VTSteerage

We are leaving on the July 16 departure northbound to Iceland from Southampton.  We made our reservation in a balcony cabin in October 2021.  It includes 4 specialty dinners and NCL airfare from and back to Boston.  The airfare alone has proven to be a huge savings, given what has happened to trans-Atlantic fares in the interim.  While we have read the reviews of the Prima, my wife and I are going with an open mind.  It seems like the public areas get the negatives, while the cabins get kudos.  We'll roll with the flow and hope all the ports happen.  Since 1983, we've been on RCCL, Holland America, and NCL cruises.  All of them have dropped a bit over the years (remember chocolates on your pillow and midnight buffets?), but cruises are still a great value for your money. 

Our first cruise on Royal Caribbean was our honeymoon in 1983.  We sailed on the Song of Norway to the western Caribbean - Grand Cayman, Montego Bay Jamaica, and Cozumel.  I remember waking up in Grand Cayman to read the "newspaper" that the cruise line slid under the cabin door back then, and finding out that there had been 16" of snow back home (Burlington, VT) the day after we left.  We felt so pampered.  In 1983, there were only four ships in the RCCL fleet.   Take a walk down memory lane with the attached pic. 

I am sure it was!! Thank you very much.

Is the POA currently going around the south side of the Big Island, past the area of lava entry into the ocean, as it transits from Hilo to Kona, or is she going around the north side of the Island?

We used Ultimate Whale Watch out of Lahaina in December for our whale watching excursion. Nice small boat, and they get VERY close to the whales.

Also, in Kona, we took the "Secret Waterfalls" tour through NCL. We went by van to the tour company office where we switched to a 6 wheel ATV for a drive off road back into an old sugar cane plantation on the north shore of Hawaii. We then hiked (easy) for about an hour and saw several beautiful waterfalls. We took a swim in pool beneath the last one. Then the tour provided a nice picnic lunch at a spot with a breathtaking view of the shoreline and the Pacific Ocean. I am 69 and my wife is 62, but we found the hike and swim easy and fun. This was one of the highlights of our vacation.

We used Ultimate Whale Watch. Got right to the whales. Very knowledgeable and affordable.

We just returned from the POA sailing of Dec. 2-9. We were allowed to take ONE bottle of water with us onto the ship in Honolulu and when we returned to the ship at all ports of call. It did not matter if it was open and partially used, or if it was sealed.

I cannot say what would have happened in Hilo, since the captain did not go there due to high winds. I will post a full review soon.

We just returned from 10 days in Hawaii, the first three spent at the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk, before our cruise on the Pride of America. It was just superb! They upgraded us from a city view to an ocean front room at no charge. The pool area is great. There is no "resort fee". The made to order breakfast is marvelous and included in the price. You are only a block off the beach a well. I highly recommend it. By the way, once you book through the Hilton website, be sure to go back from time to time to check prices. We originally booked a city view room for $279 per night. We twice found the price lowered, and re-booked, eventually getting that room for $188 per night....and then they upgraded us on top of that!

We just returned from the Dec 2-9 sailing of the POA. We left the ship via Hertz shuttle Sunday around 8 AM, rented a car at the Kahului Airport ($20 for the day), drove to Lahaina. We got there early enough to peruse the local artists showing their wares in the square under the huge tree. On line, we had reserved an 11:20 AM 2-hour whale watch with Ultimate Whale Watch ($49 per person). They use a small boat, and immediately found 2 whales, and later 2 more. We got quite close, saw several flukes and even got a pectoral fin wave, but no breeches. And this was only the second day of their season! After the whale watch, we headed to the beach, stopping at Leoda's Bake Shop (highly recommended!) for lunch. Our drive to Lahaina took 45 minutes max. If you are a Costco member, bring your Coscto card. Their gas is the cheapest on the island and is right on the way to the airport for refilling the rental car.

You're welcome! Use the savings to take your sweetheart out to a nice dinner!

We leave for our trip tomorrow!

