Hawaii cruise out of Los Angeles

[*CENSORED*]

I am considering this cruise for my wife and I next year. We have alway sailed on Royal Caribbean and have always enjoyed it. I am not familiar with Princess at all. Do any of you have any tips as to preferred cabin locations, comparisons between the two cruise lines, and generally if this itinerary is enjoyable? I enjoy sea days but is 8 or 9 excessive? Thanks for any info!

 

 

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[chrysalis]

This is a good start....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2297589&highlight=princess+secrets

 

And there are recent threads comparing Princess for RC so have a look or search for those.

 

You don't say what ship, so cabin location question is a question, still.

[*CENSORED*]

The ship is Ruby Princess. Thanks.

 

 

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[chrysalis]

If I was going to cruise in an inside cabin, I would select the Plaza deck. If wanting a balcony, I would go for the Caribe Deck with the double sized balconies.

[ccruisequeen]

I've got an inside plaza deck cabin booked leaving on Monday. Very close to international cafe for free snacks, salads, desserts and anytime dining room. I'll let you know how it goes

 

 

 

I no longer see carnival from my condo front porch :(

[Luvmyrotti]

This is a wonderful itinerary, but you have to enjoy sea days as there are at least 4 going and 4 coming back. We love sea days, so we were very happy with the chance to relax both before Hawaii and after the busy port days.

[*CENSORED*]

Thanks for your help. I would want a balcony for such a long cruise. And I have been reading as much as I can here, but the search feature takes so much time to read through to find what your looking for that it is just easier to ask in a new thread.

 

 

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[Jasperdo]

Princess has a terrific Hawaiian Cultural experience that they put on all ships sailing to Hawaii. Ukulele lessens, hula classes, lei making, etc. It really helps get you into the Aloha Spirit as you cruise to Hawaii. Here is the flyer we received in our cabin describing it:

 

 

 

The program was set up by cruise director David Cole and the husband and wife musical team Elua. This season Elua have been on the Ruby doing the Hawaii runs. And I believe David Cole has been on the Grand. If you're able to get on a sailing that has either or both, you'll be in for a treat. I've sailed with Elua twice, and they are wonderful musicians and very nice people. I understand that there is another husband and wife duo that also do the Hawaii cruises. I can't think of their name off hand. I haven't sailed with them, but I've heard good things about them. So, either way, you should have a terrific Hawaiian experience on the ship, before you even get to the Islands. Here are a few photos of Dave and Leialoha from Elua:

 

 

 

[cruisequeen4ever]

I loved this cruise because of the numerous sea days, and my DH never wants to repeat this cruise because of all of the sea days! [emoji5] You must love sea days to survive this cruise. I highly recommend going with your balcony idea because you'll get a lot of bang for your buck with it during the sea days. We had an aft balcony that was out of this world! Watching the wake, relaxing in the sun was pure bliss for me. Caribe deck balconies are bigger than the other decks and are half covered and half uncovered. The Hawaiian themed activities like lei making are very popular so show up super early to get tixx. The islands are very doable independently. We rented a car through discounthawaiicarrental.com on 2/4 islands and had a great experience. Royal Caribbean is more active and attracts a younger crowd, but my DH and I were 30 when we did this cruise and still had a blast. We are loyal to Princess because of its consistent quality. You won't find water slides or ice skating, but you will find relaxation! Many of the daily activities are the same among the cruise lines...bingo, trivia, dance lessons, cultural presentations, crafts., music, casino, spa, etc. The Ruby is a gorgeous ship; I'm sure you'll have an amazing time!

