Golden Hawaii 11/24-12/8/10

[Astro Flyer]

After 25 cruises since 1986 with NCL, Sitmar, Costa, RCI, Carnival & 16 of those on Princess (200 days), I’m going to write my 1st review.

 

We enjoyed our mid-ship Caribe deck BA balcony cabin with the larger, partially covered balcony.

 

Our 3rd Princess cruise to Hawaii was definitely the best one yet with previous ones being very generic with no real Hawaiian feel. I believe the musical group Elua (Leialoha & Dave) had a lot to do with the improvements & they were the hardest working crew members onboard. Sometimes they’d even split up to do two events at once…great job! Elua performed Hawaiian music around the ship & were outstanding…we purchased all of their CDs to enjoy at home.

 

Embarkation: My wife dropped me & our luggage off at 10:00 then returned to the Doubletree Hotel for our free parking after our overnight stay. The free shuttle from the hotel was very busy so she didn’t get back until 12:45 while I checked in at 10:45 & was onboard at 11:45. Security scanners are now before the waiting area & they give you a group number to avoid a stampede at boarding.

 

Our smiling cabin steward Marco greeted us & everything was perfect in our cabin. We ate in the dining room (open noon until 1:30) & attended the muster drill in the casino. They’re still testing the handheld cruise card scanners so they wouldn’t know if anyone was missing.

 

Dining: We had late dining (8:00) in Canaletto & enjoyed our tablemates, waiters & meals. On most sea days they had fine themed lunch buffets at the Calypso pool & several times they had the enjoyable Pub Lunch in the Crown Grill. Whenever I went to the Horizon Court for breakfast they always had made to order omelets & a waffle station.

 

Our 4th Chef’s Table was the best one yet thanks to Executive Chef Jeremy Snowden & Maitre d’ Elia Tinonin. Our 1st Ultimate Balcony Dinner in Honolulu was great…service, food & ambiance…and the $100 per couple steak & lobster dinner was as good as the Crown Grill. It included half a bottle of champagne, two cocktails, photo & 3 long stemmed roses…nearly $100 of extras for only $50 more than the Crown Grill. The $32 Champagne Breakfast was for the cost of the half bottle of champagne so the breakfast portion (pastries, smoked salmon, fruit, quiche & drinks) was essentially free. The UBD is served in courses however the Champagne Breakfast is delivered all at once.

 

The International Café was a great place to eat, drink & to watch the Piazza performers. Pizza, grilled sandwiches & soft served ice cream on Lido deck were also enjoyable.

 

For the 1st time we used our Elite perk to have Afternoon Tea in our cabin which we enjoyed with plenty to eat with our tea. Later in the cruise we received complementary chocolate coated strawberries from the room service staff.

 

During the Grapevine Wine Tasting it was mentioned that they were giving discounts for wine purchases during the cruise: 3 bottles (5%); 7 bottles (10%); 10 bottles (15%).

 

With 186 days we didn’t make the cut for the Most Traveled event this time because with 216 Elite’s onboard the cutoff was nearly 300 days!

 

Entertainment: We enjoyed the production shows including the new British Invasion show but didn’t attend other shows; movie selections on TV & MUTS were recent ones. Football was dependent on what ESPN International was showing & included Fox, CBS & NBC pro games but only one ESPN college game. SNF & MNF games were shown on MUTS & TV so there were enough games for most football fans.

 

Staff: Everyone we dealt with onboard was very pleasant & helpful and a special thanks to Ana (Captain’s Circle rep) who helped us with a request. They said that in the cruise industry there’s a 30% turnover rate in employees but only 5% for Princess.

 

Ports: We rented cars in Hilo & Kauai to easily tour independently. In Honolulu, we walked two blocks from the Aloha Tower pier to take The Bus ($2.50/pp) to Pearl Harbor. We arrived after 10:15 & were surprised to get the tender to the USS Arizona Memorial at 10:45. However we were there during a very slow time for tourism & probably not the norm to have such a short wait. The renovated visitor’s center was a big improvement but they strictly enforce their small bags policy (there’s a $3 bag storage facility near the entrance). All paid tickets (Missouri, Bowfin and Pacific Aviation) are only sold at the Arizona’s visitor center & we enjoyed our tour of the USS Missouri. In Lahaina we walked the shops along Front Street & ate at Da Kitchen (our favorite Hawaiian “plate lunch” meal) in the Wharf Cinema Center a block from the tender pier. Behind the Center is a $1 shuttle to Ka’anapali Beach’s Whaler’s Village for anyone who wants to have a fun day at the beach with many shops, restaurants & a free whaling museum.

