travelin.sisters

it is very easy...one of the first things we do after boarding

happy birthday!!!

just today added a second person to a single room & only added port taxes & fees

looks like you have this sorted as to what you want to do & I don't really have anything helpful for that, but wanted to say welcome to CC & encourage you to check out the roll call for your cruise...you will get to meet other people on your same cruise & perhaps there will be activities planned & people who have suggestions/help for your specific cruise...have a great trip

sleep well, we will hang in waiting for more, but most important enjoy your cruise!

we have not had those waters they charge for in the room since the restart

I was too busy making leis to build more space in the buffet 🤣😂😜

Having sailed on both the Crown (3/23) -& the Majestic (1/22) fairly recently, I would prefer the Majestic for the ship...the Crown is fine but she feels a little tired & the buffet is very small & limited where as the Majestic is shinier & the food was really good, we like a balcony but it won't be very warm. On the other hand, I would sail either again & Astoria & more time in Victoria would be very nice. More time in SF is a trade off as it would be nice, but sailing out under the Golden Gate Bridge when you can see it is really special too. I guess the question is do you want the better onboard experience for her or more shore time? Also if she has not sailed before you might consider location in terms of motion sickness (midship lower will have less motion)

I thought that the OP was referring to having the OBC refunded...that was what my answer was about anyway...we missed 2 ports on our March Hawai'i itinerary & so had several hundred returned to us in refundable OBC, & didn't want to spend it on anything else onboard...Princess will only cash out a limited amount of OBC, otherwise they return it by check

our OBC refund was 3-4 weeks for our March cruise...watch the mail as it kind of looks like junk mail

just make sure you book for the same time if it is an excursion with different time slots...

there were KIds Clubs in March

honestly, it depends on the ship

have a wonderful time & don't hesitate to come back here with any questions as you are planning, I will help if I can

thank you for sharing your journey with us!

they sell cameras in the photo department (a present for someone?) we found some interesting liquors last fall on the Sapphire Stanley bears for everyone you know? my sis-in-law got fancy orthopedic shoe inserts on our Panama cruise (a spa thing) but to be honest we always have a hard time using our extra OBC

