Firepath

Has anyone done this tour and if so, with which tour company? NCL has one called Directors Cut but I was just reading that Roberts has one that goes to a place the others aren't authorized to. Any recommendations?

I saw that oceanview cabins on POA are now the same as what we paid for an inside cabin. I had already submitted a bid for OV and balcony but I guess I'm impatient. So I called my TA and he called NCL. I now have an Oceanview for no additional cost and have cancelled my (measly) $50 bid for OV. I still have my bid in place for balcony but I'm  happy with the OV as I know it is slightly larger and will be on a lower deck (I was on 11th with our interior). I get to keep my OBC from the TA too.

Thank you! Are the photos from specialty restaurants or MDR or both? I have no idea what to expect.

I can't imagine they'd be new bookings at this point. Almost everyone is flying in from somewhere else for the cruise and I imagine flights are extremely costly at this late date. Good luck and keep us posted!

We didn't want to do any of the sunrise trips and get up at 2:30am or 3:30am and all the later ones would leave us worrying about getting back to the ship in time (2nd day - we are going to Hana the 1st day), so we opted to do the ship's excursion which is 8:15am-12:15pm and was cheaper because it doesn't include breakfast or lunch which we can get on the ship anyways. That leaves us pretty much all afternoon free. But if you really want to hike up there, driving yourself might be your best bet. I don't think the tours stay up there very long.   

We are new to cruising so I don't know how this all works. We booked through a TA a month or so ago. The price for our category thru NCL is now the same as what we paid but includes free "open bar." Not sure what that exactly means because I also see "beverage package" is available. We are still a bit over 60 days out. We are getting OBC from the TA also. If I wanted to, could I get the "open bar" since it is now free at the same price I already paid? Would I have to give up the OBC? I also have a bid in for an upgrade that is pending. I'm confused about all this. I see mention of no changes after "final payment date," but we paid in full to TA so I assume that's just when booking directly through NCL. How many days out is the final payment due to NCL just out of curiosity?

1 hour ago, msky44 said:

Late last week I received an email stating that our bid of $155 pp for an upgrade from midship inside to deck 10 balcony BA was accepted.

Pride of America

Sep 28th sailing (believe this week had many available cabins)

Over 40 days to go

Bid was in the high poor range

No NCL status but did cruise earlier this year on the Escape

 

We are super excited as the balcony cabins were not affordable to us on this cruise. Also did not expect to hear anything this soon.

That is good news! We are on POA Oct. 19 and that is our same situation, even the same bid amount. Congrats on your upgrade!

Maybe they are hoping someone will come along at the last minute and book that penthouse. Now that school is back in sessions for a lot of schools and the summer is winding down, I wonder if there is more open availability.

I wonder if they look at things besides just the amount of your bid, such as if you appear to be a "spender" with NCL; i.e. food or beverage packages, excursions with NCL, other cruises taken or booked. I guess we'll never know, but it's interesting to see what others are bidding for different upgrades and if they are or aren't winning. 

I'm new to NCL bidding and cruising in general, so please forgive my ignorance. I booked a Sail Away interior cabin on POA and made offers on oceanview and balcony when I received the email. Today is 65 days out and we were just assigned an inside cabin today. We are quite happy with the location, but wonder if the cabin assignment at this point means our offers were not accepted. Or could we still be reassigned as it gets closer?

I purchased

my cruise through a travel agent and was given OBC. Will I be able to see this on the app and where? I think I read somewhere that it may not show up on my account until I'm already on board.

I first thought this post was about those who live far away from a port being jealous of those who live nearby. Yes, that's me! No last minute trips for me, unless I also find an amazing deal on a last minute flight or two. We live no where near any port! I would love to see the ships come in and going out, while I dream about my next trip. I saw a Disney ship in the San Diego port a while back and it was so exiting! Yeah, I'm a dork!

The waiting is hard! I almost wish they wouldn't allow bids until just before they are going to do something. 

$99/day is a LOT of coffee!

Now if they'd include the specialty coffees for even a bit more,  I would be all over that!

We won't have a drink package on Pride of America. We aren't big soda drinkers, but at $7.95/day we figure it might be worthwhile. What is the charge for a soda on-board?

If we even drink two/day definitely worth it if the sodas are $4-5 each.

I searched multiple POA reviews and found 2 mentions of accepted $100 bids for inside to balcony. Based on this I have bid $150 balcony and $75 ocean view to upgrade my inside in late October. I hope it is accepted, but if not, no big deal as I think most of our time will be spent off the ship anyways. aaliecat44, what are you trying for? I hope you get it. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. We aren't going to chance it. May try on Kauai instead.

We will be on POA in Kona from 7:00am to 5:30pm. We have rented a car. I really, really want to go horseback riding at a ranch at the top of Kohala. They say the drive is 1 hour and 40 minutes. With the time required for tendering, waiting for a shuttle, and probably standing in line for a rental car (Enterprise) and finding our way to Kohala, would we have time to make it there for a 9:30am check in?

I know about the specialty restaurants, but my husband (who loves to eat!) wants to know if he can get a decent steak or Prime Rib in the main dining rooms. Is there anyone here whose been on POA recently can answer?

We'll be on the Pride of America cruise in October. What is the best Luau on which island given the times in port on this cruise?

If we're in port over night, can we get back on the ship at any time the night before the ship departs?