Our spoiled lives aboard the Golden Princess- a detailed review

[wilfros]

Do you accept complaints???

 

WE WANT PHOTOS!!!

 

I can't wait until you get to the review of Hawaiian Islands

[willysgrandma]

I wonder if he is the Luigi that was on the Crown Princess when we sailed her several years ago. He and my Dad spoke a lot of Italian together.

 

Enjoying your review!

 

We went to the Crowne Grille and Sabatini's on non-formal nights, but from what I heard, the cruise-casual attire was acceptable there on formal nights. "Don" Luigi seemed to be flexible on the formal attire.

[serenity27]

Do you accept complaints???

 

WE WANT PHOTOS!!!

 

I can't wait until you get to the review of Hawaiian Islands

 

Absolutely! Although I'm not nearly as experienced with dealing with complaints as the Purser's Desk. :)

 

I did include picture attachments in my first two posts, but I have just figured out how to include the pictures in the bodies of my text. I will be getting to the next days (including the Hawaiian ports) later this weekend and they will include pics. Thanks for reading!

[serenity27]

I wonder if he is the Luigi that was on the Crown Princess when we sailed her several years ago. He and my Dad spoke a lot of Italian together.

 

Enjoying your review!

 

Thank you! I hope the best is yet to come.

 

Our Maitre d' was Luigi Moretti, if that rings a bell.

[kath00]

Hi Katherine,

For the first two days out to Hawaii, the seas were pretty rough. I couldn't tell if people were drunk or if it was just the ship's movement. :) If you don't usually suffer from seasickness, you should be okay. During our CC Meet & Greet on the first at-sea day, a few people were getting a little sick. We were in Skywalker's, which is high above the water, but they said they were surprised it was rough throughout the ship. On the way back, it was also a little jumpy, but our captain had to accelerate because of some passengers' medical emergencies. The seas were relatively rough during this passage as well. It calmed down, though. It seemed that for two days each way, it would get rough, and then calm down. I hope this helps!

 

Thanks for your comments. I am fine with some bumpies but my kids may not be. I may hold off on this cruise for a few more years to let them get a bit older. Were there other kids on your sailing (I am assuming it was around Spring Break). Thanks again for taking the time with your review! Katherine

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Thanks for taking the taking the time to post your review. I enjoyed reading of your experiences. We sailed the Golden to Hawaii back in February and absolutely loved it.....:):):)

 

Bob

[serenity27]

It is now April Fool’s Day. So far they haven’t done anything on the ship to fool us. I guess the big joke will be on April 13 when they escort us off the ship, kicking and screaming, and we have to return to cooking our own meals and cleaning up after ourselves.

 

We woke up around 8 AM this morning to go work out. The gym has been surprisingly empty. Most machines are open and we have not had to wait for any of them. We were able to work out for a couple hours and then shower and get ready for our daily ukulele lesson, which was at 11:15 AM. We realized how important it is to be early. The classes are so popular, and the heirloom lei making classes are just before in the same lounge- the Wheelhouse. The room gets very crowded with two popular events happening right after one another. Instead of going out for breakfast, we had our fruit in the room. We made sure to order fresh fruit for the mornings when we're rushing out. By the time we arrived at the lesson in the Wheelhouse Bar, it was packed. We found seats in the far back, and checked out our ukuleles. Dave Cole, the CD, ran this lesson, whereas Dave from Elua ran yesterday’s. Today, we learned more chords and learned how to play “Tiny Bubbles.” This was a source of excitement and pride for me, as I met Don Ho the last time I was in Hawaii. Our index fingers are already raw from playing the uke, but this just makes us feel like rock stars.

 

After the uke lesson, we went to the sushi buffet, which was lacking some serious sushi, and ended up eating at the Horizon Court. If you are sushi fanatics like we are, you may find the sushi buffet a little disappointing. However, we are finding the food in the buffet to be good, with a nice variety.

 

After this, we went to our Cruise Critic Slot Pull, where all of the members of our Cruise Critic group took turns playing the slot machine. We all contributed $15. In the end, we ended up losing $5 each, but it was pretty funny to be yelling and cheering, only to hear the “awwws” when nothing would happen. We had a lot of fun with it and it was totally worth the $5 donation. I recommend that all CC groups do this, and wish you all a more generous slot machine. We got to know some truly wonderful people in our group at this event.

 

After the Slot Pull, we went to the Piazza to watch Alfred and Seymour. We saw them during the opening night show. With their Lakers costumes and fresh, mildly offensive comedy, we really like them. They do a little hip hop dancing but are mostly comedians. They love to make fun of people, and so far, nobody has seemed offended at all. We, of course, hide in the back. We were able to talk to them about a recent Lakers game, and they are just as hilarious in person as they are on stage.

 

We sat at the bar in the Piazza, with a pomegranate blueberry green tea smoothie and vanilla iced blended drink. My only complaint is that the Piazza really needs more chairs. Every chair was taken and we found a couple bar stools which we had to move in order to watch the show. There were people crowding the stairs and upper decks which look over the show. With all of the great activities in the Piazza (the bars, International Café, Vines and the shows), I think more chairs are necessary.

 

Next up was Speed Sudoku in the Wheelhouse Lounge. It really is a speedy event, and we were out within 15 minutes. We went next door to the Explorer’s Lounge to watch a little bit of karaoke. We arrived too late to sign up, but we enjoyed watching a few people. There are definitely some talented people on this ship! We had to go to the Explorer’s Lounge anyway for Lazy Day Trivia, but we decided to make a quick trip to the Excursions Desk to figure out our excursions. I learned that we saved about $10 each person for each excursion by reserving them online before the cruise. We were planning to do the dolphin encounter in Honolulu, but as we don’t get to actually swim with the dolphins, we found the online video to be misleading. We will cancel that and will figure out what to do.

