POA mini review 3/22-29

My husband(46) and I(45), DS(12), DD(9) and father(72) had a wonderful Hawaiian experience on the POA during spring break!

Pre cruise we spent two nights at the Pacific Beach Hotel ($130, Hotwire). The first afternoon we enjoyed Waikiki Beach, followed by dinner at Lulu's.

Friday morning we rented a car and drive to the Dole Pineapple Factory, North Shore, Waimea Bay, Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, and Kailua Beach. We ended the day at Chiefs Luau.

Saturday we hiked Diamond Head, arrived at the pier at 11:15, and boarded the ship shortly after noon.

We had a balcony and inside cabin on deck eleven which was convenient to the buffet, grill, pool and all important soft serve ice cream! The ship was clean, perfect size, and smelled great due to the absence of a casino. Smoking was limited to private balconies and the waikiki bar aft. The crew was great, the officers approachable, and I thought the food at the MDRs and buffet were better than that on the Jewel this past January. My only complaint was that the buffet area was long and narrow, somewhat cramped due to the fee restaurants on the port side. A ship with this type of port intensive itinerary needs a better buffet venue. We didn't try any of the specialty restaurants, nor did we see any evening shows on this cruise, mostly because we were asleep by ten pm every night!

Sunday(Maui)

Maluaka Beach-no turtles, but kids loved the surf

Ulua Beach-great snorkling, whales!

Haleakala at sunset-there are no words....watch out for ne-ne and grazing cattle

Monday(Maui)

Kapalua Beach

Latitudes party

Tuesday(Hilo)

VNP-Kilauea crater, Chain of Craters road

Akaka Falls

Richardson Beach Park

Wednesday(Kona)

Kahaluu Beach-excellent snorkeling

Manini'owali Beach (Kua Bay)-gorgeous black rock, white sand, aquamarine water

Kona Brewing Co

Hilo Hatties/Maui Divers-mom needs her Tahitian pearl earring souvenirs!

Thursday(Kauai)

Waimea Canyon-not quite as impressive as Haleakala or VNP

Poipu Beach

Wailua Falls

Hanalei Beach-nice sunset

Friday(Kauai)

Mom and kids stayed on ship, I packed, kids swam and OD'ed on ice cream. Dad and FIL bonded at Dukes on the beach in front of the Marriott.

BTW, roosters everywhere, crowing will wake you if you have a balcony.

Silver and higher latitudes event at sailaway at bow of ship. Wear a hat and sunglasses!

Na Pali coast sail-by: gorgeous with whales playing by the ship! Initially on port side, but then ship turns around and I enjoyed it again from my starboard balcony.

Incidentally, we didn't use our balcony as much as usual, and most of the ports/piers were downright ugly (and that is your view for two days sometime!) It is useful for drying bathing suits and getting fresh air. When prices dropped we upgraded our inside to a balcony guarantee for an extra $300 or so.

The last morning as we rounded Diamond Head and the sun was rising made the balcony totally worth it! If you are up anyway it's worth a trip to an open starboard deck to see this sight.

Saturday(Honolulu)

Early Bird Pearl Harbor-our only ship sponsored excursion. Great because we got off the ship quickly and were safely delivered to the airport by noon with all our luggage. Pearl Harbor appealed to all in our party....My nine year old has been taking books out of the library to learn more!

We flew Hawaiian Air back to Las Vegas to drop off Dad, slept over at his house and caught the non stop Southwest flight to Little Rock in the morning (did the equivalent the way up on Wednesday and Thursday) This cut down on jet lag and added to our enjoyment.

I would like to thank everyone who posted their experiences in the past two years (and more!) because

our trip was largely successful due to the great information available on cruise critic. We rented cars in every port and were amazed how easy it was! The ship is great and I was prepared for the worst based on some reviews, but as always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

If you have the opportunity, go, and enjoy a fabulous vacation!

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So happy you enjoyed your cruise, Hawaii and the Pride of America are both wonderful! We went in February and had an amazing time. Thanks for posting your review! :)

So glad you had a wonderful adventure! I can't wait to return someday with my girls in tow :)

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olesiabr,

Thank you for posting your review. I am very greatful to the CC members who have posted reviews and have given us great hints.

It will be my turn to return the favor and post a review upon our return.

Thank you and to those who will be going on POA soon, please do the same.:)

Thank you OP for posting your mini review of the POA.

There isn't too many so we really enjoy the ones posted!

Happy Sailing..................

Thanks for sharing. I'm sailing on POA in November.

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