Cruises to and from Hawaii in 2025

[jeh10641]

The most recent relies to my request have been very helpful. Thanks to all responders.

jim

[XBGuy]

I am a bit surprised that nobody has responded to your quest for information on the Princess ships.  Most Princess cruisers are happy to pontificate on their favorite line, and I cannot exclude myself from that description.  Also, I have a lot of time on my hands today.  So, let the pontification begin.

 

I have cruised on each of the three Princess ships that you identified--the Grand Princess, the Ruby Princess and the Royal Princess.  In three Hawaii cruises, I have never taken one of these three, but I think I can offer some insights.  Not knowing exactly what kind of information you are seeking, I'll just ramble.

 

• Of the three, the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess are pretty similar.  The Grand Princess is a bit older than the Ruby Princess.
• While the Ruby Princess is similar to the Grand Princess, it has an additional deck.  So, it can carry a few more passengers.
• The Royal Princess is the newest of the three, and is the largest--accommodating a few hundred more passengers that the other two.  You can go to the Princess web site and see details on things like capacity.
• Both the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess feature a promenade deck that wraps completely around the ship.  This is terrific for walkers.  The Royal Princess does not have this feature, and that really bothers many.  I am a walker.  I will put in a couple hours every day, and while the Royal Princess does not have the wraparound promenade deck, I have had no problem getting in 15,000 steps a day.
• One significant (to some) difference between the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess is that the Grand Princess does not have the Skywalkers Nightclub at the rear of the ship.  Skywalkers has a very panoramic view and is, I have to admit, darned cool. 
• All three ships have three dining rooms.  A portion of one of the dining rooms is accessible only to passengers who book a Full Suite or a Reserve Mini Suite.  Princess has done away with the traditional fixed-time fixed-table dining. However, you can make reservations for the dining room,  Theoretically, you can make dinner reservations for the same time every evening and work with the dining room managers to get the same table.  Personally, we do not have many (if any) dinners there.  So, I can't speak to how well that all works.
• Each of the three ships has two extra charge Specialty Restaurants--Sabatini's, which features Italian fare, and Crown Grill which features steak and chops, although they also have some excellent seafood options.  You can find the current menus for these restaurants at the Princess web site.
• Each of these ships has a buffet that opens early in the morning (6:00?) and stays open until about 11:00 pm.  The Royal Princess buffet is much larger that those on the Grand Princess or the Ruby Princess.  Many people rave about the larger buffet on the Royal Princess.
• Each of the ships has what Princess is now calling "Casual Restaurants."  These restaurants offer lighter fare for a modest charge unless you opt for "Princess Plus" or "Princess Premier" pricing options.
• Each ship has a nice venue called the International Cafe.  It is located in the Piazza and offers pastries, salads and sandwiches.  
• Adjacent to the International Cafe is a station where specialty coffees can be ordered.  
• A modest room service menu is available from from early morning until, I think, 2:00 am.
• It is not clear what kind of cabin you prefer, but the balconies port/starboard cabins on the Royal Princess are much smaller than those on the other two ships.  Also, on the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess, the balconies on the Aloha and Baja decks are noticeably smaller than those on lower decks.  However, even those Aloha/Baja deck balconies are much larger than those on the Royal Princess.
• All ships have a large outdoor screen over one of the pools--Movies Under The Stars (MUTS)--where something is always showing.  During the football season they might have a Sunday game.  Often, there will be a recorded concert performance,  Mostly, though, as you might guess from the name, they show movies;
• All ships will have lots of activities--especially, on sea days--Trivia Contests, Bingo, Karaoke, music in the Piazza, various passenger activities/games.
• All Hawaii cruises will have "Hawaii Ambassadors."  This is a couple who offer things like Hula and Ukulele lessons (which culminate in a passenger show in the Princess Theater towards the end of the cruise),  Lei Making Classes, Port Talks, Hawaiian Culture Presentations,  Musical and Hula Performances in various venues.  It seems to me that these are among the hardest working people on the cruise.

