Hawaii from Los Angeles Cruise question!

[Deseo1578]

Hi , I am very new to princess cruises. I have only cruised with royal caribbean but really want to do a cruise to Hawaii from California. I am looking at Grand Princess and Ruby Princess. I am going with a teenager, I am sure this chips probably dont compare to the the big ships in Royal Caribbean, but will she get bored? Do the ships feel really old? She is also extremely picky with food, would we be able to get french fries everywhere easily? Is internet on the ships ok? As this are smaller ships , do you feel the movement a lot? Any tips you can give me about Princess and either ship would be amazing. I would be going on Jan 2025.

 

Thank you so much!!!

[reedprincess]

10 minutes ago, Deseo1578 said:

Hi , I am very new to princess cruises. I have only cruised with royal caribbean but really want to do a cruise to Hawaii from California. I am looking at Grand Princess and Ruby Princess. I am going with a teenager, I am sure this chips probably dont compare to the the big ships in Royal Caribbean, but will she get bored? Do the ships feel really old? She is also extremely picky with food, would we be able to get french fries everywhere easily? Is internet on the ships ok? As this are smaller ships , do you feel the movement a lot? Any tips you can give me about Princess and either ship would be amazing. I would be going on Jan 2025.

 

Thank you so much!!!

French fries are available on deck at the grill when open, at lunch and dinner in the MDR, in the buffet for lunch and dinner (which is open continually from approximately 6am to 10pm), and from room service 24/7. If you've booked the standard no frills fare, room service delivery fee is $5 per order, or you can have one person activate Ocean Now delivery on the app for a one time fee of $14.99 and have fries delivered anywhere on the ship - including your cabin - 24/7 at no additional charge.

 

As for whether she'd be bored - you know your teen best.  Will she be bored with no rock climbing or waterslides or zip line or such aboard? Or will she be good with some trivia, pool, movies under the stars, shows, teen club activities, etc?  I don't know your teen, I have no idea whether she'd be bored or not. As a teen, I wouldn't have been bored on a Princess ship at all, but then - give me a book and a pool and I would have been perfectly happy... lol.

 

As for whether the ships feel old or not - again, subjective. They're well maintained and a very different style than newer RCCL ships. Much more sedate decor, lots of wood and taupes and earthtones.  More traditional design, so to speak. Lots of open deck space, etc.   They're older ships but well maintained for sure.

 

Personally, I'd choose Ruby, as I prefer having Skywalkers (nightclub - irrelevant for the teen), Adagio lounge area, and slightly different layout from Grand (and newer than Grand).

 

They're both solid choices.. enjoy. 

[AZjohn]

39 minutes ago, Deseo1578 said:

Hi , I am very new to princess cruises. I have only cruised with royal caribbean but really want to do a cruise to Hawaii from California. I am looking at Grand Princess and Ruby Princess. I am going with a teenager, I am sure this chips probably dont compare to the the big ships in Royal Caribbean, but will she get bored? Do the ships feel really old? She is also extremely picky with food, would we be able to get french fries everywhere easily? Is internet on the ships ok? As this are smaller ships , do you feel the movement a lot? Any tips you can give me about Princess and either ship would be amazing. I would be going on Jan 2025.

 

Thank you so much!!!

I always support someone that wants to try different cruise lines, ships, cabins, itinerary, etc. as I believe in the old saying “variety is the spice of life”. There is also the saying “everyone have different tastes” 😊.

 

Saying that, going on a Hawaii cruise round trip from CA you are talking a lot of sea days in a row coming and going (like 4 or 5 days in a row each way). Most passengers who enjoy these cruises are usually very comfortable not being entertained 100% of the time but rather enjoy just kicking back an extended period of time. Do you think your daughter would be ok with that mostly if she has experience sailing the mega ships of RCCL? Just something I would suggest taking an honest look at 😊.

 

I think food on the ship would be similar to RCCL, not great but nobody is going to go hungry on any ship. Fries are plentiful afternoon through evening as @reedprincess wrote about.

 

You will diffidently feel the motion of the ocean sailing in the Pacific on Princess mid size ships but they have stabilizers so nothing extreme. We honestly love the motion on a cruise ship and one of the main reasons mega ships are not on our radar.

