hermajestylanie

Thanks for pointing out the misspelling- I will try to correct it! Hope you have a lot of fun with Aina- they were really great.

As for the pictures, I just used manual mode on my Cannon SX210. I'm not a photographer by any stretch of the imagination. Sometimes I had to take the picture a couple times because I had the wrong angle or the flash was too bright and had the white of the plate bounced back, but it didnt happen too much. The camera was great! Our last camera, not aso much.

Have a wonderful vacation!

Lanie,

 

Thanks so much for your very thorough review! My wife and I are experienced Princess cruisers that are booked on the Golden Princess Nov 23 sailing.

 

I particularly enjoyed your comments on the 'Aina tour in Hilo. I've been in contact with Gil and I'm working out details for a trip for us. BTW, you misspelled their name in post 313 (ania rather than aina); perhaps this can be edited.

 

I was very impressed with your food photography. I often attempt it but have been frustrated. Without a flash the picture looks too dark. But the flash bouncing off of the white plate tends to wash out my pictures. Are you using manual mode or doing exposure correction?

 

We are also in CA, in Saratoga near San Jose. Thanks again, Bob

You will just have to do the SFO to Alaska

Ha! Well I certainly have been reading the posts on Alaska... and have been drooling over them!

AMAZING review! Wow you guys totally remind me of my fiance and I and I am completely OCD about taking photos of everything and documenting our trip - I wrote a huge blog about our travels on our last cruise. You should totally get one of those photo books made - it is also a good way to relive your cruise by sorting out how the photo book will look and the positioning of the photos!

 

It looks like you had an amazing time and it makes me want to take a cruise to Hawaii now!!!! (not as though I would need much convincing to begin with LOL!)

Wow! I just checked out your blog and it is fantastic! That is a great way to document your vacations. Next up Hawaii! Right?

We totally did one of those photo books- they really turn out great and are a fun project to hold on to that last vacation!

Wow this was a great thread, loved the pictures and stories, although (as stated above) I feel like I've put on 10 lbs just reading. I'm going on my first cruise out of SFO in August (10 day Alaskan on Sea Princess - I agree with other poster can you do a quick trip and write up another great review about Sea Princess:D). I'm going to relax and get away from it all, just hope to have half as much fun as you and your husband. BTW, was your husband sporting a Weimaraner tshirt in some of the photos? Have owned the breed for 13 years now, love them.

Ohh, SFO to Alaska! Very nice. Have a ton of fun! Yes, that was a Weim shirt (I got it fo rhis birthday). We have a 4 year old Weim, and a 4 year old Yorkie too! The little one (he is 5 lbs.) sleeps on her back, curled in a ball (she is 75 lbs.). I have found that people wither love the Weims or hate them. They certainly are high energy. Hope your doggies don't miss you too much while you are gone. Husband says he wishes we were allowed to being dogs on the ship, but I think that would be awful!

Just found your review last night. Have only made it to page 6, but am loving your descriptions and your pics. I also take pictures of food, but forget to take a pic of the menu so I look at the pics and can't remember what I ate:D

 

We were planning to take a land trip to Hawaii, but air fair has gone up tremendously so I started checking out cruises, and found your review. Thanks so much for all the time you have put into it.:D:D

No problem- it was fun to do! I always forget what the dishes are called, so taking a pic of the menu is the first thing I do. Sometimes I forget to take a picture of the food becasue I am so excited when it gets there!

Isn't airfare crazy? We have been sticking to CA ports so we can drive to them, it really makes cruising economical. Good luck on planning your vacation and have a great time!

I did the Hawaii March 16 and have been feeling sad since I have no future cruise scheduled right now. :( Nice to re-live it though! Those Ukulele classes were a blast, right?

Thanks for the posting!

Question:

 

Did you notice if the sanctuary was full or not? Thank you

Sorry, I didn't go in there at all. Just went by it once as I was looking for shuffleboard... it didn't look crowded even though it was nice and sunny.

Anyone else have experience with April cruising from LA to Hawaii ? A bit nervous about the rough seas

It is mainly just the first couple of days. I researched this on these boards and that is basically what everyone says- the first couple are rough, but it gets better. Husband tends to get just a little seasick and he was fine after the first day without any drugs. But there were a lot of people wearing the little patches the entire trip.

Whoop! Forgot the picture I was going to post above. It is not cruise related, but it is so good I thought it needed to be posted. Ah, still dreaming of those delicious Princess cookies. They were so nice, just to walk by the the IC and grab some. Mmmm.

:rolleyes: The Girl From Yorba Linda Goes Cruising.

