Seas the Day

April 16

We are planning a trip in the auroral zone and wonder if there is a clear view up to the skies from these balconies. Our travel agent said Cunard told her they are not covered, but in photos it looks like they are covered.

January 4, 2018

We were on the same cruise as the OP and had a great experience. The Captain- Michele Tuvo added so much to the entire cruise with his ever presence all around the ship and his participation in activities.

On this cruise we saw many less scooters and wheelchairs and more passengers under 70 than most Princess cruises of this duration. It was the first cruise where we saw the theater empty out from the top to the bottom with those in the front rows having a much longer wait but this also was due to only having doors at the top. There could have been better scheduling of game shows and other activities because the afternoons had mostly seminars for the spa or other venues encouraging people to spend money on the ship. There were no movies in the Princess Theater, lots of MUTS movies out in the heat or cold, to fill time in the afternoon. This seemed strange to us since the Princess Theater was rarely used during the day when performers were not rehearsing. If you are a Trivia player they did have that 2-3 times a day

We knew of the changes and that people were very unhappy with the ship. We felt this and being close to Christmas resulted in a great last minute price reduction so didn't hesitate to book. Having now sailed on the Island with the changes it would not be our first choice but if the ship were the only one sailing to where we wanted to go, at the time we wanted to go, and especially for a great discounted price we would not hesitate to book once again. Having said that we would only book a mini-suite and not book another balcony cabin on this ship. In dry dock they put in the larger flat screen TVs in the same location as the older small ones were, they are not mounted on the wall, and we found we could no longer sit in the barrel or desk chair and watch it because we were much to close to it.

We were able to walk on the Promenade deck making a full circle by crossing thru the ship and even though we could not make this circle entirely on the open deck it worked very well for us and seemed to for many others.

We had sailed on the Island Princess twice before when she had the Universe Theater and really missed it. We found that the scheduling of activities in the Explorer's Lounge because of not having the Universe to use made viewing much more difficult because of the layout.

Maybe our experiences on our 32 Princess cruises have been different from others but early show times have always meant arriving at least 30 minutes early for a good seat and early dining in the anytime dining room, especially on sea days, has meant arriving early or having to wait for a table. We tried it for several cruises and the only way it worked for us was to get a standing reservation for a table for 2. We found some ships would not give us a standing reservation so now choose early traditional dining when ever possible.

I am sorry the OP had a much different experience but do agree that maybe Princess is not the cruise line for them because not all of their negative experiences can be attributed to just the Island Princess.

Thank you! I agree my post was not written gently. I wasn't whining, as some have said, but I was overwrought. As to whether it was worth having so much angst? Probably not! Have not all of us sometimes gotten so fed up that they didn't approach things as well as they should? I confess, I was pissed, and it definitely showed in what I wrote.

But, it isn't the end of the world, and I feel better today, and for Princess aficionados - just be careful about the Island Princess - I have no experience with the other ships, and probably won't in future (which I know you are all happy about!)

January 4, 2018

I apologize for the passenger comment - I did not mean to say that the ship was filed with bad people. We met many nice people, many like ourselves. What I meant was that there was less diversity than other cruises, and I like to meet people from other countries, people who help me learn more about the world. Is it elitist to think that my own point of view is limited, and I like to learn more? That is a hypothetical question. I was sad all last night because of some of the reactions to my initial post which was -admittedly- angry. I was upset with Princess, and the review was written accordingly.

Today is a new day, and a new year. I am not feeling keen about cruising as much at the moment, and thinking about more land-based travel. I wish I'd had a better experience, and perhaps didn't do as much research as I should. You probably won't believe this, but most of the time my husband and I "go with the flow." It likely was a tsunami of issues, but particularly compounded by my husband being stepped on, and then being offered a couple dinners - well, it struck a dozen nerves.

I wrote something negative, and in response I've received much negativity. It's really all just a shame, and I'm planning to move on and try to forget all the bad stuff, and focus on the good stuff. However, I still doubt I'll sail Princess again.

January 3, 2018

Sorry you didn't like your cruise. Did you know anything about
the Island before you booked?

It's a small ship. They took away pubic rooms to make more

cabins. To me means more people in less space.

Dinning.. could eat later and see the late show. Also ask

for table for two, get out faster.

