LIVE from the Grand Princess: RT LA to Hawaii 4/4/22 - 4/19/22

[HBCcruiser]

The Medallion App keeps having issues. I have found that logging out and back in helps. 

[HBCcruiser]

Last night we decided to relax and rest up for today. Mom and I both had stomachs that were not quite right. Food poisoning? Who knows. I’m glad we rested. Feeling better today. 
 

Hilo: My brother and I are doing the Volcano Park tour. Hopefully it won’t rain on our parade too much. They are calling for 80% in Hilo. 

[HBCcruiser]

Patters Day 6-Hilo

 

[Ronnieslady]

We are on this cruise.   Thought of going to Walmart ( here in Hilo today  ) with the shuttle,  but the line for shuttle was about 1000 passengers & crew ahead of us.  .We thought we would pass from getting squished in that hugh bus.   
Love the Hawaii cruises ( been many times)but this one feels different for me.  The crew is great, but they are short handed.  Everything on a shoestring.  Don’t get me wrong , it still beats cooking, cleaning, shopping for food, doing my own laundry.  We are grateful to be here in our favorite aft Vista Suite.  
Any questions ?  just ask

[Sarnia 432]

1 hour ago, Ronnieslady said:

Any questions ?  just ask

is it possible to find out the passenger count for the following cruise - LA to Vancouver?

thanks

[shellbeachjim]

1 hour ago, Ronnieslady said:

We are on this cruise.   Thought of going to Walmart ( here in Hilo today  ) with the shuttle,  but the line for shuttle was about 1000 passengers & crew ahead of us.  .We thought we would pass from getting squished in that hugh bus.   
Love the Hawaii cruises ( been many times)but this one feels different for me.  The crew is great, but they are short handed.  Everything on a shoestring.  Don’t get me wrong , it still beats cooking, cleaning, shopping for food, doing my own laundry.  We are grateful to be here in our favorite aft Vista Suite.  
Any questions ?  just ask

Also on this cruise. There are a number of crew members who were in quarantine at the beginning of our cruise, and some of them are just now available to work again. This can explain some of the short handedness. All of our booked excursions were canceled for “operational reasons”, so we’re mostly hanging out in the Sanctuary. Fortunately we don’t view any of this as a hardship. 

[Ronnieslady]

22 minutes ago, Sarnia 432 said:

is it possible to find out the passenger count for the following cruise - LA to Vancouver?

thanks

I will try to ask the desk to see if they know.  Why did I think they were not going to port in Canada right now for a while.

[Cruzingal#9]

Can you please let us know what side of the ship you dock on in the ports?  We’re going in July and are on the port side of the ship.  We like to be on the dock side as much as possible to watch the people getting back on board.  I know things can change from cruise to cruise, but would still like to know.  Thanks!

[HBCcruiser]

1 hour ago, Cruzingal#9 said:

Can you please let us know what side of the ship you dock on in the ports?  We’re going in July and are on the port side of the ship.  We like to be on the dock side as much as possible to watch the people getting back on board.  I know things can change from cruise to cruise, but would still like to know.  Thanks!

Today it was Starboard or odd number cabins. Hilo port

[cr8tiv1]

Honolulu will always be starboard side/dock side. 
 

Nawiliwili will always be port side/dock side.  
 

2022 season for Maui was port side.  Morally, Lahaina is a tender port at ship’s anchor. 

[HBCcruiser]

Posting had been a problem the last 2 days. 

[HBCcruiser]

Todsy we did a great Taste of Hawaii with Volcano Park Tour. Jim was out awesome guide. He told native Hawaiian stories which made the tour extraordinary and took us to wonderful highlights. 
 

The Caldera has increased from the 2018 eruption. We saw it 25 years ago. So different!.

Caldera;

 

 

Tree Molds - so interesting!;
 

New growth. Life from death;

 

So beautiful- new life among the cinders don’t know why it’s upside  down??;

 

 

Rainbow Falls;

Edited April 10, 2022 by HBCcruiser

[caribill]

On 4/5/2022 at 1:16 PM, HBCcruiser said:

We ate breakfast in  the regular dining room so we could eat with my Bro. I just had eggs and bacon. Mom was disappointed that she couldn’t get her eggs Benedict.

