Northumberland

We will be in Hawaii in early April. We booked Alamo for Hilo, Honolulu & Nawilwili airport locations through our TA. I contacted Alamo to  find out about shuttle service at the ports mentioned. I was informed there is shuttle service for Hilo and Nawilwili, but not Honolulu. So, we'll be using UBER for Honolulu unless someone has a better idea.

80 days till our next cruise, but eating up some of that waiting time with a one week all inclusive trip to Cuba in 31 days. That should help pass some of that wait time for the cruise. 😎

On 12/31/2019 at 7:16 AM, Suskies said:

For our February 2020 POA port stop in Hilo, we've booked a helicopter tour of the volcano with Safari Helicopters, the same company whose helicopter recently crashed in Kauai. Ironically, we chose Safari because of their attention to safety. Would you still do the helicopter tour or cancel and switch to a land tour?

I wouldn't book a helicopter tour, but not because of safety concerns. The odds of getting hit by a bus crossing the street would be higher than another helicopter crashing. My deciding factor would be cost. I've ridden in a helicopter before and the last time we were in Hawaii, I tried a fixed wing glider flight on the north shore of Oahu. That was a blast and the pilot provided a great experience. Enjoy your tour.

I retired almost 4 years ago. My wife retired a year ago. Our best friend Joyce retires on March 20th. We leave town on March 25th and head to Los Angeles to go on a 15 day cruise to Hawaii. After that we will be looking at a Mediterranean cruise. We had planned to go to Hawaii as 2 couples, but sadly Joyce's husband Bill passed away in September at the age of 59. We had done 7 cruises together and will continue to cruise with our friend Joyce for as long as we are able.

17 minutes ago, SeaLibrarian said:

We're taking a Princess cruise out of San Pedro in April. Since we live in a state where anything can happen weather-wise that time of the year, we'll be flying in a day early. Any suggestions as to a hotel in the San Pedro area? Preferably one that offers transportation to the pier. All responses appreciated.

We are going on a Princess cruise at the end of March. We're are driving in from Canada and chose to stay at the Best Western Plus. They provide long term parking at almost half of what they charge at the port and the have a free shuttle to and from the ship. They also have very good reviews. However, I guess it also depends on your budget.

21 minutes ago, vantec said:

We stayed in this cabin in September.  We would never stay in it again - the noise from the Club below went on very late into the night and did bother us.  One night my husband went down to the club at 1 AM - all the lights on, music blaring, but nobody was there.  One noisy night he walked to Customer Service, they told him just to call next time and they'd take care of it - so the next time he called, however, they did not answer the phone. Like everyone says - it's a great cabin with a great balcony, but the noise is a deal breaker for us.  We were in the cabin for 21 days, we don't remember it being horrible the first week, but the next two weeks were awful. We did a letter of complaint while on the ship and then on the survey, we did not hear anything back from Princess. Maybe you stay up late at night and it wouldn't be a problem for you, but when it goes past midnight it is a problem for us.

Thank you for your response. We've read reviews both positive and negative about the noise from the club in this stateroom because it's directly above the stage. I don't want to change staterooms again. So, I'm thinking a solution might be to bring earplugs as a precaution. Wish us luck. 🎧📢

Happy Holidays and the very best in 2020 to all our Cruise Critic friends !!!

☃️🛳️😎

40 minutes ago, martinitime1 said:

Also a  quad so has an upper as well.

That's good to know. We've never booked a mini before. We usually travel with another couple and choose inside cabins or balconies that are side by side. Unfortunately, my best friend passed away suddenly in September. So, his wife (our other best friend) is coming with us and sharing the cabin.. We decided booking a mini would give us enough room for 3 adults to be comfortable. That was also a factor in changing our stateroom from E720 to E730 with the larger balcony.

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Good choice!!

IMO Emerald deck mini's are the best because they have a full cover over the balcony.

They are located in a dead end corridor which cuts down on foot traffic and there are only 12 or so and they go fast.