 

Tall and tan

And young and lovely

The girl...

 

Oh, wait..

That was, 'The Girl From Ipanema'

I'm sorry, I got carried away.

 

Lanie, your cruise review was absolutely the best I have ever read!

You are a gifted writer who takes us all along on your terrific

cruise adventures and shore excursions. I feel as though I know

you and 'husband', who likes to be the center of attentions. LOL.

 

You and husband make a lovely couple! I can understand that you

both entertain your dinner table companions as well as those who

are with you at trivia. Because you entertain all who of us read this review.

Your pictures enhance the whole cruise experience. You have both

had some marvelous meals and those desert photos make me hungry.

However, I have to admit that I'm a little sad knowing that you are

almost finished with your cruise review. It has been one of the

highlights of my day for the past several days.

I hope you are prepared for those inevitable cruise withdrawals

once you return home to your usual lifestyle. The best cure is to

book another cruise as soon as posible.

Now, back to reading the rest of your wonderful review.

Thank you! I have been much entertained by the reviews I have read on this forum, I wanted to give back! There are some pretty good ones going on right now. A very fun one over in Carnival "B2B on the Dream," the writer is a hoot!

Yes, the withdrawals are still present! I almost impulsivley booked a transatlantic for May because it was soooo cheap! But airfare.... I have heard that the coastals and the little 3 or 4 days out of LA are nice to tide one over and i noticed you have a couple coastals scheduled in your signature. Have a blast!

I must compliment you' date=' Lanie, on your food choices. I am a WeightWatchers Lifetime member, but have gotten away from the plan. Just yesterday, I went back bc I have gone 6# over my goal weight and I have an important wedding to go to in May 2011. I see you eat high-fiber and low fat. I also like how you make allowances for sweet deserts since you are cruising. LOL

 

I'm a die-hard RCI cheerleader and just couldn't imagine what everyone raves about with the other lines. After looking at your pic and reading your review, I now know why!! Wow.

 

Also, the DH and I are booked on POA with NCL for a Dec Hawaii cruise. It is sooo POC loaded. I used to think, why would anyone want that many sea days when going to HI. Now I know. If ever I get to go to HI again, I'll go with a line that has more sea days just to relax some and not get worn out. Thanks for taking the time to write the review. Just love your foodie pics.[/quote']

 

Thanks!

 

I try to eat well, but lately have fallen off the wagon too! I didn't do so bad on the cruise, but I have been totally binge eating since getting back. For example, I made these little goodies:

 

 

 

 

That's right. It is an oreo cooked baked inside a chocolate chip cookie. A double stuffed oreo. Bad self. Bad. But now I have a request from the PD to make some for the department. So I have to make more. Right? And taste them.

 

6 is not too bad at all, I am sure you will have that off in no time and look fab for the wedding! And your upcoming cruise! I know many people fly over to Hawaii to cruise form there because it is more port intensive, and I really like getting off for the ports too. But, yes, the sea days are really relaxing! I found it a bit hard on this cruise that the ports were all right in a row! it was a bit exhausting, i like to have sea day breaks in between if I can get them, but this worked out well with the sea days before and after so we could relax. It just depends what you are going for!

 

Have a great time on your cruise!!

 

 

 

Lanie thought you might like to follow along with this thread: It is a world cruise, I thought it would be fun to follow along. It is on Holland but it would be exciting to read: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1327543

 

Ooohh! That one looks fun! I know what is going to be in my dreams for the next week! Thanks for the link.

 

:rolleyes: The Girl From Yorba Linda Goes Cruising.

 

Tall and tan

And young and lovely

The girl...

 

Oh, wait..

That was, 'The Girl From Ipanema'

I'm sorry, I got carried away.

 

Lanie, your cruise review was absolutely the best I have ever read!

You are a gifted writer who takes us all along on your terrific

cruise adventures and shore excursions. I feel as though I know

you and 'husband', who likes to be the center of attentions. LOL.

 

You and husband make a lovely couple! I can understand that you

both entertain your dinner table companions as well as those who

are with you at trivia. Because you entertain all who of us read this review.

Your pictures enhance the whole cruise experience. You have both

had some marvelous meals and those desert photos make me hungry.

However, I have to admit that I'm a little sad knowing that you are

almost finished with your cruise review. It has been one of the

highlights of my day for the past several days.

I hope you are prepared for those inevitable cruise withdrawals

once you return home to your usual lifestyle. The best cure is to

book another cruise as soon as posible.

Now, back to reading the rest of your wonderful review.