 

I have been to Pearl Harbor several times, and it has been truly moving every time. If you have never been to Honolulu, this is something that I highly recommend. We chose not to go this time because we really wanted a relaxing and fun time together. When we start a family, we will certainly bring the mini Serenities to see Pearl Harbor and Mighty Mo.

 

We then returned to Trivia, and were asked by a family from Cleveland if we wanted to join their team. We were allowed a team of six, and they were a team of four. As we were among the youngest people on the ship, we were in high demand. We later found out why- there were questions of rap stars that no one else knew. Still, our team came in second place! We will go back to Trivia, and we hope to win. The prize is a very cute Golden Princess magnet.

 

The ship's staff put the balloons on our door yesterday in celebration of our Honeymoon. Today, they moved the balloons into our room. They are generic balloons that just say “Congratulations.” Everybody celebrating anything gets the same balloons. The balloons used to be more specific with “Honeymoon” and “Birthday” written on them. I liked walking past doors and knowing what people were celebrating, but it’s okay. It’s still the thought that counts. I asked for the balloons in my cruise personalizer, and it's great to know that Princess does pay attention to that.

 

Tonight was the champagne waterfall, where the captain came out to speak to all of us, and Dave Cole introduced the ship's officers. And then we watched passengers pour champagne into the glasses, and hoped that a) they were not clumsy and don’t topple the pyramid of glasses over and b) that the ship stayed still during that time. We decided to take a picture with the Don, Maitre d', Luigi. When we approached him, we took the pic, and then Mr. Serenity said, “Don Luigi, thank you for the great table.” Luigi laughed because he found the “Don” remark funny. I was happy that he knew it was a sign of respect for him.

 

After the captain's speech, we found three different backgrounds to take formal pics in, just to see which we liked best. One was of the Titanic. That is a background that I don’t understand. Do we really want to associate our sailing with the Titanic? There was another one with the Golden Princess in the background, and we think we'll end up purchasing this one.

 

We went into dinner about 8:10 PM and our waitress, Natalie, said she was worried where we were. We're never late for dinner! Service is very fast and efficient, and I think it’s partly because Natalie and Gene are so great, and also because most people are choosing Anytime Dining. The waiters don't have too many tables so they are able to watch us. As soon as we are done eating, they are right there with our next course. We are usually out of dinner by 9:30 PM.

 

After dinner, we went to the Vista Lounge to watch Comedian Noodles Levenstein. We thought he was coming on at 10 PM. The lounge was standing room only for his 8:30 show (we saw it as we went into dinner at 8:10)! So, we wanted to make sure we got good seats. It turned out he was coming on at 10:30 PM, and before then, they had Big Band Ballroom Dancing. So, we sat, danced and people watched until the show.

 

Noodles came on, and he was funny, but not the best I have ever seen on a ship. I always think the best jokes on cruise ships are the ones about cruise ship living- the endless amounts of food, the friendly shower curtains that attach themselves to our behinds, the tiny bathrooms, the toilets with more power than NASA, etc. It's the other jokes that are tough considering the diversity of ship passengers. Still, I think if you laugh at least a couple times during a show, it's been a good use of your time.

 

After Noodles’ show, we went back to the room to get ready for bed. We have started to leave our balcony door open a little bit so we can fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean. It always puts me in a good mood when I wake up. I'll write more about the next day a little later.

 

I will post the pictures in a little while as soon as we figure out how to!

Edited April 26, 2011 by serenity27
Pictures did not post

[serenity27]

Here is Mr. Serenity and me at our uke lesson. These are the ukes that they check out to us every morning:

 

 

 

 

The gorgeous Mr. Serenity at Speed Sudoku (the purse is mine):

 

 

 

The captain making his speech at the Champagne Waterfall (he was two decks above us):

 

 

Our view of our balcony (and the reason we leave our curtains and door open at night):

 

 

Our view of the balconies below us on Caribe and Dolphin decks. I posted this before but we made sure to take this pic when nobody else was out on their balconies):

 

[NdCottman]

Really good review and thanks for the LA tips. Hubby and I will be visiting LA in about 3 weeks.

[serenity27]

We woke up this morning around 8 AM to work out. I decided to jog around the ship and Mr. Serenity wanted to work out on the eliptical machine. We met back in the room to get ready for our daily ukulele lesson.

Before the lesson, we went to the International Café for breakfast pastries. We each had a cinnamon roll and chocolate croissants. It’s not the healthiest breakfast, but we could grab it and take it up to the Wheelhouse Lounge where the uke classes are. By the time we got there, there were two seats front and center in the room that were empty, but all other good seats were taken. We grabbed these chairs and ate our breakfasts.

They hand out great ukuleles for the classes, and we have to check them out every day. I just think it’s amazing that they provide the ukes for us, and really encourage us to learn. Each class is progressive, which means we start from where we left off. It’s challenging to just start the classes in the middle of the cruise, but a few people are. There is a show for all passengers on the last night of the cruise, and they encourage everybody in the classes to do the show. We will. Dave from Elua has promised us a standing ovation, so how could we turn that down? :)

Today, we learned how to play “Under the Boardwalk” and then we went back to “Tiny Bubbles,” as that is one of the songs we will be doing for the show. I always seem to get everything, and play the songs correctly in the last 10 minutes of class. Before that, I struggle with the tougher chords. I’m happy to get it at all!

