Mr.N

On 7/11/2020 at 5:49 PM, cruiselvr04 said:

I"m a nurse at a large hospital.   I have to report if I leave the state due to Covid.  

I do think it's not really fair.  I'm perfectly capable of self monitoring or am willing to be tested upon our return.   We can go to Houston which is an even hotter spot then Dallas and not report it.  They can't tell us we can't leave the state of course. But they can tell us we can't return to work for 2 weeks after we return.  And that quarantine time is on us, either PTO or no pay. They will not test us to clear us.  A few have not self reported but if you're caught it could be grounds for termination.  Since I dont want to "waste" 2 weeks of PTO i just won't leave the state. 

 

 

My wife too is a nurse, when we go to our summer home in Wisconsin she has to report and self monitor for two weeks too. She could have retired last year, but won’t due to the pandemic and need for healthcare worker. 
Thank you for you hard work, in a very trying profession. 

I actually thought that NCL was awarding the points for the cancelled cruises as a goodwill gesture. I was impressed when I saw them credited to our account. So, from the “jaws of victory” with what could have been an excellent public relations move, NCL “snatches defeat”. 

Really NCL; even if the points awarded were in error, what would it have cost the company in actual dollars? In fact, with the not so favorable coverage of NCL in the news, there was a chance to come out a hero. A press release saying that there was a mistake made with awarding rewards points and how in the interest of goodwill to your passengers, NCL is honoring those points awarded in error. NCL has missed a chance to put a positive spin on how NCL is being covered in the news and in the minds of many following the continuing cruise line sagas. 

I’m happy to report that NCL has refunded/credited our CC accounts in full and early too. 

Nice Mustang! My guess is a 66’ GT 289....does it have the pony interior? 

We bought a little roadster because we couldn’t cruise. My wife and I are enjoying taking road trips and exploring Route 66 like Todd and Buzz (and later, Linc) did in the Route 66 TV show. 

Thanks Budget Queen for all the input. For me, it was more about the principal.... Cruise was cancelled.... due to COVID-19 no cruises are sailing. It just would have been a nice goodwill gesture for NCL to just extend the expiration date. 
We’ll figure something out....  for this summer we already have.... just picked up a little roadster so we can go on some short day trips.... 

We have already traveled to the Mediterranean, been to Europe before, been all over the Caribbean, sailed to Alaska and Mexico. We really wanted to do the New England and Canada cruise, but with me being a teacher there isn’t one offered when I’m off from school. 
In a perfect world a Nile cruise and seeing the Pyramids is on our bucket list, just not in this political climate. 

Thanks, NCL agent Vanessa called us because she saw that we were looking at cruises online; I asked her about an extension and she said we needed to book a cruise by June 2021, but it could be for a cruise in 2022, no extension. That has given us concerns, because currently, there isn’t a cruise destination that interests us. 
We thought that since we’ve already have cruised with NCL five times previously that they would simply honor an extension request as a goodwill gesture. That was not the case. Things that make you go hmmmmm..... 

The CN deposits are the original expiration dates and have not been extended. So far, we haven’t seen anything on the 2022 cruises that have us excited to book either. Perhaps it’s COVID-19 fatigue (my wife is in healthcare), cruise line fatigue (everything associated with this cruise..... conflicting information from NCL about the cruise not being cancelled, then being cancelled, the refund policy.... 90 day wait for refund to be applied, and now the NC expiration.) 

I guess I’ll contact NCL about the CN after we get the payment credit applied back on our credit card for the cruise. Just feeling like Don Quixote of La Mancha with yet another windmill to fight. 
Thanks for your advice. - Bill 

We were booked on the June 6th sailing on the Pearl.... we are waiting for our refund (90 days to process) and just received notice that our CruiseNext certificates will expire 6/18/2021 that we previously used on our cancelled cruise. I called Norwegian today and asked if the expiration date could be extended and was told no. I was told to use them an book a cruise.... currently there are no sailings.... The current cruise destinations  listed for 2021 really don’t interest us. They are unwilling to extend the expiration date, so it seems we will lose our monies. So much for Norwegian showing a little bit of goodwill.... somehow that doesn’t make us feel valued as a customer. 