Thats a Wrap…& an Index ...& we are done…thank you to everyone who followed this voyage with me & to all who contributed your experiences, encouragement, thoughts & questions…happy sailing to each & everyone of you…I look forward to following on your journeys as well... I am leaving this list of posts so that people who find this later can just look for the info they want…weather, patters, food, ship info or whatever… List of my posts in this LIVE: Page 1 Introduction~post 1 Pre-cruise: packing~post 10 Page 2 Pre-cruise: booking & trip prep~post 29 Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 44 Page 3 Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 62 Embarkation Day~March 2: boarding & first impressions~post 67 Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75 Page 4 Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78 Embarkation Day~March 2: the papers & the patter~post 89 Page 5 Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104 Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114 Page 6 Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142 Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147 Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148 Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149 Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150 Page 7 Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151 Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167 Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172 Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173 Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175 Page 8 Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176 Page 9 Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204 Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205 Sea Day~March 5: formal night, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 206 Sea Day~March 5: wrap up & random thoughts~post 208 Sea Day~March 6: another beautiful morning~post 216 Sea Day~March 6: pub lunch & elite tea, oh my!~post 221 Sea Day~March 6: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 224 Sea Day~March 6: DaVinci dinner~post 225 Page 10 Sea Day~March 6: wrap up & random thoughts~post 226 Honolulu~March 7: good morning, Honolulu~post 228 Honolulu~March 7: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 229 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting there~post 230 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting in~post 231 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~islands of Polynesia~post 233 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~exploring the islands of Polynesia~post 239 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~spending time in Samoa~post 240 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~enjoying the beauty~post 241 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Gateway Buffet~post 249 Page 11 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Ha Breath of Life show, maps & flyers, thoughts~post 252 Honolulu~March 7: onboard the Crown~post 253 Honolulu~March 7: exploring the Crown Princess~Gala Deck (4)~post 254 Honolulu~March 7: wrap up & random thoughts~post 261 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: adventures in Honolulu~post 263 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 266 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: leaving for Maui~post 271 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 273 Page 12 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: wrap up & random thoughts~post 276 …& Not Maui~March 9: early morning sail in & whales~post 280 …& Not Maui~March 9: patters, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 281 …& Not Maui~March 9: unexpected day at sea~post 285 …& Not Maui~March 9: DaVinci dinner~post 286 …& Not Maui~March 9: wrap up & random thoughts~post 292 Hilo~March 10: early morning, internet info, disembarkation in Hilo~post 296 Page 13 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 1)~post 301 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 2)~post 307 Hilo~March 10: Kalakaua Park~post 310 Hilo~March 10: Mokupapapa Discovery Center~post 311 Hilo~March 10: Pacific Tsunami Museum~post 313 Hilo~March 10: around Hilo~post 314 Hilo~March 10: shopping & Farmers Market~post 315 Hilo~March 10: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 316 Hilo~March 10: sail-away~post 319 Hilo~March 10: DaVinci dinner~post 320 Hilo~March 10: wrap up & random thoughts~post 321 Page 14 Sea Day~March 11: another day at sea~post 331 Sea Day~March 11: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 332 Sea Day~March 11: formal night & DaVinci dinner~post 333 Sea Day~March 11: wrap up & random thoughts~post 334 Sea Day~March 12: more moments at sea~post 339 Sea Day~March 12: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 340 Sea Day~March 12: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 341 Sea Day~March 12: wrap up & random thoughts~post 342 Page 15 Sea Day~March 13: a day of surprises~post 354 Sea Day~March 13: DaVinci lunch~post 356 Sea Day~March 13: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 357 Sea Day~March 13: Sabatini’s~post 359 Sea Day~March 13: evening entertainment~post 360 Sea Day~March 13: wrap up & random thoughts~post 361 Sea Day~March 14: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 364 Sea Day~March 14: formal night, captain's circle cocktail party, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 372 Sea Day~March 14: wrap up & random thoughts~post 373 Sea Day~March 15: one last day at sea~post 374 Sea Day~March 15: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 375 Page 16 Sea Day~March 15: DaVinci dinner~post 376 Sea Day~March 15: wrap up & random thoughts~post 378 Page 17 Ensenada~March 16: staying onboard in por~post 403 Ensenada~March 16: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 404 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Plaza (5) deck~post 405 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Fiesta (6) deck~post 406 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Promenade (7) deck~post 407 Ensenada~March 16: DaVinci dinner~post 408 Ensenada~March 16: wrap up & random thoughts~post 409 Return Home~March 17: one last morning on the Crown~post 412 Return Home~March 17: disembarkation~post 417 Page 18 Back Home~Things to Think About: back to real life~post 429 Back Home~Things to Think About: the joys of Hawai’ian cruises~post 430 Back Home~Things to Think About: the Crown Princess~post 431 Back Home~Things to Think About: food & dining~post 432 Back Home~Things to Think About: Hawai’ian Ambassadors~post 433

thank you for sharing your journey with this lovely live

I just finished a live from our Hawai'i on the Crown in March & put a lot of details about the ship & the Hawai'i itinerary (link in signature if you are interested), but briefly, although there were some problems (there will be on any ship that age), we would sail on her again (haven't been on the Emerald so can't compare) we do much prefer sailing out of LA over SF, partly because we live here but also because it is much easier in our experience.

I think the maintenance issues are maybe more noticeable because it is taking longer to fix things due to the low staffing levels...& yes, I think the ships are still recovering from their time idle sailings seem much closer to full than a year ago that's for sure which makes the staffing issues more noticeable pretty sure I got the cold on the cruise not at home

