Hawaii In Forty Hours!

Star Princess Cruise Review to Hawaii

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5
Verified Review
Star Princess

15 Night Hawaiian Islands (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 04, 2019

Ship: Star Princess

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: E109

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

10 days water travel and very short port stay is not the way to see Hawaii. Cruise personnel were great, but the food was pretty poor with breakfast being the best (hard to find bad bacon). Gym was too warm with minimal equipment. Fly to HI with a backpack to really enjoy it. This is a 2.5 star trip with 5 star crew. No major complaints, but disappointed.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Check in was quick and smooth.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Dining areas were clean, organized and service was excellent. Beverages were basic, iced or hot tea, coffee or water. Overall, the food was pretty bland with lack of seasoning. All meat choices appeared to be chosen based on cost with chicken and pork being the usual. Although the salads, fruits and bread were good and the desserts good, I was very disappointed with the food overall. When I boost my calorie consumption, I hoped to have enjoyed the food more.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
The usual pool, hot tub, shuffleboard....nothing really exciting.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Very talented entertainers with great comedy, dance, and magic. The naturalist was educational and interesting. The self improvement / psychology lectures were informative and up to date.

Children's Programs

No children

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Very friendly, polite and smiling.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
The ship was clean and well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
The room was comfortable with enough room size to meet our needs. The bottom beds were very comfortable, the uppers a little too firm and our steward kept the room in excellent shape.

Ship tip

Spending 10 of 15 days traveling on water and then only 8-10 hours in ports really leaves

Ports of call

Hilo, Hawaii

3 out of 5
Only 8 hours in port left little time for much activity, only a little sightseeing.

Honolulu, Oahu

4 out of 5
Busy place with slow moving traffic.Saw Pearl Harbor. Sad place but honors servicemen well.

Nawiliwili, Kauai

4 out of 5
Beautiful area with a lot to see but little time.

Lahaina, Maui

4 out of 5
Very beautiful scenery with nice and plentiful beaches. Touring takes a lot of time in that a lot of the roads are two lane a no Maui drivers don't seem to be in a hurry. Not enough time in port.

Ensenada, Mexico

5 out of 5
Had a good time talking with the locals. Although pushing hard to sell you something, they were friendly and enjoyed polite negotiations and were super appreciative of your business.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Very organized and moved quickly. Luggage pick up and airport transportation went smoothly.
Was this review helpful? 42

8 Comments

javawoody    3 years ago

To me cruising is about the experience, ports are secondary

ernurseamber    4 years ago

Thank you for your perspective on the cruise. We are only 48 days away from our cruise. I agree, it is a lot of sea days. Hopefully, I can find stuff, or in the alternative, nothing to do!

shananbobanan    4 years ago

I also am looking forward to the ten sea days. It’s been a busy fall for me and I intend on catching up with my reading and my napping. Usually I wouldn’t want so many sea days but I think this time, this trip is a good choice for me.

Patty4paws    4 years ago

Cruising is clearly not for everyone. It's good you now know what appeals to you. As for my husband and I, we enjoyed the journey across the Pacific. We had a wonderful balcony and spent many hours watching dolphins, flying fish and ocean vistas. True, some ports can be rather brief, but can give you a "taste" of a port. You can always return and spend a longer time to explore. I give my best wishes for your Hawaiian back packing trip. Aloha!♡♡♡

JCSJCML    4 years ago

Thanks for the review. I’ve heard this before about the Hawaiian Cruises from the West Coast. I’m going to skip them. Those multiple sea days would be too much for me as well. Also agree with you about the food. Princess food to me is so-so unless dining in a specialty restaurant. But I like everything else about being in a Princess ship (except perhaps the Island). Thanks again for your review.

2TallKim    4 years ago

I’m looking forward to the 10 sea days! I think you have to like sea days to do this trip. Still a long way away for us but looking forward to it.

cruisereckoning    4 years ago

It would work great for us, on our bucket list. Sea Days aren’t for everyone.

jenyfur    4 years ago

Did you not read the itinerary?

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