Live from the Crown Princess–r/t LA-Hawai’i–March 2-17, 2023

[travelin.sisters]

On 4/9/2023 at 2:41 PM, rcprncss said:

@travelin.sisters  Thank you so much for your wonderful, detailed review.  IT took me a few days to read it.  🙂 I am not going on the Crown but doing the 16 night Hawaii from LA on Emerald.  I have a few questions:

 

You talked about setting clocks back/forward.  Since it's a three hour difference, do you do it one time or more than once?  I read the first night you set your clocks forward and was up the next day at 0400!  Yikes!  
 

I am curious about the wasabi macadamia nuts.  What is the brand?  

Someone already asked about the cost for the Lei class.  You said there was no cost.  When do you have to sign up for it or how did you know about it?  Was it available to you because of your cruising status with Princess?  Or was it open to everyone?  It sounds fun and I would love to do this.

 

I really learned a lot from your review.  Thank you so much.  I have only sailed Princess one time, a test cruise for us.  It was 3 nights from Vancouver to LA on the Star Princess.  We enjoyed the food and service and the ship, even though it was an older ship.  We knew we wanted to sail with Princess again.  This will be our first cruise back since 2019.

it should only be 2 times to set the clock forward/back we had 3 on the way home because daylight savings happened in the middle of our cruise...they will do one at a time & probably not two days in a row...it's nice going out because you get extra hours & the crew likes it because they usually have a party with their extra hour

 

the Wasabi macadamias (I only found them in the grocery store)

 

there are several lei classes...usually the cruise director staff does ribbon leis & flower leis they are open to anyone & are included in the cruise cost however, you will probably have to sign up as they are very popular classes & fill up quickly...on our cruise it was at 9 on the first day they had them to sign up & then classes were later in the day (maybe at 11) on 2 days...you will need to watch the patter (or whatever it's new name is) for the signup usually the ribbon leis are before Hawai'i & the flower ones are after...if you look at the patters on post 173 & 337 you can see how they were listed on our cruise...I strongly recommend taking a look at the patter for the day before every evening & marking things you want to do

 

ribbon lei

 

flower leis

 

 

there should also be lei making classes offered by the Hawai'ian ambassadors which there is a charge for...on our cruise it was the crocheted lei & kukui nut leis which maybe only Leialoha & Tiki Dave do...I have heard that the other Hawai'ian ambassadors do straw leis (but I am not sure) these will also be in the daily schedule & should be offered several times on the way over & back 

 

straw lei

 

i can't recommend enough doing the classes with the Hawai'ian ambassadors...maybe not the crafts depending on the price, you would have to decide that, but do check out what they are offering...but everything else they do should be included in the cruise cost...'ukulele (the ship will have a number to checkout for the length of the cruise, but if you don't go to the first class they may all be handed out) & hula are both set for complete beginners & will be lots of fun (you can always try & decide after a few classes to quit but hopefully you won't want to...I think they will also do port talks which will be very helpful & informative & maybe some language & will entertain around the ship...they will add so much to the cruise...I wish Princess did similar things for other itineraries.

 

don't hesitate to ask any other questions.

[CruiserN1]

Thanks SO much for this detailed trip report! I am sailing on the Crown to Alaska in July and it was so fun to follow your experience on the ship. I love Hawaii and apple bananas are so yummy, I was drooling over the ones you picked up. I'm not sure I would have been as understanding as you were about missing Kauai and Maui after making the long trip across the Pacific, but it was great to see how you made the most of your sea days. Mahalo!

[rcprncss]

18 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

 

@travelin.sisters  Thank you so much for all the extra details about the classes and all the extra pictures.  I will go back and look at the Patters. Thank you for adding the post numbers too.  You are so helpful.  🙂

[travelin.sisters]

Back Home~Things to Think About

Back to Real Life

 

Oh my, we’ve been back for almost four weeks already (long enough to have received our check for refundable OBC)! It always takes a bit of time to readjust after a couple of weeks at sea. Last year it took two weeks (until we sailed again) to readjust so that the ground wasn’t rocking under me (for some reason it is much easier for me to adjust to sailing & rocking, than back to solid ground). This year, it didn’t take as long, but I ended up with a nasty spring cold. Finally I am just stuck with the last lingering bits of the cough.

 

The best part of being back home is getting the puppy back from her ‘dude ranch’ vacation…she misses all the space to run & play & get muddy but was glad to see us. 

 

 

 

 

 

The worst part of being back is sorting all the cruising stuff from the regular stuff like clothes & such. The Hawai’i stuff needs to go back & wait for next March but we need to set aside the stuff we will need for a 4-day in December with my sissy’s granddaughters. Not much cruising this year as we have a bunch of landbased family things. 