Back Home~Things to Think About Hawai’ian Ambassadors The Hawai’ian Ambassadors are one of the reasons this is our favorite itinerary. We have been fortunate to travel on several cruises with @Elua as our Hawai’ian Ambassadors & they are wonderful. Both Tiki Dave & Leialoha are gifted teachers, talented performers & just nice people. I wish that every itinerary had the kinds of added benefits that they bring to the Hawai’ian sailings. I am not very musical but enjoy trying. I have taken various musical classes (harmonica, glockenspiel, steel drum) on Princess cruises & Tiki Dave’s ‘ukulele classes are the only ones that ever made me feel like I could actually play the instrument. He starts with such basic straightforward steps, but keeps you moving along adding a little each session so that by the end of the cruise you have several songs that you can comfortably play. It is truly amazing. Plus, it is fun! At the same time, he is able to provide enough content & variety that experienced, long term players like my BIL enjoy coming to his classes. In the same way, Leialoha brings the joy of hula to her classes. While teaching these beautiful dances she also shares the culture of the islands. Her students can often be seen dancing in the piazza in the evenings while she & Tiki Dave perform. At the end of the cruise the stage in the Princess theater was packed with their students for the Aloha 'Oe performance. Every sea day morning they also hosted Hawai’ian lei making classes. This is the only one of their events that there is an extra charge for since they provide all the materials for the crafts. They also have an assortment of Leialoha’s beautiful craft items. Some people made quick items like kukui nut leis that could be done in one session, but others were there every morning working on their projects or starting another with the assistance of Leialoha, Tiki Dave & Jorge (one of the Princess dancers)…it was a fun place to hangout & learn a new craft. Tiki Dave also does the Hawai’ian port talks sharing enough information that even if you didn’t have plans for the islands before you would have some good ideas what to do after listening to him. His jukebox of our lives show was also wonderful. Additionally they entertained most nights in the piazza. They were on the wake show each day as well with a little culture, language & info & did a Hawai’ian food class (which I was sad to miss). All in all, Elua made our cruise so much more than it would have been without them. 2023-03-14 18.17.24.mp4 2023-03-14 20.21.34.mp4 2023-03-14 20.21.10.mp4 List of my posts in this LIVE: Introduction~post 1 Pre-cruise: packing~post 10 Pre-cruise: booking & trip prep~post 29 Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 43 Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 67 Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75 Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78 Embarkation Day~March 2: the papers & the patter~post 89 Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104 Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114 Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142 Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147 Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148 Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149 Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150 Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151 Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167 Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172 Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173 Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175 Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176 Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204 Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205 Sea Day~March 5: formal night, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 206 Sea Day~March 5: wrap up & random thoughts~post 208 Sea Day~March 6: another beautiful morning~post 216 Sea Day~March 6: pub lunch & elite tea, oh my!~post 221 Sea Day~March 6: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 224 Sea Day~March 6: DaVinci dinner~post 225 Sea Day~March 6: wrap up & random thoughts~post 226 Honolulu~March 7: good morning, Honolulu~post 228 Honolulu~March 7: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 229 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting there~post 230 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting in~post 231 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~islands of polynesia~post 233 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~exploring the islands of polynesia~post 239 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~spending time in Samoa~post 240 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~enjoying the beauty~post 241 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Gateway Buffet~post 249 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Ha Breath of Life show, maps & flyers, thoughts~post 252 Honolulu~March 7: onboard the Crown~post 253 Honolulu~March 7: exploring the Crown Princess~Gala Deck (4)~post 254 Honolulu~March 7: wrap up & random thoughts~post 261 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: adventures in Honolulu~post 263 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 266 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: leaving for Maui~post 271 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 273 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: wrap up & random thoughts~post 267 …& Not Maui~March 9: early morning sail in & whales~post 280 …& Not Maui~March 9: patters, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 281 …& Not Maui~March 9: unexpected day at sea~post 285 …& Not Maui~March 9: DaVinci dinner~post 286 …& Not Maui~March 9: wrap up & random thoughts~post 291 Hilo~March 10: early morning, internet info, disembarkation in Hilo~post 296 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 1)~post 301 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 2)~post 307 Hilo~March 10: Kalakaua Park~post 310 Hilo~March 10: Mokupapapa Discovery Center~post 311 Hilo~March 10: Pacific Tsunami Museum~post 313 Hilo~March 10: around Hilo~post 314 Hilo~March 10: shopping & Farmers Market~post 315 Hilo~March 10: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 316 Hilo~March 10: sail-away~post 319 Hilo~March 10: DaVinci dinner~post 320 Hilo~March 10: wrap up & random thoughts~post 321 Sea Day~March 11: another day at sea~post 331 Sea Day~March 11: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 332 Sea Day~March 11: formal night & DaVinci dinner~post 333 Sea Day~March 11: wrap up & random thoughts~post 334 Sea Day~March 12: more moments at sea~post 339 Sea Day~March 12: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 340 Sea Day~March 12: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 341 Sea Day~March 12: wrap up & random thoughts~post 342 Sea Day~March 13: a day of surprises~post 354 Sea Day~March 13: DaVinci lunch~post 356 Sea Day~March 13: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 357 Sea Day~March 13: Sabatini’s~post 359 Sea Day~March 13: evening entertainment~post 360 Sea Day~March 13: wrap up & random thoughts~post 361 Sea Day~March 14: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 364 Sea Day~March 14: formal night, captain's circle cocktail party, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 372 Sea Day~March 14: wrap up & random thoughts~post 373 Sea Day~March 15: one last day at sea~post 374 Sea Day~March 15: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 375 Sea Day~March 15: wrap up & random thoughts~post 378 Ensenada~March 16: staying onboard in por~post 403 Ensenada~March 16: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 404 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Plaza (5) deck~post 405 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Fiesta (6) deck~post 406 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Promenade (7) deck~post 407 Ensenada~March 16: DaVinci dinner~post 408 Ensenada~March 16: wrap up & random thoughts~post 409 Return Home~March 17: one last morning on the Crown~post 412 Return Home~March 17: disembarkation~post 417 Back Home~Things to Think About: back to real life~post 429 Back Home~Things to Think About: the joys of Hawai’ian cruises~post 430 Back Home~Things to Think About: the Crown Princess~post 431 Back Home~Things to Think About: food & dining~post 432

