Golden Princess Hawaii Thanksgiving Cruise Review

[clueless2]

Thank you for the review. We're on the Golden in March.

 

Was the "all you can fit in the bag" laundry special offered? If so when in the cruise?

[Princess Patches]

Thank you for the review. We're on the Golden in March.

 

Was the "all you can fit in the bag" laundry special offered? If so when in the cruise?

 

 

I did not notice any laundry specials. However, Princess does have self-service laundry that will only cost you a few dollars per wash/dry load. There are also plenty of sea days on this cruise to work in doing the laundry.

[srpilo]

Enjoyed your review, thanks for sharing it

 

 

 

 

Srpilo

[greenie082756]

Thanks so much for your review. My husband and I are going on the Golden in April. Looking forward to this! Thanks again!:)

[patsy44404]

Thank you for the review. We're on the Golden in March.

 

Was the "all you can fit in the bag" laundry special offered? If so when in the cruise?

 

It was offered the next to the last night of the cruise, I believe, for $20.00. I had done a load of laundry before the offer, and it was only $2.00 to wash and 2.00 to dry...the laundry room was pretty busy, though.

[stretchcruz]

My friend and her husband were on this cruise and enjoyed it as well, however, she did get Noro and was quarantined to her room for 3 days. She missed Kauai and whatever ports were around Kauai. Luckily they had been upgraded to a balcony so she was able to be outside a bit. She's better now, but still tired.

[Princess Patches]

My friend and her husband were on this cruise and enjoyed it as well, however, she did get Noro and was quarantined to her room for 3 days. She missed Kauai and whatever ports were around Kauai. Luckily they had been upgraded to a balcony so she was able to be outside a bit. She's better now, but still tired.

 

Sorry to hear about your friend. I ran into one gentleman who had just been released from a 48 hour quarantine for the flu but we did not hear of any other illnesses while onboard. That is another good reason for us to get a balcony. If we are ever quarantined, we can still enjoy some fresh air and an ocean view from the balcony.

[TracieABD]

Thank you for the review. Being on an "Eula Cruise" is on my bucket list!

[patrickmoran]

Where did you pick up your rental cars? Thanks

[Princess Patches]

Where did you pick up your rental cars? Thanks

 

We used Avis on all four of the islands. They had a complimentary shuttle service that picked us up at the port and took us to the rental office on Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. They did not have a complimentary shuttle in Honolulu so my brother-in-law took the bus from the Honolulu port to the airport which took about 30 minutes and cost a couple of dollars. There are some agencies with a complimentary shuttle in Honolulu. I know that Thrifty at the airport and Enterprise on Ala Moana Blvd have free shuttle service in Honolulu.

[Princess Patches]

Thank you for the review. Being on an "Eula Cruise" is on my bucket list!

 

If we do this cruise again next autumn, we will choose the Star because of Eula. They really brightened up the whole cruise.

[stretchcruz]

Yes, she was really relieved with the upgrade. One evening she sent her husband to dinner at 7:30, fell in the bathroom and couldn't get up, he got back to the room at 10 and he couldn't get her up either, they had to call 911 for them to get her. She's been ill this year (not gastro ill, she has had various health issues, diabetes, knee replacement, that kind of thing), so she was just weak and needed some help. They said the medical staff onboard was very helpful. And she was happy to get fresh air while quarantined!!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the review, glad you had a great time.

[dancingirl_11]

Do you have any advice for me? I want to rent a car for Hilo on my upcoming cruise. Thanks in advance

[Princess Patches]

Do you have any advice for me? I want to rent a car for Hilo on my upcoming cruise. Thanks in advance

 

Make sure your car rental company has a complimentary shuttle pick up at the port. I think that most, if not all, do. Get off the ship early. Then choose between the tropical wet side of the Big Island and the dry lava side. You won't have time to do both. We did the tropical side because we had seen the lava side.

 

If you decide to go to the lava side then of course you will want to see Volcano National Park, the lava tubes, Punaluu black sand beach, and the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory and farm. If you chose the wet side, the highlights for me were Waipio Valley Lookout, Akaka Falls, and the 4-mile scenic drive through the Botanical Garden area. We also managed a stop at the Mauna Loa Nut Factory because it is just a couple of miles outside of Hilo.

[patsy44404]

Do you have any advice for me? I want to rent a car for Hilo on my upcoming cruise. Thanks in advance

 

I agree with Princess Patches, you can't do both sides of the island, so choose one! We did the Lava side, and one other place we went to was Lava Tree State Park, it was awesome. Re: rental car: Make sure you rent your car before you go on your cruise because you will be disappointed if you wait till you get to Hilo. If they are not sold out, the price will be double or triple what you would have paid in advance. We used Alamo and I would not use them again...they only had 1 shuttle and it was a long wait between shuttle pick ups, the other agencies had more than one shuttle and seemed to go smoother than Alamo. Enjoy!!!

[Elua]

I agree with Princess Patches, you can't do both sides of the island, so choose one! We did the Lava side, and one other place we went to was Lava Tree State Park, it was awesome. Re: rental car: Make sure you rent your car before you go on your cruise because you will be disappointed if you wait till you get to Hilo. If they are not sold out, the price will be double or triple what you would have paid in advance. We used Alamo and I would not use them again...they only had 1 shuttle and it was a long wait between shuttle pick ups, the other agencies had more than one shuttle and seemed to go smoother than Alamo. Enjoy!!!

