Island Princess World Cruise 2023 - Final Thoughts

Retired Nomads - Part 3 https://retirednomadspart3.blogspot.com/

Well, it seems I have filled up another blog. I no longer can post photos, so I have started a Retired Nomads - Part 3. I will leave the last 3 posts here on this one, but all photos are now on the new one on the duplicate posts. 

Final Thoughts 

Of course, even though it was our 4^th world cruise it is not lost on us that it was another fabulous adventure and realize it’s something that most can’t or wouldn’t do even if they could.

It’s hard not to compare the experiences. Our first 3 were on the small Pacific Princess and this one was on the larger Island Princess. This one was post covid, so it is hard to know how that impacted the quality, though we were not thrilled with the quality on this ship on our 60-day South America in 2018. If I was keeping score, I would rank our World Cruses best to "least best" 2013, 2019, 2017, 2023.

This one was negative enough to not take any more world cruises on the Island and maybe not even on Princess again. We will cruise on other Princess ships, but 6 months total on the Island was enough.

I’m sure (or at least I hope) that those on their first world cruise were pleased with their experience. For the rest of us here are some observations:

Princess did nothing to make this feel like a special event. It didn’t feel like a world cruise since every segment the count started over with “day 1 of your cruise”. 

We did get some free WC logo’s goodies, though those of us that got on in Lauderdale didn’t get ours on arrival as in the past. It was delivered on the day we were in Los Angeles. (when the “real” world cruise started) I heard that the World Cruise photo that we got just before we disembarked in Lauderdale won't be delivered to the people that get off in Los Angeles. Why not treat us all the same?

Lack of World Cruise Merchandise in the ship’s store. Only a few T-shirts in limited sizes and a couple of jackets and sweaters. They kept saying more was coming, but it never did. If it didn’t get delivered on time, they could have had it shipped to any number of our ports to replenish the stock. If they didn’t order much in case the cruise did not go (Covid) they had time to have some printed up and delivered in 111 days. 

The Pacific Princess had a lovely outdoor dining area for meals that we used often for breakfast or lunch. Of course, the weather on this cruise would have put a damper on how many times that actually could have been used. The Island does have a nice large wrap around window in the buffet area, that if the windows were clean enough you could enjoy looking out.

Lack of local fruits around the world, that we have always had in the past.

No huge Sunday Brunches - The kind with a dessert table, an exotic fruit table, lobsters, crab, shrimp, whole pig, other fishes, and meats with wonderful sides. Some chefs had a reginal corner of the dining room that was like Indian Street Food, Mexican etc.

The food was the most unimaginative and repetitive of any cruise. It was hard to get a hot meal in the dining room or a cold drink before the main was served. Sodas were often warm. 

Nothing special was done for Easter, though there was a Seder dinner for the Jews. On the last WC the chef was so disappointed that Easter Sunday fell on a port day instead of a sea day so he could have a huge special Easter brunch that he had it on Monday which was a sea day. YUM!

Medallion is still not working well for ordering drinks etc. You could wait up to half an hour and sometimes the drink never arrived at all. If it did show up it was warm or melted by the time you got it after they walked around the room for half an hour with it.

Baked goods over-baked and fried things under-fried.

We started out with a fun cruise director that was replaced with an obnoxious bully. He belongs on a 3- or 7-day cruise since that is all the chit chat he had to say before and after every show. How did the other guy manage to say different things every night? Instead of a fun “Wake Show” he gave us stats for a 7-day cruise on how much of each item of food was consumed. Half-way through a world cruise that was something we needed to know? He read stats and celebrity birthdays like that was interesting.

He had to stop his talk before or after a show to harass anyone coming in or leaving as he was talking. He often gave incorrect information about when things were happening.

He made fun of ports that he knew nothing about. Made fun of the Suez Canal. Nothing to see but sand on one side and sand on the other. Gee, we find it quite interesting with plenty to see from the balcony. He said things like tomorrow we are in Malta, just don’t call them Maltese, because that’s the dog. Uh, they are called Maltese. (and on and on) Here’s a thought, learn about the places on the itinerary so you don’t sound stupid and make a place sound exciting instead of putting it down.

We started out with a fun pool/party band that played a lot of different types of music and they were replaced with a band that was terrible. No rhythm, none of them could sing well and the lead was never in time with the rest of the band. One type of music was all they had.

We understand when there are missed ports and entertainers are stuck on board and have to perform again, but the new CD brought on entertainers that we had seen previously on this same cruise and presented them like they were new. He was new to the ship, we weren’t. He kept saying “when the cruise started” meaning when he got on.

