LIVE - Coral Princess - Circle the Pacific - 09-19-2018

[ccrain]

11-07-2018 – At Sea to Honolulu

 

Starting the uphill climb back to the US. An hour ahead every other night. This is going to be brutal.

 

Guam, in a word, disappointing. As a port stop, not necessarily as a destination – upon which we could not comment. The views looked incredible – lush tropical jungles, blue, blue clear water, beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, jet skis, interesting blend of buildings, but Plans A, B and C went out the window as things simply did not go as hoped for.

 

In a nutshell - The list of Princess excursions for Guam were very expensive and short and several people were shorted 1-2 hours on their morning tours because of late starts and not wanting to short the afternoon tours. One tour was only an hour instead of 3 and did not stop anywhere at all. But definitely not for the budget minded traveler, so private tours are usually a good plan, with DIY being next and play it by ear being the plan of last resort.

 

With immigration being a big unknown, private tours were just not practical planning to get several people together at an unknown place at an unknown location at an unknown time on a Sunday in Guam – unless you bit the bullet and decided to start 3 hours later at 1200. (But it looked like some people did pull it off from the looks of the trail of people to the private tour parking lot – apparently you could jump the line in immigration if you got there early and had your group together.) The DIY option involved renting a car at the airport, or arranging the aforesaid unknown pickup with a third party rental company, and using very expensive taxi services between the port and the airport. The play it by ear option involves arriving at the pier and shopping the innumerable vendors hawking various tours around the island – which in Guam’s case simply did not exist.

 

Bottom line – rent a car if you want to see Guam sights outside of the hotel and shopping areas. Getting to the car is going to be expensive, but that was the best way to see sights without breaking the bank on questionable ship’s excursions.

 

The next best option involved multiple shuttle busses and was for beach people and/or hotel members buying day passes. From the free ship shuttle to the Guam Premium Outlet mall you needed to get an open air shuttle to hotel row, $12 all day pass per person, and visit the hotels and beaches along the beach below 2 Lovers Point. Pam and Ralph found “The Beach” bar and grill along the beach from the Hotel Nikko after being dropped off by the Northbound shuttle. (The Southbound shuttle actually stops at “The Beach”.) From this location you can sip drinks and overlook Two Lover’s point and the beach in a cool ocean breeze and have lunch as well. This shuttle stops at most of the major hotels as well along the beach for day pass hotel shoppers. Retracing steps back to the Guam Premium Outlet mall was via the Southbound shuttle and then on to the ship shuttle.

 

The big issue was immigration. (Which has been a big issue on this cruise overall.) And this is US immigration – with all of its unknowns and warts. For this port the ship used Sequence numbers again – assigned 2-3 days out from Guam in a letter in your stateroom. (Keep in mind, port times were advertised from 0900 to 1900 – with all aboard at 1830 – and the last shuttle from the mall at 1730 we find out in the prior evening’s patter.) Everyone was assigned a sequence number from 1-6 in 15 minute intervals starting at 0915. And the assignments were not the same as before, nor were they by deck or alphabetical. We’ve been Sequence 5, 6 and now 4. We were assigned sequence 4 at 1000. In past ports, people with private tours were told to jump the line to Sequence 1 by the front desk, but this time they were enforcing the sequence numbers – no line jumping unless you were there early and had your entire group together. Apparently two people don’t constitute a group. Since we did not have a private tour or anything planned, we stuck with the assigned time. The line at 0945 stretched from the Universe Lounge (where immigration was taking place) to the dining room on deck 6, doubling back around to the casino, and back down the hallway to the elevators in front of the Universe Lounge. We waited until the end of the line reached the IC and then jumped in – trying to time our arrival at the Universe to 1000. The ship ‘s personnel were, at that time, enforcing the sequence. Telling everyone who was not sequence 1, 2 or 3 to get out of line. (That went over big.) We opted to remain in line. It would be well after 1000 by the time we reached anywhere consequential. By the time we came back to the IC, they had stopped the main line and were sending 1, 2, 3 and ship’s tours ahead, holding all 4’s at the IC and kicking 5 and 6’s out of line.

 

I did mention to one of the staff enforcing the sequencing that the front desk had instructed people to jump the line. Her response was interesting. She basically said, no one was jumping the line and that if they had an issue with it, talk to the front desk. That was rather ‘airline’ of her, and I’m sure confusing to passengers who relied on front desk instructions to plan their day and arrange meetings.

 

Sequence 4 was finally allowed to proceed and we trudged down the hallway to the Universe lounge as the end of the line ebbed and flowed between the elevators and the dining room. Immigration was manual, good thing, with a list checked off by immigration personnel, about a dozen of them in six lanes, to each passport. (No Windows machines to lock up or blue screen!) We completed immigration about 1030 and headed out the ship to the ‘port’.

