Island Princess - do I believe the comments?

[karenmk528]

So getting ready to possibly take the plunge and book Island Princess for Panama over New Years.    Have sailed other lines many times before and had a great time on Crown last year.   Very happy with the Princess service......(love these boards, had to reopen a CC account, so this is my new rookie post......)

 

That being said, there is definitely a lot of negativity about this ship....am I making a mistake?     I know people's perceptions are not always accurate, but it is making me a little weary....

 

Thanks - 

 

Karen

[Thrak]

Having sailed Island Princess immediately after sailing Coral Princess I was very disappointed and upset with the changes made. Prior to the changes those two ships were "almost" identical.. (Island Princess didn't have an International Cafe and still doesn't have one even after the major changes.)

 

We love Coral Princess. When we sailed Island Princess we kept "running out of ship" when we would head aft. They turned the aft portion of the ship into more cabins by removing the public areas. They cut off the Promenade Deck access where the new cabins start. The two story Universe Lounge was removed. The gym was moved to an interior space with no windows. I hated the changes. (Of course I never use the gym anyway but it was a bummer for those who do use it.)

 

If you have never sailed on Coral Princess or on Island Princess before the change it likely won't make any difference to you at all. Yes, they added a bunch of cabins which means more passengers while at the same time reducing the public areas. To me it makes a big difference and I place Island Princess at the bottom of my list for Princess ships. However, that is "my" list - not yours.

 

Enjoy your cruise. Many folks haven't sailed on Coral or Island (before the change) and don't have a problem with the changes at all. Don't let the disappointment of others cloud your experience. Take your cruise and enjoy the heck out of it.

Edited October 30, 2018 by Thrak

[partybarbie]

It will really depend upon what is important to you.  The negatives are lines for anytime dining (which can happen on any ship), small, windowless gym, small casino, promenade deck doesn't go all the way around anymore, loss of aft viewing areas, no Sanctuary pool, removal of the Universe Lounge, and no IC.  None of these things are deal breakers for myself or DH.

 

What I love about the ship is the large Crooner's Bar, the Bayou Cafe, the covered Lotus pool, the new cabins on Deck 7 aft, the forward Horizon court with the specialty coffees and pastry bar, and the Wheelhouse bar.  DH also loves Churchill's cigar bar. 

 

The Explorer's lounge can get really crowded with passengers trying to watch the early evening game shows.  Around 11:00 pm, it turns into a disco for dancing.

 

It's really up to you, and what you like, if this ship will be the right fit for you.

 

[memoak]

Island Princess - too many people too little ship

[Colo Cruiser]

2 hours ago, karenmk528 said:

So getting ready to possibly take the plunge and book Island Princess for Panama over New Years.    Have sailed other lines many times before and had a great time on Crown last year.   Very happy with the Princess service......(love these boards, had to reopen a CC account, so this is my new rookie post......)

 

That being said, there is definitely a lot of negativity about this ship....am I making a mistake?     I know people's perceptions are not always accurate, but it is making me a little weary....

 

Thanks - 

 

Karen

Welcome back to CC........

 

Do you believe the comments?   I guess not if you think people who actually sailed her are lying.  SMH

[bemis12]

11 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Welcome back to CC........

 

Do you believe the comments?   I guess not if you think people who actually sailed her are lying.  SMH

 

But there are a number of people who have sailed her that were pleased, and indicated it didn't seem crowded.  So yes, there's room for differences in opinion and perception. That doesn't mean that people who differ in opinion are lying.

[Colo Cruiser]

27 minutes ago, bemis12 said:

 

But there are a number of people who have sailed her that were pleased, and indicated it didn't seem crowded.  So yes, there's room for differences in opinion and perception. That doesn't mean that people who differ in opinion are lying.

Never said that, reread my post. She gave a blanket question.. 

Questioning all comments on the Island Princess.

"Should I believe them"?

[frugaltravel]

If your cruise doesn't sell out, it might be bearable.  My cruise was sold out (also a PC cruise).  Lines for everything like ATD, theater seating full 45 minutes or more before showtime, etc.  I have been on both Coral and Island.  Would never sail on the Island again.  Too many other better options.

