Off Island Princess yesterday

[espmass]

After so many negative reviews I had been very worried about taking the Island Princess. To my surprise it was fine. Better than fine. I'm not hard to please and as long as I'm being fed and someone is making my bed, I'm happy on a ship. Sure there was some wear and tear of the ship but it didn't ruin my vacation in any way. They had probably the nicest crew of any ship I have been on. So just to reassure anyone concerned about the bad reviews, relax and look forward to the ship.

[jawhoffman]

After so many negative reviews I had been very worried about taking the Island Princess. To my surprise it was fine. Better than fine. I'm not hard to please and as long as I'm being fed and someone is making my bed, I'm happy on a ship. Sure there was some wear and tear of the ship but it didn't ruin my vacation in any way. They had probably the nicest crew of any ship I have been on. So just to reassure anyone concerned about the bad reviews, relax and look forward to the ship.

 

Thanks so much for the post! We sail on her in May to Alaska and I am surely looking forward to our trip! Curious if you did ATD and what your experience with it was?

[batoryfirst]

We were on the 15-day Panama Canal cruise FLL to LAX in Feb. I totally agree with you about the Island and her crew. We loved it.

 

Nancy

[jawhoffman]

We were on the 15-day Panama Canal cruise FLL to LAX in Feb. I totally agree with you about the Island and her crew. We loved it.

 

Nancy

 

Thanks for another positive review, Nancy!

[reedprincess]

After so many negative reviews I had been very worried about taking the Island Princess. To my surprise it was fine. Better than fine. I'm not hard to please and as long as I'm being fed and someone is making my bed, I'm happy on a ship. Sure there was some wear and tear of the ship but it didn't ruin my vacation in any way. They had probably the nicest crew of any ship I have been on. So just to reassure anyone concerned about the bad reviews, relax and look forward to the ship.

 

How did they handle the death of the crew member? Was it handled well? Announced to the guests? Refund of your port charges for missed port?

We sailed Island over this past Christmas / New Year's and while we enjoyed our sailing, we won't sail her again unless it's the only option for a certain itinerary... She's in very good shape, but we sorely missed an actual dance venue, did not like the newly super compacted casino, etc.. We had a great crew, but not a fan of the changes...

Edited March 15, 2016 by reedprincess

[Keith1010]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed the cruise.

 

Keith

[KirkNC]

Welcome back, glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[TracieABD]

It is good to hear, that in spite of a truly challenging situation, that you had a wonderful cruise!

[floridalover5623]

Since the addition of all the extra cabins, did you notice any longer lines for dining or for the show lounge?

[espmass]

I'm not sure there is a good way to handle the unfortunate death. Basically the captain made an announcement that the departure from Colon would be delayed. I don't recall if he first mentioned a death. When we stayed a bit longer he eventually did make the announcement that there had been a death of a crew member and that we were being kept until the authorities finished their investigation. They refunded the port fees for Costa Rica and gave each passenger a $100 ship board credit. Since they don't have to give credit for missing a port I was pleased. We have since heard that the crew member's death was a suicide.

 

We did do ATD. They do need to organize a bit better. The first night was a disaster with people waiting in long lines. I'd say we waited maybe 20 minutes at 7:30 so it wasn't all that bad. By the second night they took reservations and we made one each morning for 7:30 and never had to wait. You can call starting at 8AM each day. There are two doors; one for people with reservations and one for people without. No signs though and people in line blocking people trying to get out. Very confusing.

[Thrak]

We sail Island in June. We do have anytime dining but won't let it stress us if there is a wait. Did they use pagers at all or just have a crazy long line? If I have a pager I can always just go have a drink or a glass of wine while I wait. I try not to stress about things when on a cruise. :)

 

Now the airline... That is a different matter. I spent about two hours on the phone with Delta yesterday. We had booked flights from Sacramento to Seattle and then to Fairbanks. 7 hours. Delta suddenly switched our flights. Sacramento to LA, then to Minneapolis/Saint Paul, then to Fairbanks. 14.24 hours. No freaking way!

 

It looks like the original flight is cancelled but I did manage to get a 6.5 hour flight time with the original single stop in Seattle. Of course I have to get to Fairbanks at 12:47 AM the 24th rather than at 2:30 PM on the 23rd as originally planned but Princess will hold the hotel room for us as it's part of the connoisseur cruise tour.

 

Imagine if Princess ran their cruises the way the airlines run their flights... :eek:

Edited March 15, 2016 by Thrak

[espmass]

Yes, they did hand out pagers at ATD. We never needed one as we had reservations, walked up to the reception stand at 7:30 and were seated. I assume the pagers were for people who did not have reservations. I did overhear a man one night complaining very loudly that he had a reservation but still was made to wait but I don't know what his story was. Actually one night they lost our reservation but still seated us when we told them we had made one.

 

The airlines are always such a joy!

