mel-b

We had a dinner reservation at Cagney's the night of leaving Maui (Monday). This was a favorite restaurant of ours. We dined here twice during the week it was that tasty! Coming from Texas, we have steakhouses on what seems like every city corner. Cagney's ranks up there with some of the best.

I really like the location of Cagney's on the ship. The wine bar area located before you reach the restaurant is a nice place to relax. As I mentioned before, we maximized our time so much onshore that by the time we returned to the ship, we were lucky to make it through a nice dinner before heading back to the cabin.

Texas Seems to have the cheapest fares going

 

Port Canaveral the highest

 

they send not so good ships to PC

 

All of the good ones to Texas.

 

What is going on??????

As a Texan, I'm excited there will be another Carnival option in Galveston. We've sailed the Triumph once and Magic twice and loved her. I think the demand from (mostly) Texans is huge to have other cruising options out of the Galveston port. I'm curious if non-Texans are beginning to fly to this port more than before. I'd assume that is the case and hence the high demand for Carnival to supply more and better ships.

After the sun has fully risen over the horizon, please stay at the summit for some time to walk around and explore. It's an amazing view all the way around.

The drive down from the summit is nice since the sun is out and you can take in the views. We decided to stop at the Kula Lodge which is about halfway down (if not more) from the summit. Their breakfast is excellent. It's a great way to warm up with a cup of Kona coffee sitting in front of their fireplace. The view from the lodge is spectacular. Their grounds are lovely to walk through after you've eaten. It's a nice stop to make and would potentially be a nice place to stay overnight.

Kula Lodge

After breakfast, we browsed through their small gift shop and walked through the flower path on the lodge's grounds. At this point, it was mid morning and we had plenty of time to continue exploring Maui before we needed to return the Jeep and board the POA. We chose to drive to Lahaina. On the way, we passed a few beach areas on the side of the road. They looked inviting, and after driving through the town of Lahaina, we opted to skip going on to Kaanapali beach and returned south to a stretch of beach we previously passed. Lahaina is a nice whalers village with plenty of shops, restaurants and just a nice place to walk around. I regret not driving on to Kaanapali beach area. Since we were up so early, I think we were looking to just relax and stare at the ocean. The stretch of beach we happened upon was gorgeous, but the way the wind whipped down from the mountains behind us made it uncomfortable. There's nothing more unsettling than sand stinging you in the back! We didn't stay long. We opted to go ahead and return the Jeep at the airport Getting the shuttle (through Thrifty) was super easy and we were back at the ship in no time. We ended up grabbing a beverage on the pool deck and lounging on a big lounging bed until the POA pulled out of Maui.

Lahaina

There is a small viewing building at the summit of Haleakala which is enclosed with glass. This is a good place to get out of the elements. Some people choose to remain in this position during the sunrise. We set up shop in front of the building with our GoPro. It was recommended to us to take a flashlight and I agree, it was helpful to have. Especially when you first arrive and are trying to acclimate to your surroundings. It was also recommended not to set up shop by the building but a different area across the parking lot from the building. We wish in hindsight we would've followed this advice as the area recommended was barely populated with people. This area I'm referring to is to the right of the parking lot. If you envision a lot in a u shape, with the enclosed building on the left side of the lot, the area of rock I'm referring to is on the right side of the u shaped lot. A flashlight would be absolutely necessary to navigate your way up and around the rock. This area had a lot of privacy and when the sun rises, you won't have anyone jockeying for position or in front of you while taking pictures.

Watching the sun first peek over the clouds on the horizon , and rise steadily through the sky to finally breach the edge of heaven and break out in an amazing array of light at Haleakala, is priceless. There was a collective group "ahhhh, ohhhhh". My sister-in-law who had seen this sunrise a few years ago said I would cry. I thought that was the silliest thing I'd ever heard. It takes a lot for me to shed tears. Sure enough, when the sun broke over the clouds in what appeared to be a cross-like shape, I felt overwhelmed. It was a pure, spiritual experience for me. I am very thankful we followed through with our plans and saw the sun rise over Haleakala. I know some consider doing the sunset over sunrise. If that is your only option, so be it. But if you can make the sunrise, and are willing to sacrifice your sleep and warmth, it is totally worth it IMO.

No matter what time zone you're on, IMO it's just plain difficult to wake up at 230 am. Especially from a nice, deep sleep aboard the POA! I am so thankful my DH did not succomb to my pressure to just stay in bed the second morning of Maui. We planned to drive our rental Jeep to the summit of Haleakala for sunrise. Boy oh boy am I glad we did.

