Have you sailed on the Island Princess recently?

[comfortcove]

Please help!! I am trying to decide between the Island Princess and Jewel of the Seas. We have never been on the Island, but have sailed on the Emerald and the Caribbean P. They were both very nice, but slightly large for us. We have sailed on the Jewel before, and loved her. This is a Panama Canal cruise,10/24/09 or 11/09/09 Jewel.

 

We have a cabin on each ship on hold and must decide by tomorrow. I could really use some advice from recent Island cruisers.

 

I like the Island better because: we have a mini-suite, great location, and I like a larger cabin on a longer cruise.

-Dates are better for us.

-Sails out of FLL, much more convenient for us to fly into.

-It actually does a partial transit of the P Canal.

 

That said, the Jewel appeals because:

-We have sailed on her before, and loved the ship itself. However we will only have a balcony, and had a jr suite the first time.

-It is 11 days vs. Princess being 10. Longer times in ports, and an extra sea day. Aaahh. But no transit at all of the canal.

 

Princess works for us better this time, I think, but is the Island well kept up? Is the staff and crew good? I need some input, so any advice greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks all, and happy cruising,

 

Comfortcove

[can786]

I was on the Island last month and loved the ship. I have sailed on the Grand, Golden and Star (but not the super Grand class) and have found those to seem crowded, but the Island never did seem crowded, even on sea days.

 

As far as condition goes, I did not notice any extreme wear and tear and thought the ship was generally in very good shape. The crew was very friendly and efficient as well. I left the Island Princess last month knowing that she is now my favorite ship in the Princess fleet. I just wish that Princess would put her or her sister ship the Coral Princess in Europe sometime as I don't care for all of the Grand and super grand class ships they have there.

[comfortcove]

Thank you so much for telling me you like the Island. I am a little concerned because she is a wee bit older, and DH tends to like newer ships. He is quite picky, yet makes me be the in house travel agent! Go figure! Anyway, we both felt the Emerald and Caribbean Princess were a bit too large and impersonal for us.

 

Did you find the beds comfortable, and was the dinner dining good? We don't really care about the buffets etc, one can always find something good during the daytime, but we do like a nice dinner while cruising.

 

Maybe you should consider the Brilliance of the Seas for Europe. Beautiful ship. Hal and Celebrity have good European itineraries, I have noticed. We were going to the Med for this cruise (big anniversary), but had to downsize for various reasons. I am a traveller who makes each ship, each voyage my current favorite so I try to be flexible and have fun.

[Guest arowe6]

If you've been on the Jewel before, you might as well try the Island.....

 

-Andrew :)

[sue450]

I was on the Island last month from Vancouver to Whittier. We LOVED the Island.

 

Yes, if you look closely you can see some wear on the carpets, a little rust on some of the railings and some varnish peeling on some wooden railings. However, the layout of the ship is excellent and the service was outstanding. It never seemed crowded, no lines at bars, servers all remembered our names and food/drink preferences. We had a mini-suite (D709...covered, aft, starboard) and loved it. Even though we had the balcony we really appreciated the fact that all the bars and restaurants had windows. There were lots of great little seating areas all with views outside.

 

We did Anytime Dining and greatly preferred that to having a set time. It allowed us to relax in the evening, have a drink at a bar and eat dinner whenever we wanted. We only did the buffet one night and it was fine. We liked the dining room so much we didn't do any of the specialty dining.

 

Beds for us were fine not too hard and not too soft.

 

I highly recommend the Island. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[comfortcove]

Sue,

 

That was just the encouragement I needed. We have D708 on hold! I think I am going to finalize this today! Isn't there a neat little aft balcony at the end of the hall? Can you go out on it? The way you describe the service and amenities makes me feel the Island is the right choice. Also, it just fits into our schedules and planning better considering air travel and the dates of the cruise itself.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Nancy

[Mr Vincent]

yes, many decks have a back door. We used it for the Panama Canal cruise and never went topside to look at the lockes. We only used the back doors.

