Island Princess Cruise Ship Tour and Review

Probably wouldn't sail this ship again

We just disembarked the Island Princess this morning. We took a 14 night cruise through the Baltic Sea.

Take a peek at the ship:

We had a wonderful cruise. I’d likely sail it again for a unique itinerary but I did miss Vines and the International Café. That means I’d pick another ship for an itinerary I’ve sailed before, Overall, I rate it a 8.5 out of 10 placing it just behind Holland America’s Westerdam.

Here’s the breakdown:

Cabin:  9

We used the upgrade bidding process to bid on a mini suite. It worked and we were assigned D324 – a MB mini suite. This is a great location right in between the forward and midship elevators.

I loved the mini suite cabins on Princess. I like the open closet right next to the bathroom, the couch area, and the large balcony. The one point deduction is for the shower. The shower curtain was very clingy and the bathroom was dark.

Overall Ship Condition: 8

The Island Princess is an older ship. It was very clean, but some areas are showing wear and tear.

Casual Dining: 7.5

The casual dining was the buffet, the Grill, and the pizza. I loved the Grill and the pizza. The buffet had a lot of the same items over and over. Some of the sandwich selections were just odd. (Example: A Coleslaw Sandwich). This ship does not have an International Café and I missed it have a quick option to grab a sandwich or dessert on the lower decks.

Sit Down Dining: 8

We ate most night in the Bordeaux included dining room. We usually had a little bit of a wait to get a table, but the host was working so hard to seat everyone quickly. The service was great and quick. The dishes were good. We had one salmon dish that was great. We had one tuna dish that was inedible.

Specialty Dining: 9

We at the Bayou Café. This is the only ship in the Princess fleet with this menu. We went in with low expectations, but really enjoyed the New Orleans fare. The one point deduction is because it didn’t feel like a fine dining experience.

Entertainment: 8.5

We were very impressed with the musicians on board. We had three bands: Xtasea, GLAM band, and the Island Princess orchestra that plays with the shows. We also had a guitarist, a violin duo and two piano players – one sing a long and one for dinner music. We had special guest entertainers and four stage shows by the Island Princess cast. Overall, it was great. The 1.5 deduction is because I don’t think the music was programmed well. We had gorgeous weather and would have loved more outside performances. The guitar player and violinists also used backing tracks that really hid their talent.

Service: 9

What keeps us coming back to Princess it the crew. They were great. Drink service seemed to take a bit of a long time. That’s the one point deduction.

Value: 9

I think this was a great value for the unique itinerary, mini-suite, and the included Princess Plus program.