Lanie,

 

Thanks for the quick response! I've already found it...looks like PINK for me! We are very excited about our Belize trip in June! Actually, next March, we are going on a cruise on the Norwegian Spirit and will be visiting Belize on that cruise along with Costa Maya, Roatan and Cozumel. We will get a sneak peak of Belize in June prior to our cruise. We are flying to Belize with another couple. We will have lots of excursions planned. We are staying on a private beach and will have lots of time for snorkling....CAN'T WAIT! This will be our first cruise with Norwegian and are kind of hesitant since our first 2 cruises were with Princess and we absolutely loved them both. First was on the Golden to Alaska and the 2nd was on the Sapphire to the Mexican Riviera.

 

I saw that you are considering either Alaska or the Panama Canal cruise. We did Alaska in June 2010 and words cannot describe the vast beauty of this state. If you can, do Alaska! It was a trip of a lifetime and we'll never forget it! I know I don't have to say that you'll take LOTS of pictures...the scenery is epic and gorgeous!

Well you haave a lot of great snorkeling ahead of you! I hear Roatan is great for that as well! Have so much fun!!!

Yes, we are considering Alaska- it seemed as if everyone on our Hawaii cruise had been there and had nothing but amazing things to say about it. Plus some review I saw were fantastic as well and the pictures I saw took my breath away! So, here's hoping!

thanks for the review! we are doing the same cruise with disney next april....very informative...i also looked up the tour company you mentioned in hilo, it looks great, I am gonna get in touch with them :) thanks!

Oh, Disney! I hear cruises with them are wonderful! Hope you have a great time! Yes, our tour was fantastic! Our tour operator was soooo nice, accomodating, and thought of everything. And the group was small, which seems to give you more time becasue you don't have to wait for tons of people. I don't think you wil be disappointed.

Happy cruising!

Lanie,

 

Wow, WOW and Double Wow! What a review! Hats off to you girl because I do NOT have the perseverance to write such a detailed review...but I sure as heck enjoyed it! And, yes, I like !!!!! too! LOL! Oh, and it took me about 3 or so hours to read it, but like a good book, I couldn't stop!

 

I have one question for you:

 

Where did you get your snorkle gear in the tote bag? We are flying to Belize in June and your set-up sounds like exactly what I'm looking for!

Aw, thank you! It's not really the perserverance, it's mostly that I am not working and I have nothing to do! (Although I finally found a job to apply for, cross your fingers for me!)

So, I got the gear just from Amazon. The brand is U.S. Divers (just enter US Divers Diva Snorkle Set into the search box for the women's and US Divers Admiral Snorkle Set for the men's), and they come in different colors, sizes, and for men/women. I think mine ended up being more expensive than husband's, but they were very reasonable. I LOVE the short fins, they are wonderful, and the snorkle really does keep the water out. If you can't find them, let me know and I can send you the link. Here is my email: hermajestylanie@yahoo.com.

Ah, Belize! I am so jealous! I hear the snorkeling is wonderful there!! Have a great time. Hope the gear works for you.

Very strange. We were on the Sapphire in December and got the cheese "dish" with the fettucine 2x (my DD adored it so had to have it another time). I think even the menu stated that it came in the special dish. :confused:

 

Shouldn't be hard, right? We'll find out next month since we'll be on both ships. That and the chocolate Love Boat Dream are my favorite things of all time on the menu with Princess (although the fresh fish in Alaska is hard to beat too).

 

Katherine

Must just be me then! I never saw it on the menu though.

Fresh fish in Alaska? Do they have different menus for the Alaska cruise? Or is it just fresher ingredients?

Thoroughly enjoying reading your review.

Thanks!

LOL! I can relate. My DH is a cop too, and we always take his picture in front of police stations wherever we travel. :)

Such a pain, right? :D He also bought a Hawaii PD shirt!

Haven't been on Princess since 2004--glad to see they still have this dish! I love, love, love cheese, and this was perhaps the best fettucine alfredo dish I had ever had. Did I mention that I love cheese?:)

Yes, but you REALLY have to ask for it (or at least from my experience). We only got it the second time we asked, after explaining it to the waiter. Has it always been like that, or was it easy to get before? I only knew about it from reading reviews on CC. And, you are right. It was delicious! I heart cheese too! Yum!

The jam in a Sacher Torte is not peach, it is apricot. The dessert was created many years ago in Vienna. The cake tends to be a bit dry by present day taste.

