This was our third Princess cruise in three years,and our first longer than one week. Our adventure started from S.W. Utah, an easy six hour drive to our cousins place in Rancho Cucamonga. First, a short stop in Barstow, Ca. for lunch at the corporate, and best Del Taco in the country.We needed our mexican fix for lunch. We knew we wouldn't see much mexican food onboard.

Cruise day April 26, we caught a limo for the one hour drive to port of Los Angeles. We decided to buy our own "leis", so we at least looked the part for going to Hawaii. The embarkation was a breeze,after a short line,and check in, we were aboard,and in our room before 1:00pm. Our room was on baja deck, level 11, # 409. This was our first balcony room, we usually choose a mini-suite. The room was nice,clean, and comfortable,and except for the tiny shower, it met all our needs.Now, to meet up with all our relatives,as this was a re-union cruise,22 of us.Our last re-union cruise was on the Diamond Princess to Alaska,that one, may be hard to beat, we'll see? The ship, for being 5 years old now, still looks relatively new,and the crew,mostly filipino, works hard,to keep it that way. Except for the balcony railings, the ship is first class. The public areas are decorated beautifully, and are very spacious.The first sea nite was pretty rough, I can't see doing this cruise in the winter months though?This was the last run for the Island Princess to Hawaii,after Alaska,she will head south to do the Mexico/Panama Canal runs. The Diamond, a bigger,grand class ship will take over, to Hawaii.The food aboard was pretty good,some nites better than others, but good variety, and always something for everyone.I especially enjoyed the swordfish,crab,and lobster The Horizon Court was consistently good, and many of our family members enjoyed it, as much as our anytime dining meals, in the the Bordeaux.The Horizon Court was ,always crowded for breakfast,and sometimes,it was hard to find a table. We did not try the specialty restaurants,they take far too long, and Princess has so many fun shows, and activities at nite. The more you participate at these venues,the more fun you will have!We all tried out for just about everything, and the cruise director, Billy, Mark,and their staff, really did a great job organizing,and making things a lot of fun for all of us!Popstar,sexy leg contest,fruit,and ice carvings, ,barwars,millionaire, all the games,and shows, were a delight to watch,and participate. Kevin Hughes, is not to be missed,along with Tribute,and Motortown. The Island Princess dancers,singers, and the main band, Jamm Inc. were fantastic!Billy Hygate is now my favorite cd,his tribute to Tom Jones,and Fiddler on the roof, was top notch!He is so personable, and genuinely friendly,and makes this ship go.The champagne waterfall party was spectacular,all the wait staff were their singing,dancing and conga lines spread all over the entire atrium.It was quite a site,cameras flashing non-stop, for over an hour.It was a real celebration!  Streamers,and champagne flowing everywhere, for a moment,I thought I was on a Carnival ship, on new years eve!  Service,throughout the ship during the 15 day cruise was prompt,and cheerful. The staff was very friendly,and made us feel welcome. The only complaint I have, is the constant asking by waiters out by the pool to order cocktails. It got to the point where it was truly annoying.The average cocktail was over $7,and many passengers were not drinking.Much higher than our last cruise?Shore excursions: Lahaina,Maui we did a two site snorkel at Molokini,and another site, where we saw multiple tropical fish,including green sea turtles,and moray els. We had a great lunch,open bar,and friendly captain They really need to use more tenders,disembarking over 1500 passengers.We saw a lot of beautiful fish,including moray els,and green sea turtles.Not much time to shop,due to coming back late, Princess needs to allow more time in ports,and work on expediting more tender boats efficiently. Honolulu,Ohahu we paid our respects to Pearl harbor,and the Arizona memorial.We also got to tour the mighty Missouri battleship,and all the history behind it. It was quite a memorial,and tribute to everyone, who lost their lives.Since we had some extra time in Honolulu,we took a cab down to Waikiki, and checked out the world famous beach, and it's beautiful turquoise water.The International Marketplace was just behind the Royal Hawaiian hotel, so we did a little shopping.Just next door to our ship was the Aloha Tower mall, where we followed some off duty crew members over to Hooters, what a hoot! Nawiliwili, Kauai the garden island,kayaked up a beautiful river,then trekked through a dense jungle to a hidden waterfall,and lagoon.Our guide helped us swing out on a rope,and drop into a fresh water lagoon.wow! Kona,Hawaii we stopped at several places of interest for photos,including a coffee farm,sampled some great Kona,and macadamia nut coffees,then off to a great snorkeling spot,where we swam with several species of tropical fish.Next we wen to a real native village to see an Hawaiian place of refuge.Hilo,Hawaii we stopped at several historical locations for photos, then off to Rainbow falls,a natural deep cave formed by lava flow,past black sand beach,and into a beautiful park to see lava rock,and beautiful gardens.All our guides were quite knowledgeable,and very friendly.

Ensenada,Mexico Originally we were not going to go ashore,but we saw some shops at the dock,so off we went.We then took a bus into town, and found a few good deals, along with a cold mexican beer, to finish off our brief stop.There are several small children who will touch your hearts,on the streets of Ensenada,take a lot of change,and singles if you go into town.We got a large bottle of Kahlua for only $10 bucks,some great pharmaceutical bargains everywhere! Disembarkation, not as good as embarkation, as they called our custom number 45 minutes earlier, than we were originally told.We gulped down a quickie breakfast,then through the customs line in about 5 minutes.We were off the ship,and picking up our luggage in a jiffy,as we were the last of our green 1 group.By 9:45am we were outside waving down our limo,much better than Seattle,and Ft. Lauderdale disembarkations. In summary,this was the best, of our 3 cruises by far,not perfect,but pretty darn good. We didn't get any rain,even in Hilo!I would definitely recommend this itinerary,this ship,and especially this crew,cd,and all the cheerful,hardworking crew of the Island Princess!!!