Finally Tried Island Princess

[goodie2shoes]

I would like to speak on behalf of the minority here. First, I want to give you my cruising history on the Island. Our first cruise was in a suite on the Island to Hawaii in January of 2006. It was followed within the year with another trip to Hawaii, again on the Island. It has always been our favorite ship.

 

Recently our life has changed, and I now need a handicap, wheel chair accessible cabin. But we still want the space and benefits of a suite. We live in California, and flying to anywhere to cruise is out of the question, so unless a cruise is from a west coast port we can't do it. Because of this, we have not been on board for some time, and we really miss it.

 

We are now booked on the Island in one of the new accessible suites, for Alaska next summer, and I can't tell you how happy that makes us.

 

So, please forgive us for thinking that you are being very selfish in the way that you are only considering what the majority of healthy cruisers want. We are now forced to see beyond that, and realize what the small minority of cruisers need. I can't wait until next summer, and I hope that those I meet on board will forgive me for being happy to be able to be there in comfort.

[partybarbie]

Prior to the most recent drydock, DH and I have taken a few cruises on the Island. We are scheduled this November on her for one of the Panama Canal cruises. We're going with an open mind. It might not be the same as before, but I find it hard to believe that the changes will effect us that much. We shall see...

[cr8tiv1]

I would like to speak on behalf of the minority here. First, I want to give you my cruising history on the Island. Our first cruise was in a suite on the Island to Hawaii in January of 2006. It was followed within the year with another trip to Hawaii, again on the Island. It has always been our favorite ship.

 

Recently our life has changed, and I now need a handicap, wheel chair accessible cabin. But we still want the space and benefits of a suite. We live in California, and flying to anywhere to cruise is out of the question, so unless a cruise is from a west coast port we can't do it. Because of this, we have not been on board for some time, and we really miss it.

 

We are now booked on the Island in one of the new accessible suites, for Alaska next summer, and I can't tell you how happy that makes us.

 

So, please forgive us for thinking that you are being very selfish in the way that you are only considering what the majority of healthy cruisers want. We are now forced to see beyond that, and realize what the small minority of cruisers need. I can't wait until next summer, and I hope that those I meet on board will forgive me for being happy to be able to be there in comfort.

 

I am not sure I understand your post. Please clarify a few things for me. You are flying to Vancouver to catch the Island for a cruise to Alaska? Or will you be taking a repositioning cruise from LA to Vancouver, but still flying back to LA?

 

If you are flying, then why couldn't you book passage on the Coral instead?

 

I love the Coral and because of the changes to the Island Princess, have chosen not to sail on her. These were two of Princess' best ships. I am so sorry they thought that the renovations would enhance the Island's appeal.

[shredie]

So, please forgive us for thinking that you are being very selfish in the way that you are only considering what the majority of healthy cruisers want. We are now forced to see beyond that, and realize what the small minority of cruisers need. I can't wait until next summer, and I hope that those I meet on board will forgive me for being happy to be able to be there in comfort.

 

It's always good when there are options, and as a west coast cruiser, I agree that we need more choices. No one will think you are selfish for wanting to sail on the Island, but if we all had another choice, the Sapphire maybe, it would be good. I think it's the specific issues with the Island as a ship people are complaining about, not the itinerary.

[goodie2shoes]

I am not sure I understand your post. Please clarify a few things for me. You are flying to Vancouver to catch the Island for a cruise to Alaska? Or will you be taking a repositioning cruise from LA to Vancouver, but still flying back to LA?

 

If you are flying, then why couldn't you book passage on the Coral instead?

 

I love the Coral and because of the changes to the Island Princess, have chosen not to sail on her. These were two of Princess' best ships. I am so sorry they thought that the renovations would enhance the Island's appeal.

 

As I said, I can't fly, so I will not be flying to anywhere. We will drive to Vancouver and back for the cruise. The Island was the only ship that fit our time requirements, so that is why I booked her. I can't book the Coral because she does not have the wheel chair accessible cabin I require. My point is that Princess needs to renovate more ships to add cabins that are desirable and allow wheel chair access. There are a lot of us out there that would like to cruise more, but can't ever manage to snag an accessible cabin if the ship has one we would consider acceptable. Inside, Ocean View, Balcony and even Mini-Suite are not desirable cabins for me, as we were spoiled by a Suite on our first cruise. Tried a Mini-Suite once and hated it!

