Island Princess Review

Just out of dry dock - New look

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Island Princess
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rramos7490
2-5 Cruises • Age 30s

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Sail Date: Dec 2017

This was a great cruise to see the Panama Canal and other countries. This cruise was supposed to go to Aruba after leaving Port Everglades, but the ship, Island Princess, was delayed one day; thus, no Aruba. A lot of passengers were upset because of the 1 day delay, but things happen. Because of the missed day, Princess refunded passengers the one day, gave an onboard spending credit and 15% off the next cruise. I recommend booking flights through Princess because Princess will book a hotel or change flights for you in case this happens and you wont pay a penny. I had my own independent air travel arrangements, so I had to book my own hotel last minute. Not a problem if you can quickly find a hotel while on the way to the airport. Princess reimbursed me 100% of the hotel charge I had to pay. The ship just came out of dry dock and the following was done: 1) New artificial grass on the sun deck, 2) pools re-painted, 3) new beds in all the rooms, 4) new carpet in the buffet, 5) new wi-fi system, 6) tv's mounted by the elevators on each floor, 7) public bathrooms updated, 8) new gym equipment, 9) Princess theater updated. There are a lot of activities to do on the ship and the staff keeps you busy. Casino is also nice and they had non-smoking nights. Getting on and off the ship was a breeze. There is a teenagers center on board which looked fairly new with video games, air hockey, etc. There were hardly any teenagers onboard this cruise, so the staff opened it up to all guest. I had a window cabin and it was very spacious with a queen bed. Spacious enough for two I think, but it was only me in the cabin. The stewards make the bed, clean up after you, and towards evening, the stewards will come get the bed ready for you. I had a good steward and made sure I gave him a tip after the cruise. I never ate in the main dining room, but in my opinion, the buffet food was delicious and a lot to choose from. Other passengers said the food was just ok, but again, I thought it was delicious, and the desserts too. At times the buffet was jammed packed and the waiters were working like crazy, so I did not mind getting my own water, but some passengers would fuss over this. I am 27 and this cruise had a lot of older people, not too many young people in there 20's or 30's. Activities range from movies under the stars, sexy leg competition, who's the cuckoo (very fun game with the staff), bingo, poster making, karaoke and other activities. If you have a smart phone, you can connect to the ships wifi and you can see all the events. To see the events on your phone is free! All the ports were great, if you are an early bird, go on the top deck to see the sunrises and entry into port. I booked most of my shore excursions through a third party and not the ship, but I did book two tours and they were great, one in Puerto Vallarta and San Juan del Sur. The buses makes sure you are back on time. If you book your shore excursions through the ship and lets say you get stuck in traffic and the ship is about to leave, the ship will wait for you since your booked the tour through the ship. As far as the Panama Canal, it is an all day event, from sunrise to sunset. It truly is wonderful to see and go through. The Destination Expert on the ship talks to you about the history of the canal and is very informative. When the ship begins to rise in the locks, go to the lower level and you will see just how much the ship rises and falls with the water. In the photography center, you can buy the movie of your journey through the canal, which I did and highly recommend. Items in the gift shop are expenses, so bring what you can, i.e extra sun block. Some passengers did complain about the sea days being too long.....well not every cruise ship can stop at a port each day. I enjoyed the sea days, as you had time to relax and get some sun. Overall, I enjoyed this cruise and would do it again. I sailed alone and they did have singles/solo get-to-together, but I did not attend these, as I was always by the pool. When at the ports, GET OFF THE SHIP AND EXPLORE. If you do not book a shore excursions, there are plenty of taxis near the port that will take you places. If you need items for your trip, there is a Walmart right by the port in Puerto Vallarta. Have fun and meet new people, I met a lot of people from Canada!

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