Disappointing Pacific Coastal Cruise on the Island Princess

[Kande Korth]

I recently traveled on the Island Princess from Vancouver to San Francisco on September 24 to 27, 2014. I have not been on a cruise since 1985 and was really looking forward to this cruise as I love being "at sea".

 

Embarkation in Vancouver was smooth. However my traveling companion and I were confused by the prominent signs that said that "tipping was not required" for the porters who were there to help us with our luggage. It was immediately clear that the porters expected a tip and we did give them one. On our first trip together on the QEII in 1979 from NYC to Southampton we were not allowed to take our luggage on board. It was taken from us and taken on board by the teamsters, no questions asked! No tipping either. We realized this was not the procedure in Vancouver as we saw most passengers taking their luggage on board themselves.

 

We had a balcony stateroom and it was satisfactory. The shower is small as I had noticed in many other reviews but it was wonderful having a balcony and we loved our room steward Norman! He kept our ice bucket full around the clock in our refrigerator and that was most appreciated!

 

I was very disappointed in seeing every deck except the Promenade deck had high blue plastic panels blocking our direct access to a view of the sea. Most of the passengers tried to squeeze their cameras between the panels to get unobstructed views of the scenery as we were leaving Vancouver. The rest of us crowded onto the landings at the top of the stairways between decks as they gave clear shots at the scenery as they were above the blue panels.

 

The food also was for the most part disappointing and mediocre. I was shocked to see that their interpretation of hash browns at breakfast was a "McDonald's" style round hockey puck of a hash brown. The bacon was very tasty as were the eggs.

 

My companion and I both enjoyed the crusty rolls at dinner but other than a tasty fettucine alfredo I was very disappointed in their lunch and dinner fare. The Lido deck grill served hamburgers and french fries that were worse than what I get at my favorite fast food place. I told Princess (in my review to them) to put barbecues on their Lido decks and serve some delicious char broiled hamburgers and hot dogs.

 

The desserts were blah and we we sometimes didn't even eat more than one bite. Cutting all the cakes long before serving them ensures a dried out piece of cake! I heard they had ice cream on the Lido deck but was appalled to learn it was soft serve! I told them to buy Haagen Daaz and serve that.

 

I was pleased that they had the muster drill before disembakation and Jill from the Cruise Staff was a delightful leader at the drill. I also must praise Stephen of the recreation staff as he was delightful also.

 

I attempted to call their reservation line one afternoon for a dinner reservation and was unable to get through. I went down to the Staff Desk and they got me through. However there were no reservations available. I told them they should simply put a short outgoing message that stated that rather than not answer the phone calls to the reservation desk.

 

We greatly enjoyed our visit to Victoria. We had a wonderful bus driver who took us on our trip to the Butterfly and Butchart Gardens. Loved him, loved all of the gardens! Would love to see more of Victoria in the future.

 

We enjoyed the "Movies Under The Stars" with the popcorn.

 

We got a few nice professional photos of our trip but I was sorely disappointed to see that the old style of photography onboard with busy photographers taking many shots of all of the passengers and their daily

activities was not happening onboard the Island Princess. I hope that all cruise lines don't follow this style of photography now.

 

We sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to dock in San Francisco. It was still dark as it was a 7am docking but many of us intrepid souls were out on deck to witness the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Disembarkation was smooth at the new San Francisco Cruise Terminal which had just opened two days before our arrival. They have a large adjoining area that allowed all of the taxis and personal cars to easily wait for their passengers with no foul ups.

 

We flew to Vancouver originally on an inexpensive flight arranged by Princess and we both live close to San Francisco so docking there was just a short ride home.

 

Loved all of the staff that I interacted with but did not love the ship. I will not be sailing on Princess in the future.

[OCruisers]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. Just goes to show how many different opinions there can be. Most love Island Princess. :confused:

LuLu

[KruzPrincess]

I recently traveled on the Island Princess from Vancouver to San Francisco on September 24 to 27, 2014. I have not been on a cruise since 1985 and was really looking forward to this cruise as I love being "at sea".

 

Embarkation in Vancouver was smooth. However my traveling companion and I were confused by the prominent signs that said that "tipping was not required" for the porters who were there to help us with our luggage. It was immediately clear that the porters expected a tip and we did give them one. On our first trip together on the QEII in 1979 from NYC to Southampton we were not allowed to take our luggage on board. It was taken from us and taken on board by the teamsters, no questions asked! No tipping either. We realized this was not the procedure in Vancouver as we saw most passengers taking their luggage on board themselves.

