Star Princess to Hawaii: Random thoughts and observations

[cr8tiv1]

On our last day aboard in Ensenada, during the Wake Show, David Cole was mentioning that he was going on vacation beginning the next day. However, I just saw an interesting update on the Cruise Director's List thread here on CC. It says that David Cole will be on the Star through April 20th. Which totally contradicts what I had heard on the last day of our cruise. So, who knows. I hope he isn't leaving Princess, and that's he's just enjoying a well earned vacation right now.

 

"He has left the building" (Star Princess) and is home recovering after a grueling 5 months of being on call 24/7. You are correct. He is gone.

 

I do feel for those who will miss both Daves and Leialoha as the season winds down. ELUA will be missing a cruise or two as they transition to the Japan itinerary.

 

They have to love what they do to put in the hours and dedication to making this the very best, at sea, program. Princess...they deserve a raise and kudos.

[bonsai3s]

"until we meet again"............

 

We first met Dave Cole (and Elua) several years ago on the Golden Princess. It was one of best and our most memorable sailings...and have done it 4 times since.

 

We were also on the same wonderful cruise just last week on the Star Princess(also on Aloha deck).

 

It was difficult for all of us to see Dave getting genuinely emotional about leaving. He was getting choked up and cried a few times during the ukulele lessons, even when speaking to him, and obviously at the end of the hula/ukulele show...perhaps it is only appropriate to say......Mahalo Dave...."until we meet again". :)

[Jasperdo]

It was difficult for all of us to see Dave getting genuinely emotional about leaving. He was getting choked up and cried a few times during the ukulele lessons, even when speaking to him, and obviously at the end of the hula/ukulele show...perhaps it is only appropriate to say......Mahalo Dave...."until we meet again". :)

I noticed that, too. He got quite emotional a few times, even while giving his port talks. And I could see him choking up when Maunalua, during the Honolulu Local Show, said a special 'so long' to their friend David Cole, and sang their last song for him.

[caribill]

***Speaking of elevators - I feel that the elevators on the Grand Class ships are poorly designed..... The rear elevators are even worse, and it's been documented here on CC many times. Of the 4 elevators in the bank, only 2 go all the way down to Deck 6, where the Traditional Dining Room is. Those same two elevarors are the only ones that go all the way up to Skywalkers. The middle 2 elevators only go from Deck 7 to Deck 14. And they have 2 sets of buttons as well. It's a very lame setup.***

 

 

They did fix this on the Crown, Emerald and Ruby. All four aft elevators go all the way from deck 6 to Skywalkers.

[Nancyquilts]

Dave of Elua mentioned that they're hoping to return to the Star Princess out of San Francisco. Nothing's been finalized yet, however. He's usually pretty good about keeping us on CC up to date on where they'll be in the future. I do know that they're supposed leave the Star after the current sailing, and do a few cruises for the Japanese market on the Diamond Princess. At least that's what he said during our sailing.

That would be great for us near San Francisco. I'd book a Hawaii trip in a minute if I knew they would be there.:D

[Jasperdo]

They did fix this on the Crown, Emerald and Ruby. All four aft elevators go all the way from deck 6 to Skywalkers.

That's good to know. I haven't sailed on those ship, yet. I know it was fixed on the Sapphire.

 

That would be great for us near San Francisco. I'd book a Hawaii trip in a minute if I knew they would be there.:D

Don't book that cruise just yet. Dave from Elua just said they were hoping to be on the Star out of San Francisco next season. So far they haven't been offered a contract.

[cr8tiv1]

That's good to know. I haven't sailed on those ship, yet. I know it was fixed on the Sapphire.

 

Don't book that cruise just yet. Dave from Elua just said they were hoping to be on the Star out of San Francisco next season. So far they haven't been offered a contract.

 

It is so hard to plan this cruise since contracts aren't sent out until the end of summer. One thing for sure...ELUA has been so successful with the Japanese passengers, that I wouldn't book a cruise for April. They have missed the last couple of cruises over the past couple of years.

 

Now, my dilemma...I have the Grand booked from LA....wouldn't be the same without them! Funny, you don't hear very much about the duo that does the San Francisco cruises. ELUA has a loyal following because they are so personal and exude Aloha in everything they do.

[Jasperdo]

It is so hard to plan this cruise since contracts aren't sent out until the end of summer. One thing for sure...ELUA has been so successful with the Japanese passengers, that I wouldn't book a cruise for April. They have missed the last couple of cruises over the past couple of years.

That is so true. Dave was just saying on Facebook that they'll be spending today in Hilo offloading most of their belongings. They're leaving the ship when it returns to Los Angeles and heading over to the Diamond Princess and the Japanese sailings. With David Cole gone as well, the next two Hawaii sailings on the Star are going to be quite different.

[Jasperdo]

Continued ...