Loyalty is a two way street. After sailing with NCL on four cruises, we ran into problems with our cruise consultant on our fifth. Not returning calls, misinformation, and a hassle cancelling our cruise. So, at the moment I’m not feeling any loyalty to NCL, because they didn’t show they valued us as a “loyal customer”. 

Hey Mr. N!

 

 

 

Guess you could say we are small ship devotees since we started with the petite Dolphin. Earlier this year we did the World Cruise on the Pacific Princess, another diminutive lady. It was almost beyond words, but I managed to find some. I blogged about it at RoundTheWorldWriter!

 

 

 

Hope you and your missus continue to enjoy the waves!

Hello Aquadesiac,

We were “unfaithful” to small ships once, we took a cruise in the Mediterranean on the Epic. The larger ships are neat with all their bells and whistles..... it’s like big city or small town. For some reason, we prefer the small town feel.

Since watching the Love Boat on television, I’ve wanted to sail on a Princess cruise. Perhaps after Hawaii on the Pride of America.

I’m looking forward to reading you blog.

Cheers,

Bill

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Hi

 

I think our favorite excursion was the tour through Robert's Hawaii. It was the Fern Grotto/Smith Luau excursion. It was priced great and we got a lot of bang for our buck. A beautiful river tour and a stop at the grotto followed by the delicious dinner and drinks at the luau and a great show after. Plus the Smith's plantation is beautiful. We got a short tram ride around the place and if the weather was better I would have spent more time looking around. This was in Kauaii

 

we also enjoyed our Movie Tour through the cruise lines. This was also in Kauai. It was a very full schedule and we made a lot of stops to see where movies were filmed. We had a nice lunch included as well.

 

I actually think we enjoyed Maui the most. We rented a car and did our own thing. The second day we went to Lahaina and had the best time. Perfect weather and a very cute little town.

 

Also - do the Pearl Harbor Tour. This was a great experience. Unfortunately I think you still cannot dock at the actual memorial (I think we were one of the last who were able to before they closed it) but there is still a ton to see and do.

Thank you once again. We were unaware of the damage closing the Pearl Harbor Memorial. We’re hoping the volcanic activity calms down and the memorial is repaired by the time of our cruise. We are going to take a wait and see outlook on postponing our cruise or keeping our current dates.

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Hello,

They did it the old fashioned way and used a travel agent.

Thanks for sharing! Planning for our trip and this is good to know.

We were in the same boat/ship......we too got a little bored with the Caribbean. The Western Mediterranean was fantastic! Touring Barcelona, Rome, the Colosseum, Vatican, ruins of Pompeii, Tuscany, Almafi Coast, Cannes, and Monte Carlo was as if you were in a James Bond movie. Last year we did an Alaskan Cruise, the majesty of nature....mountains, glaciers, and even a kitschy lumberjack show was fun. We would gladly return to both Alaska or the Mediterranean.

Since we did the 49th state last year, our next cruise is to Hawaii.......

331 days ..... Pride of America......

We also attended the Smiths Family Garden Luau in Kauai, used their transportation from the pier. We all really enjoyed it and the grounds are lovely.

Their show encompasses many of the Islands influences, so you get the faster Tahitian hula, fire dance, etc.

Before dinner they do the traditional Imu ceremony

The buffet was delicious, and includes open bar. A group sings for you during dinner. The area for the show is just a short walk away, and the seating area is also under cover.

We were a party of 8 and all were unanimous in our enjoyment.

That sounds great too! The fun part of this trip is all the planning. Last year we did an Alaskan cruise , had fun planning, went on the cruise had fun and it seemed like “Poof” it was over so quickly. With all the food to try in Hawaii, I’m afraid instead of buying his and her Hawaiian shirts, it may be matching Moo Moo’s instead!

