vivian02

I was on the Sapphire sailing to Hawaii last November and we never made it to Hilo because of "high surf" at the time. Instead we sailed into Kona for Thanksgiving. Three days later sailing back to the mainland we find out Kilauea erupts?#! So, the wife and I decide to return to Hawaii in August on the Emerald Princess to see what is left of the observation area at Volcano National park. The Geological observatory at Volcano National park is all gated off probably because of the instability of the buildings at the park. The picture attached is what the area looked like one month ago. This evening I hear that Kilauea has once again erupted. Missed this eruption by one month. Anyone on the Big Island today probably has stories to tell. The only cruise ships in Hawaii this week is Pride of America.

As we boarded our ship three weeks ago out of LA the couple behind us were given "key cards" instead of their medallions. The shipped medallions went to New Jersey instead of California. Looks like there is no way to program a medallion at the port. I suspect they will be even more disappointed when they see they were charged the $10 shipping fee. Not a good way to start your cruise.

As MTNSESTERZ stated "the live tv on the Emerald Princess" was lost when leaving Kona our substituted stop since Maui burned. Note that the ships personnel (Captain) did not immediately notify the people on the ship of the situation at Lahana. I had been to the enrichment talk in the theater that morning and went to the Lido deck where my wife was waiting for me to join her for lunch. It was my wife who informed me that Maui was burning. I immediately asked her where she got her information form. The information was sent to a lady on the cruise from the mainland because she was worried about her daughter on this cruise. I immediately told my wife there will be a change in the itinerary which will probably be "Kona" instead of Lahana. At that time the live TV was working but it was the British Channel that broad cast what was going on in Maui. This was day five into the cruise. Funny... I heard one lady state that she paid for going to Maui and this was unacceptable! Things did go smooth at the ports other than the passenger who jumped ship before arriving in Hilo. Things now were starting to get crazy. When leaving port in Kona the Satellite had lost signal but I told my wife once we get back out to sea it should come back. Well, I was wrong about the satellite TV and told my wife to go up to the customer service desk and find out what the problem was. In the meantime I had met a retired Engineer from Michigan who also was wondering what the heck with the live TV. We kind of put it together thinking several scenarios for no Satellite TV. One, Princess did not pay their bill for live TV and was cut off. Two, Princess did not carry a back up TV receiver on the Emerald. Three, the crew technician did not know how to reboot the system. Four, maybe the ship got an urgent call from the board of directors to kill the live TV out of Kona so the Casino could bring in more revenue. Note...Everything on this cruise was not going in the best interest to the customer. There were complaints from everyone. This is not like Princess so it looks like the new changes for the customer will take a beating going forward. On the good side I did not hear of any cabins getting flooded on this cruise. As a seasoned cruiser I really think the board of directors are trying to bring in much more revenue at the expense of customers. Time will tell. Tim

We have returned home from the Emerald Princess cruise from Hawaii. This is one of the craziest cruises I have ever been on. This information might help those who find themselves in difficult situations when cruising. On our arrive to San Pedro a day early Princess had advised those wanting to get off the ship early could do so and could make flight changes with Princess Air. I warned my wife not to try and make any changes to our scheduled flight out of Long Beach. For those making changes on Princess Air there would be the usual fee for a flight change not to mention the added cost of trying to fly out a day early. (Not cheap) Sure enough on Sunday my wife overheard a gentle man in the elevator brag about getting a flight change. Another person in the elevator said he had a flight change for Sunday, but it too had been cancelled. Now those people had to make the decision whether or not to disembark the ship and risk begging with the airlines for a flight out of LA in the middle of Hillary. As the story goes on Monday morning the wife checked our flight with SW and to our surprise the flight was still good for Monday at Noon. We made it home but the ordeal in LA was just crazy. I am sure there were many that got off the ship thinking they beat the system only to find out their new flight change was cancelled. This left them at the airport with no place to stay for the night not to mention the added expense of buying their own meals. This is just one example of what was going on with the Hurricane Hillary situation in LA. Before doing a flight change in bad weather conditions think the whole situation out. Tim

Yes, they are rather pricy! Don't forget that Alaska gets a piece of the action by taxing every person that books a cruise to Alaska. Note Alaska has parking lots near trail heads north of Anchorage and will charge tourist for parking. (Even locals) There is more than one way to take in revenue for the State sponsored system. Tim

Much easier to board the Emerald today than trying to board the Ruby in San Francisco. Good luck with embarkment day for those on the Emerald. We are only one month away from our sailing. Tim

