travelin.sisters

odds are probably about the same as missing half our ports🤣 they would have done it the day I called, but we had it later it is nice that they do the pub lunch in the MDR because you don't have to stand in line forever to get one of limited numbers of seats...too much eating to do....so very many choices!

Sea Day~March 6 Pub Lunch & Elite Tea, Oh My! Somehow, I didn’t plan very well & ordered my sissy’s elite tea delivery on the same day as pub lunch. Oh well, we are seasoned cruisers & will not be defeated by two large british meals in one afternoon! We arrived for pub lunch about half an hour before they opened & the line was all the way into the Casino. Fortunately they started seating even before opening time & we were seated really quickly. The waiter couldn’t find our lunch pre-oader (because of allergies) but was able to get our order & our food served very fast. As we were eating he mentioned it was good we were among the first because there was a long line of waiters trying to pickup fish & chips as it was the most popular entree. We ended up being only a couple of minutes late for ‘ukulele. Starter: chunky yellow split pea soup (kind of ugly, but delicious) Entrees: fish & chips (not great…the fish was tough & it was more like a tempura batter than what I expect of a fish & chips batter), scotch egg (my sissy said she would eat it again) Desserts: bread & butter pudding (good), sherry trifle (good, could taste the sherry), jam roly poly (this one was strange…it was like they took a slice of crustless whit bread & rolled it flat, then put jam in the middle, rolled it up & sprinkled it with sugar & toasted it…it was very sweet) Tea was very impressive. When I called they asked what type of tea from a pretty decent list, if she wanted juice, milk &/or sugar…we did not know what to expect & were pretty amazed when the person arrived bringing multiple trays of goodies. I guess unlike the canapes, they thought she would share her tea as there were two cups (but only one juice) & enough food that three of us could not eat it all. We put all the food on two trays just to show how much there was Tea with milk, lemon & artificial sweeteners, apple juice Tuna, egg, smoked salmon & one other kind of sandwich Two kinds of scones with jam & butter (or clotted cream) A lot of cookies Cream puff swans & opera cakes 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

you are welcome, I would love to be going on that cruise, we were supposed to do Hawai'i, Tahiti & Samoa in March 2020 but...

you are more than welcome, I am a planner, so I also like having as much detail as possible before I go...even knowing that things are always changing

Sea Day~March 6 Another Beautiful Morning Because of the time change, I was up early again so went down to the International Cafe to see if they had any pistachio croissants (sadly, they never have them in the buffet). On the way I stopped at the customer service desk (it was empty but someone came out of the office as I approached). I said that in the app, I had requested a handheld shower head & we were ok without it, but I was wondering if they really were available.She said that it was not a problem, took the room number & said it would not be right away. I believe we had the showerhead before lunch, but I know it was that day. The showerhead is delightful! Not only can you take it off the holder & direct the spray wherever you wish, It also, when on the holder, rains down from the center of the shower stall which is so much nicer in that tiny shower. It is adjustable with several settings & has a switch to turn off the water flow. Since we are on the subject of Princess showers, my sister loves the way you can set the temperature separately from turning the shower on & off (then the temp is the same every time you shower) so much that when we redid their bathroom last year it had to have that feature. Breakfast was in the buffet again. The buffet is almost completely self-service now. On our recent cruises last year, we got used to things in single serving dishes. Now those have basically vanished for big serve-your-own dishes. Even things that were served in’ the days before’ are self-serve…there is a big toasting machine to toast your own bread, bagels, etc...bacon & eggs, oatmeal…even the carving station at lunch, they now will carve a bunch & leave it to serve yourself. There is also no one at the entrance to the buffet, telling people to use sanitizer & handing out plates. This is just one of several areas where it becomes apparent that staffing is not what it once was. On the way to the buffet, I noticed that the pools on either side of the central Lido deck elevators were open & there were even people swimming that early…it is obviously getting warmer as we approach Hawai’i. The Stanley Bears even changed into their warm weather clothes & hung out on the balcony. In crafting class, I finally got my popcorns done & started adding the fluff. While we were there there was an emergency announcement for some crew team to report to the Horizon Court Galley. Not long after, Captain Ruggero, who always apologizes for disturbing us, wanted to let us know that there was a problem with a solenoid in the kitchen that created some smoke, but that it was handled. He really is good about communicating at least some details about what is happening. 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

