What will Island Princess look like after May 2015?

[Coveguy4]

Do I like the changes for the Island? No Would it deter me from having a fantastic cruise? No. If I had a choice of ships, I would pick Coral over Island, but if the date available was only on Island.......excuse me while I grab my suitcases and start packing!

[lovey1103]

I have a Med cruise booked for 10/15. Concerns about overcrowding and lack of public venues? Yes and Yes.

Fortunately we are in a position to cancel and look elsewhere.

Princess, are you listening??:mad:

[Wehwalt]

I have a Med cruise booked for 10/15. Concerns about overcrowding and lack of public venues? Yes and Yes.

Fortunately we are in a position to cancel and look elsewhere.

Princess, are you listening??:mad:

 

You are a drop in the bucket relative to the many people who will book the Island Princess and either not know or not feel strongly about the changes. Or like them, there was a need for that international café.The existing coffee bar is pretty lousy.

 

That being said I'm very sympathetic. I hate a crowded ship. That was one of the reasons I disliked the Royal, though I'll probably cruise her again sometime given the right itinerary.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Wehwalt

[Cruzin-K]

Does anyone know when the Coral is scheduled for her next dry dock? I was hoping to sail on either the Coral or Island to the Panama Canal in 2017. Now, I'm only going to consider the Coral. I thought those public balconies forward and aft were perfect for the Canal and for Alaska :(

[InTheWASide]

For me the solution is somewhat different. Simply blacklist the Princess ships that do not meet my standards and stick to the ships I like.

 

Right now Island Princess has been blacklisted for life.

 

Blacklisting for LIFE?! Doesn't that seem... oh... a bit draconian? :D

[paddingtonbear]

Not blacklisting The Island but if I have a choice of the Coral or the Island in Alaska in 2016 and I am flexible the most sensible thing to do would be to choose a time and date that the Coral is doing the trip I want to do. Is that right? (I am a cruising newby!)

 

It seems to me that the loss of space and extra passengers aboard will make a fair bit of difference and if I have the choice I should go for the Coral. Or should I wait until the Island has been refurbished and we have had some feedback from customers?

[caribill]

Not blacklisting The Island but if I have a choice of the Coral or the Island in Alaska in 2016 and I am flexible the most sensible thing to do would be to choose a time and date that the Coral is doing the trip I want to do. Is that right? (I am a cruising newby!)

 

It seems to me that the loss of space and extra passengers aboard will make a fair bit of difference and if I have the choice I should go for the Coral. Or should I wait until the Island has been refurbished and we have had some feedback from customers?

 

No matter how much passengers will like or not like the Island after the changes, there will be less public viewing areas both at the front and rear of the Island. If you would like to be in those areas for some of the scenic glacier sailings, then stick with the Coral.

[likeadisguise]

Coral is going in for an extended drydock early in 2016. Although it hasn't been confirmed, it's believed it will get a similar treatment as Island. So there may not be much to choose between.

[caribill]

Coral is going in for an extended drydock early in 2016. Although it hasn't been confirmed, it's believed it will get a similar treatment as Island. So there may not be much to choose between.

 

Do we know for sure it is a drydock and not just several weeks of being chartered?

Edited February 23, 2015 by caribill

[likeadisguise]

The messages that went out to passengers said it was a "maintenance period".

[paddingtonbear]

The messages that went out to passengers said it was a "maintenance period".

 

Hasn't the Coral been in dry dock fairly recently? Surely they can't afford to refurbish it all over again so soon?

[Astro Flyer]

Hasn't the Coral been in dry dock fairly recently? Surely they can't afford to refurbish it all over again so soon?

 

The things that I recall from sailing the Coral after the last drydock was to improve the Horizon Court buffet & adding a small IC where the Casino Bar was previously located which resulted in a smaller casino but nothing like the major changes to the Island.

[mr green]

What will the Island look like? I don't intend to find out!!!

 

john

[Astro Flyer]

What will the Island look like? I don't intend to find out!!!

 

john

 

Me either unless it's a great itinerary at a price that's hard to resist. ;)

Edited February 23, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[caribill]

The things that I recall from sailing the Coral after the last drydock was to improve the Horizon Court buffet & adding a small IC where the Casino Bar was previously located which resulted in a smaller casino but nothing like the major changes to the Island.

 

Also added 13 oceanview cabins where part of the casiuno used to be.

[Roses2]

Any and all ships of every cruise line must be profitable, including Island and Coral. We have sailed Island Princess twice and will be on her transatlantic cruise next month.

 

The Island and the Coral were built especially to be able to transit the Panama Canal. With the opening of the new wider canal, that special purpose no longer exists. This year she will take over sailing in and out of Venice, Italy because larger ships have been banned due to the damage the caused. Her mission has changed.

 

Princess and all other leading cruise lines sell off older ships as they build new ones. Island and Coral are among the older Princess ships now and as new builds come on line in a few years, they will be gone.

