What will Island Princess look like after May 2015?

[FawnRiver]

Here is the problem. The average cruiser is either too stupid to realize that the ship has been butchered or else they have never been on her before so they do not care. The only thing that they care about is the cost of the cabin and they will pick their cruise based solely on price and how cheap the booze is.

 

How many members does CC have as compared to the cruisers who know nothing about CC?

 

Unfortunately, the accountants are probably right and will in the end rule the world.

 

DON

That's not a fair characterization, we picked our cruise (Grand Med on the Island next September) based on the itinerary, not the price or "how cheap the booze is" - I don't drink alcohol. It didn't even matter which ship it was, to tell you the truth. I would much rather have been on the Emerald again, but she can't fit into Venice anymore.

That said, I am still looking forward to seeing the Island although it is a shame that they're renovating her the way they are, but with the restrictions on Venice, they have to maximize the capacity of the ship. Otherwise, they will have to price themselves right out of the market. Princess is a business, if they don't make money, they will cease to exist and then you'd have to go second guess the business decisions of other cruiselines.

[Woobstr112G]

That's not a fair characterization, we picked our cruise (Grand Med on the Island next September) based on the itinerary, not the price or "how cheap the booze is" - I don't drink alcohol. It didn't even matter which ship it was, to tell you the truth. I would much rather have been on the Emerald again, but she can't fit into Venice anymore.

That said, I am still looking forward to seeing the Island although it is a shame that they're renovating her the way they are, but with the restrictions on Venice, they have to maximize the capacity of the ship. Otherwise, they will have to price themselves right out of the market. Princess is a business, if they don't make money, they will cease to exist and then you'd have to go second guess the business decisions of other cruiselines.

 

Well said.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Bill B]

LOL... I think the 'truth' lays somewhere in the middle.

 

Donald,

We have to remember the difference between ignorance and stupidity.

 

FR,

We have to remember the name of this website - Cruise Critic.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Bill B

[Thrak]

Not a comprehensive list but a quick look at the old plan and the new plan shows:

 

Removed Universe Lounge, removed the aft portion of the Promenade, and added a bunch of cabins.

 

They've also replaced some mini-suites with full suites - using the space of 2 mini-suites for each new suite.

 

Removed the aft pool and replaced it with 4 Vista Suites

 

Relocated several venues to different locations.

 

I really don't like the changes to the aft portion of the ship. Removing the Promenade access is bad enough. Removing the rear pool area is really nasty and I'm sure a lot of people will miss the Universe Lounge.

 

I can see what their thinking is but I'm sure it will aggravate quite a few passengers who have sailed on, and loved, Island Princess in the past. Whether it will have any financial impact from those disgruntled passengers remains to be seen. My guess is that Princess will have a bazillion (possible exaggeration...:rolleyes:) new passengers who have never sailed on Island Princess in the past and who won't know the difference.

 

We saw the degradation of the Promenade on the new mega ships. Despite how many people feel about not having a wrap-around Promenade Princess seems to be able to sell bookings on these ships. I may not like or approve of the upcoming changes (from what I see on the deck plans posted on the Princess site) but I don't think they will keep a lot of people from booking this ship. After all, Cruise Critic members are a very small percentage of passengers.

[Coveguy4]

I'm glad when the Coral had her last dry dock the changes made were not so drastic. Love that ship and glad to have done the Panama full transit on her with the IC added and window suites only!

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm glad when the Coral had her last dry dock the changes made were not so drastic. Love that ship and glad to have done the Panama full transit on her with the IC added and window suites only!

 

 

Enjoy it while you can.

[Woobstr112G]

Not a comprehensive list but a quick look at the old plan and the new plan shows:

 

Removed Universe Lounge, removed the aft portion of the Promenade, and added a bunch of cabins.

 

They've also replaced some mini-suites with full suites - using the space of 2 mini-suites for each new suite.

