happytrailsandsails

Thank you so much for this spectacular review. We will be boarding the POA tomorrow and can't wait for our own adventure. We have already spent the last few days in Waikiki and I was getting sad about checking out tomorrow, then I remembered we have a whole week on the ship! Haha. I was able to make and change some plans based on your review. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the wonderful review and beautiful pictures. You have helped me decide what to do on day 1 in Kauai. We are also booked on Wings Over Kauai for day 2. I hope it doesnt get cancelled, but that seems to happen quite a bit here. We were booked to do it on day 1 in case it got cancelled before the time change. That messed up our plans a little too. We leave in a little less than a month. Wooohooo!

Thanks so much for your wonderful review. We are sailing June 4th and were only planning to go to Jefferson's Bistro one night to celebrate our anniversary. What was your favorite item on their menu? I would hate to miss the best part since we are only planning to splurge for dining once.

I recently booked several cabins for a family cruise with the bogo and OBC deals over the phone with one of the RCCL reps. As he was doing the booking, he said, "the OBC gets you a better deal than your balcony credit so we'll make sure and apply that one." I didn't know what he was talking about at the time since this is the first cruise I have booked since becoming a C&A member. I'm very glad I wasnt completing the booking myself online or I would have totally missed that. I do give props to the rep for making sure I was getting the best deal possible when he was doing the booking. Sometimes it really pays to speak to a real live human.

Thanks, Clarea.

Can anyone tell me what category this stateroom would be classified under? Is it an inside, or a suite, or something else?

I was thinking about this, too. I was considering a Go Pro camera for the family. You could get some great video souvenirs, from surfing, boogie boarding, zip-lining, etc. :D

I would love to hear some experiences of SUP as well, particularly where the best beaches are on each island to try this for the first time.

Is it totally stupid to ask WHY go to the trouble of doing this when these things can easily be bought on the ship?

Wonder how much people actually save and if it's worth the effort? :confused:

LuLu

For health reasons my daughter has to drink caffeine-free diet soda. There arent a lot of options for that on board. She gets tired of drinking water all the time.

This review has to win the award for the longest, most drawn-out review ever! I realized I was near the end, but didn't add a few details that might be helpful to some.

 

We really enjoyed the Sheraton on Waikiki Beach. The location was great. Next to all the shops, lots of dining options, and right on the beach. Actually, the property is right on the ocean with steps heading off towards Diamond Head to the actual sand. We spent most of our time enjoying this area. We did venture around the island one afternoon. We went towards the North shore area with the intention of eating at one of the most tasty shrimp trucks. Giovanni's gets the most recognition, but we ended up at Mackey's and were not at all disappointed. We got there just in time to beat a very large tour group. Mackey's had prepared their meals ahead of time, so it was clear they were prepared to feed that large of a group. I recall ordering the garlic, and I'm salivating to this day it was that good.

 

We drove on through the North Shore area and around to the eastern side of the island. It was an overcast day, and we did not have enough time to stop everywhere we wanted. It was important however to have enough time to explore the Byodo-In Temple located in Kaneohe on the eastern side. We were glad we stopped here. It is beautiful. The temple is a non-denominational shrine located at the Valley of the Temples. It was dedicated in August 1968 to commemorate 100-year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The temple is a replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist temple at Uji in Kyoto prefecture of Japan. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a functioning Buddhist temple in the proper sense as it does not host a resident monastic community nor an active congregation. I easily could have spent an entire day on the grounds, reading a book or just simply meditating in my own thoughts.

 

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We dined at Duke's a couple more times, once having mai tai's (again) and listening to live music on their outside patio. We finally had the hula pie, and it was worth every calorie. You almost need to go there just for that. It's huge.

 

We did not attend an official luau (I more than likely would have chosen Chiefs if we had time on Oahu). The conference we attended put on a mini luau of sorts at the Sheraton. We had the traditional Hawaiian fare along with a live musical performance. I was okay with not attending a professional luau, but should we return, I would probably book one just to say we did it. If we'd had time on Kauai, I would've preferred to do the Smith Family luau there over all others.

 

I think this wraps up our Hawaiian escapades. I can't think of a better way to have spent these days, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Feel free to ask questions! I'll try to check in here periodically. Mahalo!

Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We are taking the POA in June of 2016 and spending a few days on Oahu first. We have an ATV tour booked at Kualoa Ranch on the windward coast and definitely want to have time to enjoy the Byodo-In Temple on the way. How long would you say is required to see everything and enjoy the setting?

Once again, I so appreciate your willingness to take the time to share this with us.

