Good Morning from the PACIFIC PRINCESS

[Hflors]

Todo - thanks for all your postings. Your pictures were wonderful to look at. We will be doing the same cruise in Jan 2011 and I can't wait. Hope you have a great trip home!

 

Again Thanks

 

Helen

[Coral]

Have a safe flight home!

[California Native]

Hi Toto...

We just returned from a little road trip to keep the travel bug under control a bit!!!

The 1st thing I did when I powered up the computer was to read up on your adventures...

Your cruises seemed to fly by!!!!! :eek:

Thank you for sharing it with us and for posting all of the incredible photos!

Your thoughtfulness is appreciated!

K

[rdsqrl]

Thank you for bringing us all with you -- it was great fun! Your posts and photos were wonderful, and inspiring: now I have to add French Polynesia to my ever-growing wish list of cruises! Here's hoping you have a safe and easy trip home.

[kruisey]

Welcome home neighbour and 'Thank you'..........Kruisey:)

[vette]

Toto,

 

Thank you for all of the information you have provided during your wonderful cruise.

 

We only have 4 weeks to wait before we get on the Pac. Princess. The suitcases are coming out and I will start to fill them up.

 

Have a safe trip home.

 

Vette

[SeaMatesNYC]

Toto:

 

Thank you so much for your fun-filled diary! We have read with intense interest as we will be doing the Papeete-Honolulu itinerary on the Royal Princess - Mar. 2011 - I wish we were going sooner, but your descriptions and photos have heightened our anticipation to the Nth degree. We will be in 6088, so I hope the two ships do not share the same plumbing issues!:eek: It would be lovely, though, if the Royal crew is as happy and gracious as those which you have described on the Pacific. Thanks again.

 

Michael

[Clutterlady]

Thanks Toto for allowing us to cruise along with you:) Have a safe trip home!

[ggprincess2004]

Toto,

Welcome home and a big thanks for letting me sail along with you. What a great virtual time I had!!!

Hope you can back to Tahiti within the year......

 

Ginger

[dorothyh]

Hi Toto,

 

I've been thinking about you all day yesterday and today with your "homelessness" and your traveling - have safe travel home and thanks for sharing your cruise with us!

 

And it was so great to meet you and Jim - I hope to see you again on another cruise. I don't think we'll be back in the South Pacific for awhile...but we WILL be back!

[Travelnewby]

Toto,

 

Thanks so much for letting me cruise along with you, what a wonderful time I've had. It was like reading a wonderful novel - I read the last few post very slowly as I didn't want it to end. I'm looking forward the the wonderful photos you'll post. Safe travels home!

 

Barb

[Hflors]

Toto - just thought I would check and see if you had arrived home yet! Please come back and post after you arrive. We are all waiting to hear again from you.

 

Helen

[Toto2Kansas]

Just a quick check in before our final flight from Denver to Kansas City. Almost home, about another 90 minute flight, and then a three hour drive from the airport to our house.

 

I was shocked when we left the ship last night, only one hour from arrival to FAAA until we reached our gate.................amazingly organized compared to last time. The final day actually went quickly onboard as we sat with a group of friends by the pool, chatted and checked the weather predictions for our homes. I was able to have internet access right until until we disembarked the ship since I had purchased the package before our account was closed out onboard.

 

FAAA was like a big party for about an hour as those that left for the earlier flight were still there waiting when we arrived. So we got to say one more final goodbye before they left.

 

ucasino that was now open in port (as I mentioned before). Nice way to leave the ship as I again hit a couple of larger wins to make up once again for those losses while at sea. Nice way to end a cruise with a new stack of money in my purse.

 

 

The ATN flight was pretty good. Only thing was the food was really nasty (IMHO) compared to last time. We were both glad I had a couple of candy bars in my purse for a little something before we went to sleep, with the help of Ambien of coarse. After about 30 minutes, the food was served and we went to sleep and were awoke by the announcement that breakfast was being served and we would be landing within 90 minutes. All and all not a bad flight, and since we are both quite short (to say the least) we had plenty of leg room and space in our two across seating.

 

Well, I better end this for now, our flight is about to board and I am not very good typing with my netbook in my lap.

I will report a little more after I get home and have a good nights sleep, and if there are any questions I can answer, I will give it my best try.

