17-Day Cruise Around the Hawaiian Islands and California Aboard the EMERALD PRINCESS

Reflections on Our Princess Cruise to Hawaii

Our recent Princess Cruise to Hawaii was both enjoyable and educational, though perhaps not in the way I originally expected.

This was only my second cruise, the first being an Alaska cruise with Holland America more than a decade ago. Looking back on both experiences, I've come to realize that cruising may not be the best fit for my travel style. My husband and I are in our mid-sixties, and with so many destinations still on our wish list, we want to make the most of every opportunity to travel. Rather than briefly sampling a destination, we prefer to immerse ourselves in it, explore at our own pace, and decide for ourselves how much time to spend in each place.

Hawaii reinforced that realization.

Honolulu, in particular, left me wishing for more time. During our day there, I hiked Diamond Head, toured Iolani Palace, and attended a luau. While each experience was worthwhile, I felt rushed throughout the day. Another day would have allowed us to visit Pearl Harbor, drive the coastline, explore additional neighborhoods, and simply enjoy the island at a more leisurely pace. Instead of feeling as though I had experienced Honolulu, I felt as though I had only scratched the surface.

That said, my concerns were not solely about cruising as a style of travel. There were also aspects of the Princess experience itself that were disappointing.

Embarkation Day

My first impression of Princess Cruises was far from relaxing.

Our day began at 4:00 a.m. in Phoenix before flying to Los Angeles. Upon arrival, we were instructed to meet cruise representatives in baggage claim for transportation to the pier. After waiting for representatives to arrive, we were informed that the first shuttle bus would not arrive for another two and a half hours. We spent that time standing against a wall because there was nowhere available to sit.

After finally reaching the pier and completing check-in, security operations temporarily stopped, leaving passengers standing in another holding area with no access to water, seating, or restrooms. Once security resumed, we were directed to yet another waiting area where boarding delays resulted in approximately two additional hours of standing.

By the time we stepped aboard the ship, we had spent roughly five hours standing against walls in various locations throughout the day.

Things did not improve immediately. After boarding, I discovered that my suitcase had not been delivered. I was sent from our cabin to Customer Service and then back to the cabin, only to later have the suitcase delivered by the same steward who had directed me away in the first place.

None of these issues were major disasters, but they created a stressful and frustrating start to what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

Dining

One decision we were pleased with was reserving a formal dining room for dinner each evening. The food was generally good, and we preferred the atmosphere over eating every meal in the buffet.

However, service during the first several days was consistently slow. Despite arriving well before our scheduled dining time, meals often lasted so long that we could not finish in time to attend the 7:00 p.m. shows in the Princess Theatre.

More disappointing was the experience of a member of our group who requires both gluten-free and dairy-free meals. Prior to booking, we researched dining options and were advised that the formal dining room would be the best choice for accommodating dietary restrictions.

Unfortunately, her menu choices were extremely limited. On far too many evenings, her only practical option was broiled chicken. While the staff was pleasant and tried to help, the limited variety did not match our expectations based on the information we had received before booking.

Excursions

The excursions highlighted another recurring issue: expectations and reality often failed to align.

In Honolulu, we booked a hop-on, hop-off trolley excursion and planned our day around visits to Diamond Head and Iolani Palace. What was not disclosed beforehand was that passengers would spend more than an hour waiting before even reaching the trolley system. That delay affected the entire day, forcing us to pay additional fees to reschedule one attraction and rush through another.

On two of our four Hawaiian port days, my husband and I were seated separately during excursions. While that may seem minor, sharing these experiences together is one of the reasons we travel.

On another tour, we were seated in the corner of a van with air conditioning blowing directly into our ears. The noise made it nearly impossible to hear the guide's commentary. We couldn't even clearly hear lunch descriptions and ended up selecting food without knowing what was being offered.

Individually, these issues were not major. Collectively, they contributed to a feeling that excursions were organized for efficiency rather than passenger experience.

Onboard Activities

Several advertised activities also proved disappointing.

Prior to the cruise, I specifically confirmed that Mah Jong would be available onboard. When the activity was scheduled, numerous women arrived carrying American Mah Jong cards, only to discover that the ship was offering Chinese Mah Jong. There is nothing wrong with Chinese Mah Jong, but the distinction matters. The cruise materials should clearly specify which version is being offered.

Similarly, Princess advertised a book club featuring a specific title. I borrowed and read the book through my local library before the cruise. Other members of our group attended the advertised gathering expecting to receive copies and participate in a discussion. Unfortunately, no one was present to distribute books or conduct the event.

These may seem like small issues, but they reinforced a pattern of activities being advertised in ways that did not accurately reflect the actual experience.

Water and Comfort Issues

Princess frequently emphasized environmental responsibility and encouraged the use of reusable water bottles. However, we found only one water refill station, located in the gym, and the water was never cold.