Thanks again,

N

We have Old Lahaina Luau booked in Maui in September- I researched several and there is a lot of good reviews for it - plus you watch the show from the same place you eat and I liked that. To me it seems like exactly what I always pictured watching Elvis movies lol. No fire dancers there though, if that's something important to you. We're renting a car as it's on the other side of the island from the POA. I'm sure whichever one you pick will be fun!

Your reply is a marriage saver! My wife has been talking about going to a Luau like the ones in Elvis movies......thanks to you I’ve found it! We aren’t going on our cruise until June...... Would you have any other suggestions?

Thanks!

N

Your review on the Pride of America is very refreshing. We are booked for June 2019 and were starting to have second thoughts. If you could pick your top three not to miss excursions, what would they be? Thanks for taking the time to post your experiences.

Had a blast on the sailing to Bermuda with DW and the kids, though her and I reminisced a bit on our past trips with formal night dinners, specialty restaurants, and being able to float as we pleased without the kids (trying not to make it sound horrible!).

 

Anniversary is coming up in September and I wanted to surprise her with a quick trip - just the two of us.

 

In Laws have no problem watching our boys for an extended weekend (Friday - Monday).

 

I'm sure we can find some cheap airfare, and I'm having our TA look into it.

 

The question I have is - has anyone that lived in the Midwest (or far enough away from a port) found it worth a quick 3 night cruise just to get away? (I know that a lot of it is subjective, and it's all on what you want to spend... but I'm still curious about others' input!)

I would say go for it! Back in the day a few buddies and I would go to Midway Airport and look for a cheap flight.....no plans, just a small bag packed. It was fun!! That was how I went on my first cruise, a three day cruise to the Bahamas on the Dolphin IV. So, surprise the wife, have her pack a few things and have fun and play!!

This is our first NCL cruise and truly lucked out with our NCL cruise consultant who was phenomenal. We have sailed several RCCL and Celebrity (Carnival too)and our consultant has outshined any we’ve ever had; he was amazing. I wish I could get him every time we call RCCL. I don’t know if he can help you but you could try. Am I allowed to post his name here? Do you know?

 

 

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I’m not sure of the protocol of posting a cruise consultants name, it’s my first day as a member. We used to have an excellent one, but he got promoted. I’m happy for you that you have an excellent consultant, but I wouldn’t want you trying to be nice and violate the TOS (terms of service) of the site. Thanks for your help!

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Your concerns are all well founded but things are not about to change. Flooding and volcanic activity are just an unfortunate part of life in the islands and something you do the best you can with when they happen.

 

 

 

The POA is the only ship of its kind here, and they aren't about to change either because they have no direct competition. NCL has no need to improve anything.

What a wonderful website! Such wonderful insight and advice, I cannot thank you enough.

While it is “just” a vacation for us, we cannot lose sight of the impact Mother Nature is having on the residents. Not acknowledging that would be very selfish on my part.

My biggest concern is that my wife has severe asthma, and air quality trumps seemingly trivial concerns over my perception Norwegian’s meals.

Perhaps there is a Hawaiian based website that I can monitor, since my “cruise consultant” has been A.W.O.L.

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I rated this cruise as a 3 out of 5 based on the ability to see 5 different Hawaiian ports during a 7-night sailing. I will try and remain as objective as possible but this was not the best cruise experience for a first-time Norwegian cruiser ("Loyal to Royal" and Celebrity with 30 sailings between the two cruise lines). We are a group of 5 (grandmother, mother, sister, brother, and myself) who are relatively easy-going and low maintenance. I will group this review into sections and make it as informative as possible.

