Thinking about a cruise with a lot of sea days

Hi

The Mrs and I have done quite a few Princess cruises. We've loved them all, but we are on the bubble about selecting our next one.

We are considering this round-trip LA to Hawaii. The benefits are that it's a cruise we can take without having to fly anywhere. We'd love to do HI for Xmas. But on the other hand it's a lot of sea time.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on voyages with so many sea days and if they were enjoyable to you or not.

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Some people love sea days, others hate them. Personally, we love them. We don't partake of the games, etc., but if there are lecturers, we usually enjoy them. We are self-entertained. A good book on the Kindle, people watching... My problem is that I enjoy a good nap, and on sea days there are so many things I want to attend that I often have trouble fitting the nap in...EM

Hi

 

The Mrs and I have done quite a few Princess cruises. We've loved them all, but we are on the bubble about selecting our next one.

 

We are considering this round-trip LA to Hawaii. The benefits are that it's a cruise we can take without having to fly anywhere. We'd love to do HI for Xmas. But on the other hand it's a lot of sea time.

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on voyages with so many sea days and if they were enjoyable to you or not.

 

 

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Have not done a Princess r/t LA but have done three on Holland and we love the sea days as a way to relax, read a book, take in a movie or all of the above. As mentioned some do not, to each their own. We did a r/t San Diego to Hawaii and the So. Pacific, 6.5 days at sea from the south, no problem at all. We're doing this trip on the Star next Christmas. Go for it!

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DH and I love the sea days on the R/T Hawaii sailing. Very relaxing, very enjoyable. There are many activities, including special ones related to Hawaii - we've had language lessons, lei making, ukulele lessons, hula dancing classes, Hawaii themed trivia, along with the usual range of things Princess usually offers on sea days. Or you can just chill and relax.

But, we understand that some may not enjoy sea days. They prefer to be exploring ports almost everyday.

It takes all kinds - whatever floats your boat. You have to know yourself and how you prefer to spend your vacation time. :)

We have cruised roundtrip from L.A. several times. Twice on the Hawaii cruise you are thinking of. We've also cruised Mexico twice from L.A., one of them was a b2b cruise with the Hawaii itinerary. We have also done the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise, and are booked again for it.

We love (obviously) a cruise with a lot of sea days, but the added benefit of the longer ones is they usually have a series of lectures on the history of the area. One of our trips was with two lecturers: the usual one, and the Hawaiian musician who decided to give us the "real" Hawaii history and culture. He was very funny and good.

Things are more relaxed, slower paced, and enjoyable to us. When people are keyed up for the next port, they seem to be a little more impatient and anxious. Lots of sea days makes for well fed, more sleep, and more relaxed passengers.

The longer Mexican cruise went up into the Sea of Cortez, and the stops were wonderful.

We love sea days, the more the better. We have done a couple of TransAtlantics last year and a Hawai'i cruise this last September. There is so much to do on sea days we can't fit everything in. We will be doing this Princess LA/Hawai'i/LA itinerary next March. March can't come soon enough!

I love sea days! I have my books, ipod, lounge chair, drinks, food.

That's a vacation to me!

However, i have friends and coworkers I travel with that loves a different port each day. They have to keep moving.

I would definitely book a balcony cabin for that itinerary, just in case of bad weather. You would have that private outside space, just in case of rain.

The HI cruise we have still to do but have done TA cruises and the sea days are really great for us. It is all so leisurely and like has already been said, we have had problems getting our afternoon siesta due to the activities we want to attend. Some pax love sea days like us and some hate them but kicking back and just enjoying the day is very restful.

IMHO the important thing when considering a cruise to Hawaii is why you want to go to Hawaii in the first place.. If you want to see and experience Hawaii, I don't think a cruise is the way to go. You are paying for 14 to 15 days but spending only 4 in Hawaii. And to make matters worse none of them are overnights. If you never been to the islands I would not recommend a cruise.

On the other hand if your goal is to take a relaxing ship ride and want to get the flavor of a sea trip to the islands Then I would recommend this cruise. This is true if you have already been to the islands on a land trip.

