Waimea'sMom

Just a quick note - I am on the Grand now and one day the Patter said the Wheelhouse was not open until 4:30. We had been going to Happy Hour each day but didn't go that day. Around 3:45 we walked by and the bar was packed with Happy Hour BOGO folks. So it appears to be every day regardless of what the Patter says, at least on the Grand.

On the Regal it was 2 coffee cards only.

So are people saying we can no longer swap out Cokes, etc. for Diet Cokes?

LuLu

Wow, that would be a shame. I always trade all my alcohol that isn't vodka for vodka, and all the non alcohol for 8 Diet Cokes.

Has anyone ever had luck getting one of the credit card folding knives onboard?

I often like to have an apple with cheese or Biscoff instead for dinner and had a paring knife confiscated from me on a cruise - as the butter knives are useless for cutting apples. Perhaps I will buy a Swiss Army knife with a large enough blade and try putting that in my toiletries bag.

I am glad to hear about these and hope to get some charms for a Pandora bracelet on my upcoming cruise. :)

For the past 8 consecutive years, the average age of a Princess passenger, fleetwide, year round has been 58.

 

For the past 8 consecutive years, the average age of a HAL passenger, fleetwide, year round has been 57.

Wow, I stand corrected. I am really surprised about that, I thought HAL would be at least 5-10 years older than Princess. I am just curious - where did you get those statistics? I am not questioning their validity, just curious.

This was posted on cruise critic a few years ago. I cannot attest to its accuracy, but I have read before that of the major non-luxury cruise lines, the average age of passengers on Princess tends to be the highest.

 

From another CC string:

 

Passenger ages vary somewhat by sailing, but usually they are as follows:

Carnival Cruise Line: 0 - 45 years of age

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: 25 - 55 years of age

Crystal Cruise Line: 55+ years of age

Celebrity Cruise Line: 35 - 64 years of age

Norwegian Cruise Line: 27 - 56 years of age

Holland America Cruises: 30 - 60 years of age

Princess Cruise Line: 35 to 65 years of age

That is interesting if that is the case. I have only been on Holland America once but I recall it being much older than Princess' demographic. I also would have thought that Crystal would skew slightly older than Princess - but that might just be my assumption based upon their cost.

The oldest passengers I ever saw were on our Asia cruise on Princess. The average age on that one was easily 65 or so, with myself being the youngest person I ever saw onboard that was not crew - and I'm 41 (was in my 30s then). I never saw so many walkers, scooters and wheelchairs as I did on that cruise. I was so glad that my mom (who is extremely fit for her age) was able to do these cruises while she has no mobility difficulties. I did applaud those folks for going though -- it was a long flight and a lot of intensive shore excursions.

I do think that age often is just a number though -- my 75 year old mother in law can out speed walk me with little to no effort. Between she and my mom (who does a few miles a day on the treadmill), I say don't play the older folks cheap. Both never take the elevators on the ship unless they are going up at least seven decks either -- I don't either but I do it begrudgingly. :)

Preach all you want. But now that you've had a chance to get something off the chest, I know you won't mind if I do the same.

 

I've heard many say that those who do not like the current formal rules are a part of a 'me generation' and are only interested in themselves and what they want. If you stop and think a bit, you might see that those who make this argument are really taking a position that they accuse others of taking. One persons says I don't want to dress up and the other says but I want you too. How can you accuse one of being a part of the 'me generation' and not the other when both are insisting that what they want is what must be?

 

Respect works both ways. I respect your desire to dress up and enjoy a good meal. If one believes in respecting others, then one must respect their wishes even if they are not what you want. I do not think I can be respectful of another while I'm insisting that they adhere to my wishes.

I could not agree more! I don't like dressing up, but my mother does. So when I cruise with her, I bring formal attire. My spouse hates dressing up, so when it is just the two of us, we leave it at home. But the one constant is that I don't eat in the dining room on formal night unless I am dressed up. My spouse and I just get pizza, buffet or room service on those nights. I respect the rules enough to adhere to them.

That being said - for the life of me, I don't care what the person next to me is wearing. It in no way has an effect on my enjoyment of my meal. And I do think the formal wear fans do impose their wishes of those in casual attire - and vice versa. You folks would really freak out if you saw some of the outfits on the weekend RCCL cruises I have seen. One woman wore a bra and skirt go the dining room. That's it - just a bra and skirt.

But I still remember when you were told not to even be out on the ship if not in formal wear. I would always rush back to the cabin to get out of whatever ill-fitting taffeta dress and painful heels my mother forced me to wear - only to know that meant I was in for the night.