After the uke class, we went late to a Jeopardy-type Trivia game. We did pretty well, but as we came in eight questions after everybody else, we didn’t really have much of a shot. We would have won, however, if I had come up with the final answer: “What was the Diamond Princess originally called?” I thought Pacific Princess or Royal Princess, two of Princess Cruises’ original ships. The answer? The Sapphire. I would never have come up with that. I sailed on the Diamond a few years ago and had never heard that! Here is a pic of the Jeopardy contestants in the Vista Lounge, prepping for the final question:

 

After Jeopardy, we ran up to the Calypso Pool, which is the one indoors pool on the ship. They were having a Ping Pong Competition there, and Mr. Serenity wanted to play in it. Unfortunately he has not practiced for a few years, so he did not win. Here is a shot of the ping pong tournament from the bar downstairs, where I ordered Mr. Serenity a coke while he was getting ready to play:

After Mr. Serenity’s massacre, we went back to the room to change. We had spa appointments booked for 2:30, and it was about 1:30 PM. Mr. Serenity wanted to go swimming, and I wanted some sun time, so we first went to one of the outdoor pools. They had the basketball NCAA game on the Movies Under the Stars (MUTS) screen, and the pool was packed—not an empty lounge chair anywhere. The weather had warmed up considerably- at least 10 degrees, so everybody came out to sunbathe. As I was walking on the upper deck trying to find a chair, Mr. Serenity got out of the pool. He said it was freezing. So, we moved to the indoor pool, where it was supposed to be warmer. It wasn’t. We asked a deck employee why the pools were so cold, and he said that when the weather warms up, Princess tries to save money by cutting the pool heater. So, then we moved to the pool by the spa, which is a swim against the current pool. There are usually fewer people there as many people don’t know about that pool. That pool was closed! So we just grabbed lounge chairs and got some sun until our 2:30 appointment.

The spa itself is fine. They offer cold orange water, tea and fresh fruit in the waiting area. If you are near the spa and thirsty for something other than plain water, I recommend making a stop in the waiting area to grab some fruit water.

Our treatment was seaweed wrap with massage, and it was just okay. I mean, you can’t go wrong getting a spa appointment, but the entire treatment was a little underwhelming. I think I might avoid the spa from now on. With the seaweed wrap, the therapist wrapped me up once with a mud mask all over my body. I showered it off, and then she wrapped me up again, to get the toxins out. I showered again, and then she gave me a massage. Yes, it sounds enticing, but it really was not that relaxing. Afterward, she tried to sell me massage oils. I told that Mr. Serenity would have to use those on me, and I think he would just rather send me to a spa. Not that he doesn’t like massaging me- we are newlyweds! It’s just that I think it’s less fun when it becomes a chore.

After the massage, we grabbed paninis at the International Café. We saw Dave and Leialoha from Elua there, and Leialoha stopped us to say hi! We talked to Dave about the uke classes, and how much we’re loving them. I told Leialoha that I would start taking her hula classes. They are really such a personable couple, and truly enjoy bringing the Hawaiian experience to passengers. I really could not imagine a Hawaiian cruise without them. Just the fact that they remember our names says so much about them. They have thousands of passengers to meet every two weeks!

I had read on Cruise Critic that someone walks around with freshly baked cookies and milk in the piazza and pools around 4 PM. This cookies and milk girl, who I called the bringer of all good and happy things, brought me a peanut butter cookie.

We grabbed our food and took it up to the Explorer’s Lounge for Lazy Day Trivia. We joined up with our Trivia friends. They took it all as seriously as we did, and we plotted ways to keep other contestants out of the Explorer's Lounge. In the end, we couldn't come up with a way to keep the others out, and tied for second again.

After Trivia, we hung out at the pool a little bit. The pools tend to empty after 4:30 PM as many people start getting ready for dinner. The weather really warmed up a lot today. It was beautiful, and the waves are a lot less jumpy. It’s exactly how I read it to be- that the first two days are chilly and jumpy, and then everything is beautiful. We hope to spend more time at the pool tomorrow.

After we returned to the room to get ready for dinner, we went to the Crowne Grille, one of the specialty restaurants. Natalie, our waitress, is also in charge of reservations and took care of this dinner for us. We got the best seat in the restaurant because of her. The food was amazing. I had Rack of Lamb, Black and Blue Onion Soup, Lobster Cake, Shrimp cocktail and what felt like 18 desserts- like a delicious cobbler, cheesecake, and others. Mr. Serenity had Shrimp Bisque, Filet and Lobster (Surf and Turf) and just as many desserts. Together, we shared asparagus, creamed spinach, scalloped potatoes and the best garlic basil French fries. When they brought our desserts, the staff all came over to sing a hilarious “Happy Honeymoon” song to us, and gave us a Honeymoon cake. Natalie had obviously told them that we were on our honeymoon. It was really nice and made us feel so special. Here's a pic of our Honeymoon cake (it's "The Love Boat") before we made a wish and blew out the candle together:

 

The people sitting at the table next to us were really loud and we enjoyed listening to their conversation with another couple with whom they were dining. Their conversations were about the bizarre nannies they have hired, and we were crying with laughter. The food was amazing and the entertainment from the next table over was priceless. We're not eavesdroppers, but when a neighbor is really loud, we can't help but listen.

