Hawaii, Tahiti & Samoa 28 day round tripper out of LA???

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

Has anyone done Princess's Hawaii, Tahiti & Samoa 28 day round tripper out of LA???

I see they do it twice a year, March & October. I'd love to do it for a retirement cruise in a few years. Please let me know what you thought of this cruise (If you have done it) Did you do the Spring or Fall cruise? How were the seas?

[Amtrack Springfield]

We did the round trip out of LA last October on the Emerald Princess. We had a outstanding time. The 28 days went by so fast. We had a great cruise critic roll call. The weather was not an issue. It was a little rough leaving San Pedro, but was smooth sailing after that. The CD and his staff kept us busy everyday. Check our roll call for information.

[Kamloops50]

We did on the Emerald in Oct 2-17. Great trip but be prepared for a lot of sea days.

Out of the 28 days there were 5 port days in Hawaii , 1 day in Pagp Pago and three day stops in French Polynesian. The rest were sea days.

[Thrak]

Same cruise as Amtrack Springfield above. Wonderful cruise. Our longest prior to that was 17 days SF to FLL through the Panama Canal. We wondered about 28 days but it was wonderful. If you don't like sea days this isn't for you as there were 18 sea days out of 28 days of cruising.

[Kamloops50]

Same cruise as Amtrack Springfield above. Wonderful cruise. Our longest prior to that was 17 days SF to FLL through the Panama Canal. We wondered about 28 days but it was wonderful. If you don't like sea days this isn't for you as there were 18 sea days out of 28 days of cruising.

 

The cruise ended with a stretch of 10 sea days from Moorea to San Pedro (Los Angeles).

[JF - retired RRT]

We did it in 2016. Didn't care for the ship (Crown, IIRC). The trip was fine. Absolutely loved the snorkeling in Polynesia.

We like sea days and actually did this as a B2B...15 day Hawaii, then the 28 day.;p

[nukesubsailor]

I have done this cruise twice. Once in the fall of 2012. It was great. The second time was the cruise mentioned above which began on October 8th and ended November 5th. It had a total of 18 days at sea with 8 of them being consecutive on the way back to California from French Polynesia. This cruise was also great.

There are so many activities like lectures about the ports or ukulele or hula lessons or lei making classes that prepare you for the cultures you will encounter. There are games held by the Cruise Directors staff. If anyone gets bored on this cruise it is their own fault. If you book this cruise, by all means join the roll call for your booking. You will get to know your fellow passengers, and learn so much about excursions etc. Your roll call will likely arrange for a meet and greet early during the 4 sea days on the way to Hawaii.

The first day or two out of California can be a little cool and windy as you are crossing a current coming south from Alaska.

Another advantage of such a long cruise is that you get to know the crew members that you interact with regularly such as your waiters and bar staff. It is fun and educational to get to know people from other cultures. If I could afford it, I would take this cruise every year.

[hillslife]

Love it.. done it once already.. going again in March. Love the sea days, beautiful scenery, very relaxing 😎. No flights for us with RT LA... what’s not to like !!

[seacrystal]

We did the cruise with most of the above people last October. We loved the Emerald! We had a wonderful roll call group and we had so many participants for various card games and meetings, we were switched from a conference room to our own section of the back of the dining room during the day.

 

I agree with everything mentioned above regarding the sea days. They were relaxing for some and filled with adventure for many others who enjoyed the onboard activities.

 

The only thing I would recommend would be to take the October cruise. March is much more humid than October.

 

Whichever month you decide to cruise, enjoy French Polynesia! It is a cruise of a lifetime.;)

[Belle]

I also took the cruise in Oct. 2017 and in 2015 in Oct.

You'll never get bored especially if you have a roll call

like we did on the 2017 cruise. The ship has so many

things planned during the day, then had things to do with roll call group.

You can do as much or as little as you want.

Plus you have all the great ports to visit! So much to see and do.

You can tell it was a fun cruise most of the people who answered you

was from the Oct. 2017 cruise.

 

The weather and seas you never know from year to year.. Was hotter in 2015.

Go for it..Book it!

[DrivesLikeMario]

I believe the one coming up in March is the first time they've offered this cruise at that time of year. In the past, it's only been in October so you're not going to get a lot of feedback on the March date. It may not be much help, but I've done land vacations in March to Hawaii and it was cooler and windier than in other months. Waves tend to be larger the closer you are to January too.

[Centsless_Cruiser]

My DW and I have done this cruise 4 times so far (Oct-Nov 2013-Sapphire, Apr 2014-Golden, Oct-Nov 2016-Crown and Oct-Nov 2017-Emerald). The only comment about the Spring cruise is it seemed like we got more passing tropical showers at Sea then our Fall cruises but not enough to dampen our spirits. As most have already posted you need to know that there are a lot of Sea Days in between some of the most beautiful places to see!

 

Normally the sea conditions are very smooth except for the first and last couple of days leaving and returning to LA. Last Fall for some reason it was pretty bumpy, windy and cool almost all the way to Hawaii but on the way back it was smooth and pretty warm including the last day so it is really a matter of luck on the weather.