Entertainment was varied and there was something for everybody, of course not all may be to your taste.

The first set of singers and dancers had more elaborate shows than the second set. We had more elaborate shows on the small Pacific Princess with way less stage room and bells and whistles.

We wished the Captain that came on late in the cruise had been there for the whole cruise. He seemed to know how to make it to port on time, whereas the first Captain was always late. I’m also convinced that he would have made it into the ports that the first Captain skipped. Especially when tour guides on land were saying no weather issues here and other ships made the port on the same day we skipped. Of course, wind and water conditions may not be that apparent to those on land?

Weather is something of course we can’t control. The first 3 WCs had much better weather. We could use the pools and the sun decks and sit on our balcony. This time it was mostly grey, cool or downright cold and windy. It does impact your cruise experience of course.

The biggest issue with this WC is the ship. When they took out a show lounge and some other areas to put in more cabins it ruined the ship. Lots of plumbing issues, water leaks, mold mildew etc. I think that is why so many of us are sick on board. (had the same issue on the 2018 South America.)

Less places to hang out on the ship as games were being played in all lounges, so we spent more time in the cabin.

OK, let’s talk some positive stuff!

Great travel family! We have met some great people over the course of our various cruises. It is really HUGE that people we know and like join so many tours that I set up. It is such a weight off me to know they will show up, be on time, understand when everything doesn’t go perfectly all the time and are just fun people to have on tours. Special hugs go out to Cathy & Tom, Heather & Matt, Bob & Phyllis, Horst & Mark and a few new people we met on this cruise; Roberta & John and June. 

Great table mates! We met Roy & Rondi briefly on the 2018 South America and by chance they were our tablemates for the 2019 World Cruise. We agreed to be tablemates again for this world cruise. Rondi & I think so much alike that we swear we are related. Roy, keep watching those documentaries. I'm sure our paths will cross again!

Ports! We do love the cruise experience, but we cruise for the ports!

We only gained 1 new country on this cruise, but many new cities and islands. It should have been 2, but we had to skip Slovenia due to "weather". That tells us that as much as we enjoy the world cruises, we need to start doing some targeted cruises/travels to see more of the world.

People always ask what our favorite place is, but that’s something we just can’t answer. How much we enjoy a place can be the place itself, but often it is the experience we had while visiting.

On this cruise the highlights for us were:

Jaipur & Varanasi India. Place & experience! Culture, elephant experience & everything about Varanasi. Sharing the experience with Cathy & Tom put it over the top. Thanks guys! 

Ravenna, Italy – Adding the charming country of San Marino and touring Urbino where we had the best gelato & pizza of the trip.

Pago Pago, American Samoa – we tried so many times to get here and finally made it! The tour vehicles were a hoot. Loved the island.

Penang, even though we have been before. Interesting sites & culture.

Lanzarote, Canary Islands – just such different experiences here. Landscapes and camel rides!

Montenegro, even though we have been here before we enjoyed seeing more of the country. Seeing snow and warming by the cast iron stove while we ate Njegusi prosciutto & cheese & drank wine.

Barcelona, Spain - Leaving lovely Barcelona behind we headed to Girona & Figures for a day of Salvador Dali’ & Game of Thrones. Coming back to Barcelona and having tapas & sangria on La Rambla in Barcelona.

Rome, Italy – seeing the underground Rome was fascinating.

Catania, Sicily – Mt Etna was fabulous, and our tasting stop was wonderful. Taormina was lovely.

Malta remains one of my favorite places to visit. Thanks again Joan!

Naples for Capri – the chair lift ride was awesome! 

Loved Marrakech despite our terrible guide.

Kusadasi, Turkey for Ephesus exceeded expectations.

Gythion, Greece – while Sparta isn’t much, Mystras was awesome!

Komodo Island – while we had better dragon sightings last time, the visit to the fishing village and the school children performing was amazing.

Tauranga, NZ – we only got part of our day here, but what an excellent stop. Next time Hobbiton.

Cairns, AU – though we have been quite a few times, this was an exceptional tour. Seeing a Platypus in the wild and a Tree Kangaroo was a highlight.

Dubai, UAE is always a favorite. We manage to find something different to do on each visit. Camel Market was a highlight! We did enjoy doing the Evening in the Desert again with such a great group of friends.

Thailand – I could live in Thailand!

Of course, we love our days when we are birding in various ports. I haven’t mentioned all of the ports, but honestly, they all were worthy of a stop. I learn so much history in places like Malaga at The Alhambra and just about every place we visit.

Some places are better visited in season when they are bustling and everything is open, like Villefranche, France.

