Questions for Hawaii Cruisers?????

[cruzaddict]

Just returned from an 11 day Caribbean on Celebrity after several Princess cruises.....and have decided to return to Princess! We have always done the Caribbean itineraries but thinking about doing Hawaii since we live in So. California,so we don't have to fly anywhere! I guess my main question is...I hear a lot about people getting sick while cruising to the islands on those 4 sea days? Is that true? Should I let it "sway" me away from this cruise? I would really love to see the Hawaiian Islands. Is the weather ok in April...that's when we usually cruise. Any input would be appreciated.Thanks!

Also,is 15 days too long??????

[FreQuentKruser]

We did it and loved it, we went in mid to late October and the weather was great, so were the seas. And to answer your question about whether 15 days is too long .. hahaha, we think no cruise is long enough, the longer the better is our vote ;)

[sunshine426]

I was on the 4/19 sailing on the Island Princess. Last crossing to Hawaii this season. A few people I met commented on the seas the first day, personally I barely noticed any movement, just a gentle rocking me to sleep motion. If you search back a few pages you can read at least three different reviews on this trip. I loved it. 15 days was too short! lots of things to do, or not to do. The weather can be a little chilly compared to the carribbean the first day or two at sea and the last day when you are returning to the mainland. A light sweater was all I needed tho. If you have any specefic questions, just ask. I bet you will get lots of answers.

[arlenemilt]

Is 15 days too long? Never! Of course you're talking to someone who took a 36 day cruise last year and is scheduled for a 46 day one this summer. :)

 

In any event, we've cruised to Hawaii twice; once from California and once from Ensenada. First was in April, second beginning of May. I don't know where all those sick people are, because I never saw them on either cruise. Actually, I very rarely see anyone sick on any cruise. Unless of course there is terrible weather/seas/gale winds, etc.

 

Go book your cruise and enjoy! Those caribbean itineraries are boring. Living in S. Fla. with the ports on my doorstep, I've cruised many many times to the caribbean.

 

Arlene

[Druke I]

Reference the Pacific being rough, Left Coast to Hawaii: We done it four or five times, on different itineraries and different ships, and only twice did we encounter what we considered to be rough water. The other trips were smooth.

 

Dec 84, on the late great Constitution, very rough all the way,San Francisco to Honolulu.

 

Feb 96, Pacific Princess (old), Honolulu to Ensenada, rough between Honolulu and Maui, fairly smoth Maui to Mexico.

 

Sea state is always a crapshoot, in my opinion. One day smooth as glass, next day very rough!

[cruzaddict]

Wow....thanks to all of you for such great info! And your right,what was I thinking asking if 15 days was too long!! Ha ha! We started cruising for 7 days,then moved up to 10,and just finished an 11 night.......heck,15 may be too short! I really want to do this itinerary,plus we won't have to pay for airfare! So I think it's on the Island Princess......any input on the ship itself...I know it's fairly new. Are there a few "alternate" dining choices? We don't always like to eat in the dining room. How about kid's program...my son is 12 and loves to cruise! Thanks again for all the help!

[Elequieu]

Of course it is not too long! We did Island's first to Hawaii and loved the ship. We had done two on American Hawaii Cruises and enjoyed all three. The food is great. It was the first time we ate more in the Horizon Court than any other place. PC dining made that easy. There are several threads here by former Hawaii cruisers so you can check it out in more detail.

[Druke I]

cruzaddict

 

There are several recent good reviews of the Island Princess to the Islands.

 

Look for BDJam's among others - he usually cuts to the quick!

 

I haven't been on the Island, but was on her sister, Coral Princess, and she is a beauty.

[senior lady]

15 days isn't to long.

We did the Hawaii cruise from Vancouver last Sept. We had calm, calm seas the whole way there. It was a great cruise, would do it again anytime.

The only difference was that we flew home from Hawaii.

 

We're booked to do the 18 day repo cruise next May on the Coral Princess. That should be fun from Ft Lauderdale ............. Vancouver.

 

I have to admit that the 5 days as sea were great. We were soooooooooo relaxed by the time we got to our first port:D

[Pam in CA]

To answer your questions, which the others have done as well:

 

1. The first couple of days out of Los Angeles and returning can be a bit rough and cooler but I wasn't aware of anyone being more sick on our Hawaiian cruise than any other cruise.

 

2. We went in mid April last year and other than the first and last two days, the weather was gorgeous. Definitely warm enough to lounge on deck, even in the shade. The Islands were quite warm. If you go to Kiluea or Haleakala, it can be cool as you're in the mountains. When we went to the Pali Lookout and Waimea Canyon, a light sweater was needed.