Everything I read about sunrise at Haleakala was correct. Leave the port at a reasonable time to navigate the winding road (albeit not nearly as crazy a drive as the road to Hana). We left the ship around 3am and walked the 10 minute or so walk to the port parking lot. It was eerily quiet walking through the port but as I mentioned above, the walk is secure. The drive to the entrance of Haleakala National Park is roughly an hour give/take. We arrived around 4 - 430am and if I recall correctly, we were one of the first vehicles to park at the summit.

*Note - the entrance fee for Haleakala National Park is good for 3 days and is good for entrance to the summit as well as the Seven Sacred Pools (past Hana on the road to Hana).

When we arrived at the Park, there is an area where restrooms are located just past the entrance gate. This is not the summit. However, I highly recommend using the facilities as there are none at the top.

There are two areas to park - one just prior to arriving at the summit and the other parking lot at the summit. If you have made it in time, park at the summit. The other lot just a bit down appeared to be overflow/bus parking.

It is dark. I mean darkkkk. Which was awesome because the stars are simply magnificient at this level. Arriving with enough time to set up and scope out the area allowed for star gazing.

*Note - bring a heavy enough jacket, mittens, ear muffs, scarf and blanket from the ship. It's cold and windy.

I don't know if this is still the case, but from what I've read Jefferson's has lobster night after Kona, so on Wednesday nights. Can anyone confirm this? I'm cruising on August 29th so I just made my Jefferson's reservation that night.

 

If you're not a huge lobster fan, though, I don't know if it matters :)

I can confirm Jefferson's having lobster on Weds. evening (after Kona). This was the case on our POA cruise 4/11 through 4/18.

I believe having a dinner reservation for the embarkation night is not a bad idea. We dined at Moderno at 6pm and that allowed us time to be on deck for the sailaway.

Great review so far! We sailed the POA last May and loved her! My first trip to Hawaii and I wouldn't have gone any other way. I plan on doing the cruise again in the next couple years. We also rented cars in Maui and Kauai. Printed off driving guides from Alternate Hawaii dot com. Excellent resource!

Thanks for reading! And thank you for mentioning this resource. I can't wait to look at it, and plan our next trip to Hawaii. Even if that doesn't occur for a few years... one can dream, right?!

It's smaller than the Magic, but was recently refurbished. We sailed her several years ago our of Ft. Lauderdale and really enjoyed it. I will let you know how it is this time!

Please do!

I got to say thank you thank you for the review, I've been thinking about POA but I've heard so many bad things its nice to hear a good review. Plus I've heard Hawaii is very very beautiful.

I'm glad you're enjoying the review. It's often hard to convey feelings and emotions from an experience into written form. I'm trying my best to share my opinions/feelings as well as general observations regarding the POA and Hawaii in general.

I think like most anything, it comes down to what you make of it. I mentioned at the beginning of my review how I believe many who had a less favorable experience (mostly on the POA) quite frankly may not have had their expectations aligned properly. This cruise is, IMO, best done as a means to an end. If a person is looking for leisurely cruising, such as can be found on 7 day Caribbean itineraries, I don't think the POA will be a good fit. If a person is looking to unpack once and see as much of Hawaii as possible, the POA is an excellent choice. If a person is looking for 5 star cruising, the POA is not a good fit.

I'll confess, my DH and I did not partake in any onboard activities. No nightly shows. We maximized our time ashore that by the time we returned to the ship, we were dog tired. So different from what we normally do on 7 day cruises. The itineraries where you have 3 days at sea in total. I think if a person is looking for at-sea days, the POA is not a good fit. There are other Hawaiian cruise options to my understanding that allow for that time to traverse across the Pacific. However, I believe those cruises do not offer as much Hawaiian port time as the POA does.

Not to mention, it's Hawaii. HAWAII folks!! How bad must it get to have a legitimately crappy time?! It would have to be earth shattering for me quite frankly..

Heard the entire staff is american, that's an awesome plus.

It really is. I know there have been many who have done the POA complain about this factor. What I think those individuals (maybe) did not understand is these American employees are governed by American labor law. Therefore, take the cabin stewards as an example. They are limited to the number of hours they are on the clock before it turns into overtime pay. This would be the main reason you don't see your cabin steward as frequently as you might on any other cruise ship.

We enjoyed the crew we interacted with. They really seem to love what they're doing.