You are right, it was apricot! As I was editing, I tried to remember which it was. Knew I could find it online, but didn't really feel the need to look it up. Oh well! I am sure there is a fan base out there; but as I said before, I am a chocolate purist! And I didn't know what it was from the menu description, so when the waiter merely said chocolate cake, I was expecting something else! Live and learn. The fudge cake, however, is exquisite. :D

Melanie,

 

How wonderful you are considering Alaska for your next Princess adventure! Hopefully you and husband got future cruise credits (FCC) while onboard to take advantage of reduced deposit and onboard credit. If not, you can always get one when you cruise again.

 

We have so enjoyed your Hawaii adventure and reminded us of ours just a few short months ago in Dec. The cruise to Hawaii is always on our short list along with Alaska being West-coasters. Alaska has a plethora of hiking, kayaking, ziplining, fishing, dogsledding, etc. Just so you know, many times a 7 day cruise doesn't give you enough time. Do consider if your budget can allow it to do a back-to-back.

 

We hope to meet you on the high seas sometime in the near future. You and husband are true cruisers.

 

:)Nora

If by true cruisers you mean completely and utterly addicted, then yes. Yes we are. Alaska looks so beautiful. I just read a review that showed pictures of the people holding little baby sled dogs! So cute!

Is it nice to be close to ports that take off to both Hawaii and Alaska, isn't it?

Thanks for reading and happy cruising!

I am so glad I found your ever-so-helpful info that you have posted. You have helped us bunches on what to expect on the Golden [leaving on April 13th to Hawaii] but I was hoping you could answer some questions about the Movies Under The Stars. Are there two movie sessions per day, afternoon and evening? Is it around the main pool or is it on an upper deck? Are people still swimming during the shows and does it interfere? What about if it is raining? Do they show any movies at an indoor theater? Any info you can pass on will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sammy333 of Ohio

I am glad you found it helpful! Generally they played movies on MUTS a few times a day. Ther newer movies were shown at nighttime, at around 7pm and 10pm. They also showed movies on MUTS at around 9am, 12:30, and 2:30pm (different movies). On occasion there were people swimming in the pool in the evenings, but mostly people were in the hot tub. We were not bothered by this at at, as sometimes it was us in the hot tub! They play it loud enough that you can still hear it in the afternoons when people are louder and swimming. The MUTS is outside, so when it rains you will get wet. You can still watch the movies from beneath the overhang off to the side or in the back. We did this once when the chairs were sopping wet. There were also movies shown in the inside Princess theatre at around 3pm everyday.

It was pretty dang cold out at night when we were sailing, I hope it is warmer for you! They do have little blankets, but most the time they do not put them out and you have to search for the rack. They will also (sometimes) bring around free popcorn, but you can also go get it at the ice cream place.

Hope this helps! Have a blast!

:D Thanks for this awesome photo review! We were on this cruise too, even took a pic or two of you guys with your camera. It was fun getting to see some that we missed out on. Sadly, we were two of the people in the elevator that dropped several levels (like a bad car-wreck) less than half-way through the cruise. That's why so many were shut off or being worked on all the time. We were told to keep it quiet. Although heavily medicated at times, we tried to make the best of it and to have as much fun as possible.

 

I think a few of the elderly ladies in the elevator with us were probably hurt far worse than we were. It was to be a dream cruise for us too. No one could imagine the things those of us in the elevator incident were put through during and after the incident and will likely continue to deal with for some time.

 

Still, I'm not scared off of cruises nor elevators! I know the next one will be awesome! I just wish Princess could give this one back since we pretty much had to miss it due to their malfunctioning rogue elevator. In spite of our agony, there has been no follow-up yet. We paid for something we did not get and came home with pain, sadness and disappointment. It took five days of interviews, interrogations, meetings and paperwork before even one Princess staff member said a kind word to any of us after the ordeal.

 

I look forward to what they will have to say, if anything. I am glad to see the pics you posted and all of the fun things that went on! It was a cruise to remember in so many ways! I was the least injured so I got around more and did things, but would love to have felt like myself! I got to live it out through your pics! Thanks! :p

Wow! Well thanks for taking our picture!

I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to you and the aftermath as well. I do hope they will do something for you to help make up for that. Please keep us posted if possible!

Your shots are great...we went to some of the same places... I loved Akaka Falls and I think Hawaii has the most beautiful waterfalls. Where were all the turtles?

Thanks! We were lucky enough to see all the turtles when we went to Punaluu balck sand beach on the big island of Hawaii. I was stunned to see so many, it was pretty great! There were literally dozens that we could see in the surf as well, though it looked pretty rough out there. I believe I read that in the summer season it calms down a bit and can be a good beach for swimming.

