Island Princess Reviews

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

This was my sixth cruise and my third cruise with the Princess line. My flight arrived in Fort Lauderdale on the day before embarkation and I spent the night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites near the airport. Although the hotel is close to the airport, there was little noise from aircraft. The Fairfield offered shuttles to Port Everglades for $8.00 which I used. The Island Princess suffered an outbreak of the Norovirus on the previous cruise and embarkation was delayed until 1:00 p.m. while the ship was disinfected. This was only a thirty minute delay from the original schedule. I arrived at the terminal at 1:10 p.m.. Quite a few passengers were already there and a long line formed. Still, I was in my cabin at 2:25 p.m. and this included checking my luggage at the curb, check-in, security check and getting to my cabin. My luggage arrived shortly before the Emergency Stations drill at 3:45 p.m. My inside cabin B724 was located aft and was clean and in good condition. There was little noise from other passengers in this area and it was three cabins away from a partially covered balcony at the stern. The TV was a 26-inch ViewSonic flat screen. Two 115V outlets were available at the cabin's desk. The cabin door seemed to be a bit warped at the top and required a little more force than usual to close it. It wasn't a problem for me but some might find it annoying. The Island Princess seemed less crowded than the Crown Princess and Emerald Princess that I sailed on previously. The public spaces featured a decor of light wood with brass colored metal and were all in good repair. Norovirus precautions were in effect during the first days of the cruise and passengers could not serve themselves at the buffet and even the bread in the dining room was handed out with tongs. Despite the added workload, the crew members I encountered were friendly and seemed in good spirits. Food in the Provence (traditional) dining room was very good. The twice-baked goat cheese souffle was my favorite appetizer and chocoholics shouldn't miss the Love Boat Dream dessert. Service was excellent and food was always served at the appropriate temperature. The always available fettuccine alfredo was delicious, but needed more sauce. The Horizon Court buffet was busy on the mornings of port calls, but I was always able to find a seat. There were themes such as Oktoberfest and American BBQ for lunch or dinner on some days. In addition, a British pub lunch was offered on three days in the Bayou Cafe. Production shows consisted of "Piano Man", "Motor City", the high energy "Do You Wanna Dance" and "On the Bayou" which featured a New Orleans voodoo theme and was held in the Universe Lounge. The schedule was: "Piano Man": Thursday 3/29 at 8:15 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.; Friday 3/30 at 9:30 p.m. "On the Bayou": Saturday 3/31 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday 4/1 at 6:45 p.m. & 8:30 p.m. "Motor City": Wednesday 4/4 at 8:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. "Do You Wanna Dance": Thursday 4/5 at 8:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. Other entertainment included The Comedy Magic of Lorenzo Clark, the hypnotist Asad, comedian Billy Vader (one night only) and the music and comedy of Duncan Tuck. Piano player and singer Tom Franek attracted a following in the Crooner's lounge and did two shows in the Princess Theater as well as one in the Universe Lounge. Author L.C. Hayden presented a series of entertaining and informative lectures on writing techniques and publishing for aspiring writers. Excellent port lectures were provided by former Canal Zone resident William Fall who also did the on-board commentary as we passed through the Gatun locks. One comedian aboard described our port call in Aruba as a drive-by. Passengers were allowed off at 7:00 a.m. and all aboard was at noon, although the ship waited an extra 45 minutes for a passenger with a medical issue to return from the hospital. My Princess excursion was the Semi-submarine, Shipwreck & Island Drive which left at 7:30 a.m. and included a semi-submarine trip around the sunken German ship Antilla, a visit to the Casibari rock formations and a bus tour of the north side of the island which included stops at the California lighthouse and the natural bridges, the largest of which has collapsed. On the semi-sub, we circled so that both sides could see the wreck while the guide gave a lively narration about the Antilla and the marine life we saw which included a sea turtle and many small fish that