After dinner, we rushed over to the Princess Theatre to see Alexander the Illusionist. The theatre was fairly full, but we easily found two seats in the first row. During the show, he came out into the audience to take someone on stage. He grabbed me, and took me on stage. He did a cool card drawing trick and gave me his drawing as a souvenir. We love magic shows and found Alexander to be the best we have seen on a ship. Ship magicians/ illusionists don't have the luxury of keeping the same theatre every night, but this did not seem to effect Alexander's show at all.

After the show, we went to the room to go to sleep. The ship’s activities kind of stop after the production shows- around 11:15 PM. The nightclubs are still happening, but we’re not always nightclubbie people, so that doesn’t interest us. Overall, it was a really fun night.

[Kellie in Texas]

Serenity, I have to say that you and Mr. Serenity are just darling in your pics and your review is required reading every time I see this thread pop up to the top.

 

We will be on the Golden in early June headed for Alaska. I'm wondering if anyone knows what will be different on the Golden when it switches to Alaska as opposed to Hawaii -- are the entertainers the same or are some of them just on the Hawaii itineraries? What about the order of the menus in the main dining room? If anyone has any info on that, I'd appreciate it.

 

Othewise, I will stay tuned for more of The Serenities' voyage to Hawaii!

Kellie

[DrFUN]

You two are an adorable couple--and I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

 

Mary-Lou

("Dr. FUN")

[Cruisin' Chick]

I agree about there not being enough seats in the Piazza. Especially if you get a yummy treat in the IC and want to eat it immediately.

 

My hubby told me about the whole thing about the Diamond, the Sapphire and the fire about the time we were waiting to go on the Sapphire just a few months after it started sailing. Apparently Princess wanted the Diamond name on the first of the two ships. So when it caught on fire at the shipyard, and they had to rebuild it, it was decided to switch the names.

[ChrisB123]

Your's is one of the best reviews I've ever seen. Keep them coming! :) What an adorable couple you are. :D

[serenity27]

This morning, we woke up around 8 AM to go work out! I was determined not to let my 42 meals a day catch up to me. I really didn't want the whale watching tours to include me as their headlining act.

When we got back, we turned on Dave Cole 's "The Wake Show." I always love the morning shows on ships, and Dave's is especially entertaining. For us, it was the perfect way to wake up as both Dave and his Deputy Cruise Director, Eric, were hilarious. I am not a morning person, so the best and only way to get me out of bed is by making me laugh. Thanks to Dave and Eric, I was able to get up earlier to enjoy the beautiful ship. They involved the passengers perfectly, by asking trivia questions (I believe you could drop off the answers in a box located in the Internet Cafe), doing shout-outs for birthdays, anniversaries and pronouncements of love, and by reading jokes that passengers had submitted. They film the show in public areas around the ship, so you can watch a taping if you so desire. On one of the last days, they film the show in front of a live audience, kind of similar to watching David Letterman or Jay Leno. While this is a Hawaiian trip, I believe it’s this little event of getting to watch the live show that makes you feel like you’re in Los Angeles (and makes us feel at home).

After getting ready, we grabbed breakfast again at the International Café. I had a cinnamon sugar doughnut and egg and cheese sandwich and took it to the Wheelhouse for our uke lesson. The guy sitting next to us was also an Elite passenger and encouraged us to visit the Elite and Platinum cocktail hour between 5&7 PM in the Skywalkers Lounge. I have never attended the cocktail hour because only the food is free, and, let's be honest, we have never had a problem finding free food on the ship. However, he said it's just nice to talk with other people who love cruising as much as we do, so we may just check it out. He and his wife brought their own ukuleles in preparation for this cruise. They have taken this cruise before, and have regretted not taking the uke classes before.

After they gave us our ukuleles for the lesson, we started. David Cole was our teacher for the day. For our warmup, we learned some new chords. The new songs we learned today were “Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue,” “Bill Bailey,” and “Amazing Grace.” We also went over past songs, “ Tiny Bubbles,” and “Pearly Shells.” Mr. Serenity and I have a joke now. Because we are learning these songs with the chords on the strings, we know the lyrics by the chords as well. So, instead of singing, “With the feeling that I’m gonna love you ‘til the end of time,” in Tiny Bubbles, we sing, “With the feeling that I’m gonna G7 till the end of C.” The G7 and C are chords that we have learned. It cracks us up to sing it this way.

After the lesson, Mr. Serenity went up to the pool and I checked out the Princess Pop Choir rehearsal. It’s a choir that does a show during the one of the last days. It's such a great idea, but it requires a commitment with rehearsals, so I relectantly passed. I really appreciate everything that Princess is doing to include passengers on so many fun activities and performances.

I went up to the pool to join my love, and hung out there until a little after 1 PM when I went down to the Art Auction preview.

Just a note about the outside deck. On hot days, it is very crowded. From what I have seen, most chairs are occupied with actual human beings, and not just towels. This may be because I get there so much later than others, but the idea of people reserving chairs and then leaving doesn't seem to be a problem. I have also been watching with fascination the Sanctuary. As we have a balcony and only spend a limited amount of our time on the outside decks, we did not even consider purchasing time at the Sanctuary. It seems that most of our fellow passengers feel the same way. At any time, I have seen at most10 passengers at the Sanctuary.

I will write more about the art auctions on ships in a later post as we have had extensive experience with them.

After the auction, we stopped in at Afternoon Tea, and met a couple from Toronto. I'm American, but Mr. Serenity was born in Toronto. Between my in-laws and the incredibly nice Torontonians we have met on this and other trips, I am truly convinced that they are the nicest people in the world!