Back Home~Things to Think About Food & Dining The food on the Crown overall was quite good but maybe not always great. A few dishes were very good, very few were inedible. Shellfish were plentiful & well cooked, fish was also plentiful but tended to be slightly overcooked. The beef dishes were consistently cooked to the temperature ordered & good. We were glad to see that the Crown was using a variation on the older menus with the addition of some Hawai’ian dishes, rather than the new ones we have read about. Although it was sometimes hard to find dishes that did not have peppers, very little (even dishes labeled spicy) had much spice or strong seasoning. Service in the MDR was slow & sometimes not all the dishes ordered were received. The International Cafe had a nice selection of sandwiches & desserts but they were basically the same everyday during the cruise & there were no salad offerings so we did not go there as much as on previous cruises. The buffet was small & they made some strange decisions…at breakfast they had both a big section for salad & one for things to make sandwiches, but at lunch although the salad bar remained, the sandwich station had vanished. I am used to the same menu item being very different from cruise to cruise, but usually once you figure out how a dish is made on a particular ship, it remains the same for the cruise. This was absolutely not true on the Crown. Here are a few examples: My sister’s eggs benedict…after the first morning, the hollandaise was good (the first day it was ‘interesting’), but the amount was widely different, from barely enough to cover the eggs to a lake. The Princess shrimp cocktail was consistently good with 4 or 5 nice sized shrimp each time, but the plating varied widely. You never knew what kind of dish it would be served in & if the cocktail sauce would be plopped on the top of everything or on the side. The caesar salad was also unpredictable. One night there was so much parmesan cheese on the top & an absolute lake of dressing thatI couldn't even eat it. I am glad that they have decided that kale is an option only if you ask for it. The chickpea croutons are a sad replacement for good bread croutons but better than the pitiful ones they had available; however they had no plan for the number of croutons a salad should have (ranging from 6 to two dozen, even on two salads for the same meal). Even our waiter, when we asked how a dish was served said it depended, sometimes one way other times another. Somehow both the service side & the kitchen side of the dining experience on the Crown need help, but that said, we always had good meals & enjoyed the food, it just wasn’t often excellent. I have always looked forward to Princess’ desserts, but this time there were often nights when it was either sorbet/ice cream or pass & stop by the International Cafe for some cookies for later. There are still a few desserts worth looking forward to, but not as many…at least they have returned the love boat dream to something nicely chocolatey rather than the red thing from our cruise on the Sapphire. List of my posts in this LIVE: Introduction~post 1 Pre-cruise: packing~post 10 Pre-cruise: booking & trip prep~post 29 Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 43 Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 67 Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75 Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78 Embarkation Day~March 2: the papers & the patter~post 89 Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104 Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114 Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142 Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147 Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148 Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149 Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150 Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151 Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167 Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172 Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173 Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175 Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176 Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204 Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205 Sea Day~March 5: formal night, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 206 Sea Day~March 5: wrap up & random thoughts~post 208 Sea Day~March 6: another beautiful morning~post 216 Sea Day~March 6: pub lunch & elite tea, oh my!