 

***The internet was surprisingly fast on this cruise. Not as good as on land, but far better than other cruises I've been on when nothing happens for 15 minutes. Even on sea days, which are usually the busiest, it moved along at a pretty good clip. Only one time my wife gave up after 7 minutes staring at a white screen. Other than that, we were very pleased with the performance. And being Platinum members, it was nice to have 250 minutes each.***

 

***The sea conditions were pretty average for this crossing. I wouldn't say it was calm all the way, but I've definitely experienced worse seas on other cruises. Most of the trip to the islands we had good sized swells. You could see them waving across the ocean. This created a decent forward to aft rocking motion. Not too serious, but noticable. Sometimes the cross winds were very strong, and outside Promenade deck was closed. But for the most part, the seas really weren't that bad. The return trip back to San Pedro was calmer.***

 

***The Captain's Circle Party which was held in the Vista Lounge was only for Platinum and Elite passengers. I never did hear if there was a separate one held in the Princess Theater for Gold and Ruby. It was the typical Captain's Circle party with cheap appetizers and watered down drinks. But, we still go to it. We think it's a fun event. The most travelled passengers has 1311 days.***

 

***We went to the Platinum and Elite Lounge a few evenings for hor d'oeuvres. Our first Platinum cruise was on the Coral, and the Lounge was a corner on the Explorers Lounge. On the Star it's held in Skywalkers, which is a much nicer venue for it. Quite a few passengers were there enjoying the view and the snacks. The shrimp fountain was definitely the best one, in our opinion. It was especially memorable when we were leaving Lahaina, watching Maui disappear and Humpback whales follow the ship. That to me is what cruising is all about***

 

More to come ...

[hilcadon]

Thanks for your review. We are booked on the Star in November and are really looking forward to sailing out of SF. Just hoping that the weather will be good and we will not have rough seas. Had a crazy experience five years ago on the Explorer of the Seas and had a really bad list during a 100 mph gale. Lots of broken glass and the dining rooms were a mess. Calm seas would be a blessing.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Thanks for your review. We are booked on the Star in November and are really looking forward to sailing out of SF. Just hoping that the weather will be good and we will not have rough seas. Had a crazy experience five years ago on the Explorer of the Seas and had a really bad list during a 100 mph gale. Lots of broken glass and the dining rooms were a mess. Calm seas would be a blessing.

 

You have a 50/50 chance of that although the roughest seas we encountered in November were about 20 feet... not quite as bad as your experience!

[terrific_surprise]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about your cruise, Jasperdo. Randomness has its benefits -- you get right to the point instead of going day by day and frustrating people by making them wait months for the most important points. :o

 

But I know that you are a very accomplished photographer, so I wonder if you plan to share any photos of this cruise? (I don't want to give anything away prematurely, but I took a peek ahead so I do have reason to believe that you have some interesting photos of this cruise.)

 

Tim

[Gimer]

Jasperdo & cr8tivi,

 

Princess has come up with another couple called "Makani E", who are Kimo (Jim) and Lokelina (Rozz) that did the Hawaiian Themed Program on Grand Princess this past cruise season. Both are friendly, talented and know the Hawaiian Culture. Lokelina has a sweet & delicate voice and harmonizes well with Kimo. Lokelina is from the Windward Side of Oahu, in Waimanalo. They taught hula, ukulele and lectured on Hawaiian language, culture and local foods. Spam, poi, lau lau, ahi poke, lomilomi salmon, saimin, musubi, opihi, loco moco, shave ice, manapau, haupia and malasadas, Yummmmm:D! Their program was probably copied after Elua's. The End of the Cruise Recital had 58 ukulele players and 42 hula dancers performing to a sell out theater. Princess has winning venue here performing on Star and Grand. Elua is going to Diamond for their cruising season starting on April 2 to Oct. 28. Makani E is going to Sun for it's season starting April 29 to Sept. 13. Princess see a need here and the Japanese Hula schools now participates in the prestigious Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo, Hawaii yearly. We love this Aloha Spirit:).

[Jasperdo]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about your cruise, Jasperdo. Randomness has its benefits -- you get right to the point instead of going day by day and frustrating people by making them wait months for the most important points. :o

 

But I know that you are a very accomplished photographer, so I wonder if you plan to share any photos of this cruise? (I don't want to give anything away prematurely, but I took a peek ahead so I do have reason to believe that you have some interesting photos of this cruise.)

 

Tim

Thanks for your nice comment. I wouldn't say I'm an accomplished photographer. But I do take lots of photos when I travel (maybe too many sometimes!) On my Flickr site I usually put up a mix mash of photos from all my trips, both land and sea. I like the variety of doing it that way. I started putting up my Kauai photos a few days ago. I'll probably start on the ship photos next. Here's a link to the Kauai photos I took. We rented a car and drove up the north coast to Hanalei and the Kilauea Lighthouse.

 

I enjoyed your review tremendously. I didn't mind at all that it took you awhile to finish it. It was something I looked forward to.