[camofwilliamsburg]

New fabulous beds also! Unlike others, I find that the weather can be very iffy the first 2 days and the last 2 so I found many people saying they did not use the balcony enough. If you like being out and around people then sitting out there is not that important. Yes it does add to the cruise but we like to cruise more so we try to spend less on cabins. We make it a point to walk outside before turning in and looking at the water. We were never bored. You have time to relax and time to do activities. The lectures are fun and so are the cultural things they do. The ship is beautiful and the crew keep you busy. There is plenty of room all over the ship to find sun or shade. It is a very laid back cruise. In addition to the MUTS they also show movies in the Princess Theater. It was fun spending time outside and then having a movie to go to in the afternoon. We loved this cruise so much we did this cruise multiple times and would not hesitate doing it again. We loved all the sea days in a row. The ship gets to feel very homey.

Edited February 26, 2016 by camofwilliamsburg

[cr8tiv1]

The program was set up by cruise director David Cole and the husband and wife musical team Elua. This season Elua have been on the Ruby doing the Hawaii runs. And I believe David Cole has been on the Grand. If you're able to get on a sailing that has either or both, you'll be in for a treat. I've sailed with Elua twice, and they are wonderful musicians and very nice people. I understand that there is another husband and wife duo that also do the Hawaii cruises. I can't think of their name off hand. I haven't sailed with them, but I've heard good things about them. So, either way, you should have a terrific Hawaiian experience on the ship, before you even get to the Islands. Here are a few photos of Dave and Leialoha from Elua:

 

I believe Elua mentioned that they will be on the Star for the first couple of cruises to Hawaii. Dave Cole is still unassigned. Given the choice between the Ruby and the Star, I would book the Star in less than a heartbeat.

 

I didn't mind being in an interior cabin (have been in an interior to a suite) going over to Hawaii. I love the Plaza Deck, but not crazy that the hallway opens to the International Cafe on the Ruby. A little bit more foot traffic than if it was a dead end hallway.

 

You will be exhausted after a whirlwind tour of the islands and welcome the sea days returning. Going over, there are so many activities that you will wish there were more sea days.

 

Traveling the islands is best by reserving your rental cars now. They get more expensive the closer you get to sail date. True, you will miss the atmosphere and the local feel from the tour guides. Some are very good, some are hooky.

 

Lots of information on CC regarding "how to".

 

Enjoy your cruise. Love it and I am from the islands.

[Jasperdo]

I believe Elua mentioned that they will be on the Star for the first couple of cruises to Hawaii. Dave Cole is still unassigned. Given the choice between the Ruby and the Star, I would book the Star in less than a heartbeat.

Is this for next season? I know from Facebook that Elua are on the Ruby for most of this season. Is their schedule for next year out already? This year they didn't know for sure until September where they would be. It's not as easy to keep track of them now that Princess isn't dedicating any ship exclusively to the Hawaii cruises all season. Edited February 26, 2016 by Jasperdo

[Colo Cruiser]

Caribe deck. ;)

[Woobstr112G]

This is a wonderful itinerary, but you have to enjoy sea days as there are at least 4 going and 4 coming back. We love sea days, so we were very happy with the chance to relax both before Hawaii and after the busy port days.

 

Don't worry, I do.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[caribill]

Thanks for your help. I would want a balcony for such a long cruise. And I have been reading as much as I can here, but the search feature takes so much time to read through to find what your looking for that it is just easier to ask in a new thread.

 

 

 

On the Ruby I would pick a balcony on the Caribe deck. These have the largest regular balconies, half of the balcony is covered and half is not.

[ar1950]

This is a wonderful itinerary, but you have to enjoy sea days as there are at least 4 going and 4 coming back. We love sea days, so we were very happy with the chance to relax both before Hawaii and after the busy port days.

 

Ha! 4 going over and 5 on the way back on the Ruby in January. I just checked our Patters (if anyone is interested I will scan and post a link to the Patters). We couldn't begin to keep up with everything offered. If you get bored on sea days you aren't taking advantage of the activities offered. We enjoy the Hawaii cruise experience. Elua was great (second cruise with them). Be sure to take the Ukulele lessons and/or Hula lessons that they offer if they are on your cruise. BTW, I have read that the other Hawaiian couple are great as well. The guy (don't know his name) does a killer Ukulele show. This last cruise we took was our third Princess to Hawaii cruise and we have enjoyed them all.

