Island Princess Review

Our fantastic Panama Canal Cruise - - -

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Island Princess
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Romy40
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Mar 2011
Cabin: Balcony

This was a long cruise, but I will try and keep this review short.Embarkation: The ship was late coming into LA. We were put in the Sheraton Hospitality Suite for 3 hours; coffee/danish/etc. provided. We were checked in early while there, so once we took the bus to the ship, we simply walked on the ship.The ship is beautiful, clean, and with the best staff we've ever encountered.Cabin was great; towels thick & fluffy, linens very nice. Steward was great.Horizon Buffet was the usual. Burgers and Pizza good. Soft draw ice cream free. Provence Dining Room staff and food excellent. We had the 8:00 p.m. dining. It was never crowded. Several nights we had the waiter and asst all to ourselves.Fellow passengers were mostly retired folks; met lots of nice people.Shows were good. "Tribute" was very good. Comedian was funny.Did Princess excursions: Cabo - America's Cup Regatta. This is not a relaxing cruise. You WORK and it is a real rush when the yacht is under sail.Acapulco - cruised the bay and saw the cliff divers. Costa Rica - rain forest canopy tour and boat ride. Our guide was a naturalist and very informative. Saw toucans, sloths, iguanas, spider, birds, and crocodiles. Long day, but nice lunch and great tour. Panama City - monkey watch tour. Great excursion, saw sloths, and monkeys came on board our boat looking for food. Canal - up at 5 a.m. and all day transiting locks. Amazing day. Lots of places to watch from. Cartagena - city tour and shopping. Very hot and humid day, but minimal walking around the old city, great tour guide, shopping was so-so (mostly jewelry stores selling emeralds).All the excursions had air conditioned buses, never had to stand in sun, guides were very good, food was good, and enjoyed those cold wet hand towels before re-boarding the ship. I like to watch for sea creatures from our balcony, and this time I saw some amazing things! One day we saw 17 sea turtles. Also saw whales in Cabo, dolphins leaving LA, and one day a huge hammerhead shark surfaced right below my balcony! I actually got a photo of him. Wow. Also saw manta rays, and a sail fish! These creatures were all spotted between Acapulco and Costa Rica. Never saw anything after Cartagena. ??It was warm and muggy starting in Cabo; 89 degrees and 98% humidity. Ugh. We had NO rain, which was unusual according to our guides. The narration through the Canal was interesting. There were several lectures about the canal during the cruise. A few more things: muster was quick and easy in the theater, there was less paperwork and flyers put in the cabins, they make fewer activity and other annoying announcements over the P.A., there was less push to buy things, the buffet was not as crowded as on prior cruises, and the service was superb. Every crew member was smiling and helpful. How do they do that? There were many walkers, scooters, and canes among the passengers, and the staff were always carrying their plates and drinks for them. We saw one staff carry 2 plates and drinks all the way to the passenger's cabin and help them inside. We had crew bringing us drinks before we would sit down. We were truly spoiled. The seas were slight, and only one day and night of gale force 6 wind and white caps. Embarkation was quick and easy. We walked right off after sitting in Bayou Cafe until our number was called. Luggage service was perfect. Customs was fast, and we purchased the ship's transfer to the airport. This worked out great. Will do this again. Our ship board account was accurate. We got a print out the day before departure. Our OBC's and charges were correct. This cruise was just so great. Princess takes good care of you!

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BE

This balcony cabin seemed smaller than other balcony cabins on larger Princess ships. While more forward than we normally book, this cabin was fine. It is Port side so we could see the Pilot boats and tenders, and plenty of closet space with lots of hangers, flat screen TV, 2 chairs and 1 table on the balcony, buffet straight up the stairs, Princess Theater straight down the stairs, quiet cabin, midway between elevators and bow of ship, and the ship's wake was a tad ahead of our balcony; perfect for flushing sea creatures up for viewing.

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