 

@jeh10641, the above was, mostly stream-of consciousness rambling.  If I did not hit on something that is of particular interest to you, please come back with specific questions, and I will try to clarify.

[screwsmcernst]

On 11/26/2023 at 7:49 PM, jeh10641 said:

My wife and I are planning a cruise to or from Hawaii in 2025. Any recommendations? We have been to Hawaii many times as I traveled there for business more than 60 times. We have cruised with Costa, Royal Caribbean (twice) and HAL (5 times). Any advice on the various ships (Princess, Celebrity, HAL and/or Carnival) will be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Jim

 

We sailed on Quantum of the Seas from Vancouver to Hawaii in October 2022.  It was the best.  We flew into Vancouver 3 days early, and then spent 10 days on the ship.  with a stop at Victoria BC, then 5 sea days, 2 days in Maui, and then the last 2 in Honolulu.  We loved the sea days and the overnights.    We did have some rough seas the first few sea days, but once we got to warmer waters, everything was smooth sailing.  I would do it again in a hot second.  The next time, I want to continue on from Hawaii to Australia.  that would have added 18 more days. Next time.  😃 

[crystalspin]

On 11/27/2023 at 1:14 PM, jeh10641 said:

I do not need too much info on Ovation OTS or Koningsdam since we have sailed on Westerdam, Oosterdam and Rotterdam (2021).

The Koningsdam will be very similar to the Rotterdam, not as much like the Westerdam or Oosterdam. K'dam and R'dam are sister ships.

[XBGuy]

Here is an update to my previous post.

 

My coffee shop buddy is leaving next Monday on the Los Angles-Hawaii round tripper on the Discovery Princess.  The Discovery Princess is a Royal Class ship.  So, it is very similar to the Royal Princess.  He told me that his cruise does not stop at Kauai because the ship is to big to negotiate the rather small harbor at Nawiliwili.  Apparently, they cannot tender there, either.  So, if you are, in fact, considering the Royal Princess, and if visiting Kauai is important, you'd best verify the itinerary.

[jeh10641]

22 hours ago, XBGuy said:

I am a bit surprised that nobody has responded to your quest for information on the Princess ships.  Most Princess cruisers are happy to pontificate on their favorite line, and I cannot exclude myself from that description.  Also, I have a lot of time on my hands today.  So, let the pontification begin.

 

I have cruised on each of the three Princess ships that you identified--the Grand Princess, the Ruby Princess and the Royal Princess.  In three Hawaii cruises, I have never taken one of these three, but I think I can offer some insights.  Not knowing exactly what kind of information you are seeking, I'll just ramble.

 

