| Overview
The Island Princess, sister ship to the Coral Princess, brings vibrant new dynamics to "Love Boat" cruising. (The ship, after all, does have a name to live up to. She succeeds the TV show's original floating star, the former Island Princess.) Luckily for romantics, there's almost never a crowded feel, even with 1,970 passengers aboard. There are lots of nooks for sunning, reading or sipping cocktails. Even the main dining rooms are cleverly divided into small spaces.
Overall, the look is bright and breezy from upper to lower deck, from bow to stern. An island theme unfolds throughout, be it the bright tropical reef patterns woven into the carpets by the elevators, or the Balinese statuary adorning the Lotus Pool. So how does an island motif fit in with Alaska, where the ship spends summers cruising between Vancouver and Whittier? Perfectly. Hundreds of lush, forested islands dot the Alaskan coastline.
There's so much to do on an Island Princess cruise, particularly in Alaska where the show outside-whale watching, bear spotting-rivals onboard activities. Fortunately, private ringside balcony views come with 75% of the staterooms. Expansive walls of glass highlight many public rooms as well. Passengers can see spectacular scenery from the casual Horizon Court restaurant, the gym, card room or library. Other enticing activities, part of Princess' ScholarShip@Sea program, include pottery lessons (a first on Coral Princess), computer classes and cooking demos.
Cabins
Island Princess boasts 83% outside cabins (108 are inside and measure 156-166 square feet), and many have their own balcony. If privacy is a concern, note that balconies on Deck 9 and 10 located above the lifeboats are terraced in such a way that they are open on top. Anyone on a higher balcony can look down at you, plus there is no protection if you venture outside in rainy weather.
Naturally, the greatest amenities come with the 16 largest suites (470 square feet including balcony). Special goodies include terry robes, slippers, bar set up, fruit bowl, flowers and nightly canapes. Passengers in the 192 mini-suites (280-302 square feet with balcony) get waffle-weave robes. These top categories all have a sitting area, two TVs, fridge, walk-in closet, and shower/tub combination in the bathroom. The new Lotus Spa toiletries are a welcome improvement.
Oceanview doubles also have a balcony, but bathrooms are shower-only. A hair-dryer, fridge, safe and TV are standard. Anyone can request a robe or fruit bowl by filling out a form for the steward.
Public Rooms
A marble stairway encircling the four-deck atrium links most of the public rooms, starting with the reception and tour desks on Deck 5. The shops (jewelry, logo, perfumes, gifts) and casino are found on Deck 6. The Explorer's Lounge is the scene of well-attended art auctions. I loved the whimsical carpet picturing lions, giraffes and zebras.
Sabatini's and the Bayou Cafe are located on Deck 7. It takes 2.8 laps around the teak promenade to make a mile and walk off a few calories. Two bars border the atrium. Crooner's is a cheery martini bar decorated with photos of the Rat Pack celebrities. Churchill Lounge is an enclosed area for cigar smokers. A few steps down the corridor lead to the clubby, nautically themed Wheelhouse Bar, the ship's favored gathering spot for cocktails.
At the top of the atrium (Deck 8) are the library and card room. The 24-hour Internet Cafe is actually two adjacent areas with 14 computers for surfing the web (50 cents/minute).
A self-service launderette ($1.75 washers, $1 soap, $1.50 dryers) is located on each stateroom deck.
Dining
Personal Choice Dining is all the rage, and for good reason. Passengers get to choose when, where and with whom they dine, 24/7. Meals and snacks are available round-the-clock in the Horizon Court. This casual restaurant, located forward on Deck 14, offers a buffet at any time, except for the hours of 11:00 pm to 4:00 am when there's a Bistro menu with table service. Other casual options are a poolside pizza counter and a grill, both open 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Room service is available 24 hours a day.
There are two main dining rooms. Provence features traditional, assigned dinner seating at either 5:45 or 8:00 pm. The slightly larger Bordeaux offers Personal Choice Dining, which means open seating at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dining rooms are attractively furnished and lined with picture windows on two sides. The curtains were usually drawn at dinner, so we always asked our waiters to open them for the stunning views. (In Alaska, it's light long after dinner.)
