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Ship Details
Began service:July, 2003
Guest capacity: 1,970
Total staff: 900
Length: 856 feet
Passenger decks: 16
CDC
inspection score: 99
Island Princess Overview
The Island Princess cruise ship departs from Los
Angeles, CA, Vancouver, Canada. Throughout the year, she offers ocean
cruises to Hawaii, Alaska/British Columbia.
Check Dates &
Prices for cruises to Hawaii, Alaska/British
Columbia.
The Island 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 divided into small spaces.
Overall, the look is bright and breezy with an an island
theme.
There's so much to do on an Island Princess cruise,
particularly in Alaska where the show outside (whale watching
and 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, computer classes, and cooking
demos.
Cabins
Island Princess has 83% outside cabins (108 are
inside and measure 156-166 sq ft.), and many have their
own balcony. If privacy is a concern, note that balconies
on Deck 9 and 10 located
above the lifeboats, 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 sq ft. including balcony). Amenities
include terry robes, slippers, bar set up, fruit bowl, flowers and
nightly canapes. Passengers in the 192 mini-suites
(280-302 sq ft. 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.
Dining
With Personal Choice Dining, 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 offers a buffet at any time, except between the hours of
11:00pm - 4:00am when there's a Bistro menu with table service. Other
casual options are a poolside pizza counter and a grill, both open
11:00am to 6:00pm. 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 8:00pm.
The slightly larger Bordeaux offers Personal
Choice Dining, which means open seating at breakfast, lunch
and dinner. 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
and 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 11:30am - 2pm. Cover charges
apply.
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 wedding chapel is being used
for computer classes. Ceramic vases and mugs can be purchased and
painted in the ceramics studio.
While Princess has certainly hyped its ScholarShip@Sea
Program, 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 a 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.
Fitness & 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 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.
A nine-hole putting course is hidden away next to the golf simulator
on Deck 15.
The top deck has 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.
Public Areas
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.
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 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 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.
Kids
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 10:00pm,
making a handy substitute for individual baby-sitting ($5 per hour)
over dinner hours.
Expert Island Princess reviews are edited by Michelle, and provided by Ian and Cruise Critic.com,
an award-winning cruise community. This objective information can
help you choose just the right ship for your next cruise vacation.
Check Dates & Prices
for cruises to Hawaii, Alaska/British Columbia.
Island Princess cruise reviews
Cruise
Ship Inspection Report
All passenger cruise ships arriving at US ports are subject to unannounced
CDC inspection. Island Princess
Score: 99
Cruise
Critic: Island Princess
The Cruise Critic gives NCL's Island Princess a 3-ribbon rating.
Web links
Princess
Cruises
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Cruises at the company's official Web site.
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