mooline

Hi all, I'm resurrecting this post for some opinions: I've found a couple of options for horseback riding on Maui. We're in port for 2 days, Sunday ~8 am to Monday, 6 pm. Ideally I'd prefer to ride on Sunday, so we have no worries at all about getting back to the ship before departure. However, 2 of the ranches I prefer are closed on Sunday. How confident can I be if I book a ride that finishes before noon, that we'll be back to the ship no later than 5 pm, taking a private car service... is there a worry about traffic, accidents, etc that would cause a 5 hour trip for any reason? I realize very rare situations might occur, but in general... I'm thinking this is a very low risk option. If we do Monday, we'd likely book at Mendes Ranch in Wailuku, which looks to be not all that far from the ship - 30 minutes, maybe? I am always queasy about considering excursions that aren't ship sponsored as I never want to risk being left waving goodbye, so this is a big step out of the comfort zone. Thanks for your thoughts!

Thank you! We also have all day Friday, since we arrive on Thursday. Greatly appreciate your guidance...I know you're right, even though everyone's eager to start the cruise experience!

Thanks so much for all of this helpful information! We're a multigenerational family of 6, in 2 suites sailing in June. The kiddos in our group are first time cruisers. Everyone is so looking forward to this trip and this thread whets the appetites even more! We, too have the beverage packages, will that include water? We're arriving on Thursday afternoon, so will have a full day plus to explore Honolulu. What is the earliest time on Saturday that we can head to the ship? I think everyone will be quite excited to embark even though the ship leaves in the evening. I’m trying to think through options for disembarkation day. What time should we expect to be booted out? Our flight leaves at 4:30, but from what I’ve heard, we don’t want to hang at the airport all that time. Not sure about Pearl Harbor as we have a 6 year old in the group (and an 11 year old, but she’s old enough to understand- just very emotionally sensitive). Thinking about a day room at a local hotel, but whether that's sensible really depends on the time we're off the ship. Thanks again for this great thread, here's hoping more 2023 POA cruisers chime in with reviews.

Thanks to both of you, apologies for my very delayed reply. Much appreciated nonetheless.

Hi All, My family and I are on POA in June 2023, staying in the Deluxe Owners Suite and Deluxe Family Suite. Wondering if this level of suite receives free or discounted laundry service at some point during the trip? Thanks for any info!

Thanks, bluetardis, that was my first choice and what we usually do when we have late flights. However, the only post-cruise excursions offered by NCL that will fit our timeframe is Pearl Harbor. We will have a 6 year old in the group and I'm not sure it will be a good one for her. (Actually thinking that the adults and split up and do PH when we arrive, since we have a couple of days on that end.) Maybe reserve a car service and go to the Polynesian Cultural Center or the Dole Plantation, then to the airport?

Thank you both. After reading all of these comments, I think we'll talk with her, to see if this is something she really wants to do (I can't imagine not, but who knows with kiddos?) Makani'Olu Ranch looks good, but they say they take age 12 and over. She will be 2 months shy of 12, and where she is already experienced, I hope the might be able to make an exception for her (if their insurance allows.) Triple L seems good also, but I'm not sure that the times of their rides (even if we do a private) will work with the ship's arrival/departure times. Meanwhile, her little sister (age 6) is convinced that she is a mermaid - so maybe the guys in our group can take her to one of the mermaid swims while we ride - if we ride! 🙂

Hi all, reviving this very helpful post. I'm in the same situation as Kelly68, except our flight leaves at 4 pm, and we're traveling with kiddos. Thinking that arriving at HNL by 2 pm should be OK (we "should" all have precheck, but you never know). That still leaves several hours to kill, even if we disembark at late as 9 am. (I know they need to scoot us off to get the ship ready to go and that's fine of course.) I love the ResortPass idea, since the kids can swim, the adults can relax and we can all enjoy lunch before we head to the airport. Just wondering if there is a better option for 4 hours... (Kelly68, thanks for letting me take your thread semi-off topic.)

Thanks, georgiacat; I did look but only see 2 bedroom units, even when looking at specific unit #s that are listed as 3 br. You're right, though, the prices are actually much better than the ES. Maybe I'll contact them directly by email and see what they say. A family member did an AirBnB a few years ago; I'm wary of those for a trip like this, though. We won't have a car, so purchasing our own consumables might be a logistical issue, and take time away from fun things.

Thank you both! This makes me feel much better. No disrespect taken at all, my friend is apparently just ultra cautious. The adults in this group grew up in big cities (Boston and NYC), so we understand the need to always be aware of your surroundings, especially in tourist areas. I've already booked Embassy Suites (Oceanview suites using points to offset some of the cost). If there's a better choice for us, please let me know. The important thing for this group is that the adults have separate bedrooms from the kiddos, so we thought ES made sense. We have a 2 br suite for the mom, dad and 2 sisters, and a 1 br suite for the grandparents. If there's an option that allows the 6 of us to be together in one place, with at least 3 and preferably 4 bedrooms, I'm all ears. Or, if the area that ES is in is really trashy, we can easily change hotels. Thanks!