[Thrak]

I would like to speak on behalf of the minority here. First, I want to give you my cruising history on the Island. Our first cruise was in a suite on the Island to Hawaii in January of 2006. It was followed within the year with another trip to Hawaii, again on the Island. It has always been our favorite ship.

 

Recently our life has changed, and I now need a handicap, wheel chair accessible cabin. But we still want the space and benefits of a suite. We live in California, and flying to anywhere to cruise is out of the question, so unless a cruise is from a west coast port we can't do it. Because of this, we have not been on board for some time, and we really miss it.

 

We are now booked on the Island in one of the new accessible suites, for Alaska next summer, and I can't tell you how happy that makes us.

 

So, please forgive us for thinking that you are being very selfish in the way that you are only considering what the majority of healthy cruisers want. We are now forced to see beyond that, and realize what the small minority of cruisers need. I can't wait until next summer, and I hope that those I meet on board will forgive me for being happy to be able to be there in comfort.

 

I am the OP for this thread and I stand by my opinion that Island Princess has been trashed by the refit.

 

We have cruised twice (and likely will again) with our oldest son. He will turn 42 in November and has been in a wheelchair since he was 20. He broke his neck in the army, spent almost an entire year in the hospital, and is a "high functioning" quadriplegic. This means he has some use of hands and arms but they don't work properly. He is paralyzed from the nipples down. I also recently lost a good friend of more than 45 years who was extremely handicapped and used a wheelchair. Additionally, I just recently retired from the California Department of Rehabilitation which assists people with physical and mental disabilities to go to school and obtain employment. Both my wife and I are fully cognizant of the issues involved with disabilities.

 

Please don't assume that others have no idea of the issues faced by those who are not fully able bodied. As I said above, I still think the refit to the Island Princess was a terrible mistake.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Thrak

[TitanSMES]

Some people seem to forget that Princess is in business to make money. If they make a business decision that does not work out, so be it. This happens all the time. Does anyone remember when Coke changed their formula?

 

Regarding the aft view of the Island, the only time you will see it is if you are, as Otis Redding sang "sitting on the dock of the bay ...."

 

For those wanting to watch the sunset, sometimes a ship heads West into the setting sun, sometimes to the North and to the South.

 

I will be sailing on the Island in December on a Panama Canal cruise and can better compare it to the Coral. I did Alaska on the Coral and it is a great ship.

 

 

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[Astro Flyer]

So, please forgive us for thinking that you are being very selfish in the way that you are only considering what the majority of healthy cruisers want. We are now forced to see beyond that, and realize what the small minority of cruisers need. I can't wait until next summer, and I hope that those I meet on board will forgive me for being happy to be able to be there in comfort.

Why would anyone be upset that you're happy with an accessible suite cabin...who would ever be that callous. :( I don't think that passengers who dislike the changes are being selfish when they could have modified an existing suite to be accessible.

 

Passengers in the income generating new cabins are the only ones who benefit from the Island's changes because other changes removed spaces used by everyone. That's why the Island has gone from one of my most favorable ships to nearly the bottom of our list although if the itinerary & price were good we'd again sail on the Island.

My point is that Princess needs to renovate more ships to add cabins that are desirable and allow wheel chair access. There are a lot of us out there that would like to cruise more, but can't ever manage to snag an accessible cabin if the ship has one we would consider acceptable. Inside, Ocean View, Balcony and even Mini-Suite are not desirable cabins for me, as we were spoiled by a Suite on our first cruise. Tried a Mini-Suite once and hated it!

I'm happy that you now have a accessible suite on the Island but believe that Princess could have modified an existing suite without making so many other negative changes. The only reason for the changes was for the income produced from additional cabins & not any overall improvement for all passengers.

 

Princess could modify some suite cabins to make them accessible but having seen bathrooms in other accessible cabins it might not be popular with passengers who are not disabled. Businesses including cruise lines seek ways to generate income & would evaluate whether it's cost effective or not to add more accessible suite cabins.

 

I'm happy that you have an accessible suite but time will tell their bean counters whether it's cost effective & to be considered on other ships. If it results in those cabins rarely being booked & are used mostly as a free or upsell upgrade then there may not be any more accessible suite cabins on other ships.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[alwalaska]

...

