I wanted to go thru Panama Canal and I had a previous good experience with the Princess Cruise line. I was disappointed on this ship. The food was sometimes below what I expected and the activities on board weren't as fun as my 11 other cruises on various cruise line ships. The musicians were good but there weren't any magic shows or acrobatics on this cruise. The back of the boat view was taken over by the Lotus Spa area that you had to pay extra to be in. The fitness center was in a lower deck with no windows. The shower stalls were so small you couldn't bend over in them. Our waiter was the best thing on the ship. He was friendly and brought out the food fast. Most of the tours were good, but one of the tours on Grand Cayman had so many waiting to touch the Stingray that we only got to touch it once for the hour we were waiting in the water. We liked the chocolates left on the pillow each night. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I had heard they were a notch over Royal Carribbean. The Island Princess is an older ship. No wow factor. A lot of elderly people some in wheelchairs and walkers. Activities were few. Music was very good. I loved the cleanliness of the ship and the stateroom. BUT hated the very small shower stall. However the water was hot and strong. The food was good. but a lot of repetition. Great deserts. Great lattes on fifth deck, but not included,. The first evening I felt like I had boarded a shopping mall . They pushed selling everything from jewelry to pictures and wine. The pictures that were taken were over priced and we were not allowed to take our own pictures when disembarking everything had a price.That was really sad. I took one Princess tour to see the Indians that was very nice. However the trip to the area was gross. Lots of garbage everywhere. On the return to the ship we passed Colon city.What a horrible place. looked war torn and garbage dumped everywhere; knocked down buildings everywhere. Panama is not taking care of the people. And I would never return.. I was totally bored by the pool it was too deep for me, 7.5 feet. and they seemed to show movies half the morning.. and I did not go on this vacation to watch movies. No rules were applied as passengers bogarted the best lounge chairs with towels for hours at a time,even in the theatre people held chairs. The grill by the pool served decent hamburgers but their hot dogs and knockwurst and pizza were not of good quality .We had to stand on line to get grill food. The shows were good. we chose anytime dining but the lines were long and they actually let people ahead of others who had made reservations which I felt was kind of unfair. The people who served the food were very nice, but seemed stressed and tired at times. Same with the activity staff. Not enough activities. In summary it was nice. but I would not go on princess again. Unless its a new ship. Read Less

Princess really does it right - effortless embarkation and disembarkation, comfortable cabin, great ports. The cruise was a round trip from Ft. Lauderdale - a really easy port in terms of getting from the airport to the ship. Stops were Grand Cayman (visited the turtle farm and Stingray City), Columbia, Panama (tendered excursion on Lake Gatun); Limon, Costa Rica; Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Food was good and the staff was excellent. We enjoyed dining at Sabatini's and in the main dining room. They had a really fascinating lecturer on board - he had grown up in the Canal Zone so he had a lot of insight on the area. If you don't like the noise in the main pool area, there's another adults-only pool nearby. We got to see some great recent movies with their Movies Under the Stars. We paid extra to have our bags sent directly to our destination airport at the end of the trip - best $25 I've ever spent! Because we didn't have to stop to get our luggage, time from the ship to the curb was about 5 minutes. Read Less

Experiencing the Panama Canal was on my "Bucket List" especially since my Grandfather was one of the many electricians that helped build the original one. The partial-transit worked well for my time restraints. I will say my friend and myself were some of the youngest cruisers at 61! The majority of the fellow passengers seemed to be well over that and limited mobility abound by many - scooters and walkers! Some younger families with only a handful of kids onboard. Don't know if was off-season or just before spring break. Boarding was a breeze and the cabins were ready before 2 p.m. Our mini-suite was standard but a bit smaller than some of the larger ships I've ben on The beds were comfy and the room décor is basic and the colors are dull. Our Cabin Steward/Housekeeper was outstanding. Liezal was always friendly and warm. She did a great job on keeping our room clean and comfortable. She always inquired how our day was and how we were doing. We had the "anytime" dining which was o.k. My recommendation is to arrive before any of the evening production shows get out or you will wait for 45 minutes in a very long line to be seated. I found the service to be professional but slow at times. The food was good. We mainly ate at the buffet. The selection changed every night and enjoyed the specialties. Indian dishes seemed to be offered as a regularly featured evening optional fare Lemonade is on the drink menu but you have to ask for it. Sabatint's Italian Restaurant was good and the service was excellent. The selections were somewhat limited but the meal was tasty. Reservations were readily available and we had no problem getting in I thought the ship's entertainment productions were just o.k. The song and dance routines were boring along with the magic show. They did have a pianist that was exceptional. We didn't get the opportunity to go to Grand Caymans since the seas were too rough and tenders could not operate safely. It was a disappointment for many of my fellow travelers. The ship went ahead to Cartegena early. This particular port was my least favorite due to the pushy street vendors who will follow you and knock on the tour bus window! I will say once we were on the actual horse carriage tour ti was a beautiful ride through the old city. Going through the Panama Canal was fascinating. You can watch it from your room balcony and live stream on your cabin t.v. You don't have go to the bow of the ship. Limon, Costa Rica is beautiful. We took a tour of La Hacienda. The bus ride was 2 hours each way! It is long and windy, so take care if you get motion sickness. The Hacienda was interesting but felt the drive was too long for the short time we were in port. Jamaica is always one of my favorites. Took the tour of the Raft Ride on the Martha Brea. Again the bus ride was over an hour each way. The gentle bamboo raft ride was relaxing with view of the lush vegetation. The "captain" will try and sell you some carvings that he did and there are vendors along the river that will try an sell you trinkets. My complaint is on the way back te bus stopped at a funky trinket mall for a half hour. There are several sea days during this cruise which were enjoyable. Time to catch up on much needed rest and relaxation. I took line dancing lessons that were fun, and watched several of the "Movies Under the Stars". If you want to do a Arts & Crafts project plan on showing up at least a half hour early because the class filled up fast and people were turned away, Finally, disembarkation was a breeze since we took a excursion at the Everglades Airboat and Airport Transfer. I think we were some of the first people off the ship. The tour was short but fun and got us to the airport by noon or so. Read Less