swam right up to the windows. At the Casibari rocks, I climbed the steep steps for a panoramic view, but the climb required squeezing through a tunnel-like gap in the rocks and was not recommended for people with mobility issues. There was a botanical garden at the base of the rocks. The tour took the entire time we were in port. The next port was Cartagena, Columbia. I booked the Highlights of Cartagena, Fortress & Las Bovedas tour through Princess and was in the Princess Theater at 8:50 a.m. along with passengers going on other tours to await disembarkation. Princess issued a sticker to wear with the tour number, but Columbia was quite humid so I put it on my hat where perspiration wouldn't affect it. The first stop on the tour was the massive Fort of San Filipe (started in 1536), considered the most formidable of Spanish defensive complexes. The climb to the top of the fort was steep but gave a good view of the layout of the defenses. Also covered on the tour were the old city walls near the ocean, a brief stop at the small shops (former dungeons) of Las Bovedas, the Inquisition Palace, San Pedro Claver Sanctuary and a walk through part of the old town. A final stop was made at the Pierno Gallo shopping center which featured jewelry stores although there was a shop with coffee products and souvenirs. They offered free samples of their coffee candy which was tasty enough for me to bring a bag home. The tour took most of the time in port and all aboard was at 2:30 p.m. for our next stop in Panama. The Island Princess lined up for its approach to the Gatun locks at 6:30 a.m. the next morning and passengers lined the decks to watch the transit and listen to commentary by port lecturer William Fall. It took over an hour and a half to transit the locks and the ship then anchored in Lake Gatun. At 8:40 a.m. tours were called to commence tender operations. My tour was the Panama Canal & Locks Transit by Boat. At 9:30 a.m. I was on the bus headed for the town of Gamboa to embark on the Fantasia del Mar, a 434 passenger tour boat operated by Canal & Bay Tours. Our tour left the dock about 11:30 a.m. and the buffet lunch started at noon, done by sections on the boat to control crowding. Food included chicken skewers, ham and cheese sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit and muffins. Tubs of iced soft drinks and bottled water were available throughout the cruise. We passed through the Galliard (Culebra) Cut, under the Centennial Bridge, transited the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, where a thunderstorm struck, and finally passed under the Bridge of the Americas before docking in Balboa (Panama City) on the Pacific side at 3:15 p.m. Meanwhile, the Island Princess had passed back through the Gatun locks headed to the dock in Colon. Our bus to Colon from Balboa arrived back at the ship at 5:10 p.m., hindered somewhat by heavy traffic. Departure for Limon, Costa Rica was at 6:30 p.m. Photographers found their lenses fogged up immediately when coming from an air-conditioned cabin into the humid morning air at the Canal. It took about twenty to thirty minutes for lenses to warm up. Wiping a lens only helped for a few seconds. Island Princess docked in Limon a little after 7:00 a.m. and the call for my Veragua Rainforest tour came 45 minutes later. The bus arrived at the combination research center and park around 9:30 a.m. and we were offered a choice of the more strenuous path to the 65 foot high waterfall or a less strenuous path through the rainforest before being split into groups, each with a guide. Next our group visited the day and night frog exhibits featuring live poison dart frogs and then entered the insect hall with its colorful collection of mounted butterflies and a live butterfly garden. Following an included lunch of a turkey sandwich and fresh fruit our group watched a researcher mount a butterfly for display and then took the roughly ten minute ride down the aerial tram. Our guide pointed out a sloth in the trees and other items of interest on the way down. Once down, we followed the guide along a boardwalk to a viewing platform at the Puma Waterfall. The walk involved going up and down a number of wooden steps which would have been very difficult for persons with mobility issues. After viewing the waterfall we rode the aerial tram back up to the last part of our tour: the reptile habitat. Here we saw live lizards and snakes including the highly poisonous Fer-de-Lance. A thunderstorm started as we approached the reptile habitat, but we were able to view it and return to the bus without getting soaked and departed at about 12:30 p.m. for the