Island Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My family (a party of 15 people total) selected this cruise line because of the ports and shore excursions we were promised. Traveling to Juneau to see the glaciers, wildlife, and sled dogs were items on many of our bucket lists. Unfortunately, we did not get to see any of those things. Due to mechanical issues on the ship, we experienced a 12 hour delay at the Vancouver port and Princess Cruises cancelled the Juneau destination. They provided a $100 on board credit and 15% off our next cruise (if booked by 9/20/2020) as "compensation," which is both laughable and offensive. This was my first vacation in 4 years, and something I spent a long time saving up for. I can't simply book another cruise within a year, nor would I want to with Princess Cruises. In the end, $100 does not make up for the sights and experiences we were denied, and it was a general consensus amongst my party that we felt robbed.
Other items of comment:
- The buffet food was terrible and barely edible, but the dining room made up for it. I typically saved my appetite for a dining room meal.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
As a hospitality interior designer, I am pretty critical of the overall lodging experience but I do try to be fair. My assessment of the ship design is that it is highly outdated, especially with the quantity and accessibility of outlets in the staterooms. It is 2019, and it is expected that there will be outlets next to the bed. There weren't. My roommate and I had to plug one phone at the desk and another in the bathroom. If you aren't going to provide an outlet next to the bed, the cruise line should at least provide an alarm clock. Having to get up and turn off an alarm (my phone) in the bathroom was ridiculous.
The beds were very comfortable and the size of the mini-suite was good. I can't imagine staying in anything smaller than the room we had. The shower was tiny, but manageable. Having a balcony was a nice amenity.
Port Reviews
Prince Rupert
This is not a port that was designed for tourism. There are no offerings or sights to see on the island at all. There wasn't even an actual port! We had to take a water taxi from the ship to the island. The one thing on the island that you can do is tour a Canadian naval trip, but it was closed while we were there because the governor was visiting. Just another disappointment for a cruise that didn't go as planned.
Vancouver
From what I saw of Vancouver, it is a pretty cool city and the sights were beautiful.