My husband and I chose this cruise because we wanted to see the Panama Canal. I had taken this cruise 5 years ago with a friend and I knew my husband would enjoy the itinerary and seeing the Canal. And I knew Princess was a reliable company. We did not explore Ft. Lauderdale since we are Florida residents and have been there many times. My husband prefers cruises that we can drive to and from, so this itinerary was suitable. The ship was nice and not overdone and gaudy. It was a bit shop worn in places, but it did not affect our enjoyment. All the staff we encountered throughout the cruise were friendly and helpful. We upgraded to a Club Class mini suite with a balcony and we are now totally spoiled. The Club Class dining was great. We never had to wait in line to get a great seat in the restaurant and the waiters were excellent, remembering our names and preferences. The extra menu choices for the Club Class were always great. The extra room in the mini suite was perfect for a 10 day cruise. There was LOTS of storage available and the cabin location was very convenient. The only disappointment in the Club Class Mini Suite was the promised daily afternoon hors d'oeuvres. They were mostly tasteless and dry. After 2 days we didn't order them anymore. We enjoyed the "movies under the stars", seeing many Oscar nominated movies we had missed last year. It was nice to also be able to see the movies in our room the next day if we missed in on deck in the evening. Because we saw a lot of the movies, we missed the shows in the Princess Theater, except the last night. It was an excellent show and we were sorry we missed the others. The orchestra was fabulous and the singers were sensational. We were disappointed that we could not stop in Grand Cayman. The seas were too rough for the tenders to get us to the island. But some extra activities were added for the additional day at sea. The passage through the Panama Canal was awesome. We had our breakfast on the balcony as we watched the intricate process unfold before us. We bought jewelry in the EFFY store on board. Unfortunately, when we disembarked, it triggered an alert and we had to be escorted to a "special" customs agent to see if we needed to pay any duty. This seemed totally unnecessary since EFFY emphasized that their jewelry was made in the USA and was duty free and duty exempt. Our "special" customs agent was not at her station when we got there. We were delayed about 45 minutes by this process and much annoyed. (This wasn't the fault of the cruise line, though) Another annoyance was that we sailed from Terminal 2 and returned to terminal 19. Shuttles were provided, but the drivers and vans were not efficient. We got on and off 3 shuttles before we were on our way to our car. (again not the fault of Princess) Read Less

We chose this cruise to see the Panama Canal, which was great in itself, so you could say the objective was met. I do have to say though that the excursions were not always as good as the write up, a lot of money for not a great experience. We complained about one excursion in particular and received a refund, by doing a little bit of research beforehand we could have booked excursions for ourselves at half the price. There is a lot of waiting about, you are told to meet at set time but could still be there for another hour waiting on others or just for staff to get organised with so many people going off on different excursions. The dining experience onboard was also not good standard, you never received a hot meal, it is always served lukewarm, in the dining room the main meals came out with food covers, however if someone had two starters or took a long time to eat the main meals sat by the waiters desk until everybody was done, one night our meals sat for ten minutes before being served. If you have dietary requirements then you struggle, no food labels to advise of ingredients if you are intolerant to anything, when you ask they are unable to inform you without going to find out. Very limited choice if vegetarian (no fish and eggs), ends up being repetitive. They need to bring this area of service more up to date, it is crucial to some people if they are intolerant to particular ingredients, could ruin their cruise. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of destinations. Unfortunately we did not go to Cayman Isl. Because of rough seas.the entertainment on this ship was exceptional! My wife and I have done 39 cruises and I have never seen this quality of entertainment. The food is good the average age of passengers around 60. The ship is in great shape considering its age. We sailed on this ship many years ago and would do it again. The weather was great and we did not have a hard time finding a deck chair. The casino is small and has only 1 roulette table. The only complaint on food was the ice cream bar. The ice cream was very grainy and not enjoyable. We had a balcony which was very nice sitting outside enjoying the views. Our fridge was stocked with drinks and booze.we enjoyed the chocolate covered strawberries brought to us and the dry cleaning . If you like cruising I would definitely suggest the Island princess. Read Less

