Alaska's Good Friday earthquake, March 27, 1964

Portage Alaska Ghost City

By Carol Watts Alaska Expert


The strongest earthquake in North America's history, recalculated at 9.2, occurred in Alaska in 1964. Alaska and it's Alleutian Islands sit on the edge of the circum-Pacific seismic belt. More earthquakes occur in Alaska than in the rest of the 49 states combined, as many as 4,000 quakes per year. On March 28th of this year, 48 earthquakes were recorded in Alaska. The epicenter of the Good Friday earthquake was in Prince William Sound. The area of major destruction covered more than 100,000 square miles, while the quake was felt in an area of over 500,000 square miles. The shock wave lasted about 3 minutes in downtown Anchorage and the adjacent residential area of Turnigan Arm. This is where the most severe structural damage occurred, 75 miles northwest of the epicenter. Over 30 blocks of commercial buildings and residences were destroyed, leaving over 2,000 homeless in the Anchorage area. Two hundred miles southwest of Anchorage, some areas on Kodiak Island were raised by 30 feet, while southeast of Anchorage, near Portage and Girdwood, the land dropped as much as 8 feet in elevation. Seward highway which runs between Seward and Anchorage required not only reconstruction but fill to raise it above the new high tide levels.

In his extremely readable history book, Alaska, Saga of a Bold Land, Walter Borneman puts faces to the earthquake story. He writes of Anchorage taxi driver Joe Kramer who thought the other drivers had gone berserk when their vehicles fishtailed towards him like amusement park bumper cars. 的t was when they started bouncing two feet off the ground that I knew it was more than just the drivers.Anchorage resembled a was zone. As darkness fell, residents spent the night without electricity, heat, and running water as temperatures dropped into the teens. Of the 55,000 Anchorage population, only 9 deaths were recorded. Fortunately, because of the timing of the quake, 5:36 p.m. on a holiday, schools and most of the office buildings were empty.

For towns along the coastline of Prince William Sound the death tolls were much higher. Underwater landslides caused water displacement and waves traveling at 500 miles per hour. A 70 foot tall wave roared into the little village of Chenega killing 23 of its 68 residents. The nearby port of Valdez just about disappeared when the tsunami swept over the harbor docks and tidal flats, killing 30 people. Fuel tanks ruptured and soon the harbor area was aflame.

Similarly in Seward, the bulk storage tanks of Standard Oil fell from sight, only to be replaced with a huge fireball. Waves lifted the wall of fire 8 blocks inland and set many homes and shops on fire. Flames lit the sky all night long. Pilings from the exploded docks burned like candles in Resurrection Bay, their waterlogged ends submerged while the other oil soaked ends flamed above water. The Alaska Railroad lines north of Seward were a twisted mess.

Kodiak is located further away from the epicenter. Here successive waves displaced boats from the harbor 2 to 3 blocks inland. Kodiak itself fell about 5 feet. The islands famous bears were awakened from their hibernation, and rather than wandering around as usual, their tracks showed a direct flight towards the mountains.

Damage from the quake and tsunami was estimated between $380 - $500 million; that's 1964 dollars. As federal relief poured into the state, the resulting building boom turned the earthquake into an economic benefit for many Alaskans. The state of Alaska recovered, mostly, as salmon beds that had been covered with silt returned to prolific breeding grounds. Where forests had been leveled, new growth developed. And wetlands that had been covered with salt water soon returned to nesting grounds for both native and migratory birds. But at the eastern edge of Turnigan Arm, along the highway from Anchorage to Seward, there stands a forest of dead trees. This was once the town of Portage, where the Alaska Railroad splits, with one line running south to Seward, and the other tunneling through the mountain to Whittier. The name Portage is now mainly associated with the tourist attraction Portage Glacier. The town itself sank 6 feet during the earthquake, making it below sea level. There remains in Portage only a few ruined buildings and a forest of skeleton trees that died after the water table of their roots was covered with salt water. Unlike Valdez, Seward, and Kodiak, the town of Portage was never rebuilt.