The 4 sea days to Hawaii and the 4 sea days back are not problem for us. Just bring things to do if you don't want to participate in ship activities.

This year in the spring we did a TA to Barcelona and in October we did the r/t LA to Hawaii . We loved the sea days on both cruises. The days seemed to fly by. As everyone has reported there are lots of activities to pass the time...........or just fill your days with reading, exploring, or naps and some activities.

On the TA we were in a balcony on the front of the ship (Royal). On port days it was awesome to get up early and go out on our balcony as we came into new cities. We could drink our coffee from room service.

On the Hawaii cruise we booked an obstructed ocean view on Emerald deck ( not too obstructed). Down the stairs to deck 7 and out the door to see the ocean or ports. With only 5 port days....this worked out well for us.

It's not Princess.... but the POA has no sea days and doubles your port time on each island.

One advantage of sea days.... load up on Hawaiian nuts in your cabin on your return trip to the mainland in your cabin with no weight concerns.

First question I have for you...is do you enjoy land vacations more than cruises? How many days was your longest cruise?

and Why do u cruise?...Relaxation, port stops, no brainier, good pricing?

Let's have an opposing view from the many above posts.....

I do not like sea days......I am a port lady totally....now it's not to say that I might change my mind in a few years if mobility or health becomes a problem....but 2 sea days is usually my limit. I have always viewed a cruise as my transportation or a fun family get away. Could this be cause I have spent my whole life in So. CA?

I live 45m from San Pedro, and cruised for my first time, Caribbean in 1983(honeymoon) so thru the years I have seen incredible deals cruising to Hawaii and have passed them up. 5+ hours of fly times gives me more time on the islands and as another poster mentioned over nights. But then again I go to Hawaii to relax and spend time in the water.

And what if there is poor weather...not fun.....being on the rough, rough, did I say rough sea.

For Jan. I have picked a 14 day(our longest) itinerary around the horn that only has 2 sea days together, but am concerned if we miss some ports...I could have more sea days in a row:eek:

I just view sea days as "Sea Food and eat it" and pretty much a waste, but is that because I can sit and read at home by my pool and be at the beach in 20 minutes...I think we all have our own reasons for cruising....I think you have pretty much answered yours with parts of your original post...

"a lot of sea days"and "so many sea days";):) seems to me like cruising isn't your first choice for a get away.

If you want to see and experience Hawaii, I don't think a cruise is the way to go. You are paying for 14 to 15 days but spending only 4 in Hawaii. And to make matters worse none of them are overnights. If you never been to the islands I would not recommend a cruise.

This is a valid point. The Mrs and I have been to HI together, both Kauai and Maui. Spent several days in both places. Plus we've done Tahiti and French Polynesia, so we've had quite a bit of time on several Pacific islands.

We are doing SF to Hawaii this April and I am really looking forward to the sea days! I've never done this many sea days before, but sea days have always been my favorite parts of the cruise! I love to watch Movies Under the Stars (during the day, so not really any stars! LOL) while sunbathing and I love to lounge around and read. With the fast paced lifestyle we all seem to lead, I really enjoy the relaxation of a sea day!

I agree with the others. If you want to really experience Hawaii then fly there and stay a while. The 4 port stops give you a little taste (which is all we have had!) and it is enough for some but not enough to really experience the islands. We enjoyed it but may fly back one of these days although we have soooooooooo many other places to visit and things to see.

The Hawaii voyage has 9 sea days. We loved it and also love our full transit of the Panama Canal which had 9 sea days. We're booked for the Hawaii / South Pacific cruise next year. 28 days and 18 of those are at sea!

I know some folks who would totally lose their minds on trips like that. They have to be "doing something" all the time. I can sit and relax and read, watch the sea, or whatever. I have no problem at all just relaxing. (Maybe that's why I have this shape... :D)

If you must be "on the go" all the time you won't like a lot of sea days but the Hawaii cruise will be a good way to find out without having a super ton of sea days.

No weight conversion as in bringing home gifts.

