Our family went on the December 20-27, 2006 Mexican Riviera cruise on the Island Princess. We had been impressed with our Sun Princess cruise (Alaska - 2006) and had high expectations for this cruise, but were somewhat disappointed with the experience overall. Having said this, there were some great times we will always remember.
Here are some details, good and bad:
We drove from San Diego and parked our minivan in long term parking at the San Pedro port facility. No problems. Our embarkation went very smoothly and we were very pleased with our rooms, 2 adjoining balcony rooms with doors connecting the rooms (A708 and A710). Very convenient for families with older children. Two twin beds in one room, 1 queen in the other room. The beds were comfortable, but let me tell you the pillows were either (a) as flat as pita bread or (b) they were, like, totally half-empty, like they had lost most of their stuffing. Either or both combined will cause neck cramps the next day - trust me. We requested some pillow assistance and got this orthopedic u-shaped pillow that felt like two stale jellyroll cakes with a valley in between. When you're on a relaxation cruise, a small detail like this can make a difference. My mother-in-law requested down pillows and got them. Memo to me! Okay, next. The bathroom was pretty small, but the shower was dreadful due to a 8 or 9 inch metal handrail on the right-hand side of the shower stall that hits you in the side if you take your shower, as I do, facing away from the shower head. Water pressure was fine, though. If you'll be taking more than one shower a day, say, before your shore excursion and then again before dinner, ask your room steward at the beginning of the trip for 4 towels per person, each day.