 

If you are on Dolphin deck and have balcony, i think those are open...no cover.

 

Island Princess was designed for Panama Canal so it is kind narrow compared to other ships. The atrium is a confused mess of staircases with no focal point. The have an area where the band plays, but you cant see them through the staircases when you sit for a drink. It is not my favorite ship, but any cruise is better than none. You will have a great time.

 

We also hated anytime dining on the cruise we were on because they accept reservations and for those who dont make reservations there was minimum 1/2 hour waits. We should have chosen fixed dining.

[jfv379]

 

If you are on Dolphin deck and have balcony, i think those are open...no cover.

 

 

 

Dolphin deck mini's are covered. We are in D712 for our canal trip.

[cindep]

You will be in a perfect location to slip out the back doors and see the locks "up close and personal" from the back of the ship. If you're going all the way to Panama, you definitely want to go through the locks. For me it is the best part of the trip (done it twice, the last time on the Coral).

 

Interestingly, this ship is actually a bit longer than the Grand class ships. You'll find you will walk a LOT with a cabin in the back of the ship. The good news is, you're closer to the dining rooms. The "bad" news is you're farther from the buffet. For us, that was good news as we ate the majority of our meals in the dining room.

 

When we were on the Island the end of May, they were getting new mattresses. I don't know how that is going, but I am guessing it will continue all summer, so hopefully you'll have a fairly new mattress by the time you cruise.

 

We thought the staff was some of the best of all of our Princess cruises. The various dining rooms are "competing" each week to have the best service. The food was some of the best and well presented we have had on any of our Princess cruises (15 prior). In Alaska they were "trying out" some new things on the Island ... Mario's party which is held in the atrium with balloons and streamers and half of the dining room staff included. They were fun!

 

I would personally take this trip and ship in a heartbeat (Panama Canal is my favorite trip)!

[W5KAP]

Sue,

 

That was just the encouragement I needed. We have D708 on hold! I think I am going to finalize this today! Isn't there a neat little aft balcony at the end of the hall? Can you go out on it? The way you describe the service and amenities makes me feel the Island is the right choice. Also, it just fits into our schedules and planning better considering air travel and the dates of the cruise itself.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Nancy

 

We were in D 717 on the 22 June sailing of the Island to Whittier. The aft balcony is wonderful. You will love the location. It is only a few steps to the aft baclony. The view from our balcony was grest but when ssiling south out of both Skagway and Glacier Bay the view from the stern was magnificent. We saw Humpbacks and Orca's from there easily!!

 

 

Cheers, Kenn

 

PS The laundry is also very close by!!

[jfv379]

Dolphin deck mini's are covered. We are in D712 for our canal trip.

 

My mistake. Covered mini's are fore and aft on Dolphin.

[comfortcove]

We booked this afternoon, I am excited.

 

To those of you who shared your recent experiences on the Island, I really needed some positive feedback, you don't hear too much about this ship. This is only our third Princess cruise. She sounds lovely, and I feel good about the location of our mini. Cabin space and atmosphere really matters to me on any cruise, but especially on 10 or more nights.

 

I put the wrong date in my initial post. It is 10/21/2009. Perfect timing for us for lots of reasons for work schedules, upcoming holidays, airfare, it all works!!

 

Happy cruising to all, and, yes, I'll have lots of questions...the anticipation is part of the fun.

 

Nancy

[travelnnana]

I have not been on her recently but have sailed her twice - the Canal and Hawaii - we did Alaska on the Sapphire since it had multiple Anytime Dining rooms-but the Island is a beautiful ship - the size is wonderful - you will not be disappointed - I wish she did itineraries we have not been on yet so we could sail her again - have a gareat cruise

[Party Teacher]

We were also on the Island last month and found her a beautiful and accomodating ship. Service was excellent and food in the dining room was good. We had anytime seating. For 3 out of 7 meals we were escorted up to the Provence dining room, but never waited more than 5 or 10 minutes for a table in either dining room.

