The Island Princess
As many of you know, Robin and I have been sailing together for over 30 years including 25 years of owning sailboats. We are back on the water again, but in a bit of a larger craft. After 17 days at sea and over 6,000 nautical miles from the start of our voyage indulging in total relaxation and pampering by the accommodating crew, I finally have the time for an introduction and update of the 2024 Island Princess World Cruise which we booked in 2022. We hope you will enjoy this trip as much as we hope to.
Why a World Cruise? Well, we were drawn by the itinerary, a “voyage of a lifetime”, which for us included 22 countries, 44 destinations and 51 sea days for a total of 97 days. Some will carry on for another 14 days to transit the Panama Canal, but since we have transited the Canal on the Coral Princess, a sister ship, in 2017, we elected to embark in Los Angeles on January 18th and return to Fort Lauderdale in late April.
2024 WORLD CRUISE CHART
As a premonition, the cruise itinerary experienced a few changes early on, such as the inclusion of the port of Suva Fiji instead of Pago Pago, American Samoa. Of special note, was the early decision to forego the visit to Nazareth due to safety concerns.
Preparation for a 14-week cruise is somewhat complex and included arranging for home watch, vacation override for all medications, computer backups and transfers, luggage forwarding service, planning excursions, strategic packing, as well as transfers to and from the ship. In addition to the Premier Home Watch Service, my cousin Vito will be house sitting. He’s an angry man and although he has a concealed carry permit, insists on wearing his Glock 19 around the house in the Streamlight TLR Holster we got him for Christmas.
Just after dawn, our flight departed from Tampa to LAX. A bit early for me, but fortunately it was uneventful. We made it somewhat easier by shipping some luggage ahead of time for delivery directly to our stateroom. After arrival at LAX with luggage in tow, we spent the night in San Pedro near the Harbor to allow for a trouble-free embarkation. The morning presented with a chilly 59º, but the transfer to the nearby Port in Long Beach was seamless.
The Island Princess appeared majestic at the Port dock in Long Beach as we checked in at 10:30 with a very quick and efficient process using our “Medallion”.
A Princess Medallion is a quarter-sized wearable device that allows touch free boarding, room access, locating your travel mates and having everything you need delivered anywhere. No ID cards or receipts to sign. . . an incredible convenience!
You can wear it on the lanyard included, a necklace or bracelet, but I found mounting it to an iwatch strap the best option for me.
After a brief respite in the Elite Lounge, we boarded using the enclosed gangway to the ship, which was to be our home for the next 97 days. Robin and I travelled on this same ship, along with family for a partial canal transit in 2019.
The Island Princess has a traditional feel, but the recently updated carpeting and upholstery give it an elegant atmosphere. The Central Piazza is not overwhelming, but rather welcoming, and hosts many of the ships activities.
The Island Princess is one of the two Coral-Class ships; it was launched 2003 and refurbished 2017. It is a relatively small ship of 93,000 tons, 982 feet and 106 beam to allow travel through the 110-foot wide Panama Canal. It’s a tight fit with only 2 feet to spare on either side, as you can imagine, touch up paint is often needed at the next port.
The ship accommodates 2,200 passengers and 900 Crew and although we had 1,975 aboard, the ship never felt crowded, unless we were in a tender port, which was rare.
Our stateroom was a midship mini-suite of 305 Sq feet and included a separate sitting area with a full sofa, two TVs with a variety of channels, movies and enrichment lectures, as well as, a comfortable balcony.
In the past, we have found this to be a comfortable cabin, well laid out, and with our organizational skills, enough room for a 3 month trip. We had storage cubes and hanging shoe racks sent ahead to allow for organized clothing stowage. This was the best set up we have found yet for dressing in a confined space.
After lunch in the dining room, we set about unpacking and organizing the stateroom for our voyage. We finished just before sail-away and made our way to one of the lounges for cocktails before dinner in the Reserve Section of the main dining room.
Sail away from the World Cruise Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro at 5:45 pm.
After dinner and a show we indulged in a nightcap at the Wheelhouse bar and then retired to the sumptuous, premium linens of our comfy king- size bed. We slept like babies while on our way to the Hawaiian Islands in a moderate sea.
And so, for another 5 days at sea we enjoyed the amenities of the ship. There were numerous activities, enrichment lectures, opportunities for exercise, music, gaming and, of course, eating.
The offerings were pleasing to the eye and palate and were meticulously presented by the pleasant and attentive restaurant managers and waitstaff. The Common areas including the restrooms were kept impeccably clean and our cabin steward Adie, attended to our every need.
Of course, a good deal of time doing research for both option trading and this missive, which I hope you find of interest. In addition, we had this incredible view for days on end.
