Casey2

I have been in an inside, outside, balcony and was ugraded to a mini suite once.  Some considerations other than price might be  how much port time and the length of excdursions you will do.  In Europe and Hawaii we were quite frequently off the shiip at 8 or 9 AM and didn't get back until 6 PM so we took inside cabins.  

The type of cabin we had did not have any bearing on how much we enjoyed the cruise.

I will be on the Joy in 3 weeks.  I am considering a cruise for next year.  Is there an advantage to booking it while on the ship?

In view of the fact that there is an up tick in COVID, is anyone wearing masks on the ships?  I don't mean all the time, but in croweded areas like the theater or atrium.
 

Thank you so much for all of your information.  I will be in Quebec in 25 days and can't wait.

We will be in Quebec in October.  We pan to go to Monmorency Falls via the #800 bus.  Is there an enterence fee for the falls.  I have been reading confilcting things about it..

We used Rome Cabs, a private taxi service for transportation to and from Rome.  We grouped together with people from our Roll Call group to share expenses.

I was on the POA in 2018.  I read all the neagative reviews that everyone is talking about ranging from poor service, poor food quality, poor entertainement etc.  We booked this cruise because we wanted to spend the most time in Hawaii.  I am not a novice cruiser so I have alot to compere it with and I will say that the cruise was wonderful.  I did not experience any of the issues that were reported.  I spoke to other people on the curise and they agreed that the cruise was great.  Please take some of the reviews with a grain of salt.  People are ready to criticize but not so ready to compliment.

It would help to know if you are staying in Oahu before the cruise or if you are flying in the day of the cruise.  We stayed in Waikiki three days prior to the cruise and on the morning of the cruise we walked over to the Waikiki Aquarium and spend about an hour there.  Since it is across the street from Kapiolani Park, we took a leisurely walk through the park.  We opted to get to the ship early and use the day as a sea day to prepare for the hectic pace of the cruise.

After  we disembarked at the end of the cruise, we checked our luggage and walked over to Iolani Palace where we had booked a tour.

We went to the Smith's Family Luau in Kauai and really enjoyed it.  You can arrange transportation through them or through Roberts.

Another vote for Valley Isle Excursions. It was a long but wonderful day. I definitely recommend them.

The Ocean Center aquarium in Maui might be of interest to a 5 year old.

We booked our Pearl Harbor tour through Discover Hawaii Tours when we were there in April. They also picked us up and dropped us off at the hotel.

We used the NCL service in May. It costs $5.00 per bag. It was quick and easy. We checked our bags after disembarking and walked over to the Iolani Palace four a tour and then walked around the area before returning.

We used Valley Isle Excursions in April. Had an incredible day.

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We were on the POA in May. Like you we read many negative reviews and were re-thinking the trip. Our experience was overwhelmingly positive. The service was great, the food, whereas it wasn't gourmet was on par with other cruise lines, our room steward was very attentive and the shows were entertaining. We flew in from the East coast 3 days pre cruise and stayed in Honolulu. This gave us time to adjust to the time change before the cruise began.

We got together with several people from our roll call and used All Around Italy for our day in Naples. We spent 2 hours in Pompeii and then went up the Amalfi coast stopping in Positano and Sorrento. It was a wonderful day.

We also stayed in Hotel Traiano last year. It is not on the waterfront as others may be, but it was only a 10 minute walk away. They arranged transportation from the airport to the hotel for us and it worked out beautifully. As the previous poster stated there is a free shuttle to the port.

Last year we took the express bus to Herculaneum as we had been to Pompeii on a previous trip. The bus stopped at Pompeii first. The driver told us his schedule so we knew when to catch the bus to return to Naples. The bus picks up and drops off at the cruise terminal parking lot. It was very easy and inexpensive.

There is also the Prehistoric Museum of Fira to consider. It is a small museum with artifacts recovered from Akortiri and other areas.

Last year we stated in the Hotel Traiano and were very satisfied. It included breakfast and a shuttle to the pier. We also booked transportation from the airport to the hotel through them.

We were on the POA last month. The mattresses were very comfortable and supportive. I have a bad back and will wake with a stiff back if I don't sleep on a good mattress. Never had a problem on the ship.

I second the motion for the Iolani Palace. Our flight didn’t leave until 3PM so we had some time to kill after disembarking. We stored our luggage at the pier and walked over to the palace. It was an easy 15 minute walk. We had pre arranged a tour with a docent . She explained everything we saw and gave us some history. They also have audio tours and general admission. It was a perfect way to fill the morning and end our stay up Hawaii.

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We were on the same cruise and were also surprised by the weather. We did everything that we had planned to do, only in the rain. The only time we were impacted by the weather was on the second day in Maui when we went to Haleakala. It was raining heavily at the summit with 45 mph winds and unfortunately we couldn't see much. We were afraid it would be the same situation in Kauai when we went to Waimea Canyon, but the rain stopped briefly and we were able to see into the canyon for the spectacular views.

We also used Johnnycab for our trips from the airport to the hotel in Waikiki and from the cruise terminal back to the airport. It was $25 each way with no baggage fee. They were prompt and efficient both times.

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Options for viewing Haleakalā depend on how you want to see it. Many people rent cars and drive it. If that is not something you want to do, there are many tour operators in addition to the ships tour that will do sunrise and sunset tours. If you want to go by day as we did, the only tour I was able to find was through the ship. they use Polynesian Adventure Tours. The tour was fine but unfortunately due to bad weather we really couldn’t see much.

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