Yes, the director of restaurant whatever guy said the contract expired & he didn't expect they would renew it, so that makes sense

the least evpensive way is to pre-order 1 or more 12 packs of .5L bottles for about $7 onboard they are $2 each 1.5L bottles are $3.95

they are 7:30 & 9:30, but there are many other evening events as well...the Patters are all posted (or will be as I get to each day) so you can see the whole schedule

Sea Day~March 5 Wrap Up & Random Thoughts Once again we turned our clocks back an hour & gained an extra hour’s sleep (I am not looking forward to losing three hours on the trip home (two for the time difference & one for daylight savings time). Here are the lunch menus from today I forgot to post I think that’s it for our 3rd sea day! 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 Formal Night, DaVinci Dinner & a Show Even the little bears got dressed for formal night. Canapes were delivered at 3:15 which seems way too early. They tasted fine, but were not very impressive in any way (CC was right again, but we had to try them at least once). I think fewer people eat in the MDR on formal nights, but for whatever reason, we were able to get our table when we arrived. We are very close to Club Class Dining & whatever special thing they were having smelled very much (& deliciously) of garlic. Neither my BIL or sister knew anything about CC (or is it Reserve now?) dining & are now wondering if that is what they want in the future. There were more men in suits than on my last couple of cruises, but the usual range of attire for formal night. Starters: bacon potato soup, duck liver pate, crab & monterey jack cheese quiche, seared walnut crusted goat cheese & greens (all good) Entrees: roasted red snapper with yellow bell pepper bisque (snapper was overcooked, but sauce was really good), medallion of beef tenderloin (excellent & cooked to the doneness ordered) Desserts: gourmandises (the little plate of bite size goodies the waiter brings without you ordering, like the Elite canapes, ok but never really exciting). chocolate hazelnut bar with citrus creme (this is my absolute favorite of the old chocolate journey desserts & I am so glad they haven’t ruined it yet), chocolate chip & banana brioche pudding (delicious), vanilla ice cream with pineapple sauce This was the first night we went to the theater. I am not a big fan of comedians or concerts, but I have heard excellent things about all the evening entertainment from fellow guests. Disco: Blame it on the Boogie was the first production show of the cruise & the cast is excellent. I miss the days of a storyline for the shows rather than just musical numbers around a theme, but it was a very good show. I was surprised to see that drink service has returned to the theater. We went through the casino to get back to our room, & I thought it was not as smoky, until...we got inthe elevator & I started coughing from all the smoke caught in my mask (yes we are among those few who are still wearing masks. 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 Patter, Weather, Progress & Photo of the Day The weather continued to get warmer & seas were lovely as we sailed closer & closer to Hawai’i. The ocean was bright blue & beautiful. We were sadly looking at rain for all our port days in Hawai'i. but at least we would be there. Time for another video as the photo of the day. 2023-03-05 11.26.01.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 Another Relaxing Day & Salty Dog Grill Lunch So the third sea day means we are over halfway to Hawai’i & are getting a routine. We went to the buffet for breakfast again. One note: I had read a thread about no longer having omelet tickets in the buffet…on the Crown, they actually have laminated cards with numbers on them to give out. This is a nice savings of paper & time over writing two slips & giving the passenger one...funny thing this morning the lady taking my omelet order tried to give me the written order & keep the laminated card. At crafting, I continued to crochet popcorns while my craft friends were finishing & starting new projects. In ‘ukulele we got our song books for the rest of the class. Since it was getting warmer, we decided to eat outside at the Salty Dog Grill. I had posted the menu with my Lido deck tour, so I didn't take another photo of it. I also apparently didn’t take photos of our food (think hamburger, chicken sandwich on a bun, hotdog & fries & you pretty much have it). Every ship I have been on does the Salty Dog Grill differently: not the menu, but the way they serve. The Crown does it well, there is someone outside the cooking area who takes your order & gives you a buzzer. You can go sit down & when you buzzer goes off, you return & they give you your food. There are condiments on the side to add to your dish. Oru food was done almost as soon as we sat down. All of our sandwiches were good, but the fries were only ok (I was sad about this because on other ships they have been good enough that I have gone just for the fries). I saw one pool open that day. I did not think it was warm enough to be laying by the pool, but many people did. There were not a lot of tans in that group, so maybe they mostly come from places where it is really too cold to lay out.. 2023-03-05 12.06.38.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