 

Removed the aft pool and replaced it with 4 Vista Suites

 

Relocated several venues to different locations.

 

I really don't like the changes to the aft portion of the ship. Removing the Promenade access is bad enough. Removing the rear pool area is really nasty and I'm sure a lot of people will miss the Universe Lounge.

 

I can see what their thinking is but I'm sure it will aggravate quite a few passengers who have sailed on, and loved, Island Princess in the past. Whether it will have any financial impact from those disgruntled passengers remains to be seen. My guess is that Princess will have a bazillion (possible exaggeration...:rolleyes:) new passengers who have never sailed on Island Princess in the past and who won't know the difference.

 

We saw the degradation of the Promenade on the new mega ships. Despite how many people feel about not having a wrap-around Promenade Princess seems to be able to sell bookings on these ships. I may not like or approve of the upcoming changes (from what I see on the deck plans posted on the Princess site) but I don't think they will keep a lot of people from booking this ship. After all, Cruise Critic members are a very small percentage of passengers.

 

Couldn't have said it any better......:):):)

 

Bob

[UpcountryTravelers]

Coral and Island are my favorite Princess ships, by a wide margin. Really hate to see the adverse changes. Guess I'll have to pick a new favorite..... hmmmm.... can't be our next one (Ocean) for obvious reasons........ Maybe I'll have to cruise on the Star again, to see if the changes they made since I sailed on her detracted or improved. The Grand is Rachel's favorite.... maybe I'll agree with her in the future. We do agree on our least favorite already.

[BosoxI]

DW and I have taken 23 cruises on Princess over the years but never on the Island. Next week we'll board her, so can anyone tell me what shape she's in right now? We'll be in B502 and I really don't want to hear she's a mess in anticipation of the refit :(

 

As an aside, I have reached an age where I can look back and see how wonderful things used to be, not only on cruise ships, but in travel in general- Florence without lines, St. Mark's Square mostly empty, etc., etc. Yes, I'm living in the past, but I am glad I could see the world mostly free of crowds. I'm glad so many can now see the world, but I can do without crowded ships, planes and sites.

[steelhead1]

DW and I have taken 23 cruises on Princess over the years but never on the Island. Next week we'll board her, so can anyone tell me what shape she's in right now? We'll be in B502 and I really don't want to hear she's a mess in anticipation of the refit :(

 

As an aside, I have reached an age where I can look back and see how wonderful things used to be, not only on cruise ships, but in travel in general- Florence without lines, St. Mark's Square mostly empty, etc., etc. Yes, I'm living in the past, but I am glad I could see the world mostly free of crowds. I'm glad so many can now see the world, but I can do without crowded ships, planes and sites.

 

We were on the Island in June in Alaska, our second cruise on her and the Island is in very good shape. You will enjoy the Island. We have made the decision to cancel our Med cruise in October though, as we are not happy with the changes being made.

[IECalCruiser]

I'm going to play a bit of a devil's advocate. We have sailed on the Coral three times and the Island once.

 

The Universe Lounge is unique with the three part stage but it was only used for one production show specifically tailored for the UL. If you get there early, you can get good seats on the main floor but sight lines from many of the balcony seats are atrocious. Most of the events held in the Universe Lounge can be done in Explorer's lounge or the Wheelhouse Bar. On most Princess ships, between the Princess Theater, the Wheelhouse Bar, Explorers Lounge and the aft lounge whether it be the Universe Lounge, the Vista Lounge or Club Fusion, there is significant downtime and event can be scheduled using only three. The primary loss is the one unique show, currently On the Bayou.

 

The aft pool was originally the Youth Center Pool. It was then incorporated into the Sanctuary when it was added. There is really no public access for the pool. Even on our full canal transit with eight sea days, I don't believe I say even a half dozen people using the pool while we were in the Sanctuary. The pool is not really a loss, unless you book the Sanctuary, and that is not a feature of any other Sanctuary.