• Of the three, the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess are pretty similar.  The Grand Princess is a bit older than the Ruby Princess.
• While the Ruby Princess is similar to the Grand Princess, it has an additional deck.  So, it can carry a few more passengers.
• The Royal Princess is the newest of the three, and is the largest--accommodating a few hundred more passengers that the other two.  You can go to the Princess web site and see details on things like capacity.
• Both the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess feature a promenade deck that wraps completely around the ship.  This is terrific for walkers.  The Royal Princess does not have this feature, and that really bothers many.  I am a walker.  I will put in a couple hours every day, and while the Royal Princess does not have the wraparound promenade deck, I have had no problem getting in 15,000 steps a day.
• One significant (to some) difference between the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess is that the Grand Princess does not have the Skywalkers Nightclub at the rear of the ship.  Skywalkers has a very panoramic view and is, I have to admit, darned cool. 
• All three ships have three dining rooms.  A portion of one of the dining rooms is accessible only to passengers who book a Full Suite or a Reserve Mini Suite.  Princess has done away with the traditional fixed-time fixed-table dining. However, you can make reservations for the dining room,  Theoretically, you can make dinner reservations for the same time every evening and work with the dining room managers to get the same table.  Personally, we do not have many (if any) dinners there.  So, I can't speak to how well that all works.
• Each of the three ships has two extra charge Specialty Restaurants--Sabatini's, which features Italian fare, and Crown Grill which features steak and chops, although they also have some excellent seafood options.  You can find the current menus for these restaurants at the Princess web site.
• Each of these ships has a buffet that opens early in the morning (6:00?) and stays open until about 11:00 pm.  The Royal Princess buffet is much larger that those on the Grand Princess or the Ruby Princess.  Many people rave about the larger buffet on the Royal Princess.
• Each of the ships has what Princess is now calling "Casual Restaurants."  These restaurants offer lighter fare for a modest charge unless you opt for "Princess Plus" or "Princess Premier" pricing options.
• Each ship has a nice venue called the International Cafe.  It is located in the Piazza and offers pastries, salads and sandwiches.  
• Adjacent to the International Cafe is a station where specialty coffees can be ordered.  
• A modest room service menu is available from from early morning until, I think, 2:00 am.
• It is not clear what kind of cabin you prefer, but the balconies port/starboard cabins on the Royal Princess are much smaller than those on the other two ships.  Also, on the Grand Princess and the Ruby Princess, the balconies on the Aloha and Baja decks are noticeably smaller than those on lower decks.  However, even those Aloha/Baja deck balconies are much larger than those on the Royal Princess.
• All ships have a large outdoor screen over one of the pools--Movies Under The Stars (MUTS)--where something is always showing.  During the football season they might have a Sunday game.  Often, there will be a recorded concert performance,  Mostly, though, as you might guess from the name, they show movies;
• All ships will have lots of activities--especially, on sea days--Trivia Contests, Bingo, Karaoke, music in the Piazza, various passenger activities/games.
• All Hawaii cruises will have "Hawaii Ambassadors."  This is a couple who offer things like Hula and Ukulele lessons (which culminate in a passenger show in the Princess Theater towards the end of the cruise),  Lei Making Classes, Port Talks, Hawaiian Culture Presentations,  Musical and Hula Performances in various venues.  It seems to me that these are among the hardest working people on the cruise.

 

@jeh10641, the above was, mostly stream-of consciousness rambling.  If I did not hit on something that is of particular interest to you, please come back with specific questions, and I will try to clarify.

Hello, XBGuy,

This is exactly the info I needed. Thanks so much for the effort and the knowledge. It is much appreciated. Normally, we try to book large inside cabins but if the "right deal" appears we will venture to Oceanview or Balcony. On our recent Anthem OTS transatlantic we had a forward facing "spacious" cabin (over 200 sq ft., number 8500, deck 8) because it was about $80/person/night. Could not pass on that. Also, we usually go for a lower deck.

Jim

[jeh10641]

17 hours ago, crystalspin said:

The Koningsdam will be very similar to the Rotterdam, not as much like the Westerdam or Oosterdam. K'dam and R'dam are sister ships.

Thanks. I realize the 'Dam ships are different categories. Rotterdam is still my all-time favorite ship, maybe because it was so new. Still had the "new ship" smell!

Jim

[thinfool]

On 11/29/2023 at 2:30 PM, jeh10641 said:

Hello, XBGuy,

This is exactly the info I needed. Thanks so much for the effort and the knowledge. It is much appreciated. Normally, we try to book large inside cabins but if the "right deal" appears we will venture to Oceanview or Balcony. On our recent Anthem OTS transatlantic we had a forward facing "spacious" cabin (over 200 sq ft., number 8500, deck 😎 because it was about $80/person/night. Could not pass on that. Also, we usually go for a lower deck.

Jim

Having read all of these posts  and this last one from the OP, I would add that the Royal class ships of Princess have no oceanview cabins.  There are a few TAs that seem to offer an oceanview cabin, but if you book one you will almost certainly have a balcony with an obstructed view (like some part of a lifeboat).  Still, there are inside cabins, and one that we were in was quite roomy and enjoyable.  Personally I am not a fan of the Royal class ship, partly due to the lack of a Promenade issue, However it is worth noting that the naysayers seem to have won....the new Sun Princess and that class of ship has a walk around promenade.