Is the Island Princess REALLY that bad???

[partybarbie]

I've sailed five times on the Island before the major renovation and once, for a 19-day Panama cruise, after the major renovation. In my experience, I didn't notice much of a difference.

 

We had late, traditional dining and booked one of the new balcony cabins on the Promenade deck. The balcony was beautiful, as it was the original wood and not the ugly blue plastic. We also had the new mattress, a wall-mounted flat-screen television, and a slightly larger shower, than the older cabins.

 

Most people don't like the new gym, no pool at the Sanctuary, and no IC. If these thing are important to you, then I'd pick a different ship. The Crooner's bar is fabulous though, so we spent a lot of time there.

 

Enjoy your cruise.:)

[eatdrinkfly]

I booked on the Island for next year because I wanted to see the new Ocean Medallion program in effect and I read through a LOT of comments/complaints and reviews while deciding on this cruise.

I came to the conclusion that the things people complained about wouldn't bother me, so we proceeded.

And the allure of getting to use the new technology tipped the scales in the Island's favour.

Buuuuuuuut... I'm scheduled to tour her next week, so I'm going to take a look for myself, but it would have to be something really drastic to make me jump ship, so to speak.

[nfox211]

I just came off the Island Princess this morning. Although I have never sailed on Coral so I have no comparison, we loved the ship!!!!

[mr green]

I think that the best answer to the question is this.

IF, the Island is now as good now, as some would say. WHY did Princess halt the plans to alter, (read butcher) the Coral as well.

[brian1]

I've sailed five times on the Island before the major renovation and once, for a 19-day Panama cruise, after the major renovation. In my experience, I didn't notice much of a difference.

 

We had late, traditional dining and booked one of the new balcony cabins on the Promenade deck. The balcony was beautiful, as it was the original wood and not the ugly blue plastic. We also had the new mattress, a wall-mounted flat-screen television, and a slightly larger shower, than the older cabins.

 

Most people don't like the new gym, no pool at the Sanctuary, and no IC. If these thing are important to you, then I'd pick a different ship. The Crooner's bar is fabulous though, so we spent a lot of time there.

 

Enjoy your cruise.:)

Sounds like the crooners bar is the only thing left.You must be easily pleased,lol,cheers,Brian.

[partybarbie]

Sounds like the crooners bar is the only thing left.You must be easily pleased,lol,cheers,Brian.

 

LOL, there are probably a few on here that would disagree with that statement. :evilsmile: ;) :halo: A good martini will take care of a lot though, and the Island Crooner's is the best!

[srpilo]

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.......

As some one like you who did sail the Island previously I agree with you 100%

 

Additionally I feel it's incumbent on all of as loyal Princess cruisers to rail against this kind of anti-consumer actions by Princess ,and when possible as a statement NOT book this ship as a way letting Princess know that they can't make decisions based on what ever makes them the most $$$ ,and at the same time take my business for granted in thinking that I'll sail on whatever il-conceived ship they care put out there .. I won't

 

Srpilo

[Brisbane41]

I have blacklisted Island Princess for life. I will never sail on the ship even if someone offered me money to pay me to cruise on it. The changes are totally unacceptable and as long as people keep embracing and celebrating mediocrity then Princess will keep delivering mediocrity. I have no problems calling the ship what it is. The ship is an overcrowded monstrosity that takes away public rooms and space and increases passenger capacity that is way out of control and takes away the relaxing comfort of a cruise holiday. When competing cruise ships with Celebrity and other lines have larger ships with less passengers it tells you a lot about which ship is best to sail on.

 

If you want my advice save your money and chose another ship. If you keep rewarding Princess by booking this dreadful ship then more ships will be changed like it. If people boycott the ship as they should then Princess will be forced to listen.

[NavyVeteran]

For some people, the Island is the only ship with suitable cabins. The additional cabins on the Promenade deck aft added 8 wheelchair accessible balcony cabins and 2 wheelchair accessible premium suites.

 

The Island Princess has 22 wheelchair accessible cabins in addition to these 10 new ones - 2 penthouse suites (on Caribe deck), 8 balcony cabins (4 on Baja deck and 4 on Caribe deck), 8 oceanview obstructed cabins (on the Emerald deck), and 4 inside cabins (on Plaza deck). This change increased the total number of wheelchair accessible cabins by almost half. Possibly more important, it doubled the number of wheelchair accessible suites and doubled the number of wheelchair accessible balcony cabins.

 

I don't think it was just for the money. A wheelchair accessible cabin uses up a lot more space than a normal cabin at no more revenue. This change may not seem like much to those of us who are fortunate enough not to require one of these cabins. But for those who cannot cruise without one, this change to the Island was a tremendous improvement - especially for those wheelchair dependent people who would like access to a balcony (something most of us take for granted).