 

The ‘port’ consisted of big white shade tents in an otherwise large commercial container port inside the security gate. No line of tour vendors. No taxis. Too far to walk to anything. Some people were walking around the driveways to a secondary personnel gate into a parking lot. Not sure is that was for taxis, we did see a few but no big line, or private tour meetings or meeting friends. Maybe someone will jump on and tell us what was over there. The only real option was to get on a shuttle bus which was to drop you off at the Guam Premier Outlets mall in Tamuning – and there was basically nothing around the mall and walking to the beach was about 1.5 miles via very hot weather. We arrived at the mall around 11:30.

 

With our port time now reduced by a couple of hours, we looked for something to do. There were various shopping shuttles around the town, some open air, some enclosed, but the island tours were full at the tour desks in the mall and very expensive. Taxis were available at the mall, but would only use the meter – UBER or Lyft was not available and the prices of the taxis reflected the lack of competition. Simple runs to sights close to the mall were close to $100 roundtrip. A trip to the Hilton hotel, about 2 miles away, would have run about $50 each way! No wonder the taxis did not offer by the hour tours! The meter was far more lucrative.

 

We did run into several people who rented cars and were doing some last minute shopping at the ABC store in the mall. That apparently was the way to go. (On a normal day, several rental car companies would pick up at the port, but on a Sunday, only one would, if you knew when it was safe to schedule the pickup.) So basically the plan for Guam should have been – either pre-arrange pickup for 1200 at the port, to be safe – or shuttle to the mall, taxi to the airport, scheduling pickup at the major vendors like Hertz or Avis where they will hold the car for several hours – and then taxi back to the port. That plan would probably result in about $100 to $150 in taxi fare on top of the rental car costs, for 5-6 hours of touring around the island. At least you would be able to see more sights and be able to judge Guam.

 

Unless you want to spend a few hours around the shopping mall, using their ‘free’ wifi, there were few options and most people were clustered in the mall around the tables and benches. (Downloading updates was very slow, probably due to the load.) Even going to Chili’s and Haagen-Daz and using their secure wifi did not improve the bandwidth. (We did have a pretty tasty lunch at Chilis.)

 

So Guam was a bust for us. Unfortunate as we will probably never be back. Now I have to rethink HI in detail since I really don’t want to do nothing at the last two stops of the cruise. Although we supposedly do have to do ‘customs’ in HI, whatever that means. Wonder if that means another sequence and delay…we shall see.

 

Later!

[jagsfan]

What a disappointing day!

and what a shame so much time has to be taken up by immigration. We’ve had to stand in line in the past for US immigration and always wondered why. Our passport number is listed Way ahead of time so it could be run through the computer, our passport is checked before we board. Our sea pass is checked every time we reboard.  Why the heck we have to be tortured by standing in long lines I don’t understand. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

We were in sequence 3, and got down to the line about 9:35.  We made it through immigration about 10:15, after an officer announced that all 1, 2, and 3 groups should go to the front of the line.

 

We had a car reserved at the airport, but took the shuttle to GPO, then a taxi to the airport.  We had plently of time to see all the important sights with stops at several beaches and two museums.  We also had time to drive around th south end of the island and back up the east side before returning the car to the airport.  Another taxi got us back to the GPO and the shuttle back to the ship.  The taxis, car rental and gas cost just under $100.  If we had taken a taxi from the airport to the ship, we were told it would have cost $50 to $60.

 

This was our second visit to Guam, and we have found plenty to do and see each time.  Renting a car is the best way to see the island.  

 

We also have cars reserved in both Hawaii ports.

[cr8tiv1]

Disclaimer:  This is my best guess and not an authoritative reply to customs and immigrations when you reach Honolulu port.  

 

You have already cleared all US customs requirement since Guam is a U.S. Territory.  Your ship will need to clear port authorities (the same as if it were sailing from LA to HNL).  You "should not" have any more delays.  That being said...I have a story to tell you about me bringing Trader Joe's items from LA to HNL(direct/not via Ensenada) on a voyage.

 

Weather report for Sunday:  High:  80 degrees  Low:  72 degrees.  Sunny and no rain (except for the occasional possible "mauka" showers in the morning).  Humidity in the 60's % with NNE trade winds.  

[happy cruzer]

Smaller ships may be the best solution to the long immigration issues.  Just have to factor cost vs. time spent getting on and off the ship.  Our experience is that a small ship saves about 1 hour on average for each departure or boarding without  immigration involved. With immigration issues could save even more time. Plus the small ship can visit different ports.

 

Thanks for the detailed review.

[ccrain]

11-06-2018 – Vietnam Excursions and Travel Authentic Asia

 

So I promised a report on the tours we had with Travel Authentic Asia in Vietnam. Here it is.

 

Summary – As the primary excursion organizer in the three ports of Ha Long, Chan May and Phu My, I highly recommend using Travel Authentic Asia to organize your tours. Ms. Le and her staff made it easy for me to organize 10 busses/junks for Ha Long, 8 busses to Hue from Chan My and 8 busses in Phu My (5 to HCM and 3 to Vung Tau). We limited the busses to 16 people each, give or take a single. Prices were $77pp for Ha Long Bay, $80pp for Chan May Hue and $65pp for Phu My – either tour. This included lunch at each destination – and not a simple cheap lunch either, 8-10 hour tour times, air conditioned busses, a guide and a driver.

