Dennis Cox’s Blog

QUITO, Ecuador — Jan. 6, 2020 — When my wife, Jialin, and I arrived in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, late yesterday evening, I expected it would be one of those “déjà vu-all-over-again” experiences that occur upon returning to a destination visited once long ago. But I recalled little about the city I visited on a whirlwind Pan Am tour around South America in 1974. Perhaps partly because we landed at a new airport an hour outside the city …

Read moreYachting in the Galápagos With Latin Trails: Love, Chocolate and Roses (Dennis Cox Cruise Diary)

ABOARD the GRAND PRINCESS – Like a comfortable decades-old La-Z-Boy reclining rocker that you couldn’t imagine parting with, the 22-year old Grand Princess keeps sailing on with a satisfied clientele that does not dismiss the benefits of maturity. Only partially refurbished, mainly with new carpeting in much of the ship, the traditional cruise ship ambiance of the public areas obviously suits the tastes of many old-time cruisers. From all appearances passengers on this cruise have enjoyed themselves. …

Read moreDestination Hawai’i With Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess: Views & News

HILO, Hawai’i – It took Mark Twain ten days to cruise from San Francisco to the Hawaiian Islands on a newly launched passenger and cargo steamer in 1866.  He was immediately charmed upon arrival, writing that “…no other land could so longingly and so beseechingly haunt me.” Consequently, Twain’s travel dispatches describing “the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean” published in the Sacramento Union newspaper, and later in book form as Roughing It …

Read moreDestination Hawai’i With Princess Cruises on Grand Princess: Origins of the Islands

LAHAINA, Maui – Many basketball fans were in town today for the second round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational tournament being held at the Lahaina Civic Center. Scheduled from November 25th through the 27th, the 2019 teams included BYU, Chaminade, Dayton, Georgia, Kansas, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Michigan State – a collection of programs that boasts a combined 198 NCAA Tournament appearances, 44 Final Four berths and 16 national championships. (Michigan State lost yesterday to Virginia …

Read moreDestination Hawai’i with Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess: Maui Hoops & Beaches

NAWILIWILI, Kauai – As the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands geologically, Kauai is the most highly eroded.  The resulting landscapes of jagged peaks and ridges, canyons, and precipitous cliffs have a prehistoric feeling.  Combined with thick, lush rainforest vegetation, the island appears to be the perfect setting for a movie about earth at a primitive stage, which probably explains why Stephen Spielberg filmed Jurassic Park on Kauai. Spielberg also used Kauai as a background in Raiders of …

Read moreDestination Hawai’i With Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess: Garden Isle of Kauai

ABOARD the GRAND PRINCESS – During four days at sea en route to Hawai’i, there is time to contemplate the oldest of the world’s seas, the Pacific Ocean, and the place of the Hawaiian Islands in it. Ranger John, former national parks employee, is onboard to help with a seminar entitled “Think Hawaiian Geology is Boring? No Way Baby, It’s Explosive.” It’s commonly known that the islands of the mid-Pacific are the result of volcanic action, the …

Read moreDestination Hawai’i With Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess: Specks in a Vastness of Blue

ABOARD the GRAND PRINCESS – In addition to a very comfortable bed and bright new carpeting, our compact, and well organized, inside stateroom is equipped with a large high definition TV screen. Upon first turning on the TV, a 14-minute video starts up playing the familiar theme song to the classic TV show The Love Boat, but with new safety lyrics. Several of the original actors from the show charmingly ham it up while welcoming passengers on …

Read moreDestination Hawai’i With Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess: Grand Entertainment