[cr8tiv1]

Is this for next season? I know from Facebook that Elua are on the Ruby for most of this season. Is their schedule for next year out already? This year they didn't know for sure until September where they would be. It's not as easy to keep track of them now that Princess isn't dedicating any ship exclusively to the Hawaii cruises all season.

 

I apologize for my wishful thinking. I sort of jumped the gun. Dave, forgive me for quoting from your Facebook (need to save face).

 

"Lastly, we have been told that we will be heading to Japan again this summer on the Diamond Princess for the first part of Japanese season. Also, we have been assigned to the first Star Princess Hawaiian cruise out of Vancouver. BUT, we do not know what the rest of 2016-17 holds...we have requested the Star Princess, so fingers crossed. As always, when we know, all of you will know."

 

While I am wishing, I wish that Princess would bring back the full Hawaiian Season (back to backs to Hawaii with a dedicated ship). It makes it so hard to plan ahead.

Edited February 26, 2016 by cr8tiv1

[Keith1010]

For this type of cruise I would try to book a room mid ship. It's a terrific itinerary but the first day to day and one half and the final day and day and one half can have some rough seas. Again, great itinerary.

 

Keith

[Jasperdo]

(if anyone is interested I will scan and post a link to the Patters).

I would love to see the Patters if you don't mind. Even though I'm going on the 10 day Mexican Riviera cruise instead of the Hawaii one, it will still give me an idea what's happening on the ship. Thanks.

[Jasperdo]

I apologize for my wishful thinking. I sort of jumped the gun.

No need to apologize. It's hard to keep track of Elua's whereabouts anymore. I also wish that Princess would go back to a dedicated ship doing the Hawaii run all season. From what I understand, Dave and Leialoha only do the Hawaii sailings. They leave the ship and fly home to Hilo whenever the Ruby does the Mexico or Coastal cruises. That makes no sense to me. They are talented musicians with a wide range. They could easily adapt their music for those other cruises.

[greenie082756]

My DH and I did the cruise on the Golden Princess from Los Angeles in April 2013. It was our first cruise with Princess and the reason we took it was to "catch our breath" and that's exactly what happened.

 

I did a review of the cruise in the member section.

 

We are not able to cruise this year however I asked the DH about 2017 and what did he want to do? Well, he said, I really enjoyed the Hawaii cruise and want to do it again. :D My response?? I'm good with that!! This time I'd like to plan it for October around either his birthday or our 39th anniversary.

 

There are a lot of sea days, be we had fun exploring the ship, watching shows, being served and/or doing absolutely nothing.

 

Enjoy!!

[cr8tiv1]

No need to apologize. It's hard to keep track of Elua's whereabouts anymore. I also wish that Princess would go back to a dedicated ship doing the Hawaii run all season. From what I understand, Dave and Leialoha only do the Hawaii sailings. They leave the ship and fly home to Hilo whenever the Ruby does the Mexico or Coastal cruises. That makes no sense to me. They are talented musicians with a wide range. They could easily adapt their music for those other cruises.

 

This makes no sense to me either. Dave (Tiki Dave) does a surf night on the Hawaii cruise in one of the theaters. I would think they would keep him on between the Hawaii cruises too. Imagine. Ukulele classes, surfing music, etc. What better icon for a California Coastal. Much better than the Mariachi band (I know ... I will be disputed on this one).

[ar1950]

This makes no sense to me either. Dave (Tiki Dave) does a surf night on the Hawaii cruise in one of the theaters. I would think they would keep him on between the Hawaii cruises too. Imagine. Ukulele classes, surfing music, etc. What better icon for a California Coastal. Much better than the Mariachi band (I know ... I will be disputed on this one).

 

I certainly won't dispute you at all. Tiki Dave did "hint" that if we liked his show to let Princess know. He would like to do his "Endless Summer" show on other ships in the fleet. Hopefully Princess will listen and do that. We enjoyed the show.