This should be of interest to those now looking to do a Hawaiian cruise. Way back before the days of POA I did the research for cruising Hawaii. I believe the winter was 2003 when Norwegian had four ships for cruising Hawaii. I managed to get flights out of Phoenix at the time for a pleasant price of $280 per person round trip into Honolulu. I had booked a ten-day Hawaiian vacation which included a port stop at Fanning Island. These were the days when you could bid for hotels in Wikki and get a four star hotel for under $100. I recall my bids for a two day stay at the Hawiian Prince came in at $96 a night. With a call to the hotel after the bids you could request a ocean side room and yes they did put us in a ocean side room. My wife was amazed. My purchased price on the Norwegian Star for a inside cabin came in at $720 a person. I could have done better had I not picked a room adjacent to the anchor room. That is a real wakeup call when the ship drops anchor, but it only added to the Hawaiian experience at the time. At that time maybe two of three ships made it to Fanning because of medical emergencies. Our ship on the morning out to Fanning made a sudden slow down with the captain announcing a medical evacuation was in progress and not to go out at the rear of the ship. Sure enough a military helicopter made a landing at the rear of the ship and took off with a person that need medical treatment. Because of the evacuation we would not make it to Fanning on time so the rest of the cruise got reschedule. Instead of going to Fanning we got a unexpected day in Kona. Instead of a half a day in Maui we stayed in Maui for a full day. Unfortunately, those really inexpensive days of cruising Hawaii have disappeared. Since then I have learned to enjoy sailing out to the Islands on those 15 and 16 sea days. The Islands await those who want to do cruises or land tours. Everyone is different but I will always remember our first cruise where we never made it to Fanning Island. I say do your homework and enjoy your trip. Tim

Oh! this is interesting. It appears that they could rent a car in Skagway and drive over to Whitehorse as long as they are carrying their passports where they can catch a flight over to Juneau on the 12th at a price of $972 with three different stops. If not they could keep driving to Fairbanks which would be closer than Anchorage. Remember all the ports south of Skagway are landlocked and cannot be accessed until you get all the way down to Prince Rupert, Canada. Sounds like they might have better luck with the Alaska ferry system. Time will tell. Tim

Was on Majestic in August 2021 and everything was in order at that time. Sounds like Majestic is sailing with a higher capacity for 2023. Thanks for the heads up. Try asking for a banana and see what happens. Tim.

The wife and I have done both. When at Icy Strait in May of 2019 we were able to get King Crab which were the biggest crabs we have ever had. It was pricy at around $65 but was a meal to remember. At Tracy's the lunches are great and the King crab is fantastic. Maybe not as big as crabs as Icy Staits. I think I have a picture I will attach. 

I am surprised that no one has mentioned "Crab Fest"! The wife and I were in Ketchikan in August of 2021 post covid. Crab Fest was in operation at that time but no excursions using float planes. I did hear last year 2022 that Crab Fest did not include all you can eat crab. That might have been a blip in the supply chain. Any up to date information might be very helpful for Summer of 2023. Tim

Texaco... you forgot to give a critic on the Mexican food in Baltimore. I am sure your return to Albuquerque was apricated with some great green chili. Tim

In the past there were not many kids on the 15 day Hawaiian sailings. Now with Princess sailing to the Islands during the summer that might change. August will probably be less kids with schools starting in August. I have been on cruises where kids were on board with their books doing homework on the Lido deck. Once this summer has passed we will know what to expect from the summer sailings. Tim

We have done six cruises to Hawaii from San Pedro California. Here are the answers to the best of my knowledge. 1. July/August Seas can be rough starting in November. 2.July/June Hawaii is drier during the summer months. 3. Whales arrive in the Islands usually in December. They head to Alaska waters during the summer months. 4. Maybe..... if an eruption is big enough you can see smoke and dust from Hilo or Kona. Seeing a lava flow at night is not likely. For best viewing take a excursion to Volcano National park. This should get you started. Tim

You are correct it was not the four Seasons, not the Westin, more like the Sheraton. Tim

Was on the Sapphire in late November. I had tours booked to Volcano National Park but due to high waves hitting the Island our port into Hilo was cancelled. This cancelation isn't the first time while cruising Hawaii. We missed the eruption of Mona Lua by three days. Maybe our luck will be better on our upcoming cruise in August. Tim

