New to Princess. Going to Hawaii

[Belle1990]

Hi,

 

Just booked the cruise to Hawaii from San Francisco in December. We have cruised Royal and Cunard before, so we do have a clue--but not about what to pack for crossing the Pacific in December. We will have a balcony cabin.

 

Any suggestions about clothes or something specific we should know about the Crown Princess?

 

Thank you.

[LACruiser88]

Below you will find a recent thread about the Crown...

 

 

[reedprincess]

34 minutes ago, Belle1990 said:

Hi,

 

Just booked the cruise to Hawaii from San Francisco in December. We have cruised Royal and Cunard before, so we do have a clue--but not about what to pack for crossing the Pacific in December. We will have a balcony cabin.

 

Any suggestions about clothes or something specific we should know about the Crown Princess?

 

Thank you.

Long pants and something warmer for the first and last 2 days. Warm weather clothes for the rest. Hawaii is warm to hot year-round.

Dress up clothes for the three formal nights, if you're into that.. 

Enjoy. 

[snoozecrooze]

1 hour ago, Belle1990 said:

Any suggestions about clothes or something specific we should know about the Crown Princess?

Princess will be slightly more formal than Royal, but significantly less formal than Cunard. Leave the shorts, flip flops, and caps in the room before dinner if you want to avoid any questions being asked, but there's no requirement for ties, vests, suits, gowns or anything of the sort; the waiters and hostesses won't be judging you like that.

 

Bring a windbreaker or a water-resistant jacket with a hood for the off-chance you'll need it. Things can get blustery with the weather in December. Wind is a certainty, at the very least.

 

I also share with anyone the tip that you should grab a few pool towels and blankets from the Lido pool deck on the first night when the movies are showing on the big screen. That way you'll have them at the ready for your next pool outing, the sea days on your balcony, if the morning is chilly, etc. And you won't have to sign them out either like you do on Royal.

[SCX22]

Bring seasickness medication, just in case.  The waters off the coast of San Francisco are notorious for being choppy regardless of the time of year.  On a Hawaii cruise on the Royal Princess this past January, we couldn't walk in a straight line for the first few days because of the ship's motion.  Vomit bags were placed all around the ships and I saw many people making use.

 

California's weather is becoming pretty unpredictable, which makes predicting the weather you will experience on the open Pacific unpredictable.  After many years of drought and warm and dry winters, California got more than their fair share of rain this past winter.  We weren't really able to make use of the outdoor space of the ship until we got closer to Hawaii because it was too windy and cold.

 

Also, Hawaii cruises tend to be more casual.  On formal nights, some men wear dress pants and aloha shirts; some women wear muumuus because that is considered formal wear in Hawaii. 

 

Enjoy the events offered by the Hawaii ambassadors.   Their presentations piqued my attention and were quite fun.  There's hula dancing and ukulele classes, lei making classes, and much more.

[Ellipooh]

Ditto the seasickness preparation. I ended up in the Medical Clinic on the first night and they gave me a shot which did solve my problem. I am prone to seasickness so I’d bought an Rx patch; doc made me remove it before the shot, but the shot saved me so…

 

Our April cruise out of SF was downright cold until we were practically in sight of the islands. But the long stretch of sea days was welcome before and after the frenzy of island hopping.
 

We had a great time, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. I agree with all the advice given. Having sailed with Princess countless times they are really great and I am confident you will have a great time. As you can see, we divide our time between NY and Honolulu but each island has its own character and charm and flavor.  They key is casual and be relaxed and you will have a magical time.  Keep us posted!

[skynight]

Expect cool and choppy sailing for the first two or three days until the ship crosses the Tropic of Cancer into the tropics. Probably will not be sit around the pool bathing suit days. Bring a rain jacket and clothing layers. The return is a little better as the ship heads to Ensenada before returning to S.F.