 

One thing you'll find from the longer cruises is that in general, the passengers are older and you see very few kids. The passenger was pretty mixed from 30s - 80s on our cruise with only one "child."

[antsp]

we are doing the 23 oct island princess, we have a 7 year old who is going too, i hope there will be a few children aboad for her to mix with in kids club

[Pam in CA]

we are doing the 23 oct island princess, we have a 7 year old who is going too, i hope there will be a few children aboad for her to mix with in kids club

Considering the fact that it'll be October when most kids are in school plus it's a longer itinerary, my guess is that there'll be few kids on that cruise. Perhaps those who have sailed the Hawaiian itinerary in October have a better idea. I'm just going by past observation.

[sunshine426]

The Island Princess is a BEAUTIFUL ship. Of course this was my first cruise, so I don't really have anything to compare it too! :) We had PC dining. Ate in the diningroom almost everynight. Burgers and Pizza poolside great while you are enjoying that warm sun and relaxing on sea days. Horizon Court is good, but we only ate their a few times, as we enjoyed the service and company in the dining room so much. Sandwhiches from room service were delivered promptly.

[DesrtDrmr]

We were on the Island on the April 4th cruise, and we had a great time. We had about two days of "moderate" seas, one day of "rough" seas, many days of "smooth" seas and two days of "glassy" seas. Even the "rough" seas weren't very rough.........but then, I use the patch. My DH does not use any preventative and he was fine.

The Island is a beautiful ship. The staff seems to be wonderful, friendly, and polite. The crew was great. We switched from traditional to PC dining while on the ship, and enjoyed it very much. The dining rooms were beautiful, Horizon Court had a good variety of food, the grill was good, and the food was very good. We ate at the Bayou one night, for an additional charge, and it was very good, but not particularly better than the dining room. The service was wonderful in both places..........in all places.

My favorite cruise out of eleven.......loved all the sea days....lots of activities to participate in, or time to nap and read.......heavenly!

Enjoy your cruise!

[suzyluvs2cruise]

we are doing the 23 oct island princess, we have a 7 year old who is going too, i hope there will be a few children aboad for her to mix with in kids club

 

Hi,

There is a thread under Princess Roll Call for the Island Princess Oct 23, 2005 Hawaii cruise. Here's a link is you'd like to join our thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=3791995#post3791995

[spingal]

I was on the 4/19 sailing on the Island Princess. Last crossing to Hawaii this season. A few people I met commented on the seas the first day, personally I barely noticed any movement, just a gentle rocking me to sleep motion. If you search back a few pages you can read at least three different reviews on this trip. I loved it. 15 days was too short! lots of things to do, or not to do. The weather can be a little chilly compared to the carribbean the first day or two at sea and the last day when you are returning to the mainland. A light sweater was all I needed tho. If you have any specefic questions, just ask. I bet you will get lots of answers.

I was with Sunshine426 on the 4/19 sailing. WHAT A WONDERFUL cruise!!! And 15 days were not enough!! :D I am still thinking about our wonderful vacation! Here is a link to my review........http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=174777

 

Karen (Sunshine426), howdy!! Miss you!!!!!!!!!

Jamie

[sunshine426]

Jamie, waving back to you! I was hoping you saw this thread, so you could answer her question about the kids program. I have a good picture of all of us with the Big Island Crew. Did yours come out as well, if not let me know and I can send you one!! Loved your review. Karen:D

[spingal]

we are doing the 23 oct island princess, we have a 7 year old who is going too, i hope there will be a few children aboad for her to mix with in kids club

On the 4/19 sailing there were 9 kids under the age of 12 and 3 teenagers on board. My niece is 4 and she had an absolute BLAST in the kids program. She met a few children close to her age. And it was so nice because she got a lot of attention from the counselors since there weren's many kids.

My bet is that your 7 year old will find other children -- just not a ton of them.

[spingal]

Jamie, waving back to you! I was hoping you saw this thread, so you could answer her question about the kids program. I have a good picture of all of us with the Big Island Crew. Did yours come out as well, if not let me know and I can send you one!! Loved your review. Karen:D

The picture came out great!!! We had SUCH a GREAT time!!! I keep thinking about our trip.

 

Jamie

[Desert Nurse]

I was on the 3/20/05 sailing and had smooth seas and perfect weather. Here's a link to my review to add to the others: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=161568

 

Also if you follow the Webshots link in my signature you will find scanned Princess Patters from a Hawaii cruise as well as my photos from my cruise.