Island Princess Review

Better than Expected

Review for Alaska Cruise on Island Princess
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FLcruzer0214
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jul 2013
Cabin: Balcony

My husband and I love cruising, it is a true getaway. We have been on about 14 cruises, including the inaugural season of the Grand Princess, but for some reason, had not been back on Princess until now. We have been to some exceptional nature destinations, including Africa, the Galapagos, and Costa Rica, and we have to say that Alaska is right up there toward the top in ranking. We traveled with another couple who had never been on a cruise before, and they say they will do it again after this experience.

Pre-cruise: We did a land tour prior to the cruise. We arrived in Fairbanks a day early, mostly to avoid any travel problems. We had read that Fairbanks isn't all that interesting, which we agree with, but we booked a Segway Tour through EcoSeg Alaska, and it was a lot of fun. We stayed at the Hampton Inn the first night before beginning the "official" Princess tour, and it was a bit worn. The second night we stayed at the Princess Riverside Lodge, which was very nice. We ate at the Pump House, which has a great outdoor deck. Our weather was great the entire time we were in Alaska. Sitting on a deck at 10 pm with the sun still shining was strange, but fun. The Denali Princess Lodge was nice, but a bit more rustic, and the Mt. McKinley Lodge was very nice. Food at the lodges was pretty mediocre. Upgrade to the tundra tour at Denali instead of the included history tour, you will be glad you did. It's 8-9 hours on a school bus, but worth it with all the scenery and wildlife. We saw Mt. McKinley in all its glory from both sides in the 2 days we were there. Our train ride to Whittier was a bit disappointing. We were not on the Princess train, but rather a train they lease from the Alaska Railroad during peak season. It did not have all the amenities that the Princess train has.

Ship: We thought the ship was in great shape and had a lot of interesting venues. I agree with another cruiser, though, the shower was definitely the smallest we have ever seen on a ship. It was very difficult to move around and the bathroom was flooded most days. The dining rooms were always way too warm, there just didn't seem to be any air circulation.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BC

Shower WAY too small.

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