ahracer

1 hour ago, tbmrt said:

We are planning to come down from Naples taking 75 to 95 to 595 to 395...Was 95 packed after intersecttion of 75?  Dread Miami traffic.

We didn't have any problems coming or going. Which is a first!

We ended up arriving around 1:30pm. No traffic issues at all. Plenty of parking spots. I believe there were 4 ships in port.

Sailing on the Scarlet Lady on May 26th and was wondering if garage fills up quickly. Our boarding time isn't until 3:00pm so hoping not to arrive too early to get a parking spot.

Thanks,

Scott

How far in advance can reservations be made? 

Thanks for the replies.

I am disappointed that 6:00pm may actually mean 5:30pm.

My reservation says:

Dining Requested 6:00pm

Dining Confirmed 6:00pm

Dining Time:

6:00pm (wait listed #52) Table of 4

Does that mean I am confirmed for 6:00 but wait listed for a table of 4?

Also find it strange that a week ago I was #17 now #52.

posted on wrong forum

We were married on the aft baha deck in 2003. Whenever we would sail on the Island we would go back there and stand in the same spot we took our vows.....sad it is gone at least we have the pictures:)

Sadly I am not able to change the flight - it was a deep discounted fare so we'll have to just let it go. We'll still try for 9:45 but not likely we will make it. To make lemons out of lemonade though, I now have a Plan B. We're going to rent a car and check out Fort Lauderdale after we disembark, and will fly home on points the following morning. I've heard Sawgrass Mills is worth a look :)

You should not have to use your points to fly home if you miss your flight. Just go to the ticket counter as soon as you get to the airport and explain you were delayed getting to the airport. They will put you on the next available flight. Worse case they'll charge you the change fee but more than likely they won't.

Opens at 6:00am. I usually arrived around 7:30am and used the treadmills.

We found out we had to tip the M'D to get a table for two with anytime dining even though we were there when they opened. We were told there were no 2 tops when we could see many. Others went past us to "their" tables. We pressed the issue, did not tip and eventually prevailed. I complained here on CC and there was a long thread on it. I'm wondering if that was your experience? Hope it was not. Hope there was some action take by Princess. The cruise was great otherwise.

No, we did not have to tip. In fact the Maître De was very pleasant. My only question is why our seating preference was ignored when there were plenty of tables available in our seating. Note this isn't just a Princess problem I encountered it on other cruise lines also.

One thing I didn't mention but the more I think about it still bothers me. The Maitre De and Head Chef were inseparable. During the dinner hours they would be walking around the public areas and we saw them dining together at Sabatini's and the Bayou almost nightly. The only place there weren't found was the dining room except for the last night.

I think it is great that they are out and about for passengers to see but......

My chilled seafood appetizer is room temperature more than one night, my medium steak is well done, my souffle is the consistency of a muffin most nights.

Perhaps if they were in the dining room and kitchen during meal service they would catch these issues. I kept waiting for Robert Irvine or Gordon Ramsay to burst in and start yelling :)

Jean Paul is currently on the Island Princess.

see above in red

It wasn't that they were eating at the buffet. The second seating was only about half full. The other sections were closed off from night one. The maître de was going to look into what happened but I never heard back from him. It was kind of funny because he immediately went into his explanation that there were more request for a table for two then they had available. Then when he noticed it was for the late seating he laughed and said that's a different story I have all kinds of room.

The new furniture was nice looking but it wasn't the most comfortable to sit in for long.

Just got off this morning and killing time at the airport.

This was our third cruise on the Island and we were not disappointed. The hull needs a good sanding and fresh coat of paint but you only notice that when you are off the ship looking at it. On board everything was in fine condition.

Embarkation was painless, we arrived right about about 11:00 and had one couple in front of us in the preferred line. We boarded at 11:45 and went straight to cabin to drop bags.

If anybody ever forgets to pack pants you will not find anything but sweat pants in the onboard shops. I had to wait until day 3 when we stopped in Aruba until I could buy some. Luckily I rented a tux so I was able to wear those pants the first nights.

Booked our cruise almost a year in advance and still did not get out table preference. Had to go see the maître de to get reassigned. Was surprised to find the dining room was half empty since this wasn't a full cruise. Don't understand how we don't get our requested table size when the dining room is half empty...

We had great weather except for showers in Jamaica.

Aruba- We did a dive through Princess. They use Red Sail as the operator. They were adequate and dives were nice. Equipment wasn't the greatest but it worked.

Cartegena - Walked through the cruise terminal and picked up a $20pp tour. There were 8 total in the van and tour was about 3 hours. Interesting city but it was hot. The cruise terminal has a wildlife area that was very nice. Parrots, toucans, deer, monkeys and other creatures roaming about.

Canal - After reaching Gatun Lake we took the small boat tour that takes you through the remaining locks to the Pacific. It was ok. Glad we got to the other locks but they really cram why to many people on a small boat.

Limon - just walked around town.

Ocho Rios - just walked around for a bit and went back to the ship. With the pullout of RCCL from the Ocho Rios things have gone down hill. Most of the shops were vacant. We we told that night that was the last stop there for the Island and future cruises will be going to Grand Cayman.

Disembarkation - We were in self help 2 group and we were at the airport and through security at 8:15am.

We had the shampoo dispenser installed a few days into the cruise . Also balcony furniture was replaced on our first port day.

The gym is small on the Island and there is know place to stretch.

Food was okay. The Dining Room was good most nights but they were hit or miss with some dishes. Horizon Court was pretty bad. Breakfast was okay but lunch.......I ate Pizza most days.

We spent most of our time relaxing in the Lotus Pool area and didn't really participate in many activities.

The Island Princess is still our favorite ship!

Scott

I hope they are still on the Island Princess the next two weeks.

One of our cruises we asked the cabin steward for some extras to take home and he brought a bag full!

I don't know why Princess doesn't sell it in the gift shops or Spa.