 

Wifi has been upgraded recently on the two ships you are asking about so your daughter should be good to go there.

 

Cheers!

[Tiggerontheseas]

1 hour ago, Deseo1578 said:

Hi , I am very new to princess cruises. I have only cruised with royal caribbean but really want to do a cruise to Hawaii from California. I am looking at Grand Princess and Ruby Princess. I am going with a teenager, I am sure this chips probably dont compare to the the big ships in Royal Caribbean, but will she get bored? Do the ships feel really old? She is also extremely picky with food, would we be able to get french fries everywhere easily? Is internet on the ships ok? As this are smaller ships , do you feel the movement a lot? Any tips you can give me about Princess and either ship would be amazing. I would be going on Jan 2025.

 

Thank you so much!!!

 

I do agree with other posters that teens can definitely differ, but I can't imagine that most teens wouldn't be bored on that class of ship with that many sea days.  Especially considering that aside from having more sedate entertainment and activities than the bigger ships offer, the passenger demographic for that type of sailing is going to trend older.  My kids were not at all the type to need to be endlessly entertained, but they would have been BORED.  So bored.  

[cr8tiv1]

No one has yet mentioned the hula and ukulele classes.  The enrichment talks.  Is your teenager into learning about new cultures?  There are a lot of sea days, but the Grand has a covered pool.  

 

I love the Grand (500 passengers smaller than the Ruby).  I wish Princess would assign their cultural ambassadors years in advance, as many would like to be able to choose between ELUA and the 2 other teams (I can never remember their names).

 

I know you mentioned French Fries, but the islands have so many different food options to try.  

[SCX22]

Princess ships don't have the adventure/active activities and pools/waterslides of RCCL's ships.  If anything, lounges and places to sit rule on Princess ships.  It's akin to the older demographic that cruise with Princess--they like to do activities which involve sitting, lounging, and people watching.  The pool can be filled with older people in swimwear that you wish you could unsee.  In the evenings, the oldies like to dance in the Piazza.  If allowed to stay up by their parents, the teens on Princess like to party with the DJ at night, much to the dismay of the older passengers who would rather have the DJ play music which they can slow dance to.  Because you will be cruising in the off season and taking a longer cruise, don't expect there to be a lot of peers in the teen age group (maybe if you picked a date that coincided with Spring Break).

 

I travelled with Princess as a kid with my grandparents as their third wheel.  What I can remember is that I had to find my own (trouble), ahem, fun.  Those were the days were being a kid really meant being an endangered species on Princess.

[skynight]

 will she get bored? I can't directly answer this question. There are no rock walls, slides, wave pools on these two Princess ships. There is a teen center. January isn't a school holiday period in the U.S. Thus expect very few teens on board. Mostly an older demographic.

Do the ships feel really old? The Ruby just entered dry dock and will be there for just under a month. She should be in good shape. Reports are that she is getting all new bedding, carpets, and I expect many other things. I can't comment on the Grand's condition. I will mention that in my opinion these ships have a much better layout than the Royal class ships.

She is also extremely picky with food, would we be able to get french fries everywhere easily? French fries will be available at the Salty Dog Grill by the Lido pool every day from 11am until mid evening. Just walk up and ask for a plate. There are also other selections at the grill. Pizza and ice cream are also available by the Lido pools.  She can order French fries in the DR. There is also a youth menu in the DRs. The buffet is open continuously from 6am until 11pm. There should be something there that she enjoys.

Is internet on the ships ok? It should be fine, but may be slow when in the middle of the Ocean on the way to and from Hawaii.

As this are smaller ships , do you feel the movement a lot? These are not small ships and sail very well. Crossing the open Pacific from CA to Hawaii is normally choppy. Bring along motion sickness meds. The weather, especially in January, will most likely be cool for the first two to three days until the ship enters the tropics. You will require layered clothing. The first days are not generally sit around the pool weather like it is in the Caribbean. On the return trip it isn't quite as cool as the ship is taking a more southern route heading to Ensenada.

The Grand is sailing from L.A. while the Ruby is sailing from S.F. There will be Hawaiian ambassadors on board which provide ukulele instruction for beginners, hula dancing and other Hawaiian themed activities. 