ELUA, Hawaiian Ambassadors, are scheduled to be on board your sailing. (search ELUA 2023 schedule). They are very good. There will be Ukulele classes on sea days for absolute beginners with a show at the end of the cruise. You can bring along your own ukulele or there will be a limited number on the ship. If you want to get one of the ship's arrive really early for the 1st session. There are also hula classes with a combined show at the end of the cruise with the Uke class. They also offer Hawaiian crafts, a small fee is charged for the crafts. You should enjoy the Crown even though it is an older ship. There is the nice Adagio Lounge on deck 15 aft where it is very quiet. Usually the bar in this lounge will be open in the evening. Skywalker's is another nice location. It is on deck 18 all the way aft. Check out the International Cafe on deck 5 in the Piazza. Continental breakfast

3items in the morning, paninis, salads and desserts in the afternoon and evening. No charge for food. This is also where you can get your brewed coffee and espresso drinks. The free coffee served in the buffet is prepared from a concentrate. If you are looking for caffeine it serves the purpose.

Recommend that you walk around the ship once boarded to find all the locations. Public areas are on decks 5,6,7,15,16,18/19aft. There is also a family pool area on deck 17 aft. The Terrace Pool, deck 14 aft and the Lotus Spa Pool on deck 16 fwd are for adults. The Terrace Pool is a popular location. 

[rocklinmom]

Yes do not forget to bring some Bonine pills (mezciline works better than the medicine in Dramamine in our experience) and take one every night just in case. My poor daughter got extremely seasick on the December Hawaii cruise last year and wound up in the medical center as well. She had been taking Dramamine every night but it didn't help. That open Pacific Ocean route is no joke. 

[XBGuy]

We've taken three HI cruises on Princess, albeit from Los Angeles, not San Francisco.

 

I am one of those guys who spend hours doing laps on the Deck 7 Promenade.  On the Crown Princess, the Promenade is fully covered and wraps around the entire ship.  My point is that while we have encountered several squalls on our cruises, I have never had a need for foul weather gear.  On the first sea day, I am wearing shorts. The wind can be blustery, but, if it is particularly chilly, I have found that I am quite comfortable wearing a hoodie.  If it is raining during my laps, the only place where I might get damp is at the bow where the wind may blow some drops onto the promenade--it's more of a mist than anything else.  If you don't want to get damp, turn when you get to the steps that lead up to bow and walk back around the other way.

 

On two occasions we have encountered light rain as we arrived into a port.  It is a warm rain and, to me, not at all uncomfortable.  The payoff is that if you look around, there is a good chance you'll see a rainbow.

 

I also like to wear flip flops during the day while onboard, and I learned a painful lesson once.  I stepped out of our cabin to go to breakfast one morning.  The ship lurched and I stumbled.  I smashed my big toe against the hard rubber wheel of the room steward's cart that was parked in the corridor.  That really hurt.  This was the morning before we arrived in Ensenada.  So, it was towards the end of the cruise.  I did not see any bleeding.  So, I proceeded to breakfast.  A few days later, after we'd returned home, that toenail fell off.

 

I suppose I learned something from that experience, but I still wear flip flop on the ship for Hawaii and Mexico cruises.

 

A previous poster mentioned that Elua will be the Hawaiian ambassadors on your cruise. These have to be the hardest working people on the ship.  They offer classes, provide musical entertainment in different venues, give port talks and are just totally charming while interfacing with passengers.  On our last cruise my wife decided to take the Hula lessons.  After the first class i asked her how it went.

 

In a nervous voice she said, "We're supposed to put on a show."

 

That concerned her, but it also really motivated her.  She asked me to video a couple of her classes so that she could practice in our cabin.  The show was on one of the last days of the cruise in the Princess Theater.  The ukelele class backed up the hula dancers.  It was terrific.

 

I also enjoyed the port talks given by Tiki Dave.  He will tell you where the best place to buy Shave Ice is.  It may or may not be the best, but it is darned good.  I will also offer this tip, do not bother with the "Shave Ice" stand in the Food Court at the Ala Moana mall.  It is a Sno Cone, not Shave Ice.

[JoRoy218]

20 hours ago, XBGuy said:

We've taken three HI cruises on Princess, albeit from Los Angeles, not San Francisco.

 

I am one of those guys who spend hours doing laps on the Deck 7 Promenade.  On the Crown Princess, the Promenade is fully covered and wraps around the entire ship.  My point is that while we have encountered several squalls on our cruises, I have never had a need for foul weather gear.  On the first sea day, I am wearing shorts. The wind can be blustery, but, if it is particularly chilly, I have found that I am quite comfortable wearing a hoodie.  If it is raining during my laps, the only place where I might get damp is at the bow where the wind may blow some drops onto the promenade--it's more of a mist than anything else.  If you don't want to get damp, turn when you get to the steps that lead up to bow and walk back around the other way.

