travelin.sisters

Back Home~Things to Think About Back to Real Life Oh my, we’ve been back for almost four weeks already (long enough to have received our check for refundable OBC)! It always takes a bit of time to readjust after a couple of weeks at sea. Last year it took two weeks (until we sailed again) to readjust so that the ground wasn’t rocking under me (for some reason it is much easier for me to adjust to sailing & rocking, than back to solid ground). This year, it didn’t take as long, but I ended up with a nasty spring cold. Finally I am just stuck with the last lingering bits of the cough. The best part of being back home is getting the puppy back from her ‘dude ranch’ vacation…she misses all the space to run & play & get muddy but was glad to see us. The worst part of being back is sorting all the cruising stuff from the regular stuff like clothes & such. The Hawai’i stuff needs to go back & wait for next March but we need to set aside the stuff we will need for a 4-day in December with my sissy’s granddaughters. Not much cruising this year as we have a bunch of landbased family things. The enjoyable, but very time consuming part of being back is sorting through the couple thousand photos & videos of the trip. I vividly remember from the first time I went to Hawai’i, 50ish years ago, my dad talking about having to decide if he would take a photo (or extra photo in case it didn’t turn out) of something, or if he needed to save shots for later. Now, I sometimes end up with a dozen shots of basically the same thing to make sure I get a good one. The only worry is will I overfill my online storage & not have them backup & transfer. Going through the stuff & the photo memories & finishing this live (ok, not actually live but trip report) gives me time to think about the journey, draw some conclusions & make some plans for the next one. List of my posts in this LIVE: Introduction~post 1 Pre-cruise: packing~post 10 Pre-cruise: booking & trip prep~post 29 Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 43 Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 67 Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75 Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78 Embarkation Day~March 2: the papers & the patter~post 89 Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104 Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114 Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142 Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147 Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148 Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149 Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150 Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151 Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167 Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172 Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173 Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175 Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176 Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204 Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205 Sea Day~March 5: formal night, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 206 Sea Day~March 5: wrap up & random thoughts~post 208 Sea Day~March 6: another beautiful morning~post 216 Sea Day~March 6: pub lunch & elite tea, oh my!~post 221 Sea Day~March 6: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 224 Sea Day~March 6: DaVinci dinner~post 225 Sea Day~March 6: wrap up & random thoughts~post 226 Honolulu~March 7: good morning, Honolulu~post 228 Honolulu~March 7: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 229 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting there~post 230 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting in~post 231 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~islands of polynesia~post 233 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~exploring the islands of polynesia~post 239 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~spending time in Samoa~post 240 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~enjoying the beauty~post 241 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Gateway Buffet~post 249 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Ha Breath of Life show, maps & flyers, thoughts~post 252 Honolulu~March 7: onboard the Crown~post 253 Honolulu~March 7: exploring the Crown Princess~Gala Deck (4)~post 254 Honolulu~March 7: wrap up & random thoughts~post 261 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: adventures in Honolulu~post 263 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 266 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: leaving for Maui~post 271 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 273 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: wrap up & random thoughts~post 267 …& Not Maui~March 9: early morning sail in & whales~post 280 …& Not Maui~March 9: patters, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 281 …& Not Maui~March 9: unexpected day at sea~post 285 …& Not Maui~March 9: DaVinci dinner~post 286 …& Not Maui~March 9: wrap up & random thoughts~post 291 Hilo~March 10: early morning, internet info, disembarkation in Hilo~post 296 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 1)~post 301 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 2)~post 307 Hilo~March 10: Kalakaua Park~post 310 Hilo~March 10: Mokupapapa Discovery Center~post 311 Hilo~March 10: Pacific Tsunami Museum~post 313 Hilo~March 10: around Hilo~post 314 Hilo~March 10: shopping & Farmers Market~post 315 Hilo~March 10: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 316 Hilo~March 10: sail-away~post 319 Hilo~March 10: DaVinci dinner~post 320 Hilo~March 10: wrap up & random thoughts~post 321 Sea Day~March 11: another day at sea~post 331 Sea Day~March 11: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 332 Sea Day~March 11: formal night & DaVinci dinner~post 333 Sea Day~March 11: wrap up & random thoughts~post 334 Sea Day~March 12: more moments at sea~post 339 Sea Day~March 12: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 340 Sea Day~March 12: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 341 Sea Day~March 12: wrap up & random thoughts~post 342 Sea Day~March 13: a day of surprises~post 354 Sea Day~March 13: DaVinci lunch~post 356 Sea Day~March 13: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 357 Sea Day~March 13: Sabatini’s~post 359 Sea Day~March 13: evening entertainment~post 360 Sea Day~March 13: wrap up & random thoughts~post 361 Sea Day~March 14: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 364 Sea Day~March 14: formal night, captain's circle cocktail party, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 372 Sea Day~March 14: wrap up & random thoughts~post 373 Sea Day~March 15: one last day at sea~post 374 Sea Day~March 15: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 375 Sea Day~March 15: wrap up & random thoughts~post 378 Ensenada~March 16: staying onboard in por~post 403 Ensenada~March 16: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 404 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Plaza (5) deck~post 405 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Fiesta (6) deck~post 406 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Promenade (7) deck~post 407 Ensenada~March 16: DaVinci dinner~post 408 Ensenada~March 16: wrap up & random thoughts~post 409 Return Home~March 17: one last morning on the Crown~post 412 Return Home~March 17: disembarkation~post 417