I don't have any idea...on our roll call we had everything from 1st to 10th Hawai'i cruise...I have probably more first time Hawai'i cruisers than multi-time...you have to love seadays for this to be your thing shower info & photos coming...now that we are back to seadays I will be back to the report I don't think a cruise to Alaska would be very fun right now internet info also collected & coming...look for it in the Hilo day report this is Ruby's bracelet, I think she has more than one cruise's worth of charms on hers...some cruises they just handed them out outside the store, our last cruise where my sissy wanted to collect all of them, they made us come in the (very overcrowded & undercooled) store & listen to their spiel before giving them out. ..my favorite was the Stanley bear charm...when I first started cruising Princess, they gave out earrings & necklaces. we diid not have any sorry, I don't really drink so no photos of any...I have seen photos of the dirty banana around this forum, but I don't remember where. Mahalo to everyone who kept this going & hung around while I was galivanting on the islands (well, half of them)...now that we are back to seadays I will get back to the report...although the internet has been surprisingly good I am having trouble getting my photos to upload from my phone to my laptop, but if they don't by morning will come up with a work around...

swells are too bad for the tender operations...it might be my favorite port, but that's cruising

the captain just announced after we were tied up & tenders were launched that we will not be going ashore in Lahaina

Sea Day~March 4 Wrap Up & Random Thoughts Sometime during the day (I don't remember actually when), I called to see about my sister getting Elite canapes for Formal Night & afternoon tea for the day after. They asked a few questions about what type of tea she wanted & said they would send the canape request form to be returned to the room steward…I forgot to take a photo of the order form before we returned but we filled it out & hung it on the door knob before we went to bed. The last thing for the day was to watch the Wake Show (I am glad they gave up the pretense that it is actually filmed the morning of & are now posting it earlier the evening before…gives me an idea of the next day). I have mixed feelings about the new cruise director, Olivia (who I have only seen on the Wake Show & introducing productions). I like that she is not as over-the-top energetic/loud as some, but her corny jokes get a little silly. I do like the Crown’s wake shows, they are longer than the last ship I was on & has actual useful info about the next day & this cruise rather than just the corporate prepackaged stuff & spa, Effy & art sales ‘commercials.' While on the TV, I discovered that Tiki Dave’s destination lectures were available but the other enrichment talks were not (yay & boo). For me, every cruise has a different feel. Some are very active trying to get to all the offerings, others are more laid back, some we do every port, or we may mostly stay on the ship. Our last cruise, we weren't interested in most of the ports & my sissy decided she wanted to collect all the charms for the Effy charm bracelet, so we planned our days around that activity. One (of many) advantage of the Hawai’i itinerary is that even if you board exhausted &/or frazzled, you have 4 days at sea to relax & recover before the islands where you might run for 4 days. This cruise I have really needed these sea days of doing not much to be ready for the islands. I have not done much other than Hawai’ian crafts, ‘ukulele & relaxing. Oh & eating…there is always lots of eating on any cruise. I know some people feel a cruise is a waste if you don’t fill every minute with all the activities you can, but that is the great thing about cruising there is no ‘right’ way to do it…it can be what each of us want/need it to be. As always on a cruise, I have met a number of lovely people & even have a new, little group of crafting friends to crochet with. Unlike some cruises, I have met very few angry, complaint-filled people which is nice. …& that’s a wrap for our second sea day. & so, for now, I will say to you a hui hou. 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 DaVinci Dinner & Evening Day 3 in the cruise long tale of dining room reservations: since we had been told that our table would be ready at our assigned time going forward & we could just go to it, we attempted to do this. However, it was not & we could not (well I guess we could have stood behind the people still using it until they got up & left). The hostess went to check & came back & asked if we would wait a few minutes & then we would figure out what to do. After another 20 minutes, I went back to talk to her & she checked & said they were done with dessert but drinking coffee. At this point I was ready for any table they could give us or to go somewhere else to eat. I said to her (I think calmly) that one of my people was diabetic & that they had taken their medication based on being able to eat at our reserved time & needed to have food. They were able to give us a table in another section right away & find our order from our headwaiter (or whatever his new title is…’fancy jacket guy’?). I am very frustrated that I am left to feel like I am being unreasonable for wanting to have the reservations we were given on the first day (to say nothing of the reservations I made months ago) honored without waiting an indeterminate