Tag Archives: cruise ship

Island Princess Revealed

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Like all of the other cruise ships I have ever been on, the Island Princess was huge.

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From Bow to stern the Island Princess measures 964.3 Ft.  Walk the halls back and forth just 3 times and you’ll almost have a mile! The ship is 105.6 ft. wide. She can carry a maximum of 2368 passengers and 810 crew members. The Island Princess first set sail in June of 2003.

The Island Princess has swimming pools. One is covered  but the other is in the open and eventually was drained as we cruised north and it got colder and colder.

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There is a small casino.

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A spa and beauty salon.

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Multiple entertainment venues.

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Movies under the stars (Even when it rain or so they claimed)

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Restaurants

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Open decks

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An internet café…unfortunately because of the mountains the service was spotty and slow. I have an issue with paying for “minutes” when the service takes forever to connect. If the internet was fast I’d be the first to sign up. But I had to use it one day to answer just one work related email and it took 12 minutes of my 15 minute package to connect.

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I remember my first cruise. I spent most of my cruise lost. The 2nd cruise was easier and I found this one easier still but Sandy was on her first cruise and the size of the ship and all it’s decks was like a maze to her. It all takes time. By the end of the cruise she’ll be an old hand at getting around.

All Aboard the Island Princess

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We enjoyed a nice lunch before heading to the cruise terminal. I told Sandy that we had been able to have lunch on board when Joe and I went to Cozumel but that we almost missed it because it took so long to get through the lines and checked in. We thought we’d play it safe and eat a quick lunch before hand.

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As expected there were lines but they moved fast. There were kiosks with vendors selling everything from luggage to binoculars to fleece vests. A sign said passengers could leave the line to shop. Wow!  Two different ships were boarding but they had it down to a science. Princess employees stood at each turn directing passengers left or right.

We passed through customs and security within minutes. Then had our photo taken for ship security and were issued our room keys which double as our on board credit account. We filled out a declaration form for customs and then it was onto the ship. Much faster than in Miami! We made such good time that we could have had lunch on the ship!

We met the first of what I call the  “Shipperazzi”, the ever-present ships photographers for our Embarkation Photo.

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They had been terrible on Carnival, in your face everywhere! I was to find that they were much less visible on Princess. We only saw them in the dining room once and when we went to shore.  That was so much nicer.

First up on our to-do list was to find our stateroom. We had reserved an ocean view room but a week before we were to leave we got an email with  “changes”.  The main change was that we moved from Baja Deck aft to Aloha Deck and our stateroom was listed as a balcony room. Gotta love free upgrades. Locating our deck and the hall we set off on the first of many long walks. Our stateroom was still near the rear of the ship, just on the port side instead of aft. Most of the restaurants and activities on the Island Princess were mid-ship. We would get our walking in on this trip. 🙂

Once we reached our room we found a welcome package waiting for us. It included a copy of the “Princess Patter “, a daily newsletter that lists activities, including times and locations. Every cruise I’ve taken has had some kind of daily newsletter and they are important to check in order not to miss anything and plan your day.

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It includes interesting bits and pieces about the Island Princess and it’s staff. It also gave us the daily dress code for dinner in the dining rooms.

Our room did turn out to be a balcony room and our luggage was waiting for us by the door. That was quick service!

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It’s the first time I’ve had a balcony on a cruise and I think I’m spoiled now. If I ever cruise again I will have to have a balcony.

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It makes a world of difference and it will be a real blessing later on. But more on that when I tell you about Glacier Bay.

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Also in the package was a scavenger hunt list. What a great way to introduce the ship. The scavenger hunt was a list of different places on the ship. When you found the location you got a stamp. The completed list was to be turned in at the Welcome Aboard Party for a prize. Off we went to collect our stamps.

Key West

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Arriving in Key West

Good Morning Key West.

We enjoyed breakfast outside at a table on the deck as the ship pulled into Key West. The Sea Gulls are not shy at all. If you have any kind of bird phobia I recommend you stay inside to eat. The birds practically stalked their breakfast walking right down the railing to eye the food on everyone’s plates.

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This determine Gull had his eye on Joe’s breakfast

When anyone got up to leave they swooped right down to the table and began picking scraps from the plates. Shooing them away only brought a moment’s respite before they were back again.

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Key West Harbor

The ship docked just outside of Mallory Square, the gathering place for all Key West.

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It was so early when we headed out that attractions, like the Key West aquarium, were still closed.

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Some of the tourist / souvenir shops were just opening up. They probably wanted to take advantage of the hoards of tourist just waiting to come ashore and spend their money.

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Joe and I wandered down Duval St where I took the mandatory picture of Earnest Hemingway’s hideout…Sloppy Joe’s.

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We peeked in at the lighthouse grounds where life sized statues straight from Renoir paintings danced around the court yard.

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It was clear to see that Key West still had a love affair going with the chickens.

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They run wild in the streets and are tolerated everywhere. Roosters crow all day, not just at dawn.

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Outside of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church we spotted a couple of baby chicks.

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The other creatures that Key West is known for are the Hemmingway cats. Descended from a polydactyl cat owned by Earnest Hemmingway there are now dozens of cats that make the Hemingway house home.

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As any good cat lady will do, I went to visit the cats but admission was cash only and since the boat is a Cashless Experience, I wasn’t carrying any cash. Joe didn’t have any either. We hung around outside and chatted with one of the street vendors for awhile before heading back to Mallory Square.

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Mallory Square is the heart and soul of Key West. During the day it’s a just a pier where locals come to fish or paint or just sit and watch the waves but come evening the crowds will gather to watch the sun set into the ocean and the square will be alive with street entertainment.

Mallory Square gave me a great view of the ship too. The size of the Imagination is amazing.

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While I was photographing the ship a couple of hungry pelicans swooped in to see what they could fine for lunch. They zoned in on a young boy’s fish catch going so far as to steal a fish right off the line as he tried to reel it in.

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We were looking for a place for Joe to get a signature dish of Key West and I don’t mean Conch Fritters. No he wanted the original Key Lime pie. Although we wandered quite a few streets he couldn’t find the shop he was looking for. It’s been a long time…13 years…so who knows if it’s even still around. Finally as we were heading back to the ship he settled on Key Lime on a stick, an ice cream version.

Some things have changed from the Key West I remember. It is even more touristy than I remember. Back in 2000 they had 1 trolley line

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and the little Conch train for sight seeing

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and the Bone Island bus line for getting around the island. Now there are 2 trolley lines and a duck tour all added to the mix. The shop owners don’t just wait for you to wander in. No, now many of them “hawk” their wares as you walk by the shops.

The presidential palace, a summer home for several past presidents, is still a great place to tour but we were told that the Fisher Museum of salvaged shipwreck treasure had relocated.

We didn’t have time to make it to Smather’s Beach or the monument at the Southern Most Point but we did spot mile marker 0 for the end of Route 1.

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And speaking of Route 1, we stopped for a breather across from the Green Parrot which claims the be the last and first bar and grill on Route 1. Joe could get a wifi signal there so he could check his e-mails. It’s harder being “unplugged” than expected.

The weather stayed nice for our meanderings in Key West but it was soon time to head back to the Ship. The ship would be casting off to begin it’s cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and we didn’t want to be left behind.