I have done LA Hawaii several times & if you have only done more costal routes than mid ocean ones, there seems to be more motion on the ship on the crossing than doing an Alaska or Mexico for example..not necessarily rough but just different movement sometimes side to side rather than bow to stern or on our last cruise in March it felt kind of like she was doing the hula....every Hawai'i itinerary the pools have been slosed at least once, but not always drained...expect weather close to what you had at the port you are leaving for the first & last couple of days (I posted the daily weathers in my live from our cruise last month but Vancover & May will be different)

I hope it is a wonderful experience for you both...if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask! Have you checked to see if your cruise has a roll call (sometimes shorter ones don't, but if they do it's a nice way to 'meet' a few people before you sail)?

the Crown had been opening a dining room for lunch on embarkation day (DaVinci) recently, but not putting it in the Patter (which is now called something else)...it was open last month on several cruises so you could check there without looking at the schedule

we were very happy with it & will request again on our next sailing

haven't been on the Sapphire since October so I don't know what is currently in the library, but generally they have board games that you can borrow...I don't know about a family lounge...here are some photos of the library from last fall (sorry I can't get the last one to rotate) knitters & knatters is just a space/time set aside for people who do crafting to gather together & work on whatever project they have brought with them...there should be various craft activities during the cruise where they provide materials & instructions (maybe paper flowers, masks, origami it will vary from ship to ship) If you are interested I did a live from our cruise on the Sapphire last fall: Hope you & your 8-year-old have a wonderful cruise...you might also want to sign up for kids club, then they can choose if they want to go or not from day to day

we got this on the Crown last month...I did have to ask again after we boarded, it did not come automatically even though I requested on the app...it was very nice, put the shower head in the middle of the shower when in the holder so more like a rain shower, adjustable & had an off switch

wow that is awful...I don't know if it is the time we arrive (usually before 11) or luck, but basically we pull up & there is a porter there to take our luggage out of the car & put it on their cart without us ever leaving the car...so I guess the best answer is its often, but not always quick & easy?.... thanks for all the local info you share here on this forum...you help a lot of people

if we bought them they are 3-6 mos baby clothes, but some we made...mostly bought t-shirts & made others

yes, there are zip ties (like they put price tags on clothes) holding the hats on but you can snip them off...ours have entire wardrobes now

it should only be 2 times to set the clock forward/back we had 3 on the way home because daylight savings happened in the middle of our cruise...they will do one at a time & probably not two days in a row...it's nice going out because you get extra hours & the crew likes it because they usually have a party with their extra hour the Wasabi macadamias (I only found them in the grocery store) there are several lei classes...usually the cruise director staff does ribbon leis & flower leis they are open to anyone & are included in the cruise cost however, you will probably have to sign up as they are very popular classes & fill up quickly...on our cruise it was at 9 on the first day they had them to sign up & then classes were later in the day (maybe at 11) on 2 days...you will need to watch the patter (or whatever it's new name is) for the signup usually the ribbon leis are before Hawai'i & the flower ones are after...if you look at the patters on post 173 & 337 you can see how they were listed on our cruise...I strongly recommend taking a look at the patter for the day before every evening & marking things you want to do ribbon lei flower leis there should also be lei making classes offered by the Hawai'ian ambassadors which there is a charge for...on our cruise it was the crocheted lei & kukui nut leis which maybe only Leialoha & Tiki Dave do...I have heard that the other Hawai'ian ambassadors do straw leis (but I am not sure) these will also be in the daily schedule & should be offered several times on the way over & back straw lei i can't recommend enough doing the classes with the Hawai'ian ambassadors...maybe not the crafts depending on the price, you would have to decide that, but do check out what they are offering...but everything else they do should be included in the cruise cost...'ukulele (the ship will have a number to checkout for the length of the cruise, but if you don't go to the first class they may all be handed out) & hula are both set for complete beginners & will be lots of fun (you can always try & decide after a few classes to quit but hopefully you won't want to...I think they will also do port talks which will be very helpful & informative & maybe some language & will entertain around the ship...they will add so much to the cruise...I wish Princess did similar things for other itineraries. don't hesitate to ask any other questions.