length of time each night…at this point I have pretty much given up on getting the same table each night on this cruise & will settle for getting a table when we arrive each night (sad that those have to be the best we can do for expectations). Starters: crab cake w/tomato carpaccio, fettuccine alfredo…the alfredo was again a great disappointment…last cruise it was incredibly dry & gummy…this was a good consistency, but pretty much the only flavor was an unpleasantly strong saltiness…neither of us who ordered it could finish it (ok I guess technically we could have, but it didn't seem worth it to consume that mucy salt for something that didn't taste good, so we decided not to). Entrees: seared diver scallops, cowboy striploin steak…both were delicious, although my BIL often comments that Princess must think people who eat seafood are all on diets as those portions tend to be smaller. Desserts: mango gelato, chocolate & caramel tart…the various gelatos are always a refreshing end to the meal when nothing else appeals, since the love boat dream is no longer a palatable option…the chocolate & caramel tart was not so good. I apparently did not take photos of these Speaking of the love boat dream…a little after dinner my BIL called that he had received a room service delivery. This is the 2nd unexpected room service delivery he has received this cruise (the first was on embarkation day…3 slices cheese cake & 2 bowls of some kind of chocolate mousse with chocolate chips…when we asked why hd didn’t tell them he didn’t order it, he said he thought maybe I did…for clarity he is in what is technically/officially my room as he likes to watch TV at all hours & my sister would rather sleep so…). When we asked this time why he hadn’t told them he didn’t order it, he said he did, but they insisted that it was for him. I went over to investigate & discovered…2 plates with something that looked very much like the love boat dream of old! This is what I think happened…at our meet & greet, I spoke with the director of restaurant operations, Mariusz Czemarmazowicz, about how sad the new love boat dream was compared to the original. I didn’t expect him to do anything about it except hopefully pass the comment on to whoever makes the menu decisions. He told me it was probably due to the contract with Norman Love having ended & not being renewed (although some of the original Norman Love desserts are still the same), but they could probably do something similar. He took my room number & I thought that was the end of it. But now there were two ‘something similars’ delivered to my room (btw, they were delicious)! 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 Patter, Weather, Progress & Photo of the Day Weather has warmed up & seas are calming down…a nice crossing so far. 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 Buffet Lunch & Afternoon Adventure For lunch, we tend to try a variety of venues (one of the realities of cruising, at least Princess cruising, is that what was true on a different ship, or even the same ship earlier many not be true this cruise). For different cruises the places that are really good are different. Today we moved from the International Cafe to the Horizon Court Buffet for lunch. In order to get to ‘ukulele early enough to find seating, we went about 11:30 & only one side of the buffet was open when we arrived. I found the salad bar very nice & was happy with mostly that for lunch. My BIL was disappointed that the dish he chose labeled as pasta was actually undercooked gnocchi, but enjoyed his lunch otherwise. My poor sister went through & couldn’t find anything that she was sure would be safe to eat so I asked for someone to help her…the server got a ‘tall chef hat guy’ (I am not sure with all the title changes on Princess what they are actually called.) who was able to direct her to several items she could eat & enjoy. It is hard having an allergy to something that is used to season so many dishes, often without warning. Although the weather was warming up, it still felt too cool to eat outside & there were no tables available, so we ended up walking across to the closed section. While we were eating a lady came in with one of the new fancy desserts from the packages. As I was trying to inconspicuously take a photo of it, she noticed & brought it over for me to snap. I know many on CC (& I agree) find these a strange addition, especially as an premium benefit, to the Princess menu, however she was delighted & this was already her second (she made sure we knew it was to share) of the cruise. Other passengers in the buffet were also excited about this item. Next, off to ‘ukulele early to get good seats (it is much easier to play sitting in a normal height chair than a tall barstool). We were not successful in this as there was an Effy presentation going on. As an aside, you would think, at the price of their jewelry, they could hire someone who could make the talk about color, clarity, carats & cut & the different stones they are featuring interesting rather than sounding like they are reading a script someone else has written (even if they are)....this is not specifically about the person doing it on this cruise, because I have heard parts of the same talk on other ships & it was an equally dull presentation. ‘Ukulele began with handing out instruments that had been turned back in to people on the waitlist & we were ready for some new chords & our second song! 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