 

We had a balcony stateroom and it was satisfactory. The shower is small as I had noticed in many other reviews but it was wonderful having a balcony and we loved our room steward Norman! He kept our ice bucket full around the clock in our refrigerator and that was most appreciated!

 

I was very disappointed in seeing every deck except the Promenade deck had high blue plastic panels blocking our direct access to a view of the sea. Most of the passengers tried to squeeze their cameras between the panels to get unobstructed views of the scenery as we were leaving Vancouver. The rest of us crowded onto the landings at the top of the stairways between decks as they gave clear shots at the scenery as they were above the blue panels.

 

The food also was for the most part disappointing and mediocre. I was shocked to see that their interpretation of hash browns at breakfast was a "McDonald's" style round hockey puck of a hash brown. The bacon was very tasty as were the eggs.

 

My companion and I both enjoyed the crusty rolls at dinner but other than a tasty fettucine alfredo I was very disappointed in their lunch and dinner fare. The Lido deck grill served hamburgers and french fries that were worse than what I get at my favorite fast food place. I told Princess (in my review to them) to put barbecues on their Lido decks and serve some delicious char broiled hamburgers and hot dogs.

 

The desserts were blah and we we sometimes didn't even eat more than one bite. Cutting all the cakes long before serving them ensures a dried out piece of cake! I heard they had ice cream on the Lido deck but was appalled to learn it was soft serve! I told them to buy Haagen Daaz and serve that.

 

I was pleased that they had the muster drill before disembakation and Jill from the Cruise Staff was a delightful leader at the drill. I also must praise Stephen of the recreation staff as he was delightful also.

 

I attempted to call their reservation line one afternoon for a dinner reservation and was unable to get through. I went down to the Staff Desk and they got me through. However there were no reservations available. I told them they should simply put a short outgoing message that stated that rather than not answer the phone calls to the reservation desk.

 

We greatly enjoyed our visit to Victoria. We had a wonderful bus driver who took us on our trip to the Butterfly and Butchart Gardens. Loved him, loved all of the gardens! Would love to see more of Victoria in the future.

 

We enjoyed the "Movies Under The Stars" with the popcorn.

 

We got a few nice professional photos of our trip but I was sorely disappointed to see that the old style of photography onboard with busy photographers taking many shots of all of the passengers and their daily

activities was not happening onboard the Island Princess. I hope that all cruise lines don't follow this style of photography now.

 

We sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to dock in San Francisco. It was still dark as it was a 7am docking but many of us intrepid souls were out on deck to witness the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Disembarkation was smooth at the new San Francisco Cruise Terminal which had just opened two days before our arrival. They have a large adjoining area that allowed all of the taxis and personal cars to easily wait for their passengers with no foul ups.

 

We flew to Vancouver originally on an inexpensive flight arranged by Princess and we both live close to San Francisco so docking there was just a short ride home.

 

Loved all of the staff that I interacted with but did not love the ship. I will not be sailing on Princess in the future.

 

I'm sorry you were disappointed, but cruising has changed a lot in 30 years. I'm not sure what blue panels you're referring to. The Island, now pre-drydock, has a lot of great outdoor viewing areas. A major drydock is coming in the spring. Maybe they are starting some of the changes early while the ship is still sailing with passengers. You may need to step up to a luxury cruise line to get a much better cruise experience. Good luck with your future cruises.

[sportsmum]

After reading your review I came to the conclusion that for the most part you found your cruise agreeable. More plus's than minus's.

 

Since it's been almost 30 years since your last cruise I can imagine you found it much different. I have found it much different in the past 2 years. With the falling prices you cannot expect Hash Brown Wishes and Haagan Daaz dreams. I'm sure there are cruise lines that would better suit your expectations. Maybe a smaller ship experience would be in order for you?

 

Thank you for your opinion and welcome to cruise critic.

[waltd]

A lot has changed since you cruised in 1985. Do you really expect to find gourmet and Haagen Daaz for the price you paid for a 4 day cruise? It has been said many times that the 4 day cruises are not a good example of the longer cruises. We did a 15 day cruise on the Island in April and found the ship, food and staff to be top rate. I think you will find many of the top cruise lines have cut back.

