Mud_Shark

We have only cruised once and we have one more coming up in September, but the DETERMINING factor for me choosing Princess was MUTS.

15 night cruise. I only missed one night at MUTS when the movie just wasn't what I wanted. I watched Monday Night Football, Sunday afternoon football, 3 baseball playoff games, and plenty of movies. Even on the rainy windy night (spitting rain), me and about 10 other brave MUTS lovers piled on the blankets and took the loungers just under the top deck for protection from the rain and enjoyed another great experience.

During the day, other than sports events, there was nothing that really interested me. Old Rock concerts, The Princess Bride (great - but how many times can you watch it?), Sound of Music, and movies of that type.

Now I know that the movies would also play in the Princess Theatre the next day, and were thereafter available on your in room TV, but I just like the MUTS outdoor ambiance (plus the ice cream bar is right beside it). Pizza, popcorn - yes, you can get that too, but usually after a large dinner, all I could fit in was ice cream :)

Don

Our first (and only - until September when we sail again) cruise was last October when we sailed from Vancouver to Hawaii on the Grand. Third day out the weather got noticeably warmer and from then on we were sunbathing during the days. Those first two days were fine to be outside, just cool. I took ginger tablets daily (I have gotten sea sick on small charter boats in the past) in case of rough weather. One the way back, the boat did rock a lot in "unsettled" weather, but I was fine with it. It rained on us the final two days back, but not steady rain. It was certainly cool out. I am a MUTS fan and me and about a dozen or two die-hards were out there on the last two nights with about 3 or 4 blankets each to keep warm. Hey - I was still eating ice cream during the movie so it was not that cold.

Overall, although the boat movement on the rougher days did upset some people's stomachs and caused swaying when you walked, it was all very much within acceptable parameters for me. Wouldn't hesitate to sail that time of year again. And Hawaii in October was great. Went to the hidden waterfall on Kauai and it was running beautifully. We swam under a 300 foot waterfall in a natural and beautiful setting on a humid sunny afternoon. It was spectacular, though the walk in was very muddy. In Spring, the waterfall is often dry.

Don

Posh Posh! Port Out - Starboard Home (Home being England where I believe the expression originated.

Don

Cruising September 21st on the Royal. Booked back in January.

I called last Monday to gift myself OBC and was told it was 10%. Saw my credit card statement and indeed, it came through at 10%. I will call tomorrow and add more OBC.

Don

Your intro paragraph about your likes and preferences matches us perfectly, though we are both 52.

Last year we went on our first cruise, to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We took the Grand to Hawaii for a 15 day cruise. We both loved it. Walking the promenade deck - just watching the flying fish (and some other fish) jumping in the wake, or watching from the aft deck pool area was completely relaxing. We would read and swim and play a few games during the day, then have traditional dining and watch the evening show - then head to MUTS to finish off the day (MUTS is a MUST for me personally). With 11 sea days on the Hawaii cruise this became our schedule, and we really enjoyed it.

We met a family with small children and they said there were only about two dozen children on the ship younger than 12 years old. This was a Fall cruise so school was in session and this was a longer itinerary - hence there were few children. We saw several couples in their 20s, including a couple that got married on the ship (all dressed up in the traditional tux and white dress). Their group alone with groomsmen and bridesmaids gave the younger generation a noticeable presence.

At our table for 8, we were the youngest guests, by over 20 years. The other couples were in their late 70s and early 80s - but all had a great outlook on life and we got along extremely well. It was a highlight to get to dinner and enjoy their company. Oh - and we enjoyed the food - thought it was great - but this was our first cruise so we don't really have a baseline to compare against.

We are now booked on the Royal in September for a 10 day Caribbean cruise and will likely look at something in Europe for the following year. We felt so perfectly matched on Princess that we are now only considering Princess for future cruises.

As to ship -- well, we have no real experience but so far we have gone by itinerary and date - and take the ship that fits with these parameters. We take our vacation in the Fall, as it works for both of us to get time off, and we avoid crowds.

Hope you find the perfect fit for you....

Don and Allison

We sailed on the Grand in October from Vancouver to Hawaii. I enjoy the pools and hot tubs - so I tried them all.

The aft pool was nice and warm (obviously heated).

The pool near the spa was BRRRRRR!!!! (cold). The hot tubs beside the spa pool were luke warm (not inviting at all).

The hot tubs at the aft (couple decks above the aft pool) were warmer - and actually quite good the first couple days, but got cooler over the duration of the trip (not as cool as the spa hot tubs though). You could still get in them, but you didn't really melt in them.

The pool where MUTS is shown was comfortable temperature for swimming. The hot tubs by MUTS were perfect -- would melt you!