 

I think Princess should be commended for making it possible for more wheelchair dependent people to cruise.

[gjcocruiser]

I agree 100% on this below.

 

 

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.

Long line for anytime dining on IP Jan '17 too

 

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[wishfulone]

Loved our Panama Transit on the Island Princess last November. Great crew, wonderful onboard lecturers, and Alfredo's pizza for lunch in Sabatinis. What more could you want?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I've sailed the Island twice (Panama and Alaska) after her metamorphosis and never prior to it. If I can afford one of the new aft suites on the Aloha or lido deck I would book that cabin over any other aft facing Suite in the Princess inventory. Those decks are absolutely amazing and the only way to see both the Panama Canal and Alaska.

However we spent a lot of time on the public decks as well during both cruises and never found it to be crowded. Even while in the locks and in glacier bay. Our cruise director added an additional early show (I think it was in the 5-6 pm range) for the most popular shows which helped enormously with crowd control.

We never found the enrichment lectures , trivia or other activities we wanted to do crowded or if they were we simply did not care. We are very flexible and hold no schedule while cruising. We don't use our phones and take off our watches so we typically would go to events in a very happenstance manner.

We could always find a lounge chair in the shade or sun as we pleased. Never had to wait for a drink.

I missed the IC and the adult only pool but loved the size of this ship so much that I would seek her out in a heart beat.

As always, likes and dislikes are supremely individual. Unless one of the cons mentioned is a personal deal breaker I'd suggest trying the Island out. And seriously if the lido deck corner suites are available just book it. Any of the Aloha deck suites are my second choice but still outstanding.

[srpilo]

 

I think Princess should be commended for making it possible for more wheelchair dependent people to cruise.

 

Really ??

If what you say is true then couldn't Princess as the benevolent cruiseline you make them to be simply remodeled ten exsisting cabins to make it possible for more wheelchair dependent people to sail the Island without the need to eliminate 1/3 of the public space ?

Or isn't the truer statement that Princess while making solely a money decision in adding more than100 additional cabins and suites to the exsisting space decided that there also extra money to be made in at the same time adding 10 additional wheelchair dependent cabins to the total money grab motivation that the destruction of the Island in reality is ?.

 

Lastly, while it's apparent that there are some who find the new Island fine, whether because they have the resources to utilize the new aft suites, or because they don't find the missing feature's important or have never sailed the old Island simply don't know the difference, BUT NO ONE here can dispute that taking 1/3" of any ship's public space away, and at the same time adding several hundred addition passengers can in any universe be considered a pro-passenger, pro-cruise experience or pro-handicap motivation by Princess.. But only a pro-money motivation- Period.

 

YMMV

Last post here

Srpilo

[Lyndihop]

Well, we're booked for a Panama Canal for February if 19. I've convinced myself that if we sailed the old Tropicale we could sail any ship. The mini suite looks very well appointed. And larger than the Celebrity balcony cabins we've had. What I see of the ship looks beautiful. We booked early dining. So that shouldn't be an issue. Just have to get to the theater a bit early. No big deal. We have as a perk the beverage package. So we'll enjoy a glass or two before the show starts. :rolleyes:

[Therese S.]

We sailed on the Island Princess in 2006 and again this past Nov 16 for the 19 day panama canal. I never thought the ship felt crowded, but did miss the Universal Lounge. I think it made for a very crowed Explorer's lounge for trivia and other shows of that type. You had to get there really early for a seat. Did miss the full walk around promenade, but cutting throw the doors to get to the other side wasn't a big deal.

 

My main big complaint was our room location. Originally we were in an inside cabin on the plaza deck, then we were upgraded to an ocean view on the fiesta deck, F705. The location was good, very near the Explorer's lounge, but avoid these rooms if you want a good nights sleep. They are located way in the back where the Universal lounge used to be. The first couple of nights it was thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, loud banging, then thump, thump all night. Guess we were just above the engines. The faster the ship was going the louder the thumping noise was. The noise did quiet down when the captain wasn't in such a hurry, but the thumping was always there. Heading back to LA, it was thumping all the way home.

 

Enjoyed the pool and hot tubs and really liked the layout of the Horizon court. I definitely would sail the Island again, just not in the added-on aft cabins.

 

We were told by the CD that Princess was contemplating adding an international cafe somewhere near the back of the casino.

[Lyndihop]

My creed to choosing a cabin is, ALWAYS have cabins above and below. We had a cabin once on Carnival. Right below where the large trays that were pulled out nightly to work on the ice sculptures:mad:

[san diego sue]

Had been on both the Island and Coral Princess several times. Then last November sailed on the Island after the changes.

