Island Princess Review

Come Back Frustrated

Review for South America Cruise on Island Princess
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waterangel
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Jan 2020
Cabin: Balcony

I originally chose this cruise for the itinerary. It may have sounded wonderful on paper but the experience couldn't have been further from the truth. Although some things were not Princess's fault I say 90% was. This is a very old ship that should have been in dry dock. It had problems you would expect like leaks everywhere and a musty smell throughout the ship. 3 in my room alone. The showers are extremely small. I felt continually cramped because there about 250 extra rooms were just added on recently. Because of this the Gym was relocated to very small room with no views. Also 2 of the water shuttles were removed leaving only 4. We often waited in line for 2-3 hours waiting for a shuttle to return to the ship. It also caused our Princess tours to be cancelled at the Faulklands although we were told it was due to weather. In other ports tours were always delayed at least hour so our experiences in each were cut short. In Rio we were delayed 4 hours because they were checking medical records.Even though I was supposed to have a full day tour everything was shortened and I only got to spend 10 minutes at Christ the Redeemer. I was one of the lucky ones because it starting pouring and many did not get to see it all. I understand the virus is a global issue but it was my understanding that people from Asian Countries had been let on our ship that maybe shouldn't have been. In Santiago Chile, we were held for 2 days again we were told that it was because of weather port authorities wouldn't let us out. But most people said it was because of a strike and the ship paid $250,000 to be let go. We missed Puerto Montt and the Amalia Glacier cruising. I am frustrated because I didn't feel like I got to experience South America the way I had hoped. I spent a lot of money and time. Now I question whether I ever want to cruise again but I know that this has not been my experience with Holland America. I always came back refreshed, grateful and excited about traveling more. I also saw a lot of other unhappy frustrated passengers, some elite members who said this was the worst Princess ship they had ever been on and will probably never cruise with them again. On a positive note their e-zcheck system for my luggage went very well and for that I am grateful. I also enjoyed being able to attend bible-study. Also when I brought my complaints to management they did listen and did not get defensive. However I feel that should have reimbursed more for all the aggravation I experienced. I do think now with this virus and the other challenges Princess is facing things are going to get worse before they get better. So I think that this was my first Princess cruise and my last.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Super small especially the bathroom shower.

5 Helpful Votes
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