Golden Princess to Hawaii out of LA

Has anyone been on the Golden's LA to Hawaii RT cruise? I have never sailed Princess before, only Cunard, RCI, Carnival and NCL so any information would be helpful. We are booked for April 1, 2009.

I haven't done that specific cruise or ship, but we have sailed Princess a lot, and I did Hawaii to Vancouver on Celebrity. I love the idea of this one (r.t. from LA) but the timing is bad for us. R.t. is so much nicer than one way! And I love that you have a bunch of sea days on board to relax and get used to the time change, and then the same on the way back!

The Hawaiian ports, while 'intensive' in the sense that you see one right after the other, are not as 'packed' with things to do as other parts of the world (say, Europe). I would say that the 'must sees' are a helicopter tour of Kauaii (go as early as possible in the day to avoid the rain and book on your own to keep the costs down) and the Volcanoes National Park (you can do this from Hilo or Kona). In Honolulu, of course, you want to visit the Arizona Memorial. Other than that, it's whatever interests you!

This is something I've wanted to do for the longest time but, I keep reading so many mixed reports about rough seas and bad food. I've sailed Princess and, I happen to like the food but, I'll be watching for your report next April regarding the sea conditions and ports of call. Hope you have a WONDERFUL time!

One thing you might enjoy about Princess is that the buffet is open 24 hours - makes for easy snacking!

We did the 15 day Hawaii trip on Island Princess.

The trip was perfect....start out with 5 sea days.
Hit all the ports back to back...and then chill out for 5 more sea days!
(Can you tell I love sea days?)

Grab a balcony cabin for sure. Lots to see from your room. We went in Feb, and whales are EVERYWHERE! Sea days can be a bit windy on the balcony, however.

My cruise review is posted under...what else...Cruise Reviews right on this site. Enjoy!

Thanks everyone for the information.... NDJollyMon we did get a balcony, an aft one in fact so I really hope to see some whales!

I like sea days also

I will check out your review....

Our seas had some days that were rough on the crossing. Not overly so, but water was flying out of the swimming pools. I don't mind rough seas...in fact...I like it. I like to KNOW I'm on a ship.

We saw a lot of whales in February...right from the balcony. We also saw them on whale watch boats, from helicopters, and from shore. They are everywhere!

During the crossing...I got some really great video of dolphins...big schools of dolphins playing in the waves the bow was making. They would jump from the water and sail through the air...it was AWESOME! There must have been 30 or so having a ball out in the middle of the Pacific.

Highly recommend the helicopter flight over Kauai. Breathtaking! Renting cars in the islands was easy...but I have some tips if you want them. Just ask.

You are in for a treat with the aft balcony! We had one on Navigator of the Seas! (aft corner) We had 15 people on the balcony...and there was room for more! Nothing like watching the wake of the ship...

My DH feels the same way about rough seas, comes from when he was in the Navy. The trans-atlantics we have been on were a little rough in some spots so I am used to it.

I like watching the wake, and hearing it at night with the door open.

Was the helicopter tour with the ship or independent?

I booked the helicopter myself, with Island Helicopters. I loved the flight, but the company left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I think it's all in my review. There are quite a few companies to choose from, however.

April is pretty late for whales - there may be a few around, but prime whale watching is Jan/Feb/March. Whales start to arrive in late November and some of them hang around until May, but by April a fair number are headed north already.

In re: helicopter tours - it isn't hard to book on your own - just do it well ahead of time as you will be in competition with the ship for bookings. The two most popular are Kauai and, of course, the Big Island over the volcano. If you do that one you can do either Hilo or Kona - if Kona, you'll most likely come north to Waikoloa - it is about 45 minutes from the pier. Hilo is close and you'd leave from the airport which is right next to the port.

I think there's also an outfit that leaves out of Kamuela from a small airport up there.

If you have Big Island questions, I'll do my best to find out for you if I don't already know the answer. I know my own island best, of course, but we've visited the other islands as well, so ask away...

kohaladonah

Read my Princess Hawaii review on this site. I have some insight on helicopters and such.

Here's a link to a non-profit group here on the Big Island (full disclosure - I used to work for them as a volunteer) that does some really good educational work on reefs and how to visit without causing further damage to the ecosystem. Thought some of you might be interested.

http://www.kohalacenter.org/join.html

kohaladonah

Pete,

Your Hawaii cruise reviews were a big help! Lots of good information.

Thanks