For those wanting to watch the sunset, sometimes a ship heads West into the setting sun, sometimes to the North and to the South.

 

My worry wasn't the sunset, but having enough room at the front and back of the ship for viewing the Panama Canal (the main reason for my trip). We booked a back corner balcony (stretching our budget) in hopes of being able to see well enough to not have to fight for a space at the back of the ship, but the crowded deck 8 aft area will be our neighbors throughout the day. I think the renovations also limited front deck space as well. :rolleyes:

 

I will be sailing on the Island in December on a Panama Canal cruise and can better compare it to the Coral. I did Alaska on the Coral and it is a great ship.

 

I would love to hear what you think when you get back. We don't sail until February. If you find any great or secret spots to watch entry or exit from the locks, I would love to hear about it. I chose the itinerary we wanted, and I don't think the ship design will have a big affect on our cruise. I just like to be prepared.

 

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Off topic, if you happen to take pictures of the main dining room menus during your cruise, I would love to see them. You can email me and save this thread for island refurb conversations. annjunk at sbcglobal dot net.

[cr8tiv1]

As I said, I can't fly, so I will not be flying to anywhere. We will drive to Vancouver and back for the cruise. The Island was the only ship that fit our time requirements, so that is why I booked her. I can't book the Coral because she does not have the wheel chair accessible cabin I require. My point is that Princess needs to renovate more ships to add cabins that are desirable and allow wheel chair access. There are a lot of us out there that would like to cruise more, but can't ever manage to snag an accessible cabin if the ship has one we would consider acceptable. Inside, Ocean View, Balcony and even Mini-Suite are not desirable cabins for me, as we were spoiled by a Suite on our first cruise. Tried a Mini-Suite once and hated it!

 

Thank you for coming back on to post a clarification. It makes more sense to me now. I am glad you are able to drive to Vancouver AND cruise in a HA suite. Enjoy your time on the Island. I would be interested in hearing, from your perspective, how the changes from your Hawaii Cruise to the Alaskan Cruise compare.

[TitanSMES]

I will be sure to take lots of photos. We will be dining in the Provence dining room. We will on board for Christmas and New Years.

If you are going from Ft Lauderdale to LA you want to be on the port side. I lived in Panama and there's not much to see on the starboard side. The reverse is true on the LA to Ft L cruise.

 

 

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[alwalaska]

I will be sure to take lots of photos. We will be dining in the Provence dining room. We will on board for Christmas and New Years.

If you are going from Ft Lauderdale to LA you want to be on the port side. I lived in Panama and there's not much to see on the starboard side. The reverse is true on the LA to Ft L cruise.

 

 

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I'm sure the holiday menus will be different, but hopefully not too many of the other ones.

 

We are doing LA to FLL and unfortunately guessed wrong and booked the port side. :( There was a great sale expiring in about 12 hours after I found the cruise, so I didn't do as much research as usual. Oh well, I'm sure we will be walking around a lot any way.

[JF - retired RRT]

I'm sure the holiday menus will be different, but hopefully not too many of the other ones.

 

We are doing LA to FLL and unfortunately guessed wrong and booked the port side. :( There was a great sale expiring in about 12 hours after I found the cruise, so I didn't do as much research as usual. Oh well, I'm sure we will be walking around a lot any way.

 

Any cabins still available on the other side? You can always change.

[wishfulone]

Off topic I'm sorry, but does anyone know if they have the Platinum/Elite bar on the Island?

[alwalaska]

Any cabins still available on the other side? You can always change.

 

There are a few balconies left on the other side, but I have the back corner one on deck 7 and it looks like we will be able to aft as well as to the side, so I don't want to give it up. We'll just have to walk around the promenade deck or sun deck to experience the sights on the other side of the deck.:rolleyes:

[reedprincess]

Off topic I'm sorry, but does anyone know if they have the Platinum/Elite bar on the Island?

 

Yes, they do the platinum/elite/suite happy hour on Island. We had our invitation, but for the life of me, I couldn't possibly tell you where it was held as we never went... I think it was Explorer's?

[partybarbie]

Yes, they do the platinum/elite/suite happy hour on Island. We had our invitation, but for the life of me, I couldn't possibly tell you where it was held as we never went... I think it was Explorer's?