~post 221 Sea Day~March 6: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 224 Sea Day~March 6: DaVinci dinner~post 225 Sea Day~March 6: wrap up & random thoughts~post 226 Honolulu~March 7: good morning, Honolulu~post 228 Honolulu~March 7: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 229 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting there~post 230 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting in~post 231 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~islands of polynesia~post 233 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~exploring the islands of polynesia~post 239 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~spending time in Samoa~post 240 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~enjoying the beauty~post 241 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Gateway Buffet~post 249 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Ha Breath of Life show, maps & flyers, thoughts~post 252 Honolulu~March 7: onboard the Crown~post 253 Honolulu~March 7: exploring the Crown Princess~Gala Deck (4)~post 254 Honolulu~March 7: wrap up & random thoughts~post 261 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: adventures in Honolulu~post 263 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 266 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: leaving for Maui~post 271 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 273 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: wrap up & random thoughts~post 267 …& Not Maui~March 9: early morning sail in & whales~post 280 …& Not Maui~March 9: patters, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 281 …& Not Maui~March 9: unexpected day at sea~post 285 …& Not Maui~March 9: DaVinci dinner~post 286 …& Not Maui~March 9: wrap up & random thoughts~post 291 Hilo~March 10: early morning, internet info, disembarkation in Hilo~post 296 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 1)~post 301 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 2)~post 307 Hilo~March 10: Kalakaua Park~post 310 Hilo~March 10: Mokupapapa Discovery Center~post 311 Hilo~March 10: Pacific Tsunami Museum~post 313 Hilo~March 10: around Hilo~post 314 Hilo~March 10: shopping & Farmers Market~post 315 Hilo~March 10: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 316 Hilo~March 10: sail-away~post 319 Hilo~March 10: DaVinci dinner~post 320 Hilo~March 10: wrap up & random thoughts~post 321 Sea Day~March 11: another day at sea~post 331 Sea Day~March 11: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 332 Sea Day~March 11: formal night & DaVinci dinner~post 333 Sea Day~March 11: wrap up & random thoughts~post 334 Sea Day~March 12: more moments at sea~post 339 Sea Day~March 12: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 340 Sea Day~March 12: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 341 Sea Day~March 12: wrap up & random thoughts~post 342 Sea Day~March 13: a day of surprises~post 354 Sea Day~March 13: DaVinci lunch~post 356 Sea Day~March 13: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 357 Sea Day~March 13: Sabatini’s~post 359 Sea Day~March 13: evening entertainment~post 360 Sea Day~March 13: wrap up & random thoughts~post 361 Sea Day~March 14: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 364 Sea Day~March 14: formal night, captain's circle cocktail party, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 372 Sea Day~March 14: wrap up & random thoughts~post 373 Sea Day~March 15: one last day at sea~post 374 Sea Day~March 15: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 375 Sea Day~March 15: wrap up & random thoughts~post 378 Ensenada~March 16: staying onboard in por~post 403 Ensenada~March 16: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 404 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Plaza (5) deck~post 405 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Fiesta (6) deck~post 406 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Promenade (7) deck~post 407 Ensenada~March 16: DaVinci dinner~post 408 Ensenada~March 16: wrap up & random thoughts~post 409 Return Home~March 17: one last morning on the Crown~post 412 Return Home~March 17: disembarkation~post 417 Back Home~Things to Think About: back to real life~post 429 Back Home~Things to Think About: the joys of Hawai’ian cruises~post 430 Back Home~Things to Think About: the Crown Princess~post 431

