About Me. This was my 14th cruise, but the first on Princess. I have cruised RCI, Holland America, Costa, Crystal., Celebrity and a freighter. I'm not horribly demanding nor do I expect absolute perfection when trying to deal with nearly 2000 people. I also don't expect the same standards from a mass market line as I would Crystal anymore than I would expect rock climbing walls on a freighter. But I do expect true value for the price paid and minimal irritants. After all, it is a vacation.
About the ship. The Island Princess is a spacious and well designed ship that can accommodate the large number of passengers without feeling crowded. It appeared in good repair and well maintained. The cabin, however, was the smallest balcony cabin I have ever had. The balcony itself had no room for a lounge chair. The shower was extremely small with barely space to turn around. The room itself was well appointed and clean, just small.
About the food. Overall, pretty good. The Horizon Court hosts one of the the best ship buffets I've had. A variety of selections, most well prepared. The dining room food was just okay. We were forced into personal choice dining since there was a long wait list for first seating in the main dining room. This is not a true choice when you're forced---is it?. Anyway, we ate at the Bordeaux ( alternative DR) most nights. Many of their entrees were rather uninspiring. Not bad, just not real good. The grill served a good burger, hot dog, chicken sandwich and fries. And the pizza is the best I've had on a cruise ship. Room service offers a reasonable selection, except offers only a cold breakfast . I don't eat cereal or sweet rolls or yogurt for breakfast so I was pretty much limited to coffee and a tough roll if I wanted breakfast on my balcony ( which I do enjoy). I think this is a real disadvantage and can't understand this policy as room service breakfast is a treat for most vacationers.