Live From the Star Princess Hawaii R/T November 4, 2018

[abbydancer2003]

2 minutes ago, Woobstr112G said:

 

 

 

 

Last night we dined in Sabatini’s.  I wanted to try out the new menu.   I must say that I am very impressed with the items I choose.  All of the food was outstanding along with the service which was impeccable.  To me, the $25.00 cover charge is well worth the experience.

 

 

 

Bob 

Glad you enjoyed it.  We thought the food and service were great, but there is way too much food.  The style is similar to Share, but the portions are much bigger so by the middle of the meal we couldn't really eat anymore.  (Maybe we had too much of the delicious bread).

[Arizona cruisers]

Hello Bob,

Thank you for all of the wonderful reports!  We look forward to hearing about Hilo and seeing your pictures.

 

With rolling out the new wine list, is anything known about wine packages?  Do they have them and I would assume the cost will go up.

[XBGuy]

38 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

Glad you enjoyed it.  We thought the food and service were great, but there is way too much food.  The style is similar to Share, but the portions are much bigger so by the middle of the meal we couldn't really eat anymore.  (Maybe we had too much of the delicious bread).

 

We tried the Sabatini's Italian Tratoria menu for the first time a little over a year ago on the Grand Princess.  We, very much, enjoyed all the courses.  However, similar to Abbey's report above, laying in bed a couple hours after our meal, I thought my stomach was going to explode.  That surprised me, a bit, because I really didn't think that I ate that much.  Then, I realized what the culprit was.

 

The first course on the menu is "Appertivo."  This just comes out of the kitchen and is presented on your table.  Here is the description from the menu:

 

Stuzzichino Della Casa* warm rustic whole-wheat loaf, tuscan zonzelle with roasted tomato & bell pepper passata, prosciutto crudo, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar

 

What you have to watch out for is the Zonzelle.  These are deep-fried balls of dough (and, I would imagine, cheese).  They are awsomely tasty, and a serving for two is five or six of these.  I powered through them.  I am pretty sure that if you look up "gastric grenade" in the dictionary, you will see a picture of Zonzelles.  

 

Of course we had to test my theory, and, so, we went back to Sabatini's later in the cruise for a second evening.  This time we limited ourselves to a single zonzelle each.  Believe me, it was hard to resist having more.

 

It worked.  We had another nice meal at Sabatini's and there was no gastric distress later.

 

[mcrcruiser]

This thread is a very interesting read . We have a R/T Hawaii cruise booked for Dec 2019 on Star Princess 

 

 Really enjoyed Bob's day by day report & the pictures of his Grand suite😄

[brockmom]

20 hours ago, Ferd Berfle said:

it's 15 alcoholic drinks per 24 hrs from 6AM to 6AM, so if you put Kahlua in your coffee that's 1 Drink.  If no booze, all coffee drinks are just included.  Fortunately, a Nutty Irishman is 1 Drink. (1/2 shot each liquor).

Ok Ferd......gotta ask.....gotta know....

don,t I ?... please be kind....

what is in a nutty Irishman ?

cheers

brockmom 

[Woobstr112G]

2 hours ago, abbydancer said:

Glad you enjoyed it.  We thought the food and service were great, but there is way too much food.  The style is similar to Share, but the portions are much bigger so by the middle of the meal we couldn't really eat anymore.  (Maybe we had too much of the delicious bread).

That bread was my downfall.....

 

Bob

[Colo Cruiser]

3 hours ago, Woobstr112G said:

That bread was my downfall.....

 

Bob

Ha!!  Mine too (olive oil).  Did Sabatinis last night! (Regal)

[Woobstr112G]

38 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Ha!!  Mine too (olive oil).  Did Sabatinis last night! (Regal)

I’d like to try it again.  If we do partake, I’m not going near it.....

 

Bob

[Papa Yoda]

2 hours ago, brockmom said:

Ok Ferd......gotta ask.....gotta know....

don,t I ?... please be kind....

what is in a nutty Irishman ?

cheers

brockmom 

A nutty Irishman is  Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur and Frangelico hazelnut liqueur in coffee

 

wonderful stuff 

[brockmom]

20 minutes ago, Ferd Berfle said:

A nutty Irishman is  Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur and Frangelico hazelnut liqueur in coffee

 

wonderful stuff 

I!m in !!

on Celebrity we enjoy aspen coffee.....

baileys kaluha and frangelico.....so we are no stranger to this delicious coffee.

thanks for helping me learn more about Princess.

cheers

Brockmom

[mikjr]

On 11/8/2018 at 5:54 PM, Woobstr112G said:

Just popping in to mention something that I forgot to mention earlier regarding formal night.  There were noticeably less gentlemen dressed in Tux’s.  I did see more suits than usual.  No kilts seen as well.  One more comment about what guys are wearing on non formal nights (I’m not trying to start a clothing debate) is I’ve seen a ton more shorts worn.....

 

Bob

Hi Bob... enjoying your daily reports.  My wife and I were on the previous STAR cruise, 10/20 to 11/4.   So I am interested to hear what you have to report.  I noticed some small, but significant changes to our Star cruise this year, compared to our Star Hawaii cruise in 2017.    Every cruise, we notice less and less TUXES on formal nights, and even less SUITS this cruise.  AND, we did have someone wearing KILTS on formal night!! 

