Ellis1138

Thank you for the review. I'm sorry it was such an odd crowd on board. I do know the reason for thin toilet paper on cruise ships, though; the on board sewage treatment can be very finicky, so having septic grade toilet paper means less clogs.

My first thought is: Do you have the $600? (Assuming 2 people in the cabin). My second thought is "Is the HJ cabin more than $600 greater than what you paid for the Club Balcony if you booked it direct?" My third thought is "Are you okay with any HJ cabin location versus the location of the cabin you chose?" If the answer to all 3 questions is Yes, do the bid.

Okay so the NCL spokesperson line says something about carbon footprint. I find that to be dubious because a) They are a cruise line, which is a high carbon footprint company and b) It's actually less of a carbon footprint for the 2000 people on the boat to all see the coast at one time versus having to all go on bunches of helicopters, boats and cars to see the Na Pali coast. One of the people who just sailed about a month ago said she talked to one of the crew. The crew member said the real reason is that the very old Pride of America engines are not able to handle it anymore. A combination of needing a certain speed to get to the coast in time, plus the added strain as every passenger on the ship goes to be on the port side. I find that one more believable and am more understanding about that as the reason. But in every cruise contract, no matter what line, is the term that the itinerary can change without any notice. And as the passenger, I'll adjust. We intend to take a helicopter over Kauai, since it's the most time efficient way to see the coast and the ONLY way to see Mount Waialeale. (And I've been on the Kalalau Trail and also a catamaran around the coast, so...)

One thing to note is that, after this June, the Pride of America will not be cruising the Na Pali coast as part of the itinerary. So, if you do go on it, you'll need to book your own excursion via helicopter or by boat/catamaran.

I'm glad to hear that. I'm still going to bring my powdered heavy cream, though.

Thanks for all these great and detailed photos!

Alas, a Studio cabin has no fridge.

I wish I could drink my coffee black, as it would make my life easier. I avoid non-dairy creamer products, since they have ingredients I might react to. (Severe allergy roulette). I was looking forward to the Studio Cabin coffee on the the Escape, but not if I need to spend my morning hunting down actual cream or half and half.

Most of the sales never end, so the countdown means very little. I just check and do mock bookings to see if the cruise I want is in my budget range. If there's a $250/500 Cruise First certificate, I tend to grab one of those to use as the deposit.

Thank you! That must have been where I got confused, where they call it an OBC for your current cruise.

My head is spinning from this. Hah. I think I did ok. I had grabbed a $500 CF for $250, then applied it to a $1129 Studio cabin fare when booking. And I'm going on the cruise in that cabin, come heck or high water. I still can't figure out Cruise Next, but am following this thread in the hopes it will sink in. Sudden thought edit: I wonder if the $100 shareholder credit can go towards Cruise Next?

Yes, although it might be your friend who has to be the one to call to do it. But it has to be called in to be changed.

I've sat and done the math. The Cruise Next are a good deal if you plan to splurge a lot on the current cruise you're on and if you can get a double up promotion. I still wind up choosing the Cruise First certificates because you also get double what you paid, but not as OBC. Like, I got one of the $250 Cruise First and it counted as a $500 deposit for my upcoming cruise in September. (I booked in March so it was beyond the 120 day minimum.)

Was crossing 12th avenue hard, with all the traffic?

The Maui Ocean Center's site doesn't list anything, and "operational needs" usually means staffing. So, my guess would be that NCL itself can't find any drivers to drive folks to the center. On the PoA Facebook page, a lot of people have been complaining that their NCL excursions are being cancelled due to operational needs. It makes me glad that I'm planning to do our excursions directly with places and not through the cruise line.

Go here and fill out the form with what you need. NCL is very good with food allergies and intolerances. I've found it's way easier to get this all done ahead of time then to bother the Maitre D each night. https://ncl.secure.force.com/AccessDeskForm/

It's very easy to get around Manhattan and midtown is the closest to the cruise port. My own favorite part of Manhattan is Greenwich Village and SoHo.

Yeah, it's best not to risk it. My other, later thought was to choose the Big Island, due to there being more to see than we can do in the few hours allotted to us in Hilo and the fact that Kona might be skipped entirely if the captain deems it unsafe. Whereas, the 2 days and overnight in Kauai is just about a guarantee.

I'm picturing the candy bar in the pool scene from Caddyshack...

I'm coming from the other direction: I've been to Hawaii twice with my first husband, both for 2 weeks, in which we flew between islands and spent 3-4 days on each one. My current husband wants the PoA cruise and has not been to Hawaii before. He also only has 8 vacation days to use, so we're going in on Wednesday to see Oahu for 2.5 days, then get on the ship. And yeah, while I'm doing mental gymnastics to try to get the most out of our 1-2 days of port time on Maui. Hawaii and Kauai, there is a big con to island hopping by plane. Each time you take a flight, you lose several hours to the travel. Yeah, the flight itself is only 30-40 minutes, but each time, it means you pack stuff, check out of the hotel, get to the airport, TSA etc, wait at the gate, then the actual flight, then you get off (maybe have to wait for your checked bags), get to the new hotel and unpack. For a 2 week thing like you describe, I would suggest: Wed (travel and jet lag day), Thursday and Friday see Oahu and the things you most want to see, Saturday drop off the checked luggage with porters at 10:30am and go do something else on Oahu for a few more hours, then come back and get on the Pride of America. Research the ports ahead of time and choose the things you can squeeze in there for Maui and Hawaii. You might wish to ask if you can disembark when you get to Kauai and then spend the extra time there, rather than return to Oahu. Kauai has a lot to see. If NCL won't allow it, then take the plane to Kauai or spend 3 days at the Turtle Bay Resort on North Shore Oahu and the 3 pre-cruise days in Waikiki.

If you haven't already, make sure to contact the NCL Access Desk so that your father will not have to stand or wait in long lines when you do get there.

My honest opinion. For my first cruise in 2003, I chose NCL because of the Freestyle Dining and specialty restaurants. I believe it was the only one that did that. I like being casual and not having to worry about needing a dress for me and a tux or even a good suit for my husband. We've been on the Sun and the Jade and liked both ships. We were not as impressed with the RCL Explorer. NCL handled my allergies and other concerns the best, so I do like that. Neither my husband and I are into the entertainment or parties or games, so I can't tell whether those were good or not. My next 2 cruises will be on the Escape and the Pride of America. Even though PoA is supposed to be awful, I'm approaching it as just a floating Best Western. So whether or not you like NCL will have more to do with your needs and your expectations.

I do it based on what I need or how much pain I'm in but you forgot the first step of the order: Rinse off in a shower, first. 😛 My order, after that is Thalassotherapy, and possibly hot tub. Dry off and rest on a heated lounger. Go to steam room, then another rinse off shower and then sauna. I don't generally do the hot/cold thing because it usually gives me respiratory issues, which I am susceptible to. Finally, I go take an actual shower and wash my hair in the locker room area, because the shower in my cabin is usually really tiny.

The balcony door leading to the hall was flat, if my memory serves. I put a magnetic white board on it.