Our first hand cruise experience means valuable inside information on Alaska cruises and cruisetours.


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Coastal Cruises

Alcatraz, visit but don't stay.

By Carol Watts Travel Planner

What do cruise ships do when, because of weather, the season in Alaska has ended but the season in Mexico has not yet begun? The cruise lines can’t just have a ship sitting in the water and not generating income.

The answer is a coastal cruise. On Holland America these consist of 1 - 5 day long cruises that leave Vancouver and sail to San Diego, or sail around Puget Sound for 3 or 5days, round trip Vancouver. There’s even a 1 day cruise from Vancouver to Seattle. If you have never sailed before, these short coastal cruises are a great way to see what cruising is all about. But the air fare to Vancouver can be expensive, and there’s no indication that air prices will not continue to rise in the future.

I think Princess Cruises has a good solution with their two 7 day coastal cruises that are round trip Los Angeles. Air fare to LAX is not cost prohibitive, or you can drive. The dates for this fall’s coastal cruises are Sept 24th and Oct 11th. You can think of them as wine cruises, since winery tours are available in every port of call: Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada, Mexico. Unfortunately, because of the Jones Act, foreign flagged ships sailing to and from an American city must make a port of call in a foreign country, hence Mexico or Canada. Therefore passports are require. If the threat of violence in Mexico scares you, then just stay on the ship that day. (We’ve done that frequently on Mexican Riviera cruises, since they are the least expensive cruise, and we just go to relax and enjoy the ship, not for the destination.) Prices for these coastal cruises are just slightly higher than the 7 day Mexican Riviera cruises.

And, you guessed it, we have group space reserved on both dates, that gives you a reduced cabin rate and on board credit. Now I realize that a great portion of Payson residents moved here from California, and therefore a cruise that visits mainly California ports may not be a big draw. But even if wineries are not your thing, there’s still plenty to see in each of the ports of call. And this cruise is a great way to visit several California cities without having to drive, since you wake up every day in a different port after sailing overnight. Ahhh, there’s nothing like the motion of the ocean to rock you to sleep.

In addition to several winery tours, the shore excursions available for Santa Barbara include whale watching for grays, blues, or humpbacks, a city tour by trolley, or a tour of the Danish town of Solvang.

San Francisco offers numerous shore excursions: winery tours in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, a visit to Alcatraz, free time to explore Muir Woods and the Coastal Redwoods, Sausalito and Fisherman’s Wharf, and a city tour that includes the Golden Gate Bridge with numerous photo opportunities.

San Diego, you could spend a week here. In addition to the zoo, there’s Sea World, Wild Animal Park, a city tour that includes Old Town, Coronado Island, and La Jolla, a harbor cruise, the Maritime Museum, a visit to the 100 year old Bernardo vineyard, and Balboa Park, the jewel in San Diego’s crown. Here you will see not only horticulture and Spanish architecture, but have your choice of 13 museums to visit, offering displays of art, model trains, dinosaur fossils, mummies, folk art, photography, sports memorabilia, rare aircraft, vintage automobiles, science and space exhibits, and an IMAX theater. Travel to Balboa Park includes a trolley tour of the Gaslamp District and Seaport Village.

Ensenada, Mexico shore excursions include a city tour and drive along the Baja countryside to Punta Banda and its famous blowhole, and two different winery tours, combined with a city tour.

Of course, you can easily step off the ship and schedule an independent tour or shopping excursion. In these California ports of call there’s no language barrier, no foreign money, and no threat of drug cartel violence. With growing global unrest and hatred of Americans, you’ve got to admit that cruises to US cities, whether Alaska, Hawaii, or California are becoming more appealing.

Warm Weather Cruises

Diamondhead at Sunrise

By Carol Watts Travel Planner


This latest cold snap has gotten me thinking about a cruise to a warm and sunny location. Most people think of the Caribbean, and there is no shortage of cruise itineraries going there. You have a choice of leaving from Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Galveston, New Orleans, Charleston, Baltimore, New York, or San Juan. The downside is the long air flight to get to the port of embarkation. Often times that requires flying a day early and staying overnight. But with the sales and deals, a Caribbean cruise is a cost effective vacation when compared with a resort on one Caribbean island. Being stuck in one location, no matter how beautiful, can not compare in my book with visiting several different ports of call on a ship where meals and entertainment are included at no additional cost.

