saraandnick

We will be having aft balconies this March (3 cabins) ... did you have the balcony divider opened between the cabins? Thanks, Jan

We did not have the balcony divider opened. We could still see each other & talk around the divider. The divider gave us privacy from the in-laws when we wanted it [emoji4]

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Thank you for the review! We are on this cruise in 2 years, just booked it yesterday. Got one of the aft large balconies right above your rooms! Did your girls do kids club at all? It is so port intensive, I was wondering if it is utilized at night at all?

Our daughter did not utilize the kids' club at all. On past cruises she has but not this one. Since my in-laws were with us she hung out with them the night of our anniversary and one night when we went to a show. The rest of the nights we were exhausted or getting back late from the day. Have fun planning your trip!

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When you parked overnight in Kauai, were you able to gain access to your rental car as early as you wanted to on Day 2 ....or did you have to wait for a specific time for that parking lot at Anchor Mall to open.

 

 

 

We are hoping we can gain access to our car as early as 6:30 a.m. But if we have to wait much later after that time, we may have to reassess our plans for the day. [Exploring northeastern beaches and having brunch at Princeville].

 

 

 

We are doing a Captain Andy's tour on Day 1, so we have to revolve our Day 1 Itinerary around that and keep ourselves relatively close to Port Allen.

You can access your car at any time from the lot. It not a locked parking lot.

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Thanks so much for the review. Did you hike Diamond Head on Saturday before you got on board the POA?

 

If so, how long did the hike take you? We will only have time that day.

Thank you! We did hike Diamond Head Saturday before boarding the ship. The hike didn't take long, probably an hour or so. My husband's parents did hike as well and they are not in good shape. It probably took them closer to 2 hrs. Go early because it gets hot. We wanted to back in time to shower before our noon hotel checkout time. We got back in plenty of time. I think we got to Diamond Head around 7:30 or 8.

Have fun & enjoy!

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My family was on POA from 6/3-6/10/17 and we rented cars in each port (except Hilo). I rented the cars through Hawaii Discount Car Rentals (except Kona). I followed a suggestion that I found from another cruiser to join the various car rental programs to get faster service. That tip did not pan out because at each car rental place there was only one employee working so it was first come first served & no special line. Maui--shuttles meet the ship. We were in & out of the car rental location quickly & on our way to Hana. Dropped the car off in the evening & took the shuttle back. Next day had to take taxi because no shuttles ran as early as we had to leave (7, I think) to get to Lahaina for our surf lessons. After the day in Lahaina we took shuttle back to port. We rented a separate car each day in Maui for 2 reasons: 1) wanted jeep for road to Hana & larger car for 2nd day (more people with us second day); 2) knew parking was going to be an issue overnight. Kona-I rented through Hertz (I am a member there) at the courtyard Marriott king kam right next to the pier. There is another rental company there too--I think dollar but I'm not sure. Best decision I made because very quick, great service & clean car. No shuttle needed. Kauai--rented at the airport. Shuttle available when ship arrived at port. Came back to port to get rest of our group and then off for the day. Returned about 9:30 pm. Street parking all full. Paid $20 in the Anchor Cove shopping center to security (short lady with security uniform in parking lot) to get overnight pass. Shopping center has a shuttle to & from ship but we walked because it is a short distance. Next morning walked back to car, drove to port to get others & we were off. Returned car at airport and took car rental shuttle back to port. The service was quick in each car rental location but tons of people on car rental shuttle first day for Kauai. Husband stood because shuttle packed so he got off first & was first in line. If not, we would have been at car rental location a long time.

Have fun & don't hesitate to ask other questions.

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You are welcome! Have a fabulous trip!

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Glad you had a good experience. We were on the same cruise and loved Moderno, but hated La Cucina. Our service was terrible and the food had no taste. I'll post my review in a day or two.

That's so funny! We loved the staff at La Cucina and we thought that flavor was great!

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Great review. I sail in about 2 weeks. I hope the food is better for my cruise. How were the ship's staff? There have been mixed reviews on their courteousness.

The staff was great with the exception of a couple of wait staff that weren't particularly good at their jobs but that can be found everywhere.