The Afternoon Tea experience is also one of my favorites on Princess. Having a late dinner, it's the perfect time between breakfast/ lunch and dinner to recharge and feed our already hungry bellies. The scones, cookies and tea are always amazing, and the service is always fantastic. Recently, Princess has also included the Afternoon Tea foods in the Horizon Court, so if you don't feel like doing a formal tea, you can still get the yumminess at the buffet.

After Tea, we had Lazy Day Trivia at 4:30 PM. We joined the family from the previous days in hopes of finally winning our Princess magnets. We came close once again but lost. There are some very smart people on this ship!

Then, we checked out our pictures in the photo gallery. We turned most of them back in because we did not want others to be able to see them! The photographers came around the dining room two nights ago to take pictures of all of us in our formal clothes. The weird thing is that they only took solo pics. We asked him to take of the two of us because we will not buy any pics of just one of us. He said he couldn’t do that. How strange!

After the Photo Gallery, we went back to the room to get ready for dinner and the show. The shower water pressure and water temperature are perfect. Mr. Serenity likes it cold and I like it really hot. This shower has allowed us both to enjoy ourselves. However, the bathroom sink faucet is terrible. There are two levels for strength: Really strong or really light. When we turn it on really strongly, the water flies everywhere and drenches our clothes. When it’s light, it’s not enough. Also, Princess needs to think about installing more shelves in the shower for future ships. One tiny shelf barely keeps the soap, shampoo and condition. Any facial cleanser, razors or larger conditioner needs to be reached for in the middle of the shower, which results in a soaked floor. And if the soap slides off the one shelf, that means big trouble. I have to bend over, essentially sending the shower curtain an invitation to become the third party in my marriage.

Otherwise, the ship is in fantastic condition. It is truly a gorgeous ship.

Also, on the first night, we set the clocks back one hour. Then, two nights ago, we set them back one more. And tonight, we will set them back again to prepare for Hawaiian time. The truth is, I have no idea what time it is- here or in LA. I constantly have to check the ship’s clocks to figure out the time.

At dinner, we chatted with Natalie about her home town, Cape Town. When she gets married in July to one of the other waiters, they will live in Cape Town. She speaks three languages and has a degree in business finance. We hit the waitress jackpot! Maybe she'll give us some financial advice. :-)

I had another smoothie-type drink (which is considered soup)- I actually ordered two of them. This is what they look like (Gene, our Assistant Waiter has started to turn my straws into hearts in celebration of our Honeymoon- it always makes me smile):

I also had a delicious turkey dish and crème brule and a sugarfree crepes dessert that was not very good. It had a fluorescent pink ball of ice cream on top of it, and we couldn’t figure out if the ball was supposed to taste like strawberry or bubblegum. Gene did another entertaining magic trick for us. Then, we had tea and coffee and just enjoyed ourselves.

Our dinners were in the Canaletto Dining Room. It was on Deck 6, but we could only access it by going up to Deck 7, and then taking the Aft Stairs (or Elevators for those who needed to) down to Deck 6. Once we figured this out on our first night, it wasn't a problem at all. We did see one couple yelling at the poor staff at the Donatello Dining Room on Deck 6, which blocks access to the aft of the ship. They were upset that they couldn't access the Canaletto from where they were. I felt truly sorry for the staff at that point. I believe in constructive criticism if there are things that we can change. The design of the ship, however, cannot be changed by the dining room staff and it was so unfair to take it out on them. For those travelling on the Golden, I recommend taking Deck 7 all the way to the Aft, and then go down a level, so you can avoid the confusion.

After dinner, we went to the show in the Vista Lounge, which Eric, the Deputy Cruise Director hosted The performer was titled as “Comedian Joel Leder” but it turned out he was actually a ventriloquist. I have a ton of respect for this skill, and it's not something I could ever do, but it's just not my style. I had seen Joel a few years ago on a Grand Mediterranean cruise. For those of you who have seen him, he is the one who brings audience members on stage, puts animals masks on them and does an Old McDonald skit. Sometimes people loved him. Sometimes the audience was quiet. Ventriloquism is not our thing, but we sat through it out of respect for Joel and his skill.

We came back to the room and are getting ready for bed. We are supposed to arrive in Hilo at 8 AM tomorrow, and we have to meet for our tour at 8:20 AM on the dock.

Here is a pic from our balcony of the sunset:

The happy guy at International Cafe:

This is why he's so happy. Look at what he gets to be around all day:

And more:

My yummy surrounded by yummies:

[serenity27]

Today we woke up at 7 AM because the ship was docking in Hilo, Hawaii. We had an excursion booked and when we received the tickets, we were told to meet at the pier at 8:20 AM. I heard a neighbor on his balcony say (before I was out of bed), “Ahoy! Land!”

 

We quickly got ready to go out, bringing with us our beach towels, camera with waterproof case, and change of clothes if we felt like going into town after the excursion. We went down to the International Café and grabbed a cheese and egg sandwich (me) and a cheese, egg and bacon sandwich (Mr. Serenity). We ate quickly because like I have mentioned, we weren’t sure what time it was and didn’t want to be late.

 

We got to the pier at 8:18 AM and met our tour group. It was a small group- about 14 passengers. Our tour guide drove us in his small van to the water. We were going kayaking. I know the popular tour in Hilo was visiting the volcanoes, and as I have seen them before, I can tell you they are fascinating and we will certainly bring Little Serenities to see them.

