Island Princess Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,228 reviews

Island Princess Panama Canal

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Island Princess
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chloe kitty
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
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Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
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Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2017
Cabin: Balcony

We have cruised thru the Panama Canal a few yeas ago. We were interested in the changes that have taken place with the widening project. We decided on the Island Princess from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco on February 28, 2017. Being Elite, and having cruised on Princess and other lines, we were disappointed in some changes and maintenance of the ship. This ship was altered to add 122 new cabins 2 years ago. To do that, many public areas were removed, moved, or downsized. Once example of a popular public area was the Vista Lounge, which no longer exist. With 2100 passengers on board, this is sorely needed. Another area that is an embarrassment, is the gym. It is now mid ship with no view, and looks like it was just thrown together. The casino is a sad sight. It is TINY, crowded, and staffed with dealers who can't even add up to 21.

Now for the cabins. They are the typical Princess Balconies, but the balconies are unkept. The handrail on our balcony was awful. It must have been 5 different colors, from deteriorating wood that apparently had no coat of lacquer in years. There were drips of white paint all over our balcony. All the balconies on our deck appeared to be in the same condition. It was only after we mentioned this in our note to the passenger service department, that anything was done. If we had not mentioned it, it appears that nothing would have been done. This is not the Princess that I knew and loved.

The food in the buffet was just OK, but the main dining room was very good. The waiters were nice and very good. The Maitre D in the Bordeau left some to be desired. Our cabin steward, Victoria, was fantastic. She was always there to help. I wish more were like her.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BE

Cabins are typical Princess, not up to the standards of RCCL or Celebrity. The cabin felt smaller than most of the ones we recently had on other ships. As I mentioned above, the balcony was an embarrassment. I do have photos to back this up, but not downloaded into the computer yet.

Port Reviews

Aruba

There really isn't much to see on this Aruba, so this Island Tours was useless. In addition, the guide was just so so.

Cabo San Lucas

Having been in Cabo so many times, we decided to just walk in town. Shopped, and spoke with the locals

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