Island Princess 3/20/05-4/4/05 Hawaii Please keep in mind that this review expresses my opinions and others may have different views and experiences.

Introduction --- My friend and I are seasoned travelers, both with cruises and land trips. This cruise was planned to celebrate my 50th birthday. My friend is a few years younger. I have traveled on several cruise lines but now concentrate on Princess. I feel that Princess has the best value for dollar spent. I have Elite status on Princess which offers nice perks.

Pre Cruise travel -- I drove to the port from the California desert stopping by the Ontario airport to pick up my friend who flew down from Northern California. It was a Saturday afternoon and an easy drive. We stayed at the Sheraton in San Pedro which offered a great pre cruise package. For $149 you received one night's lodging, free under ground parking for up to 30 days, free shuttle to and from the port and to local attractions, free breakfast buffet and a free bottle of wine or sparkling champagne. We met up with 6 other cruisers from our Cruise Critic roll call for dinner at 22nd Street Landing (http://www.22ndstlandingrestaurant.com/), my personal favorite seafood restaurant in San Pedro. The Sheraton took us from the hotel to the restaurant and back at no charge. This hotel officially changed it's affiliation on 4/1/05 and is no longer a Sheraton but will still be offering the same package. Read more