 

Aloha Kakou,

Very good advice. I just posted a reply to another thread that had this topic come up. As I said in the other thread, cars in Hilo can be very tricky as they do not have the inventory that a lot of the other islands do. Honolulu will almost always have cars...Hilo not so much.

 

Both sides an be done, but it would leave you with so little time for anything worth doing, that the whole day would be spent in the car. While Kona is certainly nice, Hilo has the great natural attractions of the volcanos and the falls. As well as the beautiful gardens, Waipio Valley, Onomea Scenic Drive, black sand beach...can you tell I am biased? :-)

 

On a different note, as always, Leialoha and I appreciate all the kind words and aloha we get here on Cruise Critic, and always love it when people let others know how much they enjoyed the Hawaiian experience on the Golden Princess. Best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season to all.

 

A Hui Hou,

Dave Soreff

(of Elua)

http://eluaworld.blogspot.com

[sally885]

Is the Macadamia Nut Factory the "best" place to get nuts? Also, how cold was it on your balcony and on the deck [other than the first day]? 60's? 70's? Thanks.

[Princess Patches]

Is the Macadamia Nut Factory the "best" place to get nuts? Also, how cold was it on your balcony and on the deck [other than the first day]? 60's? 70's? Thanks.

 

The balcony was warm, low 70s to low 80s.

 

If by "best" place you mean cheapest, then no the Mauna Loa factory was not the best place to get the macadamia nuts. The factory and the trees are just interesting to see. We actually stopped at Costco in Hawaii Kai on our tour around the island of Oahu on the following day to pick up some Mauna Loa nuts. You can get them for 1/2 the price at Costco than they charge at the factory gift shop. Also, Costco in Hawaii Kai has a good selection of the local Mauna Loa nut flavors that you often cannot find outside of the islands. If you rent a car on Oahu and circle the island on the main highway, you will drive right by Costco.

 

I imagine Wal Mart probably has a good selection for a lot less than the factory gift shop too. There was a Wal Mart in Hilo very close to the factory. We passed it on the way there.

[cr8tiv1]

So many good comments, but still lots of questions. I am on the Golden (February 13, 2013). I agree that ELUA is the reason for this cruise. I have been in contact with Dave and he is so personable.

 

Here is my question:

 

I have confirmation that my dining time is 6:00 PM. Is this a Princess error? Does anyone know which dining room I will be in? I found 5:30 not enough time between tea time and dinner (ha ha).

 

I am renting a car from Enterprise in Hilo town. By doing this, I will avoid the hefty airport fee charge.

 

Yes, Costco is the best place to pick up nuts, chocolates, and other goodies. If they are on sale at Longs (aka CVS), then you will save a few pennies at best. Walmart is convenient, but not always reasonable for the food products. They do have other little trinkets. A good gift are local calendars for less than $1.00 at Walmart, Longs, and Hilo Hattie.

 

Please keep the reviews coming. It really adds to the excitement for those of us still waiting for our cruise to begin.

 

Renee (displaced local girl)

[cr8tiv1]

One more question:

 

My Honolulu day is packed, but I don't want to miss the evening show. Do you know the times of these performances? I know we have to be onboard by 10:30 PM and hope that there is late show. But I do understand that they need to get the halau off the ship before we sail.

 

Renee (displaced local girl)

[caribill]

I have confirmation that my dining time is 6:00 PM. Is this a Princess error? Does anyone know which dining room I will be in? I found 5:30 not enough time between tea time and dinner (ha ha).

 

 

Princess offers traditional dining at a nominal 6 PM and 8 PM in the aft dining room on deck 6. The actual time may vary by 15 minutes. Actual time (and the dining room name) will be on your cruise card when you check in.

 

If there is a large enough demand for early traditional, one of the anytime dining rooms near the atrium will be used for the overflow, usually at 5:30 PM. When that group is finished dining, the dining room becomes anytime for the rest of the evening. If you had been assigned to that, your conformed time would have been 5:30.

[Elua]

One more question:

 

My Honolulu day is packed, but I don't want to miss the evening show. Do you know the times of these performances? I know we have to be onboard by 10:30 PM and hope that there is late show. But I do understand that they need to get the halau off the ship before we sail.

 

Renee (displaced local girl)

 

Aloha Renee,

The showtimes are usually 7:30pm and 9:00pm.

 

Dave

(of Elua)

http://www.eluaworld.blogspot.com

[Princess Patches]

So many good comments, but still lots of questions. I am on the Golden (February 13, 2013). I agree that ELUA is the reason for this cruise. I have been in contact with Dave and he is so personable.

 

Here is my question:

 

I have confirmation that my dining time is 6:00 PM. Is this a Princess error? Does anyone know which dining room I will be in? I found 5:30 not enough time between tea time and dinner (ha ha).

 

 

Renee (displaced local girl)

 

Prior to the cruise my confirmed dining time was also 6:00 p.m. on the website, but our actual dining time was 5:30 p.m. I know that on the Golden cruise just prior to my sailing their early traditional dining time was 5:45 p.m. So the dining time listed on the website can be as much as 30 minutes off your actual dining time. My guess is you will be dining at 5:30 or 5:45. You will find out your dining room when you board. If you are unhappy with your dining assignment you can always go see the maitre d' on embarkation day to ask for a change.

 

One more question:

 

My Honolulu day is packed, but I don't want to miss the evening show. Do you know the times of these performances? I know we have to be onboard by 10:30 PM and hope that there is late show. But I do understand that they need to get the halau off the ship before we sail.

 

Renee (displaced local girl)

 

The last Halau Hula Olana show was at 9:00 p.m. on my sailing. Don't miss it!