Cruises go to the Eastern, the Western, or the Southern Caribbean. Or you can book a back to back cruise that visits both the Eastern and Western. If you have “been there, done” that, there is a 7 day cruise that visit’s the two southern islands of Curacao and Aruba, as well as the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas. Because of the distance traveled, there are 3 sea days to relax and enjoy all that the cruise ship has to offer on this itinerary. We have group space reserved on the December 3rd sailing that provides you with a discounted cabin rate and on-board credit.

Likewise the choice of cruise lines and ships that visit the Caribbean is almost endless. From the mega ships from Royal Caribbean that have over 5,400 passengers to smaller ships that have less than 1,400 guests, we can find a cruise ship that suits your preferences.

Another warm weather itinerary is the Panama Canal. Here you have the choice of a 10 day itinerary round trip from Ft. Lauderdale that goes through one set of locks on the Caribbean side before returning to Florida. Or you can do the full canal transit that takes 14 to 15 days departing from either Los Angeles or San Diego to Florida, or vice versa. If you take the east bound itinerary, you have only one long flight from Florida back to Arizona, and there is no overnight motel stay required, because the time change is working in your favor.

Of course you knew I was going to mention Hawaii as a favorite warm weather cruise destination. There’s no threat of violence in our 50th state, like there has been on some of the Caribbean islands. The 14 day round trip from either Los Angeles or San Diego is the least expensive way to cruise to Hawaii. We have several group sailings reserved, again offering reduced cabin rates and on-board credit. There is one additional tropical cruise that I would dearly love to go on, and that is the 28 day round trip sailing from Los Angeles that visits Hawaii, Samoa, and Tahiti. If you want to see Tahiti without the long air flight, this is definitely the way to go. And yes, we have group space reserved with the benefit of discounted rates and amenities for the October sailing. If only I could take a month off from work.

In the February issue of “Conde Nast Traveler,” there is the Reader’s Poll of the top cruise ships. This is a rating of cruise ships by their passengers, not agents or travel writers. Looking at the large and mega ship categories together, we see that many major cruise lines have a large percentage of their ships listed: Holland America has 8, Royal Caribbean has 8, Princess has 9, Celebrity has 4, Disney is 2 for 2, and the luxury lines of Crystal, Regent, Oceania, and Cunard have 2-3 each. This is no surprise to us because of the feedback we get from our customers and our own personal experience. Noteworthy is the complete absence from the list of several domestic and foreign cruise lines.

Just because cruising is our preferred way to travel, don’t think that we do not do land and resort vacations to tropical climates. The Caribbean Islands, Costa Rico, Belize, Guatemala, Panama, and of course Mexico are available from many different providers; some have trips of up to ten days from $995 per person, including meals. Air fare is additional.

Remember that it does not cost more to use the services of an accredited travel agency. Our commission is paid by the cruise line or resort, not by you. Bring us an internet rate, and we will do our best to match it. Sometimes we have found that moving a trip by one or two weeks can results in significant savings. We’re here to help you get the best value for your vacation dollar. Depending on your preferences, that just may not be the enticing internet lead-in price you are seeing.

Hubbard Glacier - not to be missed

Holland American Lines Oosterdam at Hubbard Glacier

By Carol Watts Alaska Expert

We were privileged to see Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America, on our first cruise to Alaska. Since not all cruise itineraries include Hubbard, pick your cruise carefully is you want to see it. And this summer may be your last chance. More on that later.

Hubbard Glacier is an advancing tidewater glacier, just one of several in Alaska. Its sheer size boggles the mind. Its source is Mt. Logan in the Yukon Territory, the highest mountain in Canada. From there it travels 76 miles to Disenchantment Bay. The snout or face of the glacier is 7.5 miles wide, and over 400 ft. from water level to the top. That’s as tall as a 40 story building. Beneath the water level there extends another 300 feet of ice. That makes Hubbard Glacier a total of 1,350 square miles of ice!

