Thread: Holiday Aloha on the Island Princess 12/22/05 to 1/6/06

Please excuse the long length of this review. I've got Virgo rising with a Gemini moon, or something like that. And this was a 15-day cruise.

Part 1
I have to say we had one sight we weren’t expecting and one we were hoping for that we did get, as well as one major disappointment.
On this cruise, the Captain was Andrea Poggi who has sailed on various Princess ships in the last 15 years or so. David Cole was the cruise director.

Thursday, December 22 – Day 1 – San Pedro

Pre-port

After a little snag (their computer system pinpointed our home in the wrong location), Clint from Cool Rides showed up to pick us up before 11 am. He managed to get our two suitcases, two plastic bins (bottled water, Pepsi, ginger ale, snorkeling gear, etc), guitar case, box with the ukulele, three backpacks, my new backpack style purse (which worked out great for the cruise) into the car while I was installing the booster seat for our little one (we also took a large duffel bag to carry the unassembled seat onto the ship). He headed for the World Cruise Center while telling us that he often drives Princess personnel (his company is based in Santa Clarita, which is also the home to the cruiseline’s main office).



Despite the usual holiday traffic on the 405 of those heading to LAX, we managed to get to Pier 93 by 12:15pm. When we entered the building, someone directed us to the Express check-in. After a few signatures and a check of our info, the young man behind the counter wistfully told us (he has yet to go on a cruise) we could board right away, instead of the 1pm time listed on our tickets. So we proceeded to the security check and then moved outside to wait to take our embarkation photo. Minutes later, we took our ship card photos and then actually stepped on the ship. We got a personal escort to our cabin.

The Cabin
As usual, we booked an inside cabin, C517. We were exactly midship on the Caribe deck (deck 10). The cabin seemed smaller that the one we had on the Sapphire. (IP’s inside cabins range from156-166 square feet vs. the Sapphire’s 168-182, per princess.com)
Upon arrival, we found the first day Patters, as well as an insert that summarized the 15 days (see general cruise news to find), and the Pirateers schedule. Every night, the next Patters is inserted in the in-box next to each cabin. Even if one isn’t into activities, someone in the cabin should read the info on the first page regarding the dress code for dinner, any time zone changes, laws regarding what to need to take or leave behind in the ports, navigational info. On the second page is a chronological listing of the activities for the day. The third page will list the evening entertainment. On the last page are the "specials" -- basically what they’re telling to sell (boutiques, casino, drinks of the day, spa and salon).
Each cabin on the IP has a mini-frig, a TV, closet with hangers, drawers, a safe (passenger programs in the number), hair dryer, bathroom with at least a shower (some suites may have bath). One thing I noticed is that the quality of the toilet paper was not exactly luxurious and if you didn’t care for the sandpaper in the bathroom facial tissue box, head for a restroom where you can find more nose-friendly paper. A big disadvantage to an inside is that it’s nearly impossible to dry bathing suits in the bathroom.

One funny thing happened when hubby was taking a shower. He left the door to the bathroom open. A short time later, the phone rang. Someone from the bridge said the heat sensor had gone off in our room and asked if someone was taking a shower with the door open. (Our upstairs smoke alarm at home sometimes goes off if someone is taking a shower with the bathroom door open.)

We unpacked our carry-ons and were ready to explore our temporary home by 1:15.

Part 2
The Ship

The IP has 12 decks that passengers are able to go to. The Gala (deck 4) is the lowest and is where to go for tender embarkation and the infirmary. The Plaza (5) has staterooms and the Bordeaux Dining Room for those with "anytime dining." It also has Passenger Services (Purser’s desk) and the La Patísseríe coffee bar.
The Fiesta Deck (6) has the Provence Dining Room for Traditional Dining, which along with the boutiques, is located in the Atrium. Nearby is the Casino, which has a Paris theme. Walk down the hallway past the Photo Gallery to get to the Universe Lounge in the stern where movies, shows and other activities are held. The two-story Princess Theater is located at the very bow.

The Promenade (7) is the place to be to view the scenery outside. A walking track surrounds the ship with three laps roughly equal to a mile. On windy days, however, taking that walk can be quite difficult. On this deck you’re find the Wheelhouse Bar. Surrounding the atrium is Crooner’s Bar, which is an open space bar, and Churchill Lounge, a room where cigars are permitted. Move down the hallway and you’ll find the Wedding Chapel, where some classes are held, the Art Gallery, and the two dining rooms with cover charges, The Bayou Café and Sabatini’s.