Our first destination was Hawaii, about 2,600 miles from the U.S. mainland in the Northern Pacific Ocean. It is the only U.S. state outside of North America and the only one in the tropics. Hawaii, consists of 137 volcanic islands but only eight main ones, the most familiar being Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii, which is often called the “Big Island”, to avoid confusion with the state .
Settled by Polynesians sometime between 1000 and 1200 CE, Hawaii had independent Chiefdoms. Hawaii became a unified, internationally recognized kingdom in 1810, until American and European business men overthrew the monarchy in 1893 which led to its annexation by the US in 1898. Hawaii is the most recent state to join the Union in 1959. Its economy has tourism and military defense as the two largest sectors. Honolulu, Hawaii hosts the United States Pacific Fleet the world’s largest naval command.
Hawaii’s relative isolation results in one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. However, Hawaii is the third-wealthiest state, and residents have the longest life expectancy of any U.S. state, at 80.7 years
Honolulu, the capital and most populous city of the state of Hawaii is situated along the southeast coast of the island of Oahu, and is the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city. The city is characterized by a mix of various Asian, Western and Pacific cultures, reflected in its diverse demography, cuisine, and traditions.
Honolulu’s favorable tropical climate, rich natural scenery, and extensive beaches make it a popular global destination for tourists. With over 2.7 million visitors as of 2019, Honolulu is the seventh-most visited city in the United States after New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco and Las Vegas.
We arrived at the Downtown Port of Honolulu, home to almost half a million people. Honolulu is Hawaii’s state capital and the only major city. It offers a wealth of historic, cultural and scenic attractions. Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head are two of the city’s enduring symbols. Pearl Harbor, site of the USS Arizona Memorial, is a reminder of the tragic events of December 7, 1941 which led America into World War II.
At 7am we gathered at Wheelhouse bar, then to the Pier and boarded a comfortable motor coach for a 4 hour Scenic Drive of the Pali Coast. This was a visually captivating half-day guided tour of Oahu to some of the island’s most famous areas.
Our Tour guide and driver Kimoke’o was informative and entertaining using visuals and music as part of his tour.
We traveled through the heart of the resort district at Waikiki Beach with stunning views of Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, a protected marine preserve and then to Waimanalo Beach featuring a pristine shoreline that slopes gently into the ocean.
We then travelled a narrow road to the Pali Lookout with awe-inspiring vistas of the island where King Kamehameha I forced thousands of his opponents to jump to their deaths.
On the way back to the ship we learned more about Israel Kamakawiwo’ole or “IZ”and his legacy on the island. IZ is a larger than life musician and singer who is celebrated as the voice of Hawaii:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I
With the spirit of IZ we made back to the comfort of the ship for Lunch followed by, cocktails, dinner and the Explorer’s Lounge for a bit of music trivia. We departed the dock at 10:30 pm and made our way through the night traveling southeast to the island of Hawaii.
On Day 8, we welcomed the Big Island of Hawaii. Twice as large as the other major Hawaiian Islands combined, Hawaii’s terrain ranges from tropical beaches to the alpine crags and basalt heights of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The Kona Coast is a land of infinite variety, ranging from pristine beaches to rolling uplands that are home to coffee plantations, macadamia groves and the largest privately owned cattle ranch in the United States. To the southeast lies Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. At over 10,000 feet above sea level, Mauna Kea is the highest point in the Pacific Basin.
We dropped anchor at Kona at about 8:00 am. The anchorage was rolly, so tenders were lively and disembarking process was slower than usual.
We didn’t board tender until 11:30 am the walked through town to Kona Coffee Café in the Kona Inn Shopping village.
We got a great Kona Cappuccino, but passed on the “Donkey Balls” and watched fellow cruisers amble around in perfect weather.
Enjoying our brief visit, we returned to our new adopted home on Dophin Deck.
After leaving Kona we enjoyed 7 more sea days and travel 2740 nautical miles or 3,150 statute miles until we reached the next port of Suva, Fiji. Traveling at about 17 knots, we had mostly beautiful sunny days with a calm to moderate sea with gentle rolling waves and no white caps. It is heaven!
Wish us fair winds and following seas,
Captain Bobby Di
Our young, affable guide Dustin oriented us about the day planned, which included 4 ½ miles of kayaking on the beautiful Wailea, the only navigable river in all of Hawaii. This was to be followed by a 1 ½ hour hike to the Secret Falls which features many streams to cross and plenty of ankle-deep mud to keep it interesting.
After a leisurely stroll through hotel gardens ,we enjoyed a cocktail and a delicious lunch at Tropics Bar and Grill on Waikiki on a perfect warm, sunny day with a light breeze.