hour and fifteen minute return trip to the ship. All-aboard was at 5:30 p.m., so I used the time to buy some t-shirts and carved wooden items from the vendors set up near the ship. After a sea day the Island Princess anchored off Grand Cayman Island shortly before 7:00 a.m. and tender operations started shortly afterward and I was able to get on a tender 45 minutes later. I chose the Atlantis Submarine Scenic Adventure which left from the North Terminal at 10:05 a.m., so I walked around a bit and took the local bus to the Hell gift shop and rock formations. The bus (really a van) left from the bus terminal on Edward Street near the Public Library and took about 40 minutes to reach Hell, as it stopped to pick up and drop off locals who worked at the resorts along Seven Mile Beach. It only cost $2.50 each way and the friendly drivers accepted U.S. currency. After mailing a postcard from Hell and taking a few pictures of the rock formations, I waved at the next bus, they picked me up and 25 minutes later I was at the North Terminal (across from Margaritaville) in time to join the excursion group. The Atlantis dock was just past the South Terminal on South Church Street (near the Hard Rock Cafe) and our group walked with a guide to the ticket office and boarded the boat to the submarine. The sub was air conditioned with large windows, very smooth underwater and the air pressure stayed at sea level so there was no effect on the ears. We saw a sea turtle and numerous fish including a barracuda and a lionfish. The narrator on-board was humorous and knowledgeable and the entire trip took about an hour and a half with around 45 minutes of dive time. This left plenty of time to check out George Town as the last tender left the North Terminal at 4:30 p.m. I visited the Cayman Islands National Museum located in the Old Courts Building on the corner of Harbor Drive and Shedden Road (across from the harbor). The small but interesting museum had a short film, a Natural History Gallery with a sea turtle nesting diorama, a submarine model with underwater video, exhibits on the geology and habitats of the islands and a Cultural History Gallery which featured a catboat with an animatronics fisherman. The staff was very friendly and the museum was a welcome break from the souvenir shops. After another sea day the Island Princess docked in Fort Lauderdale along with five other cruise ships. I booked the Everglades Airboat Ride & Flamingo Gardens tour since my flight didn't leave until late afternoon. Passengers on this tour met in the casino at 8:10 a.m. and ten minutes later we were allowed off the ship. It only took twenty minutes to find my luggage, clear customs and find the waiting tour bus. It took until 9:20 a.m. to collect all the people going on the tour. Our first stop was at Everglades Holiday Park where we saw the Gator Boys (as seen on Animal Planet) alligator wrestling show. We then took a thirty minute ride through part of the Everglades in a covered airboat holding about 25 people and spotted an alligator and some birds. The park was quite crowded as it was a Saturday during spring break and six cruise ships were in port. We left the park at 11:25 a.m. and went to Flamingo Gardens, a sixty acre botanical collection and wildlife sanctuary featuring native south Florida wildlife and a walk-in aviary. The bus left the park at 1:10 p.m. for the Fort Lauderdale airport. One nice feature of this tour was that your luggage was carried on the bus and you could leave carry-on items inside while at the parks. In addition to the driver there was a guide with us throughout the tour who was quite informative. Princess also offered a service called EZCheck where they pick up your luggage the night before disembarking, deliver it to the aircraft and issue your boarding passes on-board, eliminating the need to check in at the airport, just proceed to security. The cost was $20.00 (added to your shipboard account) plus any regular baggage fees charged by the airline. A Princess shuttle cost $14.00 to the FLL airport and $19.00 to MIA. There were a total of four times changes during this cruise. The Princess Patter always notes them on the front page and the cabin steward places a card on the bed on the night before the change which occurs at 2:00 a.m. In conclusion, I was very pleased with the Island Princess and the service provided by its crew. The itinerary was varied and interesting and I enjoyed all my shore excursions. Hats off to the crew for their handling of the Norovirus outbreak on the previous cruise.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

