Princess Hawaii Cruise

We are looking at the 15 day Princess Round Trip from Los Angeles to Hawaii. My first question is about the best time of year for this cruise. I spoke with someone that went in October and they said the seas were rough and a lot of people were wearing patches to help with sea sickness. Is the rough seas normal for that time of year? Is there a better time when there are calmer seas. Also this cruise has 9 days at sea; if we are not drinkers or gamblers what can we do to occupy our time during the day at sea? I know about spa treatments, and pools but what else is there to do? Thank you for your answers.

I went on this cruise in 2012 departing the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was wonderful. The weather was pleasantly warm but not overly hot. Seas were mostly smooth and I didn't have to do anything more than wear my sea bands for the first day at sea. Loved this cruise. Loved it

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Cruise lines make sure there is plenty to do when there is a stretch of sea days. Going to Hawaii there is usually someone (like a location guide) with good information about the islands history, culture, things to do, etc. There are also likely to be lectures (about a variety of topics), games and activities, special interest groups, movies, hula lessons, etc. I have sailed to Hawaii twice and found there are often more activities than I have time to do.

When you make a decision and book, be sure to join your roll call. We set up a variety of activities on ours including mah jong, trivia, bunco, wine tasting, meals at specialty restaurants, private excursions, and more.

You never know what the weather will be like but I always come prepared just in case the seas get rough. My last cruise to Hawaii, the weather was nice the first few days and then the last day before Hawaii you could definitely feel "the motion of the ocean".

Welcome to cruise critic! As you learn to navigate around the various boards, you'll find that there is one dedicated to each cruise line. Check out the Princess Board at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=222 and try posting there. Those Hawaii cruises are a favorite topic because they are a very popular itinerary.

Anyone who advises that one month will be particularly good or bad for rough seas is not helpful. There is a SLIGHT chance of a Pacific hurricane in October - but not enough to make a statistically greater likelihood of your experiencing seasickness. If you are prone to seasickness, you will have problems with the minor waves experienced any time of year.

There will be some destination talks, games and entertainment on your sea days. But ask yourself: how do you spend your time at home when not at work? On a cruise you will not spend time driving in traffic, or buying groceries, raking leaves, cooking or washing dishes. Other than those activities, you can pretty much do with your time what you would do at home.

The California Current is a Pacific Ocean current that moves southward along the western coast of North America, beginning off southern British Columbia and ending off southern Baja California Peninsula. It is one of five major coastal currents affiliated with upwelling zones, the others being the Humboldt Current, the Canary Current, the Benguela Current, and the Somali Current.

The California Current is an Eastern boundary current and is also part of the North Pacific Gyre, a large swirling current that occupies the northern basin of the Pacific. The movement of northern waters southward makes the coastal waters cooler than the coastal areas of comparable latitude on the east coast of the United States. Additionally, extensive upwelling of colder sub-surface waters occurs, caused by the prevailing northwesterly winds acting through the Ekman Effect. The winds drive surface water to the right of the wind flow, that is offshore, which draws water up from below to replace it. The upwelling further cools the already cool California Current. This is the mechanism that produces California's characteristic coastal fog and the negative temperature anomaly we measure in California's coastal waters during summer (Mann and Lazier, 2006). This translates into cold coastal waters during the summer, stretching from Oregon to Baja California. Note, this does not include the coastal water surrounding San Diego.

I have done this itinerary with Princess at various times of the year 5 times so far, and can say that while sea conditions have the potential to be unpredictable at any time of the year, I have rarely experienced rough seas AFTER getting past that current that runs along the California coast The first day or so can definitely be a bit "bumpy". I have also experienced crossing the Pacific and the ocean being as smooth as glass on a couple of cruises. Thanks to the ship's stabilizers, you usually don't feel much motion unless the swells are big ones.

If you have a problem with motion sickness, just go prepared with medication to ease it, either an over-the-counter product (something okayed for your use by your doctor), a prescription med from you physician, or something non-drug such as Sea Bands, or the herb Ginger (again, check with your doctor first).

Sea days certainly do not have to be boring, unless one allows themselves to be bored. There are numerous activities arranged by the Cruise Director's staff that are listed in the daily "newspaper", the Patter. With e-readers filled with good books and tablets to play games on, sometimes the best thing about sea days is the time to sit and relax with your favorite beverage, somewhere with a view of the sea, and get into a good book or game.