 

Goodbye from Denver International Airport.........on a very rainy, foggy, nasty looking evening outside.

[Seal]

A couple of things I'd love to know--is there a Chef's table -- or a Ship Tour--don't know that I would do them again--but would be great to know--thanks for the info--if you have it.

 

Fly safely and then drive safely home !!

 

Thanks for your postings

 

Nancy:D:D

[ellbon]

Toto

 

thanks for the memories.. bob hope! lucky you at airport. i was so glad i was flying business class that trip. have no clue how you can keep flying. I always stay in LA to rest up more more flights.

[Toto2Kansas]

A couple of things I'd love to know--is there a Chef's table -- or a Ship Tour--don't know that I would do them again--but would be great to know--thanks for the info--if you have it.

 

Fly safely and then drive safely home !!

 

Thanks for your postings

 

Nancy:D:D

 

Arrived home last night about midnight, perfect trip back with all our luggage in tow and flights all on time. I didn't have internet access when I returned and it just came back this AM.

 

As for the chef's table, YES, there were two nights they held the chef's table and each night there were about a dozen passengers in attendance. It was actually held at Sterlings Steakhouse each time.

 

Well, time for me to get busy here before I report any more. The luggage is still in the car, haven't even unloaded it yet, and I need to take care of pressing matters on this end that have gone without attention for over three weeks. I will get back with a bit more information as soon as possible, and hopefully a few more tips for those about to join this lovely cruise. ;)

 

Again, thanks to those that followed along with me for three weeks!

[chamima]

)

 

Again, thanks to those that followed along with me for three weeks!

 

Are you kidding? It's US that have to thank you for taking us (virtually) on a wonderful trip!

[mii]

Toto, glad you arrived home safe and sound. Boy this cruise sure went by fast for you didn't it. I thoroughly enjoyed cruising along with you. Thanks for sharing.

 

Marilyn

[Hflors]

Are you kidding? It's US that have to thank you for taking us (virtually) on a wonderful trip!

 

I agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Helen

[Toto2Kansas]

Finally back online, as it was lost again just after I posted this morning for the rest of the day.

 

Here are a few tips about the final day and trip to the airport.

 

If you are on the first bus for your flight, you won't have a long wait at the airport whatsoever. It took barely an hour to go through the check in process, security (if you can call it that now) and get to our gate. There were 4 or 5 buses for each flight, and those that drew the short straw for the later buses were the ones that had to stand in very long lines for two hours or more to get checked in. If there is anyway possible, try to be on the first or second bus leaving for the airport, it really saves a lot of time standing in long lines outside to check in. Also, they were not weighing individual suitcases, but weighed them all at once. As long as your total weight was under 200 pounds, you were fine. One crew member we knew going home on vacation that we sat with at the airport had only one bag that was way overweight, and he had no problem at all checking his bag without an additional fee. :)

You do claim your luggage right on the pier now and a van follows your bus to the airport, unloads the luggage, and then you are allowed to disembark the bus, and they have porters there that will stack your luggage on a cart for you to go through the line. Much nicer than it has been previously. And they have the snake type lines that are sectioned off now so it is a first in line, first served type of process like you find here in the U.S. at major airports.

DH forgot to take out his bag of liquids (which they said was necessary to do) and they never even stopped him, just sent his carry on through with no problem, and he had a large ziplock bag in there full. I noticed some of those from the UK were using half gallon bags, no problem there either. It was amazing. No taking off your shoes or anything as it is in the U.S.

 

One thing with boarding the plane now, which I was glad to see them doing, but not so happy on how the passengers were behaving with this process. They have always tried to load the plane from the back to the front (as done at most airports). But last visit the passengers stormed the gate (literally) and everyone was trying to board at once and they were allowing it, which made it crazy trying to get through to your seat. This time, when they announced the seat numbers to board, they were only allowing those seats to board and turning others away that had the incorrect numbers. Problem was, they did not go back and sit down as they were instructed, but just stood at the gate blocking the way so you couldn't get through to board. We finally made our way through about 200 plus passengers as we were towards the back of the plane and were told to board. We were in row 40 and saw boarding passes with the first 10 rows blocking the entrance to the gate and refusing to move. It's a real shame that some do not follow instruction at all and make it difficult for everyone else. :(

 

Although there is an entertainment screen in each seat back, we found no movies accessible during the flight. Not a problem as we wanted to sleep, but for those that can't sleep on the plane, it was probably a big problem for 8 hours.