Whew! I finally did it. My computer kept timing out, which is why I thought I wouldn't have these up for a couple of days, but it did work. For those who are interested, below is the link to just about all the pictures I took on the cruise. There are a lot, as it would have taken a lot more time to keep deleting the bad ones. And they are kind of out of order due to my poor uploading skills.

http://s1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff506/hermajestylanie/Hawaiian%20Princess%20Cruise%202011/

I LOVED our Hawaiian cruise and I want to see all your pictures. Please do post a link to them.

Will do! Should have them ready in a couple days. The uploading process just takes forever!

The only way is to start planning the next one!

 

I loved your review. And I am sure if I would go back through all your entries, I would find the answer to my question ------ but - we leave next week and I am trying to pack, etc.

 

How many formal nights were there? 2 or 3?

 

Thanks -

 

Mary Lou

Oh, no problem. It would be too hard to sift thru my ramblings anyways! There were three formal nights. The first was the First Friday at sea, the the second was the next Friday, which is the day after Maui, then the thrid was Monday, which is the day before Ensenada.

Have a fantastic time!

ROFL! So true. I felt the same way. :D

 

Katherine

Well, this may be an option to save money on vacations!

Missing your postings:) Let us know if you post more of your pictures on flicker ! We are now thinking either Alaska again or the Coastal I would like to do the Coastal because I could do that one next year , I would have to wait 2 years to do Alaska...:( Thank you once again for your review and once again you did a good job.

I am working on getting all of my photos uploaded, so when they are done I will post the link for anyone interested!

I had such a great time on my Hawaiian cruise with you guys! Oh, wait, I wasn't actually on the cruise, was I? Well, thanks to your vivid descriptions and fantastic photos, I sure felt like I was (I even think my skirt's waistband is a little tighter today . . . hmmm, frowning about that!) and so now, I, too, have post-cruise letdown. This was a fantastic review. I've read a lot of reviews on this site and yours definitely stands as one of the best. Thanks for the wonderful read.

Haha! Thanks you! Maybe I could post my post cruise work out log and we can all lose the weight together!! :D

Your review, and Hollybelle's Island Hopping in the Caribbean, are the 2 best reviews I have ever read. The pictures are great, along with the entertaining and informative narration.

 

I'm sad to see the end of your review!:( Now, you just need to plan your next cruise, and report back to us! I highly recommend Alaska (Voyage of the Glaciers cruise on Princess). Be sure to see Glacier Bay, whatever itinerary you choose.

Hollybelle's review was amazing! The pictures are wonderful- very artistic too!

I don't know... there is a possiblity that we will be super impulsive this summer, and you may see another review up here from me... It depends on our schedule and the prices too. I am kind of hoping that we might be able to book a last minute out of SF to Alaska...

Jasperdo,

I enjoyed eveyone one of you pictures as well. Great job!!!

 

We will be on the Golden Princess in November 23, 2011 to Hawaii.

anything else I should know? We did sail on the Golden in 2007 to Mexico.

 

Just wondering if there were some big changes.

 

Mike

I also loved your pictures. You did a fantastic job of capturing the ship- I felt like I was walking down the halls!

From what I understand' date=' a lot of changes when the renovation was done. My one time on the Golden was in December, and before we left, I found some site that had deck plans (besides the one on Princess). These plans were very outdated. Now it has MUTS and the International Cafe as well as the Piazza.

 

On my last day or so, we were sitting in the Horizon (but in the back area -- if you ever can't find available seats in the Horizon, try one of the back areas) and there were servers, but not one asked me if I wanted a drink. Very surprising after the week of just about excellent service.[/quote']

 

We usually ended up sitting at those back tables too and just getting out own utensils and things, or taking our food down with us the the cafe- the Piazza is a nice place to eat!

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed your review too.

 

A comment on the drink servers in the Horizon court: They never used to

have to serve drinks to passengers. ;)It was something Princess started

doing a few years ago on certain ships. Although it's a nice gesture,

I prefer to get my own drinks most of the time, and I do. They don't

care if you get your own. Our buffet stewards were overly efficient,

snatching our plates when we still had one dessert left, or a roll and some

salad left -- a little too eager. LOL

You never saw dirty dishes left for very long, as has been my experience

on all Princess cruises.

 

Can't wait for my cruise on the Golden in 3 months.

 

I must have gone at the peak eating times, becasue there were some tables that were very messy and they were not in any rush to clear them. But as soon as I sat down at a dirty table, someone rushed over to clear it off and wipe it down. Maybe that is the right strategy!

 

It does seem like a nice gesture, and maybe works better at dinner time, but at least for breakfast it is strange and pretty slow!