Princess Announces First-Ever Summer Season From Los Angeles

[smbt1]

It would be nice if Princess would though in an occasional longer cruise (12 or 14 day) that would reach down to Sothern Mexico ports such as Huatulco  or even to Costa Rico on a closed loop from LA,  Would create some nice variation to the 7 day Mexico, and 10 day Sea of Cortez cruises

[travelin.sisters]

On 2/10/2022 at 8:45 PM, leck57 said:

😪

The relocation of the Sapphire to the US meant my August cruise from Hong Kong to Sydney was cancelled. I hope you folks enjoy her - one of my favourite ships.

This hurts.

so sad for you...it is hard to have a cruise you have been looking forward to disappear

 

[travelin.sisters]

53 minutes ago, smbt1 said:

It would be nice if Princess would though in an occasional longer cruise (12 or 14 day) that would reach down to Sothern Mexico ports such as Huatulco  or even to Costa Rico on a closed loop from LA,  Would create some nice variation to the 7 day Mexico, and 10 day Sea of Cortez cruises

YES please

 

[LunaSeaRetreat]

Cruising in the summer to Hawaii is a great idea. I'll be checking it out on the 16th.

Cynthia 

[XBGuy]

Ironic that our very first Princess cruise in October 2011 was the Los Angeles-Hawaii roundtrip on the Sapphire Princess.

 

On the 4-1/2 sea days between HI and Ensenada we enountered two days where the sea was very calm.  When I say "very calm" I mean it was glassy smooth.  Mrs. XBGuy, who is, definitely, a foul weather cruiser, was quite disappointed,  "I don't understand.  I thought that we would hit some weather."

 

I told her, "It's called the Pacific Ocean.  'Pacific' means peaceful."

 

In January 2013 we took our second HI cruise on the Golden Princess.  The night before departure I received an e-mail from Princess,  The Golden Princess, which was doing these HI roundtrippers back-to-back for the entire autumn/winter, encountered "heavy weather" on the return leg of its current cruise.  As a result its arrival back in Los Angeles was expected to be delayed.  So, we were requested to delay our arrival at the port.  

 

The next day at about 8:00 am I checked the webcam of the Golden Princess and saw the Vincent Thomas Bridge.  So, if they were delayed, it wasn't by much.

 

On board just prior to departure, the Captain announced that due to a Pacific hurricane, our course to Hawaii would be altered.  Instead of making a southwesterly run straight to the islands, we would head almost due west and, then, make a sharp left to the islands.  He anticipated that our arrival at the first port, Hilo, would not be delayed.

 

Our trip to the islands was a little bumpy, but still not nearly enough to satisfy Mrs. XBGuy.

 

Chatting with the servers in the various venues it sounded like their experience on the previous cruise was pretty exciting.  Apparently pouring wine into glasses or coffee into cups on the tables was pretty hilarious.

[sunsetme]

hurricane season for mexico  i would think twice about booking this

[Dunk]

On 2/13/2022 at 1:50 PM, sunsetme said:

hurricane season for mexico  i would think twice about booking this

Hurricanes in the Pacific rarely form north of the Baja Peninsula, and Mexican Riviera cruises don't go a lot further south than that. While it is possible, it would be much less likely a scenario than in the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico. The water is a lot colder in the Pacific than in the Atlantic/Caribbean. 

[LunaSeaRetreat]

FYI

The bookings for July 7 Hawaii cruise is open.  I just put it on hold.

[fpsphil]

The prices seem a bit high on these compared to the other cruises I have booked. Might put the $2 deposits down or just sit back and watch.

[jondfk]

1 hour ago, LunaSeaRetreat said:

FYI

The bookings for July 7 Hawaii cruise is open.  I just put it on hold.

 

No fear here (lol) we went ahead and paid the full deposit of $2.  

 

Prices are slightly higher than comparable fall voyages, but then again, the July and August trips are 1 day longer than the typical 15 days.  So, on a per day basis, not too far out of line.  

 

Final payment comes due in just 7 weeks, early April.  

[sfaaa]

This is wield. I received the email from Princess. But when I clicked on the link, it says pricing is currently not available on these cruises. 

[Tak8]

I logged onto Princess then prices were shown.

[garbar]

I have no pricing either.  Might be first access to elites for a day or two.

[Astro Flyer]

2 minutes ago, garbar said:

I have no pricing either.  Might be first access to elites for a day or two.

I think you’re correct…when not signed in there was no pricing and after signing in could see pricing probably because I am at the elite level & tomorrow for everyone else.

[cr8tiv1]

$2 deposit sounds nice, but that won't get you OBC unless you use FCD.

 

The Sapphire is a loved ship.  Hence more expensive?  Like the Pacific Princess.  

 

Does anyone know if they are reducing the cost for solo sailors?  Like....before...no supplement?  One can only wish.

