It's quite windy due to a storm north of us & causing a lot of rocking. Although I haven't seen to many sick people but I'm sure there are a few. It's still early (8:15 AM) and a lot of people are sleeping in this morning. The air temp has dropped off to around 67 & with the wind it feels cold. All the water is drained from the pools & only the hot tubs are open. They did have water in them yesterday afternoon but with the water crashing from end to end you'ed have to be nuts to go swiming. This is the first cruise to a warm climate that I haven't been in the pool or ocean.

Hi RichC,

I think you are quite fortunate. We saw TV pictures of that storm North of you as it landed in Vancouver and Victoria. It's a whopper, strong enough to rip out huge trees, and cause devastation to local housing. Hopefully, it stays North of your path of progress towards Mexico. Hang in there!

We're rocking about for the last 2 days & many people are begining to feel it. Some missed diner last night but the Princess theater was still full. They've got a new production show which is very good- Motor City. The other enetertainment had been so-so. Some OK & others can be skipped.

The winds have calmed down this Sunday morning & we only have a slow rocking motion aboard. From what I heard, there was a big storm that hit the west coast & the winds we had for the last two days are the result of it. We can only hope a large snow storm doesn't hit on Tuesday & mess up the airline schedules.

Hi RichC,

Forecast highs for Los Angeles and Tampa tomorrow are 64F and 79F respectively with sunny skies in both regions. Should have no problems with flight schedules.

By the way, did you know you have been named Time Magazines's Man of the Year? They announced yesterday that ALL users of the internet have been granted this award for 2006.

I quess that includes you and I.

Looks like you have about 24 hours to go.

Enjoy!

It's good to hear about the weather being OK but since we're retired & don't have a schedule to conform to, it's no big deal. It'll feel good to get back to our mild climate in Fl though after the cool days on board the ship. We have 76-79 degrees at home right now & we don't miss the cold & snow.

I don't know if I mentioned it or not but the Island Princess has a morning show broadcast between 6 AM & 10 AM on their channel 21. They have a question of the day such as what are the 4 production shows that you've seen or what does a particular phobia mean. If you jot down the correct answer & put it in the box located in the library they give out simple gifts each day like travel clocks, luggage tags & my wifes favorite - a canvas travel bag. Out of all the pax only about 10 or 15 people actually take the time to bother to respond each day. It's almost like a free gift each day.

Hi again,

Thanks for the tip about the free gifts.

Another question!

I am thinking about bringing my wireless fitted lap top in March. I understand you can use your own computer rather than the ship's computers in the internet room. I am told you can sit in the atrium with your wireless lap top and surf.

Can you confirm? I am Platinum so no need to worry about internet cost. Thanks!

Hi Bob & Bev,
I was just reading this post and realized that we'll be on our honeymoon on the same cruise you are taking. (Hawaii - March 12th). Just got back from the Caribbean on the Caribbean Princess. (fantastic time)
RichC,
Thanks for taking the time to post everyday. We've been getting some great tips.

We'll be on the Caribbeab Princess in Feb. Any hints for a better cruise?

You can use the wireless internet in the atrium area (and library right next to it) but there us a charge for wireless use on matter what level you are. They don't give free wireless internet service to anyone- the standard charge of 50 cents per minute apply. Strange?
Today at the Horizon court they had the cholocate buffet set up for lunch. Lots of interesting cakes & decorations to shoot pictures of. Half the table was set up for pix takers & half to eat. Get there early (11:30) as the lines for dessert get to be a little long & tables were a little hard to come by.
Tonight is the second time they'll serve lobster in the dining room. (3 rd formal night.

It's cool to be outside on deck today & the pools are empty with nets over them. The lectures on board by Bob Basso have been great & well attended with a few WWII vets there as well. If I recall right, he'll be on an Alaska cruise some time next year. He's quite an interesting character.