 

The enjoyable, but very time consuming part of being back is sorting through the couple thousand photos & videos of the trip. I vividly remember from the first time I went to Hawai’i, 50ish years ago, my dad talking about having to decide if he would take a photo (or extra photo in case it didn’t turn out) of something, or if he needed to save shots for later. Now, I sometimes end up with a dozen shots of basically the same thing to make sure I get a good one. The only worry is will I overfill my online storage & not have them backup & transfer. 

 

Going through the stuff & the photo memories & finishing this live (ok, not actually live but trip report) gives me time to think about the journey, draw some conclusions & make some plans for the next one. 

 

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

[travelin.sisters]

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

[travelin.sisters]

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

Edited April 14, 2023 by travelin.sisters

[travelin.sisters]

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

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by travelin.sisters

[travelin.sisters]

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Edited April 14, 2023 by travelin.sisters

[warren buffet]

1 hour ago, travelin.sisters said:

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

thank you again for your reports. If I recall right the crown was put into service around 2002 right? I sailed the celebrity solstice recently, which was put into service that same yr. there were no issues with any leaking or any bathrooms or elevators out of service. I was there for 7 days. I don't think, it is normal for a ship that age to have all three of these things happening in a 15 day period.      I think the understaffing is totally real. I think it is because governments destroyed the cruise industry for 12-18 months (including operating with only some ships for the last 6 months approx).    This caused them to have lots of debt.  Ships cannot just be left idle for very long. to do that destroy's the engine and other components.    carnival still had to employ (maybe a few thousand) of the very skilled employees to maintain the ships and be ready when govt's did give permission.      as a result, as long as people are buying and ships are running at at least 80 percent capacity the lines will be seeking to make as much short term money as possible.     this will only change and ships get a formerly normal amount of staff when (or if) the public cruises less and most ships are below 80 percent.      demand right now is pretty high.  this isn't true of all sailings, but I am going on the emerald to hawaii on june 1. if is already almost sold out.   they are not sailing tickets already on the princess web site as of last week.    Now, some people who have insurance may cancel late to 3-5 percent of cabins unfilled at sailing. but. it will be sailing at pretty much capacity and got there by april 7. high demand despite being 16 nights where the C thing is more of a concern than a short cruise.                do you think you caught the classic cold on the ship or at home?   did you show symptoms within five days of being home?              thank you again for all your reports. 

[travelin.sisters]

11 hours ago, warren buffet said:

thank you again for your reports. If I recall right the crown was put into service around 2002 right? I sailed the celebrity solstice recently, which was put into service that same yr. there were no issues with any leaking or any bathrooms or elevators out of service. I was there for 7 days. I don't think, it is normal for a ship that age to have all three of these things happening in a 15 day period.      I think the understaffing is totally real. I think it is because governments destroyed the cruise industry for 12-18 months (including operating with only some ships for the last 6 months approx).    This caused them to have lots of debt.  Ships cannot just be left idle for very long. to do that destroy's the engine and other components.    carnival still had to employ (maybe a few thousand) of the very skilled employees to maintain the ships and be ready when govt's did give permission.      as a result, as long as people are buying and ships are running at at least 80 percent capacity the lines will be seeking to make as much short term money as possible.     this will only change and ships get a formerly normal amount of staff when (or if) the public cruises less and most ships are below 80 percent.      demand right now is pretty high.  this isn't true of all sailings, but I am going on the emerald to hawaii on june 1. if is already almost sold out.   they are not sailing tickets already on the princess web site as of last week.    Now, some people who have insurance may cancel late to 3-5 percent of cabins unfilled at sailing. but. it will be sailing at pretty much capacity and got there by april 7. high demand despite being 16 nights where the C thing is more of a concern than a short cruise.                do you think you caught the classic cold on the ship or at home?   did you show symptoms within five days of being home?              thank you again for all your reports. 

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

[travelin.sisters]

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

[NikiPinkston]

Thank you again for taking us along on your journey and for being my inspiration for booking this same voyage later this year! Your review was excellent and it was so much fun to follow along with you. I know that I'll refer to it often in the coming months.🙂🚢❤️

[travelin.sisters]

12 hours ago, NikiPinkston said:

Thank you again for taking us along on your journey and for being my inspiration for booking this same voyage later this year! Your review was excellent and it was so much fun to follow along with you. I know that I'll refer to it often in the coming months.🙂🚢❤️

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

[theloo]

I believe you said there were not a lot of children on your cruise, but I am going in July with my 3 teenagers.  Would shorts in the MDR be unacceptable for them?  Given the weather and the fact that they will be sitting down the entire meal, I wonder if we would be turned away.