Mahalo!

I noticed the same kind of mistake on my vacation summary page when I added an excursion for our family of four a couple of days ago. I happened to check the previously booked excursion and it only listed one passenger per cabin for the excursion we had booked several months ago. When I called I was told that all our names were listed on the rep's page. I had him send me another confirmation email. I thought having them on my phone would be enough insurance, but now i am going to print them out and bring hard copies just in case! This really gives me an uneasy feeling about how this cruise will go.

I just discovered that if you google hoppa on hoppa off Hilo you will find a website. Looks like $20 for a day. They apparently now have a depot right outside the port. Sounds convenient.

Does anyone have an answer about the bus? I was wondering about this myself.

Thanks! I guess we'd better not plan on going the whole way. Maybe we will try that the next day. I really enjoyed your review! The pictures and videos were amazing.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I am glad that this review is helpful in planning or reminiscent of a past Hawaii trip.

 

On an odd side note, I finished creating a slideshow presentation especially for Island Helicopters as a thanks for such an awesome tour since they expressed interest in this while I was there. It appears now that I have tried to submit it to them that they aren't even going to give it the time of day (the slideshow is a snippet of the first 14 minutes of "July 14th: Kauai Heaven on Earth". Disappointing as it took a significant amount of time to do. Since I haven't written my review yet for them on their page, I may ding their review a point or two for this.

I wouldn't take this too personally. I'm sure they have probably paid a lot of money for a professionally made video to put on their website and don't really have time sort through every video sent in by customers. It is a very competitive business. If you truly had as wonderful an experience as you described, i would focus on that and not let it sour your memories of an awesome day.

Another question: Do you remember how long it took to drive to Ke'e? We will have a couple of hours before we have to be back in Lihue for the tubing adventure we have booked. I would like to have an idea of how far we can get and still be back in time. If you remember, i would appreciate your help.

One more question--Does anyone know how early they will blockade the streets? I would like to know how soon I need to be off the ship for a taxi to get us to our destination in Honolulu. Anyone have an idea about this?

One more question--Does anyone know how early they will blockade the streets? I would like to know how soon I need to be off the ship for a taxi to get us to our destination in Honolulu. Anyone have an idea about this?

We will be there then as well! Good info!! I will have to look into the parade route!!

Cool! Will you be on POA June 4-11 as well?

I am loving your review! We go in June, 2016. Just wondering, is the breakfast at Hau Tree Lanai for guests of the hotel only, or can anyone go? Also, would you need reservations for this?

Thanks!

The King Kamehameha Day Parade is a floral parade and is a real spectacle. Bring your camera!! Everything is decorated with flowers....cars, horses, etc. it is my favorite parade ever. The parade will go through Honolulu and Waikiki. You could spend a fun day in Waikiki enjoying the parade and the other festivities.

Thanks, kapoho2! That sounds like a very special opportunity. Maybe we'll just reserve a hotel room somewhere along the parade route for that day and relax and enjoy the festivities instead of renting a car. It looks like the Polynesian Plaza might be along the route and seems pretty reasonably priced. If you have a better suggestion I would love to hear it.

Thanks, AstroFlyer.

Next year it will fall on a Saturday. Does that make it any different? Also, I was specifically wondering about the effects on Honolulu and Oahu, if anyone knows about that. Thank you!

We will be disembarking from POA next June 11th, which I have learned is a very significant holiday in Hawaii (King Kamehameha Day, I believe). We were originally planning to rent a car and tour the North Shore on that day.

My question now is whether this is advisable on that day or if we would have a better day involving ourselves in the festivities in a particular location. How would the traffic and crowds be in various places on that day? We have a flight departing Honolulu at 7:30 p.m. Any local advice would be greatly appreciated.

I realize this can happen anywhere, but I see many on this forum advising people to rent a car to keep your luggage in on debarkation day. This does make it difficult to follow that advice and enjoy the island with any degree of comfort.

Perhaps any advice on where is safest to park or particular situations to avoid would be helpful. Obviously, the first tip would be not to leave anything in plain sight in your vehicle. Anything else?

We will be taking this cruise next June, so I'm looking forward to whatever nuggets of wisdom you can share! Thanks for taking the time.

happytrailsandsails: when is your POA trip? we go mid august. will check on changes!!

Hi, Retiring cajun. I saw a post from another passenger saying the Kauai itinerary was changing as of July 17. My cruise isn't til next June, but soneone with a cruise in December '17 also said their itinerary had changed, so it looks like a permanent thing as of now.

Enjoy your trip!