The Caribbean Princess has "Movies under the Stars". A huge screen set-up just above the pool. They played movies (Cars, Shall We Dance, Pirates of the Caribbean) and other things (Monday Night Football). This seemed like a fun thing if you like lounging by the pool. (Not my thing because I don't handle the Caribbean heat and sun very well.)
The Sterling Steak House (cover charge of 15 dollars per person) was wonderful. We love steak.
The Caribbean is a lovely ship, the service is good, the food delicious. Compared to the Island though, the service is a little bit more laid back and the food, while still very good, was not as good as the Island, in our opinion.
St Maarten and St Thomas were both really nice places to stop. We had alot of fun on a snorkeling shore excursion in St Thomas called The Sea Blaster. Really nice people and really great snorkeling.

Hi RichC,

Thanks for the post about wireless. That is sure surprising. I can't understand why a person could use the ship's computers for free, and yet have to pay 50 cents/minute to use a wireless lap-top. Strange!

Anyhoo, I mis-calculated your return trip and see from the webcam you are still one day away from Ensenada. For some reason, I thought you would reach LA today. The seas look calm and peaceful.

Thank you so much for your daily updates. We have learned a lot, and fully intend to make our trip in March. Hopefully, the weather will be a little better, but if not, so be it.

Have a great final day on the ship, and a safe trip home tomorrow if that is your plan.

Do you plan on posting a review of your cruise anywhere?

One last word before they disconnect the Internet (probably tomorrow morning)- We stopped at Ensanada this evening at 5 PM & 1,500 people rushed off the ship to the lone building to make their final purchases. Within 20 minutes at least 1,400 of them were back on the ship. There is hardly NOTHING to purchase at the port, not even a decent T shirt. There were about 8 shops open for business in the 1 building but nothing much to see that we havent seen many times before. There were some of the pax that did take 1 of the 2 tours they offered but I wasen't about to spend $20 to go on a shopping tour or $35 for a brief show in Ensanada. If your tired don't waste you time getting off the ship.
One other note- I did have roaming Verizon cell service at the port starting from about 12 miles out but I have no idea what charges the Mexican government would tack on especially when we're only 210 miles form LA & I can make all my calls in another 10 hours.

Hi Its been a while since I have check this site and I am very happy to read the reports of your trip to Hawaii. We are leaving on Feb 10th on the Island Princess. I have been concerned about the weather and rough seas. I guess you just have to hope for the best and deal with what you get. Think I will pack my sweatshirt now. Thank You so much for all you info ...it will be very useful as we plan our excursions...

Hi Marylu,

Good to see you are going ahead with your trip to Hawaii in February. We too enjoyed the reports put out by RichC on his cruise because we are going out on the same cruise in March.

I don't know if you get free internet access from the ship, otherwise it can be pricey.

We would love to hear from you while you on the ship if you so inclined. Two experiences is usually better than one. (ha)

Have a great cruise!

And I'm doing the same trip in April and am counting on ALL of you!
Thank you also, RichC, for all your helpful information; especially your tip about taking the volcano trip from Hilo instead of Kona--I would not have known about that if it were not for you.
Thanks again.

I just 'discovered' this site this am. We are on the Island Princess for the March 12th sailing and you've all been so helpful relieving our concerns about the Pacific crossing piece of the trip. We are retired, but think young. We've booked the zipline tour in Kuahi. Anyone else had any experience with this?

Hi Richc Now that you are back home do you wish you had done or taken or left at home...Last year when we cruised Princess we were able to bring wine on board ( I preferr Australian red) Do you know if that is still allowed? Thanks again for all the info. We are excited about our Feb 10 sailing.

I suppose I could have left my 2 bathing suits at home. It was to cool to swim on the ship even in the enclosed Lotus pool. (my wife had 4 bathing suits!)She was also a little over packed & it was tight for space on the return trip.
I do believe you can still bring wine onboard with no problem. Our waiter opened & served the wine himself. (with no corkage fee). If you have a small pair of binoculars, they would be nice to view the volcano lava flow at around 2:30 AM if the mist isn't to thick. We lucked out & were able to view it from our balcony. (port side) They'll be sailing at around 12-15 miles out while they pass it.
Another thing that comes in handy - before leaving, e mail yourself a list of you e mail addresses from your address book & then shut off you computer before the mail program can retrieve it. This way you'll have them all handy without having to write them down on paper.
All things considered my wife & I had the best cruise in a long time even with the choppy seas.