Holiday Aloha Part 'ekolu on the Golden Princess to Hawaii 12/19/12 to 1/2/13

[bes391]

Wonderful trip report! Loved seeing the patters and all of your pictures. I am on the 2/13/13 cruise and your reports have inspired me to go and start packing.

Was there a charge for the scholarship at sea lei classes? Did the ticket thing go smoothly?

Thanks for taking the time for such a complete report.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I've finishing scanning all the Patters and uploading photos (except for the Patters) to Photobucket. So after tomorrow's dentist appt. (the girl's teeth cleaning, not mine), I can post the rest of the report and Patters (yea). I've also got some other things I've scanned too.

 

On our cruise two years ago, I did attend the orchid and ribbon lei classes. Those you have to get tickets for from the Hawaiian Activities Desk as soon as they're available. A good reason to read the Patters. The tickets for the orchid classes are given out the first day or two of the cruise and the ones for the ribbon classes are given out the first day or so on the way back from Hawaii. Those classes are free. Someone from the CD staff will help get you started.

 

The heirloom classes are different. You buy the kit for the lei you want to make (eyelash yarn with beads). I noticed the kits were around $30 to $40, but there's also ones for keiki (kids) for under $20. Leialoha supervises and will assist you.

[gelo7]

Nice review.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Back to business:

 

Friday December 28 – Day at sea

At 8:34am Alaskan ST, per the navigation channel: we were at 22°06.81N/154°07.39 W. Sunrise 7:51 am, sunset 6:19 pm. Air temp 69.8 °F, barometer steady, sea temp 77.0°F, the pools were around 93.2, 87.8, 88, 91.4°. Easterly wind, force 5, breeze, moderate sea conditions, partly cloudy

Distance sailed from Los Angeles 2779 nautical miles, from Honolulu 218.7 nautical miles, remaining nautical miles to Ensenada 2083.

Started off the day with my usual breakfast in the Horizon. Amazingly I usually eat very little (cereal and OJ) for breakfast at home.

(I miss those hash brown patties as much as I'm sure my girl misses the Belgian Waffles)

 

This was the day I stood up, in a way, to a chair hog. I had decided to take advantage of the nice morning and went over to the pool area. Looking around, I can see many passengers watching the MUTS movie, reading a book or simply getting a bit of sun. I scanned the area for an empty deck chair. I saw a couple of them in a shady spot; but alas, there were items on the chair. There were only a few kids in the pool and the items (each chair had a paperback book and an item of clothing strewn on them) didn’t look like they belonged to kids.

I went over, nodded toward the chairs and inquired of the others sitting there if they’ve seen the “occupants” in a while. Only one person noted that she had seen someone dropping the items there. I asked if that was within a half hour from then, and she said definitely it was longer than that. So with those words, I moved one book and blouse over on the other chair, on top of its contents. I said, “You didn’t see that.” Didn’t get any complaints, but a couple of smiles. One of the women said she thought the time period allowed was 15 minutes, but I said it’s 30 minutes and anything over that defines someone as a chair hog. They found that phrase amusing. One of them said they use a different phrase in England (I wish I could remember that phrase – drats).

We all returned our attention to the boy with leaves on the screen.

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

About an hour later, this woman came over and scooped up the items from that chair. I made a big deal about trying to look around her while she was standing there, and she muttered a “sorry.” I guess she figured out that I had taken over the chair and wisely decided not to say anything about her deed or mine.

(note: when looking over the Patters for the next day, there’s a note on the front page that states that “towels and personal items will be removed by a Princess crewmember after a 15-miute period ifthe lounger has not been occupied.” I know I’ve seen a plaque on the Sun Deck that stated a limit of 30 minutes on our previous cruise on the Golden…but it sure would be nice if this kind of notice would be posted in the actual pool area so that if one is in a similar situation, it would be easier to convince a crew member to actually take away those items, right?)

An array of tropical fruits were displayed at the Fruit Buffet by the Calypso Pool. I made myself a plate to have after hula class.

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

At noon, the air temperature was 73°F.

After today’s hula class, I went to the grill and added a chicken sandwich to my fruit. After eating my sandwich and fries, I stopped by the desserts in the Horizon, picked one to add to the fruit and headed to see the rest of “The Hunger Games” in the Princess Theater (yes, the height of irony).

 

More pics of the Horizon:

 

 

 

 

 

Later on, we did another load of washing. While hubby was taking out the duffel bag we use for dirty clothes, I realized I forgot to pack a clothespin and hand washing liquid for hand washing clothes. I improvised with hand soap and wire hangers that we were using with the garment bag. So making mental note to include for next long trip as well as doubling up on band aids (had to buy a package in the ship’s store that day) and Sudafed (fortunately my sinuses were in much better shape than they were a week before).