 

From all accounts everyone was ecstatic over Ha Long Bay with only 16 people on a 40 person junk, lunch and the sights of the bay. Similarly, everyone was very happy with the day in Hue, except for the heat of course. There were issues on the Phu My stop, but 3 of the 5 busses to HCM and one bus to Vung Tau had a great day. Two of the busses to HCM had issues, but still got to see a lot of the city and the two busses to Vung Tau missed one stop each. My bus in each stop had a great time.

 

With 5 busses to HCM and 3 busses to Vung Tau, there were bound to be issues. Some were passenger caused – the wrong people got on the wrong bus and in one case the wrong tour, and two didn’t even show up. This caused an initial delay in getting out of the gate and getting people back on to their correct bus – although some never would. Neither the guides nor the drivers did a good job of holding to the list. Lesson learned – from now on, make sure you assign a lead person to each bus to double check the list with the guide.

 

One of the busses to Vung Tau went to a closed local market. Unfortunate as I deliberately picked a local market tour to give everyone an idea of how the Vietnamese shop. You have to see it to believe it. But the particular market the guide chose was closed. Another bus to Vung Tau missed the fish farm and the passengers elected to skip it and go back to the ship rather than turn around. They had the impression that the guide/driver were not familiar with the area. (It was hard to find the turnoff as we missed it on the first try and had to U-turn back to it.) But for some of us the fish farm was a real highlight as nothing like this aqua culture layout exists in the US. But all three busses did the rice cracker and rice wine ‘factory’, the large Jesus statue, the Nirvana Pagoda, seaside lunch and the White Palace.

 

Two of the busses to HCM had issues with the guide’s organization and directions – designating a meeting place and time when the group split into different directions. Overall both enjoyed the sights and sounds of HCM – especially the scooter displays – but just had some minor issues with the guides.

 

I’m actually surprised there weren’t more issues with this number of people on this number of busses and this number of tours, and nothing like some of the horror stories coming out of some of the Princess tours.

 

Going into this cruise I was dreading organizing this number of tours, but Travel Authentic Asia and Ms. Le made it easy. She just kept adding busses/guides/junks as more and more people on the roll call signed up. She kept track of payments, deposits, bus assignments and gave everyone plenty of time to swap assignments around as people wanted to see the sights with familiar people. She was even accommodating people and changes after we left LA. Very, very flexible and very nice to work with. She provided contact information for the guides, and other people at her office, to call in case of a delay in getting off the ship – and accommodated all manner of dietary restrictions. (Wanda, our resident vegetarian got so much food she couldn’t begin to eat it all.) Ms. Le also provided everyone easy to read lists, (at least for most of us!), as to the bus assignments and the busses were clearly labeled, marked and parked close to the ship or the tender dock. All in all, it was better organized than Princess tours, with longer tour itineraries, more sights to see, more things to do, more flexibility in deposits and payments, much, much cheaper and far smaller groups.

 

Was it perfect? Not for everyone. For me it was pretty darn close – I did want MORE SPRING ROLLS AT LUNCH! But then nothing rarely is, but upon reflection and considering value, I would not hesitate to do this again in a heartbeat with Ms Le. I would certainly NOT do a ship’s tour in Vietnam ever again – and we did one in 2012 at an ungodly price.

 

Please note that there are several companies with similar sounding names. Two of them 2 are Authentic Asia Travel & Authentic Asia tours, but Travel Authentic Asia is the correct name and their website (travelauthenticasia.com) reflects that.

 

If anyone has any questions about the company, you can contact me at crc2017cruise at gmail dot com. I will be happy to answer them.

[ccrain]

15 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

We were in sequence 3, and got down to the line about 9:35.  We made it through immigration about 10:15, after an officer announced that all 1, 2, and 3 groups should go to the front of the line.

 

We had a car reserved at the airport, but took the shuttle to GPO, then a taxi to the airport.  We had plently of time to see all the important sights with stops at several beaches and two museums.  We also had time to drive around th south end of the island and back up the east side before returning the car to the airport.  Another taxi got us back to the GPO and the shuttle back to the ship.  The taxis, car rental and gas cost just under $100.  If we had taken a taxi from the airport to the ship, we were told it would have cost $50 to $60.

 

This was our second visit to Guam, and we have found plenty to do and see each time.  Renting a car is the best way to see the island.  

 

We also have cars reserved in both Hawaii ports.

 

Agreed. This is the way to go with Guam. Rent a car!

[ccrain]

11-07.2-2018 – At Sea to HI

 

More thoughts. Not much happening on sea days other than the normal sea day stuff. Trivia, games, art, lectures, etc. Pretty standard. So I thought I’d go over a couple of things I’ve found very useful on this multi-country trip.

