Bucket List Adventure

Grand Princess Cruise Review to Hawaii

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Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 78

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

15 Night Hawaiian Islands (San Francisco Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 08, 2017

Ship: Grand Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: A243

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

This was our 38th wedding anniversary present to ourselves. As a wife of a very busy administrator, we have never taken a vacation where the office has not interrupted or even flown my husband back for a meeting. It was great to be able to unplug and not have outside interruptions. As first time cruisers we probably had more sea days than we would have liked. We loved all of the excursions on the different Hawaiian Islands. The one that stands out for both of us is the visit to the McBryde and Allerton Gardens on Kaua'i and the tour by Sam whose father was the original caretaker of the property.

On the ship the food was great and we enjoyed a traditional dining table #219 in the Botticelli room. At our table for four we met a couple that we looked forward to seeing each evening and sharing our adventures. The wait staff is outstanding. Our dinners were excellent and so were our servers, Alex and David. I have a food allergy and the maître de went out of his way to give me a menu that was safe for me to enjoy.

We also enjoyed some of our breakfasts and lunches in the Da Vinci. We were able to get an individual table most of the time. After our first lunch with Rodell and Peter, we returned multiple times to their service area.

We also took advantage of the spa and discovered that the Hot Stone massages by Makka were the best we had ever experienced.

Overall we had a great time and would like to visit Alaska next.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

There were many things to do. I especially liked the Zumba class. The fitness area did not have programs tailored to the older makeup of the passengers. The programs were too high intensity for most passengers. When I asked the staff about it, I was told that there programs come from the corporate level. They could have offered a chair Yoga or Silver Sneakers class. Sea Days are not always conducive to walking and with the amount of food provided many passengers would have enjoyed more exercise opportunities.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Some of the shows appealed to us and some did not, but there was always something to do. We especially enjoyed Doug Funk.

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

As mentioned above Alex and David in the Botticelli evening dining room were outstanding. We also very much enjoyed the service at breakfast and lunch of Rodell and Peter in the DaVinci.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Definitely an older ship, but we liked the character of the wood and artwork. The staff is always working on maintaining the ship.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Small, but comfortable. We especially liked having the balcony to get some fresh air. I was very impressed with our Steward Marcial Rellon. He really went out of his way to meet our needs and always was very attentive.

Ship tip

We were not aware that days at sea can be very windy and cold. The shops did not have enough merchandise (sweatshirts and jackets). I did hear some passenger complaints about "nickel and diming". I would suggest that some arrangement be made to print boarding passes without an additional charge.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Francisco, California

3 out of 5

We did not visit other than the airport, but were very glad to have booked the shuttle to the ship.

Thumbs Up 3

Hilo, Hawaii

5 out of 5

Enjoyed our visit to the volcano and were lucky to see lava. The Nani Mau gardens gave us an opportunity to see the beautiful flowers, plants and trees up close and take pictures. We really liked seeing the Mauna Loa Nut operations.

Thumbs Up 5

Honolulu, Oahu

5 out of 5

Even though it rained we enjoyed the visit to the Buddhist temple and our Shrimp Farm Lunch. We did get to see Sea Turtles and a Monk sea on the beach. Very disappointed that Germaine's Luau trip was cancelled.

Thumbs Up 1

Nawiliwili, Kauai

5 out of 5

As stated above, we loved the McBryde/Allerton gardens. The Jewels of Hawaii was exactly as advertised.

Thumbs Up 2

Lahaina, Maui

5 out of 5

Appreciated the small group van on the Road to Hana.

Thumbs Up 0

Ensenada, Mexico

3 out of 5

Excursions were added last minute and so we did not participate.