 

Disembarkation: We requested late disembarkation & were surprised that it was 10:30 & to vacate cabins an hour later than usual at 9:00. Maybe it’s only for this 2 week cruise on Hawaiian-time! We waited in the dining room for Platinum/Elite members & smoothly departed the ship at 9:45.

 

Summary: Once again, Princess provided us with another exceptional cruise & during our cruise we had our TA book the Sapphire’s Wine Country Coastal cruise in May before our Crown Princess’ New England/Canada cruise in October.

 

Princess recently implemented a Military Onboard Credit Program which has a very generous benefit which earned me a $250 OBC. Most US & Canadian vets qualify for this benefit as long as they served a minimum of 2 years (or 6 months in a combat zone), are on active duty or are retired military.

 

Here’s a link for more info: http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na1130

[lvhh]

Thanks for the report. sounds wonderful.

[zukecruiser]

Good review, will be in Hawaii in January. Do you remember what the bus number was to Pearl Harbor, or is it indicated on the bus.

 

Thanks.

[Woobstr112G]

I enjoyed reading your review. Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise. Did you sign up for the Cef's Table by calling the Dine line right after you boarded or was there another way? In 40 more days it will be our turn on the Golden and I just gotta have the Chef's Table.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Jasperdo]

Excellent review! Thank you for posting it.

 

A few quick questions if you don't mind. We have a rental car reserved through Thrifty in Hilo and Kauai. How was your experience with the shuttle? Was it there when you got off the ship? We plan on getting off the ship as early as possible.

 

I know you had TD, but did you hear anything about how Anytime Dining went? There's been a lot of discussion about that lately, since Princess started a third early TD. Just wondering how this is affecting the AT Dining on the Golden.

[camofwilliamsburg]

We are thinking of this cruise for 2011 ...how was the weather? Were you able to enjoy the beaches for tanning? Also, how was the weather on the route to get there and back? We are thinking about doing this in Nov.

[Astro Flyer]

Good review, will be in Hawaii in January. Do you remember what the bus number was to Pearl Harbor, or is it indicated on the bus.

 

Thanks.

 

It's the "Route A CityExpress" bus towards Waipahu & the links below can take you to sources for the routing. If you select the bus option instead of a by car with Google Maps it will show you the routes & times which drops you off just outside the Arizona's visitor center.

 

If you walk from the Aloha Tower pier along the Fort Street Mall (a closed street) towards the city it's about a 10 minute walk to catch the bus on Beretania between Pali & Bishop. Just before getting to the bus we stumbled upon the church where Fr. Damian (Molokai leprosy saint) was ordained.

 

The return route Bus A towards UH Manoa goes along King Street (one-way street like Beretania) & you get off at Bethel which is about half the distance as outbound.

 

My wife stayed on The Bus & went to the Ala Moana Shopping Center (very big!) or you can transfer (get it from driver) to Waikiki.

 

It's correct change only but coins are not necessary (it was $5 one-way for 2 of us so we used a $5 bill).

 

You can also "call The Bus Information Office at (808) 848-5555 (daily from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)" for directions but it was very easy with no transfer required.

 

http://www.thebus.org/default.asp

 

http://maps.google.com/

 

Mele Kalikimaka!

[Astro Flyer]

I enjoyed reading your review. Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise. Did you sign up for the Cef's Table by calling the Dine line right after you boarded or was there another way? In 40 more days it will be our turn on the Golden and I just gotta have the Chef's Table.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

It was the main reason we split up boarding so I could call DINE immediately. We were #1 but have also been #20 due to B2B passengers who didn't get it on their earlier cruise. So call as soon as onboard (you might get a recording about it being closed but keep calling until they answer)...we're 4 for 4 with each one even better than the last one...all great!

 

Although we don't need another cookbook particularly when flying home. :rolleyes:

 

Mele Kalikimaka!

[Astro Flyer]

Excellent review! Thank you for posting it.

 

A few quick questions if you don't mind. We have a rental car reserved through Thrifty in Hilo and Kauai. How was your experience with the shuttle? Was it there when you got off the ship? We plan on getting off the ship as early as possible.

 

I know you had TD, but did you hear anything about how Anytime Dining went? There's been a lot of discussion about that lately, since Princess started a third early TD. Just wondering how this is affecting the AT Dining on the Golden.

 

 

We booked through Enterprise & Dollar long before our cruise & got them for around $35 each.

 

In Hilo, Enterprise had a shuttle to the left of the pier exit for a short ride (the airport office doesn't handle the pier) to get our car. We got a free upgrade to a big Chrysler 300 instead of our reserved subcompact & dropped it off about 3:30 which was very easy.