  

[DE Solo]

How old is the teenager? There are radical differences between the interests of a 13 year old and a 17 year old. How outgoing is she? Does she enjoy trivia, sitting by the pool with her kindle, etc? Does she spend most of her time on social media at home? All of these factors are much.more important than the availability of french fries, which have been readily available on every ship I have sailed on for the past 40+ years. Does she easily get motion sick? If yes, I would re-think a cruise with so many sea days in the Pacific, since it is normally much more rocky than the Caribbean.

[Deseo1578]

2 hours ago, DE Solo said:

How old is the teenager? There are radical differences between the interests of a 13 year old and a 17 year old. How outgoing is she? Does she enjoy trivia, sitting by the pool with her kindle, etc? Does she spend most of her time on social media at home? All of these factors are much.more important than the availability of french fries, which have been readily available on every ship I have sailed on for the past 40+ years. Does she easily get motion sick? If yes, I would re-think a cruise with so many sea days in the Pacific, since it is normally much more rocky than the Caribbean.

Thanks, She is going to be 13 years old. And yes, she is more of a quiet child, not very adventorous and really enjoys social media , laying around and sleep. 

[mtnesterz]

46 minutes ago, Deseo1578 said:

Thanks, She is going to be 13 years old. And yes, she is more of a quiet child, not very adventorous and really enjoys social media , laying around and sleep. 

For ages 13-17,  Remix should be a good place for her to hang out.

Many that age like Slice, the Lido deck Pizza place and the soft serve ice cream, along with the above mentioned Salty Dog Grill, all of which are included in the cruise fare. Finding something to eat for young tastes is not a problem.

We have done this itinerary several times out of LA. Couple things to consider. First, as noted above, lots of sea days. Good onboard entertainment is key. They have not posted their schedule for '25 yet, but whichever ship or embarkation point, do a search for Eluamusic.

Second, the Ruby carries 500 more passengers than the Grand. Again, Hawaii is not a port intensive cruise. You are on the ship for up to six days at a stretch. The lines and crowds everywhere on the Ruby, (and sisters Crown and Emerald) begin to strain my tolerance over time.

Edited September 28, 2023 by mtnesterz

[1025cruise]

Something else to consider, longer itineraries do not attract a lot of kids due to school/etc.

[Cruise Raider]

We have been on both ships to Hawaii.  I would choose the Ruby over the Grand any day, unless .. and this is a big unless .. you get one of window suites, which do not exist on the Ruby.  
The first couple of days out and the last couple of days back can have really rough waters and it will be cool outside, as well.  Choose your room carefully .. on a lower deck and as close to midship as possible.  Those window seats are actually a perfect location.  
Fries are readily available on every Princess ship.  Pizza is available as sit down on the Grand but only up top by the pool or the room service menu on the Ruby.  There is currently a charge for pizza at the sit down restaurant, Alfredo’s, and if ordered via the app.  
The only free pizza is up by the pool but ordering a whole pizza is $8.50.  
We cruise at times with very picky eaters and they are very good about finding something for them!  Ask for the kids menu in the restaurants.  There is also a decent menu on the app for delivery anywhere on the ship.  
The ships seem to have entertainment, activities, games, etc in the piazza that are pretty well attended  .. plenty of kids seem to enjoy these events a lot!  There will be very few teenagers onboard a 2 week cruise.  The demographics trend older on these longer sailings.  
There are also a lot of Hawaiian activities scheduled that she might enjoy, such as crafts, ukulele and hula lessons, etc.  The enrichment lectures are really quite good.  

 

 

[Deseo1578]

Thanks everyone, this is very helpfull and is helping me make my decision!

[cr8tiv1]

32 minutes ago, Deseo1578 said:

Thanks everyone, this is very helpfull and is helping me make my decision!

 

Let us all know what you decide.  There are many home schooled children who "may" be on the ship.

[karatemom2]

I can share a little from our experience when our kids were younger. We did the LA to Hawaii Cruise four years in a row for our Christmas holiday - first one on Diamond Princess and subsequent three on the Golden, which is a sister ship of Grand. We loved these cruises and my kids who were ages 8 to 12 and 13 to 17 when we cruised really enjoyed them.