there are 2 types of Stanley bears...the original ones first came out in lumberjack outfits as they were introduced during the Alaska season (in 2017 I believe) I got one the first day of our Panama Canal cruise in 2017, a few days later when my sissy decided to buy them for her grandkids, they only had the captain ones these have removable clothes & for a little while you could buy the captain & lumberjack outfits,,,there are no outfits currently available, although we did get Chinese outfits on the Majesic last year that they had left from sailing Asia more recently they have also been selling smaller Stanleys that have costumes that are part of them (not removable) they keep coming up with new ones...most recently on the Crown they had uncle sam. pirate, unicorn & easter ones...they also had lots of the bigger ones in the captain suit I don't know that they still come with the tag with the story:

you can park free for an hour at the port parking lot if you need to I like the Pancake & Waffle House on Gaffey but there are a lot of good places closer to the port to eat too

we pull up & drop luggage every time we sail out of the port of LA (San Pedro) pull up to where the porters are & hand off your luggage (make sure you have your tags on them) & a tip...you should be able to drop off luggage by 10 or 10:30 (just did this last month for the Crown) dropped off luggage, went back for the rest of our people & then dropped them & the rest of the luggage no problem with the traffic control people

I think you can only preorder to receive on a cruise but not to have it shipped to you

you can see it on your medallion app once you board or use your medallion on the screens to find ii

board as early as possible...go to guest services to get medallions set to all open both cabin doors & get all room accounts on my CC so I can check everyone's for strange charges throughout the cruise...drop carryon in cabin...MDR lunch...muster station check in (all in some order depending on lines/time we get onboard)...look at the Patter to see if there is anything I want to do this first day after lunch back to cabin to drop off my people to rest while I explore ship...especially on a ship I haven't sailed before but even if I have...start at the top & go from one end to the other of the public areas...I see things I may never see again on the cruise & get myself oriented in the room, unpack, decorate, put up door signs, watch safety video, hangout on the balcony meet the cabin steward, ask for daily ice but only for one room, start my stash of cookies from the International Cafe ...in some order I try to have all those things done by dinner time

if the show is at 9 & not 9:30 you may not have time...some things to consider: dinner service on our last several cruises has consistently taken around 2 hours (3 people at a table) sometimes (depending on the ship & the passengers) you need to get to the theater 1/2 hour early to get seats...most recently on the Crown the theater was never full for the 9:30 show you can tell your waitstaff that you want to get to the theater & they will try to serve you more quickly

it should be the departure time & you would need to be onboard at least 30 minutes earlier, but maybe more

...except when looking at buying it precruise on the app, it is $40 or down to $20 with the discount so...like many things Princess, the actual answer is....it depends?

ohh...adding $100 for her flight home, would make her very expensive...she is cute though