Edited October 11, 2014 by waltd

[Kruznut]

I've done two sailings on the Island Princess and I think she's a beautiful ship. I had a wonderful experience both times and did not encounter some of things the above poster was speaking of. But, to each his own.

[shredie]

Sorry the cruise was a bummer. I imagine things in 1979 and 1985 were much different. I'll agree with others who suggest you might want to try one of the luxury lines if you decide to cruise again. It will cost more, but maybe the experience will be more like 1979.

[Iamcruzin]

Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your experience. I'm sorry that Princess fell short of your expectations but a lot has changed within the cruise industry in the past 29yrs. Some things are better like anytime dining and affordable balcony cabins. Some things have suffered like food quality. However in my opinion Princess still serves some enjoyable meals. I have to agree that the pastries are flavorless and the soft serve ice cream is more like ice milk. At one time Princess did serve Haagen Daaz but there was an up charge. I find that the ice cream in the MDR is much better.

[Coral]

I recently traveled on the Island Princess from Vancouver to San Francisco on September 24 to 27, 2014. I have not been on a cruise since 1985 and was really looking forward to this cruise as I love being "at sea".

 

 

Thanks for your review. A lot has changed since I started cruising less than 20 years ago. I much preferred cruising when I first started to todays cruising.

 

A few comments -

1. Pier in Vancouver, Princess has no control over this and yes, tipping is expected even though they tell you it is not.

 

2. I was on the Coral previously (sister to Island) and the blue wind shields are annoying. Though there are plenty of places around this. Such as the aft area on many decks. Also, deck 7 is perfect for viewing as you found!

 

3. The hash browns are bad, I agree.

 

4. Princess does have some good dishes. Their pasta dishes are excellent. Their soufflés for dessert are also wonderful. Just FYI - Princess used to have Hagan Daz and charged for it. People complained and now they have soft serve on deck. Though, if you order ice cream in the dining room, it is home made and quite good.

 

5. I do Traditional dining as I don't like waiting to eat dinner.

 

6. Victoria is a fabulous city. I also would love to spend more time there.

 

The sad thing is that Princess and all the other main stream lines have had many cuts. You will need to go to the next level of cruising (costs more) to get something similar to what you expect.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Coral

[born2cruize]

I'm sorry you were disappointed, but cruising has changed a lot in 30 years. I'm not sure what blue panels you're referring to. The Island, now pre-drydock, has a lot of great outdoor viewing areas. A major drydock is coming in the spring. Maybe they are starting some of the changes early while the ship is still sailing with passengers. You may need to step up to a luxury cruise line to get a much better cruise experience. Good luck with your future cruises.

 

The OP is referring to blue tinted glass on the Sun deck (15). Both the Island and Coral has this glass as wind screens on the upper deck. I must agree that if you are a serious photographer this can be very annoying. We did a 19 day Panama Canal back in 2008 and the only place on the upper decks with clear viewing was the Sports deck (16).

 

As I post this the OP is a one post wonder. Why would someone post to announce he will not cruise Princess again???? No need to respond as that was a sarcastic response.

Edited October 11, 2014 by born2cruize

[KruzPrincess]

The OP is referring to blue tinted glass on the Sun deck (15). Both the Island and Coral has this glass as wind screens on the upper deck. I must agree that if you are a serious photographer this can be very annoying. We did a 19 day Panama Canal back in 2008 and the only place on the upper decks with clear viewing was the Sports deck (16).

 

As I post this the OP is a one post wonder. Why would someone post to announce he will not cruise Princess again???? No need to respond as that was a sarcastic response.

 

Thanks for the explanation. The OP wrote: I was very disappointed in seeing every deck except the Promenade deck had high blue plastic panels blocking our direct access to a view of the sea. Most of the passengers tried to squeeze their cameras between the panels to get unobstructed views of the scenery as we were leaving Vancouver. The rest of us crowded onto the landings at the top of the stairways between decks as they gave clear shots at the scenery as they were above the blue panels. I just couldn't picture what that was. I take a lot of pictures and never had a problem getting a shot. I have to admit that I don't go up to the Sun Deck very often, though. I usually go to the front "secret door" or aft viewing decks. The OP probably didn't know about those locations, though.

[azcruiser64]

If you're in a balcony cabin why not just take photos from the balcony. I do it all the time and it's pretty much a clear shot every time.