Believe me, if you were to demonstrate that you wanted to remain in your Cone of Silence, I wouldn't bother to talk to you. There's a difference between sitting at a table for two and incessantly chattering with the table next to you and an exchange of pleasantries. I guess I will in the future be prepared to have my head bit off if I say a word.

 

In case you haven't noticed, the tables for two are not private. As uncomfortable as some people feel when they are spoken to during their 'private' dinner, I would feel just as uncomfortable not acknowledging someone...especially when I have to squeeze by them to sit down. Really if you value your privacy that much, you shouldn't be eating in a restaurant unless you request a private dining room.

 

This may be the most perfect answer...

Hmm, if you had bothered to read my posts on this subject in this thread, I made it clear that I am never rude - always greet people wth a hello or pleasantries and have often been dragged into conversations with people because I don't want to be rude. I just asked why talkers don't simply sit at a joint table. I still don't have an answer. There are FAR more privacy concerned folks in this thread than me. I am not sure why I was the subject of your rant but okay. :)

I think it depends on the ship, some are worse than others. The tables for two were super close (if I recall correctly) on the Diamond and Sapphire. I have also had hit and miss on the Star and Golden -- some of the tables are fine and others are close enough to borrow each other's salt. I usually make a habit of finding the tables I like on the first or second day, then when I go to anytime dining at breakfast or lunch I will often request those table numbers specifically.

I've found that when we sat at a table for 2, often the waiters waited till all the nearby tables were seated and kept us in tandem. We couldn't speed them up even if we decided to skip a course. We'd wait till the nearby tables had finished the course we'd skipped.

I have had the same experience on two different cruises. My family rarely has more than one or two courses - usually just an appetizer and soup or one entree with no accompaniment. At dinner we were waiting for close to an hour to get our entrees, even though that is all we ordered, because the waiter was grouping our tables with others. (We did get moved to another table after it happened on two consecutive nights -- and our pleas to the waiter to not serve us on the same schedule were ignored).

It also happened to me at lunch once where there was a long row of two seater tables and the waiter grouped all of us together. Again we were waiting only for an entree and had to wait while others had soup, salad or appetizers. We didn't complain that day though three or four other groups of two did (loudly!) to the head waiter.

It has been a rare occurrence for me, but has happened...not often enough to be the rule, but a table for two is no guarantee that you will be served on your own schedule.

Can one of you folks that likes to chat please explain to me then WHY you choose to sit at a table for two? I'm not begrudging you being friendly, but if so many people on this forum are adamant that they do NOT want to chat with you -- we can debate about whether that is rude or not -- it seems to me that the tables for two are expressly that, tables for TWO.

As I mentioned earlier, I will never be rude to you -- and even beyond the polite smile and hello, I will maintain the conversation. But if I had wanted to chat with strangers, I would not have asked the head waiter for a "table for two only." I would not have gotten to anytime dining when it opened to get said table. I would not have waited at breakfast or lunch along the side of the door when he tells us we will have to wait a moment because right now it is "sharing only."

I'm not begrudging you folks from taking a table for two -- you are entitled to any table in the dining room, as am I. I just want to know why the heck you want one when you feel that you wish to engage others around you in conversation -- particularly when their actions should lead you to believe that are not interested in participating. Wouldn't the shared table be a better fit, thereby allowing us antisocial folks our privacy and you friendly folks the banter you seek?

Okay, what is "little" Korbel?

It is a miniature bottle of sparkling wine, aka a "split." - 187ml

On the Grand last month, if you asked, they would leave any drinks purchased by the bottle unopened and let you take them back to the cabin...

Yay!

BOGO little bottle of Korbel!! Life just keeps getting better. ;)

It is sad how happy this is making me. My mom actually did a little dance when I told her. :)

Ooh, if you can get the Korbel champagne split unopened, my mom and I are going to be working this deal on the Grand and Pacific! :)

I have to say I am actually a very shy introvert. This is despite having had a career as a litigator in court. I am fine with speeches and speaking in public, but much more introverted in a personal setting.

I prefer a table for two only because I do not want to engage in uncomfortable small talk with strangers. I will never be rude to you - and I do believe whichever table is seated first should say hello to the people that arrive later, but if I wanted a communal discussion I would ask for a shared table.