well, I don't know that anyone can answer that....but the Voice of the Ocean is coming back on ships as precautions are being eased...it was on the Crown last month

Back Home~Things to Think About The Crown Princess When we booked this cruise, there were a lot of negative reports online about the Crown. She had a tough Alaska season & no one was sure that her dry dock would change that. It seems like the engine problems that the Crown suffered through the Alaska season have been resolved. We did not personally encounter any major issues during our cruise. The Crown is one of the older ships in the Princess fleet & that shows. It shows in chipped paint on railings & older fixtures in rooms. During our cruise there were a number of ongoing maintenance issues to be seen. Ice makers were out in the buffet at times, elevators were set apart for maintenance, bathroom stalls that were closed for repairs…none of these hugely affected our enjoyment of the cruise but there were things that needed work. There were some leaking issues around the ship throughout the cruise, but no more than on other older ships we have cruised on. There were also some strange things that didn’t seem quite finished. On the other hand the A/C worked really well, the handheld shower head they brought us on request was wonderful & the beds were great. (apparently they work on the elevators on deck 26 & 28) (I guess they ran out of wood to finish the installation) (repairing a leak) More than the ship, the crew seemed tired. When we embarked, I thought it was because they had worked very long shifts leading into our cruise as the sailing before ours hit bad weather in Ensenada & was stuck there until midnight making her arrival in LA several hours late & disrupting the entire turnover. However as the cruise went on it continued to feel as if they were very tired & stretched very thin. Some of that may have been because we missed 2 of our 4 Hawai’ian ports causing staffing changes & disrupting their time off. While those both may have contributed to it, I do think the Crown was understaffed. I didn’t hear, & didn’t think to ask what percentage of the normal crew complement they had but it felt like they did not have the numbers that previous ships have. That being said, we were still met with the kindness & willingness to help that we have come to consider one of the best parts of cruising with Princess. It is just my subjective perception that both the Crown & her crew felt just a little tired. Despite that, we had a very good cruise & were well taken care of. I would not hesitate to sail on the Crown again although she might not be my first choice if multiple ships were sailing the same itinerary. List of my posts in this LIVE: Introduction~post 1 Pre-cruise: packing~post 10 Pre-cruise: booking & trip prep~post 29 Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 43 Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 67 Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75 Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78 Embarkation Day~March 2: the papers & the patter~post 89 Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104 Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114 Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142 Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147 Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148 Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149 Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150 Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151 Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167 Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172 Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173 Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175 Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176 Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204 Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205 Sea Day~March 5: formal night, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 206 Sea Day~March 5: wrap up & random thoughts~post 208 Sea Day~March 6: another beautiful morning~post 216 Sea Day~March 6: pub lunch & elite tea, oh my!~post 221 Sea Day~March 6: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 224 Sea Day~March 6: DaVinci dinner~post 225 Sea Day~March 6: wrap up & random thoughts~post 226 Honolulu~March 7: good morning, Honolulu~post 228 Honolulu~March 7: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 229 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting there~post 230 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting in~post 231 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~islands of polynesia~post 233 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~exploring the islands of polynesia~post 239 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~spending time in Samoa~post 240 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~enjoying the beauty~post 241 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Gateway Buffet~post 249 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Ha Breath of Life show, maps & flyers, thoughts~post 252 Honolulu~March 7: onboard the Crown~post 253 Honolulu~March 7: exploring the Crown Princess~Gala Deck (4)~post 254 Honolulu~March 7: wrap up & random thoughts~post 261 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: adventures in Honolulu~post 263 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 266 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: leaving for Maui~post 271 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 273 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: wrap up & random thoughts~post 267 …& Not Maui~March 9: early morning sail in & whales~post 280 …& Not Maui~March 9: patters, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 281 …& Not Maui~March 9: unexpected day at sea~post 285 …& Not Maui~March 9: DaVinci dinner~post 286 …& Not Maui~March 9: wrap up & random thoughts~post 291 Hilo~March 10: early morning, internet info, disembarkation in Hilo~post 296 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 1)~post 301 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 2)~post 307 Hilo~March 10: Kalakaua Park~post 310 Hilo~March 10: Mokupapapa Discovery Center~post 311 Hilo~March 10: Pacific Tsunami Museum~post 313 Hilo~March 10: around Hilo~post 314 Hilo~March 10: shopping & Farmers Market~post 315 Hilo~March 10: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 316 Hilo~March 10: sail-away~post 319 Hilo~March 10: DaVinci dinner~post 320 Hilo~March 10: wrap up & random thoughts~post 321 Sea Day~March 11: another day at sea~post 331 Sea Day~March 11: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 332 Sea Day~March 11: formal night & DaVinci dinner~post 333 Sea Day~March 11: wrap up & random thoughts~post 334 Sea Day~March 12: more moments at sea~post 339 Sea Day~March 12: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 340 Sea Day~March 12: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 341 Sea Day~March 12: wrap up & random thoughts~post 342 Sea Day~March 13: a day of surprises~post 354 Sea Day~March 13: DaVinci lunch~post 356 Sea Day~March 13: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 357 Sea Day~March 13: Sabatini’s~post 359 Sea Day~March 13: evening entertainment~post 360 Sea Day~March 13: wrap up & random thoughts~post 361 Sea Day~March 14: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 364 Sea Day~March 14: formal night, captain's circle cocktail party, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 372 Sea Day~March 14: wrap up & random thoughts~post 373 Sea Day~March 15: one last day at sea~post 374 Sea Day~March 15: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 375 Sea Day~March 15: wrap up & random thoughts~post 378 Ensenada~March 16: staying onboard in por~post 403 Ensenada~March 16: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 404 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Plaza (5) deck~post 405 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Fiesta (6) deck~post 406 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Promenade (7) deck~post 407 Ensenada~March 16: DaVinci dinner~post 408 Ensenada~March 16: wrap up & random thoughts~post 409 Return Home~March 17: one last morning on the Crown~post 412 Return Home~March 17: disembarkation~post 417 Back Home~Things to Think About: back to real life~post 429 Back Home~Things to Think About: the joys of Hawai’ian cruises~post 430

