I'm already missing the endless pampering and food. This was my first time on Princess, and the itinerary was wonderful. The Panama Canal was one of the neatest things I have ever seen.

The activites, crew, and food were great; especially the crew. I had the best bartender and waitress on this cruise that I've ever had.

I tried one production show in the theater, and in my opinion it was lacking. I spent all my nights in the Crooners Bar listening to the piano bar entertainer (Jim Long). He's very talented. And, I have ended up on three cruises with him.

I'm glad you had a great time.

Thanks. It's good to hear your favorable comments about the Island. I have been following the thread concerning how ugly this ship is and how much people don't like it and their comments have had me worried about my upcoming 3/4 cruise on the Island. Those comments plus so many empty cabins still available for my cruise plus only 4-5 people on our roll call have had me kind of nervous about my cruise. Glad to hear you're enjoying it so far.

I just got off the Island Princess on December fifth, and I had a wonderful time. The guests were an older age group which made it really nice. I never felt crowded when I was there; although, I went to one production show and all the seats were filled - that's the only time it felt crowded. The food, crew, and activities were good. I spent all my nights in the Crooner Bar listening to the piano bar entertainer. (Jim Long) I recommend you check him out; he's very good.

You will have a great time.

I was also on this cruise, and I was very pleased. Although the productions shows were lacking, the piano player/singer in the Crooners Bar was great. I spent all my evenings in there listening to him. This was my first princess cruise, and I would probably go back to them.

I just got off the Island Princess on the Dec. 5. I highly recommend you check out the piano entertainer that's in the Crooners Bar every night. (Jim Long) He's very talented.

Have a great cruise!