Writer Ann Bieri based this independent review on her 7-night Alaska cruise departing from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Island Princess wraps guests in an ambience that soothes rather than excites. Colors are muted, décor is tastefully restrained, and the library stretches with endless bookshelves and comfy reading chairs. Thrills come from sudden whale sightings and glaciers calving thunderously off the decks. That’s not to say the ship doesn’t provide her own entertainment. After sunset, guests migrate to the spacious casino, lounge shows, and Sinatra-esque martini bar for evenings of relaxing camaraderie. Island makes a true paradise for those seeking a restful escape.

Why Island Princess?

• Bali high: Find meditative calm in the glass-enclosed, Indonesian-themed Lotus pool, graced with teak lounge chairs and thatched roofs. Presiding over paddlers is a seated Buddha flanked by two golden lions.
• Hands-on classes: Choose from up to 20 Scholarship@Sea classes per cruise. Learn to throw pots on an electric potter’s wheel, shoot professional photos, or fine-tune computer skills.
• Anytime dining: Feel constrained by traditional set seating? On Island, spend that extra hour soaking up scenery or indulging in the spa, then enter the dining room at your leisure.

Who should go
Those who would rather attend a naturalist talk than enter a hairy-chest contest will find their niche on this ship. Island literally follows the humpback whales between Alaska’s glacial-fed bays in summer and the warm birthing waters of Hawaii in winter. The ship’s low-key atmosphere, no waits for elevators, and quiet hallways entice a more sedate clientele.

Who shouldn’t go
Disco divas won’t get to shake their booty much on Island. Live bands and DJs in certain lounges take the place of an all-out disco, but dance floors are never crowded. Younger revelers looking for late night action may be disappointed at the slow pace and lack of over-the-top glitz.

Heard on the deck: “We went looking for action, but all the lounges were deserted.”

Hits and Misses

• Don’t miss: A salivating array of cakes and treats at the Master Pastry Chef’s buffet are yours to sample (any and all) after the photo op.
• Best part of the ship: The Jetsons meet Broadway in the plush-and-chrome Universe show lounge, definitely the most visually exciting space in the ship. During intermission, watch the giant light sculpture behind the bar change color every few seconds.
• Best experience: The maître d’s wine tasting takes your palate on a prance between champagne, three whites, and three reds, each paired with an appropriate canapé. Italian wine stewards teach you how to sniff and swirl as you sip expensive vino in Sabatini’s Trattoria.
• Best shipboard activities: The Lotus Spa is fleet-renowned for its exceptional facilities, including an aromatherapy sanctuary. Pamper yourself with a massage, new hair style, or gratifying workout in the oceanview gym.
• Needs improvement: Lukewarm orange juice just doesn’t start the day right. Despite the insulated dispensers, the liquid sunshine wasn’t cold even first thing in the morning.
• Activities to skip: The 1950s party rocks -- sort of. While gyrating to Elvis and Buddy Holley is always a kick, the atmosphere is not quite the party some may have hoped for.

How to meet the captain
In Alaskan waters, the captain holds a book signing to personally autograph your $20 copy of the Alaska Cruise Companion, a book containing detailed maps and photographs that lets you closely follow the cruise route. On the first formal night, you’ll be offered complimentary cocktails while you gather in the atrium to hear the captain’s welcome. On the second formal night, Captain’s Circle members (repeat Princess customers) receive a special invitation to knock back a few free drinks with the man at the helm. The Captain is also authorized to perform onboard weddings and presides over vow renewals.

Island allows you to choose in advance whether you prefer traditional set dining or the convenience of personal choice dining; each has a designated dining room (Provence for set dining, Bordeaux for anytime). No matter what style of dining you choose, there are a number of other restaurants onboard serving a variety of cuisine, from Italian in Sabbatini's to Cajun in the Bayou Café to good old cruise ship buffet in Horizon Court.

