travelin.sisters

I say A123, but they often respond Aloha 123?

Wrap Up & Random Thoughts Nothing much left to say. Finally got in touch with room service to switch out the minibar. Seas are settling down, they were never really rough (in my opinion) but a fair amount of side to side rocking. It has been a nice first sea day, lots of nice people to meet & chat with, but mostly it’s been a lazy day at sea…it is strange to be so slow getting everything sorted (a lot of stuff going into this cruise, weren’t even sure a few weeks ago if we would have to cancel so starting out rather tired), but we have a lot more days to go…until tomorrow…Aloha & Mahalo for joining on this journey. 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 DaVinci Dinner Time to go to our (now later) dinner reservation. The line for people with reservations was very long again & for people without they were taking them to other MDRs. Tonight, our table was ready when we got to our turn in line & they told us the next night we could just go in when we arrived. Finally, this seemed to be working the way we have come to expect. Starters: scallop & shrimp cocktail, pineapple with candied something, beef satay…these were all good, although the candied pineapple was quite different than on other ships. Soup/salad: shrimp bisque with sweet potatoes, french onion soup, caesar salad w/lots of anchovies…the french onion soup & the caesar salad are there normal reliable sleeves…the kale & chickpea croutons on the caesar salad have been included as options you can request. Entrees: island spiced jerk chicken with rice & red beans, San Francisco style cioppino, roasted lamb shank…the cioppino & lamb shank were delicious, but the jerk chicken was really bland except for the one fired pepper which was mild on the first bite & mouth burning on the second Dessert: pineapple brulee, semi frozen banana toffee parfait, warm chocolate fudge cookie…they were all just ok 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 Lunch & a (Mostly) Lazy Afternoon Since there was not a lot of time between the end of the meet & greet & afternoon ‘ukulele class, we decided to go to the International Cafe again for lunch. We don’t very often go to the MDR for lunch as it just takes too long, but since they show them to us the night before I will share them with you (on some ships when you have allergies or other dietary issues, they have you pre-order both lunch & dinner the evening before, or others it is just dinner). The International Cafe had the same selection of sandwiches as the day before but no seating. BIL, Baby Brother Stanley Bear & I found a planter to sit on to eat & my sissy took hers back to the room. Some things that are different about the Crown’s International Cafe are that they don’t heat your sandwiches or offer to (I think they will if you ask), there is no soup & there are no salads just sandwiches. Next stop Tiki Dave’s ukulele class. I have taken quite a few music classes on cruise ships & Tiki Dave is by far the best. He is the only one who has made me feel like I could continue playing after the cruise (sadly, I never have as there are so many other things I want to do). In comparison, one instructor made me cry & I took my free harmonica & never came back after the first class. The Crown has about 70 ‘ukuleles to loan out & by the end of the class there was only one left. BIL had kindly loaned me one of his, so I did not have to worry about getting one. I don’t know why they do not put this class in a bigger venue as it is quite crowded in the Wheelhouse Bar with all the ‘ukuleles, players & people who come to enjoy. After ‘ukulele I contemplated going to hula, but between the wet SoCal weather before we left, crocheting & ‘uke playing I thought my aching joints were done for the day. If I had known that the enrichment lectures would not be put on the TV later, I would have tried harder to get to some of them (All our cruises last year had the enrichment talks & some of the game shows put on the TV within a day, on the Crown only Tiki Dave’s port talks have been posted). Back in the cabin I finished unpacking the last suitcase & decorating the room. Next a lovely afternoon nap at sea with my fuzzy blanket. 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 Mid-Morning Adventures After breakfast, my sissy & Captain Stanley Bear returned to our cabin & Ruby came with me for the next adventures. One thing I had wanted to do since we cruised this itinerary in 2019, was learn to make a crocheted lei from Leialoha. She does beautiful work & on our last cruise we learned to make straw leis (the bears were wearing them in last night's photo & again in today’s). The crochet ones are more intricate & I was intimidated on that cruise by the fact that I am a really bad crocheter, but this time I am trying. Leialoha is as talented at teaching as Tiki Dave & at one point when I was having trouble remembering to wrap my cord the way that would make my popcorns puffier, she took a photo of me doing it the right way. Next was our CC meet & greet. We had a rather small, quiet roll call so I think there were well under 20 people there but they still brought the Captain & quite a few of the senior staff. The Captain (who even brouht his wife to meet us) said a few words & each person introduced themselves & then many of them stayed around & chatted with us. The Captain & Director of Restaurant Operations especially spent time personally greeting many of us. We also got to meet the people we had been chatting with while planning our cruises. This seems like a good place to put the officer's board. 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 Patter, Weather, Progress & Photo of the Day I know it's now called the Princess Events Listing, but Patter is easier to write & that’s what I think of it as a mini-Patter that now only lists events (which is even more cumbersome to write) so Patter it is for this live. I figure if I put the events, weather, our approximate progress & one photo that is special for the day together it will be easier to direct people to those things later for posts asking what’s the weather like on a 15-day LA-Hawai’i cruise or what were the movies or did they do, were the casinos open, etc? ok, so today's photo of the day is a video...I like watching the ocean (both at home & at sea) 2023-03-03 05.21.30.mp4 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