E730 has a bigger balcony than the rest because it extends aft about 8 more ft.

Dolphin deck mini balconies are completely uncovered.

Best to mark your booking "No Upgrade"!

Or you might find yourself moved (Upgraded) to a Dolphin deck mini as they are a higher Cat.  

 

Thank you for the no upgrade advise. Actually, someone else had also suggested that when we originally booked E720 . So, we adjusted our booking to no upgrade at that time.

I had posted this topic on "Request cabin tips" and it was suggested I repost on the Princess site.

I was looking for input on mini suite cabin locations between deck 8 & deck 9 on the Emerald Princess.

We ultimately chose suite E720 based on the deck plans we viewed and a few comments we read. Then cabin E730 became available that has a larger balcony and we were able to switch it over.  Has anyone stayed in this cabin or any of the adjacent cabins on deck 8. As we've never been on this class ship, any input would be appreciated. 

We have a 15 day cruise booked for March 30th. We booked into the Best Western Plus which is only a mile away from the port. They offer long term parking @ $10.00 per day, free shuttle service to the port and free post cruise pickup.

I've read good reviews about the hotel plus most of their parking is covered.

We've booked our last 4 cruises with an online TA that also has membership shopping locations across North America and other countries. They often offer perks that the cruise lines aren't offering or are in addition to the cruise line perks and the prices are the same as if you booked direct. They have a toll free line to call if you have any issues.

We've also used them for car rentals and they are cheaper than going directly to the car rental agencies even if you have a membership.

We've never been disappointed.

9 minutes ago, capriccio said:

 

This is our preferred location because 1) the balconies are covered, 2) the location (end of the hall) is very quiet, 3) it is an easy walk up/down the stairs to/from the Promenade Deck, 4) if you plan on using the self service laundry it is located nearby, and 5) if you can get one of the end minis they have an extra long balcony that overlooks the aft too!

Thank you for your response. The reasons you stated were among the top reasons for us to choose this location in the first place after looking at the deck plans. Glad to see that our assumptions were correct. 👍

9 hours ago, xyankee said:

As stated above, yes the doors can be opened. Mini on Emerald Deck is always our first choice. Have been on Caribbean Princess about 10 times with another couple in the cabin next to us. Always had the cabin stewards open the door between our cabins.

We are booked in a mini suite on the Emerald deck on the Emerald Princess at the end of March. I understand the balconies are covered and it was suggested by others to have a no upgrade on our booking unless we wanted to get moved to deck 9 where the balconies are not covered. As Emerald deck is your preference, what do you like about this location.

About twenty years ago my wife and I were on our first cruise on the Ocean Princess. During an snorkelling excursion in Martinique, our captain decided to take the long way back to the ship by going past a topless beach. Pretty much everyone at the beach and in the water was in their senior years. I joked with my wife that the ladies in the water didn't need life jackets...🤣

2 years ago we were on a Southern Caribbean cruise on the Royal Princess.

We had chosen my time dining and the first night went to dinner around 5:30 and were seated at a table by the window that we really liked.

The assistant waiter came by and we immediately hit it off with her and proceeded to have a great evening.

The next night we came back at the same time , but were seated on the opposite side of the room and served of course by other staff who were very pleasant as well. While having dinner, the assistant waiter from the night before spotted us and came over to find out why we on the other side of the room. When we told her we requested her table, but were seated here, she found the head waiter and brought him over to talk to us. 

Long story short, we got to sit at the first table for the rest of our cruise.

I agree with others who have said that cruise staff can make or break a cruise and treating the staff with respect increases the odds of having a great cruise.

8 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Did you choose? I never saw this question.

 

On the Princess board, I have read people recommending the aft Emerald deck (deck eight) because the balconies are covered or at least partly covered.

 

My own two Princess bookings (not on Emerald Princess, but the same layout), I chose the most forward minisuites  in the aft-mid section of deck nine, Dolphin deck, for the central location. Obviously the midships Club Class minis are even more central, but at a price.

Thank you for your response.