Bordeaux and Provence (main dining rooms)
Gleaming with frosted glass partitions and polished brass, the two indistinguishable main dining rooms ease you into an inviting, white-tablecloth atmosphere. The single story spaces accommodate plenty of tables for two, as well as congenial groupings of six and eight. In Bordeaux, open 5:30-10 PM for personal choice dining, you’ll get to chat with different tablemates at every meal. Provence’s traditional set dining, at 5:30 and 7:45 PM, allows you to build friendships with the same folks night after night and be entertained by familiar waiters. On Alaska cruises flavors of the North infuse such main courses as Alaskan king crab legs, chicken Kiev, and venison Inupiat style, while classic Caesar salads and shrimp cocktails are always on hand. Provence diners eagerly await the show of flaming baked Alaskas for the last night’s dessert.

Sabatini’s Trattoria
An endless-course meal of Italy’s alta cucina is yours for $20 in this alluring trattoria. Choose only the main course; the parade of foccacia, caviar, melon, soup, and pasta starts instantly. Can’t decide between lobster tail, halibut, or scallops? Upon request, the chef will prepare you a plate with the best seafood samplings of the day, all perfectly cooked and lavishly brushed with champagne butter.

Bayou Café & Steakhouse
Louisiana struts her spicy stuff to a live jazz trio at the dark and clubby Bayou. For a fixed $15, satisfy an urge for Southern cooking with barbequed gator ribs that taste (thankfully) like chicken, blackened Sterling Silver bone-in New York strip steak that’s perfectly peppered but requires a sharper knife than the one provided, and the shrimp piquante (flavorful, but overcooked). The sweet potato pie makes up for shortcomings, and a complimentary Mardi Gras necklace at each place adds a bit of jocularity. Lunch takes place from noon to 2 PM; dinner, 6-11 PM.

Horizon Court
The 24-hour buffet offers a varied if not exceptional range of food options, but what a space to consume it in! Located at the very bow of ship, the room’s curving wall of glass affords panoramic views of sunrises, sunsets, and ports. In addition to standard breakfast fare, an egg chef makes omelets to order and wait staff pushing carts take specialty coffee orders. At lunch and dinner, Nebraska prime rib and smoked Virginia ham satisfy meat lovers, while vegetarians and vegans find plenty of fresh fruit, salad assemblages, and such main dishes as tofu stir-fry and a Moroccan vegetable ragout. A half-moon platform under sweeping clerestory windows sets the stage for impressive sushi and pastry displays. Open 24 hours, the day “starts” at 4 AM with Continental breakfast, and “ends” at 4 AM when bistro dining shuts down. Early in the cruise, guests entering the buffet are directed to use sanitizing gel dispensers. Granted, keeping germs under control onboard is a priority, but the sticky substance is a bit off-putting, especially first thing in the morning.

Other dining options

• Princess Pizzeria: A single slice overhangs even the biggest plate, though options are limited. The thin-crusted margherita is hard to beat when hot off the pan. While red pepper flakes stand ready, parmesan is located, for some reason, only inside the Horizon Court. Open 11 AM to 6 PM.
• The Grill: Grab a plate of salty, finger-licking fries to counteract the sweet drink of the day, or chow down on a hamburger or hot dog whenever a fast food attack occurs. Open 11 AM and 6 PM.
• Sundae’s: Two scoops of ice cream with unlimited toppings run $2.50. Or try a Jamaican shake or float for $3.75 (in basic chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry). For a jolt of energy try the Red Bull Float. If you can wait until dinner, you’ll usually find free ice cream in the buffet. Despite gelato advertised, none was to be had. Open 11 AM to 6 PM.
• Afternoon tea: A string quartet entertains in the Bordeaux between 3:30 and 4:30 PM daily, while unlimited cups of tea wash down finger sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, cookies, and tiny cakes -- more than enough to subdue hunger pangs before a late dinner.
• Room service: Club and roast beef sandwiches, salads, burgers, fries, and sweets are the main menu options available free of charge, 24/7. A complimentary Continental breakfast greets you at your doorstep at your specified time if you fill out the request card the night before. Tips are appreciated, and yes, expected.

Best dining

• Dish: Never thought broiled eggplant could send you into raptures? The tender Bordeaux version swimming in a superb pistachio-mint sauce will leave you licking the plate.
• Dessert: Shaped like a heart, the Princess Love Boat Dream, a dark chocolate mousse flavored with Lady Godiva liqueur, makes chocoholics swoon. Try rhubarb ice cream on the side for a delectable foil.
• Restaurant: Intimate and impeccable, Sabatini’s supplies the attentive service required for a romantic tête-à-tête.
• Food seminar: Chefs exhibit the finer points of preparing salmon and other dishes at a large-audience demonstration in the Universe Lounge.