[Cruisin' Chick]

Time for some dinner:

 

 

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

And yes, I do like souffles!

 

For those of you interested in the Crown Grill (hope you can read these):

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

We’re not big beef eaters (mostly dietary considerations) so we didn’t eat here.

Art Channel -- Goya’s Ghosts, The Agony & the Ecstasy

Family Movie Channel –Dolphin’s Tale, The Muppets, Zookeeper

Princess Movie – Crazy Stupid Love, Ides of March

Romance Channel -- Footloose, Sleepless in Seattle

Golden TV Channel – Modern Family, Love Boat, The Office, Simpsons, Two and a Half Men

MUTS -- The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Steve Wonder concert film, The Bourne Legacy

Other movies: The Hunger Games in the Princess Theater in the afternoon (I caught the last hour or so)

Other entertainment was The Grand Illusions of Alexander, and Comedy Showtime with Mike Marino

The Captain’s Circle Cocktail party for Platinum and Elite members was held tonight. I’m guessing that there wasn’t a drawing to award one of them Gold level amenities.

When we were going to dinner, hubby saw the captain running down the stairs. He was wondering what was the reason for that action, when he noticed a blinking red light on the wall. He thought that was some sort of alarm. During the rest of the cruise, I noticed that other similar lights were also blinking, so maybe it wasn’t some sort of alarm indicator.

From the Cruise of the Log

02:00 – Ship’s clocks were advanced by 1 hour to Greenwich Mean Time -9

Throughout the day the Golden Princess followed a steady course of 074 to Ensenada, Mexico. The vessel also crossed the Tropic of Cancer at latitude of 23° 26.2’N just after 2200.

Position: Latitude: 22° 25.1’ N’ Longitude: 152° 57.3’ W

Course: 074°. Speed: 19.3 Knots; Wind: Easterly Force 6; Sea state: Moderate seas with a short low Easterly swell: Sky: Partly cloudy (2/8 cloud coverage); Air temperature: 23.5° C/74.3°F; Barometric Pressure: 1017.1Mb

[Cruisin' Chick]

Saturday December 29, 2012 – Day at Sea

At 7:53 am Alaskan ST, per the navigation channel: we were at 24°14.56’ N/145° 56.64’W. Sunrise 6:51 am, sunset 5:41pm.

Air temp 69.6°F/20.9°C, barometer 30.0hg and rising, humidity 82.0%, sea temp 75.2°F, the pools were around 93.2, 87.8, 88, 91.4°. Easterly wind, at 19.2 kts across the deck, force 6, strong breeze, moderate sea conditions, partly cloudy

Distance sailed from Los Angeles 3246.2 nautical miles, from Honolulu 686.0 nautical miles, remaining distance to Ensenada 1615.8 nautical miles.

Watched much of Mirror, Mirror in the cabin before grabbing some breakfast. Then spent a little time checking my emails. As many others have reported, using the Internet can be a slowwwww process. Both Laurie (Cruiselover57) and I were finding an error message on the bottom of the Yahoo mail page.

 

 

 

Yes, that’s the author of the Love Boat Jeraldine Saunders on board for a meet and greet about her experiences and to sign copies of her books.

 

 

 

 

There was a Sushi Station by the Calypso pool and the British Style Pub Lunch in the Crown Grill. But after hula class, had my lunch in the Horizon Court, along with hubby, who had been playing guitar in Skywalkers.

 

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hubby suggested we go back up to Skywalkers to check out the view. Here’s some photos from way up there. Can you find the rainbow?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the afternoon was veg out time. I did catch some of the movie Arthur on the in-cabin TV.

Item of interest: the laundry room on the Aloha deck (and maybe on the other passenger decks) had four sets of washer and dryers. It was $2 to wash, about minutes. Dryer were also $2, for about 30-35 minutes.

One cabin down the hall was getting its carpet replaced. There was a nameplate by that cabin so we had to guess something happened to the plumbing, forcing the immediate laying out the new carpet.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Dinner:

 

 

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

Dessert:

 

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

Art Channel -- Entrapment, How to Steal a Million

Family Movie Channel – The Lorax, Happy Feet 2, Rio

Princess Movie – Mirror, Mirror, Safe House

Romance Channel -- Arthur, Killers

Golden TV Channel – How I Meet Your Mother, Mike and Molly, Modern Family, Love Boat, The Office, Up All Night

On MUTS: Splash, the Artist, Bon Jovi concert film, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Snow White & the Huntsman.

Other movies: The Odd Life of Timothy Green in the Princess Theater in the afternoon.

We went to see the British Invasion show that was enjoyable on our last cruise when it was brand new.

 

Above is the cruise director with the production manager of the show.