[theloo]

I also wanted to ask if there was cell service on the ship while you were in port and at night between ports in Hawaii.  Thanks for all the good info and food pix 😍

[NikiPinkston]

Just going to jump in here and say that, during our NCL Pride of America cruise last November, our cell service worked great when we were in port but it didn't work at all when we were at sea between ports.  Hope that helps.

Edited April 23, 2023 by NikiPinkston

[Coral]

1 hour ago, theloo said:

I believe you said there were not a lot of children on your cruise, but I am going in July with my 3 teenagers.  Would shorts in the MDR be unacceptable for them?  Given the weather and the fact that they will be sitting down the entire meal, I wonder if we would be turned away.

Shorts are not acceptable for dinner but are acceptable for lunch.

 

I can't find the verbiage but last time I looked it said "no shorts or jeans with holes in them" for dinner.

Edited April 23, 2023 by Coral

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, theloo said:

I believe you said there were not a lot of children on your cruise, but I am going in July with my 3 teenagers.  Would shorts in the MDR be unacceptable for them?  Given the weather and the fact that they will be sitting down the entire meal, I wonder if we would be turned away.

Shorts are acceptable in the MDR for dinner. They didn't use to be, but they are fine now. Have them wear some nice shoes and top (not T-shirt).  

[travelin.sisters]

11 hours ago, theloo said:

I believe you said there were not a lot of children on your cruise, but I am going in July with my 3 teenagers.  Would shorts in the MDR be unacceptable for them?  Given the weather and the fact that they will be sitting down the entire meal, I wonder if we would be turned away.

 

11 hours ago, theloo said:

I also wanted to ask if there was cell service on the ship while you were in port and at night between ports in Hawaii.  Thanks for all the good info and food pix 😍

cell service on ship in port but not at sea (well, you can get it, but it is the very high maritime rates)

 

as you can see the question of MDR dress is a touchy topic, the rule is no shorts, the reality is I have seen shorts in the MDR many times...make sure they have at least one pair of long pants in case your sailing is being strict about the rules & I would not let them wear flipflops if they were my kids...it most likely will be allowed, but it is your decision how you want to handle that...if you are doing the Hawai'i itinerary it may be a little cool for shorts the first & last couple of days even in July & the MDR can be pretty chilly.

[theloo]

22 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

 

Thanks for the response.  They would definitely wear shoes, not flip flops.  They will bring at least one pair of pants (for formal nights), but they wear shorts and tees year round, the cold doesn't bother them!

[travelin.sisters]

6 minutes ago, theloo said:

Thanks for the response.  They would definitely wear shoes, not flip flops.  They will bring at least one pair of pants (for formal nights), but they wear shorts and tees year round, the cold doesn't bother them!

hope you & they have a wonderful cruise & make a ton of memories!

 

[Prost Seattle]

On 3/4/2023 at 3:19 AM, OccasionalSanta said:

. (Mrs. OS begged off as she had a cold last week and her voice is still recovering... She just said, "I'm an alto," and left it at that.)

I sing in the key of mE, would I still be welomed?

[Yehootu]

22 hours ago, theloo said:

I also wanted to ask if there was cell service on the ship while you were in port and at night between ports in Hawaii.  Thanks for all the good info and food pix 😍

We have Verizon and cell service worked great in ports and while in range of the port. We were able to use Wifi calling and even with a slight lag, facetime the grandkids while at sea. Just be sure you don't grab Cell at Sea or whatever it's called and get your land based cellular. Also found it to work better in port to sign off Medallion Net when I wanted to use cell service.

[theloo]

On 4/23/2023 at 8:13 PM, travelin.sisters said:

cell service on ship in port but not at sea (well, you can get it, but it is the very high maritime rates)

 

Do you happen to know when the ship docks in the mornings?  I have the port times, but I suspect the ship is docked much earlier and there are some calls I would like to make around 5am (which is 8am PST). 

[travelin.sisters]

31 minutes ago, theloo said:

Do you happen to know when the ship docks in the mornings?  I have the port times, but I suspect the ship is docked much earlier and there are some calls I would like to make around 5am (which is 8am PST). 

I don't think we were in any of the ports by 5 am & I don't know if you would be close enough in to get cell reception, I do know that some people have used wifi calling with an internet package (but I would want to check with my carrier before I tried it personally)...if you turn your phone off airplane mode you can tell if you are on the maritime network or your cell provider, but that doesn't help you plan...if you go to the Hawai'i port website you can see when your ship is expected to arrive & depart & what dock it should be at

https://hawaii.portcall.com/