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An early good morning (0538 ship's time as I start typing this) from the beautiful Sapphire Princess. Today begins our second full day (of four) at sea as we head towards our first Hawaiian port stop of Hilo. I'm in my usual spot in the International Cafe as I type this. I gotta have my Americano every morning for a successful start of the day. Today the seas are noticeably rougher. The Captain came over the PA system yesterday afternoon and mentioned we be feeling the effects of a far off storm starting last night and continuing on through this morning. He was 100% correct. Nothing to worry about for me (I don't get seasick) ut it probably was uncomfortable for some passengers. Last night was our first of three formal nights. Holli and I got dressed up and enjoyed an outstanding dinner in Sabatinis. The meal was out of this world good. I had the Oso Bucco and Holii had a chicken dish. Both meals definetely did not disappoint. My Oso Bucco was simply amazing. They prepare it differently since the last time I had it (probably 2018 on the Star). I could go on and on about it but suffice to say, I was not disappointed. I feel like a dummy for not taking a picture of it and posting it here. If I have it again, which I hope to, I'll definitely take a picture and post it here. A couple of observations about Sabatinis; they have a new wine list and they brought back the position of Wine Sommelier. I am a big fan of Tuscan WInes and the Sommelier was very helpful in assisting me in picking out an outstanding bottle of wine. Later on at breakfast, I'm going to ask our waiter if there the Sommelier position is also present in other dining venues on the ship. I'll also snap a picture of the new wine list and post it on the thread. I have a funny story about getting ready for our evening events. Holli went to the saloon for her hair appointment. As I was escorting her to the salon, I reminded her not to fall victim to the usual sales pitches and end up buying a ton of products. When I picked her up, I noted her stylist had tried something different which looked amazing. I was talking to the stylist (a lovely girl from South Africa) about how impressed I was with her work. Turns out, I was the one who ended up buying the hair care products I warned Holli not to fall victim to😁. After dinner, we just headed back to the cabin for the rest of the evening. The later hour we like to eat many times plays havoc with being able to attend a production show. As far as today's entertainment options go, Are you there God? It's me Margaret" will be shown on MUTS at 1500. The Diamond Strings Duo will perform in the Piazza at 1745 and 1845. Moondance Duo will be in the Wheelhouse from 1815 & 2115. The evening movie on MUTS will be Avitar: The Way of the Water. Vangelis Tzatos (Gitar-Vocals) will be in the Wheelhouse Bar between 1915-2000. The Princess Theater show will be an ABBA tribute with Ashley Rose Smith at 1930 & 2130. Andy Morris will be doing a Beatles tribute in the Piazza at 2015. Januez Bator will be playing the piano in Crooners at 2115 & 2215. Lastly, the ship's band Gravity will be playing in Club Fusion from 2115 onwards. Well that's about all for now. I'll probably check in a little later. Hope all are well.....😊😊😊 Bob

No perk with a suite/loyalty level. It's all about the package you buy or do not buy..... Bob

I didn't pay the delivery charge because I paid for Princess Premier. I was however charged $8.50 when I ordered a pizza (delivered to my stateroom) from the Medallion app. Interesting thing that I was charged sales tax (LA City) for my purchase. The Pizza was ordered about an hour and change after sailaway...... Bob

You are right, my mistake….. Bob

Day one of four en route to Hilo. My happy place….. Bob

Here are the ship's senior officers. Bob

We watched the video in our cabin with no issues..... Bob

A very early good morning (0450) from the Sapphire Princess. Today begins day one of four sea days as we head to Hilo Hawaii. I'm up quite early due to the combined issues of going to bed early and getting an hour back due to the first of three time changes traveling west. So now I'm just sitting in the International Cafe with my trusty Macbook pro an a double shot Americano. One interesting tidbit about the IC is they are no longer offering large cups when you order a hot beverage drink. I asked the barista about this and he told me this all they were getting with their supplies. The above picture is what is available. One side note is I ordered an Americano last night in my cabin and I received a large cup. For dinner last night we decided to stay in the cabin and had some munchies from room service. t was nice to just kickback and enjoy our cabin and absolutely hugh GS balcony. One quick note about our cabin, for those familiar with the Grand Suite. The "Cocoon" like teak wood balcony (off the bedroom) is no more. It's just white metal walls. Obviously not a deal breaker but I just wanted to mention it. Tonight is our first of four formal nights. This afternoon Holli has a hair appointment and I plan to break out my suit to see how wrinkled it got during transportation to the ship. Boy, I sure do miss Cruiselineformalwear and having a tux waiting for me in the cabin when we board. For dining, we are going to do Sabatinis tonight. Today's entertainment offerings are the usual trivia and seminars throughout the morning and early afternoon. "The movie "80 for Brady" is playing on MUTS at 1500. At 1700 the Chargers & Cowboys will be broadcast on MUTS as well. Vangellis Tzatsos (Acoustic guitar/vocals) will be performing in the Wheelhouse at 1915. Bravo is the production show tonight and will be in the Princess theater at 1930 and 2130. The ship's band Gravity will be in the Piazza at 2015. Andy Morris (Piano/Vocals) will be in Crooners at 2100 & 2300. Lastly the evening movie on MUTS will be Ant Man & Wasp Quanturmania at 2100. That's all for now. Hope all are well..... Bob