Back Home~Things to Think About The Joys of Hawai’ian Cruises We do really love the Hawai’ian itineraries, but with this being the 3rd for me & 5th for sissy & BIL, we love them for different reasons than the first couple. The sea days have always, for us, been a draw to these cruises (you really have to love sea days for this to work for you as ⅔ of the trip is at sea). Arriving in Hawai’i there is now less of an urgency to see & do things, it is tempting when being in a port for only part of one day, to try to squeeze in as much as possible into the short shore time you have. Now, even though there are still many things I would like to see & do, it is less urgent & feels more relaxed & able to just enjoy the islands, the people we meet & what this trip has to offer. In all likelihood, we will be back & able to see more next trip. Neither way of seeing the islands on a cruise is wrong, it is just different. This trip two of our three port days were just wandering & seeing what there was to see. I am grateful to Renee @cr8tiv1 for all her wonderful suggestions for Hilo (although I still have enough left for at least one more visit)! With so much of the Hawai’ian itinerary being about the cruise (even more so with missing half of our ports), a lot of my thoughts about this trip are about the ship board experience. Hawai’i is a beautiful destination & I sort of feel like you can’t go wrong whatever you do there. On the ship, there were a few things that kept coming up, that I decided to leave to talk about as a group rather than each time it came up: one of those things was the Crown Princess herself; food & dining gets its own whole category as it is such a big part of cruising; & our Hawai’ian Ambassadors, @Elua Tiki Dave & Leialoha, made the cruise so much more enjoyable. List of my posts in this LIVE: Introduction~post 1 Pre-cruise: packing~post 10 Pre-cruise: booking & trip prep~post 29 Pre-cruise: last day stuff & weather~ post 43 Embarkation Day~March 2: good morning, looking forward to boarding~post 67 Embarkation. Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Star (19), Sky (18) & Sport (17) decks aft~post 69 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Sun Deck (16) with Sports & Sky Decks midship & forward~post 70 Embarkation Day~March 2: exploring the Crown Princess~Lido Deck (15)~post 75 Embarkation Day~March 2: back to the cabin~Aloha Deck (12)~post 78 Embarkation Day~March 2: the papers & the patter~post 89 Embarkation Day~March 2: DaVinci dinner~post 104 Embarkation Day~March 2: wrap up & random thoughts~post 114 Sea Day~March 3: good (very early) morning~post 142 Sea Day~March 3: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 147 Sea Day~March 3: mid-morning adventures~post 148 Sea Day~March 3: lunch & a (mostly) lazy afternoon~post 149 Sea Day~March 3: DaVinci dinner~post 150 Sea Day~March 3: wrap up & random thoughts~post 151 Sea Day~March 4: a (not so early) morning & DaVinci breakfast~post 167 Sea Day~March 4 buffet lunch & afternoon adventures~post 172 Sea Day~March 4: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 173 Sea Day~March 4: DaVinci dinner & evening~post 175 Sea Day~March 4: wrap up & random thoughts~post 176 Sea Day~March 5: another relaxing day & Salty Dog Grill lunch~post 204 Sea Day~March 5: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 205 Sea Day~March 5: formal night, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 206 Sea Day~March 5: wrap up & random thoughts~post 208 Sea Day~March 6: another beautiful morning~post 216 Sea Day~March 6: pub lunch & elite tea, oh my!