Cally717

We'll be taking the 15 day to Hawaii and I was wondering if the menus (we will be on the Star) will have Hawaiian theme. I'm really looking forward to it. :D

We found at least one Hawaiian themed entree each night. Mostly the fish dishes. The one I was most looking forward to was Kalua Pork. Sadly, the day that was the feature, we went to afternoon tea and were still stuffed at dinner time, so I didn’t get to have it.

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I prefer Princess, Yet, you are right. I was looking for a short term from Galveston/Houston or the West Coast this summer.. If your not going to Alaska, which does not intrest me, forget. Carnival and HAL have some so I must consider that.

Alaska didn't interest me either. I'm in Victoria BC, so I thought...we've got water, we've got mountains, we've got trees, seen all of that.....blah to Alaska. But then there was such a good deal on a B2B I couldn't refuse it and so I thought....oh well even if the scenery is boring, it's a cruise!

But to my surprise, Alaska was the most beautiful place I've ever seen and I can't wait until I can go again!

So don't count Alaska out, you may just love it too!

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I haven't booked my trip yet, a few ducks aren't their row yet. But planning to be on the Grand from LA on Dec 19th to Hawaii.

The ship is in Lahaina on Christmas Day, so I'm wondering if shops will be open, and whether tours will be running? Here (Victoria Canada) even though we are a tourist town, NOTHING is open on Dec 25.

So can anyone tell me from past experience, what to expect in Lahaina for Christmas?

Thanks!

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the sapphire. Because she was my first.

Not likely to go on her again now that she's on the other side of the world....

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I have been waiting, deciding on the Dec 19 sailing from LA to Hawaii. Intending to book it as soon as one personal detail is confirmed. I got an email from Princess today telling me about "huge savings" for National Cruise Week Sale....but when I checked on the website, the Dec 4 sailing has gone down by $100, and the Dec 19 sailing has gone UP by $100.

So disappointed. I wasn't expecting the Christmas sailing prices to go down (hoping but not expecting it) but it never occurred to me the price would go UP. I know $100 isn't a big deal in the entire scheme of life, but I'm just a little frustrated.

Are price increases common?

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Aloha Kakou,

 

Leialoha and I have been promising that as soon as we knew our schedule for 2014-15 we would post it here. We just received our confirmed dates this morning so here they are. We thank everyone for their patience. This is how our year looks:

 

Note: These are all Hawaiian cruises, or have Hawai'i figuring prominently in the itinerary with the exception of the Diamond Princess. Also, they only run through the end of November 2015, after that we do not know where we will be.

 

 

 

Grand Princess

 

Nov 19, 2014-Jan 3, 2015 (out of LA)

 

Pacific Princess

 

Jan 7-Jan 29, 2015 (out of Papeete)

 

Grand Princess

 

Feb 2-April 21, 2015 (out of LA BUT these also include the two Vancouver-Vancouver cruises)

 

Star Princess

 

April 29-May 14, 2015 (out of San Francisco)

 

Diamond Princess

 

July 8-August 13, 2015 (out of Japan...these are dates for the Japanese season)

 

Dawn Princess

 

Sep 18-Sep 30, 2015 (out of Sydney)

 

Star Princess

 

Oct 14-Oct 29, 2015 (out of Vancouver)

 

Ruby Princess

 

Nov 15-Nov 30, 2015 (out of LA)

 

 

 

Leialoha and I are very excited about this schedule, as it shakes things up a little bit for us, and lets us cruise out of two ports that we have not done as part of the Hawai'i season. (Vancouver and San Francisco) We hope to see as many of you on board as possible. It's going to be a fantastic year, so if you are on one of our cruises, bring your ukulele, get ready to dance hula with us, come make lei with us and listen to the nahenahe sounds of Hawaiian music. A hui hou!

 

 

 

Aloha No,

 

Dave

 

(of Elua)

 

http://www.facebook.com/eluamusic

Great news! I have nearly convinced my sweetie that we need the Dec 19th Hawaii trip on the Grand. This will make it easier to do the convincing!

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I don't really mind what they make me wear if it means I'm on a cruise.