The Calypso pool was fine to swim in - but not sure if it was the benefit of the covering, or if it was heated - but it was relatively easy to get into.

So my conclusion -- You just never know! Try them all.

Don

I have probably the least cruise experience of any of the replies to this thread.

We are 52 and sailed for the first time last year on the 15 day to Hawaii cruise on the Grand and absolutely loved it.

We are not drinkers, and didn't much go for the trivia and assorted activities. We only have two weeks of vacation per year - so are not about to be doing multiple cruises per year.

What we did like:

1) Movies Under the Stars -- absolutely loved it. Plus they run the same movies the next day in the Princess Theater in the afternoon if you missed it the day before under the stars. Popcorn and ice cream readily available. Blankets. It's just "our thing". Sometimes they had a second selection of movies in the Vista Lounge.

2) The boat goes just about silent and deserted by 11pm. I don't sleep well, so I take an afternoon nap and stay up until 1am or so. We loved hitting the aft hot tubs after the late movie and having them all to ourselves (some nights they were meshed off - closed by 11pm, but other nights they were not) - gazing at the stars or staring at the wake. Very relaxing. Often I would walk the promenade or the top side levels at midnight and feel like there was no one on the ship except some staff cleaning up from the day. Sometimes I would get up at 4am and head to the Piazza with my book in hand, and grab some pastries from the International café and sit and read. The stillness was eerily attractive.

3) We vacation in September - when school is in. (We will be on the Royal in September for a Caribbean cruise). The Grand had maybe 30 children on it max when we sailed last Fall. Children are fine - and we both are "kid people", but if you are looking for a relaxing stress free vacation where you can unwind, not having hoards of children running rough-shod over their parents is a good thing for us. Even the fact that the majority of passengers were older helped us out a lot on tender days -- very few of them try to head out on the first tender, so we had no line up.

4) Simply loved the food and the traditional dining. We have no basis for how good the food is on other lines, but we have no reason to switch yet since Princess gave us all we could imagine. If there was something on the menu that sounded exotic and I had never tried - I gave it a try. That was novel, but not always wonderful. Caviar is disgusting, as are a few other things (I just don't get the idea of cold soup) - but now I know. Our server would bring us the desert we ordered and usually slip us something extra that she thought we might like - and we usually did! We loved dining with the same table mates each night. We got to know each other and built friendships. We looked forward to catching up with everyone at our table each night. All our table mates were 75 or older (table of 8), but they all still had great vitality and they were wonderful to be around. We didn't try the specialty restaurants, but did dress up (just suit or dress) for the formal nights and enjoyed them.

5) The evening shows were - for the most part - great. I am sure that other lines do a great job with that too - maybe even better - but we sure enjoyed ourselves. Magician/Illusionist (done with comedy) - was wonderful. Production shows were good spectacles. Comedians were ok as long as they kept it clean. Maybe it's a well used joke and we are just new to it, but I loved the Gilbert Godfried impersonation describing the workings of the ships "vacuum toilets" firing the poop over at Carnival.

6) We look forward to the new star gazing program on Princess. This was not in place for our last cruise, but we hope to take advantage of it on our next one. We love summer night star gazing.

We simply have no reason yet to try other lines. I do like the idea of Royal's Skating rinks. Flow riders - probably would be too crowded for a couple of old rookies like us to give it a try (we want few people around when we make fools of ourselves). Rock climbing walls? maybe, but not something that calls us. These things obviously appeal to the younger demographic - and, by all means, if it's your thing - that may be your line. But for us - we are fairly confident that for now, Princess is our line.

Don and Allison

Just a caution.

I also placed a reservation for a September EZ rental because the rates are so favourable, but then I checked the reviews on Trip advisor and a few other sites, and there are simply too many warnings by people who rented and declined the extra insurance - who months later received bills for damage to the undercarriage. It sounds like they make their money selling you the unneeded insurance and if you are careful to decline - they may just later accuse you of damage that you did not do. There were numerous such complaints -- check the better business bureau reviews if you are uncertain.

I immediately cancelled my reservation with them. I will pay the higher rates of established companies.

Don

We have only been on one cruise ever, but it was the same one you are heading on - The Grand to Hawaii - back in October.

For us - no boredom at all on the way out - everything was exciting and new. We didn't really participate in the trivia or in the Hawaiian cultural program other than to attend a few port lectures (which were good). Movies were a big part of our agenda, along with eating and pools and hot tubs and reading. The evening shows and magicians etc were all good.

Once the warm weather hit - it was all gravy. Lounging on the deck, reading and sunning. Just watching the sea pass by was captivating. Walking the promenade. All good. - Oh yes - and ice cream!