I cannot say enough good things about this Voyage. Embarkation was a breeze, the staff very welcoming and friendly. Food: Every now and then you get one or two days that the dinner was just not up to par, but I cannot say that about the Island Princess. Every single meal, from the appetizer, to main course and desert, every single meal every single day, was flawless. The dinning staff were amazing in the Provence Dinning Room, very accommodating, friendly, and went above and beyond more than once. Sabatini's is always a treat, very attentive service stellar food. The Bayou Cafe was new to me and I absolutely love it, described by my traveling companion as the best dinner he ever had! Spicy Cajun style cuisine is a must when cruising this ship. Entertainment: Magnitude, the band from St Lucia, was amazing, they kept us entertained all over the ship, from the pool side tunes to late night dancing, I look forward to seeing them on other cruises. The comedians were great, production shows a little boring, this may be because they were the same shows I saw on my last cruise. Rooms: Small of course, being in an inside room, but comfortable, clean, well maintained, and our Steward Herman, was fantastic, always had a smile on his face, greeted us by name every time he saw us, did not waist one minute after we left the room to clean it. Ship: The Island Princess is a Beautiful ship, so similar to other Princess ships you will find you way around easily. We entered in the Grand Atrium, quite a treat for my traveling companion who has never been on a cruise before, the 4 story spectacle is far more impressive than other Princess ships. This ship has been very well maintained, everything was very clean, nothing looked worn or used, I was very Impressed. Familiar dinning rooms make you feel comfortable in this intimate atmosphere. I did not use the buffet I prefer the fixed dinning and getting to know my table mates and servers. Lounges: Explorers Lounge was one of our favorites with live music and entertainment nightly. The universe lounge hosted some great shows, however you need seats close to the stage or the sight lines are not very good, especially on the second level, you will see nothing. The Crooners martini bar was a favorite for pre dinner cocktails, the Wheelhouse a wonderful nautical atmosphere with rich woods and traditional furniture, hosting live music this was a fantastic place for dancing and drinks with new friends. One thing I missed on this ship was a proper night club, after 11pm forget about any nightlife. Anyone who says anything bad about this ship, its staff or this particular cruise must re evaluate what is important in life. Everything was amazing in every way! I cannot recommended this ship enough to anyone looking for a relaxing vacation.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

We celebrated our 30th anniversary by taking our first cruise and it was with Princess. After reading all the reviews and getting as prepared as we could, we went on this adventure with an open mind...just wanting to enjoy the experience. The Island Princess did not disappoint! It was the most relaxing, exciting and awesome experience we could have had. We thought everything was excellent! We discovered when we got there, that we had been upgraded to a mini-suite which was wonderful. Our room steward, Nestor was excellent...the waiters(Dajan and Rodney) were awesome, we chose anytime dining and made reservations when we wanted to dine, it was a great choice as we met and dined with wonderful new friends, Marc and Sue. The bar tenders (especially in the wheelhouse bar, Herman and Felix)were super...we took in a couple of Princess excursions and they were great. We did the ultimate ship tour, absolutely worth every penny!! We really enjoyed the tour. Of course the Panama Canal was wonderful and we were only a few doors down from the "secret" door on deck 10 so were there bright and early. All of the entertainment staff, assistant cruise directors and the cruise director...the wake show, the photographers, we could go on and on...all was just terrific. We found the food excellent, we were never disappointed, if there was something we didn't like, there was no problem changing it. We tried all kinds of different food. We also tried both specialty restaurants and enjoyed both but missed our regular waiters. The staff is what makes the cruise, all the amenities were wonderful and we took full advantage of them all, the ship was awesome but we were treated like royalty and that made the difference for us. We liked it so much we put a deposit on another cruise..... for all the newbies...don't worry, go have fun, enjoy and relax!