The next five decks have staterooms. Emerald (8), which also has the Internet Café (access is $10.50 per 30 minutes; elite passengers have free Internet), the library (you can check out books), and the cardroom, where often a bridge game is in progress; Dolphin (9), Caribe (10), Baja (11) and Aloha (12). Aloha also has the kids areas in the aft. On each deck with staterooms, a small self-service Laundromat awaits your clothing and coins.
Lido (14) features, from bow to stern, the Horizon Court buffet, Princess Pizza, the Lido pool, Sundaes Ice Cream Bar, Lotus Pool with retractable roof, Lotus Spa and Salon, The Gym. On the Sun Deck (15), one would find a splash pool, The Grill, table tennis, Pottery Studio and Princess Links. Getting to these locales usually entail climbing up stairs. Above is the Sports Deck (16) with Center Court where basketball and other sports are held. A miniature golf course is open 8am to 8pm. Harvey and Jen also discovered a giant chess set but unfortunately when they went up there to play, it was much too windy.

During the afternoon, many areas had open houses: the Fun Zone, Pottery Studio, the gym and the Lotus Spa.



Kids Area:

The Kids program packet left in our cabin said open house/registration was ongoing in the afternoon so we made our way to Aloha Deck aft. At the very back of the ship, there’s the Fun Zone for the Pelicans (3 to 7) and Pirateers (8 to 12) as well as Off Limits for the teens. The area was decorated for the holidays with a Naughty and Nice List containing the names of all the passengers under 18 aboard the ship, approximately 250. We found out there was 16 eight-year-olds, including our Jen. We also found out registration was later on, this was just the open house.

From age eight and above, the parents can decide if kids can sign themselves out or not but we decided we’d drop and pick our girl up. Parents must show a photo ID each time they sign out their child. Port day supervision is available 8amto 5pm if you sign up the day before.

Part 3
Holiday Décor

The ship was all decked out for the holidays. Gingerbread houses in the Horizon Court. Snowy villages set up in the Grand Atrium. Menorahs with electric "candles" graced the Purser’s desk and in the Atrium (with a little sign explaining the holiday for the goyum).

A madrigal group, The Voices of Christmas, sang holiday songs (even "O’Hanukkah") in the Atrium. J told them that she had learned "Jingle Bells" in piano class so they asked her to sing with them. She sang the first verse but stepped away after that after they sang the other verses.

Many crewmembers got into the holiday mood by wearing Santa caps. The only things missing were the hunt for parking spaces and long checkout lines.

Muster Drill

Before heading out to our station in the art gallery at 4:15, we quickly took our usual photo of us wearing our life jacket. It’s also funny to watch people not follow directions (on Princess ships, they ask that you carry the life jackets to the muster station and not don them until told) or try out their whistles that have been in others’ mouths just two weeks ago from the last drill.

Meet and Greet

Before the cruise, our Cruise Critic roll call had decided to have a quick meet after the drill. So my family put on the leis I brought with and showed up at the Crooners Bar. We hadn’t decided on a way to tell us (I think some roll calls have used rubber band bracelets) so it was a matter of catching other people’s eyes. I told everyone to look for the threesome with the balding husband and the skinny daughter. Rooster on Board (Gary with wife Linda) and 1932 Canal (Paul with wife Mary and daughter Gina) had shown up. We discovered that Paul’s family will be sharing table 170, late seating with us.

About this time was Sailaway, 5 to 5:30, so we went outside on the Promenade deck. Jen spotted a group of seals hanging out on a buoy and started barking. The seals barked back. I spotted the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which was outfitted with lights since our last cruise from San Pedro. It wasn’t like I expected (for the amount of money spent I thought it would be really lit).

Part 4
Dining Options

Princess touts its Personal Choice Dining with different options available for dining.

Traditional Dining: Two seatings (5:45 and 8) in the Provence Dining Room. Each group is assigned to a time and table. It seems that on many cruises there’s a waiting list for TD. Our table was a round table for eight, which seemed like a good size for holding conversation.

Anytime Dining. You can reserve times in the Bordeaux Dining Room or drop by and see if there’s a wait. Some passengers discover a waiting staff they like and try to request them for the rest of the cruise.

The Horizon Court (buffet; opened 24 hours/day)
Sabatini’s Trattoria -- $20 per person cover charge; multi-course Italian feast. A menu was posted outside showing a predominance of seafood, with options of other meats too.

Bayou Café - $15 per person cover charge for Cajun and Creole style of dining.

Room Service – limited menu

The Pizzeria and the Grill (hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken) both are open during the day only and are located by the pools

Sundae’s – ice cream for at a charge – only opened during the day
Dinner

Besides the Canadian family I met earlier, we were joined in the Provence Dining Room by Doris, who’s from Oakland. She was traveling with his brother but he didn’t make it to dinner this first night. Our waitstaff was from Romanian, which is where my fil had been born.