[Jasperdo]

Jasperdo & cr8tivi,

 

Princess has come up with another couple called "Makani E", who are Kimo (Jim) and Lokelina (Rozz) that did the Hawaiian Themed Program on Grand Princess this past cruise season. Both are friendly, talented and know the Hawaiian Culture. Lokelina has a sweet & delicate voice and harmonizes well with Kimo. Lokelina is from the Windward Side of Oahu, in Waimanalo. They taught hula, ukulele and lectured on Hawaiian language, culture and local foods. Spam, poi, lau lau, ahi poke, lomilomi salmon, saimin, musubi, opihi, loco moco, shave ice, manapau, haupia and malasadas, Yummmmm:D! Their program was probably copied after Elua's. The End of the Cruise Recital had 58 ukulele players and 42 hula dancers performing to a sell out theater. Princess has winning venue here performing on Star and Grand. Elua is going to Diamond for their cruising season starting on April 2 to Oct. 28. Makani E is going to Sun for it's season starting April 29 to Sept. 13. Princess see a need here and the Japanese Hula schools now participates in the prestigious Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo, Hawaii yearly. We love this Aloha Spirit:).

Mahalo for all that additional information. I have heard of Makani E before in some Grand Princess reviews I read. It sounds like they convey the Aloha spirit just as well as Elua. That's good to hear. I would hope that next season, both Elua and Makani E are sailing to Hawaii on Princess. Edited April 2, 2014 by Jasperdo

[cr8tiv1]

Jasperdo & cr8tivi,

 

Princess has come up with another couple called "Makani E", who are Kimo (Jim) and Lokelina (Rozz) that did the Hawaiian Themed Program on Grand Princess this past cruise season. Both are friendly, talented and know the Hawaiian Culture. Lokelina has a sweet & delicate voice and harmonizes well with Kimo. Lokelina is from the Windward Side of Oahu, in Waimanalo. They taught hula, ukulele and lectured on Hawaiian language, culture and local foods. Spam, poi, lau lau, ahi poke, lomilomi salmon, saimin, musubi, opihi, loco moco, shave ice, manapau, haupia and malasadas, Yummmmm:D! Their program was probably copied after Elua's. The End of the Cruise Recital had 58 ukulele players and 42 hula dancers performing to a sell out theater. Princess has winning venue here performing on Star and Grand. Elua is going to Diamond for their cruising season starting on April 2 to Oct. 28. Makani E is going to Sun for it's season starting April 29 to Sept. 13. Princess see a need here and the Japanese Hula schools now participates in the prestigious Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in Hilo, Hawaii yearly. We love this Aloha Spirit:).

 

Thank you for posting this information. You always remember your "first" love (Dave and Leialoha). Yes, the Japanese have totally embraced the culture and aloha of the islands. They participate in the Merrie Monarch (on my bucket list) and several other competitions throughout the year.

 

My biggest worry is that Princess has decided not to do back to back to back Hawaii voyages next season. What will become of the Hawaiiana Cultural programs while they are cruising Mexico or the Coast? Only time will tell.

 

Displaced Local Girl

[Nancyquilts]

Marvelous pictures!:D Thank you so much for the link.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes great photos.

[Dreamer333]

It was especially memorable when we were leaving Lahaina, watching Maui disappear and Humpback whales follow the ship.

 

Okay, I'm convinced!

My 2015 cruise will be to Hawaii!!!!

[Jasperdo]

Marvelous pictures!:D Thank you so much for the link.

 

Yes great photos.

You're welcome. Glad you liked them.

[Baatman]

Absolutely! Dave and Leialoha were one of the big reasons we took this cruise again. I'll be mentioning more about them next.

 

Had not heard of them before, so I went on Youtube and watched their demo - they do look like a fun act.

[Jasperdo]

Okay, I'm convinced!

My 2015 cruise will be to Hawaii!!!!

It's a great cruise - as long as you like sea days. I love sea days, but not everyone can handle 9 days at sea. All the ports in Hawaii are amazing.

[Elua]

Had not heard of them before, so I went on Youtube and watched their demo - they do look like a fun act.

 

:):):)

[cr8tiv1]

:):):)

 

See what I mean! Always interacts with their passengers on and off the ship. Very personable people.

[Waimea'sMom]

Dave of Elua mentioned that they're hoping to return to the Star Princess out of San Francisco. Nothing's been finalized yet, however. He's usually pretty good about keeping us on CC up to date on where they'll be in the future. I do know that they're supposed leave the Star after the current sailing, and do a few cruises for the Japanese market on the Diamond Princess. At least that's what he said during our sailing.

 

Hmm, that would be great for folks booked on the Star out of SF. But I have to be honest, my mom and I are booked on the Grand out of LA in December and so I would be very disappointed to see them assigned to the SF sailings. We have sailed with them ten times already on this itinerary and have really enjoyed the aloha that Dave and Leialoha add to this trip. I honestly don't even know if we would still go on the cruise if they are not on our sailing. I probably would cancel it or rebook on the Star. Hopefully they will know soon as the fall season is not that far away.