 

 

 

SHIP: We really enjoyed the size of this ship and the decor was tasteful, without being "over the top" like other cruise lines (Carnival, I'm looking at you). It was easy to go from bow to stern on most public decks, however there were certain areas that prevented a seamless flow (i.e. Aloha Cafe was accessible from the starboard side and the stern elevator bank, but La Cucina and the Gold Rush Saloon prevented access from the port side, and you had to go outside on deck 6 to get from the Liberty Restaurant to the Capitol Atrium because Cagney's Steakhouse blocked the starboard side). Not an overall hinderance, just an inconvenience.

 

 

 

STATEROOMS: We had two balcony staterooms (#9672 on the port side and #9166 on the starboard side). I was strategic with room placement, as we wanted a great view of the Na Pali coast sail by but we were also rewarded with a view of the volcanic flow from Kilauea as we left Hilo, on our way to Kona. The stateroom cabins are SMALL!! It was extremely tight with three of us in the room (the sofa bed takes up way too much space) and the bathroom was the smallest I have ever seen on a ship. Still, it served its purpose as a "floating hotel" as we explored the different islands.

 

 

 

DINING: I know Norwegian prides themselves on their "Freestyle Dining" concept, but it is simply a MESS. Prior to our sailing, I made reservations every night in Skyline, one of the complimentary restaurants. The first evening, I approached the hostess at the stand and told her I made reservations. She had nothing in the system for either of our stateroom numbers. Why even bother making reservations in advance? Nevertheless, it was unnecessary to make reservations because the restaurants were practically empty every night. As I mentioned previously, we are all very low-maintenance and choose to dine at the complimentary venues instead of the specialty dining choices. For me, the food was absolutely inedible on this cruise. I am far from a culinary expert but the food was just bad. Most dishes had no flavor and were extremely bland. I was impressed by the choices, as there were a variety of dishes to choose from each night (9-10 starter and entree choices, as opposed to 4-5 on Royal) and all dishes came out hot (something severely lacking on other cruise lines) but I was not impressed by the dining options on this ship. We dined one night in East Meets West, the complimentary Asian cuisine restaurant, and the food was decent. The menu doesn't change, so one or two visits here is plenty. The Cadillac Diner was alright, better food at breakfast than any other time during the day. Finally, the Aloha Cafe was hit or miss. It was always crowded up there (you could never find a seat) and breakfast was mediocre at best. The highlight of the entire week were the chicken quesadillas they had during snack hours. These were THE. BEST. Make sure to look for them! They were only there one day and then they were gone. They also had a couple poolside BBQs with standard cuisine (hot dogs, hamburgers).

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES: Honestly, we weren't on the ship enough to enjoy the entertainment and activities. We saw one show (Vegas! The Show) and it was absolutely terrible. The cruise director was alright, usually acting desperate to get people to join in the activities. They also had a variety of Hawaiian-themed activities throughout the week (lei making, hula dancing, etc.).

 

 

 

SERVICE: This was the area with the most opportunity. As most cruisers know, the Pride of America is a US-flagged vessel and 70% of the crew must be American citizens. Well, it's clear that most of them do not want to be there and most of them do not know proper cruise standards. One negative experience that left a bad taste in my mouth was one of the female bartenders in the Gold Rush Saloon (Amy). We met her on the first day and I could instantly tell that she put on a fake act for guests because she was underhandedly rude and short. We went back to the Gold Rush Saloon later in the cruise (they have 8 different Kona Brewing Co. brews on tap... so good!) and one her colleagues was tending the bar (Darin, very nice). Unfortunately we arrived right before margarita tasting and sure enough, Amy comes out. At the end of the tasting, she asked us why we didn't participate. I am not a fan of tequila or margaritas and I shared that all of the margaritas were pre-mixed (diluted, overly sweet). She said she made the batch the night before (my point exactly) and that she would make me the perfect margarita. Well, it tasted like juice, to which she responded, "how do you think a margarita should taste?" Hello, if I'm drinking a margarita, I want to taste tequila! She then tried to "school" me and tell me that you should never be able to taste one particular flavor in a "perfect" margarita (what a load of bull). She told me to come back that night and order another margarita and if I didn't like it, she wouldn't charge me (I never went back. Guess I will never know what a "perfect" margarita tastes like!) In an effort to avoid sounding overly negative, I will focus on one extremely positive service experience that we had during the cruise: one night we ate at the Liberty restaurant and were waited on by Hali, a wonderful young lady from Michigan. She shared with us that she just started earlier that month and had already been promoted to waiter. Boy, did she deserve it! She was so attentive and was super sweet and genuine. Service was never slow and it was so unfortunate that we met Hali so late in the cruise (second to last night) because we would have requested to dine in her section every night. If you are going on this cruise, try and request Hali!

