POA Cruise and most of March in Hawaii

[hillside]

We waited to visit Hawaii until we could spend a lot of time there as it's a lenghty trip from the east coast. We spent most of March there, before and after our POA, March 6th cruise. We arrived in Honolulu on March 1 and spent 5 nights at the Pacific Circle Hotel which we loved. It's a small hotel directly across the street from Waikiki Beach. There are no frills here, and if you need those, you need to look elsewhere. The friendly staff, clean rooms and the great location made it perfect for us and we'd go back in a minute. The price didn't hurt either! We used a lot of Cruise Critic info over the past year to plan our trip and thanks to all who posted. Cruise Critic is a wealth of information. We flew first class using miles and that was well worth it. We'd contacted Star Taxi, a flat rate company to transport us on arrival. $30. (plus tip) We used them again after our cruise on the way to Maui. We found that info on CC! They are on the internet as is VIP transportation that we took from our hotel to the POA using a hotel provided coupon of $6.99 per person. We rented a car for 2 days and drove to the north shore one day and Pearl Harbor the next. The advice to get to Pearl harbor early is right on. We left the hotel just after 6am and were on the first boat (opens 7:15, first boat 8 am) out to the memorial. When we came back, tickets were being handed out for the 11 am boat. We drove to the Pali lookout and returned our car. We used Thrifty and took a public bus back to our hotel for $1. Seniors are $1 and the regular fare is $2. Oahu has a great bus system and you can get all sorts of info on line. It's called The Bus. Beachtime, sunset dinners at Dukes and Huse Without A Key were other high points. You can find bargains in food if you look around at use coupons. One nice place that we ate lunch at twice was a hotel a block behind our hotel, Pacific Beach Hotel. $4.99 for a list of probably 6 entres. We tried 2 Japanese items, a pot sticker and a huge bowl of ramen. Both were delicious. We used the Revealed series of guide books and found them to be the best. We also checked Frommers and Fodors, also good, but we used the Revealed the most. They also have a website that shows hotel locations from the air which was helpful to me in choosing a hotel. There is an ABC store on every block and they sell everything from souveneirs to wine. I couldn't believe the variety of items. They had just about anything a tourist would need and the prices were fair.

 

We boarded the POA March 6th quickly as Latitudes, had a lunch on the aft deck and were in our rooms around 2 pm. Our aft cabiin was small and very well designed. There was a place for everything and the balcony was huge. We loved to sit out in the morning with our coffee and in the evening with a glass of wine. We bought wine on the ship per NCL rules. You can bring soda and water on board, but no alcohol. Other lines we've sailed allow 2 bottles of wine to come on board with you, a huge saving in most cases. Oh, well! Our cabin steward was Marco Rodriguez and he was terrific. We were always well taken care of with a friendly smile. Towel animals greeted us every evening. He took great care of us. He and the cabin steward on the next hallway, Mario, were very friendly as we came and went greeting with a pleasant inquiry as to how our day was going.

 

We have cruised on NCL, Celebrity, Azamara, and Holland American. I was a little leary of this cruise from some of the comments. We found it a different cruise, more of a floating hotel for us and it worked fine for us. We were so tired from all our touring that we only went to the entertainment once. It was a comedian and we had some good laughs. We ate in the main informal dining room (Skyline) twice, and the service was very good. Hiro and his assistant Dwight were very good and we'd see Dwight in the morning at the buffet always with a pleasant hello and smile. Karen at the Napa wine bar was also lovely. The food was average, not great. We ate most meals at the buffet because we were tired. You developed your own system for navigating and it worked well for us. The food and service such as helping you carry a plate were not as good as our other cruise experiences, but we're glad we took the cruise and would encourage anybody to do so as a way to see all the islands.

 

On Maui we took Valley Isle Tours (CC posting) to do the Road to Hana. We went around the entire way and loved it. Well worth it not to drive. Our driver, Kakoa was excellent. We stopped a lot and also had a lovely picnic lunch. There were 12 of us on a very comfortable van. I booked by telephone/internet. We left at 8am and returned at 6pm. We cancelled our car for the next day and spent most of it on our wonderful balcony reading. We were going back to Maui after the cruise so we had a very enjoyable rest day.

 

Hilo was our next stop and with a Thrifty rental drove to Vocano National Park. Don't miss it! We drove to the visitor center, half of the loop around was close, and we drove the other half. Spectacular, cold, and windy with lots of steam vents. Sorry to say no lava was flowing as we sailed by that night. Many posts mentioned the view from the Volcano House. When we were there it was closed for renovations, fyi. We also stopped at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut plantation on the way back. Love the Mac nut Hershey's kisses that are only available in Hawaii. The best price is there and at Costco. Everything was clearly marked and easy driving.

 

Kona was the tender port and it was easy on and off for us. We went in to town, took a free shuttle to the Kona Inn Shops and back. We passed thefirst Christian church on the island and the Hulihe'e Palace, a vacation home for Hawaiian royalty. There was a lovely lawn and seawall facing the sea by the Kona Inn and we sat there and enjoyed the scenary. We used this as a semi rest day as we were tired and cancelled our car. One thing on this cruise is that it can be go go go and everyone has to set a pace.