Disregard

Our sail away has been delayed till at least 1630pst. This was due to a delay in the arrival of a refueling barge to gas U.S. up….. Bob

I jut did a sped test since the Sapphire has the new Starlink system installed. So much for Starlink being the be all end all….. Bob

Good afternoon all from the Sapphire Princess. We’ve been onboard for about an hour and a half. Embarkation was a breeze as it only took about 20 minutes from walking into the terminal to being onboard the ship. When we boarded, we were able to go straight to our cabin. As you can see, we are tied up adjacent to the USS Iowa. It’s a pretty impressive to stand out on the balcony and look at her. We are going to skip going out for dinner tonight. We’ll probably order something delivered as Holli’s back is not cooperating so I want her to rest up. Initial impressions of the Sapphire are quite good. She is aging gracefully. Crew also seems very pleasant. Our sail away is at 1500. Can’t wait for it. I absolutely love sail away out of San Pedro. Thats all for now. Hope all are well….. Bob

About 4 hours…..👍👍👍 Bob

Sapphire Princess arriving..... Bob

Sharon; Thank you for the good thoughts. Nice to see you checking in. Hope you and Bruce are doing well..... Bob

Lol Ann. I think it's more of I'm glad I'm gone from SoCal because of the Friday rush hour traffic.....😁😁😁 Bob

A very early good morning (0421pst) from San Pedro Ca. EMBARKATION day is here. As expected, I didn't get much sleep. I woke up at 0400 and that was it. I absolutely cannot wait for this wonderful cruise vacation to begin. Last night for dinner we dined at the 22nd Street Landing restaurant. Service was excellent. I had a fillet that was outstanding. Holli had the lobster which unfortunately was very tough and chewy. Our waiter apologized and said since Holli had ordered the last lobster they had, the entree would be taken off our bill. We also received complimentary desert with our meal. I consider the issue with Holli's entree a minor hiccup and would still highly recommend the restaurant. I posted menu pictures below so anyone interested could see current offerings along with prices. Sorry about the quality of the pcitures. At 0700 I plan to avail myself of breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After that I'll get Holli up and we will ready ourselves for our 1030 shuttle ride to the port which is a very short distance away from the motel. That's all fr now. Hope all are well..... Bob

Thanks mate….. Bob

Good morning from the Hilton Double Tree in San Pedro Ca. Holli is catching up on her sleep while I’m getting ready to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After breakfast I’m going to walk around the marina and take a bunch of pictures. I was hoping to see the Discovery sail in earlier this morning but alas, I missed it. The Discovery is sailing today on a seven day Mexican Riviera itinerary. Well, that’s all for now. Hope all are well….. Bob PS. First time ever trying Avocado Toast. It was quite tasty…..

Good evening from San Pedro Ca. Holli & I are all settled in at the Doubletree. The drive getting hear was brutal (Once we got on the 91 Fwy). It was a virtual parking lot from the 60 until we got to the 110 fwy. Those of you familiar with So Cal freeways know what I’m talking about.For dinner tonight, we ate in the hotel restaurant. We both enjoyed our respective selections. service was also very good. As far as the Doubletree goes, it’s a nice hotel. We’ve stayed here before (last time was 2018). The rooms are a tad dated but I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again or recommend it to someone looking for a nice pre cruise stay. The one thing they no longer have (post Covid) is room service. Our dinner waiter did tell us there are plans to bring room service back. Not much on tap for tomorrow. I’ll probably get up early and walk around the Marina taking a bunch of pictures. After breakfast, I need to make a CVS run to pick up a prescription that Holli forgot to pack. Our dinner plans will be dining at our favorite local restaurant (22nd Street Landing). That’s all for now as the drive did me in and I’m pretty tired. Hope all are well….. Bob

An early good morning from Northern Arizona. Well as expected, I got very little sleep on kickoff day we don’t leave until 8 o’clock but I am wide awake. I guess I am raring to go to get this party started. I can’t wait to get on the road….. Bob

My mistake re: Maui. We are skipping the island. Bob

Hi Mike. Where are you staying? Do you have any dinner plans for Saturday night? Holli & I are planning to dine at the 22nd Street Landing….. Bob

In Honolulu we have a 3rd party dinner cruise booked. For Kona we are doing a Princess excursion that is a drive/sail combo. Nothing planned for Hilo or Maui. DW has mobility issues and everything offered by Princess was either moderate to strenuous activity….. Bob