Island Princess

On Saturday we leave Orlando and go to Fort Lauderdale to board the Island Princess.We will be cruising through the Panama Canal and on to Vancouver.
I thought you might want to know a little about the Island Princess.

Island Princess was built to Panamax size – this means she was built to the maximum size a cruise ship can be to sail through the Panama Canal. A high percentage of balcony staterooms give guests the chance to view this feat of engineering up-close, or take in stunning views of spectacular glaciers during cruises to Alaska. Featured on just one other Princess ship, the Bayou Café and Steakhouse is a unique dining venue on board in which to enjoy authentic New Orleans cuisine accompanied by live jazz.

Provence Dining Room

Lotus Pool

Lido Pool

Crooners

Bayou Cafe

Atrium

Guest Capacity: 2,214 lower berths

Tonnage: 92,000

Joined Princess Fleet: 2003

Last Refurbished: May 2015

Christener: Jamie Salé and David Pelletier (Olympic Gold Medalists)

Dining and Snacks: Two main dining rooms - Provence and Bordeaux, Sabatini's trattoria, The Bayou Cafe - New Orleans restaurant, The Grill - poolside hamburger grill, Princess Pizza - poolside pizza bar, Ice Cream Bar - poolside ice cream creations

Showrooms/Lounges: Princess Theater - main showroom, Explorers Lounge - lounge and disco, Churchill Lounge - Spirits and Cigar bar, Wheelhouse Bar - Classic nautical-themed lounge, Crooners Bar - Old-time martini bar

Guest Services: Casino (Paris theme), 3 duty-free shops, fitness center and spa, sports deck, children's and teen's centers, library, Internet Cafe, wedding chapel, art gallery, golf putting green and Platinum Studio

Number of Crew: 900

Registry: Bermuda

Length: 964 feet

Height: 204 feet

Number of Decks: 11

Guest Cabins: 987 total

• 16 Suites with private balconies - Square footage: 470*
• 184 Mini-suites with private balconies - Square footage: 285-302*
• 8 Mini-suites (no balcony) - Square footage: 300
• 527 Outside cabins with private balconies - Square footage: 217-232*
• 144 Standard outside cabins - Square footage: 162
• 108 Inside cabins - Square footage: 156
  

Wheelchair Accessible Cabins: 20

Cabins with Private Balconies: 735 (83 percent of all outside cabins)

Pools: 3, plus children's splash pool

Whirlpools Spas: 5

Lifeboats: 12 lifeboats, 4 tenders, 2 rescue boats

Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France

You can see that she carries about half the number of passengers that The Regal Princess carries . She is much smaller and  she is built more narrow to fit the canal. We have sailed on her before and we really like her.

We have received a free upgrade to a Mini Suite and we can't wait to compare the minis on the 2 ships. Below is the description of what we should have.It appears as if the balcony is a lot larger.

The luxurious Mini-Suite offers approximately 280 to 302 square feet of comfort and a separate seating area with a sofa bed for lounging or sleeping a third passenger. The spacious balcony is approximately 35 to 58 square feet and the bathroom offers a combination tub and shower. 

These features and fine amenities are standard in a Mini-Suite stateroom:

• Welcome glass of champagne
• Separate seating area with a sofabed
• Balcony with patio furniture 
• Twin beds that convert to a queen-size bed*
• Evening bed turn-down, chocolates on your pillow
• Two flat-panel televisions

• Private bathroom with combination tub and shower
• Shampoo, conditioner, body lotion
• 100% Egyptian cotton linens
• Satellite TV, refrigerator, hair dryer, safe, closet, phone and desk
• 110-volt, 60-cycle alternating current (AC) with standard U.S. plug fittings
• Daily housekeeping service

A Mini Suite with balcony