This was our first time on the Island Princess and I think it can best be described as "cozy". While there were many things that I liked about this smaller Princess ship, its lack of space also presented some challenges. The decorations were lovely and the overall "vibe" was one that I really appreciated. However, there was no dedicated "disco", the workout room was almost non-existent and had no windows (which really made it less appealing), and the lack of space in the atrium kept that from being a central meeting space as it is on other ships. There are only two dining rooms; one for traditional dining and one for anytime dining. The lines for anytime dining were unbelievably long on most nights. Whether that was a result of poor planning or lack of space, I do not know. Finally, during one of her recent renovations, the back end of deck 7 was converted to cabin space so those of us who like to walk/jog off those extra souffles and champagne cocktails can no longer run the circumference of the ship. You have to run a "U" shape back and forth.

All of the themed trivia's were music related, which I thought was interesting. My hubby and I won 4 bottles of champagne so we weren't complaining. LOL! We tried the Bayou Steakhouse and we would not go back. It was okay, but not worth the cover charge. The food in the main dining room was better in my opinion. Trust me, I'm from Texas and I know good steak! We are not opposed to paying a cover charge. We routinely dine at the Crown Grill on the ships where it is offered, the Bayou just wasn't very good (and the lobster was hopelessly overcooked, yuck).

That said, the staff and crew were among the friendliest I've encountered. The entertainment was great, and every day at sea is a great day in my book. There wasn't anything that would put me off recommending this cruise to others. If you are going to do a transit, do the full transit. It is worth it! This is a nice little ship, just know what to watch out for.