[jacketwatch]

:)

We booked this afternoon, I am excited.

 

To those of you who shared your recent experiences on the Island, I really needed some positive feedback, you don't hear too much about this ship. This is only our third Princess cruise. She sounds lovely, and I feel good about the location of our mini. Cabin space and atmosphere really matters to me on any cruise, but especially on 10 or more nights.

 

I put the wrong date in my initial post. It is 10/21/2009. Perfect timing for us for lots of reasons for work schedules, upcoming holidays, airfare, it all works!!

 

Happy cruising to all, and, yes, I'll have lots of questions...the anticipation is part of the fun.

 

Nancy

We did a full transtit on her last Feb. The ship is clean and well maintained. The crew was just fine. I think Princess does a great job overall in terms of CS. The food was very good, the entertainment very good too though I must say we say fewer "headliners' and more shows from the Princess dance/singing troupe who I think were excellent. I hope they still produce "Motor City" That is a very nice show. Do look into spending time in the sanctuary for some peace and quiet. What are your ports? Larry

[comfortcove]

Our ports are Aruba, Cartagena, Cristobal (is that Crystal Ball?), Puerto Limon, Ochos Rios, and we have four glorious sea days. Can't wait for the R&R, and we have never been to any of the South American ports, or Costa Rica. Any tips on can't miss sights or tours? Only bad is short stops in Aruba (7AM-1PM) , and Panama is only 4-8PM at Cristobal, but we have nice stops in Cartagena, Costa Rica and Ochos Rios.

 

I have to weigh in on anytime dining. We like it, and find it a great enhancement. We tend to find a wait staff that we make a standing reservation with for the cruise, but always let them know in advance if we are doing specialty dining, or dining with friends. Usually we meet some friends on cruises, usually from CC excursions! I have found it flexible, relaxing, and usually great service. We enjoy the option of dining just the two of us, or with a group, and choose just the two of us at least half the time. I think they like us in the dining room because we drink wine and eat alot :), but only at night.

[comfortcove]

Hi all,

 

Since some of you have stayed in these before can you clue me in on:

 

-Roughly how large is the balcony, and what furniture is on it?

 

-Is there a lighted makeup mirror, and how was the bathroom as far as roominess?

 

On both the Emerald and Caribbean Princess I found the bathroom claustrophobic, and the beds uncomfortable, but those were balcony cabins, so this should be an improvement. The Emerald was a ten day cruise, and after a few days I wished we had booked a larger cabin. Can't wait to set sail on the Island!

 

Nancy

[jacketwatch]

Our ports are Aruba, Cartagena, Cristobal (is that Crystal Ball?), Puerto Limon, Ochos Rios, and we have four glorious sea days. Can't wait for the R&R, and we have never been to any of the South American ports, or Costa Rica. Any tips on can't miss sights or tours? Only bad is short stops in Aruba (7AM-1PM) , and Panama is only 4-8PM at Cristobal, but we have nice stops in Cartagena, Costa Rica and Ochos Rios.

 

I have to weigh in on anytime dining. We like it, and find it a great enhancement. We tend to find a wait staff that we make a standing reservation with for the cruise, but always let them know in advance if we are doing specialty dining, or dining with friends. Usually we meet some friends on cruises, usually from CC excursions! I have found it flexible, relaxing, and usually great service. We enjoy the option of dining just the two of us, or with a group, and choose just the two of us at least half the time. I think they like us in the dining room because we drink wine and eat alot :), but only at night.

