One of the questions we get asked about our cruises is "what do you pack? " As a rule, I would preach that less is more, but there are so many variables and individual styles that fit into what one packs. In theory, one could throw some t-shirts and shorts in a bag and be happy. We are both a bit more sartorial so we bring a number of mix and match outfits. On this Hawaii cruise you need both warm weather and cool weather clothes. The weather was warm and sunny in Hawaii but on the way there and back we had a of number of "jacket" days. On this fifteen day cruise there were three "formal" nights in the dining rooms. You see some tuxedos and gowns, but I wear a black suit and Avril a black dress and we are normally in the more dressed up group. If you don't want to dress up on those nights you eat at the informal buffet on Lido deck or order room service. Avril and I carry 21 inch rolling "carry-on" bags from eBags. Here is the
link to the latest incarnation of our bags. You can cram a bunch of clothing in these bags but they are still easy to manage. On this cruise, because of the length, we also carried sport duffel bags that hooked on top of our rollers giving us more capacity. Laundry and cleaning are available on the ship but I carry enough clothes so I can avoid that chore while on vacation. In addition, I carry a photo backpack with cameras, lenses, computer and tons of cords and accessories. There are some changes coming in the photo department, more on that in my next post. While this much equipment and clothing seem excessive our bags pale in comparison to some coming on board. I think someone packed a small car in one huge bag. As they say, 'whatever floats your boat.'
After all the packing, planning and preparation it was time to get on board! We arrived at the port at our prescribed time and were amazed at how fast we went through the process. We were on board in our cabin in an amazing 20 minutes! The fastest boarding time ever, good job Princess! I could feel the stress relief already.
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| Our Interior Cabin Grand Princess |
Our cabin attendant, Jimmy, introduced himself and gave us a briefing on upcoming events. We marched upstairs for some lunch. We were housed on deck 10 Caribe and walked up three flights to deck 14 Lido (no deck 13.) We were headed into an eating frenzy and taking the stairs helped work up an appetite. I chowed down on small portions of roast beef, fish, scallops and mashed potatoes. I had to pace myself because it was only a few hours until dinner. We took some photos of San Francisco from the sports deck 15. Sorry to leave you San Fran, but not to worry we will return in fifteen days!
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| San Francisco taken from The Grand Princess |
We attended the mandatory safety drill and unpacked before dinner. We had the early seating in the DaVinci Dining room and at promptly 5:30 pm we found our requested table for two. We enjoyed some wine and ordered a feast. There was a watercress and radish salad for me and Red Snapper Mojito salad for Avril. We both had the prime rib for our entree. and split a cheese and fruit plate for dessert. We met some fellow cruisers at adjacent tables who seemed to just as happy as us to be on the way to Hawaii.
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| Dinner Day one DaVinci Dining room Grand Princess |
After dinner we attended the introductory show in the Princess Theater. What a lovely way to start a vacation.