 

 

 

EMBARKATION & DISEMBARKATION: We chose the pre-cruise hotel stay as one of our perks. Getting to the hotel was an absolute nightmare. We waited over 20 minutes for a large party to get off the plane and collect their luggage before the shuttle left to the hotels. We saw our luggage board the bus with us but because this large group needed to be split up, they ended up doing some shuffling of bags and as we pulled away from the curb, we saw our luggage sitting there. WHAT?! The driver "assured" us that our luggage would be on the next shuttle bus and proceeded to drive like a maniac over to Waikiki (we were staying at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel). We were still concerned about our luggage and the driver said he would stay and wait for the next shuttle to arrive. What happens when we get off the shuttle? The driver says under his breath, "I'm not waiting" and takes off and our luggage is nowhere in sight. It was an absolute mess, trying to contact dispatch and get our bags. We eventually collected everything but from now on, ALWAYS make sure your luggage gets on with you! Thankfully disembarkation was fine, no problems with the shuttle back to the airport.

 

 

 

PORTS: Now, the highlight of this review. I will talk about each port and the excursions we took in each one (none of them were ship tours).

 

 

 

Honolulu, Oahu - We walked around Waikiki for a bit, enjoyed a delicious meal at the Maui Brewing Co (this is a sister bar and restaurant to their main location on Maui) and went to bed relatively early, as we were exhausted from traveling all day and the shuttle was picking us up early the next day. I woke up super early the next day and hiked up Diamond Head crater (took an Uber roundtrip from the hotel). It was a beautiful day and a fantastic hike! Once we got to the ship, I had plenty of time to walk around and explore Downtown Oahu (Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha statue, Aloha Tower) before we departed.

 

 

 

Kahului, Maui - Rented a car for the two days (used Discount Hawaii Car Rental in all ports). Took an Uber roundtrip from the airport, including when I parked the car overnight. I was a little worried about this, as I heard that Maui didn't have the best overnight parking. I thought it was safer to park at the airport, and it was only $15 to park overnight. A couple I met during the sunrise summit bike tour parked in the Whole Foods parking lot (across from the ship) but they knew they were taking a risk. Our first day in Maui was completely devoted to the Road to Hana. I downloaded Shaka Guide Maui and took the "classic" tour. Such a great way to explore on your own! The entire ride took us a little over 8 hours (Shaka Guide provides recommended stops along the route). Let me just say, it is exhausting! I needed to be up early for the sunrise summit bike tour. I booked the Sunrise Special bike tour independently through Bike Maui tours (highly recommend!) Their staff was professional and very informative. The bike tour was fantastic, a wonderful 26-mile downhill course. While it was a relatively clear day at the summit, the sunrise was not the greatest (cloud cover from Kilauea). Make sure to dress warmly. I returned back to the ship, picked up the rest of my party, and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon at the Maui Brewing Co (relatively short drive from the ship).