The blue color of the face indicates that it is an actively calving glacier. This breaking off of icebergs the size of a 10 story building was called “white thunder” by the native Tlingit people. It’s hard to comprehend the size of Hubbard, since cruise ships must stay a few miles away because of safety reasons. By the way, it takes 400 years for the ice at the source of the glacier to reach the water. That means the ice you may see calving off its face is 400 years old!

Nicknamed the “galloping glacier”, Hubbard is advancing at a rate of approximately 7 feet per day. But in the past it has been known to advance as much as 100 feet per day. Even at the lower rate of travel, Hubbard may close off the entrance to Russell Fjord from Disenchantment Bay soon, turning the fjord into a glacial lake. It did so in August 2002 and before that in May 1986. When the ice dam finally gave way in August, 1986, 1.3 cubic miles of water rushed through the gap into the bay. This second largest glacial lake outburst flood in history was the equivalent flow of 35 Niagra Falls. Needless to say, no cruise ship could withstand that force of water.

But there is another threat to viewing Hubbard Glacier, and that is because of the ALLEGED effect cruise ships have on the seal population in the bay. Scientists from the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, a part of NOAA, are seeking to severely restrict or even ban cruise ships from visiting Hubbard Glacier. They theorize that cruise ships “flush” seals from the icebergs in the bay. Pups born in late spring are nursing from May through August. If a seal pup is scared from it’s mother and dives into the cold water, it will not be able to store up enough fat to survive the coming winter. Calories are burned evading cruise ships, as opposed to calories being stored as fat in the baby seals. (Cruise ships are not allowed to approach seals on icebergs closer than 500 feet.) Since seals are an important source of food for the native subsistence hunters of Yakutat, population 833, the death of this years pups over the winter would limit their food resources next year.

As of Jan 24, 2011, officials at NOAA have not drafted recommendations to close the bay to cruise ships, but they stress that it is a “high priority.” So between the government involvement and the advancing face of Hubbard Glacier, this summer may be the last chance to see this magnificent sight.

Hubbard Glacier is one stop on the 14 day Holland America cruise itinerary that sails round trip from Seattle. In addition to the usual inside Passage ports of call of Ketchikan and Juneau, this itinerary has some unique ports of call not available on any other cruise. Anchorage, Kodiak, and Homer are visited in addition to Sitka and Victoria, B.C. Cruise Port Travel has blocked space on the June 10 - 24, 2011 sailing. This group space means a reduction in cabin price of up to $360 per person off the regular ocean view cabin rate. In addition, there are amenities of $100 per cabin on-board credit and a specialty restaurant dining experience. We had our first meal in Holland’s Pinnacle Grill in October, and it truly is an culinary experience not to be missed.

Golden Princess to Hawaii

Golden Princess Movies Under The Stars

By Carol Watts Travel Planner

We recently completed our 4th sailing from the west coast round trip to Hawaii, this time on the Golden Princess. We had been on the Golden 2 years ago, and were anxious to see all the enhancements that Princess made to the ship.

You might think that 4 sailings to Hawaii is a bit excessive, but for us it’s a win-win. You get to see a beautiful destination and you get a total of 8 sea days to totally relax and unwind. It’s hard for us to decide which aspect of the cruise we like best, the Islands or the sea days.

Maybe you are thinking that you couldn’t find enough to do for 8 sea days. Well, with Princess, and any cruise line for that matter, the lack of something to do is never a consideration. On this last cruise, we often had to choose between 2 or 3 activities that overlapped on the daily schedule.

Every cruise line has an enrichment series, culinary demonstrations, wine tastings, dance classes, and cultural programs and port talks on the destination. On this cruise Princess offered even more with guest lectures and performers.