 

Like I have mentioned, for this trip, we were looking to be active and spend as much time in water as we could, so we were excited about the kayaking. The beach was about five minutes from the port. Either Princess or the tour group messed up and didn’t have space for four people, so they had to take a taxi to the beach (I’m sure the tour group or Princess paid for it). We found our kayaks waiting for us. We all took stuff out of the van that we would need. I put on my water shoes- these new shoes by Speedo that Mr. Serenity bought for us. They are great for walking on rocks and are also waterproof. If you are doing any water activities, I highly recommend purchasing some water shoes.

 

Also, we purchased a waterproof case for our camera for about $20. It would come in handy later in the week when we planned to snorkel, and it is totally worth the investment.

 

We picked out our kayak and I sat in front and Mr. Serenity in the back. The stronger person is supposed to sit in the back to steer and the front person is supposed to set the pace. My pace was…unpredictable because I often stopped to take pics and film everything. Mr. Serenity never complained about having to do most of the work. I'm so lucky!

 

We kayaked about 1 ½ miles and the group generally stuck together. There was a variety of ages on the tour, but everybody was really nice. We were supposed to kayak to this waterfall, but the rapids were too intense. So, we stopped where we could see the waterfall and then climbed some rocks (very scary as they were very slippery, but the water shoes really protected my feet). The men were all helping the women with the slippery rocks. I’m pretty sure I swore several times.

 

At the end of the rocks, the tour guides encouraged us to jump off the rocks and ride down the rapids by ourselves. They made us wear our life jackets, which was fine because I wore mine the entire time anyway. Mr. Serenity, whom I am now nicknaming Mr. Adventure, was the first to jump and I was able to film him. I wanted to wait to jump until he could climb his way back across the rocks so he could film me. At the last minute, I decided not to jump, and instead climb down the rocks into the rapids. I was afraid of hitting rocks if I didn’t jump far enough. As it turned out, I twisted my knee a little bit by climbing down the rocks. It’s okay now so it wasn’t anything serious. The rapids took me under for just a few seconds, which Mr. Serenity warned me about, and then the rest of the way, I just floated to the kayaks. Mr. Serenity jumped again and actually filmed himself jumping and riding the rapids.

 

When the group came back to the kayaks, one of our fellow kayaker's buttockal areas was all brown. He had clearly gotten some serious dirt on his bathing suit, but it looked like he had a little accident. Everybody on the tour got a huge laugh out of it. Someone told me to take a picture of it because it was so funny. I said, “Now you're going to be known as THAT guy on the ship.” Everybody laughed. I then said to Mr. Serenity, “Wow, he really did a number on his bathing suit.” And Mr. Serenity said, “Yep. Number Two.” Hahaha. We're here all week, folks! The moral of the story: Watch out where you sit.

 

We kayaked back to the beach, another 1 ½ miles. Then, the tour guide drove us back to the port. We all returned to the ship to change into dry clothes, and then took a free shuttle to Hilo Hattie’s to look for Hawaiian clothes. I was disappointed in their selection and we returned to the ship empty handed. I think it's adorable when we see couples walking around with matching Hawaiian clothes, but the long mumus are not for me. I am determined to buy us some cute Hawaiian clothes.

 

We then took a cab to Hilo Guitars and Ukuleles, a store that was recommended by Dave Cole. Dave told us that it is by the only Shell station in town. So, we told the cab driver that the uke store was by the Shell station. He said, “Which one?” We thought we were in trouble at that point. He figured out where to go and dropped us off. There were others from the ship in the store, so we knew we were okay. I ended up buying a uke that is identical to the ones we are playing on the ship. Mr. Serenity got one that is bigger because his fingers find the smaller one harder to play. We also bought gig carrying cases to protect the ukes and a tuner. As Dave Cole said, carrying a gig case is so much cooler than carrying the ukes around in the cardboard boxes that they first come in. We’re so excited to play these back home.

 

We shared a cab with a guy from our uke class and went back to the ship. I sent off a group email to our family and friends and then we went to pig out at the buffet. I read some not great reviews about the buffet food on cruise critic, but I have to say that I have been very pleased with it. We then went back to the room to take a nap. We were hoping to see the lava flow during sailaway as sometimes the ships can see it. We called Passengers Services to see if we would be able to see it, and they said that unfortunately, we would not. We napped through sailaway.

 

We then got ready to see the 7 PM show of Seymour and Alfred. We got there at 6:45 PM and it was mostly standing room only. We tried to share a little chair together and a very cranky passenger sitting right behind us yelled, "No! No! No! You cannot sit in front of me!" So, rather than arguing before the show, we stood, and it was worth it. Alfred and Seymour are very funny. After the show, I told the mean guy, “You are rude. You know that? You’re rude. Learn some manners!” He didn’t know how to respond to me and kept a safe distance from us as we all went down to the Dining Room. Later on during the cruise, I would notice that he would see me, and then turn the other way. I guess nobody had ever told him the truth before. I'm really not confrontational. I just think that we all need to learn to share, like we were taught in kindergarten.

 

We had a nice dinner, and talked with Natalie some more about her life and upcoming wedding. Gene, the Assistant Waiter, did another magic trick for us. He has clearly purchased these magic items at some magic shop. It’s more funny than impressive, and we enjoy it and we all get a good laugh out of it every night. The Head Waiter, Albuquerque, came over to talk to us tonight. He is a very decorated Head Waiter, and has been with the company for a very long time. My meal consisted of asparagus, a pineapple vanilla soup served like a smoothie, a chicken dish, and then, because I couldn’t decide between the chicken and another dish, Natalie brought me Chinese noodles, which were delicious. For dessert, I had a blueberry and peach cobbler which was delicious, and I tried a sugar free mango cheesecake, which was decent. Then, we had our nightly tea and coffee. As Mr. Serenity and I are both so busy back home, we are really enjoying the fact that we can just sit, enjoy our meals and relax together.

