Island or Crown for Transatlantic

[Ombud]

With 1 week sea days the ship becomes more important to me. Which would you pick & why? Island has patisserie whereas Crown has IC but that's comparable on paper. I won't use the pool and like both selection of ports

[CineGraphic]

Island has the added cabins, which means more people they have to accommodate.

I know when it's a choice between the Coral and Island, the Coral wins hands-down.

[BarbinMich]

We've done 2 WB TAs on the Crown P (2009, 2010) and enjoyed the ship and the itineraries very much; also did a Caribbean cruise on the Crown--total days on the ship:  53.  Have been on the Coral twice (for 24 days in total) and loved it, but have not been on its sister the Island.  The latter was enlarged a few years ago and there have been many negative comments here about that situation.

Edited October 11, 2019 by BarbinMich

[skynight]

I would choose the Crown. Better space, more lounges.

Benefit of the Island is the indoor pool.

[jennybenny]

With lots of sea days and it being too cold for pool time, I'd say Crown all the way, but I am not a hater of the Island. I did not find it to be overly crowded on a Panama Canal cruise.  I loved Crooners there, it was large and I always found a place to sit.

[jasbo49]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

Island has patisserie whereas Crown has IC but that's comparable on paper.

Not comparable in reality. International Cafe is 24/7 with much greater selection.

 

We've sailed Crown 3 or 4 times and have another booked. With Island, it was one and done. Aft section is a muddled mess. Worst gym I've seen, dark and dreary.

 

Jim

[Colo Cruiser]

Crown for sure.

Island had a lot of public space removed with extra cabins added and about 250 plus extra passengers with no additional dining space.

Not to mention NO International Cafe.

On all those sea days with everyone jammed inside Fugget about it

[Ombud]

Thanks. I actually have the Crown booked but thought about switching to the Island as I will be missing Thanksgiving 3 yrs in a row. Maybe we should do Veterans Day (Thanksgiving) Dinner instead

Edited October 11, 2019 by Ombud

[1965]

We've done a TA on Crown & on Island. I prefer the Crown.

[Thrak]

Any Princess ship before Island. We were very disappointed with the changes when we sailed Island. Not only did they butcher the ship and remove Universe Lounge to add a bunch of cabins but while doing that crazy extensive remodel they failed to add  IC. Mind boggling. We would definitely choose Crown.

[frugaltravel]

6 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Crown for sure.

Island had a lot of public space removed with extra cabins added and about 250 plus extra passengers with no additional dining space.

Not to mention NO International Cafe.

On all those sea days with everyone jammed inside Fugget about it

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Colo Cruiser]

5 hours ago, Ombud said:

Thanks. I actually have the Crown booked but thought about switching to the Island as I will be missing Thanksgiving 3 yrs in a row. Maybe we should do Veterans Day (Thanksgiving) Dinner instead

Or bring the family with you.  😃

[Go-Bucks!]

Wow...I'm going to be on the Island for 2 months. You've all depressed me! The itinerary is fantastic and unusual so I didn't really think that the ship would be so horrible. 

 

Personally, I won't go on the Sun or Grand again, but have enjoyed the other Princess ships I've been on. Hope I won't be sorry I've spent so much money to go on a crappy ship.🥺

[Ombud]

10 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Or bring the family with you.  😃

10 ..... nah. I'll do Alaska from SF with them (no flights)

[Thrak]

27 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

Wow...I'm going to be on the Island for 2 months. You've all depressed me! The itinerary is fantastic and unusual so I didn't really think that the ship would be so horrible. 

 

Personally, I won't go on the Sun or Grand again, but have enjoyed the other Princess ships I've been on. Hope I won't be sorry I've spent so much money to go on a crappy ship.🥺

 

If you haven't sailed on Coral or sailed on Island before the  retrofit you won't know the difference. It really mostly matters to those who have done previous sailings on Island or Coral. Ignore what is said here and have a fantastic cruise.

[Micahs Grandad]

Quite a few cruising friends who have been on the Island since the "butchering" have suggested we avoid it. We respect those opinions so lots of other choices for us

[jennybenny]

1 hour ago, Go-Bucks! said:

Wow...I'm going to be on the Island for 2 months. You've all depressed me! The itinerary is fantastic and unusual so I didn't really think that the ship would be so horrible. 

 

Personally, I won't go on the Sun or Grand again, but have enjoyed the other Princess ships I've been on. Hope I won't be sorry I've spent so much money to go on a crappy ship.🥺

Don't let all this affect your upcoming cruise.  You will have a great time. 

There are some aspects of it that people don't like, but a vacation is what you make of it. 

While the Island is not my first choice, I would sail her again if she was doing an itinerary I wanted.

[geoherb]

I sailed on the Island to Alaska this summer and just returned from our transatlantic cruise on the Crown. I liked them both. I did miss the International Café on the Island. The Island is a more intimate ship, with around 2,200 passengers.

[Denmal]

Crown hands down.  We did 2 cruises on the crown this year.  Love the ship and the.crew.

[BarbinMich]

17 hours ago, Go-Bucks! said:

Wow...I'm going to be on the Island for 2 months. You've all depressed me! The itinerary is fantastic and unusual so I didn't really think that the ship would be so horrible. 

. . .

Yes, the Island's around-the-world (or smaller segments) itinerary is fantastic, but not if you have to do it on the Island.

[Kingofcool1947]

On 10/11/2019 at 8:32 AM, Ombud said:

With 1 week sea days the ship becomes more important to me. Which would you pick & why? Island has patisserie whereas Crown has IC but that's comparable on paper. I won't use the pool and like both selection of ports

 

Crown.

[6boysnana]

I agree with going with the Crown. I have been on both and will not go on Island again.  Crown had a whole different flow and feeling. 

[Go-Bucks!]

On 10/11/2019 at 8:26 PM, Thrak said:

 

If you haven't sailed on Coral or sailed on Island before the  retrofit you won't know the difference. It really mostly matters to those who have done previous sailings on Island or Coral. Ignore what is said here and have a fantastic cruise.

 

I was on the Coral in 2008...liked it.  So now what am I going to think??

[Go-Bucks!]

On 10/12/2019 at 1:11 PM, BarbinMich said:

Yes, the Island's around-the-world (or smaller segments) itinerary is fantastic, but not if you have to do it on the Island.

 

Not the ATW 2021 or any of it's segments...this is a circumnavigation of South America itinerary in Jan, 2020.  No choice of ship cuz no other ship does it.  It's a once-done unusual itinerary. 

 

QUESTION: are the balcony cabins at the back of the Promenade deck OK?  I'm assuming they are part of the remodeling that was done.  Most importantly...DOES THE BALCONY HAVE GLASS OR IS IT METAL?

Edited October 16, 2019 by Go-Bucks!

[frugaltravel]

38 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

I was on the Coral in 2008...liked it.  So now what am I going to think??

You will think the Island is crowded and butchered. I did. Never again. Too many other options if I want a cruise.