We are looking at the 15 day Princess Round Trip from Los Angeles to Hawaii. My first question is about the best time of year for this cruise. I spoke with someone that went in October and they said the seas were rough and a lot of people were wearing patches to help with sea sickness. Is the rough seas normal for that time of year? Is there a better time when there are calmer seas. Also this cruise has 9 days at sea; if we are not drinkers or gamblers what can we do to occupy our time during the day at sea? I know about spa treatments, and pools but what else is there to do? Thank you for your answers.

Answers about the smoothness or roughness of the seas are purely speculation and nothing more. The weather constantly changes, and even week to week the seas can change completely. There is no consistency in the 'smoothness' of the seas.

Thank you, to everybody that took the time to answer my concern. There is some great information here and I will use all of it while looking to lock in our family cruise to Hawaii.

The responses have great information. It will help the with both the planning and enjoyment of the cruise. Thanks to all that took the time to get me this valuable information.

We have done this itinerary three times all at the same time of year (late December-early January) and the sea conditions were slightly different each time as well as the weather. as someone mentioned above there's a current you'll be crossing so that will affect the sea at that point. If you tend to get motion sickness, as I do, take along the remedies that work for you, as well as try to book a cabin mid-ships.

As for sea days, the Princess Hawaiian cruises feature a fantastic Hawaiian cultural program. So if you want to learn to dance the hula or play the ukelele, or learn about tropical foods or language, you're in luck. there's usually a musical duo helping the CD run the program. My last two cruises had Elua on board (they were the ones with Dave Cole to create this program). we would know to check the Patter every day to see where they would be performing beautiful Hawaiian songs (usually in the Piazza or on the pool deck).

We've done this itin twice on Carnival the last two weeks in October. Both times we had relatively calm seas (for us. The cruise last month was effected by the storm up the coast.

The Pacific is a bear any time of year. She's misnamed, she was calmer than the Straights that Magellan crossed under South America.

We are looking at the 15 day Princess Round Trip from Los Angeles to Hawaii. My first question is about the best time of year for this cruise. I spoke with someone that went in October and they said the seas were rough and a lot of people were wearing patches to help with sea sickness. Is the rough seas normal for that time of year? Is there a better time when there are calmer seas. Also this cruise has 9 days at sea; if we are not drinkers or gamblers what can we do to occupy our time during the day at sea? I know about spa treatments, and pools but what else is there to do? Thank you for your answers.

We took a Princess cruise to Hawaii in Feb./Mar. and it was our first experience with so many sea days. The crossing to Hawaii was not rough, but rolling and we didn't get out on deck much as the weather was rainy. There was plenty to do indoors as there were lectures on Hawaii and the South Pacific every day. The lecturer was a former teacher and he was fantastic in his approach and knowledge. We went to his lectures each day and there was usually standing room only. I wish we could have cloned him to be on other cruises - his lectures were outstanding! We read a lot, saw lots of movies, played Mah Jongg, and participated in other Patter related activities. The weather in Hawaii was great and we only had one rainy day on the big island. All to quickly the cruise in the islands was over and we were faced with many more sea days back to LA. Again, not great weather for sitting outside - the ocean was rolling a bit more on our way back and even in the sunshine, the temp was a bit on the cool side. Ensenada was a waste of time and this sentiment was echoed by a lot of our fellow passengers. With this cruise experience, I don't think my DH and I would take another cruise with so many sea days. Flying to the islands and then taking a cruise around them would have been a better option. I hope this helps in your decision.

Thank you for taking the time to write this response, we are now also looking at flying to the islands and taking a cruise around them. We know this will be more expensive but hopefully not much more expensive.

Ensenada was a waste of time and this sentiment was echoed by a lot of our fellow passengers.

Was everyone aware of the following?:

The Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (46 U.S.C. 289) states that "no foreign vessel shall transport passengers between ports or places in the United States." Most of the ships cruising from American ports are foreign (flagged), so they have to include a foreign port in all itineraries. That's why Hawaii cruises leaving from Los Angeles and San Diego stop at Ensenada (Mexico) on their way back from the islands.

Was everyone aware of the following?:

 

The Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (46 U.S.C. 289) states that "no foreign vessel shall transport passengers between ports or places in the United States." Most of the ships cruising from American ports are foreign (flagged), so they have to include a foreign port in all itineraries. That's why Hawaii cruises leaving from Los Angeles and San Diego stop at Ensenada (Mexico) on their way back from the islands.

