LawDog61

Captains noon time update: We will arrive in Hilo 2 hours early. We have slowed down from our 15 hour early arrival target. Captain says 2 hours early arrival gives plenty of time for the patient to get to the hospital for a scheduled operation. Maui canceled and marine operations is working on an alternative port. interesting regarding the medical emergency: Two days ago, the captain made an announce from the bridge the ship Dr was requesting assistance from any eye specialist Dr. A big 👍to the Dr who stepped up. They did announce his name and thanked him and said the patient had been stabilized.

Great. I have been doing some streaming. No problems

Prayers for the people of Maui and big island as wildfires rage. Clearly there will be changes to our itinerary, but so far, not a mention from the captain of any changes. We are on a speed up for a 15 hour early arrival in Hilo for a medical emergency.

I am onboard the emerald now, 2 days out of Hilo. The ship and captain are very quiet. Not a word. Yesterday we did speed up for a medical emergency, trying to arrive 15 hours early….but now…who knows.

One follow up thought. First time I thought I needed to be same dinning room, same table every night but you just give them your cabin number when ordering. The next night- can be a different dinning room, you tell the your cabin # and they have your order. It works well.

Agree with Waynetor. You need to pre-order the night before. You will become good friends with the manager, who will bring you next day menus for dinner, and if a sea day…lunch. They will specially prepare meals for you and you may end up eating better than the general population. BTW, the GF bread is really good when toasted. The buffet is a bit more tricky. You need to get hold of a chef (tall white hat) who will show you what is safe. Chiefs are easy to find on the Royal class ships but on the Grand class ships (like Emerald) they are not so visible as I think the kitchen is one deck down. Do NOT take the word of the guy working behind the counter- you need the a chef. A couple of hints ( but always verify). The soups are almost always GF, as is most of the Indian dishes. The International Cafe always has one GF desert also. Breakfast in the buffet is also a bit of a challenge. About the only thing I like that’s safe is bacon and eggs. That Gets a little old after a few days. I am bring some GF cold cereal with me when I board Emerald this Sunday. The do have some good GF muffins for breakfast…… Specialty restrauants will take good care of you. Just be sure to tell them. You need to be proactive and careful, but you will find everyone very willing to help. I actually feel much safer on ship than when I am navigating restrauants on land. I hope this helps and good luck.

WOW! What a fantastic job you are doing on your blog. One of my favorite bloggers on my Favorite ship. Love the Sapphire 😄

So nice to see a RT Alaska from LA on the list😄

Thanks for posting the patters!

The buffet is one of the best. Huge selection. On the Royal class ships we usually skip the MDR.

looking forward to following along as we are on the Aug 5 Hawaii run on the Emerald. We just got off the 7 day coastal and Emerald is a fine ship. Yes, Princess usually doesn’t do summer cruises to Hawaii, in fact I am not seeing anything for 2024.

I think you are right as there is not much activity in Pedro. We are on Emerald out of Pedro in a week, so we will see. Have not heard any problems from Long Beach where Carnival operates, or problems from S.F. Or Seattle, so hopefully cruising not being impacted.

News media is reporting labor unrest among west coast longshoreman as they have been negotiating a contract for some time. Apparently cargo handling is being impacted by job actions. Does anyone know how the cruise port fits in this ? I suspect, but I don’t know, that the cruise terminal have separate contract with the union and may not be effected. Anyone have any first hand knowledge how this might affect Princess operations on the West Coast?

The press is full of reports of labor dispute between longshoreman and port operators. Does anyone know if this is, or will effecting cruise ship operations. I am thinking they may have separate contracts with the cruise terminals distinct from cargo operations.

Yes, and that will be your best bet. Leave for a few hours, let the new people board, get back on close to all-aboard time.

Some random thoughts on Majestic: 1 elevators are the fastest I have ever encountered onboard 2 food in MDR has been great 3 laundry is slow ( this is day 3…..will it arrive today?)

We have not done Catch, but always enjoy Alfredo’s on boarding day, and may go today (Skagway day)

Yes, but you go through U.S. customs before reboarding

Yes, we are scheduled for Sitka on Wednesday

Although scheduled for a 1:30 arrival in Juneau today, we arrived 8:30 a.m. due to a medical emergency. It’s a very nice day here. We are docked out in the boonies, in the industrial area, but it looks like they running shuttles to down town. No other ships in port yet.

I have done some swimming in the pool in the Hollywood Conservatory. Frequently some children in the pool which makes it hard for lap swimming. That said, it’s is a beautiful area, and usually not to crowded. Yes, it replaces the Sanctuary and is free.

Breakfast on port days are the worst, since everyone getting an early start so they can get off the ship. Not so bad on sea days as the crowd spreads out over the morning.

Very calm seas today as we steam North. We passed the Discover heading home about 2 pm today.

Vancouver terminal was a mess today. We had to clear the ship (in transit) by 3:00 and reboard after 4:30. Lines everywhere, ask where to go and get lots of misinformation, signage non-existing or misdirections. Very long line for customs before boarding………I know-first world problems