 

Any and all cruise lines operate with the same goal: to provide a saleable and profitable product for you and me. We each have a wide choice among the available cruise lines. But if they are not profitable to the shareholders, they go out of business -- and several have.

[Astro Flyer]

Also added 13 oceanview cabins where part of the casiuno used to be.

 

Thanks

[caribill]

The Island and the Coral were built especially to be able to transit the Panama Canal. With the opening of the new wider canal, that special purpose no longer exists. This year she will take over sailing in and out of Venice, Italy because larger ships have been banned due to the damage the caused. Her mission has changed.

 

 

And the mission changes again in 2016 when the only Princess ship going to Venice will be the Pacific Princess and then only five times.

 

Princess and all other leading cruise lines sell off older ships as they build new ones. Island and Coral are among the older Princess ships now and as new builds come on line in a few years, they will be gone.

 

And all the new builds will apparently be too large to ever go to Venice.

[IECalCruiser]

And the mission changes again in 2016 when the only Princess ship going to Venice will be the Pacific Princess and then only five times.

 

 

And all the new builds will apparently be too large to ever go to Venice.

The is a proposal to build a new canal that would approach Venice from the west, the Contorta Sant'Angelo Canal. Larger ships could sail into the Venice cruise port through the new canal, just not through the Giudecca Canal. It's anybodies guess if CLIA will continue their now voluntary restrictions, if the Contorta Sant'Angela Canal will ever be dredged or if one of several other solutions will be pursued.

[Brisbane41]

Any and all ships of every cruise line must be profitable, including Island and Coral. We have sailed Island Princess twice and will be on her transatlantic cruise next month.

 

The Island and the Coral were built especially to be able to transit the Panama Canal. With the opening of the new wider canal, that special purpose no longer exists. This year she will take over sailing in and out of Venice, Italy because larger ships have been banned due to the damage the caused. Her mission has changed.

 

Princess and all other leading cruise lines sell off older ships as they build new ones. Island and Coral are among the older Princess ships now and as new builds come on line in a few years, they will be gone.

 

Any and all cruise lines operate with the same goal: to provide a saleable and profitable product for you and me. We each have a wide choice among the available cruise lines. But if they are not profitable to the shareholders, they go out of business -- and several have.

 

The part about those ships serving a special purpose is incorrect. The Coral and Island Princess are not unlike ships of competing companies such as the Vista class with HAL, the Spirit class with Carnival, the Radiance class with Royal Caribbean. They are just a few examples of similar ships yet none of them seem to be booked in for such an extreme destruction of their passenger facilities and space.

[Roses2]

The part about those ships serving a special purpose is incorrect. The Coral and Island Princess are not unlike ships of competing companies such as the Vista class with HAL, the Spirit class with Carnival, the Radiance class with Royal Caribbean. They are just a few examples of similar ships yet none of them seem to be booked in for such an extreme destruction of their passenger facilities and space.

 

The following is a direct quote from Princess:

 

Island Princess®

 

"Custom-built to sail through the Panama Canal, this cruise ship offers exclusive features for a unique cruise experience."

 

Certainly many other ships of other lines also have the capability to transit the Panama Canal. As stated, Princess built the Island class specifically for that purpose.

 

 

[caribill]

Certainly many other ships of other lines also have the capability to transit the Panama Canal. As stated, Princess built the Island class specifically for that purpose.

 

Yes, but this former Princess ship had much better viewing options as shown below during a Panama Canal passage.

 

[Thrak]

My concerns about the Island rest with the fact that she is showing for multiple cruises to Alaska in 2016. We're looking at a 13 day connoisseur cruisetour next June (not available yet but the schedules have been posted here in other threads) and the Island is the ship listed for the one we have in mind (as well as for many others). Normally I would think this was a great ship for this itinerary but I'm wondering what will be happening with all of the aft viewing areas that people always rave about. It seems like the viewing areas would be perfect for the cruise portion of an Alaskan cruisetour but, if they are being replaced with cabins...

[Colo Cruiser]

My concerns about the Island rest with the fact that she is showing for multiple cruises to Alaska in 2016. We're looking at a 13 day connoisseur cruisetour next June (not available yet but the schedules have been posted here in other threads) and the Island is the ship listed for the one we have in mind (as well as for many others). Normally I would think this was a great ship for this itinerary but I'm wondering what will be happening with all of the aft viewing areas that people always rave about. It seems like the viewing areas would be perfect for the cruise portion of an Alaskan cruisetour but, if they are being replaced with cabins...

 

Yes they are all gone. :(

[Thrak]

Yes they are all gone. :(

 

Poop. Coral and Star are doing some of the cruisetours but don't do the 13 day with the land portion first. Unless we change the cruise we are looking at we will end up on the "revised" Island.

 

Ah, well. Guess well just have to suffer through somehow. :D