 

Usually if it is not on the menu, just ask for it anyway and they will make it for you.

[HBCcruiser]

Ordered room service so we could enjoy sailaway. I don’t know why I’m having issues posting pics. I’ll try tomorrow. 

[HBCcruiser]

Day 7: Honolulu Patter;

 

[HBCcruiser]

We may go downtown to do some shopping and walking Waikiki this morning then we have to get back for the Luau. Hopefully it does  not get rained out. So far the weather looks ok.

[XBGuy]

Being a food and wine kinda guy I really appreciate your report on the Chef's Table.  I think having it in the Crown Grill is excellent.  I guess I am one of the few people who do not particularly enjoy standing around the galley to sip Champagne and sample various appetizers.  Sitting around the table and conversing with fellow diners seems much more enjoyable to me.  Of course, if everybody agreed with me, this would be a pretty boring world.

 

I think the problem you are having with the orientation of your pictures has to do with the fact that you are taking the pictures and are posting from an iOS device.  For some reason or other the proper orientation information is not being passed to the Cruise Critic servers.  I see this happening, a lot, on various online boards.  My general workaround is to transfer the picture to a Windows device, orient it properly, save it off, and post the saved image.  I agree that this is tedious.  You've indicated that the problem can also be resolved by cropping the image.  I guess whatever software you are using to perform that operation transfers orientation information to the Cruise Critic servers and everybody is happy.

 

 

 

Chamisal is a fine winery located in the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo county,  They produce multiple bottlings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varietal wines all of which are made from grapes sourced from the California Central Coast.

 

The Pine Ridge Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is certainly a treat.  Much better than the reds that have been served to me at two Chef's Table experiences.

 

On 4/8/2022 at 12:42 AM, HBCcruiser said:

The dessert was served. With a Elderton Botrytis Golden Semillon too sweet for me. I just drank more Cab!!;

 

Your comment caused me to chuckle.  Very few people are on the fence when it comes to dessert wines--you either love 'em or you hate 'em.  I happen to love 'em.  However, with the dessert in the above picture, I, like you, would have preferred red wine--or, even better, black coffee.  On the other hand, that Botrytis-affected Semillon would have been outstanding with the figs and cheese course that was offered.  I would have been all over that.

 

 

 

Thank you for your detailed reporting.

 

 

[LouChamp]

Mahalo for your posts and especially the food pictures!

[HBCcruiser]

6 hours ago, XBGuy said:

 the problem you are having with the orientation of your pictures has to do with the fact that you are taking the pictures and are posting from an iOS device

100% correct- iPhone 13. I just don’t have the time or willingness to go through all of that. I’m on the go and enjoying the cruise. Thanks for fixing it though! Much appreciated🤗

[HBCcruiser]

We spent the day in Waikiki shopping and spending time at the Royal Hawaiian.

 

Banyan Tree;

 

Waikiki Beach;

 

 

Royal Hawaiian;

 

 

Mai Tai best ever!!;

 

Mango Mojito Ok but liked the Mai Tai better;

 

Awesome Burger!;

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

Royal Hawaiian specialty drink menu;

[HBCcruiser]

We are back onboard resting until the Luau. We meet up at 4:15. 

[Alwaysmorecruising]

Is the Luau dinner tonight in the MDR? or a special event?  We're doing Hawaii on the Ruby in Oct so totally curious.  🙂

[1emerald1]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

We spent the day in Waikiki shopping and spending time at the Royal Hawaiian.

 

Banyan Tree;

 

Waikiki Beach;

 

 

Royal Hawaiian;

 

 

Mai Tai best ever!!;

 

Mango Mojito Ok but liked the Mai Tai better;

 

Awesome Burger!;

 

 

Thanks for the pics!  It brings back memories of my very first visit to Hawaii when I was 21.  My grandmother took me with her old lady friends, and we had a blast!

[shellbeachjim]

Our day in Honolulu included the obligatory trip to Leonard’s. 
 

Edited April 11, 2022 by shellbeachjim