[Thrak]

Yes, they did hand out pagers at ATD. We never needed one as we had reservations, walked up to the reception stand at 7:30 and were seated. I assume the pagers were for people who did not have reservations. I did overhear a man one night complaining very loudly that he had a reservation but still was made to wait but I don't know what his story was. Actually one night they lost our reservation but still seated us when we told them we had made one.

 

The airlines are always such a joy!

 

I have to wonder exactly what the guy thought he would accomplish by complaining loudly. I'd guess that mostly he just upset himself and others around him and it didn't do a bit of good for anybody. It's just not worth getting all worked up about.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

[elliair]

After so many negative reviews I had been very worried about taking the Island Princess. To my surprise it was fine. Better than fine. I'm not hard to please and as long as I'm being fed and someone is making my bed, I'm happy on a ship. Sure there was some wear and tear of the ship but it didn't ruin my vacation in any way. They had probably the nicest crew of any ship I have been on. So just to reassure anyone concerned about the bad reviews, relax and look forward to the ship.

 

There's certain Princess ships I will not cruise on again and the Island Princess is one of them. I liked the ship BEFORE they butchered it. Been on the ship twice. The other ship is the Star Princess. Only because I got sick of all the sausage dishes they served - 3 times on the Star is enough.

[floridalover5623]

There's certain Princess ships I will not cruise on again and the Island Princess is one of them. I liked the ship BEFORE they butchered it. Been on the ship twice. The other ship is the Star Princess. Only because I got sick of all the sausage dishes they served - 3 times on the Star is enough.

Your choices are somewhat limited if you want to do a Panama canal cruise.

[floridalover5623]

There are two doors; one for people with reservations and one for people without. No signs though and people in line blocking people trying to get out. Very confusing.

 

I could never understand why Princess doesn't have signs posted for the reserved side of the dining rooms especially when it's been that way for a number of years now. :confused:

It seems simple enough not to cause any confusion.

[espmass]

Absolutely right. A sign would have cleared up 95% of the confusion!

[RetiredTravelerTN]

We did do ATD. They do need to organize a bit better. The first night was a disaster with people waiting in long lines. I'd say we waited maybe 20 minutes at 7:30 so it wasn't all that bad. By the second night they took reservations and we made one each morning for 7:30 and never had to wait. You can call starting at 8AM each day. There are two doors; one for people with reservations and one for people without. No signs though and people in line blocking people trying to get out. Very confusing.

 

Glad to see this comment on Anytime Dining on the Island Princess. We did ATD on the Coral 3 years ago with the same procedure of calling each morning for a reservation. The process worked well for us -- hoping for the same convenience next month on the Island Princess.

[NChelms2015]

We just completed a two week northbound from Vancouver on Island. One of the best vacations we have ever had. The entire crew was top notch as was entertainment, ATD options....they are number one in our book!

 

 

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[wishfulone]

We never mind waiting 20 mins or so in line for ATD. You often get chatting with great people who you end up sitting with and having a wonderful night. Your cruise sounds like a Panama Transit. Can I ask how people were dressed for formal night?

[wowzz]

We were on the last transit in April. I would say that on formal night, 95% of the men wore ties and jackets, with a large number in tuxedos. There were a few men with no ties, and they 'stood out' from the rest.

Can't comment on the ladies too much, not being a fashonista, but to my masculine eye, with one or two exceptions, all seemed to have made an effort.

I would just add that we ate in the ATD on 12 of the 15 nights, arriving between 7:30 and 8:15, and only had to wait once [3rd formal night] for a total of 10 minutes.

[NChelms2015]

Our cruise was Alaska NB from Vancouver...followed by a week on land. On formal nights some folks dressed up, but it was not over the top formal ... Men often wore shirts and ties and ladies cocktail dresses or slacks with dressy shirt. We did not do formal night ... Rather smart casual and buffet. More relaxed than a Caribbean cruise. Very relaxed atmosphere, great food in dining room, buffet, Bayou Cafe. Cruise director and all of team absolutely wonderful. Rest of crew also very attentive and upbeat. The cruise and land portions were spectacular ... Not to be missed. We cannot say enough about the wonderful time we had.

 

 

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[wishfulone]

We were on the last transit in April. I would say that on formal night, 95% of the men wore ties and jackets, with a large number in tuxedos. There were a few men with no ties, and they 'stood out' from the rest.

Can't comment on the ladies too much, not being a fashonista, but to my masculine eye, with one or two exceptions, all seemed to have made an effort.

I would just add that we ate in the ATD on 12 of the 15 nights, arriving between 7:30 and 8:15, and only had to wait once [3rd formal night] for a total of 10 minutes.

Thanks for confirming the formal night dress for our upcoming cruise on the Island. We really enjoy the opportunity to 'dress up' a bit fancier on those nights. There's quite a debate over Princess formal night dress happening on another thread at the moment and I for one would be disappointed to lose that little bit of glamour, especially on the longer cruises.