The range on formal night is men: anywhere from a short sleeve collared shirt to tux...on this cruise in the MDR most were in some kind of jacket (suit or sport coat) women: can pretty much get away with anything but sparkly top & dress pants to full formal gowns...this cruise mostly nicer evening dresses (we have finally found a couple of very comfortable long dresses that pack easily) you need to know how to do a chain & a single crochet...I have never crocheted much & was never good at it & its been probably 30 years since I have done any, so if you were to make a scarf or even a dish cloth with those two stitches before sailing, you would be good for the craft class (if you are sailing with Tiki Dave & Leialoha as your Hawai'ian Ambassadors...I don't know what the other teams do for crafts...we did the straw leis on our last cruise) we love the convenience of sailing from home & having port-working family members to 'play taxi' for us

we were overnight in Honolulu. but it was a last minute change because the ship couldn't get into Kauai so they added an extra day in Honolulu...I do look forward to your review as that sounds like a great way to see the islands!

Sea Day~March 4 A (Not So Early) Morning & DaVinci Breakfast By the second sea day I was feeling more acclimated & settled & was able to sleep in a bit. The evening before our waiter had told my sister that they will make eggs benedict any morning in the MDR, so that was where we headed. First, I made her stop at the customer service desk to find out why her minibar had not been exchanged & why crew chat did not work on her phone. The crew chat problem was fixed by logging out & back into her account…which then necessitated once again logging her into my internet plan. Logging into her account on the app is a little frustrating to me, because Princess has screwed up her Medallion account so it can only be accessed by using her booking number…her user ID & password that get her logged into her Princess website account do not work for the app. The CS lady was able to do this for us & she now on the third day has crew chat. She then called room service who said they had a list of minibars needing changed out & hoped to get to them all that day…I wonder what percentage of people change out their mini bar? It seems like this is something that could be preordered on the app so that they wouldn’t have to deliver & then change out a so many setups that is so long it takes several days to fulfill. Now on to the MDR (DaVinci) for breakfast. Seating was a snap, but then there was quite a wait to order. The couple sitting next to us had to ask for their order again. They said they had been seated first of all the diners, but many others were served before they were. We were taken care of relatively promptly, but after people who we seated after us. My sister had the eggs benedict she wanted (she thought the hollandaise was ‘interesting’ & would like to have them once on the way back but not more frequently than that), I had an omelet & bacon, & we both picked something from the pastry tray they passed around. My sister is a milk drinker (good for the bones as we age) & ordering milk on Princess ships is always interesting, sometimes it is a tiny juice glass full or partially, sometimes two of those, sometimes a bigger glass, once it had ice in it (on this ship she has been asked several times if she wants warm or cold milk)...this morning she got 2 small glasses from the person who took her beverage order & a then a large one from our waiter. Breakfast over, I went to work on my crochet lei & visit with my new crafting group. After unraveling my work maybe six times between the first class & this one, I was finally satisfied I knew what I was doing & making some slow progress (I had completely forgotten how to do a single crochet the evening before & had to look it up on the internet). Some of the group had finished the popcorn stage of the project & were ready to learn the next step where we added the green fluff around them, while I was less than a quarter done…oh well, I have until we reach Ensenada to get it finished. My last stop before heading back to the cabin (I guess I am supposed to call it a stateroom now?) was the International Cafe for cookies). The cookies were still in the oven & I asked again about peanut butter ones. I was told no ma'am, but then when I looked sad he asked a coworker who called somewhere & soon he sent me to sit down & said he would bring them to me. Next thing I know he returned with 4 peanut butter cookies on a saran covered plate. I guess I have made friends with the keeper of the peanut butter cookies…or at least someone with access to them…sad confession, on this ship at least, the always available oatmeal raisin cookies are better than the peanut butter ones. 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

Thank you I will enjoy reading about your trip once we are home & I am missing cruising. I have a whole section ablout doing the PCC from the ship to come when we get to that day. I would not be brave enough to go to the PCC on anything but a ship's cruise unless we were doing an overnight in Honolulu because it is really tight getting back to the ship before sailaway.

I am currently on an LA-Hawai'i cruise & am posting weather updates along with my live (which are a few days behind our actual progress). SF should start our the same amount cooler that the local weather is from ours (the first day was only slightly warmer than the port was as we boarded) but then should be somewhat similar (we left days after the big snow storm) as you get closer to the islands & back to Ensenada should be the same. we had a gorgeous day on Oahu yesterday inspite of drizzles & clouds as we sailed in...we are staying an extra day here as Nawiliwili, Kauai was cancelled because of weather conditions

they did, it was that morning, within a few hours, photos when I get to that part of the live