Had wonderful time. The islands were beautiful. We went on the lava tour but the lava had stopped. Started again after we left. That's nature for you.
The crew especially the house keeper was brilliant. The cost of things on the ship was expensive especially the service charge and the cost of the photographs that were taken as memories.
We stayed in a mini suite on deck 10. The cabin was very clean and the bed exceptionally comfortable. Everything was as we expected and more.
First time in the US and first long haul flight - both great. This cruise, hotel and transfers were organised to perfection.
The booking experience: Planet Cruise offered very good package and this was indeed a trip of a lifetime. We were, however, disappointed that the opportunity to take advantage of the BA sales were missed, and by the time Planet Cruise made the flight booking, we had to pay more for the direct flights to Las Vegas, despite us calling to tell them beforehand. Apart from this, the service and the package itself was excellent value and we were only charged the exact extra amount that BA charged for the Premier Economy upgrade. Las Vegas: Las Vegas itself was a great experience, there were plenty of sights and activities to do and we thoroughly enjoyed the city. We enjoyed walking around the strip and going in and out of the hotels/casinos. The pick-up service from the airport was waiting for us and took our bags to the airport, but the boot was quite small for our baggage (we travelled premier economy with 2 checking bags each). However, they had complementary water and soda and the driver even offered to take us to a supermarket so we could buy extra, as the hotels charged quite a lot for things like this. What great service. On checking into the hotel we were offered for an additional $15 per night an upgrade to our room. We thought this was great, until we noticed an extra surcharge on our bill of $30 per day over and above the $15. When we asked what this was, they told us this was for the use of Wi-Fi and other services, but they didn’t say what these other serves were. It was not so much the money as the cheek for charging extra and not telling us beforehand. The room was comfortable though and we had a good view of some of the hotels on the strip from our bedroom window. Grand Canyon: This was, unfortunately, the worst part of the overall trip. The Grand Canyon itself was great but the coach ride was 6 hours to get there! And, another 6 hours to get back!! We were picked up at 6:00 am at the hotel but there was no stop at the Hoover Dam, we saw it in the distance for a couple of seconds as the coach whizzed by, but most of the time was spent watching the scenery outside or the first half of a couple of movies on the small internal screen above our heads because the CD player would not play the second half, with a short stop for lunch. To be fair this was not the drivers fault, he was knowledgeable about the area and apologetic about the time it would take and the faulty CD player. We spent an overall less than two and a half hours at the canyon, taking photos etc. which was really nice, then we had to head back, with a short stop for dinner at the same place we had lunch, then was dropped off at a hotel nearby and had to walk the rest of the way, but we needed to stretch our legs anyway. San Francisco: San Francisco was fantastic and we had an enjoyable time there, riding the trolley visiting Fisherman’s wharf, and the food was fantastic. The only challenge was the hotel had an event on but at times two of the four lifts weren’t working meaning long waits and queues to get one. Additionally, we couldn’t get a porter to help with the bags when we were checking out. We wished there was more time in the city though; we could have spent all week there. Grand Princess: Thoroughly entertaining trip and we enjoyed the anytime dining, although we sometimes had to wait for a two person table. If we were prepared to share and sit on a larger table, we were seated immediately, no matter what time we showed up. We liked the special entertainment with the Hawaiian theme, talking about the culture, spirit and beauty of the islands and its people. We then got to see this in person throughout the time in Hawaii. There was nothing that could be done about the length of the journey, the weather and the rough seas for the first couple of days, but the crew made up for it with their enthusiasm and service. The captain was even good enough to increase speed for the Ensenada leg of the journey to allow us to take advantage of more time in port, that became available, and the ship were able to organise some excursions at short notice there. Conclusion: We would use Planet Cruise again to book this type of holiday and would recommend this trip but don’t do the Grand Canyon trip by bus from Las Vegas, visit the Hoover Dam instead of take a helicopter ride over the canyon. Watch out for excess charges at the MGM Grand Hotel and San Francisco needs more time to enjoy. Hawaii is the best time and do take advantage of the time to shop and the excursions offered by the ship.