 

 

 

Hilo, Hawaii - Rented a car again and planned on using Shaka Guide Big Isle but unfortunately Volcanoes National Park is closed due to activity from Kilauea. We drove around and checked out a few tourist spots (Mauna Loa Factory, Akaka Falls, Boiling Pots, Rainbow Falls). Unfortunately the self-guided factory tour was closed due to annual maintenance, but we picked up a bunch of gifts before returning the car and heading back to the ship. We were underwhelmed by Hilo, but the highlight of this port was the unexpected sail by of the volcanic activity on the south shore of the island. This was incredible! Truly stunning, especially when you think about the destructive and creative forces of volcanoes. We watched from our starboard stateroom balcony as China, the Hawaiian ambassador on the ship, narrated on the TV.

 

 

 

Kona, Hawaii - The tender ride is not pleasant, so be prepared. We had nothing planned this day expect a visit to Kona Brewing Co (notice a theme?) We stopped at Hilo Hattie's and Scandinavian Shaved Ice before heading to the brewery. Before heading back to the ship, I trekked over to Target for a few small things. Overall it was a lovely, laid-back kind of day.

 

 

 

Nawiliwili, Kauai - They definitely saved the best for last! This was our favorite port on the entire itinerary. We rented a car once again and downloaded Shaka Guide Kauai. We drove up to Waimea Canyon and went up to the Na Pali coast overlook but unfortunately the clouds blocked our view of the coast. The canyon was breathtaking and majestic. That night I had booked an independent tour to Smith Family Garden Luau. The gardens, dinner, and show were all fantastic! I highly recommend booking a private reservation. The ship promotes Luau Kalamaku but we saw about 800 guests board the tour buses. No thanks! We were very happy with our choice of luau (free-flowing mai tais? Yes please!) The next day was relatively short, with an all-aboard time of 1:30. I had read reviews of the Kauai Backcountry Adventures Mountain Tubing excursion, so I booked us on the first tour of the morning. Once again, another solid recommendation! Think about cruising in an inner tube on a lazy river, going through a variety of tunnels and over a small waterfall. Super fun! All of the guides were extremely knowledgeable and professional. Returned the car, headed back to the ship, and got ready for the Na Pali coast sail by (around 5:15). This was surreal. Since we couldn't see the coast from above, the sail by was well worth it. China once again narrated on the TV and within an hour we were sailing away back to Oahu.

 

 

 

There was just not enough time to see everything! We tried to accomplish as much as we could, but I guess we just need to take another trip to Hawaii to see the rest! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on this trip but it was mainly about the destination and not about the cruise experience. We missed the small things, like a beverage package and a standard dining room table, but we were happy to check another destination off our bucket list. Mahalo!

What an excellent, detailed and informative review! We have reservations on a June 2019 sailing and are having reservations/concerns about going because of the recent flooding, volcanic activity and reports of the food and service on NCL. Having sailed with NCL three times previously, we have noticed the food quality declining. Recently we have been surprised by the lack of return phone calls from the NCL personal cruise consultant to address our concerns and perhaps book a different cruise.

Once again, thanks for your great review, because you answered many of the questions we had, and your 3 out of 5 Star rating is very helpful.

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We like long walks on the beach and wine....

 

 

 

So, anyway. I'm looking to plan a family vacation (cruise?). At the time of sailing our kids will be 3 and 5. We've done one cruise with them and two without.

 

 

 

Our cruise ship preferences include a good kids club and a ship that's not overly crowded. We aren't big on group activities, so lots of "attractions" (other than pools!!!) aren't a big draw. We basically like to soak up the sun, swim, go to the beach, and eat :)

 

 

 

We sailed with Royal last fall and found the kids' activities to be wonderful, but the ship was extremely crowded and the food was blah.

 

 

 

Help me choose a ship!

Hi!

My niece has two children 5 and 8 and they love the Disney cruises. While the children are taking part in a Disney children’s activities they (the adults) are able to spend quality time alone as a couple. Whenever they return from a Disney Cruise they are just gushing about how good the service was and how it wasn’t overcrowded as compared to their cruise on another line. Her husband is a firefighter and Disney gives First-responders a nice discount.

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