 

Tonight’s show in the Princess theatre was a lounge singer, Tony Tillman. They were also showing "Burlesque" on MUTS. We decided to call it a night because tomorrow is Honolulu, our longest port day.

 

Our tour sign:

 

 

Before the tour began (it looks kind of dark and dreary outside, but it was really quite warm and perfect for this activity):

 

The rest of the group behind us:

 

 

A really nice couple on our kayaking trip, who forgot their camera. I told them I would take pics of them and then email to them, but we never got their email address. If you happen to know these people, please give them this pic :):

 

Our ship is hiding just behind the trees:

I also took tons of videos, so if I have time, I will upload them to youtube and include the links on CC.

[Murrumbeena]

Thanks for taking the time to post,great review:)

[serenity27]

I woke up this morning around 8 AM when Mr. Serenity attempted to wake me up to get to the gym. He’s so disciplined! Our ship arrived in Honolulu near the Aloha Tower around 7 AM-ish. After working out and showering, we went downstairs to eat at the International Café again. With our bags packed with beach towels, sunscreen, a map, the camera, water shoes, bottles of water and whatever else we knew we would need, we left the ship. I am officially an overpacker, even just for day excursions.

We asked someone where the bus picks us up to take us to Waikiki and they pointed it out- it's just past the Maritime Museum and Aloha Tower. As we waited for the bus, a nice couple from Toronto and another nice couple from England joined us. One cab driver told us he would take us to Waikiki for $4 a person. The bus is $2.50, or $1.50 for the seniors in the group. We passed. Then, another cab driver, this one driving a cab limo, offered to take us for $3 a person. We had been waiting for the bus for about 25 minutes, so we were eager to get going. We all accepted and piled into the cab limo. We took turns taking pictures in it, as the idea of it was hilarious.

Here's our pic:

Here's the outside of the limo with the incredibly nice Torontonian couple exiting it:

 

The limo dropped us off at Waikiki, and Mr. Serenity and I walked to the beach. We settled in next to a family from our ship. We knew they were from Princess because of their beach towels and Princess tote bag, which Princess provided to all of us in our staterooms on the first day. I took a few pics of the ocean, and tried to avoid taking pics of people in their bathing suits (I wouldn't want to be known as THAT creepy person). The water was perfectly warm and refreshing:

 

We sunbathed and played in the ocean for a while, and then we decided to check out the surfing lessons. Mr. Serenity went to get info from Aloha Beach Services while I stayed in the sand with our stuff. The lessons were $30 a person, and included full instruction and board rental. The guy said that they guaranteed that we would be standing on the board by the end of the lesson. We agreed to do it. We stored our stuff with them, and they gave us rash protector shirts. I like the shirts because I felt like a real surfer in it. There was another couple in our group, so it was a semi-private lesson.

 

We started out with about ten minutes of instruction on the sand with the boards, and then we were taken out immediately into the water. I was terrified! I'm a classically trained ballerina but balancing on water is brand new for me. I tend to be very clumsy when I'm not dancing! Mr. Serenity had surfed before so he was comfortable with it. Lori, the other wife, had also surfed before. Her husband, Mike, had not.

We paddled out to the bigger waves, and this was scary all on its own. The waves crashed against us during the paddling, and we just had to paddle through them. We also had to fight the crowds of people, who did not understand that we were brand new to surfing and therefore could not control ourselves or our boards. The instructor continued to yell, “Don’t look at the waves or other people!” And I would yell back, “What the heck am I supposed to look at? I can’t see where I’m going with my eyes closed!”

When we got to where our instructor, Kealii, wanted us, we waited in a line until he was ready to send us on our way. Mr. Serenity went first, and followed Kealii’s instructions. Lori went second, and did really well. I went third and never got up off my board. I just simply fell off. I was terrified to stand up! Mike was nowhere to be found. Then, we all paddled back and started the process again. I was still terrified. After four or five times of Kealii sending me out, I finally stood up for a few seconds, and then I fell off when I lost my balance. It was still very exciting for me to be able to stand at all. Mike, who surfaced eventually, also stood up. We were all doing great!

As I was waiting for Kealii to finish with either Mr. Serenity or Lori, a young kid (about nine or ten) was on his board and ran into mine. I froze as Kealii had warned us if this happens- we could die! Holy cow! This young kid said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I said, “Sweetie, you’re okay.” He said, “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” And I said, “No, I’m fine. Are you?” “And he said, “I’m fine. I’m so sorry. I’ve just never done this before.” And I said, “Neither have I!” And he said, “It’s nice to run into somebody who is in the same position as I am.” I thought that was hilarious. I told him to keep at it. In a strange way, this kid comforted me. I felt that this boy should either go into comedy or therapy. Maybe he’ll invent a new industry called comapy. Or Theredy. Mr. Serenity told me later that Kealii yelled at the kid’s dad, who was trying to teach him to surf.

The waves weren’t very high, but they were getting really choppy. I was getting used to it by the end, but was relieved when Kealii brought us back into shore. My last time out, I stood up for quite a while. Like everything else, I caught on to the lesson in the last ten minutes. I will probably take more surf lessons at some point in my life. It was a huge challenge for me and I overcame it. I was terrified, but I did it. It was exhilarating!