 

Just viewed fares.  Hawaii isn't that much more expensive than usual.  But no break for a single solo.  sigh

Edited February 16, 2022 by cr8tiv1

[Astro Flyer]

16 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Just viewed fares.  Hawaii isn't that much more expensive than usual.

I feel the same way.
 

Both the 15 & 16 day Hawaii cruises have the same time in the same ports but the 16 day takes 5 days to HI instead of 4 on the 15 day cruise…wonder what’s difference. 🤔

 

It’s disappointing to see Maui stops continuing to be in Kahului instead of Lahaina.

[Papa Yoda]

Yes!   Got 7/2 and 7/7 in aft Vistas!

 

Mobility challenged DW appreciates docking in Maui as walking around Lahaina isn't an option anyway.  But understand the disappointments. 

[LunaSeaRetreat]

23 hours ago, jondfk said:

 

No fear here (lol) we went ahead and paid the full deposit of $2.  

 

Prices are slightly higher than comparable fall voyages, but then again, the July and August trips are 1 day longer than the typical 15 days.  So, on a per day basis, not too far out of line.  

 

Final payment comes due in just 7 weeks, early April.  

I managed to come up with the $2 also. All booked. Now when they find the very large FCC from a cruise canceled on 2/4/22 I'll be all set.

[fpsphil]

Ended up booking the 10 day Sea of Cortez in Oct. See if I keep the reservation or not

[LACruiser88]

On 2/12/2022 at 10:28 PM, smbt1 said:

It would be nice if Princess would though in an occasional longer cruise (12 or 14 day) that would reach down to Sothern Mexico ports such as Huatulco  or even to Costa Rico on a closed loop from LA,  Would create some nice variation to the 7 day Mexico, and 10 day Sea of Cortez cruises

Pre-Covid, Princess would do a 19 day round-trip LA cruise as far down as Panama City.  This cruise would occur once or twice a year.  We have done that itinerary a few times.

[jondfk]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

Pre-Covid, Princess would do a 19 day round-trip LA cruise as far down as Panama City.  This cruise would occur once or twice a year.  We have done that itinerary a few times.

Yup, we were booked for that on Coral for April of '20 but . . . 

 

I'd love to see it offered again.

 

[rj59]

20 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

$2 deposit sounds nice, but that won't get you OBC unless you use FCD.

 

The Sapphire is a loved ship.  Hence more expensive?  Like the Pacific Princess.  

 

Does anyone know if they are reducing the cost for solo sailors?  Like....before...no supplement?  One can only wish.

 

Just viewed fares.  Hawaii isn't that much more expensive than usual.  But no break for a single solo.  sigh

Yes, good deals for solo passengers...I booked a 5-night in August and 4-night in October for $90/nt, plus apparently double the $50 OBC as a solo. One attraction of the Sapphire for me is a report of a nice wide outside promenade deck, a main reason why I had 100 cruise days on HAL. Even with the annoying climb up and down stairs at the bow, I miss a real promenade after token outdoor spaces on the Majestic and other new ships, and with full occupancy coming up and Covid still around in some form, I more secluded outdoor space is appealing. I usually go on a summer Alaska cruise, since I live between Seattle and Vancouver, but I'm afraid the ports and ships will be a zoo this summer, with ships full and way more large ships than before. So an August trip visiting SF and Ensenada with a couple of warm sea days sounds much more appealing, especially on a smaller ship. October is also when the start of my rainy season starts, so a short trip to San Diego and Ensenada sounds nice (it's too far north to get hurricane action, and the platinum protection plan gives 100% FCC if I decide not to go). 

 

[charlesr1966]

On 2/10/2022 at 3:53 PM, Tak8 said:

I'm going on the July 2 cruise. It's my birthday present to me. I was surprised at 100 dollar shipboard credit. I love the sapphire princess. I watched the first lady of Alaska break the champagne bottle in Seattle

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On 2/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, cr8tiv1 said:

$2 deposit sounds nice, but that won't get you OBC unless you use FCD.

 

The Sapphire is a loved ship.  Hence more expensive?  Like the Pacific Princess.  

 

Does anyone know if they are reducing the cost for solo sailors?  Like....before...no supplement?  One can only wish.

 

Just viewed fares.  Hawaii isn't that much more expensive than usual.  But no break for a single solo.  sigh

Hi @cr8tiv1I booked a November 2 Hawaii sailing solo on the sapphire out of LA. I booked a full suite with only a 50% single supplement.  I saved a substantial amount of money as compared to my original November 7th trip out of SF on the Ruby.  Suites are usually not included when there’s a break for solos. It’d be worth checking if the room on the sailing you would want has that special pricing for solos. 

[cr8tiv1]

@HaveDogWillTravel  Thanks for the heads' up.  I may be in the islands when the Sapphire arrives.  Will keep you posted.  Hopefully, we will be done with the Pandemic and I can finally meet some of you folks.