Cruise ship tours: Take a look inside Princess Cruises' Island Princess
The second in a pair of French-built ships for Princess Cruises, the 92,822-gross-ton Island Princess entered service in 2003. Along with its twin, the 2002-built Coral Princess, the Island Princess was built to Panamax — the maximum size to transit the Panama Canal — specifications in the years prior to the canal’s 2016 expansion.
Because of the size limitations, the Island Princess is significantly smaller than the 100,000-plus gross ton Grand and Royal platforms of ships that comprise the lion’s share of the Princess fleet.
This is the second Princess Cruises ship to bear the name, following the 1972-built ship that, along with identical sister ship, Pacific Princess, was used as a floating set for the popular “The Love Boat” television series.
Even though the current Island Princess is actually one of the smaller, more intimate ships in the ever-expanding Princess fleet, it nonetheless boasts acres of open sunning space, two large pools, five whirlpools, a well-equipped spa, five main dining venues, 10 bars, a double deck showroom, a four-deck-tall atrium and a large terrace with cushioned loungers and cabanas called the Sanctuary.
In 2015, the Island Princess was given a major refit that saw the removal of a lounge and the aft part of its promenade to accommodate 121 new staterooms. This increased the ship’s capacity from 1,974 to 2,200 double occupancy guests.
The Island Princess maintains a loyal following of guests who prefer the ship to its larger fleetmates.
Scroll through above for our latest gallery showcasing the Island Princess.