Island Princess' dining extravaganza takes place in Sabatini's Trattoria, one of two alternative restaurants. It's Italian through and through-decor, china, menu, generous portions and warm hospitality. It's well worth the $15 per person cover to spend an evening feasting on prosciutto, gnocchi and gamberi (shrimp), for a start.
The N'Awlins-style Bayou Cafe, the second alternative venue ($10 cover), comes complete with live jazz (too loud on occasion). The menu offers regional dishes such as gator ribs, gumbo ya-ya, and sweet potato pie.
Both Sabatini's and the Bayou Cafe are open for brunch on sea days from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Cover charges apply.
The wine list is very reasonably priced.
Fellow Passengers
Princess has something for everyone, no matter what age. During summer vacation, Alaska attracts families with kids, as well as the usual mix of couples, most in the 40 to 60-something range.
Family
Children get their own play space, three spaces in fact at the back of Deck 12. Princess Pelicans (ages 3-7) and Princess Pirateers (8-12) enjoy group games and crafts. Teens (13-17) favor computer games at Off Limits.
The Fun Zone stays open between 7:00 and 10:00 pm, making a handy substitute for individual baby-sitting ($5 per hour) over dinner hours.
Fitness and Recreation
The Lotus Spa on Deck 14 exudes an Asian theme. Treatments come with a bonus-time in the Sanctuary, a quiet space where you can lie back on a heated lounge while waiting for your massage. There are two tropical rain showers with a "rain storm" button and a cold mist. Several steam rooms feature tiled bench seats and a bubbling, scented fountain. The treatments include a fabulous Chakra hot stone massage ($158 for 1-1/2 hours) and are given in the 10 treatment rooms. Strangely, the spa opens at either end and gets foot traffic from passengers going between the pool and gym. The effect can be uncomfortable (but not tragically so) if you're going from the dressing room to the relaxation room in your robe.
The gym offers all the expected equipment, from treadmills to step machines. You can work out to a TV show or an ocean view.
There are two swimming pools, also on Deck 14. The outdoor Lido Pool is surrounded by open-air deck space filled with lounge chairs and three whirlpools. The Lotus Pool and two whirlpools are set under a retractable roof, making swimming possible in any weather. This enclosure has a Balinese motif.
A nine-hole putting course is hidden away next to the golf simulator on Deck 15. More than one passenger didn't discover it until the last day.
The top deck sports a splash pool in front of the funnel. A basketball court, shuffleboard, paddle tennis and oversize chess set can be found at the rear. This tends to be a teen hangout on sunny summer days.
Entertainment
Daytime fun takes the form of "edu-tainment" via ScholarShip@Sea classes. Professional cooking demos are held in the bright, brassy Universe Lounge. The two-deck-high showroom is all swirls and curves. The wedding chapel is being used for computer classes. Ceramic vases and mugs can be purchased and painted in the ceramics studio. They are fired in a kiln below passenger decks.
While Princess has certainly hyped its ScholarShip@Sea Program, it is important to note that many of its offerings can be quite pricey. The hands-on pottery classes ($40 an hour) are part of this program, as well as "paint your own pots" (price of pot). A class on digital photography was $10. Other examples of topics on our Alaska voyage include a culinary demo and a lecture by Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
At night, the Universe Lounge's kitchen transforms into a high-tech stage for the fast-paced musical, "Tribute." The more traditionally designed Princess Theater offers flashy revues with dozens of costume changes. Various lounges feature magicians, comedians and disco.
Dress Code
With only two dress codes for dinner, packing's pretty easy. Smart Casual means slacks, polo shirts, sweaters, skirts and blouses. Formal attire includes suits and ties or tuxes for men and party dresses for women. No shorts, torn jeans or halter-tops are allowed in the dining rooms at dinner. If you're headed to Alaska, bring rain gear and plan to dress in layers.
Gratuity
A gratuity of $10 per person, per day is automatically added to your shipboard account. Go to Guest Services (formerly called the Purser) if you want to make changes (plus or minus). |