Thanks for the review! I can't wait to read more. I just booked for our family for June 2016 although I wish we had family to leave the kids with instead:) Galveston is also our home port and we taking the Freedom in August.

Thanks for reading!! This will be a nice family trip. I'd like to take the rest of our gang if we ever return.

That's right, the Freedom has or is coming to Galveston?! Is she nearly identical to the Magic? I'm looking forward to this port having another 7 day Carnival option.

I forgot to mention Upper Waikani Falls

AKA 3 Bears, there's enough room for 2-3 cars, but it's a no parking zone. Once a few cars park, 6-7 more park behind it and take up most of the road becoming a hazard. There is, however, a turnout further up the road where you can park and walk down. The walk is a little hairy because there isn't a path.

Wailua Falls. Literally on the road and along a bridge, these falls are tall, and beautiful. Just past the bridge are spots to park. You'll also find locals selling handmade artwork and sometimes food. We took a picture on the bridge overlooking the falls, then walked down a short distance. It is amazingly cool right at the falls! So refreshing. Take a swim!

Last but not least. We made several other stops, but these I've mentioned would be highlights IMO. 'Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools)

In 1969, Kipahulu Valley and 'Ohe'o Gulch were added to Haleakala National Park, which stretches down from the crater's summit. 'Ohe'o means "Something Special", and it certainly is. When water levels are up, there are many more than 7 pools (as the inaccurate name suggests). When water levels are safe, there are many pools open to swimming. By the time we arrived (this is past Hana town and the last official stop on the RTH before heading backcountry) the pools were closed to swimming due to flash flood. If this is a must stop for you, I would suggest finding a way to locate this national park to inquire on the conditions. I have heard of some people bypassing the stops on the RTH and heading straight to this park in the morning in order to take in the pools. In other words, drive first to the last point, then hit all the stops on the way back. If we have a chance to go again, I would consider doing this. We were bummed we couldn't swim in the pools! But, obey all signs here, as some areas are known for rock slides and have killed people. Also, think twice before swimming directly below a fall. Natural debris upstream has been known to flow over and on top of unaware swimmers. Also, it's best to keep your head above water due to potential waterborne bacteria. This goes for all streams and waterfalls on Maui.)

We would've liked to spend more time at this park. Due to daylight, we weren't able to do so. The drive back to Paia was nice! We made only one or two stops, one of which was to use a restroom. It was great to listen to our driving app (Ricky Bobby if you recall). He did a great job of narrating on the way back. However, his narration was not about the RTH but about Hawaiian history. Very very informative. And made the drive quite nice!

We made it back to Paia around dusk. We were tired and hungry, so drove straight back to the cruise pier. As I mentioned above, Paia town is really neat. I'd like to go back and explore and eat in some of the local restaurants. Parking at the pier was easy, and the walk back to the ship a bit of a hike but probably felt that way due to being tired and famished!

We went straight to Teppanaki for dinner when we got aboard the POA. We did not have a previous reservation, but were able to get in no problem. The POA has several television monitors that show the various restaurants and availability. Even though I utilized the reservation system prior to embarking the POA, I didn't plan every single dinner. Leaving room for whatever might occur is always a good idea IMO.

I would not recommend Teppanaki restaurant if you're limited on specialty dining. It's just okay. Nothing to write home about. Not that the food is terribly bad. The service is fun! We ended up leaving before dessert because we were worn out, and needed to be up super early to catch the sunrise on Haleakala.

Located at Mile Marker 29, approximately 6 miles before Hana Town, Nahiku Marketplace is a great place to stop, stretch your legs, shop, eat, relax, and re-energize for the rest of your journey. We purchased coconut chips from a vendor. They were awesome!

Wai'anapanapa State Park. This is a great stop. Once again, it would be so easy to spend an entire day here. In fact, I'd love to come back and camp. The most immediately noticeable feature to the 120-acres that make up Wai'anapanapa State Park is the black sand beach named Pa'iloa. The translation for Wai'anapanapa is "glistening water" or "water flashing rainbow hues", both of which are accurate in describing the powerful contrast between the black, pebble lava field and the deep blue-greens of the ocean.

The Beach is small with a ocean cave on the east side that can be traveled through to the ocean. There's also a naturally made lava arch in the water. The caves are great to explore as well.

Picking up where I left off on the Road to Hana! I'll highlight a few more of the stops we made along the way.