Not all of us are rude or snobbish, some of us are just not extroverted "people" people. I would recommend some folks here read this article on introverts so the next time one of us politely greets you and then goes back to our own conversation you won't assume we are rude.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/physical-behavior-of-introverts_n_6069438.html

I agree with the suggestion for a helicopter tour as boat and air are the only way to see the Na Pali Coast -- the most beautiful part of the island. If that is not feasible or too expensive, there are a number of other spots you can visit with a rental car, such as Waimea Canyon, Poipu, the North Shore, the town of Kapa'a, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

CROWN PRINCESS - EMBARKATION DELAY

Please be advised that Crown Princess' return to the Port of Los Angeles has been delayed due to an extreme medical emergency. Embarkation

for your cruise will now occur on Sunday, November 16. Out-of-town guests with independent air should either reschedule their flights, or

arrange for accommodation for one night in Los Angeles. All guests will receive a one-day per diem in recognition of the missed cruise day and

to offset any extra expenses incurred. Due to the delayed departure, we will no longer call to Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, November 18. In light

of the revised itinerary, all guests will receive a refundable credit of $50 per person applied to your onboard folio, as well as a Future Cruise

Credit of 20% of the cruise fare paid, which can be used on any future Princess cruise booked before the end of 2015. Please disregard the

attached itinerary, which does not yet reflect these changes.

Additional embarkation time details will be provided as they become available. We look forward to welcoming you aboard Crown Princess.

Thank you for your attention to this notification.

The most important thing is the welfare of the sick individual. I do think that Princess was pretty generous in compensating folks on the next cruise though. We missed Maui on one of our Hawaii cruises due to being diverted for a couple of days to assist in a man overboard situation and we got a glass of wine. I don't mean that as a complaint (I know it sounds that way) - I mean it to say while I understand the disappointment of the embarking passengers, at least Princess gave you monetary compensation for your lost port. Hopefully you will enjoy the remainder of your cruise. When you cruise long enough you see things happen - ports get cancelled sometimes and when they do, is what it is.

Any shopping outlets in Waikiki/Honolulu? Heard that prices are high in general in Hawaii, hoping that we can find some good bargains. :)

 

Thanks!

In addition to the swap meet at Aloha stadium, there are is the Waikele outlets in Waipahu but it is not Honolulu or Waikiki. You can usually get a bus to them for about $10 - sometimes near the Duke Kahanamoku statue in Waikiki. It is a bus shuttle that I think us run by the outlet center. I don't know if a public bus goes out there - but you can take buses all the way to North Shore and Kaneohe so you probably can. That would only be $2.50.

For souvenirs, as crazy as it sounds, Costco and Walmart are cheapest - ABC stores are easiest.

A thank you for sharing this. Unfortunately my spouse has to work on Veterans Day so we might only use the Claim Jumper one on Monday but thank you for letting us know. :)

Hello Eleanor,

Thank you for the information. This is good to know. Do you recall if Ala Moana has some upscale stores as well? I have been there too many years ago and really don't remember what kind of stores are there. We are on a cruise in December and I am trying to combine beach with shopping, which is one stop, Ala Moana, I believe. Please advise. Thank you.

There are many upscale stores - both department stores (Nordstrom, etc.) and small stores that are quite high end - all mixed in with typical mall stores. Ala Moana beach is also just across the street from the mall. It is much less crowded than the more popular Waikiki beach. But the bus system is wonderful and the 8, 19, 20, 42 and others will all take you between Waikiki (more shopping there too) and the mall. Many buses will leave right from near the pier as well.

Bonine is great. I don't take it every day - only in particularly rough seas but it works wonderfully. If you can, choose the swallow version instead of the chewable - which has a bad baby aspirin aftertaste.

Just my thoughts re laundry on "Elite heavy" cruises:

 

* there should be no free laundry for cruises of 5 days or less

* Princess should only provide 3 bags per elite cabin on 14 day cruise - a surcharge should be applied for additional bags

* although it would be difficult to do anything about the perks given to 45 day Vs 150 day elites, it would certainly reduce the demand for the ship's laundry service. (Perhaps it's time to level the playing field and/or restructure the loyalty program?)

I think three per cabin for 14 days is a little stringent. Three bags per elite passenger on a 14 day cruise is fine by me though. That is probably about what my mom and I each average on a 15 day cruise - a bag each every five days or so. I already don't like having to sacrifice my minibar setup on our sailings because we room together - I would hate to be restricted from a bag every five days for the same reason.

It is a shame they have cut back so much on the Hawaii cruises. We like to do the first one in December out if San Pedro (so we don't have to fly) but this year they only have the one on 12/18. :(

No, I have never seen them but we always bring a box or two of the Coffeemate chocolate creamers to make our own mochas.