How to…

• Get a table for two: Simply ask when you enter Bordeaux and a table for two is generally available. Likewise, the specialty restaurants anticipate couples.
• Celebrate a birthday or anniversary: Let the front desk or maître d’ know ahead of time that a celebration is in order, and a small cake will be presented at dinner free of charge -- with song, of course.
• Change seating: The maître d’ tries hard to make your dining experience pleasurable, including accommodating your seating desires.
• Dress for formal night: Not many guests dress to the nines. Women look sharp in billowing strapless gowns or pant suits, while men complement with either a tux or suit jacket and tie.
• Dress for casual night: While a skirt or button-down shirt is not de rigueur in the dining hall, do slip into something comfortable that’s at least a step or two above hiking clothes. Save the shorts and jeans for the buffet.

Tips:

• The Horizon Court is packed (and often overheated on sunny days) around 9:30 AM, so plan your breakfast accordingly.
• If you’re a personal choice diner, mostly likely you won’t get to know your waiter unless you request the same one every night.
• The specialty restaurants request reservations, but since they’re rarely full you can usually get a table whenever you show up. To guarantee a window seat, reserve a couple days ahead.

Heard on the deck: “The first night the food tasted like cafeteria fare, but it got better.”

A whopping 90 percent of Island’s cabins are oceanview. If you can afford to upgrade to a balcony, go for it; it’s not much more, and the scenery will have you out there no matter what the weather. In a standard room, the desk, easy chair (which is more uptight than easy), and the cable television/refrigerator unit are consolidated near the window or balcony. A queen-size bed separates into two twins, each with a bedside table and lamp. The closet and dressing area are roomy, and the bathroom with shower is more than navigable for one person at a time.

Heard on the deck: “On the ship’s tour I learned that the port hallways have a red stripe in the carpet. Now I can find my room even after a few too many.”

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Princess prides itself on accommodating passengers with disabilities. Island’s 20 wheelchair-accessible cabins provide larger doorways, wheel-in showers, bath distress alarms, lowered sinks, and close proximity to elevators. Service dogs are allowed with prior permission from the cruise line, although some ports may not allow the dogs ashore. The hearing impaired can request a room kit containing a TDD text telephone, visual smoke alarm, door knock sensor, and other items.

Tips:

• Waffle-weave bathrobes are yours for the duration of the cruise upon request (terry cloth robes are only for the suite elite). Pay $45 to take one home.
• Bring a water bottle from home and fill it with filtered water from the gym. The 1.5-liter bottle in your cabin costs $2.75.
• On Alaska sailings, bring your own binoculars for close-ups of whales and glaciers.
• Should Alaska weather turn chilly but you don’t want to leave your deck chair, a warm throw blanket can be rented free of charge near the Lido Pool.

From song-and-dance extravaganzas in the large Princess Theater and Universe Lounge to soft-pedal dance ensembles in the nautical Wheelhouse Bar, nightly entertainment offers something for everyone. Twelve bars let you choose from pool views to patisserie delicacies to fine wines and caviar. In the heart of the ship, the four-story marble atrium resounds every evening with live classical music.

Bars, lounges, and casino
Murals depicting the Nile and Istanbul decorate the Explorer’s Lounge, which hosts everything from art auctions to dance parties. Martini drinkers crowd the Crooner’s Bar, while smokers sink into high-back chairs and puff without recrimination behind the glass walls of Churchill’s Cigar Lounge. Scrabble, Trivial Pursuits, and dominoes are some of the games fostering friendly competition in the large airy Card Room, replete with twelve tables and a bank of windows.

Larger than might be expected, the Parisian-themed casino teems with a dozen tables and 230 slot and video poker machines. Blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud poker, three card poker, and more keep patrons trying their luck. Guests must be 21 or older to play.

Heard on the deck (at the casino entrance): “My dad’s in there for sure.”