Keanae Peninsula

The old stone church is called “Ihi’ihio Iehowa o na Kaua” church in Hawaiian. It was built in 1856 and is the sole surviving building of the April 1st, 1946 killer tsunami which wiped out the entire village at Keanae Peninsula. The 8.6 monster earthquake that caused this devastating tsunami originated in the Aleutian Islands chain off the coast of Alaska.

I highly recommend stopping off the side of the road (about a 1/2 mile beyond mile marker 16) where the Ke'anae Arboretum is located. It is free to enter. There are a few spots you can park and walk back up to the gate entrance. The hike through the grounds is great. Rainbow eucalyptus, bamboo, tropical flowers, a stream. It would be easy to spend a bit of time here.

Halfway to Hana, mile marker 17. Home of "The Original" banana bread. This a great place to stop and grab snacks (banana bread, shaved ice that is larger than your head, and fresh cocount). If you do not want to continue on to the town of Hana, this is a good place to turn around.

Thanks! We do live in Hawaii. We'd prefer to take a different cruise, but the lava is flowing on the Big Island and we'd like to go see it.

We sailed on the POA April 11th - 18th of this year. The POA did not do a lava flow sail-by on the Big Island (in the past was done after Hilo on the way to Kona) as we were told it was not flowing towards the ocean. We were also told the only way to see the lava flow is by air (helicopter).

New husband & I will probably only eat at one of the "pay extra" restaurants, maybe 2. Which are the best in everyone's opinion? We like all kinds of food. I'll go with the majority rules!:)

I would say Cagney's, then Jefferson's Bistro, then Moderno. Jefferson's Bistro had lobster the evening we left Kona, hauled on in coolers from Kona. This was Weds. Evening

We've cruised on the POA Hawaiian cruise several years ago, and LOVED it! We would like to do it again and tweak our vacation a bit so we need some advice. DH and I were the least impressed with Honolulu, and since we fell in love with Kauai, we were thinking that next time we book, we'd get off early (in Kauai) and stay there for several days before flying home. Has anyone ever done this? If so what was your experience with this itinerary change? Tips anyone? Thanks!

What a great idea! Never thought of this as an option. I'm curious how this will work out for you

Love the review so far! I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

Thank you for reading this review!

Good review but didn't see one critical aspect addressed (maybe I missed it) but...

 

 

How do you get from the ship to the rental car pickup locations? I am sure it's all very easy once you have done it but... 99% of us reading these posts have never been to Hawaii much less tried to schedule rental cars at each different islands.

 

I know that Enterprise will bring you a car (to a ship even I suppose) but what about all these other companies? Is there a HERTZ or AVIS within a short walk (say 1/4 mile) of ALL of the ports that POA stops at? If not, do you call a cab...when you get there or perhaps arrange something prior to boarding the ship so that they know when and who to pick up for the rental. Obviously, need to know the same with regards to getting back to the ship. The LAST thing I want to do after having been tooling around the islands each day is to have to 'scramble' to find a way back to the ship or walk a mile.

 

Thanks in advance for humoring me :D

I hope my response was helpful. Let me know what else I can answer for you.

Fascinated by your review; please keep up the great work!

 

We have never sailed NCL, but POA keeps showing up on our bucket list - just hasn't surfaced yet. The B2B is something we would never have thought about...

Thank you for reading!

I would definitely not hesitate to do a b2b on the POA. I believe it was ilovesailing who mentioned above having done a b2b a few times on the POA. What's so appealing about that is (I assume) only unpacking/packing once in two weeks and visiting Maui, Big Island and Kauai for a total of 4 days each.

I would contact the moderator of this forum and ask them to move it over to the Hawaii board. Either that, or copy and paste each post from here and start a new thread over there. More work for you, though. :D

 

Still enjoying your review! I took the RTH with my parents 25(ish) years ago and still remember how beautiful it was. We didn't make it all the way to Hana, we turned back about 3/4 of the way, I think. I also have that same exact pic of the ship docked at Kahului.

I'll try the contacting the moderator route first! Thanks for the ideas!!

How long did it take you to get from the ship to Paia?

I'm sorry, scratch my original response. I misunderstood. That time I gave you would be from the Lahaina area of Maui to Paia.

To answer your question, about 10 - 15 minutes from the port to Paia.

How long did it take you to get from the ship to Paia?

About 20 - 30 minutes if I recall correctly. Easy drive

Good review but didn't see one critical aspect addressed (maybe I missed it) but...

 

 

How do you get from the ship to the rental car pickup locations? I am sure it's all very easy once you have done it but... 99% of us reading these posts have never been to Hawaii much less tried to schedule rental cars at each different islands.