We did the west to east transit so Puerto Limon was not on our agenda. Aruba is well know for its duty free shopping and friendly people. Its too bad you have limited time there. There are really nice beaches Palm and eagle) to relax on, a sunken German WW II feighter to explore as its now a reef or take an excursion to go snorkeling or do the banana boats, jet ski or wind surf(a great thing to do in Aruba as its pretty windy) right from the beaches. You can also rent a 4 x 4 to explore the island a bit. Its pretty small so it won't take a long time. In Ocho Rios you will be met by tour guides as soon as you disembark. Some will be "persistent" but you can arrange a nice private tour at a very reasonable cost. One of the must do things there is climbing Dunns River falls. It a blast though its also a bit strenuous. You can have lunch at a nice restaurant called the Ruins which is where my pic CC was taken las Feb. We had a balcony cabin on the Aloha deck and it was OK though the bathroom is small and I recall thinking that someone of "size" would have to "shimmy" in the shower. :D. There were two chairs and a table on the balcony itelf and as for size I would say roughly 9' X 4'. I don't recall if there was a lighted mirror. Try calling your TA or Princess. You can pull up the dimensions of your cabin on the Princess website. I would advise to view the canal from different parts of the ship. Its an engineering marvel. BTW a new canal is being built due for completion in 2014 I think which will be able to accomodate even bigger ships. Larry

[W5KAP]

Hi all,

 

Since some of you have stayed in these before can you clue me in on:

 

-Roughly how large is the balcony, and what furniture is on it?

 

-Is there a lighted makeup mirror, and how was the bathroom as far as roominess?

 

On both the Emerald and Caribbean Princess I found the bathroom claustrophobic, and the beds uncomfortable, but those were balcony cabins, so this should be an improvement. The Emerald was a ten day cruise, and after a few days I wished we had booked a larger cabin. Can't wait to set sail on the Island!

 

Nancy

 

Hi Nancy, I just got off the Island at the end of June. We were in Dolphin 717 and our kjids had D-718 and D-721. Thee balcony is very roomy. If I remember correctly it is 9x9 feet. Plenty of room for multiple people. There with the best part being the full tub and shower. This way the shower curtain does not attack. There is plenty of room to move about but there is not a lighted mirror just a large on on the wall.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip.

 

Cheers, Kenn

[W5KAP]

Hi all,

 

Since some of you have stayed in these before can you clue me in on:

 

-Roughly how large is the balcony, and what furniture is on it?

 

-Is there a lighted makeup mirror, and how was the bathroom as far as roominess?

 

On both the Emerald and Caribbean Princess I found the bathroom claustrophobic, and the beds uncomfortable, but those were balcony cabins, so this should be an improvement. The Emerald was a ten day cruise, and after a few days I wished we had booked a larger cabin. Can't wait to set sail on the Island!

 

Nancy

 

Oh and I forgot. The beds were horrid. I sincerely hope they get changed out before you go. I wish I could tell you they were even just OK but they weren't. We gutted it out and didn't let it bother our wonderful Alsakan trip.

 

Cheers, Kenn

[Party Teacher]

I agree, the beds were like cement slabs. We asked for an egg crate mattress (got the last one!) and that helped tremendously. I'd recommend requesting one the first time you see your room steward.

[spindrift]

We were on the Island through the Canal w/our children & spouses and had 3 connecting balconies. We LOVED the ship. We were aft on Caribe, starboard.

 

We liked the Island so much that we are doing a land tour/cruise on her this August and have the far aft mini on Caribe.

 

Her staff was fabulous. Enjoy her.

[Tazsmo]

We just got off the Island on July 18 after a cruise tour to Alaska. The ship is very nice, did not notice any obvious signs of aging, especially loved the Lotus Pool area. Had balcony cabin B707, with DD and SIL in B709. Really loved the aft balcony which was just steps down the corridor for departures and just cruising. There were several lounges in this area and it was usually in the sunshine, lovely for just sitting and reading. We had anytime dining and only had to wait about 20 minuites one night, not a problem, we sat nearby and had a drink. Unfortunately dinner that night took over 2 hours. We found the food, both in the dining room and the buffet was very inconsistent ranging from very good to quite bland and mundane. One thing we really missed was fresh raw vegtables. The cooked veggie most often served was green beans, steamed, breaded and covered with something. The staff was excellent, helpful and friendly. This was our 6th cruise, first with Princess, so I did have something to make comparisons with. The one thing we really missed was a coffee maker in the room. The itinerary was amazing which was why we went with Princess.