The naturalist onboard gave a presentation on each sea day on such topics as Hawaiian ecology, flora and fauna, marine biology, and volcano creation. Additionally there was an enrichment lecturer who gave a presentation each sea day on the history of Pearl Harbor, Midway, the Pacific fleet in WWII, Route 66,and the migration to California. There was also bridge director who taught and organized games. On this cruise there was a wonderful husband and wife duo; she is a native Hawaiian and he is an accomplished steel guitar musician. In addition to performing in the atrium, they gave hula, ukulele, lei making, sarong tying, and Hawaiian language lessons.

Additionally, in each port of call, princess brought local entertainment onto the ship. In Hilo there was a presentation by a ukulele master. In Lahaina a native from Maui shared his teachings and thoughts on the native Hawaiian culture and value system. In Nawiliwili, Kauai lei makers from island of Ni’ihau gave a shell making demonstration and shared stories of the “forbidden Isle” where they live. And in Honolulu we were treated to the wonderful Halau Hula Oiana Show with music and hula performed by award winning troop of children from 6 - 13 years old. I took several videos that I need to upload to You Tube. These kids were just amazing.

Of course there are the usual activities that you can find on any cruise, such as scavenger hunts, boat building, ice and vegetable carving, line and ballroom dancing, trivia games several times a day, art auctions, golf instruction, bingo, casino tournaments, salon and spa treatments, yoga and aerobics classes, and of course movies. Or maybe you just want to get a book from the library and curl up in the sun.

This brings me to the enhancements to the Golden. Like many other ships in the Princess line, the Golden now has “movies under the stars”, or MUTS. From early morning til late at night, you can enjoy many different movies around the pool, with free soft ice cream and popcorn. Blankets are issued on chillier evenings. Enhancements to the atrium include a wine and tapas bar, a chocolate bar and shop, with occasional free samples, and the International Café, where you could get fabulous deserts, soup, salads and sandwiches (the name can not convey the delicious concoctions served) throughout the day. So you have another alternative to the buffet, formal dining rooms, pizza and hot dog/hamburger stations, and 2 specialty restaurants. Three times on this cruise an English pub lunch was offered, with traditional English dishes. You can never go hungry with Princess.

Holland America is the only other cruise line with regular round trip sailings from the west coast to Hawaii. They sail from October through March from San Diego. Princess sails October through April from Los Angeles. In addition both lines have longer sailings round trip from the west coast that go to Hawaii, Tahiti and Polynesia.

Next to Alaska, Hawaii is out favorite destination. There is so much to see, both scenic and cultural attractions, there is no language barrier, no foreign currency to decipher, no gangs and drug violence to worry about. Having been to Hawaii many times, we can help you decide which shore excursions would match your interests. Having been on Holland’s Oosterdam and the Golden Princess, we can guide you with cabin choices and ship amenities. All this information is free from an accredited travel agent. Bring us your online price, and we will try to match it.

So you’re thinking about Hawaii…

By Carol Watts, Co-Owner/Travel Planner
The Aloha Tower greets cruise passengers in Honolulu Harbor


We often have people ask us about Hawaii. Since it’s one of our favorite destinations, we are always happy to talk about what to see and do in Hawaii. As with many destinations, it helps to do a little research to determine what you want to do. There are so many different experiences and excursions in Hawaii, that it helps to decide if you want to see the cultural and historical Hawaii, the adventure side, like snorkeling with manta rays, the scenic side, like a helicopter or zodiak tour of the Na Pali coast on Kauai, the shopping side of Honolulu, or just want to get into the back country to see how “real Hawaiians” live.

Likewise there are several ways to travel and see Hawaii, and this choice might well depend on what you want to see and do once you get there. Let’s examine the different travel options and a cost comparison of them.