Major weight concerns as in eating too many yummy macadamias!!

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We just booked a 15 day Hawaiian cruise and have never had so many sea days. We look forward to rest, sleep, eating, sitting by the pool, sitting on the balcony, eating, maybe a few activities and eating (did I say that before).

Hi

 

The Mrs and I have done quite a few Princess cruises. We've loved them all, but we are on the bubble about selecting our next one.

 

We are considering this round-trip LA to Hawaii. The benefits are that it's a cruise we can take without having to fly anywhere. We'd love to do HI for Xmas. But on the other hand it's a lot of sea time.

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on voyages with so many sea days and if they were enjoyable to you or not.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We did this trip out of and returning to Vancouver in spring of '15 with 5 sea days each way. We absolutely loved the sea days as a very relaxing time and lots to do onboard if you are so inclined. The four different port days in Hawaii were a little hectic as we had shore excursions planned for each day. We have previously done a 10 day Hawaian visit on Oahu so the cruise four short visits allowed us an opportunity to at least visit the other major islands.

...VTX-Al

We did the RT to Hawaii from LA three times and absolutely love the sea days. There's many Hawaiian activities and Hawaiian music to listen to, as well as the regular activities....or you can just hang out by the pool.

I've been to Hawaii on land trips (the 3 islands in 9 days guided tour and the honeymoon with two islands) so I have seen many of the sites.

I also agree with others, that the first time to Hawaii should be a land trip for the 14 days. There is so much to see and with only the four day stops on the cruise ..it could leave you feeling cheated!

If you have been to Hawaii already, this round trip cruise is fantastic. Revisiting the islands was wonderful and the 9 sea days were so relaxing. There is so much to do on board or do nothing.

I also agree with others, that the first time to Hawaii should be a land trip for the 14 days. There is so much to see and with only the four day stops on the cruise ..it could leave you feeling cheated!

 

If you have been to Hawaii already, this round trip cruise is fantastic. Revisiting the islands was wonderful and the 9 sea days were so relaxing. There is so much to do on board or do nothing.

Conversely, I would say, for people that have never been to Hawaii before .... take the cruise, get a feel for the islands you visit, and then, if you want to go back for a longer stay, you will have a better idea of which island appeals the most to you.

As for me .... I have done the r/t itinerary 5 times so far, 4 times from LA and once from SFO (love SFO but prefer cruising out of LA) and have made it a point to see different things in each port every time I have gone. I never get tired of this itinerary.

We've taken quite a few cruises but nothing over 10 days. We'll be taking the SF to Hawaii 15 day cruise next year also. We do love the sea days so we're looking forward to it.

We have done the LA to Hawai'i round trip now twice. We were stationed on Oahu for over 3 years so visiting the islands was like seeing an old friend.

The reason we do this and will do it again is that we like to just relax. There are plenty of activities if you want or you can mix it up and throw a nap in like we do. :D

We love the sea days and never get tired of them. Husband now has a new hobby of getting up early for photos of the sunrise and makes sure he's out when the sun sets as well. Absolutely beautiful!! We bought one of those photo gadgets that rotate pictures. We have it in our living room to remind us how beautiful that trip is.

We like the longer cruises...our next one is 19 day round trip to Panama Canal and it has 10 sea days.

The Hawaii circle cruise really isn't that much about the Islands...You get a taste, but not a meal. The cruise is about sea days at a pretty great price. Other sea days options have been noted in this thread. Panama Canal cruises, Transatlantic, and my personal favorites repositioning cruises, from

Europe to the Caribbean in September / October

Caribbean to Europe April / May

East Coast to Alaska May

Alaska to East Coast September

I love sea days, especially with the option to stay busy on the ship or relax and rest. I did the Hawaii r/t from SF last year and it was one of the most relaxing cruises I've ever had (well, except that we had an engine fire but it was still a great cruise). We ended up with 12 sea days and loved them all. :D

I also enjoy visiting interesting ports so I try to alternate port intensive cruises with more relaxing ones. Port intensive cruises often leave me exhausted when I get home and have to go back to work.