[janacin]

I recently traveled on the Island Princess from Vancouver to San Francisco on September 24 to 27, 2014. I have not been on a cruise since 1985 and was really looking forward to this cruise as I love being "at sea".

 

Embarkation in Vancouver was smooth. However my traveling companion and I were confused by the prominent signs that said that "tipping was not required" for the porters who were there to help us with our luggage. It was immediately clear that the porters expected a tip and we did give them one. On our first trip together on the QEII in 1979 from NYC to Southampton we were not allowed to take our luggage on board. It was taken from us and taken on board by the teamsters, no questions asked! No tipping either. We realized this was not the procedure in Vancouver as we saw most passengers taking their luggage on board themselves.

 

We had a balcony stateroom and it was satisfactory. The shower is small as I had noticed in many other reviews but it was wonderful having a balcony and we loved our room steward Norman! He kept our ice bucket full around the clock in our refrigerator and that was most appreciated!

 

I was very disappointed in seeing every deck except the Promenade deck had high blue plastic panels blocking our direct access to a view of the sea. Most of the passengers tried to squeeze their cameras between the panels to get unobstructed views of the scenery as we were leaving Vancouver. The rest of us crowded onto the landings at the top of the stairways between decks as they gave clear shots at the scenery as they were above the blue panels.

 

The food also was for the most part disappointing and mediocre. I was shocked to see that their interpretation of hash browns at breakfast was a "McDonald's" style round hockey puck of a hash brown. The bacon was very tasty as were the eggs.

 

My companion and I both enjoyed the crusty rolls at dinner but other than a tasty fettucine alfredo I was very disappointed in their lunch and dinner fare. The Lido deck grill served hamburgers and french fries that were worse than what I get at my favorite fast food place. I told Princess (in my review to them) to put barbecues on their Lido decks and serve some delicious char broiled hamburgers and hot dogs.

 

The desserts were blah and we we sometimes didn't even eat more than one bite. Cutting all the cakes long before serving them ensures a dried out piece of cake! I heard they had ice cream on the Lido deck but was appalled to learn it was soft serve! I told them to buy Haagen Daaz and serve that.

 

I was pleased that they had the muster drill before disembakation and Jill from the Cruise Staff was a delightful leader at the drill. I also must praise Stephen of the recreation staff as he was delightful also.

 

I attempted to call their reservation line one afternoon for a dinner reservation and was unable to get through. I went down to the Staff Desk and they got me through. However there were no reservations available. I told them they should simply put a short outgoing message that stated that rather than not answer the phone calls to the reservation desk.

 

We greatly enjoyed our visit to Victoria. We had a wonderful bus driver who took us on our trip to the Butterfly and Butchart Gardens. Loved him, loved all of the gardens! Would love to see more of Victoria in the future.

 

We enjoyed the "Movies Under The Stars" with the popcorn.

 

We got a few nice professional photos of our trip but I was sorely disappointed to see that the old style of photography onboard with busy photographers taking many shots of all of the passengers and their daily

activities was not happening onboard the Island Princess. I hope that all cruise lines don't follow this style of photography now.

 

We sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to dock in San Francisco. It was still dark as it was a 7am docking but many of us intrepid souls were out on deck to witness the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Disembarkation was smooth at the new San Francisco Cruise Terminal which had just opened two days before our arrival. They have a large adjoining area that allowed all of the taxis and personal cars to easily wait for their passengers with no foul ups.

 

We flew to Vancouver originally on an inexpensive flight arranged by Princess and we both live close to San Francisco so docking there was just a short ride home.

 

Loved all of the staff that I interacted with but did not love the ship. I will not be sailing on Princess in the future.

 

It sounds like there were more positives than negatives in your posting so I wonder why you were so disappointed with Princess and decided that you would never cruise with them again. You can not expect cruising to be like it was in 1985. Ships are different now with the emphasis toward mass marketing and family cruising. I will bet that if you tried one of the more deluxe cruise lines at twice the price you would still find much to complain about.

[ar1950]

I recently traveled on the Island Princess from Vancouver to San Francisco on September 24 to 27, 2014. I have not been on a cruise since 1985 and was really looking forward to this cruise as I love being "at sea".

........................................................

Loved all of the staff that I interacted with but did not love the ship. I will not be sailing on Princess in the future.