 

 

 

 

Once again, my enjoyment of the show was ruined by inconsiderate passengers in the audience. I had to turn around a couple of times and give The Stare to those behind us, and then finally shushed them. Really, people, you are not in your living room watching a football game. You are in a theater, along with several hundred others and performers up on the stage who are giving their all. If you don’t want to keep your mouths shut, please don’t bother to go to a show (or movie or concert of kids’ recital).

From the Cruise of the Log

Throughout the day the Golden Princess maintained steady west north-easterly course across the Pacific Ocean towards Ensenada, Mexico.

Position: Latitude: 24° 36.9’ N; Longitude: 143° 01.3’W; Course: 074°; Speed: 20.2 Knots; Wind: South-Easterly Force 6; Sea state: Moderate seas with a short moderate Easterly swell; Sky: Partly Cloudy (4/9 cloud coverage); Air temperature: 22.5° C/72.5° F; Barometric Pressure: 1020.2Mb

[Cruisin' Chick]

Sunday – December 30, 2012 – Day at Sea

At 8:47 am Alaskan ST, per the navigation channel: we were at 26°34.37’N/136 °49.43’W. Sunrise 6:55am, sunset 5:04pm. Air temp 63.1°F/17.3°C, barometer 30.2hg and steady, humidity 66 %, sea temp 71.6 °F, the pools were around 93.2, 87.8, 88, 91.4°. NE wind, at 13.7kts across the deck, force 4, breeze, slight sea conditions, overcast

Distance sailed from LA 3762.5 nautical miles, from Honolulu 1202.3 nautical miles, to Ensenada 1099.5 nautical miles

While at the Internet Cafe, there was a man chewing out the Internet manger about having to pay to use the Internet, while at hotels “all over the world” the Internet is free. I resisted the urge to go up to him and suggest he go on a bunch of cruises and earn that perk just like the rest of us were doing.

My lunch was salad, chicken in tequila sauce, rice, pineapple, roll, key lime pie, sugar free chocolate pastry, and lemonade.

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

Today there was a “Golden Dragon Buffet.”

 

 

 

 

 

[JWJs]

Hi Cruisin' Chick. I have just spent a couple of hours reading your review with pics. Can't begin to thank you enough...as I wait patiently for our 2/23 Sapphire Hawaii cruise! Your review and pics are wonderful. I feel like I have just been on a Princess Hawaii cruise! Many thanks.:)

[Cruisin' Chick]

This afternoon was hula class.

In the afternoon, I joined a family at a trivia match, and we tied for first and tied the first tiebreaker. So we came that close to winning something (I didn’t want the heart to check out what the prize was).

Dinner (The Chef’s Dinner):

 

 

 

The chicken got a thumbs down from the girl, who wondered how a chef could possibly mess up fried chicken.

 

Here's the sorbet for in-between courses:

 

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hi Cruisin' Chick. I have just spent a couple of hours reading your review with pics. Can't begin to thank you enough...as I wait patiently for our 2/23 Sapphire Hawaii cruise! Your review and pics are wonderful. I feel like I have just been on a Princess Hawaii cruise! Many thanks.:)

 

My pleasure. I try to think of the things I'm interested as well as what some people have asked about. I hope your cruise is just as great (the Sapphire is a beautiful ship).:)

[Cruisin' Chick]

Art Channel -- Pollack, Fakers

Family Movie Channel – Big Miracle, Pirate – Band of Misfits, We Bought a Zoo

Princess Movie – Safe, 3 Stooges

Romance Channel --- New Year’s Eve, Bridges of Madison County

Golden TV Channel – How I Meet Your Mother, Modern Family, Love Boat, Two & a Half Men, Two Broke Girls, Fitness at Sea

On MUTS -- Dirty Dancing, two NFL games, The Dark Knight Rises

In the Princess Theater: Moonrise Kingdom in the afternoon, and Snow White and the Huntsman at night

Hypnotist Matt Fallon and The Sassy Sounds of Nicole Sasser were the performers.

From the Log of the Cruise:

Throughout the day the Golden Princess maintained a steady east north-easterly course across the Pacific Ocean towards Ensenada, Mexico.

Position: Latitude: 26° 52.8’N; Longitude: 135 14.4’W; Course: 074°; Speed: 20.9 Knots; Wind: North-Easterly Force 4; Sea state: Slight seas with a short low Easterly swell; Sky: cloudy skies (6/8 cloud coverage); Air temperatures: 18.0° C/64.4° F; Barometric Pressure: 1026.6Mb

[Cruisin' Chick]

And now to catch up with the Patters:

 

12/28/12 pg 1

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

12/28/12 pg 2

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

12/28/12 pg3

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

12/28/12 pg 4