 

If timing and pricing works out we may even be on this Spring's cruise so I guess we just can't get enough!

 

Hope this helps.

[socaljo]

We have this one for our "retirement" cruise booked for next March on the Star! We have our aft balcony cabin booked. Our "pre-retirement" cruise is this April, doing the TA on the Regal. But I'm really looking forward to the warmer cruise! ;p

[cruiseloverslinda]

We have also taken this cruise twice once on Sapphire 2012 and Crown 2015. We really enjoyed both trips Love sea days

[AF-1]

Do any other cruise lines do this type of sailing? West Coast to south pacific and back?

[Coral]

I believe the one coming up in March is the first time they've offered this cruise at that time of year. In the past, it's only been in October so you're not going to get a lot of feedback on the March date. It may not be much help, but I've done land vacations in March to Hawaii and it was cooler and windier than in other months. Waves tend to be larger the closer you are to January too.

 

They have offered it in the spring before as I almost took it one year.

 

Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa – This 28-day itinerary offers the opportunity to sail not only to Hawaii, but also visit the South Pacific islands of Pago Pago, Apia, Bora Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti. These cruises sail roundtrip from Los Angeles, aboard Sapphire Princess on Oct. 20, 2012 and on Star Princess on March 26, 2013.

[freshair8]

Have done this cruise 3 times... loved each time! We did it once in April and the other times in Oct. I like the weather in April better as it was hotter and sunnier. Oct. is the start of their rainy season, and that one particular year we had a lot of rain on the islands, so if you could pick , I would say April . Hope that helps! :)

[patrickmoran]

Do any other cruise lines do this type of sailing? West Coast to south pacific and back?

 

Holland America

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

Same cruise as Amtrack Springfield above. Wonderful cruise. Our longest prior to that was 17 days SF to FLL through the Panama Canal. We wondered about 28 days but it was wonderful. If you don't like sea days this isn't for you as there were 18 sea days out of 28 days of cruising.

We did our 1st TA last year. We didn't mind the sea days. I find them relaxing.

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

I have done this cruise twice. Once in the fall of 2012. It was great. The second time was the cruise mentioned above which began on October 8th and ended November 5th. It had a total of 18 days at sea with 8 of them being consecutive on the way back to California from French Polynesia. This cruise was also great.

There are so many activities like lectures about the ports or ukulele or hula lessons or lei making classes that prepare you for the cultures you will encounter. There are games held by the Cruise Directors staff. If anyone gets bored on this cruise it is their own fault. If you book this cruise, by all means join the roll call for your booking. You will get to know your fellow passengers, and learn so much about excursions etc. Your roll call will likely arrange for a meet and greet early during the 4 sea days on the way to Hawaii.

The first day or two out of California can be a little cool and windy as you are crossing a current coming south from Alaska.

Another advantage of such a long cruise is that you get to know the crew members that you interact with regularly such as your waiters and bar staff. It is fun and educational to get to know people from other cultures. If I could afford it, I would take this cruise every year.

I've heard that the seas off of California could be a bit rough.

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

Do any other cruise lines do this type of sailing? West Coast to south pacific and back?

I believe Celebrity will be adding a Solstice class to California with more cruises. They might be doing these in the future. We will wait & see.

[flamomo]

I've done a lot of Princess cruises and loved every single one, have visited far more places than I ever dreamed I would, but this itinerary ranks as my number one favorite.

[CRUZBUDS]

 

We were booked on the Emerald for the 30th next month, but decided to cancel before final payment for several reasons, One of them was that the cruise started with a full Hawaii cruise -- we love Hawaii cruises, so much that we'll be going on our 11th Hawaii cruise next year. It just didn't make sense to spend so much to go on a 28 day cruise with so many ports that we've been to so many times. HAL only has two Hawaii ports before heading to the South Seas.

Edited February 2, 2018 by CRUZBUDS

[pcur]

We were booked on the Emerald for the 30th next month, but decided to cancel before final payment for several reasons, One of them was that the cruise started with a full Hawaii cruise -- we love Hawaii cruises, so much that we'll be going on our 11th Hawaii cruise next year. It just didn't make sense to spend so much to go on a 28 day cruise with so many ports that we've been to so many times. HAL only has two Hawaii ports before heading to the South Seas.

 

I had the same thought! I noticed there were fewer Hawaii ports, and figured that's why they added Fanning Island on the way down to Tahiti. We would have booked Princess if the price and perks were right, but they weren't. We got our CQ ocean view on HAL for less than they are charging for an interior on their web site, plus we got $640 obc out of the "big boxes". heh heh

 

When we take these long cruises I always look for something to offset the cost. I'll be checking out the promos in the next year, too. With a refundable deposit, I have lots of time to check for a better deal.

[Woobstr112G]

We have this one for our "retirement" cruise booked for next March on the Star! We have our aft balcony cabin booked. Our "pre-retirement" cruise is this April, doing the TA on the Regal. But I'm really looking forward to the warmer cruise! ;p

 

This one is definitely on my bucket list.....:):):)

 

Bob