Return Home~March 17 Disembarkation Back in the room, we gathered up the bears, my BIL, the walkers & the carryon bag & headed out for the Platinum & Elite longe. It was not crowded & they had juice & pastries for BIL who hadn’t made it to breakfast. They are able to call for wheelchair assistance there so we didn’t have to wait in the more crowded wheelchair area. Disembarkation was easy but slow as there is only one elevator (that holds maybe 4 people) in the terminal for everyone who can’t use the escalator. BIL had to wait even longer as they transfer from a ship wheelchair to a terminal one. If I could choose terminals I would pick 93 for departure, as it has more space & seating if you have to wait for any reason, but 91/2 for arrival because it has a giant elevator to take people with mobility issues from one floor to the other...but they never ask me so... They did try & tell me that the bears had to stay with them as they didn't have passports (Stanley bears are very popular). Fortunately, just as I stepped out with our porter & tons of bags, our ride arrived & as they were finishing loading, sissy & BIL got there & we were headed home! List of my posts in this LIVE: Introduction~post 1 Pre-cruise: packing~post 10 Pre-cruise: booking & trip prep~post 29 Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 43 Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 67 Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75 Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78 Embarkation Day~March 2: the papers & the patter~post 89 Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104 Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114 Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142 Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147 Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148 Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149 Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150 Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151 Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167 Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172 Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173 Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175 Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176 Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204 Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205 Sea Day~March 5: formal night, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 206 Sea Day~March 5: wrap up & random thoughts~post 208 Sea Day~March 6: another beautiful morning~post 216 Sea Day~March 6: pub lunch & elite tea, oh my!~post 221 Sea Day~March 6: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 224 Sea Day~March 6: DaVinci dinner~post 225 Sea Day~March 6: wrap up & random thoughts~post 226 Honolulu~March 7: good morning, Honolulu~post 228 Honolulu~March 7: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 229 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting there~post 230 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting in~post 231 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~islands of polynesia~post 233 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~exploring the islands of polynesia~post 239 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~spending time in Samoa~post 240 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~enjoying the beauty~post 241 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Gateway Buffet~post 249 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Ha Breath of Life show, maps & flyers, thoughts~post 252 Honolulu~March 7: onboard the Crown~post 253 Honolulu~March 7: exploring the Crown Princess~Gala Deck (4)~post 254 Honolulu~March 7: wrap up & random thoughts~post 261 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: adventures in Honolulu~post 263 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 266 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: leaving for Maui~post 271 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 273 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: wrap up & random thoughts~post 267 …& Not Maui~March 9: early morning sail in & whales~post 280 …& Not Maui~March 9: patters, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 281 …& Not Maui~March 9: unexpected day at sea~post 285 …& Not Maui~March 9: DaVinci dinner~post 286 …& Not Maui~March 9: wrap up & random thoughts~post 291 Hilo~March 10: early morning, internet info, disembarkation in Hilo~post 296 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 1)~post 301 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 2)~post 307 Hilo~March 10: Kalakaua Park~post 310 Hilo~March 10: Mokupapapa Discovery Center~post 311 Hilo~March 10: Pacific Tsunami Museum~post 313 Hilo~March 10: around Hilo~post 314 Hilo~March 10: shopping & Farmers Market~post 315 Hilo~March 10: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 316 Hilo~March 10: sail-away~post 319 Hilo~March 10: DaVinci dinner~post 320 Hilo~March 10: wrap up & random thoughts~post 321 Sea Day~March 11: another day at sea~post 331 Sea Day~March 11: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 332 Sea Day~March 11: formal night & DaVinci dinner~post 333 Sea Day~March 11: wrap up & random thoughts~post 334 Sea Day~March 12: more moments at sea~post 339 Sea Day~March 12: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 340 Sea Day~March 12: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 341 Sea Day~March 12: wrap up & random thoughts~post 342 Sea Day~March 13: a day of surprises~post 354 Sea Day~March 13: DaVinci lunch~post 356 Sea Day~March 13: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 357 Sea Day~March 13: Sabatini’s~post 359 Sea Day~March 13: evening entertainment~post 360 Sea Day~March 13: wrap up & random thoughts~post 361 Sea Day~March 14: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 364 Sea Day~March 14: formal night, captain's circle cocktail party, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 372 Sea Day~March 14: wrap up & random thoughts~post 373 Sea Day~March 15: one last day at sea~post 374 Sea Day~March 15: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 375 Sea Day~March 15: wrap up & random thoughts~post 378 Ensenada~March 16: staying onboard in por~post 403 Ensenada~March 16: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 404 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Plaza (5) deck~post 405 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Fiesta (6) deck~post 406 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Promenade (7) deck~post 407 Ensenada~March 16: DaVinci dinner~post 408 Ensenada~March 16: wrap up & random thoughts~post 409 Return Home~March 17: one last morning on the Crown~post 412

hopefully you will have Alaska photos & such to share this fall...

thank you for sharing your cruise & for my new favorite word of the day "nincompoopery." Hope the food improves & you have a wonderful rest of your trip