Have fun

Edited November 10, 2018 by mikjr

[Woobstr112G]

 

Good evening from the Star Princess.  We are sailing away from Hilo as I type this.  Holli & I had a fantastic day ashore.  We did a helicopter excursion (Blue Hawaiian Helicopters Ship Sponsored).  The 45 minute flight was great.  Our pilot did an excellent job showing us around and provided excellent narration & commentary.  The top picture in this post is one of the many I took during our flight.  The rest of my pictures of this great excursion will be up on my Flickr page shortly after I return home.  

 

Not much on tap for tonight.  Holli & I decided to hang out in the room tonight.  We may order some MDR stuff later.

 

While Holli & I are having a great time, my thoughts and prayers are with many of my coworkers who are battling the wildfires in California.

 

Hope all are well.....🙂🙂🙂

 

Bob

 

 

[satxdiver]

On 11/8/2018 at 7:54 PM, Woobstr112G said:

Just popping in to mention something that I forgot to mention earlier regarding formal night.  There were noticeably less gentlemen dressed in Tux’s.  I did see more suits than usual.  No kilts seen as well.  One more comment about what guys are wearing on non formal nights (I’m not trying to start a clothing debate) is I’ve seen a ton more shorts worn.....

 

Bob

 

Interesting that you should mention this about shorts.  We are boarding the CB in a few days and it is being reported by those either on the CB now or were on it recently that they are allowing shorts to be worn in the MDR on casual nights.  What is also being reported is that on formal nights they are allowing polo shirts.  This is going to be a real eye opener.  By your observing this it makes me wonder if there is something coming since now two ships are allowing this.  Other cruise lines like HAL and X have relaxed their MDR dress requirements so will Princess be next?

[Woobstr112G]

 

Good morning from the Star Princess (0608 local time).  We are getting ready to dock In Honolulu.  Had a very restful night just hanging out in the cabin.  We plan on doing breakfast in Sabatinis around 0900.  Our excursion isn’t until this afternoon so after breakfast wears off, I plan to hit the gym.  

 

That’s all for now.

 

Hope all are well.....

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

 

Another arrival.....

 

Bob

[alexand278]

Bob,

Thanks so much for taking the time to do all these updates!!!

[Woobstr112G]

11 minutes ago, alexand278 said:

Bob,

Thanks so much for taking the time to do all these updates!!!

Thank you for the kind words.  It helps being in a U.S. port where I get a cell signal.  Saves a ton of internet minutes.....

 

Bob

[FSUgal]

2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Part of Pearl Harbor is still closed for repair. You can't physically go to the memorial. Only the museums/displays are open.

You can get to Pearl Harbor easily...bus, taxi, Uber, car rental.

We did it by bus. It cost us a grand total of $3 each.

Thanks so much! Super helpful! Hope you have an awesome day!

[dsherennethmek]

Can u tell me the earliest time one can get off the ship once dock in Honolulu. We have a princess cruise coming up this January and I'm trying to finalize our excursions. Thanks!

[I object 2]

Bob:  Denny and I are enjoying your "live from".  Thanks for taking time to post.  Brings back wonderful memories. 

 

If you happen to enjoy a glass of wine in Vines, would you please check to see if they still offer "Spellbound"?   It's one of our favorites!  Thanks.

 

Jan

[Woobstr112G]

2 hours ago, dsherennethmek said:

Can u tell me the earliest time one can get off the ship once dock in Honolulu. We have a princess cruise coming up this January and I'm trying to finalize our excursions. Thanks!

I believe passengers were able to get off around 0730.  Keep in mind though  it does depend on what time you actually arrive.....

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

1 hour ago, I object 2 said:

Bob:  Denny and I are enjoying your "live from".  Thanks for taking time to post.  Brings back wonderful memories. 

 

If you happen to enjoy a glass of wine in Vines, would you please check to see if they still offer "Spellbound"?   It's one of our favorites!  Thanks.

 

Jan

Will do.....

 

Bob

[dsherennethmek]

Thanks Bob!

That helps. As long as I know were able to get off within the hour after docking. 

[Lucky TGO]

12 hours ago, Woobstr112G said:

 

Another arrival.....

 

Bob

 Sorry Bob I couldn’t help my self....😁😁😁

The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

 

[cr8tiv1]

 

14 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Part of Pearl Harbor is still closed for repair. You can't physically go to the memorial. Only the museums/displays are open.

You can get to Pearl Harbor easily...bus, taxi, Uber, car rental.

We did it by bus. It cost us a grand total of $3 each.

 

A day late and a dollar short, story of my life.

 

MEMORIAL ACCESS UPDATE as of October 31, 2018:

The USS Arizona Memorial is currently closed. Visitor access to the memorial was suspended in May 2018 due to movement of the loading dock and corresponding movement of the loading ramp to the memorial, which posed a safety concern for our visitors. Repairs are expected to be completed by March 2019. 

In lieu of USS Arizona Memorial programs, visitors will be taken on a 30-minute narrated harbor tour of Battleship Row and the area around the USS Arizona Memorial. Tickets are still required. Visitors can get walk-in tickets at the visitor center on a first come, first served basis, or reserve tickets online at www.recreation.gov. The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, museums, and bookstore are still open as usual from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Our partner sites – the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum – are also open as usual.