I'm with you there! :)

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thermal, we did the Kroschel Wildlife center in 2009 when we docked in Haines on a Holland America cruise. It was wonderful. :) Sorry, but I don't know the logistics of getting there from Skagway, but I know Haines isn't that far away.

 

 

 

Maybe contact Steve Kroschel and ask?

 

 

 

http://www.kroschelfilms.com/

 

 

 

his email contact and phone number are at the bottom of the page

I agree, contact Steve Kroschel, he's a lovely man and will tell you if there are independent tours. I did go thru princess last year, and it was my favourite excursion and worth every penny. Too bad, if they are no longer offering it. It could be complicated to arrange it on your own...a 40 minute ferry trip to Haines, then about the same time driving to the Kroschel centre. If you miss the ferry back to meet up with the ship, you're sunk!

Steve Kroschel

Steve and friend

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Obviously, this is discrimination on the basis of pregnancy - whether legal discrimination or not I do not know. There are any number of physical/medical conditions which carry greater risk over a week of travel than a pregnancy less than 4 weeks. Actually, it would be hard to think of a significant condition that would have less risk than a pregnancy of less than 4 weeks. RC does not screen every passenger for their fitness to travel - but for the little questionnaire which is pretty limited.

 

 

 

Why not just require a "fit to travel" doctor's note for every passenger? Just make it a "rule" and apparently lots of people will think it just fine.

I agree completely. Pregnancy is but one possible medical condition any passenger might have. Most ongoing conditions cannot properly be treated on board. A "fit for travel" note for all pax is a good idea.

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Princess also seems to be running a special sale for Southern California residents.

 

Today I received in escargot-mail 9 offers marked "Southern California Resident Special."

 

Not sure why I received this mailing as Southeast Texas is quite distant from Southern California.

Ok, I've heard postal mail called snail mail but escargot mail is a first!

Thanks for the smile!

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We enjoyed our stop in Victoria! We made a stop in Madame Tussauds (is it even there anymore?) while waiting for a walk we had booked. It was fun for a one time thing.

 

We also spent some time at Fisherman's Wharf, stopping in a few shops there and getting some great photos of the Empress Hotel and the Legislative Building.

 

At about dusk, we met a group at the Visitor Centre and went on a Ghost Walk. I can't begin to tell you how fun that was.

 

I would have loved to have had more time in Victoria, but would not hesitate to get off for the short stop again

A Victorian here:

Sadly, Madame Tussaud's is now closed.

I agree, the ghost walks are fascinating if you can connect with one.

I always think it's a shame that some ships are here for such a short stopover. This really is a beautiful city.

I agree with all those who say to just try it, the short walk (or shuttle) to the downtown inner harbour is guaranteed to get you to some lovely sights, and in between the tacky tourist shops we have some very unique shops.

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We enjoyed our stop in Victoria! We made a stop in Madame Tussauds (is it even there anymore?) while waiting for a walk we had booked. It was fun for a one time thing.

 

We also spent some time at Fisherman's Wharf, stopping in a few shops there and getting some great photos of the Empress Hotel and the Legislative Building.

 

At about dusk, we met a group at the Visitor Centre and went on a Ghost Walk. I can't begin to tell you how fun that was.

 

I would have loved to have had more time in Victoria, but would not hesitate to get off for the short stop again

A Victoria here:

Sadly, Madame Tussaud's is now closed.

I agree,the ghost walks are fascinating.

I always think it's a shame that some ships are here for such a short stopover. This really is a beautiful city.

I agree with all those who say to just try it, the short walk (or shuttle) to the downtown inner harbour is guaranteed to get you to some lovely sights.

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This is just my personal opinion having sailed on both ships in the past, my choice would be the Star. That's based strictly on the ship. The Grand has some design flaws in that there is no central staircase, there is less storage in the cabin, and Skywalkers was removed. That said, I would book whichever ship will have ELUA, a husband and wife team that entertains and educates passengers with a Hawaiian experience. I haven't experienced them but from comments here on CC, they're the best.

 

. :)

How can we find out which ship or which trips Elua will be on?

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For Canadians it's a teeny bit cheaper to pre-buy, because almost always you are charged in Cdn dollars. If you buy on the ship, you are charged in US dollars.

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