~post 221 Sea Day~March 6: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 224 Sea Day~March 6: DaVinci dinner~post 225 Sea Day~March 6: wrap up & random thoughts~post 226 Honolulu~March 7: good morning, Honolulu~post 228 Honolulu~March 7: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 229 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting there~post 230 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~getting in~post 231 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~islands of polynesia~post 233 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~exploring the islands of polynesia~post 239 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~spending time in Samoa~post 240 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~enjoying the beauty~post 241 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Gateway Buffet~post 249 Honolulu~March 7: Polynesian Cultural Center~Ha Breath of Life show, maps & flyers, thoughts~post 252 Honolulu~March 7: onboard the Crown~post 253 Honolulu~March 7: exploring the Crown Princess~Gala Deck (4)~post 254 Honolulu~March 7: wrap up & random thoughts~post 261 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: adventures in Honolulu~post 263 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 266 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: leaving for Maui~post 271 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 273 Not Kauai; More Honolulu~March 8: wrap up & random thoughts~post 267 …& Not Maui~March 9: early morning sail in & whales~post 280 …& Not Maui~March 9: patters, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 281 …& Not Maui~March 9: unexpected day at sea~post 285 …& Not Maui~March 9: DaVinci dinner~post 286 …& Not Maui~March 9: wrap up & random thoughts~post 291 Hilo~March 10: early morning, internet info, disembarkation in Hilo~post 296 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 1)~post 301 Hilo~March 10: Hilo historic downtown walking tour (part 2)~post 307 Hilo~March 10: Kalakaua Park~post 310 Hilo~March 10: Mokupapapa Discovery Center~post 311 Hilo~March 10: Pacific Tsunami Museum~post 313 Hilo~March 10: around Hilo~post 314 Hilo~March 10: shopping & Farmers Market~post 315 Hilo~March 10: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 316 Hilo~March 10: sail-away~post 319 Hilo~March 10: DaVinci dinner~post 320 Hilo~March 10: wrap up & random thoughts~post 321 Sea Day~March 11: another day at sea~post 331 Sea Day~March 11: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 332 Sea Day~March 11: formal night & DaVinci dinner~post 333 Sea Day~March 11: wrap up & random thoughts~post 334 Sea Day~March 12: more moments at sea~post 339 Sea Day~March 12: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 340 Sea Day~March 12: DaVinci dinner & a show~post 341 Sea Day~March 12: wrap up & random thoughts~post 342 Sea Day~March 13: a day of surprises~post 354 Sea Day~March 13: DaVinci lunch~post 356 Sea Day~March 13: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 357 Sea Day~March 13: Sabatini’s~post 359 Sea Day~March 13: evening entertainment~post 360 Sea Day~March 13: wrap up & random thoughts~post 361 Sea Day~March 14: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 364 Sea Day~March 14: formal night, captain's circle cocktail party, DaVinci dinner & a show~post 372 Sea Day~March 14: wrap up & random thoughts~post 373 Sea Day~March 15: one last day at sea~post 374 Sea Day~March 15: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 375 Sea Day~March 15: wrap up & random thoughts~post 378 Ensenada~March 16: staying onboard in por~post 403 Ensenada~March 16: patter, weather, progress & photo of the day~post 404 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Plaza (5) deck~post 405 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Fiesta (6) deck~post 406 Ensenada~March 16: exploring the Crown Princess~Promenade (7) deck~post 407 Ensenada~March 16: DaVinci dinner~post 408 Ensenada~March 16: wrap up & random thoughts~post 409 Return Home~March 17: one last morning on the Crown~post 412 Return Home~March 17: disembarkation~post 417 Back Home~Things to Think About: back to real life~post 429