augies

Manzanillo was a substitute stop for Cabo. As you say, the damage was the reason. After visiting Cabo twice in recent years, I think Princess should make Manzanillo a legit stop on all Panama Trips. Even extending the hours of the stop so people can go deep sea fishing or spend more time at the beach would be nice. This is the sailfish capital of the world, they say!

 

 

Eric, you are welcome. If you have a specific question, just ask! Personally, I am liking this ship alot. It has a small ship feel and has never felt crowded at all. Enjoy your trip.

MTJSR...thanks for all the information. DH and I are on the Island Panama Canal partial transit on 12/29. There are still lots of cabins available and I'm a little nervous it might be too quiet with no one out on the decks like you reported. Are you still having fun? Are there people dancing in Explorers, etc.? I still have time to make a change.

Thanks for your comments. I hope you and your mom are having a wonderful cruise.

Thanks for all the replies.

Should we drop the bags first and then park?

Is it tough to get a parking spot at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale? We're on the Island in December. According to cruisett.com there will be 3 other ships at Port Everglades on the same day.

Any advise about parking there is appreciated.

Thanks RickEk. Great pictures.

When posters refer to secret viewing doors on the Island Princess which decks are they on? Are there doors on the dolphin deck forward and aft? Also, is there seating available in this location? Would this be a good location for Panama Canal viewing?

Thanks.

Honestly, he cabin number means nothing to him. He just wants to know that we're in the aft section of the ship because he's sensitive to motion and is more comfortable there.

Thanks for all the replies and information.

Is the cabin type printed on cruise cards? I upgraded from a balcony to a mini suite for an upcoming cruise in December. It's a surprise for DH and I'm hoping it's not on his cruise card in case he takes a good look at it before we get to our cabin.

Thanks.

We were on Island last year and it was everything everyone has said on here, apart from fact that I don't think we had a celebration in UK time.

 

I do seem to recall that they showed the celebrations around the world throughout the day on the TV and the big screen starting with Sydney Harbour, so it sort of lasted all day and culminated in a party around the Pool.

 

To be honest until I looked at the photos, I couldn't remember whether or not we were around the Pool or the Atrium at the exact moment the New Year arrived, but I now think we were around the Pool watching the countdown until there were a couple of minutes to go when we went to the top level of the Atrium before returning to the pool area where they had set up a special bar selling champagne.

 

It was a formal evening and, if the ladies' wanted their hair done for the evening, they did need to book on day 1.

Sounds wonderful. We've cruised on the Island before but this is our first on NYE. We can't wait to go. Thanks for your comments.

I am a Lipton tea drinker. I always bring my own tea bags just in case and had to use them on several cruises.

I am in the process of planning our first Alaskan cruise on the Crown Princess for next summer, which will be leaving/returning out of Seattle and traveling the inside passage with Glacier Bay. I have a request from those experienced for recommendations for the following:

 

1). Recommendations for a reasonably priced hotel in Seattle near Pier 91 that shuttles to the port. Or, a reasonably priced hotel and other shuttle recommendations.

 

2). Recommendations for must do excursions out of Skagway, Juneau and Ketchican.

 

I appreciate any feedback that will assist in our planning.

Our all time favorite tour in Alaska is the Bear Country and Wildlife Expedition in Ketchikan. This is an awesome experience. The main attraction is black bears. We saw adult and baby bears in a beautiful natural environment fishing for salmon, playing, etc. This is a Princess tour and a little pricey at $199 ea. but worth every cent!!

We were booked on the Sun several years ago in a balcony cabin. When we boarded DH asked about an upgrade at the pursers desk. The next day we received a call in our cabin offering an upgrade to a mini suite. There was a charge but it was very little compared to the actual price for a mini suite. So we went for it and ended up in D750. This is the best cabin we ever had...it was at the back of the ship with a wake view. It was called a mini but was much bigger than the ones on the newer ships. Ever since then we are hooked on Princess!!

Does anyone know if Princess will usually have the Crab Shack and Pub lunch on different days? I'd like to do both but don't know if that's too much food for one day!!

Our last three cruises were two week holiday ones from LA to Hawaii' date=' the first of which was on the Island.

 

NYE was a formal dinner on those three cruises and there was always a balloon drop in the grand atrium at midnight. Also countdowns for NYE in the UK and possibly any other time zone that covers a huge number of passengers.