In 2015, Princess refit this boat and added space for about 300 more people by shrinking the cabins. Staff was leaned. Restaurants were not expanded. Cabins were shrunk. The results we experienced were as follows: - Poor food service in all venues. ( Time of service, Replenishment, Quality, Ambiance,Noise). One waiter and an assistant handled 22 people in our area. We missed shows due to long wait times as a table close to us gorged on 4 lobster tails each at one dinner and staff was run crazy trying to keep up as our table waited to get served at all. - Meat came out overcooked. I sent my lamb back 3 times until the Head Waiter intervened and brought me a properly cooked piece. - The buffet restaurant became a better option than fine dining. Food was properly cooked with ample seasoning. However, it was crowded and loud. - 2 couples in our group tried the Crab Pot. It was waterlogged and inedible. Fortunately they were given their money back. - Anytime dining resulted in us almost sitting on top of other couples with no option for privacy. I have eaten in MacDonald's with more space between tables. - No cabin seating other than the bed. Our room did not match the picture online. Carpet and furniture were worn and resembled a 2 star interstate hotel. - Slow inconsistent room cleaning due to 1 room attendant handling 17 rooms. Do not expect a towel animal on this cruise. You are lucky to get a towel. - Staff unable or unwilling to resolve issues. Need to find a Senior Officer in order to get any resolution. Promised refunds then are never processed. They will say anything to avoid actually dealing with the issue. They would not allow me to escalate my issues. I had to find out who was in charge of an area and track them down myself. Seemed as if staff was either untrained or burned out. - No answer on room service and dining reservation lines. Waited over 15 minutes in one case and gave up. - Internet is time based and a ripoff. Of 300 purchased minutes, was only able to actually use 100. Do not buy this option unless you constantly want to be scolded by the Internet Manager for not logging off. Found out later that even if you log out, the slow service will keep you logged in wasting your time. I was promised a refund after submitting a complaint. it never appeared on my final bill. - Ports are on the yet undeveloped sides of islands. Tours then take 65% of the allotted time for travel leaving little time to enjoy sites. Colon is a slum. Falmouth has no amenities. Porto Limon has about 8 streets and is mostly undeveloped as of yet. Used to be a Banana Port. Only options for the independent traveler if you do not book a tour are the fake tourist shops in the port buildings. Only Cartagena and Georgetown presented opportunities other than tours for exploring the island. -Ship itself is in need of another update (Carpets worn, Furniture worn, Elevators break frequently.) - Fitness area is cramped with no windows. - The My Princess app is not aligned with the paper Princess Patter. It is not user friendly. - Announcements cannot be heard in the rooms. You have to open the doors to hear and often cannot hear most of the content. This is a safety issue. Only positives we hit on the cruise were the service staff themselves. Most of the Waiters, Bartenders, and Room Stewards were warm and friendly often more helpful than management. We are young active Seniors. Ship activities seemed to be focused on an older , less mobile demographic. Napkin Folding was not high on our agenda. The Cruise Director while flamboyant was not a good fit. It did not seem that this ship was designed for those with mobility issues. Long elevator waits, crowded elevators, and malfunctioning elevators forced those with mobility issues to use steps. We have cruised throughout the world on three other lines. This was by far the worst cruise we have ever taken. We left more stressed than we arrived. We will never cruise Princess again! It seemed to us that Princess was stuck in the past and no longer innovative. Ship and systems were designed to put profit over quality. Our gift for being a past customer was an invitation only presentation on new cruises. On other ships we would have had a Captain's reception not a sales speech. Read Less

We chose this cruise to see the Panama Canal, which was the highlight and a great experience, for the family. Boat seemed aged, every thing costs an arm and a leg, and bathrooms are very small. This was a family cruise with kids, but there were very few kids on the ship. The demographic is very old, so lines are slow and the entertainment is suited for that generation. Disappointed with Princess, will not take a cruise with them again. Some of the staff were a rude on disembarkation day. Food was okay, but got a little tiring after awhile. I do want to not that generally the staff was pleasant and amenable. The ports of call were just okay. Jamaica was probably our least favorite would avoid it. Our favorite being Grand Cayman with very little hassle and great port experience. Would suggest that if you plan on taking this cruise expect not to be overwhelmed, but under whelmed. Read Less

Crew is not friendly at all, food was terrible. Very little entertainment, unless all you want to do is play bingo. Was my first and last cruise on Princess. They charge you for everything. The sanctuary, which is called the serenity deck on carnival. You have to pay to use the sanctuary on princess, $80 for a day. I think this was ridiculous. The entertainment was non existent. We had 2 comedians on a 10 day cruise. The dining was terrible. We paid $58 for the crab shack. I figured we would get enough food to be full. I got about 3 ounces of actual crab meat. After dinner my wife and I were looking for more food. The overall experience was terrible. I have been on 6 other cruises. Luckily I have has very good experiences on the previous cruises. Princess could have ruined my cruise experience if I didn't have any thing else to compare it to. If you like to sit in your cabin and watch TV all day, this is the cruise for you. If you like to be busy and have fun, don't use Princess !!! Read Less