 

Most of the wide Promenade deck with real lounge chairs will still remain. You can cut through inside by the aft elevators. We do the forward on the Grand class ships to avoid the forward stairs up the the bow portion on Emerald deck.

 

Now:

The new location of the fitness center is ridiculous.

It does not appear that any additional dining room capacity has been added for the additional passengers and the Horizon Court has a new layout but the same total space.

They aren't showing an International Cafe.

 

 

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[caribill]

I'm going to play a bit of a devil's advocate. We have sailed on the Coral three times and the Island once.

 

The Universe Lounge is unique with the three part stage but it was only used for one production show specifically tailored for the UL. If you get there early, you can get good seats on the main floor but sight lines from many of the balcony seats are atrocious. Most of the events held in the Universe Lounge can be done in Explorer's lounge or the Wheelhouse Bar. On most Princess ships, between the Princess Theater, the Wheelhouse Bar, Explorers Lounge and the aft lounge whether it be the Universe Lounge, the Vista Lounge or Club Fusion, there is significant downtime and event can be scheduled using only three. The primary loss is the one unique show, currently On the Bayou.

 

 

But they could have remodeled it so there were good sight lines and kept it as a showroom. Other Princess ships have that real lounge, showroom.

 

If they do this to the Island, could the other ships' rear showrooms become cabins also?

Edited December 13, 2014 by caribill

[IECalCruiser]

But they could have remodeled it so there were good sight lines and kept it as a showroom. Other Princess ships have that real lounge, showroom.

 

If they do this to the Island, could the other ships' rear showrooms become cabins also?

The modifications are being made to increase cabins and revenue on the largest Princess ship that can still sail into Venice. A few years from now there may be a new ship channel for cruise ships that bypasses the Giudecca Canal and larger Princess ships will be able to sail into the Venice cruise port once again, however when that will actually happen is anyone's guess. There are problems with sight lines in the aft lounges on the Grand class ships with the orientation of the stage and the support columns for the deck above. On the Royal and Regal the Vista Lounge stage is centered in the aft and the sight lines are better with fewer seats blocked by support columns.

 

I'm not saying that I like the changes, but the Universe Lounge on the Coral and Island is the most problematic from a sight line perspective. There may be problems because the Coral/Island don't have the additional space of a Skywalker's. That is also a potential issue with the Royal/Regal design relying on the Piazza so much. Princess Live appears to be limited in functionality when compared to the Explorers Lounge it replaced and the Wheelhouse bar in now a tiny, out in the open piano bar.

 

 

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[sunsetbeachgal]

Another concern on top of all the losses of public space would be main dining room capacity. The only cruises where we had less than satisfactory experiences with Anytime Dining were on the Island and Coral. Since there are only two dining rooms, as compared to three on the larger ships, and one was used for Traditional, our experiences were that the Anytime dining room had longer wait times than the other ships...and now add 200 plus more passengers...

Edited December 14, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[tequilasunrise]

I was just looking at the deckplans. While I've never sailed on the Island, all I have to say is holy cow. What was Princess thinking???? Take out a show lounge and a pool? I think I will have to add the Island and (based on what Colo said) the Coral to the Royal/Regal as my Princess ships of last resort.....

 

Bob

 

That's exactly how I feel. I might book any of the three, maybe, to use as a hotel only for a great itinerary, but never as a destination.

[shredie]

Maybe I missed it, but is there official confirmation the changes are due to the Venice sailing issue or is that just speculation?

[Thumper69]

I've not sailed on the Island yet but I am in Feb 2016. I think they could have kept the lower level of the UL and just got rid of the upper level with the bad sight lines into the extra cabins. Wouldn't that be just like the Vista Lounge on the Star? They could have done ocean view cabins and left out the 2 strange looking suites to keep the promenade. These seem to be the biggest issue with people here on CC. This way they would still add rooms, maybe not as many, but wouldn't have lost so much public space.