We chose E720 for a number of reasons. 

It's close to the aft stairs and elevators, close to the self serve laundry, covered balcony. Based on the deck plans we've seen, it seems to be the most convenient location to get where we would want to go on the ship over a 15 day cruise.

The unknown is that we've never been on this class of ship and our assumptions and decisions have been based on what we've seen on the deck plans. Hoping to get validation from those who have already chosen staterooms in this part of the ship.

8 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

 

The only negative to deck 8 is what's on deck 7. We book deck 9 (Dolphin) mini-suites only because there are cabins below and above us. In my mind our cabin will be quieter than something on deck 8. However, I have rarely seen anyone complain about the noise on deck 8 mini-suite cabins. I'm just super-cautious as I'm a light sleeper. We recently sailed on the Crown on deck 9 and didn't miss too many occasions to use our uncovered balcony, but it is something to consider.

We are going to get our first experience on deck 8 of the Emerald Princess in a mini suite above the lounge at the end of March. I've only seen one negative comment from someone who had the suite directly above the stage and complained about the noise. However, every other comment about the mini suites on deck 8 were positive and nobody heard any noise from the lounge. Our suite is far away from the stage. So, we anticipate a quiet suite, but I guess we'll find out.

9 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

We are surrounded at home by water on 3 sides .I guess seeing water on 4 sides means I am on a cruise.

I think I got you beat. At the time of year when we cruise I see snow drifts off my deck at home.  

50 minutes ago, clo said:

Were those "cruise-bucket-list"?

The Hawaii ones weren't, but could be if you do a Hawaii cruise. 

St.Thomas was on a Southern Caribbean cruise and Grand Ole Opry was the road trip going home from a cruise.

The upcoming Whale watching is on a Hawaii cruise at the end of March.

I've a number of what you might call bucket list experiences.

Climbed Diamond Head, Submarine off Waikiki beach, fixed wing glider ride on the north shore of Oahu, underwater scooter ride in St.Thomas, Grand Ole Opry  to name a few.

Also have a whale watching excursion coming up in April.

Still hoping to get in a European bus trip

We've signed up for 3 M&M's and attended 2 of them. We actually hosted 1 of them. The 1 we missed was in my view the fault of the cruise line. For the first 2 M&M's, we received notices from the cruise line as to the when & where. We didn't get any notice from the cruise line about the 3rd 1, we were told by guest services that we should have checked with them when we boarded as the M&M had already taken place. It seems all the cruise lines do things differently.

For the M&M we hosted, we also had a slot pull & gift exchange which was totally voluntary and no one was hasted or shamed if they didn't want to participate. A good time was had by all who attended and participated.

We are also from Canada and are sailing out of San Pedro On Mar.30th, 2020 on the Emerald Princess.

We heard about the Double Tree Hilton and the Crowe Plaza in San Pedro, but we chose the Best Western Plus which is only about a mile from the port and also has a free shuttle service. As we are driving, we chose the Best Western as they also offer covered long term parking for $10.00 per day where as the port parking I'm told is $19.00 per day.  I guess your choice also depends on your budget.

30 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

I haven't stayed there, but I live in the area and have had a lot of family living in San Pedro over the years.

 

The Best Western is a fine hotel, the area, not so much. It isn't that it is dangerous or bad, just blah. It is fine for an overnight, but there are not many nice restaurants nearby. The only one in close proximity I like is Raffaello Ristorante, other than that you need to go aways for good.

Hi scottca075,

Thank you for your response. That helps a lot.

We are actually booked in for 2 nights in order to get the shuttle time to the port when we want and get in a little sight seeing on our day in between.

FYI. When you come from the frozen center of Canada, there is nothing blah about visiting in a coastal community. 😄😎

Have a wonderful cruise. We haven't tried the Panama Canal, but we've talked to other cruisers that did and they had a great time.

We're 158 days away from our next cruise which is a 15 day sailing to Hawaii on the Emerald Princess.

This will be the first time we've cruised somewhere other than the Caribbean.