 

Customs in LAX was also a breeze now. What used to take a couple of hours took us only 20 minutes this time. We had a three hour layover, but did use most of it getting to the next terminal for our connecting flight. Long walk after such a flight, but we just piggy backed our luggage and made it in plenty of time to grab some lunch and arrive comfortably early to our gate.

 

OK, time for me to put this thread to rest. If anyone has any questions I can assist with, just let me know. It will probably take weeks to get all the pictures sorted out and put in the correct albums, but I have hundreds of them to go through.

 

I did find that taking the netbook and downloading the pictures to the correct album title sure did help out in keeping them sorted.

 

Time to start looking for that next cruise.............not sure where or when, but I bet cha I can find one soon. ;)

[Toto2Kansas]

Oh, before I forget.

 

For anyone that followed this thread and has a cruise booked to leave in the next couple of months. I have two complete coupon books (they expire December so will only be good up until then) to the first two members that email me at my address attached to my signature (just put 'coupon book' in the subject line please). We didn't use even one coupon out of either of them, so the books are complete. ;)

[Toto2Kansas]

Both coupon books are now spoken for. I hope that the two CC members who responded to my offer enjoy them fully. :)

[Hflors]

Toto - I want to thank you for being so generous with your time in keeping us all here up to date with your wonderful cruise. Because of your posting we are not only going on our original cruise Tahiti to Hawaii, but added the 10 daycruise around Tahiti so we can spend more time in the islands. I am so excited about this cruise. I hope you will come back and update us on anything else that you can think of concerning the cruise

 

Question - In one of your posts you mentioned using Ambian (sp) to sleep on the plane. does it work? Can you buy it in the drug store?

 

Thanks again for sharing your wonderful trip

 

Helen

[Toto2Kansas]

Helen, You will so enjoy doing this cruise as a B2B. With the sea days on the first cruise after visiting Hawaii, it gives you time to relax and really enjoy the ship before hitting those great ports in Tahiti (some even twice on this B2B, which really makes it nice).

 

Ambien works like a dream for both of us. But afraid it is by perscription only. Many we talked to asked their doctor and were given samples to use on the flights, so they didn't even need a perscription, you might check with your MD as that could be an option for you. The one thing different between Ambien (or Lunesta, which is also good) is that they don't seem to have the side effects that over the counter sleep aides do. We tried an OTC med years ago and felt totally drugged up for the rest of the trip home. These on the other hand work within about 15 minutes and you can sleep (even sitting up) and you awake more refreshed.

On that 8 hour flight, I managed about 6 hours of straight sleep, which is fantastic on a plane and really cuts down on all of those hours of doing nothing. And since the flights (most of them) out of Tahiti are late into the night (usually 10 PM and another at 11:30), being tired to begin with doesn't hurt either. ;)

 

If I can think of any other tips, I would be glad to pass them along to you. Or if you have any questions I might be able to answer, just ask and I will try to assist you. ;)

 

You're going to love this cruise, it is absolutely fantastic and I am even playing around in my brain with doing it again in another year or so. For me to consider it again that soon, it had to be one of the very best cruises we have ever done, and it honestly was.

We have done the B2B Hawaii/Tahiti/Hawaii in the past, but this one was even better with so many great ports in Tahiti.

[caribill]

Here are a few tips about the final day and trip to the airport.

 

If you are on the first bus for your flight, you won't have a long wait at the airport whatsoever. It took barely an hour to go through the check in process, security (if you can call it that now) and get to our gate. There were 4 or 5 buses for each flight, and those that drew the short straw for the later buses were the ones that had to stand in very long lines for two hours or more to get checked in. If there is anyway possible, try to be on the first or second bus leaving for the airport, it really saves a lot of time standing in long lines outside to check in.

 

It was amazing. No taking off your shoes or anything as it is in the U.S.

 

 

I suggest just take a cab to the airport, leaving just before the Princess bussses start to load. Less hassle, less cost, and no wait at all at the airport once checkin is allowed.

 

Also no need to take off your shoes in South America, Canada, most of Europe.