Have you ever wondered what it is really like on a cruise ship? Is it relaxing, invigorating and fun OR boring, crowded and just one giant food fest?
We recently disembarked from an 18-night cruise on the Island Princess, a mid-sized ship in the Princess Cruise fleet. This is our longest cruise to date and one that confirmed for me that I prefer the days in port to the days at sea, but all are fun in their own way. Honestly, I was never bored and despite sailing with 2,000 other passengers, there was more than enough space that it never felt crowded. After three days, I shared my initial impressions.
Two weeks later, I can reflect on the entire Princess Cruise. Personally, I am a believer that cruising can be for everyone. Not every cruise – you need to choose carefully. This was our eighth cruise, so I am no expert, but I have opinions.
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My highlight of this cruise was the Panama Canal crossing, followed by the port days. These included Aruba, Cartagena (Colombia), Puntarenas (Costa Rica), Nicaragua (missed due to weather), Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Los Angeles (USA), and disembarking in Vancouver (Canada). This left us with 12 days at sea. Let’s be clear, there is no shortage of things to do on board while at sea.
Our Princess Cruise itinerary:
From the beginning . . .
We chose our cabin based on price, opting for the least expensive, rather than a balcony (a personal mistake we probably won’t be making in the future). While similar in size, our interior cabin had huge mirrors on both the back wall and over the desk so there was no feeling of claustrophobia (except in the shower, but that was the same in most cabins). With so many days at sea, I would have enjoyed sitting on my balcony in the mornings whilst still in my pyjamas and listening to the sound of the ocean.
Once we boarded, unpacked, and participated in our safety drill, we were free to do what we wanted. The options are listed in a daily bulletin left in each cabin by the room steward. They range from active (dance classes, Zumba, personal training sessions, scavenger hunts, children’s activities, passenger tournaments in mini golf, basketball, or random games, discos) to passive (interesting lectures, piano bar, knitting circles, movies under the stars, live theatre, star gazing, in-cabin movies) and everything in between (shopping, casinos, photos sessions, afternoon tea, art auctions, spa treatments, galley tours, poolside activities).
The Island Princess is light and lively, the tasteful decor understated and welcoming. A mid-sized ship, purpose-built for the Panama Canal, it is formatted differently than most of the Princess Cruise fleet. A quick photo tour:
To answer the most commonly asked question:
Would we do it again?
YES. Especially with deals like I can find on Princess cruises at CruiseDirect.com.
How would we do it differently?
We would have booked a balcony cabin, and of course, we would follow these 25 Tips for Cruising on Princess that Everyone Should Know.
What would we do the same?
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Note: Based on world conditions, we advise checking official channels including cancellation policies prior to booking. Also, with often reduced capacity, booking ahead becomes more important.
Cruise and port planning tips
Spending 160+ days at sea, we discovered a few cruising secrets. In addition to our list of cruise tips, here are our best planning tools:
Cruise: We find great deals on Cruise Direct.
Flights: We like to arrive at least one day prior to disembarkation and use Skyscanner to discover flight options.
Accommodations before and after: We use Booking.com to find accommodations.
Private tour guides: Looking to maximize our limited time at a port, we often hire private guides from Tours by Locals.
Rental Car: When we need a car, we always use RentalCars.com, a rental car search engine with no hidden costs.
Travel Insurance: We purchase insurance that covers medical and travel emergencies when we head overseas. We use a travel insurance aggregator that gives us a free and easy-to-read comparison of the inclusions of each policy.
Packing Tips: Get a copy of our free packing light for cruise travel checklist when you sign up for our mailing list. (We pack light, yet have everything we need.)
**Find more money-saving resources on our Travel Resources page.
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Have you been on a Princess Cruise? If you could cruise anywhere, where would you go?
Disclaimer: In addition to VIP treatment onboard the Island Princess we were provided with many complimentary extras. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
Jack adams
I have been on 35 cruises and have enjoyed each one. I found that the 7 day cruise is too short. We have on cruises from 3 days to our longest on28 days. My wife of 55 rears recently passed away but before we did a princess cruise to Hawaii for our 50th anniversary in which we were taken on a bridge tour.