yes there seem to be fewer crew in a lot of areas...it also seems to be true that with so many having the new drink packages there is a lot more work having to go get those many more drinks...dinners never seem to be shorter than 2 hours anylonger

wow! what a wonderful list, I have enough for this cruise & the next one (which also overnights in Honolulu!)...thank you so much for taking the time to do this!!! I am a not terribly disappointed about Kauai...I am sad for those who are first time visitors, but we have been there before (& probably will be again)...the first time I was on a cruise with missed ports it was very upsetting...we missed 3 on our Panama Canal (1 because an earthquake damaged the harbor & 2 due to tropical storm activity. ..now it is just part of cruising,,,things happen...now if I miss the Polynesian Cultural Center again (it would be the 4th time) I might not be so undesturbed about it

I believe so...I think that is what they said on the wake show

you are so kind!

Sea Day~March 3 Good (Very Early) Morning Although I slept well, between the time change & the extra adrenalin from the last few days & weeks I did not sleep late. I was up around 3am ship’s time & headed down to the International Cafe (where I was not the first). They were just changing out the overnight selection of sandwiches & desserts for the breakfast options. Having been out & about on other ships very early, I was surprised by how many people were up already. I grabbed an early morning croissant (pistachio, my new favorite since they changed the chocolate ones). & quiche…interestingly the only silverware at the IC (at least in the morning) are large spoons & worked on this live. After an hour or so, I went back to check on my sister & we made our way up to see what the buffet had for breakfast, along with the Captain Stanley Bear. The buffet area does seem tight, but they had a decent variety of items. My sister said her fried egg was cold which made it unpleasant. After sitting for a while while the servers at the other end of the room seemed to be visiting with each other, I went & got ice water (the ice machine at that station was broken & they had a tub of ice). Since the Crown is so recently out of dry dock, I was surprised to see a window covered with what looked like plastic film or tape. It does seem as if a lot of things still need some repair. 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

perhaps more people in CC are rating compared to what we have been used to in the past & there are definitely things that are not as good whereas more people from general travel sites are newer to cruising & rating compared to other kinds of travel? but that's just a guess...

mattresses in our room are fine...I am pretty sure they are the newer mattresses but not brand new... so far, the ac has been fine (BIL has been able to make his room warm enough & I have been able to make ours cool enough but its only in the 70s so far) but if there are problems as it gets hotter I will put them in the live we have only done one lunch in the buffet & a few breakfasts...my sister had cold fried egg on the first day (which she found nasty) lunch we mostly had salad & sandwiches so not an issue, again if issues turn up will post them...I do seem to remember some people have mentioned cold food from the buffet on this cruise reservations in the MDR have been challenging...will post details as I get to them, but they do not seem to quite have it figured out & I am not sure why sorry not very good answers yet...maybe as we go

Captain just announced that we will not be able to dock at Nawiliwili, Kauai...we will stay overnight in Honolulu....details when I get to today & followiing in the live.

finally warm enough to hang out on the balcony

ready for formal night

I went like 50 years ago & have been wanting to go every Hawai'i cruise we have taken but this is the first time we are here when it has been open

we are!!!!! the first day I was sad when the in room weather was rain on all the islands we were visiting...today it looks like it will be dry & sunny for Honolulu at least & the Polynesian Cultural Center...was not looking forward to doing that in all day rain...hope the floods do not cause a lot of damage

I plan on finishing the photo exploration of the lower decks on the way back, so if I don't find out before then I will ask...you can also ask someone as you get on where muster station A is or check on the medallion screens & they will give directions.

