Island Princess Alaska

[jala]

My wife and I are booked on the Island Princess in August 2007 for an Alaska cruise. We have reserved a mini-suite on the Dolphin Deck and have requested anytime dining. We have not yet reserved any port tours. We have made our flight reservations through Princess and will be flying from the Washington, DC area to Vancouver and then back hom from Alaska. We have cruised once before, but it was sometime ago. I would appreciate any insights, good or bad, ship information or any other recommendations etc. Many thanks for any advice you have to offer.

 

Jala

[mii]

Hi jaia, welcome to Cruise Critic. What you can do first is go back to what I call the Table of Contents and scroll down to Roll Calls. Hit Princess, then the Island, and find your cruise. Then you get to talk to other cruisers that will be on the same ship as you.

 

Also you can go to the Member Reviews and follow the links to the Island Princess reviews. There is all sorts of information there abut the ship etc.

 

Also go to the Ports of Call Board and scroll to Alaska. There you will find information about excursions there.

 

Marilyn

[Italy52]

We cruised to Alaska May 22-29 on the Island last year and had a wonderful time. Took the Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage to Whittier and enjoyed the scenic ride very much. We were glad that we did not take Princess transfer option as we were able to control our arrival. Arrived at the ship about 12:30 PM. No line for processed by Princess; boarded the ship within minutes after processing. We had a mini-suite on Aloha Deck and it was great. The cabin steward, Arnoldo, was wonderful. He called our cabin just to tell us that there was a whale outside so we could see it. He was extremely attentive and a real joy to meet.

 

 

The ship was very nice, not too big, not too small--just right. Weather was wonderful. Food was very good. We had "PC dining; went to the dining room one night and the Bayou another night. The Bayou was OK, not sure if we would return again. We really were not that hungry the other nights so we just ate in the Lido.

 

Casino did not pay out at all for us; a first for our previous 19 cruises. Oh well, no biggie, just odd.

 

Ports were nice and the best part was that we never had to tender. :)

 

Hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.

[mike35]

Hi Jala

 

DW, our 18-year old granddaughter, and I were on the August, 2006, Island Princess Southbound (Whittier to Vancouver). It was our second cruise on the Island Princess, and we were very pleased with the ship, staff, service, amenities, and cuisine. We were "anytime dining", and we were fortunate to locate a wonderful waitperson who had served us the year before on our L.A. to Hawaii r/t cruise. Her name is AnnaMarie from Romania, and her fiancee was the head waiter. They're a wonderful couple, so try to sit at her "station", if she is on board.

 

We took the 5-day CruiseTour prior to embarkation, which was wonderful as well. We had done an Alaska cruise previously, and we did most of the shore excursions on our own (on both cruises). The internet provides a wealth of information regarding private tour guides, and the benefits include significantly less costly, much smaller groups, and the opportunity to get more "close and personal" with native Alaskans.

 

The highlight of this cruise occurred in Skagway. DW and granddaughter took a helicopter flight to a dog sled training camp on a glacier. They had the opportunity to drive dog sleds, hold the sled dog puppies, and generally learn what dog sledding is all about. In fact, granddaughter is applying to work there next summer (she's a Floridian). While they were on their helicopter flight, I rented a car, then picked them up at the heliport and drove North to Carcross and Whitehorse. You parallel the route of the railway that one can take from Skagway. This is an incredibly beautiful drive into Canada (bring your passport!!), on to the town of Carcross (wonderful ice cream place for a refreshing break), and then on to Whitehorse. There are tons of photo ops on this drive, and I can't recommend it enough!

 

Juneau is the state capital - the only capital in the U.S. that has no highways in or out of it! Many interesting sights here - Mendenhall glacier, whale watching, good restaurants (especially the "Twisted Fish"), etc.

 

Ketchikan is very touristy, but we walked to the bald eagle preserve - a delightful walk where one can see many totems along the way.

 

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any other questions.

 

Mike

[Beach4me]

Hi, Jala!

 

We cruised the Island Princess to Hawaii a couple months ago. It was a beautiful ship. We, too, did anytime dining. We opted for a standing reservation at 7:15 each evening and it worked out perfectly. We were lucky enough to find a small table (for 4) with a wonderful waitstaff the first night and were able to book it for every night.

 

If you want a standing reservation, you need to make them as soon as you get on the ship. The 6:00 - 7:00 timeframe fills up very quickly.

 

If you have any specific questions about the ship, I'd be very happy to answer them. I loved the IP - perfect size, beautiful decor.

[cruzluvr2]

I cruised the Island Princess to Alaska and loved it. Be sure you check out the very back of the ship on your particular deck for a covered viewing area. This area came in handy when we cruised College Fjord in misty rainy conditions.

[MLBFan24]

I went on this cruise in August 2006 (Northbound too).

 

Our group had Anytime Dining, but we usually reserved our dining time at 5 PM each day. Early, I know, but after our meals, we had a full night ahead of us. I like that better than late dining. Anytime Dining reservations can be made at 8 AM sharp by phone, for that day only - the earlier, the better your choices.

 

 

I liked the ship architecture. Good choice.

 

One of the Alaskan tours I liked: the Ketchikan Duck Tour. A bus ride around the city and then the "bus" converts into a watercraft and goes into the bay. Sweet! Great tour guide too. But don't expect any ducks..haha

 

 

I liked the Skagway Train Ride, but it wasn't worth the price per person. This can be blamed for the fog that blinded the view at the top of the mountains. So we basically got half a tour. :( Not necessarily their fault, but something you should be aware of.