 

Now, keep in mind these were holiday cruises so there were MANY other kids onboard. It is likely on a January itinerary this won't be the case and it will skew older. However, if your teen is more on the quiet side and enjoys your more low key activities, she will likely not be bored. Given she may be one of the few young people on board, you may find she gets a lot of extra attention. My son is sort of an old soul and even when he was little, he was very content on our sea days to go read a book, play games, go to trivia or other ship activities. They usually have a pretty robust roster of cultural activities like hula dancing and ukulele on these cruises that she might really enjoy.

 

We love the Grand class ships, but Ruby is newer. I have been on both the Grand and Ruby and they are great, but I imagine even with dry docks, Grand is likely showing her age and I have never liked the closet set up on that ship, so I would probably go with the Ruby.

 

Crossing the Pacific out of LA, especially in January, could be a little bit of a rough ride. We sort of love that because it really reminds you that you are at sea. But if either of you have any issues with sea sickness, just come prepared.

 

It's a fabulous cruise - super relaxing and full of Aloha spirit. I can't imagine anyone not loving it and it will be a wonderful time for you to spend with your teen. We are actually thinking of going back again with our adult kids next year. I'm sure you will enjoy it!

[coops]

We did this cruise on Crown Princess last April. And yes the ship for the days going and coming back were extremely rough for our sailing but we knew that would happen from reading what others have said. We were on the Grand almost 10 years ago and unless they did revamp it our group would not go on it again as it was aging back then. I would try to see if they had a newer ship going there with a few more things on it if I was bringing my kids. Just my opinion. But regardless the crew has always been top notch on all Princess ships that we have been on. 

[Ombud]

Umm umm this is a very unpopular opinion but it is mine. LA <-> Hawaii was the only cruise where I was bored on sea days. Not a fan of minimalistic crafts unless I wanted to pay $20 per session. Music was redundant and lack imagination. Nope. Found an itinerary i won't repeat 

 

(But I loved the individual ports esp Lahaina)

 

Emerald Princess B2B 5/27/23-6/1/23-6/17/2023. Hate to say Cabo was the highlight (5/27/23-6/1/23)

[KKB]

On 9/27/2023 at 9:49 PM, Deseo1578 said:

Hi , I am very new to princess cruises. I have only cruised with royal caribbean but really want to do a cruise to Hawaii from California. I am looking at Grand Princess and Ruby Princess. I am going with a teenager, I am sure this chips probably dont compare to the the big ships in Royal Caribbean, but will she get bored? Do the ships feel really old? She is also extremely picky with food, would we be able to get french fries everywhere easily? Is internet on the ships ok? As this are smaller ships , do you feel the movement a lot? Any tips you can give me about Princess and either ship would be amazing. I would be going on Jan 2025.

 

Thank you so much!!!

We did this itinerary on Carnival in January. (our 1st Carnival; 10 Princess & 4 RCCL under our belts as well--have sailed both Grand & Ruby)

There were VERY VERY few children/teens on that sailing. (14 days)

We had a some of the worst seas I've sailed, but it was due to a storm in California; weather was sunny but windy & high waves. Had to wear a trans patch for the 1st time in many years...DH too. Once the patches were on we were fine.

Fries--NO problem!

Internet is now Starlink so you are GOOD.

Our kids have sailed Celebrity, Princess, RCCL as teens/young adults as well as DCL as children.

I have asked each of the separately what was their fav & each one said ALL OF THEM.

They liked teen club but it didn't make or break their cruise. They liked the bells & whistles of RCCL but again...not essential. Luckily they like to hang with us (most of the time...), do trivia, watch game shows & production shows. They would love the cultural experiences on a Hawaiian cruise. They also like to watch videos on their phones...

I never thought much about if our kids would enjoy it...just figure they would!!

 

[dockman]

On 9/28/2023 at 10:12 PM, Deseo1578 said:

Thanks, She is going to be 13 years old. And yes, she is more of a quiet child, not very adventorous and really enjoys social media , laying around and sleep. 

sounds like a lot of the adults on typical cruise...eat, sleep, sit/lay around...how about getting her to bring a few good books to read ? a break from social media might actually be a good thing.