lanord

Yes, we are still reading!  Really enjoying your review as we were on FOS in January.  We also did the Kayak & Snorkel Eco Adventure in Antigua with our entire group of 16 family members and we had a blast!

Thanks so much for this review.  Our family group of 16 were also on this sailing to celebrate my FIL's 90th birthday.  We had a wonderful time; the weather was gorgeous.  It was fun to see your photos of places we didn't see or from a different perspective.  Happy cruising! 

Booking on the 5% sale is what we were thinking.  We are doing several excursions and though it's a pain to have to keep checking, any savings would really add up.  But it wouldn't be the first time; I do that a lot with rental cars.😉

Thanks for the confirmations!

I have searched but couldn't find a definitive answer so I am asking the experts!  We missed the shore excursion sale that ended last week.  If we go ahead and book the ship excursions that we want, and the prices drop later, is there a cancellation/re-book fee?  (Our sailing is in January) The terms & conditions at the bottom of the Shore Excursions page say "Additional fees may apply to booking changes or cancellations". Does Royal actually charge for cancelling and re-booking?  There is a 5% off sale this week, but we're hoping for something better. 😉  And last week's sale was WAY better!

Thanks for your help! 🙂

PhoenixCruiser, thanks so much for the pictures! :D

And to everyone else for your suggestions. (y)

We really enjoyed it. The group was manageable so there was room for everyone on the catamaran - those who wanted shade and those was wanted the sun. They took us on a leisurely cruise and explained what we were passing. To honest St. Lucia is now my favorite island out of 17 cruises - just gorgeous. Then they took us took a beach area. They backed up the catamaran and we took the steps down into the water. The beach was pretty and we saw some fish but nothing over the top. After 45 minutes we all boarded and on the way back they had some sandwiches, fruit cups, rolls and rum punch was served.

This sounds good. I like hearing details! :D

We did the Coastal Cruise to the Pitons on St. Lucia a few weeks ago. We would do it again if going with a large group again.

 

If it was just the two of us we would grab a taxi and ask them to take us on a tour of the island.

This is on our "narrowed down" list for St. Lucia, along with "Jeep Safari and Beach Adventure". I assume that you liked it since you said you would do it again?

It's a good idea to take a look at the port of call forums, which have much info on excursions:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

Thanks for the suggestion. I have already looked at each port in Ports of Call, but do need to look at it more in depth. We have not been to the West Indies before, so I'm having to sort of start from scratch. ;)

We will be on FOS January 6, 2019 sailing. We're looking at excursions for each port (St. Kitts / Antigua / St. Lucia / Barbados / St. Maarten). Which of these would be more interesting to do some kind of city tour, or just walk around the town near the ship versus a beach / snorkel / sailing activity? We have narrowed down excursions to a few per port, but realized that all of them involve catamaran / snorkeling, etc. We thought it might be a good idea to mix it up a little.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! :D

Thanks so much for your review! Our group of 12 will be on Allure in two weeks on the Western itinerary and we are counting the days. :) We were on Oasis 2 years ago, but are looking forward to exploring Allure.

Thanks so much for the great pictures and tips. We have been on Oasis and will be on Allure for the first time next month, so it is fun to see the ship -and get ideas of our own photos to take ;). LOVED the sunrise pic over the top of the Solarium!

Great to read your review and comments. We were on the Oasis two years ago and are looking forward to Allure in July. Seeing good reviews make me anxious to go! :)

I completely agree with the positive comments. We were on POA 2 weeks ago for the second time (3rd time on Hawai'i cruise), and we don't understand why there is so much negativity toward POA. Nearly every staff member we met in the hallways, etc., was very friendly and spoke to us (usually "Aloha!"). The ship is in good shape, and we enjoy the itinerary. It's Hawai'i -- what's not to like? :rolleyes:

I am eager to read the rest of your review, and hope you get all or most of it posted before we leave For. Hawaii. THIS. THURSDAY! :D Can you tell I'm getting a little excited!