 

In Kauai, we walked through the "pier" (old covered warehouse like in Hilo) & on the left was a opening where rental shuttles pick up renters. It was about a 15-20 minute drive to the Dollar's airport facility & they recommended at least 45 minutes to get back to the pier so we dropped it off about 3:00. The port lecturer cautioned anyone returning from the north shore that at Kapa'a around 2:30 traffic gets really bad.

 

We didn't hear anything about AT dining but in this review by "funinla" on the same cruise she did have AT dining.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=75991

 

Mele Kalikimaka!

[Jasperdo]

We booked through Enterprise & Dollar long before our cruise & got them for around $35 each.

 

In Hilo, Enterprise had a shuttle to the left of the pier exit for a short ride (the airport office doesn't handle the pier) to get our car. We got a free upgrade to a big Chrysler 300 instead of our reserved subcompact & dropped it off about 3:30 which was very easy.

 

In Kauai, we walked through the "pier" (old covered warehouse like in Hilo) & on the left was a opening where rental shuttles pick up renters. It was about a 15-20 minute drive to the Dollar's airport facility & they recommended at least 45 minutes to get back to the pier so we dropped it off about 3:00. The port lecturer cautioned anyone returning from the north shore that at Kapa'a around 2:30 traffic gets really bad.

 

We didn't hear anything about AT dining but in this review by "funinla" on the same cruise she did have AT dining.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=75991

 

Mele Kalikimaka!

Thanks for the rental car tips. We reserved a couple of months ago with Thrifty, and paid around $35 in each port as well. I'm planning on returning the car around 3pm. I don't like cutting things too close. I appreciate the tip about traffic at Kapa'a. We will be exploring the north shore, and I'll definately keep that in mind.

 

Mahalo!

[Astro Flyer]

We are thinking of this cruise for 2011 ...how was the weather? Were you able to enjoy the beaches for tanning? Also, how was the weather on the route to get there and back? We are thinking about doing this in Nov.

 

It's hard to predict the weather but we wouldn't hesitate at all to go on another Hawaiian cruise in November.

 

Our port (left) side cabin had lots of sun going to Hawaii so we were thankful to have a larger balcony which was halfway covered. Returning we were on the shaded side & thus not as much warmth.

 

The 1st day from San Pedro & most of the days returning were rough but not too bad. Returning home it was due to wind & ocean swells from the west striking the ship on the left aft portion of the ship which isn't designed to cut through the water smoothly. The stabilizers minimized the side to side roll but couldn't help with the pitching of the ship due to the swells striking the back of the ship.

 

Weather at sea can be cool but there was enough warmth for us...upper 60s to upper 70s...but with wind chill feels cooler particularly when cloudy. The winter is our favorite time to visit Hawaii with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s...just perfect! There was a lot of rain along Kauai's north shore (Mt. Waialeale on top of Kauai is the wettest spot in the world at 450"/year) however only sun in the other ports so plenty of time for beach tanning.

 

And the period between Thanksgiving & shortly before Christmas is a very slow time for tourism in Hawaii so you shouldn't run into many crowds in port.

 

Mele Kalikimaka!

[Immebsmom]

Very nice review and the stateroom credits for military would be good for my dad. The one question I have is whether or not Princess does the night time sail by of the volcano (Kilaea?) ?

 

Thanks for any assistance you can give!

 

Laura

[Astro Flyer]

Very nice review and the stateroom credits for military would be good for my dad. The one question I have is whether or not Princess does the night time sail by of the volcano (Kilaea?) ?

 

Thanks for any assistance you can give!

 

Laura

 

Unfortunately they do not sail past Volcanoes National Park (Kilauea) & go around the north end in the dark. In '05 on the Regal they said they'd only go there when there was activity. However everything I've read recently is that they never go past the volcanoes...active or not! :mad:

 

Hope you're dad will qualify for the Vet OBC program...it's such an easy procedure to qualify & we really appreciated the $250 OBC. It paid for another amazing Chef's Table plus our 1st Ultimate Balcony Dinner we enjoyed tremendously our evening in port in Honolulu.

 

Mele Kalikimaka!

[Coolmama_1]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing.

[Quilter n Cruiser]

Thanks for your review. We are sailing mid February so really getting antsy to go and your review really keeps up the anticipation in high gear. We have never done the UBD but have done the Chefs Table and loved it. I think it might be fun to do the UBD while docked in Honolulu.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks for the review. Now I want to do this cruise again. :)

 

One question: even though you're Elite, you had to get a number for boarding? Did they still board the Platinum/Elite passengers first?