[mdgary]

Just booked the 5 December 2015 Panama Canal cruise in one of the new aft facing balcony cabins. Will look forward to what what the reviews say after the ship comes out of dry-dock.

[Colo Cruiser]

I've not sailed on the Island yet but I am in Feb 2016. I think they could have kept the lower level of the UL and just got rid of the upper level with the bad sight lines into the extra cabins. Wouldn't that be just like the Vista Lounge on the Star? They could have done ocean view cabins and left out the 2 strange looking suites to keep the promenade. These seem to be the biggest issue with people here on CC. This way they would still add rooms, maybe not as many, but wouldn't have lost so much public space.

 

Yes, taking away most of one of the best Promenade decks afloat. :(

 

Taking the upper half of the UL only would have made better sense.

[Woobstr112G]

Maybe I missed it, but is there official confirmation the changes are due to the Venice sailing issue or is that just speculation?

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5952

 

Check out the above link. It is the official Cruise Critic news article regarding the large ship ban. Currently no ship over 96,000 tons can sail in the Giudecca Canal or Saint Marks Basin.....

 

Bob

Edited December 17, 2014 by Woobstr112G

[gooch47]

We leave for our Island cruise in about an hour. I've not been paying any attention to the changes because we weren't affected, but I'm really sad to see what they are going to do to her.

[Travelw]

As mentioned in a reply earlier, my concern is the dining rooms. You are adding 200 passengers and the dining rooms are staying the same. We are sailing on May 22nd, first cruise after the dry dock, I guess we will see what affect 200 additional passengers have in public areas.

 

Dennis

[sunsetbeachgal]

As mentioned in a reply earlier, my concern is the dining rooms. You are adding 200 passengers and the dining rooms are staying the same. We are sailing on May 22nd, first cruise after the dry dock, I guess we will see what affect 200 additional passengers have in public areas.

 

Dennis

 

You might be much better off to book traditional fixed seating dining!!

Edited December 17, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[CruisinMaterial]

I came over here looking for charter information for a Princess ship on the West Coast and stumbled upon this thread. It reminded me back to when the Coral Princess was delivered - late - and the lounge's rotating stage motors were installed backwards. The technicians were on our cruise ripping the stages apart to fix the whole mess. We did get to see the one specific production in there on the last day. Ah the memories...

 

Now, I feel Island Princess enthusiast and future cruisers pain. A similar for-profit venture was done to the Norwegian Dawn and the Norwegian Star. In these two cases, the forward Spinnarkers Lounge was replaced with a few interior and mostly suites staterooms to bring in large bucks for NCL. The problem is when they moved the Spinnaker Lounge to Deck 7 where the gift shops used to be, they failed to recognize the room became a dark cave and had NO sound proofing in it whatsoever. The nightlife on both ships has suffered immensely due to noise complaints from the cabins above. I try to avoid both ships whenever possible now.

 

If Princess didn't plan this out right, not only is the ship going to look aesthetically displeasing (think of the back end of the Norwegian Epic), but there's going to be complaints all the way around which there are now on the Dawn and Star. People who knew the ships as they were hate the new look of them unless they're sailing in one of the new suites. This has also burdened guests going for the suites only amenities and made it harder for the concierge to keep up. I wish the IP lovers the best on this make over... :cool:

[Brisbane41]

I have only just discovered this news and am very disappointed. I prefer the "smaller sized" ships and back in the days they were considered large. I think the alterations are a major mistake and will ruin a excellent ship.

 

I am afraid I am going to have to vote with my feet on this issue and not book that ship after its refit.

 

It is sad to see them do this. I note that other cruise line with equivalent designed ships as the Coral and Island Princess are not making drastic changes to theirs. As such I can see no logic in doing this and justifying it by stating it is for the Venice sail through defies all common sense and logic as no other cruise lines are ruining their smaller ships in such a way.