For those who have made advance reservations at the Embassy Suites Waikiki Beach Walk, be sure to go back to the website to re-check the price of your lodging from time to time. When we first reserved, our room was $269 a night. We canceled and re-reserved two times, dropping the price to $209 a night and then to $188 a night. This applies to any Hilton property, as we have done this at several their hotels on other trips. We cannot wait for our upcoming Hawaii adventure!

Many thanks for this wonderful review. My wife and I are heading to Honolulu on Nov. 28 for the Dec. 2 departure of the Pride of America, We were especially interested in your day in Hilo and positive review of your day with Lavaland Tours. We have booked with them as well, and now are really looking forward to this day. We are also headed to the PCC prior to the cruise and have a helicopter ride scheduled the last day on Kauai. I hope all of our experiences prove as positive as yours. Thank you for sharing. We will do the same!

Royal Caribbean's Song of Norway in April of 1983 to Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Cozumel out of Miami. Hooked right away? Absolutely, although it took quite a few years to be able to actually do the next cruise. Now we do one annually. Ah the joys of finally being retired!!!

Sounds fabulous! Many thanks!!

If you are a member of AAA, be sure to check their member rates as well. I found that they beat both DHCR and Costco by a few dollars on a Maui rental.

After some further research, does anyone have any experience with the House Without a Key restaurant? It has terrific reviews. Thank you all in advance as always.

We enjoyed our dinner at Duke's on Waikiki Beach. We reserved a table overlooking the beach at sunset, and it was so beautiful! The food and drinks were good and it was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.

Thank you for the recommendation. We will look into it.

You may want to check out that according to their website, the restaurant's owners are retiring and closing the place. Their last day of operation will be September 30th.

Thank you so much for this update!

My wife and I will be arriving in Honolulu on Wednesday, Nov. 29 and staying at the Embassy Suites in Waikiki for three days before our POA cruise departing Saturday, Dec.2. We have already made most of our arrangements, but are looking for dinner recommendations for Thursday, Nov. 30. Has anyone been to the Ocean House Restaurant in the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort? If so, how was it? We like that it is just a short walk from our hotel and is right on the beach, but would certainly consider other options nearby.

Spectacular photos! Thank you!

My wife and I will be on the POA for the Dec. 2 sailing. :D When we arrive back in Honolulu on Dec. 9, we have a late flight (9:30 PM), so we are looking into tours that go to Pearl Harbor and keep the luggage for the day. We have looked at the tours offered by the cruise line and the one from Roberts. Anyone take these and have some comments? Are there better alternatives, keeping in mind that Pearl Harbor is a must for us that day, and we would rather not drive? We will have already seen much of Oahu during our pre-cruise stay. As always, thanks in advance to the many knowledgeable folks on this forum!!

Most cruise ships dock in Honolulu at Pier 2. A few dock at Pier 11. See the info in the attached article. You can link through to the full pier schedule.

http://hidot.hawaii.gov/harbors/visitor/

Where on the East Coast? My wife and I booked a round trip flight to HNL from Montreal for less than $1000 US for the two of us. That is almost $800 less than from New York or Boston. Since we live in Vermont it is actually closer than either Boston or New York as well. We will be flying a week after Thanksgiving. So be sure to check all you local options, even Southwest Airlines to get you to the West Coast where you can connect to the more frequent flights to Honolulu available from several carriers from Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle.

I called the Kanapala Lava Boat tour company to find out the cost of the "Cruise Ship" tour that they advertise on their web site. You would have thought that they did not even know that their own web page even existed. After some back and forth, the gentleman I spoke to finally said that they could arrange to pick us up at the pier in Hilo and bring us back for $175 in addition to the cost of boat tour to the Lava flow. My gut says we'll pass...

My wife and I will be on the POA in December 2017. While in Hilo, we would really like to see the volcano. A web search turned up the Kalapana Lava Boat Company that offers an inclusive tour from the dock in Hilo, including a boat ride to the area where the lava is currently flowing into the sea, as well as other sights on the big island, and a return to the cruise ship. I know there have been safety concerns with some of the "lava boat tour" operators. Has anyone used this outfit and what did you think of them?