One thing that bothered me was the lack of info about what time the traditional dinners were. In the first Patter stated "Your Cruise Card will indicate your designated dining room, table number and dinner sitting" but didn’t actually state the times and my card said: "Provence/2nd/170" without referring to a specific time. The "Quick Reference Card" also mentioned on the same page didn’t list the times for traditional times either. I asked my room steward and he told me 8pm. I’m glad I asked: the previous cruise, the late seating was at 8:15pm. Maybe other passengers complained about the lack of info as the times were listed in the 12/23 Patters.

Discussion on a certain board sometimes obsesses on dining room attire. The Patters stated smart casual as "shorts and t-shirts are not permitted in the Dining Room". No mention of jeans. Whether or not the maitre’ D dismissed any jeans wearer, I don’t know. I saw a couple of sweatshirts in the room so I imagine one could have gotten away with denim. There’s an inconsistency between the Princess answer book and the website.

Part 5
Horizon Court

We had lunch in the Horizon Court everyday but you can also dine in one of the dining rooms. Jen decided she liked the enclosed room just off each side where she could eat by herself so we would try to get a table near her.

The buffet is set up with two entrances (while the food is being changed out on one side, a sign directs you to go past the elevators and use the other side). But it is also set up different from the Sapphire and the Star. On those two ships, the food serving areas is set off to the side. You use the hand sanitizer and then a crewmember usually hands you silverware wrapped in a napkin. Then you can move into the food lines.
On the Island Princess, however, you find yourself in the service areas as soon as you enter. You can use the hand sanitzers right out side the door or use the pump next to the basket containing the napkin/silverware packages. (But I think many people don’t even notice the dispensers.)

The first bank of food for the lunch/dinner/snack buffets contains the salad bar fixings. Besides the greens, there’s usually onions, zucchini, corn, other veggies, Parmesan cheese and the dressings.

There’s also a variety of breads and rolls, fruits (ate my share of pineapple), cold cuts/pates (lunch/snack buffets), main courses/sides, carving station, desserts (including at least one sugar free cake/pie/mousse).

Harvey said he liked the selection. Picky little me usually found something to eat most of the time. If not, I was okay with a salad and fruit. A few times, the pineapple looked a little peaked. Jen was fond of the rolls and breadsticks.

A few times a Sushi Bar was set up, which Harvey tried out. I imagine many passengers wouldn’t see it as it’s separate from the other food.

Every afternoon around three to five, you can find two different ice cream flavors, sauces and toppings for make-it-yourself sundaes.
There’s a breakfast buffet with boxes of Kellogg’s cereals, pastries, English muffins, breakfast meats, eggs. Harvey took advantage of the made-to-order omelets.

Unfortunately, trays are not available which can make it difficult to carry your plate, salad bowl, silverware, glassware while trying to find an available table. Harvey asked our room steward for a tray to deliver breakfasts to Jenn and me on those days we slept in. He would stash the tray in the closet so he can reuse it.

Another thing I would recommend changing is putting a sign listing the specific items available above each of the main course/sides banks. Many times I would be standing in a line and discover I didn’t want any of the items in that area. Add to that, the waiting for someone to stand there deciding what they wanted while the line builds.

One day, we sat with a family from London who had been on Princess before to Alaska and Europe. Their cute five-year-old daughter, Courtney joined Jenn in her little room to play.

At 10:30pm, the weather was foggy, 59 degrees with 4-7.5ft waves. We had sailed 96 miles and had 2,165 miles to go before reaching Honolulu

Awesome review!!! I'm loving reading it! Thanks sooooo much for sharing this with us!
MORE!!! MORE!!!!

Thanks, Debbie. I was getting punchy last night and had to stop. Here's another segment:

Part 6
Friday, December 23 – Day 2
At 8:30am, it was foggy outside with 4 to 7.5 waves. We were at 32 degrees N, 124 degrees west.

We had a second Cruise Critic meeting but only the same people showed up. Later on Harvey and Jen tried out the Lotus Pool. I stayed on the deck chair, reading "Memoirs of a Geisha."

At 4:30 p.m., it was 65 degrees and we had traveled 465 nautical miles.

Entertainment

The IP has some resident musicians performing throughout the day. The Pat Juneau Trio performed by one of the pools for Sailaway and many other afternoons. "The Mariachi Jalisco Musicians" performed during the stay in Ensenada.

Previous IP passengers have recommended Duncan Tuck so we went to his first performance ("Country to Classical via Comedy"). His guitar playing impressed Harvey. He told jokes about the Midwest and rednecks, among other subjects. Among his musical selections were extended versions of "Dueling Banjos" and "California Dreaming." Jen liked his rapid-fire summary of the Wizard of Oz.

We also saw one of the big production shows: Curtain Up – A Salute to Broadway. Among the musicals featured: Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Oklahoma, Grease, 42nd St., Sunset Blvd., and others. The gimmick was that dancers and singers would obtain their costumes from lockers on-stage and change as they’re singing the first tune from each play.