On the way back, as the warm weather was slowly overtaken by colder weather, and the seas got a little rough, we did feel a little "cooped up" and felt like it was time for the cruise to end, but hey - we would do the same trip over again no questions, so it couldn't have been that bad.

Don and Allison

We have just taken our first cruise in October, but it round tripped from our home town in Vancouver so no Air travel needed.

For our next one, we will cruise the Caribbean in September. We will fly Seattle to Orlando several days early and enjoy some time at Universal etc first, then head down to Fort Lauderdale for the cruise.

Question -- Can you get cruise air one way? (we would need it only for the return to Seattle.)

Question -- How much more is cruise air than booking your own flights online? A ball park figure? Right now, although prices fluctuate, a direct flight from FLL to SEA is around $250 Canadian one way. Will we get cruise air at a price relatively close to that mark, or would we expect to pay $100 more per ticket or maybe even more?

I would be willing to pay a little more for the security involved if there is a late return to port or something, but we will take our chances if cruise air is more than about $50-60 per ticket over internet pricing air fares.

Thanks for any help.

Don

I have gotten sea sick on small boats (fishing charters) that have gotten into choppy waters, so I was leery on our first cruise (Grand to Hawaii this past October). I picked up a supply of ginger caplets from our local heath food store for under $5, and took 2 every day just in case. Well, on the way back from Hawaii to Vancouver it got a bit rough. My wife, who never gets sea sick - got sea sick. Several others at our dinning table also felt motion sick. In fact, one night, we were the only ones at the table for dinner (table of 7)and all my wife ate was a green apple (which was recommended and provided by our waiter). I felt fine and enjoyed another fine meal. Never felt queasy at all.

Will repeat the ginger trick next fall when we go on the Royal for a Caribbean cruise.

Don

We are cruising to Hawaii for the first time in October, but all the research we have done suggests that Kauai is the poorest island for snorkeling, but has many other strengths. We are going to attempt to go kayaking to the hidden falls. No reservations, no tour, will just head that direction and see if we can rent a kayak.

Don

Has anyone taken this Princess offered excursion from Hilo?

It is called "Lava Tree State Park & Hilo's Volcanic Heritage"

I am wondering if there is opportunity to swim afforded at the coastal stops along this tour? Or is it rather simply a "look-see" and photo op? The short video talks of a fresh water pool heated by the lava flow. It shows people swimming - but they might not be people actually on the tour. In the trip details, no mention of swimming is mentioned.

If there is time for swimming, does this tour stop at any places that would be good to snorkel? That is - should we bring our snorkel stuff?

We are heading to Hawaii on the Oct 2nd departure out of Vancouver. First time to Hawaii. First time on Princess Cruise. First time on any cruise.

Thanks for any help anyone can give.

Don

Related question from first time cruiser....

Neither my wife or I drink coffee, but she loves Chai tea lattes (sorry if mis-spelled). Does anyone know if these are available onboard with the coffee card?

thanks

Don

We are taking our first cruise ever in October (on the Grand to Hawaii). If cruising is "our thing", we are considering a HAL cruise for 2015.

Some of the things that interest me:

Are there movies on HAL like on Princess?

What about shipboard games and enrichment programs?

Mini Golf course? Walking/Jogging track?

Thanks

Appreciate what you have already said.

Don

We are also insiders on this cruise. Never cruised before, so really have no opinion on which is better, but we did get a minor "upgrade" email yesterday, moving us from D723 (near the rear of the ship) to P331, which is very close to the Piazza. Looks good to me. They could "upgrade" us anywhere and we would have no idea if it was an improvement or not. We will simply take what they give us and be happy.

Just excited to be trying our first cruise.

Don and Allison

It also looks like if you book one of the current 14 day cruises (which are 7day b2b's) that you end up paying twice the taxes and fees as you would have for a single 14 day cruise.

This Fall will be our first cruise ever (going to Hawaii on the Grand). I was looking forward to the bridge games and instruction. I haven't played it since I left home in the late 70s. My parents taught me the game back then as a teenager and I loved it, but then I joined the Airforce where pinochle was the game of choice. Without instruction and tutoring, I would be lost in the game today.

Don

My Wife and I have not cruised before. Our 30th Anniversary is this coming year, and we are planning to take our first cruise.

For the itinerary we are eyeing, there are three basic options -- RCCL, Celebrity, and Princess. Looking for any help to tip the scales one way or the other.

We are not drinkers, so the bar scene really doesn't hold much allure for us. We do like the idea of Princess Movies under the stars. Do the others run movies on large screens as well? Golf putting and simulators are of interest (I assume you don't have to bring your own clubs?). Pools with actual heated hot tubs are a plus. Trivia games and the like would likely draw us in. We would probably participate in the formal nights, but do not need them. Any ideas of which to go with?

Thanks

Don