Never missed the Universe Lounge. it was small, and never was able to accommodate people for the On the Bayeau show.

Most of the seats upstairs had poor viewing. So the new changes made the ship look newer and fresh. We had a fabulous cruise and would cruise on her again in a heartbeat.We did have fixed dining so didn't experience the lines that anytime may have had.

[zalusky]

I will never sail the Island again. Besides the promenade problem. I miss the rear pool. I HATE HATE that the exercise room is in the bowels of the ship with no windows. I so miss watching the water on the treadmills.

 

There are so many good ships out there to make me want to go back to this monstrosity and from what I know Princess recognizes they screwed up big time.

[PoppyandNana]

My creed to choosing a cabin is, ALWAYS have cabins above and below. We had a cabin once on Carnival. Right below where the large trays that were pulled out nightly to work on the ice sculptures:mad:

 

We also choose cabins on decks with cabins above and below. Amazes me the number of people who complain that their cabin is under the dining room as one person posted a few days ago. Even more absurd was she was adamant that it was the cruise lines fault for not informing her that she was likely to have a noisy cabin.

[Brisbane41]

It is becoming very clear by the comments that the only people who like Island Princess after the "destruction" are the people who have never cruised on it prior and know better. They are also the people who have never cruised on a premium line ship like the ships of Celebrity cruises where they have larger ships and less people. The people who like Island Princess after the "destruction" are relatively new to Princess cruises and have not experienced the better or past greatness of what Princess has on offer, they are also new to cruising or may have jumped up from low end lines that cater to mass crowds.

 

It is very clear that people who have been with Princess for decades and know what the cruise line is like and have more in depth knowledge of ships find the changes of Island Princess a total abomination. People who have cruised with Princess longer know the difference between the Grand class and the enlarged Grand class. People who have cruised with Princess longer are the ones likely to blacklist the Island Princess after the destructive changes and will be more vocal about it.

 

Of course there is always the exception to the rule who could not care less about what type of ship they go on and are dictated to by low prices, such people who are dictated by price definitely will not have strong opinions about the ship.

[janhtx]

We were on Island Alaska southbound a couple of weeks ago. I have never sailed IP before. Only previous experience with Princess was on Caribbean Princess 3 or 4 years ago. We were with another couple who's schedule dictated the sailing and land tour. Island Princess was really our only choice. Having said that, I don't disagree with some of the criticisms. I personally really prefer and utilize a deck that can be completely circled which IP does not have. Promenade has cabins and the sun or sports deck has the Sanctuary, plus you have to walk through the smoking area. The theater was super crowded several times and moderately crowded others. And I also like a place to get a light bite other than the buffet or room service. As we know IP does not have an IC. Was IP awful? No not at all. But having been on 15+ ships IP is near the bottom. As long as they have the scones in the buffet on the tea time afternoons it will never be the bottom ;)

[Interlochencruiselover]

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.

 

 

 

No Vines, no International Cafe, no dance place like a One5, but you can dance in one of the lounges. I didn't like how small the ship was, being able to stand in the middle and see out both sides, and on our 19 day to Panama the menu was a little recycled. Would I sail this ship again? No. Was the fact that it was Panamax sized to go through the canal a bother? No. The ship is good to go through the canal, but I like bigger ships. Enjoy your voyage!

 

 

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[eatdrinkfly]

I just was onboard today for a tour & lunch and she looks beautiful. definitely fresher than the Coral was when I sailed on her a few years back. from the staterooms that i toured it looks like a lot of the rooms have the new beds in place.

 

 

I agree that the fitness center with no windows isn't my favourite, but that's not a deal breaker for me. and as a trade-off, it is one of the larger and nicer looking gyms for a ship of that size, so I'll certainly use it.

 

 

i was impressed with how large the bars & lounges were... i'm used to ships where there's a bar and then a handful of tables and thats about it. loved the retracting roof on the pool - that will be great for Alaska sailings.

 

basically my visit made me very excited for my cruise on the Island next year.

I'm in the midst of posting loads of pictures on my travel instagram account eat.drink.fly if anyone wants to check out some pics.

[charlesb.katz@comcast.net]

re: the 60day grand south america cruise, traveling solo for the first time as a widower, am l taking a chance on a very boring/depressing experience?

charles

[partybarbie]

re: the 60day grand south america cruise, traveling solo for the first time as a widower, am l taking a chance on a very boring/depressing experience?

charles

 

I think it will be what you make of it. Join the roll call. There will be other solo cruisers there. Go to trivia and ask to join a team. When you go to the dining room, ask to be seated with others.

 

I'm sure it won't be the same as traveling with your spouse, but it's better than being home and depressed. I'm very sorry for your loss, and I hope that you go on the cruise and enjoy yourself.