Embarkation Day~March 2 Wrap Up & Random Thoughts Sometime after everyone was onboard around 5pm, the Captain announced that we would be leaving the port of Los Angeles once they finished fueling about 7pm. In the dining room we could feel the ship’s engines start up a little after 7 & started moving away from the pier about 7:30. We were able to watch the lights ashore as we passed through the harbor & out to sea. This was a different experience than the usual daylight sail away. As we left the dining room it was so nice to hear @Elua performing Island Style in the Piazza. Between dinner with island touches, the ship finally moving & listening to Tiki Dave & Leialoha, it definitely felt like the vacation was underway! Back in our rooms, Charlie our cabin steward had been in for nightly turn down (while I was happy for them not to do this during the height of covid restrictions, it is nice to have fresh ice & a little straightening in the evening…I don’t miss the chocolates I never knew what to do with, though). The next day he told me he was afraid to move the bears that I had left on my pillows so he didn’t do anything with them. I laughed & said it was fine, but they wouldn’t bite. Before going to bed I got everyone connected to the internet. A 4-device plan works great for the 3 of us (by the way, I have been pleasantly surprised by how good my connection has been sailing across to Hawai'i...our last cruise, a Mexican Riviera, I couldn't even get my photos to download from my phone to my computer & it sometimes took hours of clicking & reclicking to get anything to post on Cruise Critic). Then I did a little decorating in the cabin, turned the clocks back & hoped for a good night’s sleep to the gentle rocking of the ship. Speaking of gentle rocking I thought the first 2 days sailing (actually all the sailing so far) was really gentle for the Hawai'i crossing so I was surprised over the next few days how many experienced cruisers had trouble with motion sickness & thought it was very rough! Overall thoughts as embarkation day ends: have I mentioned how much I like the new muster protocol...checking in at your station & watching the video on your own are so very much better than squeezing into your station with (or later without) your life vest to listen to it...and even more of an improvement over lining up outside on the deck & practicing putting your vest on (before you tell me that Princess never did outdoor, on the deck muster drills...they did at least once on the Ruby Princess in 2015 & I have a photo to prove it) the Crown is a little dated, lacking a bit of polish, but she seems comfortable & ready to take us where we need to go, the crew is pleasant but seems a little stressed & overworked (not unexpected considering the past couple of days they have experienced) the sounds of Hawai’ian music in the hallways & from the Piazza remind us that whatever else is not perfect, we are on our way to Hawai’i!!! Aloha 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

As @Ken the cruiserhas said try to book on the app before you sail. How well getting the same table every day works, really depends on the ship anymore...the head waiter (who I think is now called the assistant resturant manager) will review any necesssary meal modifications & help you preorder for the next day. You might stop by the MDR shortly after boarding & ask to speak to a manager & explain your situation & see if the system has actually given what you have requested (or just wait until) dinner & try to work it out then. The Medallion app is ok, parts are easier than others but you can put it on just one phone, or honestly sail without ever using it.

Today I am up very early, 4am-ish, due to time changes & no one was at the CS desk, so I stopped by to see if they do actually change out the shower heads, the very nice lady said, oh yes they do that... Even though I said we would be OK without it, she put in the request for the room division to change it out...we will see how long that takes.

I did not use a flash, my current phone somehow turns the flash setting to off every time I close the app & I pretty much don't remember to switch it unless it's really dark Sometimes if it's just one or two pix I will post straight from my phone

I don't really do bars, so won't have those menus to post..but if you are looking for them but @arctickitty is posting them on her wonderful live from the cruise before this one