Island Princess/New to Princess

[dgr231]

Hello everybody,

 

My GF and I are looking to take our 3rd cruise and we're looking, in particular, at a 10 day cruise to Panama on the Island Princess. Our prior 2 cruises have both been with Carnival and we enjoyed both immensely.

 

I have a question regarding a particular part of the ship. We are looking at a room that is located on the Emerald deck forward. My concern is that the room is located above the theater so I am worried that it may be overly noisy. Has anybody stayed in this area of this deck and can confirm if there have been any issues?

 

Also, I would be curious to know some of the differences between the two lines (Carnival and Princess), preferably from someone who has cruised on both (I have cruised on the Carnival Miracle and Inspiration).

 

Thank you all for your help!

[BobT172]

Good quesion about the theater... I have never stayed directly above it so someone else would have to answer... nor have I ever seen any complaints aboout it. The last show is usually about 10:00 which means it'll be out by 11:00. Unless you are early to bed, you won't even know its there...

 

You have picked a great itinerary on a great ship. You will truly enjoy it. If you are interested in excursions, one of the best we've ever taken was to the Authentic Embera Indian Village ... after the ship goes thru the 3 locks into Gatun Lake, they let you off an you take a powered dug-out canoe up a tropical rain forest river about 45 minutes to a native village. It was a fantastic experience and the people and culture and kids are beautiful and amazing.

[dgr231]

Good quesion about the theater... I have never stayed directly above it so someone else would have to answer... nor have I ever seen any complaints aboout it. The last show is usually about 10:00 which means it'll be out by 11:00. Unless you are early to bed, you won't even know its there...

 

You have picked a great itinerary on a great ship. You will truly enjoy it. If you are interested in excursions, one of the best we've ever taken was to the Authentic Embera Indian Village ... after the ship goes thru the 3 locks into Gatun Lake, they let you off an you take a powered dug-out canoe up a tropical rain forest river about 45 minutes to a native village. It was a fantastic experience and the people and culture and kids are beautiful and amazing.

That sounds phenominal! We are still in the process of making sure that this is the right trip for us but should we decide so, that sounds like an excellent idea.

 

The reason that I ask about being above the theater is that I have read terrible reviews of ships that I've been on and had an excellent time on that were only bad because the noise level was unbareable being above a theater or lounge. We are not early-to-bed people so it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but I just want to make sure.

[dnt4382]

DW and I recently completed a 10 day Island Princess cruise from FTL to ACA on the Island. Great ship. We agreed that this is our favorite Princess ship so far. Smaller than the grand class, but big enough to have all the amenities. You will love the ship. Don't know about noise above the theatre, but we stayed above the lounge in the back of the ship on another cruise and didn't here a sound, even during the shows.

 

Enjoy!!

[dgr231]

DW and I recently completed a 10 day Island Princess cruise from FTL to ACA on the Island. Great ship. We agreed that this is our favorite Princess ship so far. Smaller than the grand class, but big enough to have all the amenities. You will love the ship. Don't know about noise above the theatre, but we stayed above the lounge in the back of the ship on another cruise and didn't here a sound, even during the shows.

 

Enjoy!!

Thank you for letting me know about the lounge because I was looking at rooms on the same deck AFT, but didn't know if engine noise or vibrations would be an issue. I appreciate the input.

 

In terms of ship size, I think I would really like it. If I recall correctly, it is around 92,000 GRT and the Carnival Miracle (my favorite ship that I've been on to date) is 88,000 GRT.

[swissfamily]

Hi,

I just booked a Princess cruise on the Emerald floor as well. After booking I realized that we are above a lounge. I searched the CC site for noise, etc and found a lot of people saying noise was not an issue and that they enjoyed being a floor above the main floor. My impression has been that a theatre isn't bad as the shows are limited. We are going to be above a Lounge and I think it will be ok from what I've read. A lot probably depends if you are on a party boat vs a scenic boat. We are going to Alaska and from what I've read it is a pretty quiet environment.

 

Happy cruising.

[dgr231]

Hi,

I just booked a Princess cruise on the Emerald floor as well. After booking I realized that we are above a lounge. I searched the CC site for noise, etc and found a lot of people saying noise was not an issue and that they enjoyed being a floor above the main floor. My impression has been that a theatre isn't bad as the shows are limited. We are going to be above a Lounge and I think it will be ok from what I've read. A lot probably depends if you are on a party boat vs a scenic boat. We are going to Alaska and from what I've read it is a pretty quiet environment.

 

Happy cruising.

I have only done Caribbean cruises which I supposed would fall under party boat. What would a Panama cruise on the Island Princess be considered? My instinct would say scenic...

[Colo Cruiser]

Check out this site....