 

Maps.me is an app I used on the last cruise and has proven invaluable on this trip. Especially since it can be used offline even in the middle of the ocean! I can even import waypoints from Google saved places to Maps.me very, very easily. So I stored a whole bunch of waypoints for things of interest I wanted to see in Google maps, then imported to Maps.me. Prior to getting to the port, I can access maps.me and show others where things are. No using minutes to load up a google map or watching a 60 day clock on downloaded segments of a Google map. When in a city or on a bus, I can call up maps.me and see where we are. Maps.me still doesn’t integrate public transport like Google, so I still use Google to navigate transportation, but only after getting into port and accessing cell networks via T-Mobile. Bottom Line – Maps.me is a must have for travel.

 

T-Mobile ‘free’ 256kB/sec international access on their + plans is pretty darn good. Every port, even Vietnam, had some type of connection. 3G, not LTE, connections noted in Vietnam and Shanghai only on the T-Mobile networks. Verizon had LTE in both places. This speed was more than sufficient to check email, as long as it wasn’t too big, use all of Google maps functionality including navigating public transportation, and even upload video and photos to Facebook as we went along – it just took a while. Forget about updating apps or downloading new maps or synching large batches of photos. Also, the 256kB/sec speed is not what you are going to get. Your mileage will really vary depending on where you are and in what country you are in. furthermore, you are throttled, so even if your screen shows LTE, it will still throttle you down to 2G speeds.

 

Their international LTE speed day pass ($5 for 512MB) has two significant flaws – both potentially fatal. First of all the page to order the day pass is graphic intensive and sometimes would simply not load at 2G speeds where we were. I was able to load the page on a few occasions by simply letting the phone sit on the page for a while and waiting 5 minutes for it to load. Sometimes it never would. (T-Mobile needs to not throttle access to the T-Mobile app while overseas. Using the chat function was almost impossible, even in cell signal heaven – Japan.) The second flaw I discovered in Vietnam. Vietnam access on T-Mobile networks was limited to 3G. Not 4G, not LTE. My Verizon phone had an LTE connection the entire time, both of our T-Mobile phones were tagged at 3G. On my phone, when I was able to load the page for the international day pass in Ha Long bay, and purchased it, the phone disconnected from all networks and gave me “NO SERVICE”. I was not able to reconnect to the Vietnam 3G network until the day pass had expired the next day. So apparently if you have the pass activated, and no LTE network available, you will not have service.

 

The TEPPY worked great in all locations I tried it. Fast connections. The only problem was the 1GB limit at LTE speeds. Then it drops to 2G speeds. I used the TEPPY to tether the PC for fast internet access. I could do everything on the computer with the TEPPY within the 1GB limit, even update Symantec, but no syncing of photos or anything very intensive. The 1GB limit is insufficient for updating cell phone apps or maps.me map data.

 

Bandwidth intensive work is still limited to that mirage on the horizon - onshore ‘free’ wifi spot!

[ccrain]

11-08-2018 – At Sea to HI

 

Ship’s update.

 

Imagine if you dare that you have entered an alternate universe, a different dimension of time and space. A perpetual cruise, with every day an hour forward, a repeating date, over and over again…the same love boat episode on tv…the original terminator movie…over and over and over again…

 

Now imagine if you will a girl in a T-Rex costume chasing a guy in a weenie costume around the theater to the Benny Hill tune…

 

imagine if you will no lettuce, no berries, no bananas, no avocados, no papaya, not even any prune juice (gasp!)…

[ccrain]

Started rocking and rolling yesterday. Large swell, high winds. Looks like this weather all the way to HI. Internet very slow due to location and movement. More later...

[ccrain]

11-09-2018 – At Sea to HI

 

Hit a patch of rough water on 7.2 and its still at it. It reminds me of the Diamond in the Tasman sea last April. Almost head on wind causing buffeting, but with a swell that just won’t steady. Constantly running into potholes, some very large, and lots of twisting, bucking and shuddering. Needless to say Judy is hanging by a thread between the bed and the lower decks. Unlike the Grand class, even in the Tasman, deck 5 center is not a refuge. Still a lot of motion. Might be because of the design of the Coral, long and narrow Panamax, rather than the wide and flat bottomed Grand design.

 

So rough and weird, just couldn’t sleep, so its up at 0200 this morning. Internet is the best it’s ever been this whole trip! Went to the Oceanweather site and it looks like we will be in this rough patch all the way to HI. If we’re unlucky, we will catch a low coming down the west coast from the Gulf of Alaska and hit rough weather all the way to LA.

 

So a couple of notes on very subjective subjects. Entertainment and food.

 

Shipboard entertainment has been, since Vietnam for sure, quite unremarkable. Prior to Vietnam we had a very reasonable port schedule, with only a few ports in a row, so entertainment at night was secondary to getting everything ready for the next port. (Amazing how much ‘stuff’ there is to charge and get ready.) Even in the crossing to Yokohama, the entertainment was reasonable. Since Vietnam, with the large number of sea days, there has been a lot of vocalists and instrumentalists at night, including the Crooner’s piano player in concert in the theater last night.