Swimming pools
You can swim short laps in Island’s two main pools, both on Lido Deck. The Lotus Pool’s thatched-roofed hot tubs, intricately carved wooden screens, and padded teak lounge chairs speak idyllically of tropical retreats. During Alaska runs, the pool water is heated, and on sunny days the glass roof turns the air greenhouse warm. The outdoor Lido Pool sports not a single tile color other than vanilla. The pool designer either ran out of inspiration or tried too hard not to offend. Nonetheless, the hot tubs here are rarely empty. A smaller family pool and a splash pool for kids are kept drained in cooler Alaska.

Shows
Seats fill 15 minutes ahead of show time for the musical revue Curtain Up, the first big show of the cruise, which is held in the traditionally designed Princess Theater. Applause is polite for the selections from Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera, Grease, and the like. The pyrotechnics are superfluous since the Princess troupe’s dancing and singing are excellent. Throughout the week, stand-up comedians and a ventriloquist will either make you laugh uncontrollably or wish the gong would sound. In Juneau, Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod dog-sled race, comes aboard to share her adventures. Singers in the last big show, held in the double-tiered Universe Lounge, belt out tributes to the Beatles, Madonna, and Whitney Houston, backed by a high-tech wall of video screens and a live seven-piece orchestra.

Shore excursions
The list of shore excursions in Alaska is mind-boggling. If you’re physically fit, a kayaking venture will take you up close to porpoises, seals, and bald eagles. If you prefer to be chauffeured, try helicopter landings on glaciers or smaller whale-watching tours. To avoid lines, sign up online before you leave home or fill out a form and drop it by the desk. Check tour details carefully; some complaints heard involved guests purchasing and lugging along hiking boots and parkas for glacier trekking, then finding the tour group provided them. Kayaking and rafting tours usually provide rubber boots for their clientele.

Weddings and vow renewals
A modest-sized chapel decked out with stained glass panels and a white baby grand piano holds not only weddings but computer classes and Sunday interdenominational services. Planning a cruise wedding in the near future? Contact the wedding coordinator through the passenger services desk. Vow renewal packages complete with champagne may be arranged and held during the cruise.

Looking for… Quietest spot: The curved deck hidden away at the stern end of Baja Deck (11) sports about twenty-five lounge chairs. If the wind doesn’t blow you away, the tranquility will. Only the adventurous and the occasional smoker discover the views here far from the crowd.

• Liveliest spot: Most night owls find the Princess Casino the main game in town.
• Most popular activity: When the silken-voiced piano player tinkles the ivories, the easy chairs are all occupied at the Crooner’s Bar.
• Best view: Dining with a view doesn’t get any better than the Horizon Court bow. For wildlife viewing, Promenade Deck (7) positions you closer to sea otters than the upper decks obstructed by glass panels.
• Best show: Aficionados of musicals rave about the Broadway revue.
• Best drink: The Mudslide (vodka, Bailey’s, Kahlua, and cream blended with ice) is just the ticket for cooling off after a strenuous afternoon of kayaking or hiking.

Tips:

• Rarely full, the Internet café (no coffee here) tucks away over a dozen stations. Padded leather armchairs swivel, desks generously provide about four feet of space, and video cams let the folks back home see your smiling face. Checking your e-mail will run you 35¢ per minute, not a bad deal unless the connection is excruciatingly slow, as it often is. A $10.50 wireless card for 30 minutes lets you use your laptop for the same rate.
• Princess pioneered the onboard pottery studio. If you’re not into throwing your own pot, purchase one in the studio where you can paint on your own designs and have it fired. Good gift options include a fish-shaped plate that runs $22 and a lidded trinket box for $25.
• When the ship sails from a port in mid-afternoon, 20-minute lines can form to embark. Plan accordingly if you have a massage scheduled.

Little kids ages 3-7 are well-supervised in the Princess Pelican youth center, teeming with games, movies, arts and crafts, and an outdoor splash pool and playground. Pirateers, ages 8-12, branch into scavenger hunts and pizza parties. Older kids 13-17 can enjoy video games, movies, karaoke, a juke box, and disco in the “Off Limits” teen center. Ping-pong, giant chess, and basketball get kids out on deck. Private babysitting is not available, but group babysitting for kids ages 3-12 is held every night from 10 PM to1 AM, at $5 per hour/per child.

