Island Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
The title line says it all, which I borrowed from a fellow passenger. After one day's sailing, I could already list at least ten problems, some major and some minor, and the list got longer as the days passed. So here is my rather unorganized recollection:
This voyage spent the first night at Venice and left port at 1 pm the following day. An emergency drill was given right before the ship lifted anchor. The result: virtually every passenger went up to the Lido Deck for lunch at the same time. Plates and cups quickly ran out, and people had to wait in long lines to be allowed into the buffet area. It gave the impression that they were totally unprepared, not a very promising start.
Also on the first day of sailing, around 10 pm, the ship had a power failure. Recalling the two most recent nightmarish incidents with Carnival cruise ships were both due to power failures, we were truly scared. Fortunately, power was eventually restored.
Cabin Review
Our cabin is close to the stern, apparently it's where the engine compartment is located down below. Once the ship left port, the entire cabin starts to vibrate. I was trying to take a nap but found it impossible. I'm from California, and this felt worse than an earthquake. Realizing sleeping would be out of the question, my wife and I went to the front desk, only to be met by the rudest customer rep we ever met. This guy simply stated that there was nothing he could do and there was no spare cabin to move us to, and what's worse, he further mocked us by offering to share his crew's cabin with us! When we demanded to see a manager, he responded by saying that he was just relaying what management told him to say. My wife had sleeping problems to begin with, and this interaction almost cause her an emotional breakdown. Fortunately, we were eventually able to get a hold of the night manager, Laurence, who went to our cabin to feel it first hand and was able to move us to a different cabin towards the midship.