 

Tonight is a good example of scheduling issues. It’s a packed schedule with major events in both the theater (3 showings of Motor City, a comedy show in Universe (Noodles Levenstein, 2 shows) and Jurassic Park on MUTS. So last night was the Crooner’s Piano Player in concert in the theater, no game shows in Explorer’s and a movie in Universe – a pretty boring and uneventful night. Then three new, and possibly anticipated events in one night rather than spread over several nights to even out the load. If every night was as packed, with events in both Universe and the Theater, then it wouldn’t be an issue, but we go from ‘nothing to do’ to ‘don’t have time to see it all’ in one day. That’s just poor scheduling – period. And we are in a 7 sea day crossing, so its not like anyone is getting on or off the ship that requires such weird scheduling. And this is not the only example of what’s been happening lately.

 

The bit about the dinosaur in a previous post was not a joke. A vaudeville style show, which according to the promotional blurb received a standing ovation at America Has Talent, with Kamikaze Firefly involved the lighted baton twirling making intricate LED designs in the air, hoola hooping (both having been done previously on-board by others), the T-Rex chasing the wiener around the theater, an audience participation bit, a gymnastics bit with another member of the audience and a grand finale of the two performers getting into two weather balloons and jiggling about the stage. This would have, IMHO and Judy’s, made an excellent kids birthday show. Not for tweens, teens or adults of any age. A lot of people have asked me over the last couple of days – did Princess actually pay for this? Enough said?

 

Two lecturers, destination and enrichment, left the ship in Guam leaving a big hole in the daily schedule. Elua, Dave and Leialoha, have filled in that schedule nicely with Leialoha doing crafts and hula classes, Dave doing Ukulele class and port lectures for HI, and both of them doing Hawaiian music in the evenings, plus being out and about on the ship during the day and being more than happy to stop and talk HI with anyone and everyone. In fact, if we didn’t have them on-board, there would be a huge hole in the schedule. Besides they are fantastic people to talk with and get to know.

 

Let’s talk food. First of all let me start off by saying a couple of important points. We have been on the ship for 51 days. So we have seen about all the different types of food Princess has a recipe for. A bit of boring ‘seen that, tasted this’ is going to be there no matter what. Secondly, we have not eaten dinner in the MDR at all. Judy can’t eat dinner past 1600. So our experience in the MDR has been breakfast and lunches, with the HC, Grill, Alfredo’s, Elite Lounge and IC as the backups. Third, I am a well known proponent for HC eating because of the flexibility allowed to the Chef for the HC menu.

 

That being said - Bottom line summary – food has been ok. Its food. Its sustenance. Its not terrible.

 

The Diamond last April was terrible in the HC until we changed Executive Chefs on the way to Japan. And we are not picky people. This time the HC is just ok. The food is seasoned well, but after 51 days, it is so repetitive, it just becomes boring. For breakfast in the HC, scrambled eggs plain, scrambled eggs with something, American breakfast sausage, British or German breakfast sausage, ham, eggs, omelets cooked to order, plain pancakes, pancakes with some fruit in it, various breads, various cereals, sausage gravy and biscuits, various fruits, various pastries. And it’s basically the same every day.

 

In the HC for lunch, sandwiches, three stew/stir fry type curry/Asian dishes to put over rice, white rice, flavored rice, fried fish, sautéed fish, carved meat, braised chicken, steamed vegetable, salad bar, French fries, mashed potatoes and gravy. And this basically repeats every day with some variety in the carved meats, steamed vegetables and the over rice dishes.

 

In the MDR for breakfast you have the featured items, Eggs Benedict, French Toast, Spanish Tortilla, Country Breakfast and English Breakfast, with the standard accompaniments, from the griddle (pancakes and waffles), from the sea (smoked salmon), various pastries, cereals and juices.

 

For a while the MDR lunches were a treat. But only for a while until they too became same ole, same ole. Main courses of fish, meats, vegetarian option. Pasta selection. Salad or soup selection.

 

What has made this part of the trip, from Guam, ‘interesting’ is that we are rapidly running out of ‘stuff’. Lettuce is the major noticeable item missing. Last night in the MDR, we heard that the salad was served with cabbage, not Romaine lettuce. Apparently they ran out of iceberg first since they served a wedge salad with romaine lettuce. No bananas, no iceberg lettuce for the burgers, juices are running low, cheese is running low, no berries, no red bell peppers. Rumors of everything from missed produce shipments to rejected produce shipments are running about the ship (shades of the missing bunker barge in Yokohama), but the real issue is that the wait staff has not been allowed to tell anyone prior to them ordering. Only after you order do you find out that the item you ordered is not available or your salad now has cabbage instead of lettuce.

