Princess and the Pacific

Mention cruising, and visions of the turquoise waters and sandy beaches of the Caribbean quickly come to mind, and Princess Cruises certainly does a great job there.  We've enjoyed Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises with Princess.  Their seven and ten night offerings to the Southern Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale are quite tempting.

Princess also has outstanding itineraries in Europe.  Their wonderful onboard presentations bring history alive, adding context to the ports visited.

If you remember back to the old Love Boat television show from the 1970s, which for most of us was how we learned of destination cruising for the first time, you may recall that Captain Stubing usually sailed the Pacific Princess from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera, and it is that presence on the Pacific Coast that makes Princess particularly appealing for Californians.

The recent troubles in Mexico have curtailed demand for ports like Mazatlan and Acapulco, so Princess has increasingly taken passengers along the Pacific Coast.  These are terrific cruises for both out of state vacationers who want to visit California as well as for Californians who enjoy visiting great cities in our fair state without the hassles of packing and unpacking.

In the summer, of course, Princess is one of the best cruise lines in Alaska, with seven ships in the region delivering diverse options including two ships doing the Inside Passage from Seattle and one ship doing longer Inside Passage voyages from San Francisco as well as four ships on the Voyage of the Glaciers route that shows you more Alaska and opens the door to amazing tours to Denali and other inland Alaskan wonders.

However, there is more to the Pacific than just the West Coast of North America.  Did you realize that for the 2012-13 season, Princess will have eight ships in Hawaii, Tahiti and the South Pacific?

Cruising to Hawaii roundtrip from Los Angeles is a terrific way to visit these great American islands.  Begin with four days at sea, unwinding from the stress of your daily life, enjoying the welcoming comfort Princess is famous for.  Then island hop between the four major islands, spending a full day in each.  Because this is a cruise, you don't have to spend a fortune for expensive meals on shore, and Princess will even bring local entertainment like Polynesian dancers onboard.

At some point, you probably dreamed about the South Pacific.  Bali Hai.  French Polynesia.  Nobody has more ships visiting this amazing area than Princess.  You can even cruise between Hawaii and Tahiti, enjoying the best tropical islands in the North Pacific before cruising across the equator to the southern hemisphere.  Quite simply the best places I have ever been for snorkeling and water activity, Moorea and Bora Bora, must be visited, and re-visited.  And cruising, with meals and evening entertainment, is the very best way to do this.

Australia and New Zealand are two more amazing destinations in the Princess focus, and going once will make you want to return.  My wife Julie always has a list of vacations she wants to take, and this one topped the list for several years, but with kids in school, it is hard to figure out how to get away for a long enough time to make the long flights worthwhile.  With our youngest away in college, we finally crossed this off the list in 2010, with a sweeping vacation that took us from the Great Barrier Reef to Hawaii on what I highly recommend as a trip of a lifetime. 

Admittedly, these longer voyages in the South Pacific, especially the ones where a couple of itineraries are strung together, may be difficult for younger people to swing, but if  you're an empty nester, rather than lamenting the flight of your baby birds, take flight yourself...or should I say set sail?  The South Pacific awaits those bold enough to make the journey.