Let me give you my experience as I call it "a blast from the past"! On my first Hawaiian sailing on the Norwegian Star back in 2003 there was a "Kaanapali Beach experience" for the price of $69 per person. We ported in Maui so the excursion included a bus ride over to what I believe was the Four Seasons Resort. Each person was given a voucher for one drink. We access to the beach for a period of about four hours. The area was very clean but if you wanted extras like a beach chair then you had to pay for it. The snorkeling in this area was nice. The wife was pretty board but did like her one drink. I have since never returned to Kaanapali beach but did find a great beach when tendering into Lahaina. Will once again do the tender in Lahaina come August. I do find the price for the excursion today rather pricey. Tim

I am impressed for the fact that someone from New Zealand is doing their homework. Having done many cruises in Hawaii even before POA I at least can suggest this. Why not fly into Los Angles and books a cruise to Hawaii and back. At the moment you can get say a May cruise with an inside cabin for a price of around US $2048. This would be a 15 day cruise which would put you in Mexico for one day on the way back. My first cruise in Hawaii was on Norwegian back in 2003 when prices were one third of what they are now. I just want to give you the opportunity to maybe see more and enjoy some nice sea days cruising to Hawaii. I hope this information helps. Tim

Sorry to hear this. I have been to Monterey many years ago with all of my family. In this case the smarter thing to do will be to enjoy a cruise out to those western ports in Hawaii where I can spend some retirement money there. Tim

I was surprised the covid subject did not come up until now. We cruised Hawaii on Princess in November and covid was on the ship. The couple we went with she came down with covid on day eight. She was isolated for the rest of the trip. Her husband never came down with the virus. We took precautions before the cruise and had the second booster a month before the cruise. We did not fly into LA but traveled by car with our friends, so we knew her covid was not because of a airline flight. The wife and I noticed in the theater if you heard someone coughing it was wise to find a new sitting location. I sure would hate to be isolated for a whole Hawaiian cruise. Unfortunately, the virus is still lurking on most cruises. Really enjoyed this trip report on the Diamond. Tim

You have a really good review going here for Hawaii. Our first cruise to Hawaii back in 2003 I got up early on the morning we were to arrive in Kona. My wife will usually sleep in but on this particular day my wife found out what the anchor room was all about. It was about 7:30 am when the anchor was dropped. Sleeping in a cabin next to the anchor room meant you would hear each link of the anchor chain hit that last piece of metal after being dropped. Once I made it bac to the cabin, I got chewed out for booking a cabin next door to the anchor room. I at least have an idea of what you heard while getting out of bed. For those who book a cruise in the front of the ship just know what ports you will tender in. Make sure to get up before the anchor is dropped. There is nothing worse than to be on a cruise and have your whole morning rattled. Keep up the good work I am really enjoying this reading on the Diamond. Tim

Thank you so much for the good information. I recently did a 15 day cruise to Hawaii so know I can get information about the Crown. Too bad the Crown does not serve lunch at the MDR on departure days. I guess I am spoiled the departing Lunches are usually wonderful and served in a not so crowded atmosphere. Another thing I took note of was the reservation line that was rather long. I know of another Princess ship that use to do that. It was not pleasant for the customers who thought they had reservations only to find they would have to stand in the longer line. I like boarding the ship on the first day without any issues but when one does a cruise thing sometimes do not completely fall in place. Just so long as it is not a total disaster. Nice to hear your flight out was short lived with no flight changes. Tim

Thanks for the reply marcac761....We will be boarding on Thursday and got Flu and covid booster shots last month. Will be driving to the port with mask in hand as a precaution. Your cruise back to LA sounds normal as far as covid is concerned. The virus is there it is not going to just disappear overnight. For you have a safe trip home. Tim

I just got done sending in my share holder information to Carnival. That email address was sbpel@princesscruise.com for a Princess sailing. This e-mail address worked a year ago but I have noticed the e-mail did not go through. I will try again later today if that does not work then I will try shareholders@carnival.com better yet maybe shareholders@princess.com. Sometimes things do get frustrating. Tim

In what I call the good old days of cruising Hawaii the wife and I flew into Honolulu in 2003 and did a 10-day Norwegian cruise with a stop at Fanning Island. The ship was new and the crew was fantastic. On day three of the cruise on our way out to Fanning there was a medical emergency and a passenger had to be air lifted off the ship. This cause a schedule change where we missed Fanning Island but got a full day in port on Maui instead of a half day. I remember telling the wife at the time remember this cruise because the prices going forward will skyrocket. Once Norwegian pulled three of their ships out of Hawaii the service tumbled and the cost of sailing out of Hawaii got "very expensive"! It took Norwegian years to get the quality where it needed to be. Since then, I have always sailed to Hawaii off of the West coast. My advice would be to do your homework before doing a Hawaiian cruise.