By far our favorite way to see the islands is to cruise both ways round trip from Los Angeles. We have done this trip 4 times, most recently last month on the Golden Princess. More about that trip next month. If you have the time, 2 weeks, this is the least expensive and most relaxing way to travel to Hawaii. (Some cruise lines offer a 10 day trip which involves one way air fare to or from the islands. ) On this 14 day cruise you have 4 sea days crossing the Pacific before landing in Hilo on the Big Island in the morning of the 5th day. This is the island with the active volcano, Volcano’s National Park, orchid farms, and Macadamia nuts. After a full day in Hawaii, you sail over night and arrive in Honolulu the next morning. The ship stays Hawaii’s capital city until late in the evening, allowing you plenty of time to go to an evening show or luau. The next stop if Kauai, the Garden Island, then finally Lahaina on Maui. Then it’s four more days back across the Pacific to the fifth and final port of call in Ensenada. Non-US registered ships sailing between US cities must make a call in a foreign country; this is because of the Jones Act, and you might recall that this same act prohibited foreign ships from assisting in the gulf oil spill clean up efforts.

The biggest objection to this cruise is the 8 sea days. But to us, that is part of the attraction. You have 4 days to relax and unwind before you hit the islands, touring every day, then 4 more days to relax and recuperate on the way home. And there is plenty to do on the ship to keep you occupied. More on that in my next article.

Price for an ocean view cabin for end of April beginning of May is $3783 for 2 people. This includes all your food and drinks, other than alcohol and carbonated beverages, and entertainment throughout the day and evenings.
Two people couldn’t stay in a hotel and eat out daily in Phoenix or San Diego for that amount!

The other cruise option is NCL’s 7 day cruise that just circles the islands. The cruise begins and ends in Honolulu, so if you want to see this city, you really need to go a few days before or after the cruise. This 7 day cruise prices out at approximately $2930 for 2 people in an ocean view cabin for the same time period as above. Additionally there is the cost of air fare, about $1369 for 2, plus additional hotel and meal costs if you want to spend any time in Honolulu. It’s worth mentioning that the 5 hour return flight from Honolulu is either an overnight flight arriving early a.m. after a change in a California airport, or if on Hawaiian airlines direct, it lands in Phoenix at 11:59 p.m. So why pay approximately $500 more for 7 fewer days and 2 long airplane flights?

The third option is to fly to Hawaii and spend a few days in a hotel. Unless you spend all your time on one island, flights to the other islands are an additional cost. Since the 14 day cruise that we are using as a base comparison spends only 4 days actually in Hawaii, one day in four different islands, lets compare a 4 night stay with airfare at a hotel on Maui. We usually book these type of vacations through Apple Vacations, since they have the best air and hotel combined discounts. So for 4 nights in a 3 star hotel and air the cost is approximately $2044 for 2 people. This does not include the cost of eating out, figure $150 per day for 2, and limits you to one island. And again you have the joy of a long flight. But if your time and budget are limited, this is the way to see Hawaii, or at least one island. But for the inconvenience of the air travel and the limitation of one location, I would take the cruise any day.

Think of a cruise to Hawaii as a sampler box of chocolates. You get to try different cities or islands, then decide which one you want to return to and spend more time exploring. Whatever your destination or type of travel, Cruise Port Travel can assist you to make the best choice for your desires and budget. Our first hand cruise ship and sightseeing excursion experience costs you no more than booking on the web.

Going for the Gold (Golden Princess) The second time.

If you go hungry, it's your own fault!

By Kelly Watts A.C.C.
We last sailed the Golden Princess in December of 2007, before dry dock and was less than happy, BUT in fairness when we had the chance to take the 14 night round trip Hawaii again we jumped at it. This was our fourth cruise round trip to Hawaii with the first two on Celebrity Summit and the last two on The Golden Princess. While this trip was better than the first their were still some “bumps” along the way, so I'll share both the good and not so good with you.

We arrived at LAX, (via Southwest Airlines, on time and nice people as usual) we had moved our flight up after all the press coverage of the new T.S.A. Security procedures in case of a delay. We arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor, our departure airport, almost 3 hours ahead of flight time, however we were through check-in and security and at our gate in UNDER a ½ hour. No body scan, no pat downs, and actually some quite friendly T.S.A. Staff. OK, now on to the Princess portion of my review!