 

On two occasions we have encountered light rain as we arrived into a port.  It is a warm rain and, to me, not at all uncomfortable.  The payoff is that if you look around, there is a good chance you'll see a rainbow.

 

I also like to wear flip flops during the day while onboard, and I learned a painful lesson once.  I stepped out of our cabin to go to breakfast one morning.  The ship lurched and I stumbled.  I smashed my big toe against the hard rubber wheel of the room steward's cart that was parked in the corridor.  That really hurt.  This was the morning before we arrived in Ensenada.  So, it was towards the end of the cruise.  I did not see any bleeding.  So, I proceeded to breakfast.  A few days later, after we'd returned home, that toenail fell off.

 

I suppose I learned something from that experience, but I still wear flip flop on the ship for Hawaii and Mexico cruises.

 

A previous poster mentioned that Elua will be the Hawaiian ambassadors on your cruise. These have to be the hardest working people on the ship.  They offer classes, provide musical entertainment in different venues, give port talks and are just totally charming while interfacing with passengers.  On our last cruise my wife decided to take the Hula lessons.  After the first class i asked her how it went.

 

In a nervous voice she said, "We're supposed to put on a show."

 

That concerned her, but it also really motivated her.  She asked me to video a couple of her classes so that she could practice in our cabin.  The show was on one of the last days of the cruise in the Princess Theater.  The ukelele class backed up the hula dancers.  It was terrific.

 

I also enjoyed the port talks given by Tiki Dave.  He will tell you where the best place to buy Shave Ice is.  It may or may not be the best, but it is darned good.  I will also offer this tip, do not bother with the "Shave Ice" stand in the Food Court at the Ala Moana mall.  It is a Sno Cone, not Shave Ice.

Excellent review and SO wonderfully detailed! Agree with it all 100%.

We’ve done one SF-Hawaii and loved it. Guess we were lucky and did not experience any bad weather to or from. The day on the Big Island was rainy but didn’t really stop our plans. The entertainment on board as mentioned above, was wonderful. Enjoyed the final show of the hula dancers and ukuleles was memorable and special. Can’t wait to do another Hawaii cruise! Enjoy!!!

[OttawaJohn]

On 7/2/2023 at 3:07 PM, Belle1990 said:

Hi,

 

Just booked the cruise to Hawaii from San Francisco in December. We have cruised Royal and Cunard before, so we do have a clue--but not about what to pack for crossing the Pacific in December. We will have a balcony cabin.

 

Any suggestions about clothes or something specific we should know about the Crown Princess?

 

Thank you.

 

Everyone already made great comments, I just want to say we're doing the same cruise, so see you aboard and don't forget to say hi in the roll call!

 

[rbtan]

 WE did one from San Diego. One of the last before the pandemic shut all down. Bring some warmer clothes for the first 3 days. It was very cool. My spouse had the Sanctuary all to himself as it was too cold & windy for most(including me) He just relaxed to the spa music all wrapped in blankets.

 It was a bit rough. I had Dramamine, but overall I was fine. Keith could sleep through the worst like you see in youtube videos of everything flying back & forth.Hawaii was great. Visit the Mauna Loa Macadamia factory on the big island.For some reason tons went to the local Costco for the crazy varieties of Spam.Give Keith Taylor Ham & he's happy. Do take in the Arizona memorial & bring tissues. You'll need them during the video you will see. Numerous excursions are to be had. Also don't pass up hiring a cab to go on tours.

Edited July 7, 2023 by rbtan
spelling

[marden1970]

@rbtan Taylor Ham always makes us happy.  Did you live in New Jersey?  We live in Nevada now and order ours through the mail.

[travelin.sisters]

we did LA-Hawai'i on the Crown this past March & I did a "live" for that cruise (link in my signature) if you are interested...I believe  @Elua will be on the Crown again this season & if they are your Hawai'ian ambasadors, I would highly recommend anything they (Tiki Dave & Leialoha) do...