Island Princess Reviews

I really should have done my homework on this cruise ship. I’ve learnt a lot about what to look for in a cruise. This cruise ship was not for us. Personal opinion though. Main reasons was the generation difference. The first 10 days was basically a 70’s plus floating retirement home. Don’t get me wrong, I love the elderly. But when you are taking your ...read more daughter (22 yrs old) on a very expensive cruise you would expect to have some younger ones around. It did improve the following 10 days with other guests coming aboard that were younger. I’m now fully clued up on which cruise lines cater for what age group. Every days a school day. Due to the elderly population the activities were catered around them. I found the activities repeated themselves and not many to choose from. The evening shows in the Princess Theatre were too loud, and I had to leave a few shows because my ears were hurting. I was not alone. The Cruise Director was aware of it and advised they had fixed the volume but there was little difference. The quality of the shows were average. I think I enjoyed three of them.

The food was varied and there was something for all tastes. Though I wished I could of shown them how to make mash potatoes and custard. Both were low standard and almost not edible. They nailed the roast meats, they were brilliant. If you are lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy you can forget the dessert bar. I lived on jelly the entire cruise. I wasn’t going to miss out on dessert. 😂 The staff were divine.

The rooms perfect for what you need. Beds super comfy with awesome soft fluffy pillows and the doona cosy. The shower was clearly designed around a 5 year. It’s tiny. You can’t bend in it. So shaving legs, forget it unless you stick your leg out and put your foot on the toilet lid. The laundry was awesome. It’s where I found a duck. I was extremely disappointed when the only two ports I was desperate to visit and were solely the reason I chose this cruise we were unable to disembark due to high winds. No fault of the cruise company but extremely disappointing as I’ll never get that opportunity again.

Dubrovnik and Mykonos 😔 I didn’t enjoy Tunisia and Kotor. We had professional photos taken on the last night offered. Rookie mistake. Our photos were terrible. Even the Manager agreed and gave me two digital ones for free if I paid for two printed ones. There was literally only two worth purchasing. It is wise to have photos taken throughout the whole cruise and by different photographers. That way you have many choices and the photographers have different skill levels. We learnt the hard way. For those of you cruising for the first time, they have a crew appreciation fee. Where they charge your room $17 per person each day. I’m assuming the money goes to top up the staff wages. That’s another $680 you are charged on top of gratuity and the cost of the cruise. It certainly adds up. Don’t forget the drinks and wifi packages. Which we did not do as we just couldn’t afford it.

Island Princess Cruise is perfect if you want a small ship, a handful of activities, enjoy meeting older people, and looking for a very quiet relaxing time. Unfortunately that was not what I was looking for, and came away disappointed. As I previously mentioned, I should of researched it better.

Global Journeys provided a stress free booking experience and communicate well. My husband and I enjoyed the 20 day Adriatic and Aegean Explorer cruise on Princess. It should be noted that this cruise was 2 cruise tours put together. The food and entertainment were fantastic. The passengers were mostly of retirement age. We had great weather and less ...read more crowds in October. The Princess shore excursions were well organised, but at a slow pace sometimes. So we booked an independent shore experience online, kayaking around Dubrovnik, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Next time I would research more active onshore experiences.

I would recommend this cruise. Iceland was an amazing destination. Happy with Princess. Even though Island Princess is one of their older ships I have no complaints.

Everything about the cruise was fantastic. The Covid test requirement went smoothly. The weather was beautiful and was able to see the northern lights. All of the shore excursions were interesting and well organised. There were plenty of activities on the ship while we were at sea. The evening entertainment was enjoyable, particularly the Princess singers ...read more and dancers.