Island Princess Review
Wondeful cruise, too bad there's too much hard-selling going on
Rating by category
Additional details
My wife and I booked a cruise on the Island Princess as part of our 3 week vacation in Alaska. We taught it would be good to include some luxury and pampering in a more sportive and adventurous holiday. It was my 4th cruise on Princess and the second time I did an Alaskan cruise with them so I taught I knew what to expect. There were more than 10 years in between my previous Alaskan cruise but the itinerary hasn't changed. (anyway not that I remember)
We booked our cruise transportation from Anchorage to Whittier with ATC. They pick you up at the exact same location at the airport, around more or less the same time. Our driver was very friendly and gave lot's of information about Alaska, he even made a stop when we saw some Beluga whales. I can absolutely recommend them and they're cheaper than what you order from Princess.
Boarding process was very efficient and we were on the ship in no time. What I immediately noticed was that from the moment we had 1 foot on the ship we were invited to join wine tasting ($$$), book a massage ($$$), go to a special opening of the shops ($$$), .... We felt like we walked on an Egyptian market. I had hoped to enter an oasis of luxury and tranquility but this was completely different and it ruined our first impressions.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
We had a mini-suite on the dolphin deck. Our room was spacious but you shouldn't get too high expectations when you hear "suite". Except for a bath and a maybe somewhat bigger cabin there's not much "suite" to this room. I was surprised we had to ask for slippers, a bathrobe, a shower cap and even our welcome drink. I wonder if we would have gotten our welcome drink if we hadn't asked for it. As for the amenities it would be a nice gesture if they were provided in the room and you wouldn't need to ask for them. Compared with celebrity cruise's "concierge class" the mini-suite is really subpar. Our cabin steward was really helpful though.