 

http://mysite.verizon.net/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html

[katisdale]

I think the Panama Canal cruise we went on was more educational than party. The trip through the locks (built from 1910 to 1914) is just plain amazing. The two guys in the row boat who come out to get the lines that are attached to the electric mules must be fearless. Of everything I saw that amazed me the most. A huge ship that could crush them and they casually row out and get the lines and row back. I enjoyed the book "The Path Between The Seas" by David McCullough I think, which I read before we left. It is a engineering marvel and needs to be seen to be appreciated. Of course being on the cruise ship meant we were well fed and having fun at the same time we were learning. As far as the cabin goes I have only had one noisy cabin on a Princess ship. We were on the Carribean Princess in an obstructed ocean view cabin that was directly above doors which led out to the promenade deck. Everyone going out on deck let the door slam. It was only truly quiet from about 1 to 4 AM. Other than that no problems being over lounges or near elevators. We have never been over the theater or under the horizon court.

[mr green]

We were on Coral, sister to Island, above the theater. We heard very little, AND the theater is not normally used after 11.00pm.

 

john

[Gotribe]

I have only done Caribbean cruises which I supposed would fall under party boat. What would a Panama cruise on the Island Princess be considered? My instinct would say scenic...

 

Cruises that are longer than seven days tend to attract a bit of an older crowd than shorter cruises. Panama Canal crowds are generally not as party-oriented as Caribbean crowds.

The Princess Panama Canal passengers will be more sedate than a Carnival Caribbean seven day cruise. There will be relatively fewer children on this cruise.

For any passenger who wants nightlife Princess has plenty of entertainment to keep you busy every night of the cruise. There are live shows every night, a theme party most nights, bands in the lounges and the casino.

Because it isn't a late night crowd Princess didn't put a disco on this ship. They use the Explorer's Lounge as an improvised late night disco but it's lightly attended.

It's an excellent ship, large enough but not too large. 2000 passengers don't overcrowd it. And you meet lots of really friendly people on this cruise.

[RickEk]

Thank you for letting me know about the lounge because I was looking at rooms on the same deck AFT, but didn't know if engine noise or vibrations would be an issue. I appreciate the input.

 

In terms of ship size, I think I would really like it. If I recall correctly, it is around 92,000 GRT and the Carnival Miracle (my favorite ship that I've been on to date) is 88,000 GRT.

 

There is some vibration to be sure when you have an aft cabin, but it is entirely manageable. The only time you'll definitely notice a lot of vibration is when docking/undocking and the ship is using it's thrusters...

[mizLORInj]

Hi. The Princess ships are more elegant in decor than Carnival's colorful-ness (is that a word?). I like both lines though and either style of decor is fine by me. Island may be smaller than Miracle (passenger # anyway). I loved Miracle too. Carnival has large cabins, so prepare for a smaller cabin on Princess.

The service and food is quite comparable between the two lines. Princess pizza is #1 on a cruise ship, with Carnival coming in at #2. Dining room and buffet food similar.

I don't expect a big party crowd on my upcoming 10 night Island PC transit as the last Princess 10-nighter I took was quite quiet at night. But still was wonderful and we are always sad to leave any ship.

I will miss the outside movie screen on the Island!

ENJOY!!

[CALMOM]

I have sailed with Carnival and Princess. I like both cruise lines for different reason. I usually find the itinerary I want and then decide which cruise line.

 

Carnival has larger cabins, a little better selection of food, more activities, especially at night. Carnival has some personalized touches that Princess does not, like they will decorate a cabin for first time cruisers, birthdays, etc. I find the age range to be kids to 40's.

 

Princess has smaller cabins but their bedding is very nice and you have a refrig in your cabin. Balcony furniture is nicer on Princess. Food quality is about the same. The decor is a little more mature. The night life is much quieter then on Carnival. The age range is young adults to 90's.

 

We cruised Carnival when the kids were younger, I felt it had a larger activity choice. However, now they are grown and we are actually taking them on Princess to Alaska in July.

 

I would sail on either one, though.

[dgr231]

Thank you to everyone for your responses.

 

I anticipated that it would be a more sedate (for lack of a better term) crowd which I'm actually looking for. I enjoy the party atmosphere of Carnival, but would like a change of pace for this cruise. I figured a 10 day Panama Canal cruise would be a great way to see some unfamiliar sites and get some much needed relaxation.

 

@RickEk - Thank you for clarifying the vibration issue. I don't think it would be an issue. Do you tend to feel it less the higher up you go? Also, does it only affect the back few cabins or can it be felt over the back 1/4 or 1/5 of the rooms (I've only stayed in the mid and front portions of a cruise ship)?

 

@CALMOM & mizlorinj - Thank you for the comparisons. It is nice to have that information to pass on to my GF.

 

@Colo Cruiser - Awesome site. I will definitely look more into this.