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, karenmk528 said:

So getting ready to possibly take the plunge and book Island Princess for Panama over New Years.    Have sailed other lines many times before and had a great time on Crown last year.   Very happy with the Princess service......(love these boards, had to reopen a CC account, so this is my new rookie post......)

 

That being said, there is definitely a lot of negativity about this ship....am I making a mistake?     I know people's perceptions are not always accurate, but it is making me a little weary....

 

Thanks - 

 

Karen

 

There is only one true way to find out. Take the Island on a cruise and have a great time. Then come back and tell us what you think.

[Cruisen Elf]

Our first Princess cruise was to Alaska on Island Princess, after the changes were made.  I also read the negative comments about Island Princess and was concerned, but unable to change the choice due to price and date concerns.  Because I had no other Princess ship to compare it to, I found that we did not experience any major issues.  We were so busy we did not use the gym, casino, or sanctuary pool, and spend most of our on-board time viewing glaciers and wildlife.  So, it depends on what is important to you.  I understand that if a ship changes for the worse to you, it can be a major disappointment and frustration.  But if you weren't on the ship before the changes or on its sister ship, Coral Princess, then  I don't believe the changes will make a significant impact on your cruising experience.  It all depends on what features are most important to you.

[Colo Cruiser]

10 minutes ago, Cruisen Elf said:

Our first Princess cruise was to Alaska on Island Princess, after the changes were made.  I also read the negative comments about Island Princess and was concerned, but unable to change the choice due to price and date concerns.  Because I had no other Princess ship to compare it to, I found that we did not experience any major issues.  We were so busy we did not use the gym, casino, or sanctuary pool, and spend most of our on-board time viewing glaciers and wildlife.  So, it depends on what is important to you.  I understand that if a ship changes for the worse to you, it can be a major disappointment and frustration.  But if you weren't on the ship before the changes or on its sister ship, Coral Princess, then  I don't believe the changes will make a significant impact on your cruising experience.  It all depends on what features are most important to you.

I agree.

We have sailed the Island many times, before and after the refit. If we had to sail on her based on a certain itinerary that only the Island did I would still be open to sailing on her. I think I would have to do Club Class dining to alleviate any chance of dining issues.

[Sea Hag]

5 hours ago, karenmk528 said:

 That being said, there is definitely a lot of negativity about this ship....am I making a mistake?     I know people's perceptions are not always accurate, but it is making me a little weary....

 

Thanks - 

 

Karen

 

I haven't sailed on the Island, and I probably won't. Too many people have said too many bad things about it, but that's not my main reason. I have sailed on the Coral, which is a great ship and is like the Island was before the mods. Knowing the Coral and looking at the deckplan differences between it and the Island, I seriously doubt I'd like the Island. Too many cabins added, and too much public space removed to put those cabins in. I can imagine what the Coral would be like with many more people and less public space. No, thanks.

[paul929207]

We sailed the Island on a b2b Panama canal cruise and loved it.

[riclop]

Go and form your own opinion.

[Thrak]

Best possible outcome: Take the cruise. Enjoy it immensely, come back here and tell everybody it was great! That is my advice. Give it a shot and I would bet you will have a great cruise.

 

I've seen a bazillion posts here where people say you absolutely must have a balcony when cruising to Alaska. Our first cruise was a 10 day SF/Alaska round trip in an incredibly tiny inside cabin way forward on Sea Princess. (A323 -- 135 sq. ft.) We had a fantastic cruise and were hooked for life. Our next Alaska cruise (13 day connoisseur cruise tour  - 6 days on land and 7 days cruising) we booked another inside but took a cheap upsell to a window mini. We're booked on a 15 day connoisseur cruise tour next May and have again booked an inside cabin. We spend our viewing time up on the outer decks and the lack of a balcony won't bother us in the slightest. If we're offered a cheap upsell we may take it but otherwise we will enjoy our cruise in the inside cabin. (We've actually booked inside cabins 4 times previously but only sailed in one on the first cruise. We've been upgraded and upsold on the others.)

Edited October 31, 2018 by Thrak

[piescruises]

I went on oasis and it was sad knowing there was less public areas (for non-suite guests) than originally built. That ship was large but they still didn't have many crowds. I have been on a few princess and weren't crowded either. 