 

You are correct. :D It's held in a sectioned off part of Explorer's.

[cruisin froggy]

Thank you for coming back on to post a clarification. It makes more sense to me now. I am glad you are able to drive to Vancouver AND cruise in a HA suite. Enjoy your time on the Island. I would be interested in hearing, from your perspective, how the changes from your Hawaii Cruise to the Alaskan Cruise compare.

 

We were recently on the Island, a b2b through the Panama Canal, 30 days. We really liked the ship. It was a pretty ship and the crew were great! We had no problems with any time dining in that we made daily reservations and were seated immediately. The only problem of course was having to come through to the other side to walk the promenade deck and I missed the International cafe. Aside from those few things, we loved our cruise.

[alwalaska]

We were recently on the Island, a b2b through the Panama Canal, 30 days. We really liked the ship. It was a pretty ship and the crew were great! We had no problems with any time dining in that we made daily reservations and were seated immediately. The only problem of course was having to come through to the other side to walk the promenade deck and I missed the International cafe. Aside from those few things, we loved our cruise.

 

What time did you typically eat? Did you make reservations each morning?

 

We have Anytime Dining in February and we are typically early eaters.

[Thrak]

Yes, they do the platinum/elite/suite happy hour on Island. We had our invitation, but for the life of me, I couldn't possibly tell you where it was held as we never went... I think it was Explorer's?

 

Agreed - they did have it and it was in Explorers. However, the person who brought the cold aboard assured that we didn't make it there as we were both sick and tried not to mingle on the ship much. We each spent one full day (not the same one) completely sequestered in the cabin. I think my wife managed to sleep (mostly) for about 36 hours. I was too busy coughing to sleep. By the end of the cruise there was coughing heard all over the ship and I don't mean just a few folks. There were a lot of people coughing. It took more than 2 weeks after the cruise for me to "mostly" get over it.

 

For the most part I didn't miss the Plat/Elite evening thing but I do love Stilton night and that was my sickest day/night. Poop.

[wishfulone]

Agreed - they did have it and it was in Explorers. However, the person who brought the cold aboard assured that we didn't make it there as we were both sick and tried not to mingle on the ship much. We each spent one full day (not the same one) completely sequestered in the cabin. I think my wife managed to sleep (mostly) for about 36 hours. I was too busy coughing to sleep. By the end of the cruise there was coughing heard all over the ship and I don't mean just a few folks. There were a lot of people coughing. It took more than 2 weeks after the cruise for me to "mostly" get over it.

 

For the most part I didn't miss the Plat/Elite evening thing but I do love Stilton night and that was my sickest day/night. Poop.

 

Thanks for the replies. We like to go a few times each cruise when the nibbles are good. Salmon night for instance ;)

 

So sorry about the ship's cough. It really can ruin your experience.

[cruisin froggy]

What time did you typically eat? Did you make reservations each morning?

 

We have Anytime Dining in February and we are typically early eaters.

 

Interestingly, the first night, the restaurant called us and asked if we would like to make a reservation. Maybe because we were in a suite? Yes, we called each morning and asked for a 6PM seating and a specific table as well, which was nice since we got to know our servers. If 6 is too late, I'm sure 5:30 would work as well. Enjoy your cruise!

[alwalaska]

Interestingly, the first night, the restaurant called us and asked if we would like to make a reservation. Maybe because we were in a suite? Yes, we called each morning and asked for a 6PM seating and a specific table as well, which was nice since we got to know our servers. If 6 is too late, I'm sure 5:30 would work as well. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thanks. That is very good to know. Feb seems so far away, but I know the time will fly by because I am so busy at work.

[devked]

Any cabins still available on the other side? You can always change.

 

We're going out of FLL to Panama in April. Should we be on the Port or Starboard side? Thanks.

[alwalaska]

...

If you are going from Ft Lauderdale to LA you want to be on the port side. I lived in Panama and there's not much to see on the starboard side. The reverse is true on the LA to Ft L cruise.

 

 

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We're going out of FLL to Panama in April. Should we be on the Port or Starboard side? Thanks.

 

Your answer is in the first quote.

 

A great book that offers a play by play description of the ride through the canal is Cruising Through the Panama Canal by Dr Lew Detrich.