I think your cruise started out wrong for you with the delay

and everything after that was not going to be right with you.

I'm sorry. Hope your husband is feeling better.

Yes! that's what we figured out. If we really wanted to see a show, we ate alone or went to the Horizon Court.

We spoke with a table of Travel Agents on board. They told us that 100 cabins were added to the ship, increasing the passenger load by 10%, and the space required was taken from Public Space. Also the Promenade Deck no longer allowed an entire circle of the ship. I don't know if it affected being able to move from Bow to Stern, but I admit to sometimes having to change floors to do so. This could easily be a rap on myself - I tend to learn every ship I am on just in time to disembark.

Per the delay, I've cruised enough to know that Post Dry-Dock is likely to have issues. Honestly, I started the cruise happy enough. I visited family in our unforeseen free day. I thought their compensation was fair. It wasn't until we had all the dining and entertainment issues that we started getting upset, and DEFINITELY when my husband was -in our opinion- a victim of what seemed like systemic issues - we weren't happy.

Eventually we figured out how to work around things and enjoyed what we could. It's just that I don't think we should have had to figure out so many work-arounds. It's just not what we are used to!

January 3, 2018

Agree 100% Outrageous expectation.

So I hear, but not quite the only point I was trying to make.

January 3, 2018

We use Anytime Dining all the time and have never had to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes. Plenty of time to order some wine in a nearby venue. Many times we walk right in. The trick, as it were, is adjust when you go to eat. And we still get to see the shows we care to see.

Lucky you!

As I've said, my experience may have been an anomaly, but it was unfortunate.

On the positive side, the Canal was cool.

January 3, 2018

You seemed upset that you could not do what you wanted when you wanted. You are not flexible and wanted to go to dinner when everyone else had the same idea to eat and catch the show. Felt the demographics was too old yet your husband got run over by these old geezers? People take out trip insurance in case of unforeseen problems, being such seasoned travelers I'm surprised you didn't. Try going on the mega ships on RC where you have to reserve your seats months before sailing......Glad the medical issues were not major and all is well.... Save travels in the future!

Thank you for the good wishes! and, you are correct - we are very lucky that nothing worse happened! We carry a year-long travel insurance policy because we travel so often. Sometimes we also purchase the ship insurance, particularly if we are going somewhere far away. We haven't tried to submit a claim to insurance yet for the medical. It really isn't about the $260 anyways. It was about how nothing was working. We/I were just SO FRUSTRATED.

As for the old geezers, since we too are retired, I guess we can't move fast enough to get out of their way.

As for the mega RC ships, I've actually been okay with them because there are so many options. Since there was more than one place to be at night, and much larger two-floor theaters with multiple exits, I didn't have a problem.

One time I was hurt on an RC Tour in KL, Malaysia - long story. I wrote about it in my final questionnaire (never posted a review) and was contacted and told that I could submit a claim if I wanted. I went to the doctor, turned out to be not an issue, and I didn't bother contacting RC again. I suppose I could have, but all's well that ends well. I was not upset at RC because they handled it in a manner that made me feel better.

January 3, 2018

WOW... just WOW! So very thankful that I won’t be running into you ( pun intended) on a future Princess Cruise. You lost me in the beginning with your harsh criticism of fellow passengers. Sounds like you are so much better than the rest of the world

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Yes, I questioned whether I should include that. I did meet some very nice people. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whatever the reason, I've just been lucky enough to meet people from other countries who turned into friends. And I liked getting to know them, and what it is like other places.

Of course, there were good people on board - I like meeting people different from myself! Is that too pompous?

January 3, 2018

I guess that is how anytime dining works. We choose the showtime that is appropriate for the time we want to have our dinner.

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I wish it worked for us!! Seriously! It just didn't. There were too many people who wanted the 7:30pm show. Every night people were turned away. We eventually gave up, and were happier. But, we really wanted to see some of the shows! Especially the Motor City one. I love Motown, having grown up in Detroit. But that was the show where we were headed when my husband was stepped on.

January 3, 2018

Also, for those of you who love Princess, we were repeatedly told that this particular cruise was NOT THE NORM for Princess. Princess elite cruisers repeatedly told us, "We ADORE Princess, but not this ship."