 

FWIW, if I were comparing our recent cruises with my first cruise experience in 1978 I would also be very underwhelmed. China plates at dinner, gourmet type meals, small ships (I mean really small), midnight buffets.......

 

Hmmm.....maybe nostalgia is sometimes a little deceptive. :cool:

 

Yes, things have changed, but, for the price, the current cruises are still a bargain compared to a lot of other vacation options.

Edited October 11, 2014 by ar1950

[Flatbush Flyer]

It sounds like there were more positives than negatives in your posting so I wonder why you were so disappointed with Princess and decided that you would never cruise with them again. You can not expect cruising to be like it was in 1985. Ships are different now with the emphasis toward mass marketing and family cruising. I will bet that if you tried one of the more deluxe cruise lines at twice the price you would still find much to complain about.

 

 

With the right TA and particular itinerary, a premium line like Oceania would only be a few hundred dollars more (if that much) when air credit, included amenities, OBC and special discounts are considered. And both food and service would be far better than what OP experienced.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Skai]

The hockey-puck hash browns ARE hideous.

 

Just sayin'.

[PunkiC]

I love the hockey puck hash browns if they are very crisp.

 

On our little Coastal in September, the buffet staff member noticed that I was trying to scrape up the brown scraps in the corners and decided to help me out. I ended up with a huge helping of very crisp potato bits. My very favorite things.

 

If it weren't for potatoes, I would probably be quite slim. :D

[jammen]

Thanks for your comments. Too bad you had some disappointments on the food. We are doing a Costal in one week; I never had trouble with the food.

[Lerin]

Seems unfair to base your expectation on a cruise from 30 years ago.

What you have forgotten(or possibly weren't responsible for 30 years ago) is the biggest difference in cruising nowadays is the price.

Today 4 day cruises can be found for under $500. What price would this have been in the early 80s? Couple grand or more-in 1980 dollars.

[Mommypig]

I don't think 4 days on one ship is really a big enough sample to evaluate Princess fairly. You barely get to figure out all a ship has to offer in 4 days.

 

The reason the photographers don't go around taking pictures all day on the short coastal cruises is that people weren't buying the pictures. It's all economics. They do what people are going to buy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Barbecues? Really? Hope you have a huge fire extinguisher with you.

 

You gave Princess one chance and you are through?

 

Hmmmmmmmmm

[pablo222]

Barbecues? Really? Hope you have a huge fire extinguisher with you.

 

I have been on both Royal Carribbean and Princess, where they

had an on-deck barbeque -- although, not in a long time.

 

Crew from time-to-time has a barbeque on board.

 

For the crew, they use a grill like the attached picture.

(I can't remember if it's gas or charcoal)

 

And, they do have a fire extinguisher ready.

Edited October 11, 2014 by pablo222

[paddingtonbear]

i love the hockey puck hash browns if they are very crisp.

 

If it weren't for potatoes, i would probably be quite slim. :d

 

 

 

:) :) :)

[partybarbie]

Not sure what the OP was expecting? I was on the same cruise and thought the food, service, and entertainment were slightly above normal standards.

 

I don't eat hash browns, so I can't comment on that. I did enjoy the Bayou Cafe, surf and turf in the main dining room, as well as escargot and french onion soup. The pub lunch was excellent and I really loved the steak and kidney pie.

 

Some of the staff even remembered DH and I from our March 2014 Panama cruise. I'll be back on the ship in four weeks and I can hardly wait.:cool:

[emilygrace]

We did the reverse of this cruise (SF to Vancouver) on the Coral Princess in 2003. It was our first Princess cruise and I have to say that I wasn't that impressed with Princess or this particular ship. There was nothing really negative about our experience, but I felt that the staff at Guest Relations was a bit on the snooty side and I was definitely not impressed with the buffet. I also did not care for the layout of the ship and how some elevators only went to certain floors, etc.

 

So we sailed on other cruise lines over the years and finally got around to doing another Princess cruise this past March. It was on the Grand Princess, and other than the buffet being incredibly small (as far as food selection, not the area) for the size of the ship, I was more positively impressed on this second cruise. Enough for us to book the Golden for next month. I am glad I gave Princess another try.

 

So at this point I wouldn't say "never again" to any particular cruise line, although we do have our favorites. It's more about the itinerary and the ship (and the price, of course).