Fellow passengers on this cruise were quite different than on previous world cruises. I think due to the Pandemic a lot of people were spurred to do travel in a big way. Mobility issues galore on this one. Many more rude people than “normal”. One of our friends said it felt like a Walmart cruise. Yes, of course there were many wonderful people too.

Food was hit and miss on this cruise. We had issues with waiters in the evening not being up to the high standards we have experienced in the past. For lunches when many of the assistant waiters get to be waiters the service was always good. We switched tables when dinner would take so long you would miss the show. He was argumentative and slow. The new one was better, but still not great. When you ask for melted butter for your lobster and he points to the hollandaise sauce and says “there’s butter in there” that struck me as odd. Every other waiter when you ask for salad dressing on the side, they bring it and let you put it on yourself. The new one insists on putting it on for you and never stops when you say thank you or even STOP. (same with sauces that go in a souffle, just kept pouring until he emptied the container) He seemed to never remember that our tablemates always share a pot of tea, and we never want coffee or tea. Just lots of little things that were lacking. Post Pandemic I'm sure we should have expected issues. 

Here’s a thought…….

Princess

Perhaps, you no longer value loyalty. Taking away milestones like the special luncheons for 500 days and above and recognition at that Captains Circle Party. Having to pay for things that used to be included on previous world cruises.

Many older people eat bran cereal, and it runs out quickly on every long cruise, while there is always corn flakes and rice Krispies and bran twigs, since no one eats those. LOL

Brown sugar is not Sugar in the Raw (was told there is no brown sugar on the ship) It has always been next to the oatmeal in the buffet. They point to the Sugar in the Raw and say that IS brown sugar.

Have enough dishware that one doesn’t have to burn their fingers picking up a glass or a plate? Or your ice melts as soon as it’s poured into a hot glass.

No regional fruits picked up along the way. Always has been part of the world cruise experience.

Sell the Island Princess. Many of us believe she is a “sick ship” with all the mold and mildew from continued water leaks and floods. She just isn’t of a caliber to be the one that does world or other long cruises.

Medallion needs to work better if we are to use them for ordering drinks etc. 

Variety of foods is key on a long cruise. Not expensive to use the same ingredients to make something different. (pastries & desserts)

Oddly, when people take a world cruise, they expect it to feel special. It doesn't cost anything to acknowledge people that got on in FL or LA as world cruisers. Maybe have some special events. On the last 3 we had a party or tea for the end of the cruise. Nothing special was done on this one. Not much hoopla getting on so guess we shouldn't have expected any at the end. Having a deck party with a band playing really isn't anything special. No food or anything, just a normal deck party. It was the comment we heard the most about the ship, that Princess treated us like we were on a 7-day Caribbean cruise instead of a World Cruise. 

Do chocolates on the pillow really cost that much money? 

Do we really need to thank the band and the sound and lights 4 or 5 times in every performance? 

Fellow passengers

How about not stopping in doorways to chat?

Walking slowly down the middle of the aisle so no one can get past you.

How about not eating as you work your way down the buffet? One lady stood in front of the juice display and drank about 6 of them while she stood there and then put the empties back on the display.

How about taking your coffee or tea to your table to make it the way you want it instead of standing in front of the dispenser adding your sugar, cream etc.?

How about not talking through a show like you are at home on your couch? Or tapping your glass to whatever beat you are listening to. Shaking your ice in your drink for the entire show. Sit still. The person behind you doesn't need to bob and weave through the whole show. 

If you want to sit on the end of the row, expect to get up when others want to sit in the same row.

Don’t come into a show lounge with music or game shows going on and then try to outshout the entertainment.

Common courtesy isn’t that common any more…….

Well, as you know I could go on and on, but despite all the “stuff” we had a great time exploring some new places and revisiting old. Perhaps we need a bit of "attitude adjustment" and except things may never be the same as pre-pandemic cruising. 

Our next adventure is to Iceland and Greenland on Iceland ProCruises. 10 days around Iceland and 12 around most of Greenland on a small expedition ship. (July/August)

Then, we will look into doing some River Cruises with some land and ocean cruises added to the mix if I can get things to line up. We are also looking at going back to Africa on the Holland America’s Grand Africa Voyage. 73 days at the end of 2024. I’ll plan an over-land or two to get in some safari time. It will hit the Ivory Coast which we have not previously done. 

Thanks for following along. Now, I need to get to work on photos and finishing the blog posts. In the future I will probably not keep up the blog on the trip but will wait until we get home. It takes a lot of time when I should be enjoying our trip.