On pins and needles for Hilo... :p

7pm and 9pm. Here is a link to the Freestyle Dailys http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/pride-of-america-freestyle-daily-documents/

Pizzalady1, this is exactly what I needed! Thank you so much! :)

Is there a "typical" time for the evening shows each night on POA? I want to make specialty dining reservations and would like to work around the show times if I can.

Thanks!

Thanks so much for the review! I look forward to the rest of it. We are on the POA in 2 weeks, and seeing your photos of Waikiki make me anxious to get there. We also plan to eat breakfast at the Hula Grill. We did that once before, and you are right -- there is plenty of room at the edge if you get there early. ;)

We are on the POA April 25.

Thursday, 4/23: Arrive Honolulu mid-day. Two nights pre-cruise at Waikiki Resort Hotel. Late lunch / beach / shop. Hope to go to hula show and torch lighting at Kūhiō Beach Hula mound.

Friday, 4/24: Morning - rental car and go to Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial; drive to North shore for the afternoon.

Saturday, 4/25: Morning: Shop / beach, etc.; board ship and eat a late lunch onboard.

Sunday, 4/26: Kahului, Maui – rental car, drive to Kihei / Wailea / Makena; eat a light lunch and return early afternoon to Lahaina to shop before Old Lahaina Luau.

Monday, 4/27: Haleakala in the morning; afternoon – possibly Wailuku and/or Waihe’e (or as far as we can go and get back to the ship on time ;)

Tuesday, 4/28: Morning – VNP; afternoon - Hamakua Coast / Waipio Valley or as an alternate Akaka Falls and/or Rainbow Falls

Wednesday, 4/29: Kona – rental car and go south to Kealakekua including Pu'uhonua o Honaunau. Return to Kona by about 2:00 pm and shop in Kona, then return to ship.

Thursday, 4/30: Kauai - North shore

Friday, 5/1: Waimea Canyon

Saturday, 5/2: depart Honolulu mid day for home :(

Hi

 

We just got back from our POA cruise and we rented a car as well. The parking lot that's right next to the ship was closed when we were there. You will need to park at the other larger lot close to Kaahumanu Ave. There's a pedestrian walkway that takes you to this lot. When we got back from the luau (around 9:15-9:30ish) the lot was pretty full.

 

When we were picked up by the car rental shuttle (we were with Alamo), the driver took us to the parking lot so we know where to park overnight.

 

Hope this helps.

Yes, this helps a lot! Thanks so for much for the info! :)

Hope you had a great cruise on the POA.

Not sure where you parked, but in August, the lot next to the ship was already full when we returned and the security guard directed us down the street a couple blocks to another area which had security as well. The walk back was easy and the sidewalk was fenced in on each side so it was very safe and well lit.

We parked in the lot next to the ship, and I seem to remember that, even returning to ship around dinnertime, we may have gotten one of the last couple of spots in the "main" lot. Just curious if the situation was still the same. Thanks for the info!!

We have done this on previous Hawai'i cruises, but I wanted to confirm this is still true: is the parking lot near the ship still available for overnight parking? We are going to Old Lahaina Luau the first night, and won't get back to the ship until probably 10:00, so we wanted to be prepared for where we might have to park the rental car overnight.

Obviously the buffet is open on embarkation, but what else is open? We usually hit the buffet when we board, but thought we might try something different this time.

Thanks for your replies. I have seen conflicting info as to which ones are on POA. I know all the ones on the newer, larger ships aren't necessarily on POA. This is our 3rd time cruising Hawai'i on NCL (2nd on POA) but first time for specialty restaurants due to UDP promo. We usually stick to MDR or buffet, so this will be a nice change. ;)

Is this the complete list of specialty restaurants available for UDP on POA? I just want to be sure I'm not missing one, or if one of these is not included. :)

La Cucina

Cagney's

East Meets West

Jefferson's Bistro

Teppanyaki

I'm looking for a company on Maui, Kauai or Big Island that provides both ziplining and horseback riding. Are there any places that have both? My dad wants to trail ride and my mom wants to zipline and it would be less complicated if we could find somewhere that had both. My dad is an experienced rider, but my mom has never ziplined before and thought it would be fun. :rolleyes: They are in their mid-70s. Thanks for any suggestions.