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

Island Princess March 18-28, 2012 My first cruise as an Elite member of the Captain's Circle Club was a wonderful 10 day Panama Canal cruise on my favorite ship, the Island. My DH and I love the size and easy layout of the Island. We could always find a couple of lounge chairs by the Lotus Pool and a quiet place to read or soak up the sun. The only crowding we saw was two nights at the Princess Theatre (where we had gone 20 minutes early to easily secure seats) and a few mornings at the Horizon Court buffet during early port days. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale a day early and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Convention Center on 17th Street. We landed at the airport at 7 p.m. and called for a courtesy shuttle pick up. The shuttle arrived within 20 minutes of our call. This hotel was suitable for a one night stay. Our room was quiet and we enjoyed the free breakfast at 7:30 a.m. before the crowds. The evening before we took an easy walk to the Harbor Shops and bought some last minute items at the Publix and two bottles of wine at the liquor store. Afterwards we had an enjoyable St. Patrick's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage at Duffy's Sports Bar. The next morning we went to the lobby at 10:30 a.m. intending to take the shuttle transportation provided by the hotel for $8 each. In came a bus for about 30 people! I realized this would be fairly time consuming & flagged down a taxi in the hotel parking lot looking for a passenger. This was stress free and even with the tip was less money than the shuttle. By 11:00 a.m. we were seated in the platinum section at the port waiting to board the ship. As promised, the first passengers were allowed on at noon. By 1 p.m. we were eating beef tenderloin in the dining room. What a delicious lunch! I had taken the advice of fellow cruise critic members and brought along a list of the elite member perks. Our wonderful room steward already had everything waiting for us. I found the schedule for the nightly platinum lounge, an invitation to the wine tasting, a basket of upgraded bathroom amenities and the mini-bar set up. The only thing missing was a form to request the formal night canapes, but this appeared the next morning in our room. When Rommel came by to introduce himself I requested two wine glasses & to have the miniature bottles of gin & whiskey swapped out for vodka. Most mornings I left a bag of dirty laundry on the bed and would receive the clean clothing back in two days. In the price area of the form I simply wrote "elite". That evening my DH and I both went to the internet cafe to sign up for our free internet service. I love my new perks! One new feature on the ship was a self-service machine on deck five to check your shipboard account. We took advantage of this frequently. The only issue I ever had was that two of the laundry charges appeared on my husband's account instead of mine, although I had made sure to mark the bags with my name. As he is not elite, there was no corresponding credit to the account. A trip to the passenger services desk resolved this issue. Here is my commentary on our cruise, arranged by subject: Staff: Although half of the cruise we were under special controls because of passengers stricken with noro virus, the room and dining staff offered us the same high level of service we have come to expect from Princess. You could see how much additional work this was for the staff, but they remained courteous and patient throughout the voyage. We thought CD Gavin Chandler and his staff did a wonderful job. One thing that was very different from our other trips occurred at the various parties (Sail away, Island, 50's, Western). Instead of clearing the guests from the dance floor to present a skit done by the staff, they just kept encouraging everyone to stay and dance. The passengers really seemed to enjoy this and the momentum didn't stop. Room: We had an inside room B224. The location close to the buffet and pools was great. We could hear the nearby service elevator sometimes and for this reason I would not book this particular room again. Food: Each day we enjoyed the plentiful offerings at the buffet, dining rooms and grill. Bavarian night at the buffet is not to be missed if you love hearty breads, various sausage and pork dishes, tasty cabbage and beets and apple strudel. The only thing missing was a better selection of German beers. Our favorite meal of the trip was a table for four on the second formal night with our new friends, Fred and Sue. We had a wonderful meal of lobster and with just four of us we could actually enjoy the