I should start by saying this is my seventh Princess cruise to Hawaii. The booking was made in January for myself and my daughters’ family. Excursions were selected and paid for in February. Found in May that Princess had cancelled our Maui excursion and had not advised us. (I suggest monthly monitoring of your booking). Called Princess and determined a refund had been issued but we would not see the Visa credit until June. Arranged with the Princess agent to rebook the family on a similar excursion.
Despite a few problems that I will detail, this cruise was every bit as fun and enjoyable as the previous six. We always try to look for the bright side and create our own fun time.
While on board we booked our 2024 Princess cruise through Princess Future Sales.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Completed all cruise and personal check-in information ahead of time. My Medallion was mailed to me (Highly Recommend). Check in was simple, quick and was heading to the ship in minutes. Returning to the ship in Hilo was a ridiculously slow process. Stood in a lengthy line for over 30 minutes. They had only one Medallion reader working at the ship entry point. All the other tour embarkations were managed excellently..
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Set up dining reservations and companions in “Dine My Way” months in advance for each night of the cruise. Found the Omelet station in rear of ship for breakfast. Buffet was very good for quick breakfast and lunch. Evening dining staff in the Da Vinci Dining Room was very good. The food was also exceptionally good.
Scheduled one night for dinner in the Crown Grill to celebrate granddaughters’ graduation and 18th birthday. The Crown Grill never fails to provide an outstanding meal.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There was a wide variety of activities every sea day. The biggest problem was many scheduled at the same time or overlapped. Always had to determine which was going to be more interesting.
The Enrichment presentations were outstanding and not to be missed. Gary Shahan talked about Pearl Harbor and WW2 while heading to Hawaii and then gave a series of shows on traveling Route 66. Tiki Dave presented the history of the Hawaiian Islands. Leo Rossi presented the “Knights of Rock” (his life working with Rock artists).
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Production shows were exceptionally good. “Rock Opera” was outstanding. “Sweet Soul Music” was a high energy song and dance. “Disco – Blame It On The Boogie” was burning hot. “Magic To Do” was a wonderful Song, dance, and mystifying illustrations. The Princess Singers, Dancers and Band were magnificent.
Comedian Steve Caouette was great and drew the audience into the show. Illusionist TJ Tana amazed the crowd. Lead vocalist Isaac Matthews was very good in the production show and his stand alone show. Everyone enjoyed Amy Jo Slater’s tribute to Adelle.
Besides his enrichment shows, Tiki Dave is a born entertainer and wowed the crowd with his Jukebox show of 50’s & 60’s hits.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The Stateroom Stewart was very efficient. Seldom saw him, but the room was always made up and clean.
The dining room staff was great and friendly. Once they knew our preferences they were already with drinks.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Emerald Princess is older but very well maintained. We had no issues.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Traveling with the family, we booked adjoining Ocean View Staterooms. The cabin is smaller than a baloney room but works well for two adults or a family traveling with children.
Ship tip
Monitor your booking monthly for changes. Set up preferences well ahead of the cruise. Order your cruise packages well in advance, which includes MedallionNet WiFi access. The cost increases the closer to the cruise date.
The family booked an excursion to Akaka Falls, Hilo Garden & Zoo, and the Macadamia Nut Factory. Very nice outing. Considerable walking at both Akaka Falls and the Zoo. Tony, the bus driver, covered the history of Hilo. At the Nut Factory we loaded up on macadamia nuts for the folks back home on the mainland.
Ran into our second excursion problem when we reviewed our tour tickets. We booked a tour for 7:30am (I had purchased tickets for the Arizona Memorial at 8:45am). Princess arbitrarily changed our booking to 8:35am exit time. Pearl Harbor is a 30-minute drive. The Princess tour desk rebooked our party to a 7:35am tour. Thought that was the end of the problems, not so.
At Honolulu, our tour group was the first to depart from the ship. Pier 2 terminal is huge. There were no guides in the terminal to guide the groups to the tour embarkation point. While we were the first group off the ship, the tour would become the last to board a bus because the tour company scheduled the start time incorrectly as 8:15am. Explained the importance of reaching Pearl Harbor for the Arizona Memorial to the tour company staff. Shauna, the tour company Manager, recognized the situation and arranged for a taxi to take our party of five to Pearl Harbor immediately. Shauna is commended for her professionalism. As it turned out the bus did not arrive to pick up the tour group until 8:25 and the driver did the City Tour part of the excursion before going to Pearl Harbor. Yes, the taxi got us there just in time. If your desire is to visit the Arizona Memorial, you might be better off taking a taxi ($60 one way).
We scheduled the IAO Valley & Maui Tropical Plantation tour. Staff provided tenders separate from non-tour passengers to ensure they reached the tours on time. Incredibly beautiful scenery at Iao Valley, The Tropical Plantation shows off the plants grown on Maui via a guided tour tram. The plantation general store has a wide variety of gifts and provisions for tourists and residents. Nice relaxing tour.
The Wailua River Cruise and Fern Grotto tour was on tap for our last day in Hawaii. The first stop was a view of the Opeakaa Falls. It is a short trip to the boats and a ride up the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto. A history of the river was provided. The Fern Grotto is a very picturesque area. While there, the guides provided music and dance for the tours. Additionally, they entertained the groups on the boat while returning to the dock. Very enjoyable tour.
Awesome review. Thank you for the details. I’m taking this cruise in a couple weeks and I hope it goes as well. Wow, three enrichment programs/speakers. It’s a good thing when a cruise has more activities you want to do than time to do them. Agreed that a big Princess issue is when they make changes to your schedule.
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