Heard on the deck (woman talking about the Pelicans, Island’s supervised child activities’ group): “Without the Pelicans, I’d be pulling my hair out.”

Lotus Spa
Marble floors, potted palms, and wicker chairs invite without pretension at the upscale Lotus Spa. Steiner staff bend backwards to make hair and massage appointments at your convenience. A shampoo and trim costs only $32. The best deal? The $109 Aromaflex: 25 minutes of stress-reducing neck and shoulder massage, followed by 25 minutes of sole-soothing foot reflexology. Expect a pitch for a purchase of gel, oil, or lotion, but pressure is nonexistent and your “no” is not challenged. Melt cares away with the fully-enclosed Thermal Sanctuary: $15 per day or $90 for the whole cruise grants you shared access to this retreat, which includes two misty steam rooms, each with a different aroma (citrus or floral), as well as curvaceous lounging beds formed of heated ceramic tile. Treatment tables are comfy and well-blanketed, although rooms could be better heated. Personal gripe: A toilet should be located in the women’s sauna/shower room, not solely in the women’s change room down a public hallway.

Fitness center
Carpeted, clean-smelling, and cozy, the gym features a wall of windows lined with eleven treadmills and thirteen other machines (including elliptical trainers). Another dozen weight machines stand ready to work on muscle tone. Amenities include small towels and filtered water from a drinking fountain. Fitness classes take place in the spacious aerobics room next door, with polished wood floor, stationary bikes, more windows, and a chakra balancing Alpha capsule for the ultimate nap. On Sports Deck, you can putt 9-hole miniature golf, practice your swing on a virtual links golf simulator ($20 for 30 minutes, 15 real courses to choose from), shoot hoops, or play that perennial favorite: Shuffleboard.

Tips:

• Treadmills are first come, first served, but you can sign up a day or two in advance for spinning, yoga, Fitball, and Pilates classes, all $10 each.
• Young people can choose from a special Generation Y spa menu. A Fake Bake exfoliation and self-tanning cream application costs $92; a Beach Babe hair conditioning and French braid, $50. Father/son and mother/daughter massages run $99 for two for 25 minutes.
• Good spa deals can be had on port days
• A dry, sweet-smelling, four-level cedar sauna, one for each gender, is free, absolutely relaxing, and usually deserted. Sweat, duck into a cold shower, then slip back in for more heat.

Four boutiques around the atrium offer so-so shopping. Calypso Cove is the place to get duty-free booze, toiletries, snacks, postcards, and T-shirts. Plush toy wolf pups and Eskimo dolls sell on Alaska cruises. The figurines and handbags in Meridian Bay meld into the fragrance and cosmetic displays of Essence next door. Downstairs, Facets fits a wrist, finger, or neck with the sapphire or opal of your choice.

Tips:

• Attend the port shopping talk to learn about duty-free shopping, even in U.S. ports. Princess guarantees purchases made at ship-approved stores.
• A free diamond may be yours at the shopping expert’s gemstone seminars.
• Get the shopping expert to sign your port map for a VIP discount.
• If you’re spending time in Anchorage or Vancouver before or after your cruise, you’ll find better deals on native arts and crafts than in port stores.

During the long days of summer, Island Princess heads north to Alaska to cruise up and down the island-studded Inside Passage, stopping in such picturesque seaport towns as Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Thanks to a special engine that runs on gas, not just diesel, the cruise ship is one of only two per day allowed into pristine Glacier Bay National Park, where rangers come onboard to narrate sightings of blue glaciers, whales, and brown bears. Princess lets you continue your wildlife viewing inland with a train transfer that takes you directly to Denali National Park. The winter finds Island steaming out of Los Angeles on her way to the Hawaiian Islands and back.

Heard on the deck: “Can you tell if the brown bear is male or female? My binoculars aren’t big enough.”

• Cruise line - Princess
• Ship name - Island Princess
• Type of cruise - Elegant Resort
• Total cabins - 987
• Private balcony cabins - 727
• Decks - 11
• Passenger capacity - 1970
• Total crew - 350
• Ship size - Large
• Officers nationality - British/Italian
• Year entered service - 2003
• Registry - Bermuda
• Tonnage - 88,000
• Ship length - 964