UBD and other questions regarding Oct Hawaiin trip on Star

We are booked on Oct 20 cruise to Hawaii on the Star. Would like to reserve (pre-cruise) the Ultimate Balcony Dining thing on a particular date (50th anniv.) The concern is that we will be in port on that date (Honolulu). Any thoughts on doing the UBD while in port? How many "formal" nights on 15 day cruise and when would we learn what nights they fall on?

Also, need guidance on best transportation to use from LA airport to hotel (Doubletree in San Pedro) for pre-cruise stay. Thank you for any input given.

We are booked on Oct 20 cruise to Hawaii on the Star. Would like to reserve (pre-cruise) the Ultimate Balcony Dining thing on a particular date (50th anniv.) The concern is that we will be in port on that date (Honolulu). Any thoughts on doing the UBD while in port? How many "formal" nights on 15 day cruise and when would we learn what nights they fall on?

 

Also, need guidance on best transportation to use from LA airport to hotel (Doubletree in San Pedro) for pre-cruise stay. Thank you for any input given.

3 formal nights. They will be shown in the Princess Patter which will be in your cabin on boarding day. Certainly they will be sea days.

We have used one of the group shuttle services, Super Shuttle or Prime Time. You can find them on line.

UBD. Honolulu should be a late departure, 11pm? This allows for evening tours, luaus, and other evening activities. If you plan to be on board you certainly can have your UBD. Less wind when the ship is not in motion. The theater entertainment that evening will most likely be a local hula, Polynesian dance group. We have seen it each time we stopped in Honolulu.

I agree that the evening you are docked in Honolulu would be a perfect time to have a dinner on your balcony. I have been there several times but have not booked the Ultimate Balcony Dinner. Tastes in food are subjective. I have taken advantage of the fact that the ship docks within easy walking distance of the outstanding selection of hot wings available at the Hooters restaurant. Steak and lobster are not hard to get on a Princess ship but good hot wings are impossible to get onboard.

But all of this is just my taste in food and my opinion. Have a great anniversary celebration and many more in the future.

We'll be on the Star with you. :D Have you signed up for the roll call yet?

My wife and I are also booked on the October 20th STAR PRINCESS cruise to Hawaii. This will be our fifth cruise to the islands on fiver different Princess ships. The STAR will be in Honolulu on Friday, October 10th from 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. If you wish to see Honolulu, and do not wish to book one of the ship's excursions, I recommend the Waikiki Trolley. The one-day "hope-on-hope-off" pass is $41.00. If you purchase your tickets on-line (http://www.waikikitrolley.com) you can pick up the trolley from the dock without paying the extra $2.00 fare. The routes are varied and include Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Sea Life Park, to name a few. The ride itself is a lot of fun, especially of you are fortunate to be on the upper level of the double decked bus.

Lastly, do no miss the Friday night fireworks show that is produced by the Hawaiian Village resort. The upper deck on the Star provides an ideal vantage point. Enjoy!

Congratulations on your anniversary, Ronmar. I'm confident that you will enjoy an excellent celebration on your cruise.

As has already been stated, food preferences are very personal. In our case we love the UBD. We've done it four or five times--including our 40th anniversary celebration on the Ruby Princess a few years ago. It is just SO DECADENT. Two waiters dedicated to ensuring your enjoyment. I agree with the poster who indicated that beef is very easy to get on a cruise. HOWEVER, there is the UBD dessert which is served in no other venue--you can't get it in the dining room, you can't get it in any of the specialty restaurants, you can't get it in the International Cafe, you can't get it in the Chef's Table. You can only get it with the Ultimate Balcony Dinner.

Now that you can reserve the UBD prior to your cruise, So, if having it on the exact day you want is important--it certainly was for us--then that is a great tool.

You asked about having the UBD while in port. Again, there rules. So, you have to decide. Many people prefer having the UBD while in port. The primary reason for this is because, then, they can dine al fresco on their balcony, and not be concerned about choppy seas or high winds. In our case, we have always had the UBD while at sea. Every time it has been quite breezy and a bit chilly. So, every time we have actually had ours in the cabin just inside the slider. That may or may appeal to you.

If there are activities in port that are going to extend into the evening, then, again, you get to make the decision on what you want to do.

If you can't live without wings from Hooters, there will be plenty of time to walk off the ship and grab some. Personally, we prefer going to Gordon Biersch (right next door) and having a couple orders of Poke.

We did the Ultimate Balcony Dinner the evening of the port stay in Honolulu aboard the Golden in 2013. It was a fantastic experience and we have scheduled it again this October in SF on the Star.

Only "issue"we had was we were in a mini suite on Dolphin Deck that is uncovered. When it was about time for dessert if felt like it was starting to rain but there were no clouds....they were hosing down the Lido Deck in preparation for the sail away buffet. Our waiter was very upset and was going to tell them to stop but we just told him that we would move inside to finish.

Do it in Honolulu on your "day"! You have time to sight see and still do the dinner.

It is wonderful. Better in a port, at sea will be windy.

Can make reservations now and they will call when your on the ship and set a time

and talk about menu.

Thanks for all the responses. I will be checking out the 2 transportation from LAX to hotel suggestions given.

According to the itinerary that I have seen, the October 20th sailing of the Star should be in port in Honolulu on the 26th. That is the night we wanted to do the UBD and now thanks to information given here, that's when we will be doing it if we can get reservations for that date. We haven't yet decided on shore excursions but the hop-on-hop-off sounds pretty good. Also, thanks for tip on the fireworks display and the info on the theater show on that night.

Yes, we have signed on to the Oct 20th Roll Call. One more thing. My brother owns a sports bar in our hometown and his wings are as good (if not better) than Hooters so I get plenty of wings, will not be out looking for them on the cruise. Understand, though, that sometimes an order of wings with an adult beverage or two certainly is in order. Again, thanks for all info.

As others have written, we greatly enjoyed our UBD before sailing at 11:00 PM. We scheduled the early time (6:00 PM) and slightly adjusted the time based their recommendations to have photos at sunset. The starboard (right side odd # cabins) had views of Waikiki & Diamond Head bathed in the sunset glow and the portside cabins (left even numbers) saw the sunset.

We always attend the popular Halau Hula Olana Folkloric Show that’s performed in the Princess Theater that evening. Talented Keiki (children) dancers with adult singing musicians is always an enjoyable part of our Hawaiian cruises. :cool:

There are SOOOOO many wonderful places to dine in Honolulu for your anniversary. Not in any particular order.

Alan Wong's

Roy's

MW

Side Street Cafe

3660 on the Rise

Orchids

Michelle's

We'll be on the Star with you. :D Have you signed up for the roll call yet?

We'll be on the one right after you. Take good care of the Star for me. Regarding the transportation question, It depends on how much you want to spend. There's super shuttle if you don't mind a van. My personal choice might be Uber (prices will vary depending on how big of a car you need re: luggage.....:):):)

Bob

We also plan to be on the Oct. 20 cruise assuming we make payment in August. Just heard some really good news from a friend who will be sailing with us--our captain is scheduled to be the popular Captain Tuvo. We sailed with him on a prior Star Hawaiian cruise. :)