Island Princess

Island Princess entered service in July 2003 as the second of Princess Cruises' two ship Coral class, built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique and drawn around a single constraint: the original Panama Canal locks. Those chambers admitted passenger ships of no more than 294.1 m (965 ft) in length and 32.3 m (106 ft) in beam, and at roughly 92,000 gross tons, about 964 ft long and 106 ft across the hull, this ship sits right at that envelope. The narrowness is the whole design story. It forces a tall, slender profile, long thin public rooms rather than wide ones, and a layout in which almost everything is stacked vertically. Capacity rose from roughly 1,970 to about 2,200 lower berths in a 2015 refit that added 121 staterooms by taking out a lounge and the aft section of the promenade deck.

Distinctive features are quieter than the fleet's newer hardware. The four deck atrium with its waterfall and grand piano remains the social spine, feeding the Bordeaux and Provence dining rooms on Decks 5 and 6. Deck 7 holds Sabatini's and Alfredo's, while the Universe Lounge, a purpose built second show space, is a Coral class signature. Above sit the Lotus Pool under a retractable glass roof, the adults only Sanctuary, Movies Under the Stars, and a Horizon Court remodelled in 2015 with an Italian pastry counter. The 2015 work also reshuffled specialty dining: published guides disagree on the current line up, some still listing the New Orleans themed Bayou Cafe and Steakhouse, others a Crown Grill in that space.

Criticism is consistent. Cruise Critic's editor rates the ship 4.0 out of 5, matching a member average of 4.0 across more than 1,200 reviews, but flags a vessel that generally feels cramped, with small bathrooms, plastic shower curtains and beige decor. The added 2015 cabins came without extra buffet or lounge space, so Horizon Court draws crowding complaints. Age shows in corridors, worn furniture and, in a late 2025 member report, failed window glazing and out of service hot tubs.

It suits travellers who want the canal itself: full transits dominate the 2026 to 2027 winter from Los Angeles, San Diego and Fort Lauderdale, with a summer 2026 Alaska season running seven nights between Vancouver and Whittier. It does not suit families wanting waterslides or anyone expecting current generation entertainment.

**What this means for choosing a cabin.** More than 700 of roughly 1,000 staterooms have balconies, so the balcony premium is small. Deck 8 balconies are covered and sheltered; Decks 9 and 10 are overlooked from above; Deck 14 cabins are uncovered, sit beside the teen centre and under the sports deck. Deck 12 cabins beneath the pool decks catch scraping deck chairs, several OV, OW, OY, OZ and BY, BZ grades are lifeboat obstructed, forward Deck 8 rooms sit over the theatre, and aft cabins collect funnel soot.