 

I know that Enterprise will bring you a car (to a ship even I suppose) but what about all these other companies? Is there a HERTZ or AVIS within a short walk (say 1/4 mile) of ALL of the ports that POA stops at? If not, do you call a cab...when you get there or perhaps arrange something prior to boarding the ship so that they know when and who to pick up for the rental. Obviously, need to know the same with regards to getting back to the ship. The LAST thing I want to do after having been tooling around the islands each day is to have to 'scramble' to find a way back to the ship or walk a mile.

 

Thanks in advance for humoring me :D

Good question! I briefly touched on disembarking the POA in Maui, but I don't think I gave much detail on the rental car pickup. Forgive me - breaking this review up into little snippets each day may cause me to miss a few pertinent details!

I mentioned using discounthawaiicarrental dot com to secure a Jeep on Maui (I also used this website to secure another Jeep on Kauai. I recommend going through this site for any of the islands). This website appears to be the go-to for most people renting vehicles in Hawaii. They automatically find the best rate available. This website does not require payment upon booking. They will pair you with the best rates/agencies. Thrifty happened to be the best rate for a Jeep at the time, so we booked with them and secured payment onsite at the Thrifty office at the Maui airport.

When we exited the POA at the port in Maui, we walked through a building and out into a main parking area where port employees were directing buses/shuttle/vans. This is the area where all tours (booked through NCL and otherwise) and where the rental car company vans will pick up passengers. I myself verified with Thrify that they provide a shuttle from the port to the airport. I believe most if not all rental car companies provide a shuttle to/from the port, but I recommend you verify this directly. We waited in the designated area in this parking lot at the port and Thrifty arrived with a shuttle within about 30 minutes. I highly highly recommend getting off the POA as soon as you can. Especially if you plan to do the RTH.

As far as Maui is concerned, I do not believe there was a rental car agency within walking distance. They appear to be all located at the airport which is not within walking distance. The only other island we rented a car in was Kauai, and the same scenerio existed. The ship docked in port and we were picked up by the rental agency shuttled and taken to the airport to obtain our vehicle. I can not attest to the Big Island (Hilo or Kona). Although I had read there is a car rental agency within walking distance in Kona?

So, to recap, I would recommend trying the website I mentioned above first. Find the best rate and be paired up with a major car rental agency. Call them directly and verify their location (more than likely the airport as I mentioned) and verify they send a shuttle to the port and vise versa. Again, with our experience in Maui, we had no issue being picked up by the car rental shuttle at the port. We retained the Jeep throughout our entire stay on Maui by utilizing the free parking lot at the port. There appears to be a security guard on staff at the parking area 24/7. We returned our Jeep in Maui prior to needing to board the second day. No issues with returning, and there was an immediate shuttle bus from Thrifty to take us back to the cruise port.

Speaking of parking at the port in Maui, there was no issue finding a spot. I believe there is shopping/dining right across the street from the port. The only thing a little hairy is the walk back to the ship from the parking lot. Estimate at least 10-15 minutes as you will walk through the industrial port. You are safe. It is rudimentary and you are walking down a fenced-in path, but it is adequately lighted. Our first reaction upon arriving back to the port the first night (after driving the RTH and not returning to the ship until about 8pm in the dark, and parking in the designated lot and showing ID to the security person) was the walk seemed like walking through the outside area of a prison. Not that I personally know what that's like! But the visual was there...

With the t-top off the Jeep and our RTH app downloaded, we were reading to set out for Paia (official starting point of the RTH) from the Thrifty car rental location. I'll never forget driving towards Paia..breathing in the fresh air of Maui and watching the lush green landscape as we drove past.

Paia is a funky little town. We only stopped to grab water and snacks at Kuau store. I'd really like to return to this town to explore and eat at some of the local eateries. With getting a later start than recommended (I had read in most places a start time of 7am - 8am is optimal to utilize the most daylight) we didn't feel we had enough time to stay in Paia. Next time.

One of our first stops along the beginning of the RTH was at Kaumahina State Wayside Park. This is a great spot to stop for a picnic and to use the bathrooms. If you walk up the trail to the left of the parking lot, you can get a pretty good view of the Ke'anae Peninsula.

View from this wayside park

Our next stop was Honomanu Bay. To access the bay, there's a dirt road that leads off to the left from the RTH. I don't recall it being too rough of a road if you happen to be in a non 4x4. There were two surfers gearing up when we stopped.