[Star Travler]

Princess told my TA that the Island was going into dry dock again December 2019...who knows what goodies  are in store for us?  I can hardly wait to sail for Panama Canal in May 2020.  How bad can it be?  Its Princess and a cruise!!😍

[Thrak]

6 minutes ago, Star Travler said:

Princess told my TA that the Island was going into dry dock again December 2019...who knows what goodies  are in store for us?  I can hardly wait to sail for Panama Canal in May 2020.  How bad can it be?  Its Princess and a cruise!!😍

 

Most dry dock sessions are just routine maintenance. Don't get too excited. Any kind of major change (adding IC for instance) takes a lot of work and an extended dry dock. I would guess that Island is just going for the standard stuff as I haven't seen or heard any announcements from Princess.

[EastBay Cruisers]

The only time our family members could get together for our "bucket list" Panama Canal cruise was over Thanksgiving vacation this year, which is coming up.  We wanted to sail with Princess, so we had no choice but the Island, as she had the only itinerary that could fit our schedule.  I have warned our other family members that the Island has very bad reviews,  least popular ship in the fleet, long wait times for MDR and theatre. But, what could we do if we all wanted to be together for a special reunion?   So, sometimes if people want to cruise with Princess on a specific itinerary at a specific time, they just have to take what they can get.

 

The other day here, someone wrote that if you want to walk/jog the entire circumference of the Promenade Deck, then just walk through the aft doors, then through the ship and come out the doors on the other side. That seemed like a pretty good work-around for me. 

I'm nervous about this cruise due to the negative publicity, but we are all going to try to make the best of it.  I'll write a review of the pros and cons when we return to San Francisco on Dec. 5  -- EBC

[pathi]

I have sailed on several ships that people were saying were horrible. I had a good time on all of them. My trip in May will give me a good perspective. As I am sailing on the Coral for 3 days then the Island for 7.

[karenmk528]

Thank you everyone for your comments....we took the plunge....I am looking forward to it!   

 

Everything is what you make it!

 

Karen 

[elliair]

On 10/30/2018 at 11:06 AM, karenmk528 said:

So getting ready to possibly take the plunge and book Island Princess for Panama over New Years.    Have sailed other lines many times before and had a great time on Crown last year.   Very happy with the Princess service......(love these boards, had to reopen a CC account, so this is my new rookie post......)

 

That being said, there is definitely a lot of negativity about this ship....am I making a mistake?     I know people's perceptions are not always accurate, but it is making me a little weary....

 

Thanks - 

 

Karen

 

What is not accurate in people's opinions?  It's just an opinion.  What I find not to my liking, it may not be your experience.  Go and find out for yourself.  I've been on the Island a few times and what I have said about the Island I stand by. They butchered the ship.  If no one here told you that, it wouldn't make any difference to you.  I liked walking around the promenade deck, but for the sake of making a few more bucks for Princess, they put in more cabins, took out a lounge, put in a hokie gym and called it good.  I call that half-ass refurbishing.  BTW, they were going to do the same to the Coral Princess and they decided against it since they got such a push back from passengers.  We're on the Coral in a couple of weeks, and I will say if they had went ahead and do with the Coral what they did to the Island, I wouldn't have booked it.  I won't ever cruise on the Island again.

[elliair]

On 10/30/2018 at 2:48 PM, Potstech said:

 

There is only one true way to find out. Take the Island on a cruise and have a great time. Then come back and tell us what you think.

 

Only if it's "accurate."  Even then, we might find some holes in her opinion.

[JimnKaren]

We were on Island Princess from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale beginning in mid-September of this year.

Live Music was everywhere. In the atrium, Wheelhouse Bar, Bayou Cafe, etc.

We had to miss Puntarenas CR due to weather, but that was OK.

My biggest concern was the dining room situation. We went anytime and sometimes we were taken to the other dining room and other times there was a looong wait for a table for four. Many times, the Club Class area was not full. It is my opinion that the Club Class area takes away too much space for the number of non-Club Class diners. I believe that the addition of all those extra cabins conflicts with the amount of space devoted to dining. I rarely saw a full dining area at Sabatini's and Bayou Cafe, could the price be keeping people away?

Jim

[bigchid]

We have cruised the island before and after her mod., and would probably cruise her again if she was the only ship to suite our needs, but given the choice between Coral and Island, we'll take Coral every time.

DC