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Thanks for sharing. Sounds lime you had a marvelous time. Doing this cruise July 1st, so I was glad to read your review.

Was there a wait at Cadillac Diner?

No wait at Cadillac Diner. Have a great time!

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Less packing & unpacking!! Plus, each island is different. We just did the POA cruise (I just did a review under the Norwegian forum) and stayed 5 nights after on the North Shore of Oahu in a house. Now that we have explored the islands we would like to return to the Big Island or Kauai. We loved the North Shore of Oahu, btw and highly recommend spending time there.

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I have learned so much information from this site & others that I thought someone might benefit from this review.

Our group: me (41), husband (43), daughter (11), FIL (72) & MIL (62).

Before the cruise we stayed one night at Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach. I booked it through Priceline. I booked it because it had free breakfast (pretty good), good location & free wifi (important to MIL). I splurged and booked limos from the airport to the hotel as a surprise for everybody. I booked through ABC Limo and it was very reasonable especially considering price of taxis and shuttle pp charge. We walked around Waikiki on Friday after we arrived, ate at Duke's and later went to the Diamond Head Luau. We all enjoyed the Luau. It is at the aquarium so the ticket includes aquarium admission. The next day all of us hiked Diamond Head. My daughter actually did it twice, well the steep part three times (she was ahead of us so we made her go up again for family photos and then her grandparents decided to hike it after all so she hiked it with them while husband and I drank water in the shade!)

We stayed in Aft balcony rooms 9200 & 9202. Second time with aft balcony and we love it. We watched the lava flow and the cruise up the Napali coast right from our balcony. Room for the three of us was small especially when couch bed was made for daughter. No space at all between bed & drawers. Could not open drawers and had to climb on bed to get out to balcony. Obviously we made it work but it was tight. We loved all of the drawers throughout the cabin to store our clothes. All three suitcases fit under the bed.

The food was really good. We ate at the Liberty the first night. Service was really, really slow. We are patient people but that was crazy slow. It seemed to be with just our section of the dining room. Food was great but we didn't go back. Sad we missed the Welcome Aboard Show. We ate at East Meets West one night (made reservations first day on the ship). Food was served family style which was great so we could try a little of everything. We definitely enjoyed our dinner there. My husband & I celebrated our 20th anniversary on the ship so for our special dinner we went to Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse. I made the reservations online ahead of time. It was fun & the foods were cooked fabulously. We were pleasantly surprised by the robust salad bar. We also celebrated my MIL's birthday on the ship so I made reservations ahead of time at La Cuchina. We all enjoyed our meal there and for me, this was my favorite meal. We also ate at the Cadillac Diner. We loved the atmosphere and some of the food was good and others missed the mark. Tomato soup was great as was the hamburger but the shakes (extra cost) had no flavor and the loaded fries were awful. The other nights we are at the buffet because we got back on the ship late.

Here is my only real issue with the food: on the overnight stops at Maui & Kauai many people get back on the ship late and are exhausted so the only real option is the buffet but the buffet closes at 9 but for a very small selection. Other cruise lines have more selections at night and I wish this ship did as well.

Ports: we used every bit of port time possible & loved every minute. Maui: 3 of us rented a jeep on the first day and drive the road to Hana. Car rental shuttles pulled up right outside the cruise terminal & took us to the airport for car rental. I booked cars (in each port) ahead of time through Hawaii discount car rental. I downloaded the Shaka App and we all loved it. The app is free to download and then it costs approx $5 for each actual tour. The guide is funny, knowledgeable and tells you what to stop at and what to pass by. We had a great time & highly recommend this app. The highlight for us was a nearly private waterfall that we all swam in. We returned the car and took the car rental shuttle back to ship. MIL & FIL also did the road to Hana but as a tour with the ship. They really enjoyed it even when the tour bus broke down. The driver sang & played his ukulele for them while waiting for the tow & replacement bus.

