This was our first cruise since an Alaskan cruise in 1998, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. The Panama Canal was a bucket list item, and I've recently retired so we have plenty of time on our hands to undertake a long journey. Overall, the cruise was extremely enjoyable although it may have been a couple of days too long. The Island Princess was a great ship and a wonderful experience. Very few, if any, complaints about the stateroom, food, activities, or entertainment. Most of the staff were extremely helpful and the cabin steward was outstanding. Here's a day-by-day detail (hope not to bore anybody to sleep):

Day 1 - Embarkation. Took a 15 minute cab ride from home to the Port. Traffic was very heavy coming into the port and the cab dropped us off near the terminal. Left the bags and a tip with the baggage attendant. Lines at Port Everglades were very long on an unsettled, cloudy day. Fortunately, we were under roof. and spent probably 45 minutes to get to security. We chose to carry a few bottles of wine (beyond the two per cabin allowed by Princess) so we were directed to a separate desk. The staff at the desk were very polite as we paid the corkage and had the bottles stamped. Back in line, we waited another 30 minutes or so to check in and receive our cruise cards. Easy transition to the ship and were directed to our deck and cabin. Room was ready when we arrived and we only had to wait for luggage. We opted for a mini-suite since the cruise was 15 days and we weren't disappointed with our choice, B226 on the Baja deck. We checked out the room and balcony, then decided to explore the ship. We opted for lunch in the main dining room (Provence).

After lunch and exploring the various decks, we returned to the room to find our luggage waiting for us. Larry, our steward introduced himself to us. We asked him for wine glasses and fresh ones mysteriously appeared thereafter at various times throughout the cruise. He told us that he would have robes for us as soon as they were returned from the laundry. We unpacked and stepped out on the balcony which was fortunately covered since it had started to rain. We grabbed our life preservers when we heard the announcement and headed to our muster station at 3:15 for the drill. We joined a social group at 6:00 and met some new friends for drinks before heading to dinner in the anytime (Bordeaux) Dining Room. We left the dining room too late to catch the Comedian at the welcome show, so we explored the ship further and retired to our cabin around ten or so. We caught an interesting movie (The Age of Adaline) on television before retiring to an extremely comfortable bed. Read more