They added 100 cabins in Dry Dock and took away space. It is difficult to get directly from Stern to Bow nowadays. There are issues with the Island Princess that Princess devotees repeated throughout the cruise.

It is certainly possible that other Princess cruises are better than the non-Princess cruises that I've been on. I sailed on Princes in the 1980's and had a great time!

I can only speak for myself. I've sailed multiple lines, multiple times, in recent years - and this was not a good cruise.

The response to my complaints - two specialty dinners and a bottle of wine on a future cruise? It felt like an insult.

January 3, 2018

I haven't complained before, and don't intend to do so again. Typically, we roll with the flow.

Perhaps we shouldn't expect compensation for an injury. I think there are systemic issues with how the ship works, and they need to be fixed.

I read that it isn't an issue with Set Dining, and if I was ever planning to go Princess again, I would choose it. However, "Anytime Dining" worked well for us on Royal Caribbean and Silversea and Celebrity.

You can be upset with me for posting a negative review, but it is merely my opinion, and since I take 3-4 cruises a year, my opinion is typically positive! At least it is not that of someone who hasn't cruised a LOT OF times, across multiple cruise lines.

I can afford to pay for my own cruises.

January 3, 2018

I am a seasoned cruiser - having been on more cruises than I can count - on multiple

lines including: Carnival, Holland America, Princess, RoyalCaribbean, Celebrity, Cunard, Lindblad/National Geographic, and Silversea. My husband and I are elite members at Royal/Celebrity. I have never written anegative review…

...until this past cruise. We didn't mind (much) that embarkation was delayed for a day - which we didn't find out until the night before when checking email at our hotel. We were able to work around the fact that our hotel initially could not offer us another night because we were told Princess was holding rooms, but Princess Customer Service could not help. We didn't need to stay overnight in the ballroom that Princess reserved for guests without reservations. The broken window in our cabin for the first week was eventually fixed. The non-working AC when we first boarded was eventually fixed. These things were annoyances, and not enough to upset us.

I wasn't enthusiastic about the mix of passengers - I prefer a broader age range and geographic disbursement. This crowd was primarily American, and older than ourselves - and we are retired. In contrast, I've thoroughlyenjoyed meeting Europeans and Australians and Canadians –and Americans- aboard Royal/Celebrity/Silversea/Cunard, and we have friends across the world because of it! I so enjoy different points of view.

Here's what made us UPSET: We could not do what we wanted, when we wanted. Isn't that why we take cruises?

ENTERTAINMENT: SHOW UP EARLY OR YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT ONBOARD

* Evening entertainment consisted of a Theatrical Production and occasional Game Show

* The Theater does not have enough seats to accommodate passengers, and with few other options, seats were filled half an hour before show time

* If you do not arrive at the Theater a half hour early, you will not be able to sit with your significant other or maybe not get a seat at all (we were unable to get into three shows, and then stopped trying)

* Do not expect to get somewhere else quickly when leaving the theater. I saw no doors on the Lower Level, and nobody moves until the guests in the upper rows depart (and many don't move very well; re: age and disability). We (twice) waited fifteen minutes to start moving up the stairs towards the exit.

* We read about the Escape Room on Cruise Critic and wanted to sign up. I was first in line, having showed up 20 minutes early (learning from the Theater) and the staff member showed up 20 minutes late and took sign-ups in another location. Since there were only 60 slots, I was LUCKY toget two of them, despite showing up early.

* If you do not show up for Art Projects early enough, there are not enough materials.

* As usual, we enjoyed Trivia and other onboard games, and have many wine stoppers and some water bottles to show for it

DINING: YOU MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN WAITING IN LINE TO EAT AND SEEING A SHOW, OR NOT WAITING AND POTENTIALLY SEEING THAT NIGHT'S ENTERTAINMENT

* We chose "Anytime Dining" which we renamed,"NOT Anytime Dining"

* To finish dinner early enough for the 7:30pm show, you must be finished dining at 6:45pm - but if you show up between 5:15 - 5:45pm (too early anyways) there will be a long line

* If you show up between 6pm and 7pm, there will not be enough empty tables - and you will be given a pager

* If you eat with other passengers, hoping to meet new people, service takes two hours. You must eat alone if you hope to get out ofthe dining room quickly.