We eventually learned to order multiple glasses of ice water at breakfast and refill our bottles manually. Even then, obtaining truly cold drinking water onboard proved surprisingly difficult.

Another ongoing issue was temperature control. Many public areas, including the dining rooms, buffet, and theatre, were uncomfortably cold. Ironically, the warmest location onboard seemed to be the gym. We frequently found ourselves carrying extra layers simply to remain comfortable while dining or attending shows.

Communication

Looking back, a common thread throughout many of our frustrations was communication.

Repeatedly, important details were either unclear, incomplete, or provided too late to be useful. Whether it involved embarkation logistics, excursion information, dining expectations, advertised activities, or onboard amenities, reality often differed from what we were led to expect.

The cruise itself was not bad. Hawaii was beautiful. The crew members worked hard and were generally pleasant and helpful. My concerns were rarely about individuals; they were almost always about processes, communication, and execution.

The Missing Survey

One final irony occurred at the end of the voyage.

For the last two days of the cruise, passengers were repeatedly reminded about the importance of the post-cruise survey and encouraged to give ratings of 9 or 10. I fully intended to complete the survey. In fact, I planned to give high scores to the hardworking crew while also offering constructive suggestions regarding several of the issues described above.

The survey never arrived.

In a way, that seemed fitting. Throughout the cruise, I frequently encountered a gap between what was promised and what was actually delivered. The missing survey felt like one final example.

Final Thoughts

I do not regret taking this cruise. Hawaii was everything I hoped it would be, and I enjoyed sharing the experience with friends. Most importantly, the trip taught me something valuable about myself as a traveler.

I have learned that I prefer depth over variety, flexibility over structure, and independence over convenience. I enjoy setting my own pace, spending extra time in places that interest me, and changing plans as opportunities arise.

Cruising clearly works well for many people, particularly those who enjoy having logistics handled for them and appreciate the convenience of visiting multiple destinations in a single trip.

For me, however, Hawaii confirmed that my ideal vacation involves fewer schedules, more flexibility, and enough time to truly experience a destination rather than simply sample it.

The greatest souvenir I brought home from Hawaii may not be a photograph or a gift. It is a clearer understanding of how I want to spend my future travel years.

Overall, I loved my cruise. I loved going to Alaska. I love going with my family. We had a great time entertainers the Irish duo and Cameron were terrific! The crooners bar and O’Malley‘s were also terrific the staff they were fantastic. However, aside from the great food at the Crown Grill the food was awful, completely awful planks that they advertise for barbecue. I don’t know what it was but it wasn’t barbecue the salty dog they didn’t even know how to cook the food correctly. They said they had something like chili, but it wasn’t chilly. I’m not sure it was some kind of being that you had to chew. I’m not sure we went to the da Vinci dining room. My sister got the salmon. It was so disgusting. We almost we were almost sick. It was poached and it was served with muscles. It stunk there was no side with it. I got some sort of a sirloin steak with some sort of a gravy on it. That was nasty on the sidenote my brother-in-law sister both got an upgrade with the filet mignon and it turned out great but they paid an extra $35 so unless you wanna pay extra for your meal, that’s going to be awful to mediocre. I did buy the premier plan so I was able to eat at Crown Grill, which was fabulous. We eat at Sabatini‘s however they don’t even let you keep the bread at your table. The guy comes around very frequently with one piece of bread and it’s stale. It’s stale because they’re not handing out the bread. They’re holding it hostage. it’s ridiculous that you can’t have a bread basket at your table. I don’t know about you, but I like having bread at my table. I felt like they were portioning it out rationing it. Maybe they were running out of bread I don’t know, but it was tacky. I went to the Chef dinner it was supposed to be spectacular. I couldn’t even eat it. It was very fishy. It stunk it was a lot of smelly seafood that smell smell smelled old. It was so unimpressed but they did give you a lot of wine so there’s that.. the staff was very nice. I will be sure to buy the premier plan so that I can eat at the Crown Grill when I go back to Princess, but I will bring suitcase of snacks and protein drinks. I’m just so disappointed in their food. We alsodid a wine experience dinner that was very good. They did not keep their bathrooms clean that was very disappointing and disgusting

Our problems started with Princess wifi system that did not work half the time. We found that if you are 55 or older you should not sail on Princess especially if you cannot climb stairs. Management was clueless and had people climbing up and down several flights of stairs to get off the ship. We were once required to meet at 12:35 to get off the ship and no manager showed up where they sent out message to our rooms after 2:00 and text at 12:45. Managers finallly showed at 1:30 and had everyone go up to the next level via the stairs where they later required everyone to go down 2 levels to get off the ship. The issues continued with the Princess food that was no better than warmed over cold and tuff. I can say that the management and staff over the dining room went the extra mile.