MsTabbyKats Posted July 7 #26 Share Posted July 7 3 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said: Pretty much agree with everything you have shared. (We were on the same cruise...) By any chance did you catch the "Alfredo's lunch pop-up" in Sabatini's on one of the sea days? We think that pizza is MUCH better than what you see in the buffet or on Lido...and most seasoned Princess cruisers seem to agree! No...we didn't do any of the pop-ups. There was so much good food to choose from just about all the time...I don't know how anyone could go hungry. I did read on social media that the wait was long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Rick&Jeannie Posted July 7 #27 Share Posted July 7 Just now, MsTabbyKats said: No...we didn't do any of the pop-ups. There was so much good food to choose from just about all the time...I don't know how anyone could go hungry. I did read on social media that the wait was long. You had to be there pretty much right when they opened to get in on a timely basis! We were there about 20 minutes before noon (hours 12:00-1:30) and we were about the 25th in line! If you ever do another Princess cruise (especially on a ship that has a dedicated Alfredo's...the newer ships) you should definitely consider Alfredo's. I think you'll agree that it's VERY good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted July 7 #28 Share Posted July 7 I was on the Island last month in one of the five cabins that flooded the fourth morning. Fortunately, they had available cabins to move all of us to. I hope they'll be able to fix the plumbing problems when they do the drydock in September. I had the Plus package and took advantage of the two included casual dining meals: once at the Salty Dog Gastropub popup at the Bayou Cafe and once at Alfredo's Pizzeria at Sabatini's. Both were very good. My cruise was only about 80% of capacity and never felt crowded. There wasn't a wait for either one. I'm not sure why the previous commenter said that he liked the dining room meals but moved to the buffet because he did not like eating with other people. I never had a problem getting a table for one or two when I wanted one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mississippian Posted July 7 #29 Share Posted July 7 3 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said: The food was excellent. This was the first cruise where I enjoyed MDR food (although I didn't enjoy eating with strangers so after 3 nites we went to the buffet instead). They actually used spices and the food had flavor. Could you not get a table for two? You can on every other Princess ship I've been on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheezedr Posted July 7 #30 Share Posted July 7 One reason that the Island and her sister the Coral, both small by modern mega ship criteria, remain as important elements in the Princess fleet is that they were built as Panamax ships at a time when only the old locks existed. If you desire the old locks experience, which I highly recommend, then your choice is limited. They are very good ships for scenic cruising and the lack of some “bells and whistles” is actually a plus for some of us. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsTabbyKats Posted July 7 #31 Share Posted July 7 17 minutes ago, Mississippian said: Could you not get a table for two? You can on every other Princess ship I've been on. We were able to...but 6 inches from the same people every night. Truth is...we really prefer the buffet for many reasons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philbob84 Posted July 7 #32 Share Posted July 7 where was the original gym location>? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsTabbyKats Posted July 7 #33 Share Posted July 7 49 minutes ago, geoherb said: I was on the Island last month in one of the five cabins that flooded the fourth morning. Fortunately, they had available cabins to move all of us to. I hope they'll be able to fix the plumbing problems when they do the drydock in September. I had the Plus package and took advantage of the two included casual dining meals: once at the Salty Dog Gastropub popup at the Bayou Cafe and once at Alfredo's Pizzeria at Sabatini's. Both were very good. My cruise was only about 80% of capacity and never felt crowded. There wasn't a wait for either one. I'm not sure why the previous commenter said that he liked the dining room meals but moved to the buffet because he did not like eating with other people. I never had a problem getting a table for one or two when I wanted one. We like the buffet because: You can eat whenever you want You can get as much of want you want There are many more options You don't need to make small talk with people if you're not in the mood The service in the Princess buffet was excellent. Although the food in the mdr was good...the time and options were too limiting. As far as "other people" ...English is my husband's third language and he's hard of hearing. It's uncomfortable for him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted July 7 #34 Share Posted July 7 1 hour ago, philbob84 said: where was the original gym location>? Just look at the deck plans for the Coral Princess and you'll see the way the Island Princess was before "the change". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latebloomer56 Posted July 7 #35 Share Posted July 7 3 hours ago, wheezedr said: One reason that the Island and her sister the Coral, both small by modern mega ship criteria, remain as important elements in the Princess fleet is that they were built as Panamax ships at a time when only the old locks existed. If you desire the old locks experience, which I highly recommend, then your choice is limited. They are very good ships for scenic cruising and the lack of some “bells and whistles” is actually a plus for some of us. We booked the Island for the canal next year LA to NY for this reason. First time was on the Coral. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRS/NC Posted July 7 #36 Share Posted July 7 I was on the Island (first time) in May/June 2022, repositioning from Ft. Lauderdale to S'hampton. I'm a solo & handicapped cruiser. I prefer Princess's 'older' ships. After 40 yrs. w/PCL, (& 10 w/other lines), the newest ship I've cruised is the Regal. When PCL remodeled the Island, they converted part of the aft Promenade deck to cabins, including several HA cabins. I was in PR703 -- the biggest cabin I've ever had except for a suite once. The balcony was huge! It was the full width of the cabin & half the depth (the old Promenade deck). On misty/windy/rainy sea days (we had several), I could sit at the back of the balcony, just outside the cabin door, bundled in my sweatshirt & a pool blanket w/a pot of coffee & my Kindle. And I did NOT get wet! My idea of a cruise! Since we were barely "post-Covid" the ship was only half booked. Every evening the pre-dinner solo meet-up was in a large lounge. 50+ of us gathered for drinks before presenting ourselves (in smaller groups) at a MDR where we were seated quickly & could continue our lively conversations. It was a great "solo" cruise. The food was very good too. It was an easy Accessible cruise for me & my electric scooter. I was on Deck 7 w/all the important venues. I missed the International Cafe, but everything else was delightful. Depending on the itinerary, I'd book the Island again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90scruzer Posted July 8 #37 Share Posted July 8 3 hours ago, latebloomer56 said: We booked the Island for the canal next year LA to NY for this reason. First time was on the Coral. Yep, we may do so as well in 2026 (still haven't decided which line to use, but only 3 meet my criteria). My 2025 schedule is already reserved -- on the Island when going to Greenland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie83 Posted July 9 #38 Share Posted July 9 On 7/6/2024 at 5:49 PM, Rick&Jeannie said: Yes...the casino on the Island is rather small. We only do slots but as I recall, most times that we were in the casino there were people at more than one table. The bonus is that you don't have to walk through a smoke-filled casino to get anywhere! The casino is to the side of the main walkway. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted July 9 #39 Share Posted July 9 Our Island Princess cruise was one of my favorites. I do have a preference for smaller ships. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90scruzer Posted July 9 #40 Share Posted July 9 On 7/7/2024 at 8:11 AM, JGmf said: @MsTabbyKats Thanks a ton for sharing your experiences. I'm sailing on this ship in late August and have read the same warning/negative reviews about this older, smaller ship that you have read. So glad you had a great cruise and especially glad that I can ratchet down my worries. (As a former NCL loyalist, I made the switch to Princess last year and enjoy it more for a wide variety of reasons). Maybe we should lower your expectations -- I find if I go into a movie with high hopes, I am far more likely to leave disappointed than when I go in to some movie I expect to be bad 😄. In that event: It's just horrible. 😛 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Globaler Posted July 9 Author #41 Share Posted July 9 8 hours ago, 90scruzer said: Maybe we should lower your expectations -- I find if I go into a movie with high hopes, I am far more likely to leave disappointed than when I go in to some movie I expect to be bad 😄. In that event: It's just horrible. 😛 lol - my concern for 3/26 is it is a 54 day cruise. If the ship is a disappointment then I’ll have a lot of time to think about it 😳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhobbkf Posted July 9 #42 Share Posted July 9 On 7/7/2024 at 1:47 PM, MsTabbyKats said: We like the buffet because: You can eat whenever you want You can get as much of want you want There are many more options You don't need to make small talk with people if you're not in the mood The service in the Princess buffet was excellent. Although the food in the mdr was good...the time and options were too limiting. As far as "other people" ...English is my husband's third language and he's hard of hearing. It's uncomfortable for him. We were on the Emerald and during the dining room lunch, the host and hostess would make "fun" of people who weren't willing to share a table. I explained to the hostess that my husband is hard of hearing and it's uncomfortable for him to be at a table with people talking that he can't understand. He appears to be rude when he just can't hear well enough. (Retired FF) We still heard the 'not willing to share' commentary when we would venture down for lunch. I felt it was very unprofessional and meant to shame people. We stopped going to lunch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted July 9 #43 Share Posted July 9 8 minutes ago, rhobbkf said: We were on the Emerald and during the dining room lunch, the host and hostess would make "fun" of people who weren't willing to share a table. I explained to the hostess that my husband is hard of hearing and it's uncomfortable for him to be at a table with people talking that he can't understand. He appears to be rude when he just can't hear well enough. (Retired FF) We still heard the 'not willing to share' commentary when we would venture down for lunch. I felt it was very unprofessional and meant to shame people. We stopped going to lunch. That's too bad. I would have lodged a complaint with the DORO or at Guest Services. Nobody should be treated like that regardless of your reasoning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90scruzer Posted July 10 #44 Share Posted July 10 12 hours ago, Globaler said: lol - my concern for 3/26 is it is a 54 day cruise. If the ship is a disappointment then I’ll have a lot of time to think about it 😳 Well let us know after! Hard for anyone but you to judge. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted July 10 #45 Share Posted July 10 11 hours ago, rhobbkf said: ... We still heard the 'not willing to share' commentary when we would venture down for lunch. I felt it was very unprofessional and meant to shame people. We stopped going to lunch. That's sad that you let your interpretation of what was happening keep you from eating lunch in the dining room. They were probably just relaying that you were not willing to share so that the head waiter would know to look at available tables for two for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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