Kathy Marris
Hi Rhonda, yes we have been on two cruises so far. One with Norwegian to Central America and the Caribbean which was fantastic; and the other with Princess to South East Asia. Both cruises had their pros and cons but we enjoyed both immensely. Both times we had a balcony cabin and I don’t think I could have it any other way. It is wonderful sitting out on your balcony throughout the day. I know what you mean about cruises having the reputation for only being for retirees and a big foodfest! There were many people who spent a large part of their days in the buffet! We made sure we watched the amount of food we ate and exercised daily. I enjoyed reading about this particular cruise – gives me food for thought for future cruises.
Rhonda Albom
The Panama Canal was fascinating. However this cruise did attract an older crowd than the others we have been on. Most likely due to length of cruising and it is a bit more expensive to go through the canal.
Lydia C. Lee
I don’t know if I could do a cruise like that. I’m not sure I’d like having a bus load of people everywhere I went (on land)…but the cost always makes me look at them and wonder – such amazing value!
Rhonda Albom
As for the cost, there are a lot of additional expenses, like tipping (they charged about $13USD, per day per person) and things you do off the ship. However the bus loads of people are optional. On this cruise we only did one excursion with the ship, the rest of the time we went off on our own.
Melissa Adams
I cruised through the Panama Canal 30+ years ago, on a two-week FREE cruise (offered as compensation for writing a cruise newsletter) that convinced me NEVER to go on a cruise again. Ever. I’ve traveled the world independently since then, immersing myself in cultures and cities in ways you can never do on a cruise. You got it right in your lead: cruises are “boring, crowded and just one giant food fest,” meant for people who want to take the comforts of home with them to far corners of the world, avoiding cultural differences and their destinations. Glad you had fun but not for me!
Rhonda Albom
Believe it or not, I agree with most of what you say. We generally travel immersed in culture, often doing home exchanges so we are right into a community. However, the variety is nice, and sometimes so is a bit of luxury.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
I’m so happy that you had a tremendous cruise Rhonda. I’ll tell you, we always get a balcony. Even though you are out of the room a great deal, It’s great sitting on your balcony, especially in early morning. Having coffee in the morning sitting on balcony means a big thing. I would love taking this cruise but unfortunately my wife won’t. She feels that anything more than an 8 day cruise is to much. For me, if I could, I’d stay for weeks on a ship. The same with the specialty restaurants, I’d like to have the steak room but she feels that the price doesn’t make any sense to her. As you can see, I’m the cruising nut and she isn’t. If I could get someone to go with me ( need someone to with me especially now or I would go by myself every cruise ) I”d do it even though I’d feel lonely without her. Oh well I’ll just enjoy the cruises that we have.
Our next cruise will be on the new Carnival Vista. This ship is unbelievable and we’ll be going back to Curacao, a wonderful port. We’ll be going back to Aruba and Grand Turk,( this will be our 5th time, I love the place and a new port is La Romana, Dominican Republic.
Well, glad that you are back safe & sound. I loved all the photos and I hope there are more to come. I’ll love the photos of cruising.
Have a wonderful day my cruisin friend. See ya.
Cruisin Paul
Rhonda Albom
I so agree on the balcony. In the past we have always cruised with our girls, so it was different. An interior family cabin was fine. Next time. The Panama Canal is really special and can’t be done in only 8 days, so maybe one day she will change her mind. Personally I am the opposite. I prefer at least 8 days Have fun on your next cruise. I look forward to the photos.
L. Diane Wolfe
Cruises are so much fun. We went on one in 2004 and I can’t wait to go again. Everything is first class and there’s so much to do.
Rhonda Albom
That’s 12 years ago, time for another!
Ken Schneider
Very interesting narrative. My favorite is the Alaskan, which we have taken three times. Northbound is best, as the sun is behind the ship and there is the anticipation of seeing the glaciers. Have taken several cruises on small ships– all were wonderful and were much more personal and relaxed. Would never do any without a balcony (if there is one– the small ships were all outside cabins anyway. Thanks for visiting my post!
Rhonda Albom
We loved Alaska as well, but did it Southbound. We live in a country with glaciers, so that isn’t necessarily the big excitement for us, although the Alaska glaciers are pretty amazing. We hope to try a small, river boat later in the year.
Sharon Wagner
You really captured the on-board experience. I’m not a cruiser, but it looks fun indeed. Your feet look very relaxed!
Rhonda Albom
Who knows, maybe you will be someday.