 

Speaking of rumors, have you heard the latest about the MDR menus? Remember back in the day the always available included Strip steak, then tournedos of beef? Now, the rumor is that Princess will start introducing upsell items in the MDR menu on a regular basis. Want a steak? Pay an extra TBD$. Want steak and lobster, pay extra, like a drink order. So there will be a little side menu on the left hand side page with various upsell items available for an extra price. I’m sure that will go over like a lead balloon.

 

But back to the food issue. All of this would most likely not be an issue on a 15 or 19 day Panama canal cruise. Not with LA and FLL available for restock. Keep in mind this ship was doing 7 day Alaska cruises prior to this 60 day monster, so I’m sure the strange ports and corporate pre-ordering in little known ports has played a large role in this as well. Same with the menu ‘tiredness’. Face it, after 51 days, getting on shore to try even McDonalds sounds VERY appealing!

 

So anyway, that’s it from the Coral bouncing about in the central Pacific!

 

Later!

[abbydancer2003]

2 hours ago, ccrain said:

11-09-2018 – At Sea to HI

 

’

Speaking of rumors, have you heard the latest about the MDR menus? Remember back in the day the always available included Strip steak, then tournedos of beef? Now, the rumor is that Princess will start introducing upsell items in the MDR menu on a regular basis. Want a steak? Pay an extra TBD$. Want steak and lobster, pay extra, like a drink order. So there will be a little side menu on the left hand side page with various upsell items available for an extra price. I’m sure that will go over like a lead balloon.

 

But back to the food issue. All of this would most likely not be an issue on a 15 or 19 day Panama canal cruise. Not with LA and FLL available for restock. Keep in mind this ship was doing 7 day Alaska cruises prior to this 60 day monster, so I’m sure the strange ports and corporate pre-ordering in little known ports has played a large role in this as well. Same with the menu ‘tiredness’. Face it, after 51 days, getting on shore to try even McDonalds sounds VERY appealing!

 

 

They've had the upsell items on the Ruby for a while - along with a new menu.  The items are listed as Crown Grill steaks and lobsters.  In general the response hasn't been bad, but most people are saying they won't order the items, while a few liked the idea that they could get a Crown Grill steak without going to the Crown Grill.

 

 

 

[caribill]

On 11/9/2018 at 9:04 AM, ccrain said:

 

The bit about the dinosaur in a previous post was not a joke. A vaudeville style show, which according to the promotional blurb received a standing ovation at America Has Talent, with Kamikaze Firefly involved the lighted baton twirling making intricate LED designs in the air, hoola hooping (both having been done previously on-board by others), the T-Rex chasing the wiener around the theater, an audience participation bit, a gymnastics bit with another member of the audience and a grand finale of the two performers getting into two weather balloons and jiggling about the stage. This would have, IMHO and Judy’s, made an excellent kids birthday show. Not for tweens, teens or adults of any age. A lot of people have asked me over the last couple of days – did Princess actually pay for this? Enough said?

 

I have no doubt that this was the finest entertainment available in Princess' price range.

 

 

[ccrain]

21 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I have no doubt that this was the finest entertainment available in Princess' price range.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, in the same vein as your comment, we have had the finest entertainment Princess can afford on this cruise..

[ccrain]

Coming into Honolulu after 7 trying sea days. Going to be doing a lot over the next two days, so I will be back when we get done eating and playing in HI...

[Photofinish4]

Wondering if you can tell me what kind of shape the Coral is in? My friends are boarding when you get off. I know it is going into dry dock in Jan. do you know what they will be doing? I'm going to be doing a 19 day Panama in March. Thanks

[ccrain]

4 hours ago, Photofinish4 said:

Wondering if you can tell me what kind of shape the Coral is in? My friends are boarding when you get off. I know it is going into dry dock in Jan. do you know what they will be doing? I'm going to be doing a 19 day Panama in March. Thanks

Overall she's in pretty good shape. A little wear and tear here and there, rust and leaky windows, broken seats in the theater, but nothing really major as they are fixing these little things as we go. No engine troubles, no power issues, no real big HVAC issues - just the typical balancing problems. 

[Photofinish4]

13 hours ago, ccrain said:

Overall she's in pretty good shape. A little wear and tear here and there, rust and leaky windows, broken seats in the theater, but nothing really major as they are fixing these little things as we go. No engine troubles, no power issues, no real big HVAC issues - just the typical balancing problems. 

thank you

[ccrain]

11-12-2018 – Nawilliwilli – The Last Port

 

Hard to believe, as I look back at the 69 pages of this Live From document that we are only 6 days from disembarking and going home. 54 days into a 60 day journey. Pretty cool.

 

Yesterday I was determined not to repeat the fiasco of Guam and we hit Honolulu with a decent plan A, B, C and D. Without immigration, at least, we should be able to hit the ground running. The basic plan A was Walmart, the Swap Meet, Lunch and the Punchbowl. Walmart to pick up aloha wear for the world cruise next year and macadamia nut kisses. The Swap Meet for some replacement t-shirts in Judy’s wardrobe, lunch because we’re tired of ship food and the Punchbowl because we’ve never been.