Thank you all for your advice! I greatly appreciate the comments and perspectives. She is an experienced hunt seat rider, but has never done a trail ride. Her mom and I have ridden many (many) moons ago and would certainly go with her while the rest of the gang does something else. I did look into Triple L which sounds great but as you say, it is not exactly close to the docks. What about Turtle Bay in Oahu? We're arriving a couple of days ahead of departure, so could probably arrange to head up there one of the days. However, that's not exactly next door to the docks, either...

Hi everyone, Anyone have experience with horseback riding tours in Hawaii? Our 12 year old granddaughter is a rider and I think she'd love a trail ride or beach ride somewhere in the islands. We're on POA next June, with 2 days pre-cruise in Oahu. POA overnights on both Maui and Kauai; we have full due in Kona and Hilo. Could plan the ride in any of these places. I'm fine with ship tours, but unfortunately, NCL doesn't offer a horseback riding tour on this itinerary. Many thanks!

Hi all, We're on POA next June, a multi-generational family of 6, ages 70 to 6. The kids (2 of them) are first time cruisers. We plan to arrive on Thursday for the Saturday evening departure, and thought we'd just enjoy many of the sights in Honolulu. However: A friend who lived in Hawaii, and has visited recently, said Honolulu is not a good choice, due to crime at night and throngs of tourists by day. She suggests staying on the north shore and heading back on Saturday for the cruise. I'd love to hear from any of you who've recently experienced Honolulu, especially with kiddos. Thanks!

Thanks so much to all of you and apologies for my late acknowledgment. These are AWESOME tips - I so appreciate all of you taking the time to comment. Dexddd, I understand we have the OS with the whirlpool, the deluxe OS - so I'm sure the kiddos will be hanging out with us a lot when we're not on excursions! (Mom and Dad will no doubt appreciate that.) Treasure Hunter, yes, we're flying in on Thursday for a Saturday departure, to ensure that we have no delayed/missed connections and to counter the jet lag. Any ideas for things to do with the kiddos in Honolulu (short of not staying in Honolulu, which I've heard is the best idea!) Beaches may not be the premier attraction since we live in FL, but I do realize that Hawaii beaches (and waves) are completely different from anything they've seen. And, about the Zodiac - the little one is a thrill seeker, she will be driving the boat no doubt. It's the adults we need to worry about! 😂 BirdTravels, thank you for the many excellent tips! I hadn't thought about the quick enrollment in and orientation to the kids club - should we do that even if they're not sure they want to go? And the butler suggestion is fantastic - thanks! GenealogyFan, thanks to you, too! We normally do ship excursions since none of us wants to get left behind. (We had an experience like that on the Spirit cruise while at the Alhambra - there was s huge traffic issue and our bus was an hour late returning, but fortunately it was a ship tour!) It's a different story for sure with an overnight in port, though and we'll look into the ones you've suggested. Mearsfansinboise, was the rough sea incident on the crossing, or inter-island? Nonetheless, we will definitely load them (and me) up on GingerAle and maybe Bonine (need to check if the 6 year old can take it) A couple more questions: 1: A friend who lived in HI said to avoid Honolulu, even for our pre cruise 2 days. She suggests going to the north shore. She tells me that Honolulu around Waikiki is unsafe at night, and so overrun with tourists by day that it is unpleasant. Thoughts? 2: Anyone know of beach horseback riding excursions? The 12 year old is a rider and would, I think, greatly enjoy the experience of riding on a beach! 3: So the kids clubs are a big hit with the kiddos, huh? Do the clubs take the kids on any tours? Is it worth having the kids skip a tour to stay in the clubs? No doubt more questions to come as we get closer. Thank you again for sharing your experiences and expertise.

Hi everyone, Returning to cruising after a 5 year hiatus. Yay! Celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with our daughter and her family, with a splurge cruise on POA June 2023. Our entourage includes 2 kiddos who will be 6 and nearly 12; both kids are first-time cruisers. We are staying in suites: we have the Owners Suite; our daughter and her family are in a 2 br Deluxe Family suite. Lots of questions for you experts! 1: What are the seas like on POA cruises (any seasickness concerns?) 2: What advice do you have for traveling with kiddos who've never cruised? 3: How, if at all, should we plan for potential seasickness with kids of this age? Most of our cruises have been on NCL; yet our last NCL voyage was in 2013, so I'm sure much has changed. 4: We typically book suites and enjoy the suite perks. What's the biggest change, in your opinion, in the NCL's suite experience over the last 10 years? Dining seems to have changed a bit, for example it looks like Cagney's is now priced a la carte; when we last sailed I recall that the cost for Cagney's was simply a per-head surcharge of something like $20/$25. 5: How does speciality dining work now (in terms of cost and availability)? 6: Does anyone have a wine list for POA? Would like to see what they have since we'll want a really special wine for the anniversary celebration. Any and all advice, comments, suggestions, etc are welcomed! This is a special event and I want to plan well to ensure that everyone in our family (ages 70 to 6) enjoys him/herself to the max. By the way, we all do spend a lot of time together and we know we enjoy each others' company, so that's a great foundation to build upon! Thanks! It feels good to be coming back!!