Maui 2nd day: rented a standard sedan for the 5 of us. Only issue was the shuttles started arriving at 8 or so and we had to be off the ship before then so hubby & I taxi'd to the car rental office and drove back to get other three. My daughter and I took surfing lesson with Hang Loose in Lahaina. I bought a groupon ahead of time for the lessons. This was our second lesson & we had a lot of fun. We both caught some waves. Afterward I bought pictures of us surfing. We walked around Lahaina and played at the beach in Kaanapali. We ate at Duke's (yum! I highly recommend the fish tacos) and had shaved ice. We returned the rental car and took the shuttle back to the port.

Hilo: all 5 of us booked a bike tour through bikevolcano.com. The tour guides Pretty & Mike picked us at the port along with another couple of groups. We picked up a couple more groups that were staying elsewhere on the island and drive to the national park. They fitted us with bikes & helmets and off we went. 15 miles total. Some decent hills. MIL made it 6 miles and then hopped a ride with Pretty in the van that followed behind us. Hills got the best of MIL because she couldn't master the gears. A fellow rider clocked us at 37 mph on the downhill. I was concerned about my 11 yr old but she was first, right behind the guide. We all had a great time (even MIL) because the guides were friendly, knowledgeable, lunch was good (included) and the park was neat.

Kona: MIL & FIL did a tour that took them around the whole island. It was a tour not through the ship but I don't remember the name. They liked it okay. The three of us rented a black convertible Camero (20th anniversary, remember [emoji12]) and had a beach day. We ate at Christine's Deli (off the beaten path) and it was fabulous. We snorkeled at Kahalu'u Beach. Good snorkeling and it was free to go there. You can rent snorkeling gear there or use your own. After lunch we went to a beach on the same side of road as Kahalu'u Beach but before it (don't know the name). Large dirt parking lot across the road. It was beautiful and we saw several turtles. We walked around the shops in downtown Kona afterward. It was one of our favorite days. We rented the car from Hertz located inside of King Kam Courtyard Marriott which is next to the ship. A little higher prices but so convenient.

Kauai day 1: rented SUV for both days from the airport. We used the Shaka app for Waimea Canyon and again loved it. The Canyon was beautiful and in our opinions better than the Grand Canyon. Around 12:30 we drove back to the town of Waimea and had lunch at a fabulous taco place. Don't remember the name but you can't miss it since it is on the Main Street. Afterward we met up with our next excursion guide. I booked us with the Napali Experience. The boats hold max of 6 people (not counting the guide) so we had a boat to ourselves. We met up with Danny in Waimea and the boat tour of the Napali Coast lasted 5 hours. It was long especially after exploring Waimea earlier in the day but we had a great time. I chose the 2-7 pm tour because it fit with the ship's schedule and because the chance of seeing sea turtles & dolphins were high. We snorkeled with sea turtles, watched hundreds of spinner dolphins play right by our boat and explored sea caves.

We parked the car at the shopping center near the port (Anchor shopping center, I think it was called) for $20. There was street parking but it was all taken by the time we got back. There is a security guard in the parking lot that takes the $ and gives the passes. There is shuttle for the shopping center that gives a ride to and from the ship but we just walked because it's a quick walk.

Kauai day 2: walked to lot to get the car and drove to the north side of the island. We saw the lighthouse, cute towns, beautiful countryside and lots of fruit/farm stands. Tons of traffic back into town and cut it pretty close getting the car returned and shuttle back to ship.

Only show husband & I went to was the Best Couples Competition in the Mardi Gras lounge. We were one of three couples that competed but we lost. It was not a quiz show but instead we had to do funny tasks together like start with an orange between us at stomach level and get it to our mouths without using hands. It was fun & tough. We lost but still think we are pretty great! Our daughter and in-laws went to magician/variety show and theatre type show. Ok quality. Shows were not big on our agendas since we had full days we were all in bed fairly early.

After the cruise we got a rental car and did Pearl Harbor and then drove to the north shore where we rented a house for 5 nights. On the north shore my daughter and her grandpa ziplined (way out of his comfort zone!) with Climbworks; hubby, daughter & I went into a cage in the ocean to be close with sharks through North Shore Shark Adventures (we loved that experience!); and lots of eating & beach time. There are phenomenal restaurants here, including: ted's bakery, The Elephant Truck (Thai food) & North Shore Taco Food Truck.