[seamwoman]

We just got off the Golden on 12/22. There was a special line for platnium and elite and they got priority embarkation ~ we are finally platnium YIPPEE! ATD was great in the dining room where they do TD at 5:30 ~ we would go at 7:15-7:30 and were always able to walk right in. Karen

[CrusinAgain]

Thanks for the review. The bus information for visiting the USS Arizona was extremely helpful.

[Jasperdo]

We just got off the Golden on 12/22. ATD was great in the dining room where they do TD at 5:30 ~ we would go at 7:15-7:30 and were always able to walk right in. Karen

Thanks for that information. My wife and I have Anytime Dining. We've had it on all our Princess cruises and love it. I've been a bit nervous about it this time around, since I read how long the waits are now since Princess started the third TD time. From your post I assume that only one AT dining room opens at 5:30? The other is used by the early TD?

[srpilo]

Thanks for the rental car tips. We reserved a couple of months ago with Thrifty, and paid around $35 in each port as well. I'm planning on returning the car around 3pm. I don't like cutting things too close. I appreciate the tip about traffic at Kapa'a. We will be exploring the north shore, and I'll definately keep that in mind.

 

Mahalo!

 

Wasn't on this cruise, but when we docked in Hilo the Avis van was no where to be seen, so after waiting for about twenty minutes we grabbed a taxi to the airport so we woundn't waste anymore of the day waiting around, it was about $25.00, and Avis refunded the taxi fare to us at the airport (they said that the van driver hadn't shown up yet :confused:).

 

Anyway just wanted to pass it along as a back-up plan just "incase"

Srpilo

[Jasperdo]

Wasn't on this cruise, but when we docked in Hilo the Avis van was no where to be seen, so after waiting for about twenty minutes we grabbed a taxi to the airport so we woundn't waste anymore of the day waiting around, it was about $25.00, and Avis refunded the taxi fare to us at the airport (they said that the van driver hadn't shown up yet :confused:).

 

Anyway just wanted to pass it along as a back-up plan just "incase"

Srpilo

Thanks for that tip. That's what I'm afraid of. Walking off the ship and the shuttle is nowhere to be seen. I wouldn't know if it was dropping someone else off and will be right back. Or if the shuttle will never show up. Thrifty does say the shuttle goes back and forth from the dock to the airport. I'll just have to wait and see.

[CrusinAgain]

My wife and I have Anytime Dining. We've had it on all our Princess cruises and love it. I've been a bit nervous about it this time around, since I read how long the waits are now since Princess started the third TD time. From your post I assume that only one AT dining room opens at 5:30? The other is used by the early TD?

 

Its good to know that the ships that have the one less passenger deck are not experiencing that problem.

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks for the review. Now I want to do this cruise again. :)

 

One question: even though you're Elite, you had to get a number for boarding? Did they still board the Platinum/Elite passengers first?

 

Buon Natale Pam...

 

The group letter was for those waiting in the Platinum/Elite area to board first (the enclosed & open area seating with only drinks available); however I don't know how they did it for the other passengers. It worked out well for us & minimized some of the crush of Platinum/Elite/Suite boarding. Having the security scanners in the hallway between the check-in & waiting area really worked out well to minimize boarding delays..both changes worked great. :D

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks for that tip. That's what I'm afraid of. Walking off the ship and the shuttle is nowhere to be seen. I wouldn't know if it was dropping someone else off and will be right back. Or if the shuttle will never show up. Thrifty does say the shuttle goes back and forth from the dock to the airport. I'll just have to wait and see.

A suggestion you may want to consider is to call them when you're close to getting off to let them know you're ready. You still may have to wait for a shuttle but at least they'll know that someone is waiting. We got lucky & both Enterprise (Hilo) and Dollar (Kauai) happened to be there waiting & off we went to their facility.

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks for the review. The bus information for visiting the USS Arizona was extremely helpful.

It was so easy & a nicer way for us to visit the Memorial...without even considering the big savings.

 

Someone on the cruise before us took a cab (about $30) immediately to get to the Memorial just before 8:00am & didn't get a tender until after 10:00. However with the new visitor's center there should be more things to experience while waiting including an expanded museum...all free.

 

One word of caution on the bus...going there were pre-recorded announcements plus a display showing the next stop. On the way back, it was only the announcement which can be difficult to hear & I nearly missed my stop. Then I would have been "stuck" going to the mall with my wife while she shopped. :rolleyes:

 

If you have any questions, I found all of the regular bus riders were happy to help us...a nice display of Aloha! :D