 

While shuttles to Wal-Mart, two 14 passenger vans running in loops, and Hilo Hattie were available, and TheBus was running, I decided to jump the lines with UBER. (TheBus daily pass was $5.50 per person, $2 for seniors over 65.) We docked at Pier #2 instead of the Clock Tower. (Apparently most ships are docking at Pier #2 now as they have built a new terminal building and it is closer to Ala Moana.) They have added a rideshare lot to the southwest of the terminal building – some security guards were not aware of it. UBER booking and pickup was simple and straightforward. About $10 each way to Walmart, $23 to the swap meet, $15 to the PunchBowl. Not bad. If we’d have had another couple with us the whole day, it would have been half price. Nice thing about UBER is that you don’t waste any time.

 

UBER won’t pick up inside the Swap Meet, and because of a concert in Aloha Stadium, they had moved the swap meet to the other side of the stadium. He wanted to pick up at the McDonalds about a mile away. So we dumped UBER for a Taxi to Nico’s for lunch from the Swap Meet. A little bit more expensive, but saved time and walking in the hot sun. And it was a picture perfect blue sky morning. (Afternoon had some rain clouds hanging around the mountains.)

 

After Nico’s we went to the PunchBowl, then back to Ala Moana and then back to the ship via the free Wal Mart shuttle. At that point in time, we were done in with almost 15 miles on the fitbits, so the extra time was not an issue. A quick salad, lettuce had arrived, then off to the Hula show. Always a treat in Honolulu and it did not disappoint. Then watching the fireworks over Waikiki from the balcony while relaxing in the warm breezes.

 

All in all a really good day. Now for the details.

 

Apparently Hershey’s does not make Macadamia nut Kisses any more! And haven’t for over 5 years! That’s the bad news. The good news is that my waistline and wallet appreciated the missing 10# of candy I had planned to buy. We did find a couple of matching Aloha wear outfits for the World Cruise in January – and a few other minor things.

 

The swap meet was the same as 15 years ago, just a bit smaller. The same t-shirt bargains are there, the same crafts, collectibles, fruits, nuts, foods, knickknacks and dust collectors all over the place. Jewelry shops, shoe stores, clothing vendors, aloha wear, lei’s of all makes and models – and most of the vendors are willing to bargain if you buy enough ‘stuff’ from them. There’s even a luggage vendor or two in case you buy too much to pack. Interesting place. Very hot on sunny days without a breeze. Just a few food and drink vendors. Best place for HI souvenirs for sure.

 

Nico’s for lunch was pretty good. It has been featured on Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives. The fish is extremely fresh. We had fish stew in a sourdough bowel, a mahi-mahi curry spiced fillet dish with rice and salad, and a fried calamari salad. It was pretty good. Not knock your socks off fantastic, but pretty good. Not inexpensive either. But all in all, worthwhile to visit. They do have pre-made poke bowels in the retail shop next door, but we wanted fresh fish for the day.

 

Then on to the highlight of the day. The Punch Bowel. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Where do I begin. WOW! WOW! WOW!

 

Placed in an ancient volcanic crater, hence the ‘bowel’ namesake, the location is indescribably beautiful. The green of the trees, the brightness of the flowers, the immaculate manicured lawns, the red, white and blue of old glory in the avenue of flags, all rippling in the breeze against a blue, blue sky. The simple individual gravesite markers, some decorated with flags and flowers, and some being attended to by volunteers and loved ones performing the age old ritual of visitation and keeping the faith. How can one not be moved by such a sight, such an experience? Not since the cemetery in Normandy have I been this moved. From the memorials to the missing, rank after rank of names frequently marked by Medal of Honor recipients, to the ‘frescos’ mapping out the wars in the central marble hall, to the layout of the overall cemetery with its vista points on each side, to the sweeping views of downtown Honolulu and Waikiki from the south vista promontory to the mountain views from the north promontory, to the sight of banyan tree roots embracing one grave marker, to the various memorial markers placed around the area to both generic and specific units of the wars. It was an emotionally draining, yet uplifting, walk among the nation’s best and brightest.

 

It was one of the highlights of the trip so far. So simple, yet so emotionally complex a place to visit. This has to be on any visitor’s must do list.

 

The Hula show was pretty anti-climatic at that point, but still very, very good. They try to do something different every year and this year was no exception. The young girls were still so cute! The older ones, so beautiful and graceful in every movement. The music was fantastic. Best show of the trip by far. We sat, 5^th row center, the best place to see everything. Of course they got a standing ovation, and well deserved.

 

So off to Nawilliwilli. How can you not like a port with a name like that!

 

Later!

[EightFurryPaws]

Thank you for a most interesting and informative review. Just love reading all 

the information you take the time to share with us.

When docking at Pier 2 in Honolulu, does TheBus pick up near the ship.