conversation. Daytime: My favorite activity was Zumba classes with Laura, one of the princess dancers. I also went to line dancing which was fun. We did daily walks on the promenade and made a few trips to the gym during non-peak times to try to keep our weight gain down. The rest of the non-port days were spent reading, swimming and sitting in the hot tubs. Evening Entertainment: We only went to one production show, On the Bayou. My DH said it was the best production show he had ever seen on a cruise. We enjoyed Asad the hypnotist and many other comedy and musical shows during the cruise. Ports: Ocho Rios: We took the ship's Pottery Art Gallery Tour. Although the stop at the gallery was not very noteworthy, the excellent tour guide and stop for delicious blue mountain coffee and fresh banana bread made the tour worth it. When the tour stopped at the Taj Mahal shopping center, we simply walked across the street to the Village Island Shopping center and made our way to Jimmy Buffet's Margarita Ville for Volcano Nachos and draft beers. Cartagena: We choose to stay aboard this day. It was a quiet and relaxing day. Panama: After going through the locks we took the ships Rainforest Aerial Tram tour. After a long bus ride we did like the tram portion of the trip, but the rest of the trip was boring and much longer than was advertised. The so called "light lunch" was a tiny bag of chips and bottle of water. When arriving back to the port, the passageway to the ship was blocked and a big crowd was gathered. I was feeling light headed from the lack of food and couldn't wait to get back on the ship. We had to wait about 30 minutes. Costa Rica: This was the best port of the cruise. We took the ships Off Road Tour with Village Visit with our friends Fred and Sue. The owner's of the 6X6 all-terrain vehicle were Erick and Jose and they made the trip so much fun! You can see for yourself if you look into Off Road Adventures in Costa Rica. Grand Cayman: We took the ship's Scenic Bike Ride tour which we can highly recommend. The stops at the rum factory, turtle farm and Hell were all enjoyable. I wish we had more time at the turtle farm so I didn't have to scarf down the turtle soup I purchased so quickly. After the tour we walked across the street to another Margarita Ville for beer and appetizers. Disembarkation: We signed up for the self-help option and discovered this is the way to go. We gathered in the casino and after a ? 1/2 hour wait were let off the ship. We quickly found a taxi and were at the Fort Lauderdale airport by 8:15 a.m. We paid $50 each (ouch!) to switch to a 9:45 a.m. flight to Detroit. It was great to be home by 1 p.m.

Hide this review

Ship Ratings
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Areas
Entertainment
Cabin
Spa & Fitness
Shore Excursions
Rates

Overall would highly recommend this cruise. Loved our cabin, had the twin beds pushed together, this cabin was the bump out balcony. We had clear view, sunny days and great views of the Panama Canal on that day. Nice and roomy for a cruise ship, location was good. You could 'slightly' feel the ship on even rough days which we liked. Ship was small enough that you could sit in some of the lounges and restaurants and see out the windows on both sides of the ships - but big enough to offer lots of great amenities. We booked our trip thru Vacationstogo.com and had great service all the way. Food - Food in the dining room was good enough that we never felt the need to go to any specialty restaurants - desserts were a bit disappointing however. Always looked pretty, but... Ice creams were varied and good. Drinks - We brought our own diet cokes on board (2 - 12 packs) so did not buy the soda package, nor did we buy the coffee card as we don't care for the fancy stuff. Regular coffee if no extra charge. Mixed drinks are about $8.50 each with tax and tip, beer about $7.50 5pm specials are $4.00 Entertainment was pretty good, some were excellent some were lame, but we found plenty to keep us happy! Ports were great, look on other forums for trip ideas. We did - Panama / Colon - We stayed on ship and were very happy. Was lots of information given, very good visibility. Loved being able to move all around for different views. Loved the cruise, would definitely go on Princess again without hesitation. Few tips - take a water bottle with a filter - very handy and cheaper than buying $2 bottles(then fill with rum in port to bring back on!), bring an insulated cup (like tervis) to drink from, don't forget a corkscrew if you bring wine wine of board - drink in cabin or $15.00 if taken to dining room, Leave the laptop at home, they have computers on board, but internet is high $$.

Hide this review