Lexa Cain
It’s hard to imagine there are 2000 guests aboard and yet the decks, walkways, pools and restaurants don’t seem to be full or crowded at all. It looks absolutely heavenly! Thanks so much for allowing us to spend parts of your journey with you! 🙂
Rhonda Albom
Hubby and I were discussing that one day. There are so many things to do, and places to go that it almost never felt crowded. Only the balloon drop, but that was just because everyone wanted the best spot. I have been on other cruises that had more children where the pools were crowded on nice, sunny days at sea.
Paula Morgan
Looks like you had a great time. I am still not convinced there is a cruise for me. Maybe one day I will try a 3 night taster cruise but I feel like I would feel trapped – even long harbour cruises and I want to get off.
Rhonda Albom
Big cruise ships are nothing like long harbour cruises. The ship is like being on a floating city. The Island Princess is only midsized but it had at 11 decks we could access, about 8 places to eat, 3 swimming pools, a library, bars, etc. I worried about the “feeling trapped” before our first cruise, but it never happened to me yet.
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Look at all the balloons!
Everything looks first class. Hard to believe it’s all on a boat, isn’t it?
Rhonda Albom
500 balloons, it looked a bit like the bubbles in a giant glass of champagne as they fell.
Nancy
Our last Princess cruise was a mixed bag. Great excursions, but the ship was a mess, the food mediocre, the entertainment blah.
Rhonda Albom
We did only one excursion with the ship, the rest of the ports we did on our own. Sorry your food wasn’t us to scratch – ours sure was. The entertainment on our ship was a bit short (30-45 minutes) but pretty good. Especially the comedians they brought onboard. I have been on other cruise lines that didn’t impress me, but I am quite happy with Princess.
Comedy Plus
Cruising is not for everyone. Hubby hated both the cruises we went on, but didn’t tell me until after the second cruise. We’d rather be on our own boat. I do agree about eating in a specialty restaurant though. It’s far better than what they serve in the dining room.
I did love the balcony on both the cruises. You’ve a private area to enjoy a glass of wine or your morning coffee.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Rhonda Albom
Sorry that hubby didn’t enjoy the cruises, but what a great man to not spoil your holiday. We don’t sail off-shore in a private vessel, as we are fair-weather sailors. So, I would never go to the places that I can get to via cruise ship on my own boat.
Molly
It looks amazing, what a wonderful ship
Mollyxxx
Rhonda Albom
The Island Princess is wonderful. I miss it already.
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That’s the first I’ve seen of the inside of a cruise ship. The idea has always scared me to be contained that long. Any sea sickness?
Rhonda Albom
I probably should have talked about this. The ships are huge and you generally don’t feel the motion at all. Embarrassingly, as I race yachts in the summer, I do get sea sick on small vessels sometimes, but have never had even a touch of it on a cruise ship. I do carry the meds for it just in case, but have never had to use even one.
Kristi
I’ve been on two cruises in my life – one to Bermuda and one to the Virgin Islands. I loved both. I would do it again. Based on your experience and lovely photos, I would not hesitate to choose the Princess Cruise line and quite frankly they could take me any place! 🙂
Rhonda Albom
I would go on another Princess Cruise as well.
Hilary
Hi Rhonda – sounds wonderful – and I can see the preference for a balcony room next time … still – you made the most of your time …
They do some cruises down the Rhine here and on to the Danube … and I’d love to do that Panama crossing one … and you mention Alaska is great … I’m still not sure – but that’s me! Lovely to see your photos and hear your ideas .. cheers Hilary
Rhonda Albom
You know us, we always make the best of everything. The interior cabin is fine, especially if money is your driving motivation. I just would have been happier with a balcony. We loved our cruise to Alaska also.
Shere
We’ve never been on such a cruise. The most similar to a cruise for us was a ferry in Croatia that took us from dubrovnik up to the north. We choose the cheapest of all exterior cabins. Also in the ferry from Denmark to Norway (16 hours) we have chosen the cheapest exterior cabin. Paul doesn’t like interior cabins, he founds them claustrophobic.
Rhonda Albom
With the mirrors on this ship he might be fine. I can handle the interior just fine on a week long cruise, but this one was just too long not to have a balcony. Live and learn.
Joyce Lansky
We took a Princess cruise, and your boat was identical to ours. Although I loved cruising, I think eighteen days would be a bit much for me. Although, I would love to cross the Panama canal.
Rhonda Albom
You must have been on the Coral Princess. It is the sister ship.
Brenda Marie
It looks like you had a very nice time.
Rhonda Albom
We did 🙂