Many of us do know why Ensenada is a stop on this itinerary. and when NCL was trying to get more restrictive changes made to the PVSA...in order to make it harder on the cruiselines to operate the RTs (that cruise line realized many preferred the RTs to their cruises) about ten years ago, it was a battle to get those changes tabled.

But if you pay attention on that port day in Ensenada (at least on the three Hawaiian cruises we've done) is that a vast majority of passengers stay on board. I would guess at least 80 percent, maybe higher. Aside from a few who may have never been there before or those who actually like that city....many of us have been there at least once, and for me, once was one time too many.

I went to Hawaii on the Grand Princess last year (end of Nov to Dec, 2015) and we had 15 days of gorgeous sun and warm breezes. But the same cruise done this year had a Pacific storm with rough seas. You never know.

We had so many activities for our sea days (which ended up being 12 because of a fire on the ship)! The hula lessons, ukulele lessons and other activities kept us as busy as we cared to be although I also really enjoyed just relaxing on the balcony. :D

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"But if you pay attention on that port day in Ensenada (at least on the three Hawaiian cruises we've done) is that a vast majority of passengers stay on board. I would guess at least 80 percent, maybe higher. Aside from a few who may have never been there before or those who actually like that city....many of us have been there at least once, and for me, once was one time too many."

So-o-o-o true!! Since I hadn't been there before, I decided to get off the ship but ended up sorry for that decision. I did get a delicious shrimp taco at a taco truck then went over to Starbucks to eat it along with a frap and Wifi. But as it started getting dark, I felt sort of uncomfortable and went right back to the shuttle. As I got there, the street hawkers were swarming, shouting at me. Luckily I got onto the shuttle and back to the port. NEVER AGAIN! I'll just stay on the ship.

We have done Hawaii too, in the February 2014 - out of SF. We found the seas to be rough along the California coast, both coming and going. The seas got calm er once we got out into the Pacific. It was also chilly the first few days, but warmed up by about day 3 or 4... same on the way back.

I agree, there isn't much to see in Ensenada, but after having been on board for four days straight, it was nice to get off and stretch our legs.

You really have to enjoy sea days, which we do. I think the islands are almost anti climactic, since you are at sea 9 of the fourteen days.

Was in Ensenada end of October on the Carnival Hawaii cruise.

Lots to do in Ensenada if you do a bit of research. Did you know there are four museums within a 10 minute walking radius of port? Two are restored buildings (across the street and in town), a third is an art museum (across the street to the right), the final one opened a few months ago at the corner. Going to check it out on Saturday.

The Malecon is newly redone, need to check out the dancing waters fountain. Ensenada is built for Mexicans, not Americans.

Many of us do know why Ensenada is a stop on this itinerary. and when NCL was trying to get more restrictive changes made to the PVSA...in order to make it harder on the cruiselines to operate the RTs (that cruise line realized many preferred the RTs to their cruises) about ten years ago' date=' it was a battle to get those changes tabled.

 

But if you pay attention on that port day in Ensenada (at least on the three Hawaiian cruises we've done) is that a vast majority of passengers stay on board. I would guess at least 80 percent, maybe higher. Aside from a few who may have never been there before or those who actually like that city....many of us have been there at least once, and for me, once was one time too many.[/quote']

 

Again, let me point out that the changes NCL was looking for were to ban the midnight to 1am "courtesy" port call in Ensenada, which has been adopted. It was CBP, when NCL opened the discussion about the Ensenada port call that brought out the idea of "majority of time in foreign ports", which even NCL did not want, as this would have affected their Alaska itineraries.

Again, let me point out that the changes NCL was looking for were to ban the midnight to 1am "courtesy" port call in Ensenada, which has been adopted. It was CBP, when NCL opened the discussion about the Ensenada port call that brought out the idea of "majority of time in foreign ports", which even NCL did not want, as this would have affected their Alaska itineraries.

the then-president of NCL seemed to want the changes to apply to the Hawaiian RTs as I recall, after many started pointing to the Alaskan and New England/Canada cruises that would be affected.

On our first Hawaiian cruise (2005/2006 holiday one), we were scheduled to have a very short stop in Ensenada, but that became a longer one after our last Hawaiian port (Kona) had to be skipped due to high waves so the ship was able to get back to the west coast sooner. Personally I only heard one passenger really happy as he was able to book an excursion he was interested in. We got off the ship long enough to go to the pier marketplace so hubby could get some jewelry for his mom...and then returned to the ship and the pool area that was full of passengers.