 

Photos from the Golden Princess, 12/31/12:

balloons:

the party:

entrees from NYE menu:

teen with NYE hat:

Looks wonderful. Thanks for the pictures too.

Caribill, thanks for the pictures. Looks great!!

What festivities can we expect on New Year's Eve? We'll be on Island Princess Panama Canal this year. Will there be a special menu, shows, parties, etc.? Also, will passengers be more dressed up than a usual formal night?

Thanks for your comments.

We did this very cruise a couple years ago. Decorations were still up for the New Years party in the atrium :D wow what a party!! If you would have seen the atrium around 02:00 am you would have thought it would never get cleaned from balloons and streamers but, as usual the staff had it sparkling again by bedtime:p

I think the ship did sail full, but it never seemed overly crowded.

Enjoy you will have a blast (we did)

We booked this one on the 29th because we thought we would it would be fun to be on a ship for the new year celebration and maybe not so many kids on board. Also, we can spend Christmas at home with our kids and grand children and then unwind on the cruise!

The best thing we ever brought to Alaska is a two piece jacket. The outer shell is a sturdy waterproof windbreaker. The second layer is a soft, cozy fleece jacket. Pieces can be worn together or independently depending on the weather...warm, cold, wet, whatever. We got ours at LL Bean. I wore this constantly...even over my PJs on the balcony.

Xmas decorations are usually left up[ until January 1.

 

Holiday cruises are usually the highest cost for the itinerary and may be slow to get booked. Ship will likely sail full. Look for some good sales along the way.

Thanks Caribill!

Thanks everyone. We are excited and can't wait to go!

We were on a January 19 2014 Panama and had a great cruise. Weather was great. I think the length and time of the cruise makes a difference. 9 days and right after Christmas is not a good time for families to cruise.

On a different note, we took the Panama Canal & Locks Transit by Boat (PC1-615) (169 pp) and it was great. hour bus ride to the Galliard Cut and then a ferry through the remaining 2 locks. You get up close and personal with the locks. Got a picture of my wife touching the side of the locks. A great experience to go through the locks in a small ferry. The lunch was pretty good and plenty of it as well as plenty of water and soft drinks. You will read some negative reviews of the trip, but we and the other on the ferry had a great time and experience. Makes me wonder if the naysayers were on the same excursion I was.

Enjoy your cruise you are in for a treat.

Thanks for your reply.

We are planning on taking Panama Canal Locks Transit tour too. Sounds like a wonderful experience.

I really hope more bookings show up soon!

We're booked on the 12/29/14 Panama Canal on the Island.

Two questions:

1. Will the Christmas decorations still be up?

2. There are hundreds of cabins still available...I thought a new year's cruise would be full by now. Is this an undesirable time to go?

What are your thoughts?

Thanks

The Panama Canal by boat is IMHO the best tour and best way to see the Panama Canal. While pricy, I think it's worth the $$. I've taken other tours at the Canal and the boat trip was by far the best. The train trip wasn't worth it since there's so much vegetation you see very little from the train.

 

Haven't done the aerial tram in Limon.

Thanks Pam. I appreciate the information.

Eileen

Does CC have excursion reviews? I find port info but not tour info. We're on a Panama Canal partial transit in Dec. and would like to know if past passengers would recommend the following 2 Princess tours:

Panama Canal Locks and Transit by Boat tour - Panama Canal

Rainforest Aerial Tram, Tortuguero Canals & Lunch - Limon

They are both kind of pricey and we are wondering if they are worthwhile.

Thanks for your comments.

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I searched online & found a Princess Facebook page that said the Crab Shack is available on the Island Princess.

 

"Have you heard about the new "Crab Shack" menu offering on the Royal, Star, Grand and Island Princess. Cost is $20 per person.".

 

Crab Shack – Seafood lovers will have a full crab shack experience, complete with mallets, bibs and buckets. Diners can enjoy crawfish in a Bayou-style “Mud Bug” boil, spiced peel and eat shrimp, or a mixed steamer pot filled with snow crab, jumbo shrimp, clams, and mussels. Cover charge: $20

Thanks for taking the time to research this. We are so excited to be on the Island to the Panama Canal in 12/2014. We haven't cruised for 2 years. Can't wait to try the crab shack. We're also going to try the UBD. Just have to pick the right night!

Is there a crab shack on the Island?

Thanks