Other productions featured on the IP (that we never made it too):

"Let’s Rock", "Tribute," "Piano Man" (we saw that on the Sapphire: features the music of Neil Sedaka, Barry Manilow --gag, Billy Joel and Elton John.

Some crew members staged a performance of "The Christmas Stranger."

Other entertainers included Kevin Hughes, Ross Bennett", "recording artist" Donnie Abraham, "West End Star Soprano" Philippa Healey, "Big Daddy" Jeff Wayne, Jonathan Stamp, Jeff Peterson (hilarious comedy and amazing magic), Will Tyler and Lester (I actually remember seeing this act on variety shows)

"Grand Adventure Showtime," "PMS Party: A Hilarious Scaventer Hunt" and then "London Pub Night" were other shows.
There was also audience participation activities at night. The talent show, "Princess Pop Star" featured passengers. There was also the All-Star Passenger Talent show (didn’t go to either so I don’t know if some passengers participated in both), Lip Sync show, Newlywed Not-So-Newlywed game.

A few non-holiday parties such as "Dance through the Ages." Karaoke and disco were featured in the Explorers Lounge.

I noticed that many of the entertainment programs were scheduled for earlier in the evening (7 and 8:45 instead of the traditional 8:15 and 10:15). I don’t know if this is a recent development for all the Princess ships or just with this itinerary. I much prefer the later times, as at 7pm, we’re usually dropping off our girl at the fun zone and then dressing for dinner. If she wanted to see a show, that would mean rushing from the show (if it lasts an hour) and dropping her off and then rushing to dinner. On previous cruises, we can pick her up at ten and take her to the performance. Or if we’d pre-reserve kid-sitting, we can leave her in the fun zone and pick her up after the show.

Another aspect that was different is that on some previous cruises, the big production shows were often repeated in the afternoon, the next day or two. On this cruise, the shows were not repeated, which meant if there was a conflict with another activity or if one of us wasn’t feeling up to post-dinner shows, too bad.

Part 7

Saturday December 24 – Day 3

Rougher seas in the morning 7.5 to 12 feet. It was 64 degrees. Sunrise 7:09, sunset 5:48pm. I was still a bit dizzy from the day before and was relying on Ginger Altoids a great deal. Harvey and Jen were not affected at all by the rocking and rolling.

Harvey and Jen braved the pools today even with the water sloshing. I relaxed on a deck chair with "Memoirs of a Geisha." Later on, the two main pools were closed and roped off because of the sea conditions.

This was the first of three formal dinners. I put on a long burgundy silk dress that I hadn’t worn in years and we checked out the end of the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party.

The Christmas Gala Dinner:

Crackers decorated each place seating in the dining rooms and provided entertainment as diners checked out the contents. The main courses available for this meal: Porcini and Veal Stuffed Ravioli, Lobster Thermidor, Slow-Roasted Young Vermont Tom Turkey, Hickory Smoked Sugar Cured Ham, Tournedos of Beef Tenderloin.

We couldn’t wait to see what John would wear to the dinner. The night before he wore a Raiders shirt – guess what his favorite team is? This night he wore a suit with a Raiders tie. During the course of the cruise, he told us with much pride that his sister, Doris, was once a Jeopardy contestant. As someone who once interviewed for a proofreading job on that show and just four years ago, took and passed the written test to get on the show (I don’t think I got invited on the show as I was a bit too "Wheel of Fortune" hyper as I had taken migraine pills that morning).

We took turns popping the cracker to discover a tissue hat and a little trinket (keychain or inexpensive bracelet).
Then Harvey, Jen, and I went to see "Curtain Up" in the Princess Theater.

Sunday, December 25 - Day 4

Still 7.5- 12 foot waves. We had traveled 829 nautical miles from LA with 1415 miles to go and now at 30’10"N, 134 W. According to the navigator’s report: we would be navigating in deep water with an extended depth well below 5,000 meters (15,250 feet) and that we will be passing over "fracture zones." It was a little warmer today.

As the kids partied in the Wheelhouse Bar, the cruise director made an announcement that the bridge was "tracking something on the radar". A short time later, they got a "visitor" who gave each kid a beanie baby. The kids also got a driedel. The steward left a small Christmas stocking filled with candy on my pillow.

Because this was a holiday cruise, there were services with officiants aboard.. On Christmas Eve, a midnight mass and midnight Protestant worship services. The next morning another mass and another Protestant service. That night was the first night of Hanukkah and the rabbi onboard invited anyone who brought a menorah to bring in up so he can supervise the kids lighting it as the assembled said the prayer. He also said he asked Princess to provide latkes and jelly doughnuts for eating at the end of the service. I never heard of a doughnuts-Hanukkah connection.
I think there were Catholic services every day of the cruise and there was a lighting service each night during Hanukkah.

Patty, nice, very nice report. Makes me want to go to the Islands. Thanks for the all the detail.