After the lesson, the surf instructors gave us advice for really good sushi. We purchased the CD which has pictures of us surfing. Their photographer took the pics. My pics were not designed for public viewing. My buttockal area is sticking out most of the time, and I’m doing a weird Jazz hands dance pose with my hands every time I’m standing. Mr. Serenity's technique looks impeccable. Here's a pic of the three others lying down and getting ready to catch a wave. I am nowhere to be found. When you look at this, pretend that the waves are really high:

We left the beach and got some Shaved Ice just around the corner from the surf stand. I got cotton candy, pina colada and banana. Mr. Serenity got strawberry and orange. I was so excited about the shaved ice that I forgot to take pics of it!

We then went to the International Market Place which was across the street and bought some souvenirs-including a freshly made candle with a Waikiki medallion on it, a Hawaiian t-shirt for Mr. Serenity and a pretty Hawaiian dress for me. This is such a great place to find some good souvenirs, as they are very reasonable and there are tons of clothes to choose from.

Then, we walked around until we found the recommended sushi restaurant, Doraku. During dinner, we could overlook a hula and musical show that was in the Royal Hawaiian Center. We were especially interested in the ukulele player because we now know what he was doing! It was a great show, and if you’re in the area, I recommend stopping by to watch it. It really makes you feel so Hawaiian. With the gorgeous weather, sounds of the ocean in the background and the Hawaiian show, this is truly what comes to mind when I think of Hawai'i. I will post the video of the show when I'm all finished with my reviews.

We then went to an ABC store to get some souvenirs- chocolate covered macademia nuts and some postcards. There is literally an ABC store on every corner! This is a very reasonable place as well to get souvenirs!

Then, we walked to the Sheraton, where my family and I once stayed. We decided to catch a cab from there as we were not sure where the bus would pick us up, and it was dark out already. The cab dropped us off in front of the port terminal and we walked onto the ship with several other people who were just coming back. Here's a beautiful view of the ship from just outside the port:

We then went upstairs to the Island Party at 10:30 PM and danced. Then, we played a game. They brought a group of guys up (Mr. Serenity was one of them), and I was planning to film it. But, then they wanted the ladies to come up, so I went up. It was a game of musical chairs, only it was musical men. Mr. Serenity and I both made it through the first two rounds, and I was on the other side of the circle. The way they got rid of the men (so there were less men than women) was randomly- after one round, if they wore glasses, they had to leave (Mr. Serenity stayed). After the next round, if they weren’t wearing a lei, they had to leave (Mr. Serenity wasn’t wearing a lei so he had to leave). I had made it through as I had a very aggressive form of playing. I would run over to the man and tackle him. On my third try, I just wasn’t fast enough and another lady beat me. It was still so fun and is a game I would play in the future.

They brought out a luau style buffet, and everybody danced and threw streamers. We watched the sailaway from the Lido Deck, and said good bye to Waikiki, the Aloha Tower which was right by our dock, and Honolulu in general. Then, we went upstairs to get ready for bed, as we have an early day tomorrow in Kaua’i.

[Starshine95123]

Very entertaining, looking forward to the next installment.

[serenity27]

Thanks for your comments. I am fine with some bumpies but my kids may not be. I may hold off on this cruise for a few more years to let them get a bit older. Were there other kids on your sailing (I am assuming it was around Spring Break). Thanks again for taking the time with your review! Katherine

 

I had heard that there were about 100 kids on the ship. We would see them mostly in the pool or at the crafty stuff- lei making.

[serenity27]

OP;

 

Thanks for taking the taking the time to post your review. I enjoyed reading of your experiences. We sailed the Golden to Hawaii back in February and absolutely loved it.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Thank you! Your pics are great!

[serenity27]

Really good review and thanks for the LA tips. Hubby and I will be visiting LA in about 3 weeks.

 

Have a great trip! There's so much to see in LA. Hopefully the weather will stay perfect for you.

[serenity27]

I really have a bit of a hard time with the AT dining. I just sailed on my one and only RCCI and their My Time you were able to go on line, ahead of time, and reserve a table for any time every night. The last Princess cruise I had you could only reserve at 5:30 or 8:30. On prior Princess cruise we were always able to reserve the first night the same table every night. I understand the concept of AT and for those who want to treat it like a restaurant, and show up at anytime, fine but like a restaurant I believe you should be able to reserve a table at anytime of the evening just like any other restaurant. My understanding of the AT is to give you flexability from the two fixed seating times but still be able to reserve a time.

 

I agree. From what I have heard, each ship does AT differently.

That is why I do always do Traditional.

[serenity27]

Serenity, I have to say that you and Mr. Serenity are just darling in your pics and your review is required reading every time I see this thread pop up to the top.

 

We will be on the Golden in early June headed for Alaska. I'm wondering if anyone knows what will be different on the Golden when it switches to Alaska as opposed to Hawaii -- are the entertainers the same or are some of them just on the Hawaii itineraries? What about the order of the menus in the main dining room? If anyone has any info on that, I'd appreciate it.

 

Othewise, I will stay tuned for more of The Serenities' voyage to Hawaii!

Kellie

 

Thank you! What a nice thing to say! I'm not sure about the menus or entertainers for Alaska. There are some entertainers who are Princess staples, and others who only stay on the ship for a few days. You'll have a great time in Alaska- it's SO beautiful!

[serenity27]

You two are an adorable couple--and I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

 

Mary-Lou

("Dr. FUN")

 

Thank you, Mary-Lou! We're off to a great start!