The Good:

Dining: You really get a feel for a ship and how it is run on a 14 night cruise, and the outstanding things in my mind about “The Golden” includes our Waiter Rico and Jr Waiter Adam. Without a doubt this one one of the best combinations I have ever seen on a ship. Even though we had Anytime Dining, we sat 13 of the 14 nights at their table with basically the same table mates. Both Rico and Adam went out of their way to make our dining experience enjoyable. Little things like giving me a chair with no arms, without asking for it after the first night, making sure out water glasses never went dry, answering questions about the menu items, and their interaction really set them apart. I might also point out that we were served lunch by a waiter named John in the dining room, was was also very good. I felt on this cruise that Princess has really gotten it right with food. The menu had a good variety, with alternate choices to the main menu. This is great for me as I do not care for fish (except seafood) or fowl. The prime rib and Fettuccine Alfredo were outstanding and even mashed potatoes were good. Breakfast and lunch were split between the Donatello Dining Room and the Horizon Court Buffet. In most cases the offerings were very good there as well with a good selection. I did also get a hamburger twice and pizza once from the Trident Grill and Prego (strange name) Pizzeria, both offerings were served quickly and were good.

Stateroom: We opted for a “partially obstructed” Ocean view state room and were pleasantly surprised to find the the obstruction was less than 25%. The beds were comfortable, the room clean with everything in good condition. The bathroom was as usual SMALL, I wish Princess would change to hand showers with the size of the shower stall it would make rinsing much easier! As a side note, I noticed mattresses being offloaded at Los Angeles both coming and going which leads me to believe that Princess runs an ongoing replacement of them. Our state room attendant Jun did a fine job, although we never saw much of him, but towels were replaced, trash emptied, beds made and turned down and ice bucket filled in a timely manner. Princess is one of the many cruise lines who have started using a Duvet instead of more traditional bedding. After the first night I asked our stateroom attendant to change my bedding to a sheet and blanket, which he did.

Enrichment series: The Scholarship@Sea series with Rachel Dunham was excellent. Rachel is a 23 year old lady who does a great presentation on a variety of topics. Also on board was Historian Gary Shahan, a retired history teacher, with a series of talks about battles of the Pacific and of early settlers heading West. One exceptional program was his Route 66 talk, lots of great memories. I had a chance to talk with both and found them to be very nice persons very interested in my opinion of their presentations. (BTW I was on stage once during one of Rachel's talks and played a Barnacle, I think it matches my personality well)

Entertainment: the Princess Production shows for the most part were good with extremely talented singers and dancers and orchestra. I did not see the British Invasion show on the ship as I had seen it before and felt it was a bit weak, an opinion that several people I talked with shared. The guest artists were generally good with Comedian Dan Bennett and Singer Tony Pace being the best of the single acts. The Halau Hula Olana Show features local dancers (age 5 to 16) from Honolulu, this is the third time I have seen this show and the kids really work hard and are a delight!

The “Not So Good”:

Embarkation: Being Elite status we took advantage of the special Elite Class line at check in and were through that very quickly, however the line to board was LONG as there was only one gangway being used. I am guessing boarding meant probably 30 minutes in line. Dis-embarkation was not extremely well organized, we could have waited in the Bernini dining Room, but that would have meant fighting for an elevator as I don't do stairs well, especially with luggage, but instead chose the Explorers Lounge. When the time to dis-embark came, we were lead to the forward gangway. That meant that we had to walk nearly the full length of the ship to Customs. Again the lines were long and that probably took over 30 minutes till we were at the luggage area.

The Ship: The Golden was in dry dock in 2009, and several major changes were made one of which was the addition of the Piazza. This area was nice, but seating was limited for the events they had there. I'll have more to say about the ship later.