Hoping to take it to Waikiki Beach.

Safe travels home.

[Centsless_Cruiser]

One piece of information for everyone is that there is another Walmart only a couple of blocks from the port.  If you dock at Clock Tower just walk across the street into the pedestrian only area and a couple of blocks later the Walmart is right in front of you.  From Terminal 2 you need to walk down towards Clock Tower first.

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Centsless_Cruiser
Typo correction

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

10 hours ago, EightFurryPaws said:

Thank you for a most interesting and informative review. Just love reading all 

the information you take the time to share with us.

When docking at Pier 2 in Honolulu, does TheBus pick up near the ship.

Hoping to take it to Waikiki Beach.

Safe travels home.

 

There is a bus stop for TheBus just outside the port.  You just have to walk to the street, and there is a stop to the right.  The bus driver can tell you which bus goes to Waikiki if you do not have the app for TheBus on your phone.

[ccrain]

11-14-2018 – At Sea Back To LA

 

Yesterday was a fitting time to visit the area around the Marriott at Kalopaki Beach. Been on the beach several times, been all over Kauai several times for that matter, but never wandered through the Marriott or the golf courses. Kauai is our favorite of the islands with a different vibe and a gorgeous port to enter. The green hills and dramatic cliffs have such a ‘Mysterious Island’ mystique.

 

This time CL and Meei had offered to take us on a tour of the Marriott and the area around it. They have a timeshare there and stay there a couple of weeks a year. Fish feeding, beautiful grounds, lovely flowers, incredible green trees, a beautifully maintained gold course and views to die for. We walked out to the lighthouse on the harbor entrance point – the elevator to the top of the hill was out of order – and then retraced our steps through the multi-million dollar houses back to the beach where I got to scare a couple of Princess cruisers ‘poaching’ Marriott chairs under a shade tree! It was fun!

 

If I was a beach person and a land cruise type person, the Kauai Marriott would be very high on my list of places to stay for sure.

 

However, one thing to note about the architecture of the interior design of the gardens and statuary of the Marriott. (And I would not know this except for the number of cultures we’ve come to see just in this past cruise.) Buddhist based guardian statues flanking Japanese murals fronted by statues of Chinese dragons, with statues of Japanese Koi in the background and stereotypical buddhas all over the place. Visually appealing, but culturally and historically conflicted to the point of distraction. Now, after this trip, I can’t look at an Asian themed interior decoration ever the same again!

 

After working up an appetite we went to Duke’s for lunch. Never been to Duke’s before so it was a real treat for us. Their top shelf Mai-Tai was a real killer. OMG, so good. Judy had their Mango ribs, I had their fish and chips, CL and Meei had their pulled pork sandwich. All were absolutely delicious and a taste treat. Of course we had to have the Aloha pie. That was the topping of a perfect meal – but one piece can feed 6 people! CL had a bite or two, but it was up to Judy and I to finish it off. (Dennis and Barb (Gus617) was just down a few tables getting one of their own Hula pies as well.)

 

Last night Ken and Susie (SandKinWA) invited a few of us to a sailaway party in their mini-suite. Munchies, champagne and great conversation while the ship made her S-turn exit from Nawilliwilli harbor. This was the first time the Coral ever docked in Hawaii or in any of Asia for that matter. The Captain made the exit look easy.

 

Unfortunately the scheduling for the Love Boat Disco Deck Party was 2145 on the open decks. This is one of our favorite events of a cruise, but after two straight days in port, in hot weather, with lots of walking and subsequent blisters, we crashed, as did most people, around 2100 hours and even with one hour forward last night, I put in a solid 8 and half hours of sleep.

 

 

But to make up for last night’s scheduling snafu, Jean-Paul, with his wait staff, and the Chef and his kitchen staff, put on another brunch in the main dining room instead of breakfast. Magnificent presentation and food. While we missed the first one, we were not going to miss this one! Best food on the cruise since the Chef’s table oh so many weeks ago. It was WOW, WOW food of all types. Hot dishes to order on a set menu, with two pasta stations, cold salads, baked goods (with a garlic olive oil bread that was incredibly delicious), meats and cheeses, a chocolate fountain with fresh cut and skewered fruits, fresh fruits of all types, all presented in stunning displays. A visual and tasty treat! Very enjoyable.

 

A wrapup of the cruise later!

[countingmomma]

We, too, are Marriott Vacation Club owners, and have stayed at this resort.  You did some of our favorite things, including Duke's!  Their salad bar is AMAZING!  I have recovered from cruise withdrawal reading your reports, and these from Hawaii are the icing on the cake.  Thanks!

[Holomoku]

Ahoy Charles,

Good reports again, best way to learn of the ports and ship is from your posts.  Great talking with you guys when you were in Nawiliwili.  Did you know the Star Princess is off you starboard beam on it's way to Ensenada?  You are keeping pace perfectly.

Mahalo for your posts.

Holomoku