We had a great time & created many memories that will last forever.

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for our 20th anniversary ❤️

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I don't remember the name of the excursion but it was through carnival to the cenotes and then we swam with sea turtles & had a fabulous lunch. If it's the same excursion, it was amazing. We went in a very nice van with about 12 others. We loved everything about it.

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We rented a car on Skagway and followed a $5 guide to figure out where to stop. It was beautiful and we stopped many times for waterfalls, hikes, etc. we had lunch in a small town. We saw tour buses that were passing many stops we enjoyed. We walked around the town when we got back.

Ketchikan--family walked around the town and really enjoyed it. I did the kayaking excursion and really enjoyed that as well.

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Is this the June 3rd cruise? We will be on that and my friend just came back from her POA cruise. Looking forward to it!

Yes, June 3rd! We are so excited!

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My family (husband, 11 yr old & in-laws) and I are boarding Pride of America next Saturday. We have our excursions planned and are boiling over with excitement. Any last minute ship tips?

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My family rented a car and parked it at the port during the cruise and used it to see Johnson Space Center and a few other sites before & after the cruise. It seemed crazy to me to pay not only for the rental car but also to park while on the ship but for five of us it actually was about the same price as the pp cost of shuttles. With a car you will have more options re hotels. We did not look into uber.

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I live near SF so I would love to hear what you want to see to better answer the question but the short answer is that you can see a lot in 2 days. I love Coit Tower because it gives you a great view of the city. I also like to walk the Golden Gate Bridge (or bike across). I also like the ferry building, especially on Saturdays.Hotel location can make a big difference on how much you can see.

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I like to do scavenger hunts. Each clue also has something they can use on the cruise (lanyard, new swimsuit, sunscreen, etc)

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I enjoyed the kayaking excursion in Ketchikan.

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My family took the local bus to Mendenhall Glacier and when that was over we walked around town. We enjoyed both.

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Park at the airport & take the shuttle back. That is what my family is planning on doing when we go in June.

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My two cents worth:

I agree that cruise ships have the best people watching. In fact, on sea days I consider it part of the free entertainment. [emoji23]

My family has sailed carnival, NCL & princess. My husband & I are both college educated, dress appropriately on the ship (as does my daughter) and out of the cruise lines we prefer carnival. Here's why: the people. My family tries to chose different ports to sail out of to add to the experience. A couple of years ago we sailed out of New Orleans. My daughter was in line at the buffet and was passing by the grits with her nose turned up. The lady in front of her asked if she ever had grits before and my daughter said no. The lady explained that the dish is a southern staple & suggested my daughter try the grits and went on to explain different ways to flavor them. My daughter did as the lady suggested & enjoyed the grits. On another cruise I chose the dining where we were seated with other families. My husband initially did not like that idea. We were seated with two other families. It seemed that carnival took care to seat groups together with children of the same age. One family was not our favorite but the other we have kept in contact with several years later even though we live on the other side of the US. My husband now is a fan of being seated with "strangers."

My point? Each cruise we have come away with a positive experience because of the people we meet. Carnival is our favorite because of the people, price and because of the many activities. Life is what you make of it and my family is taking advantage of the one life we have. 31 days until we cruise Hawaii on NCL and a little under a year until we cruise on the Vista.

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My family was on the star princess last year for a short spring break cruise from LA to Vancouver with a stop in Victoria. This was our first Princess cruise. The cruise was myself (40), husband (42), daughter (10) and my in-laws (60's). Our previous experiences were on Carnival & Norwegian. None of us could have handled any more at sea days on this ship because of the minimal activities. We found that there was an overall unfriendly attitude on the ship which is something we had never experienced with cruise employees before.

I vote for the Caribbean because I wouldn't go on that long of a trip on the Star Princess.

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Recently on the POA and the sail by the Napali coast was very scenic but not near as nice as the helicopter tour we also took with Blue Hawaiian. It was well worth the $ and was a highlight of our cruise.

What time is the sail by? I'm trying to figure out dinner plans for that night? TIA

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