Princess C.R.U.I.S.E. Policy: This is a standard set for staff and training by Princess but to me it is not being enforced. One policy is that English ONLY is to be spoken in public area's by crew, as usual I heard HUNDREDS of violations of this policy. Another factor of the training is “never say no, find a way. One asst head waiter and I about came to terms as he told me “I am too busy to help you.” when I requested to make reservations for the following night. Another incident occurred when I complained about the temperature of the water in the Calypso Pool to a group of Deck Attendants who brushed off my comments and made me feel that they felt I was an IDIOT. On this one I filed a complaint! They tried to tell me that that pool was 80 degrees, if I had to guess it was more like 60.

Entertainment: I felt I had to also make some comments here as well, I do not care for most of the comedians today as they tend to be R rated and even the “PG” rated comedians do some in-appropriate humor. I heard several passengers comment that they were surprised at the language used. The ventriloquist Dan Horn was fair, but had a very annoying laugh, and the audio in the Vista lounge was way too loud that accentuated his laugh. As I have said in other postings, there are a LOT of good entertainers from the 50's and 60's who have large followings that are looking for “gigs” and would be more in line with the age of the guests on many cruises. Princess and the other lines need to examine their pool of entertainers and weed out the bad ones. My opinion of the Princess “Movies Under The Stars” is still not completely formed as I only saw a couple of things on the screen. The quality of the picture is good, but the audio for a large part of the cruise had a very loud hum. Being an old audio guy I am pretty sure they had a bad ground. Most days it was too hot and evenings too rough to watch movies, so I'll reserve any further opinion till I see another one.

The BAD:
The ship: With all the money that Princess spent on the Golden during dry dock I was surprised of the things that did not work properly the most prevalent being the elevators. They were extremely slow, doors slow in opening and closing and they seemed to bypass floors on a regular basis as if they were possessed. In addition the elevators were always uncomfortably warm and several smelled of lube. Most days at least one or two were out of service for most of the day. The A/C in our cabin was at best, POOR. I recently bought a neat little travel alarm unit that displays the temperature, the entire cruise the cabin NEVER got below 69 degrees and most days was in the mid 70's, and that was keeping the drapes closed. I reported it to maintenance twice both times they came, plugged in their laptop to the thermostat, and “made some adjustments to the airflow.” Regardless of that the hall way in our section of the ship was cooler than the stateroom.

The Princess Theater did not appear to have had any upgrades at all. The seats are small with aisle seats uncomfortably close to the hand rails. In general the temperature was un comfortable. To get any seat you needed to be there at least 30 to 45 minutes early, I think that maybe Princess needs to consider passing out tickets for the shows as I saw many people standing in the aisles or sitting on the steps both un-safe. The Vista Lounge is more comfortable, but with the way it is laid out unless you sit in the first few rows your view of the stage is limited. Again shows there were crowded and I feel tickets should be used to assure seating.

The Cruise Director: On most cruises the Cruise Director is high profile and while they are usually a bit over the top for me, I understand the tough job they have. This cruise the Director was David Bradshawe, I was not impressed with him at all. During the welcome on board presentation the term “as well” seemed to be his fall back line. After a while I began to count the number of times he said it and in one approx 3 minute period it was 15 times! Anytime I mentioned him after that, I referred to him as “Mr. As Well.” The rest of the cruise he was low profile, I am guessing he may have been sick as I only saw him at trivia once and seldom heard him on the daily announcements. I heard that he was subbing for the regular Golden Cruise Director who was on vacation, maybe that explains why he appeared to be so uncomfortable on stage.

The voyage: The itinerary was very good, too bad the outdated “Jones Act” makes it a requirement to stop in Ensenada, as another day in the islands would be nice. The crossing was rough five out of eight days. I wonder if the Golden's design makes it rough as I did not experience such conditions on Celebrity Summit. I also wonder if speed was a factor as we were making 21 knots on those rough days and, to me, I felt it caused more motion in comparison to similar sea conditions I have experienced..

Synopsis: If I had to give a letter score to this cruise it would be a “B”. Of the three Princess ships I've been on, Coral, Sapphire, and Golden this is definitely in third place over all. Would I sail the Golden again? Maybe, but probably not to Hawaii. Will I sail Princess again? Yes, I do feel that for the most part they are a good cruise line but do suffer from some consistency problems.