* If you go to the early show (offered some nights) and have dinner after, you miss the Game Shows at 8:00pm, and you are guaranteed a long line because the other Theater goers ALL rush the dining room at that moment

* If you decide - darn it, I'm just going to the buffet and eat quickly - you will have very little diversity of choice. Only half the area is active at one time, and choices are bland and REPETITIVE.

* If you decide - darn it, I'll spend the $29 per person and go to a Specialty Restaurant that IS better. The food is better. You are served quickly. We did that twice. I liked Sabatini's. The Crab Shack was disappointing, but I lived in Maryland for four years - so I know GOOD crab.

I CAN'T IMAGINE NEEDING TO GET SOMEWHERE IMPORTANT QUICKLY

* Lack of diversity (in entertainment and constitution of guests) could result in too many people in one spot at a particular time, and could lead to possible injury (my husband being stepped on)

* My husband was trampled during a rush to see a Production Show in the theater, and hurt his foot badly enough that it required an X-Ray.The doctor aboard suspected a bone fracture, and he wore a walking cast/bootfor two days - until a radiologist on land was able to clear him - two days of hobbling around later.

AFTER REVIEW OF OUR CONCERNS, PRINCESS OFFERED US TWO $29 SPECIALTY DINNERS AND A BOTTLE OF SHIP WINE ON A FUTURE CRUISE. They did not reverse medical charges of $261, which we asked to be refunded. They did not provide compensation for my husband trying to walk in a boot for two days. It was never about the money for my husband and me - we wanted them to care about the issues we faced. We wanted a CARE FREE vacation.

Note: all guests on this sailing were offered 15% off a future cruise due to the late embarkation. We do not plan to take them up on this offer.

Princess? I plan to avoid it. I cruise 3-4 times a year, and it won’t be on Princess.

January 3, 2018

What does that mean? I'm not sure what a Manifesto is? I only know how unhappy my husband and I are/were.

January 3, 2018

I just came back from a disappointing Panama Canal cruise. has anyone else tried Princess and had issues?

January 3, 2018

I am writing to say that I am happy that I typically cruise Royal and Celebrity. I've never had the issues I just had on Princess. Does anyone else agree?

January 3, 2018

I am a seasoned cruiser - having been on more cruises than I can count - on multiple

lines including: Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Cunard, Lindblad/National Geographic, and Silversea. My husband and I are elite members at Royal/Celebrity. I have never written a negative review…

...until this past cruise on the Island Princess departing December 6/7 2017. We didn't mind (much) that embarkation was delayed for a day - which we didn't find out until the night before when checking email at our hotel. We were able to work around the fact that our hotel initially could not offer us another night because we were told Princess was holding rooms, but Princess Customer Service could not help. We didn't need to stay overnight in the ballroom that Princess reserved for guests without reservations. The broken window in our cabin for the first week was eventually fixed. The non-working AC when we first boarded was eventually fixed. These things were annoyances, and not enough to upset us.

I wasn't enthusiastic about the mix of passengers - I prefer a broader age range and geographic disbursement. This crowd was primarily American, and older than ourselves - and we are retired. In contrast, I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting Europeans and Australians and Canadians –and Americans- aboardRoyal/Celebrity/Silversea/Cunard, and we have friends across the world because of it! I so enjoy different points of view.

Here's what made us UPSET: We could not do what we wanted, when we wanted. Isn't that why we take cruises?

ENTERTAINMENT: SHOW UP EARLY OR YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT ONBOARD

* Evening entertainment consisted of a Theatrical Production and occasional Game Show

* The Theater does not have enough seats to accommodate passengers, and with few other options, seats were filled half an hour before show time

* If you do not arrive at the Theater a half hour early, you will not be able to sit with your significant other or maybe not get a seat at all (we were unable to get into three shows, and then stopped trying)

* Do not expect to get somewhere else quickly when leaving the theater. I saw no doors on the Lower Level, and nobody moves until the guests in the upper rows depart (and many don't move very well; re: age and disability). We (twice) waited fifteen minutes to start moving up the stairs towards the exit.

* We read about the Escape Room on Cruise Critic and wanted to sign up. I was first in line, having showed up 20 minutes early (learning from the Theater) and the staff member showed up 20 minutes late and took sign-ups in another location. Since there were only 60 slots, I was LUCKY to get two of them, despite showing up early.