 

Kauai was Waiamea Canyon day. We picked up our Thrifty rental with Blue Chip speedy service and drove to the Waiamea Canyon lookout. This is well worth seeing. Then we spent time at the Spouting Horn where we saw a sea turtle and finished up the day at beautiful Poipu Beach. We drove through the eucalyptus lined highway on the way back. The next day we followed our pattern and enjoyed the ship and our balcony! The Napili Coast sail by was spectacular. Whales wherever we went always added to the cruise. Loved it all!

 

Then it was back to Honolulu, Star Taxi to airport and 11 nights at Aston at Papakea condo. That was wonderful, a low rise, right on the water above Kanaapali. You can check it out on the Revealed website. We booked the Old Lahaina Luau months before and had great seats. That was wonderful. The entertainment, food and drinks were tops. Well worth it. We also booked a Pacific Whale Foundation whale watch on line and that was excellent. We saw so many whales. We also could whale watch sittin on the lawn of our condo as it was "whale season". We explored the rest of Maui we hadn't while on the cruise and enjoyed it all. I bid on a car for Maui using Priceline and paid about half of what I'd have paid with a regular reservation. It turned out to be national and we were upgraded to a Chrysler 300. Not bad for cheap money!

 

Our last night was spent back in Honoulu at the Sheraton Princess Kualan which I booked so we coud walk across the street to Dukes for a last sunset dinner and drinks at the Surfrider oceanfront. Then it was off to a few days in Southern California and home. We brought the warm weather back to the east coast with us after their very rainy March. I tried to give lots of details and if you have questions, please feel free to ask. We loved our trip, but it's a long trip. Thanks again to CC!

[PBJ123]

Thanks for the wonderful review. We are staying at the Princess Kaiulani prior to our cruise in May. What did you think of it? It gets really mixed reviews!

[vbmom87]

Enjoyed your review very much. You were lucky to have all that extra time in Hawaii. I know I am concerned that we will be pretty exhausted after the cruise. There is just so much we want to see and do.

 

I have a question about the Valley Isle Excursion to the Road to Hana. Was it very crowded getting off the ship for 8:00 a.m.? Valley Isle told us they will pick us up at 8:05 a.m. Should we line up well before 8:00 a.m.?

 

Also, would you say that all seats on the Valley Isle buses have good views? I believe they pick up from the hotels first, so we will get whatever seats are left. I am just hoping that there are no bad seats on the bus. I don't so much care if we get separated, but I do hope we can all see well.

[Budget Queen]

 

Also, would you say that all seats on the Valley Isle buses have good views? I believe they pick up from the hotels first, so we will get whatever seats are left. I am just hoping that there are no bad seats on the bus. I don't so much care if we get separated, but I do hope we can all see well.

 

You want the driver's side of the bus. So to have all the sea views. It is a darn easy drive, in my opinion. I have done it twice. I'm not one to be restricted to my stops and time.

[vbmom87]

You want the driver's side of the bus. So to have all the sea views. It is a darn easy drive, in my opinion. I have done it twice. I'm not one to be restricted to my stops and time.

 

The drive is not the issue for us. We have driven many a mountainous road in our many travels. We want do go all the way around and we have been told that the rental cars can not legally drive the loop. For that reason only we are doing the tour. I am just not a rule breaker. I know the tour has its disadvantages, but in the end we felt we would rather do the loop than return the way we came. Now, if the road ends up being closed to the buses, we will be disappointed. That is the chance we will have to take.

 

I am not sure we will be able to get the driver's side of the bus if others are already on the bus when we get picked up. We were on a similar bus in Alaska on the Klondike Highway and I have to say that no matter what side you were on, you could easily see out the windows of both sides. It is my hope it will be the same for this tour.

[CruisingGoddess]

On Maui we took Valley Isle Tours (CC posting) to do the Road to Hana. We went around the entire way and loved it. Well worth it not to drive. Our driver, Kakoa was excellent. We stopped a lot and also had a lovely picnic lunch. There were 12 of us on a very comfortable van. I booked by telephone/internet. We left at 8am and returned at 6pm. We cancelled our car for the next day and spent most of it on our wonderful balcony reading. We were going back to Maui after the cruise so we had a very enjoyable rest day.

 

Did Valley Isle's tour include time to swim at the black sand beach or in a waterfall? How much does the tour cost?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Cruise_More_Often]

Hillside, first, thanks for posting your review. It's really, really good and thorough.

 

A question about your Honolulu hotel -- you mentioned that the name was "Pacific Circle Hotel." I tried to Google it but couldn't find it. Did you mean the "Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel"? Two posters on a recent thread highly recommended it, and I booked that hotel. The one you stayed at sounded absolutely wonderful, and I'm hoping it's the Waikiki Circle.

 

Also, you mentioned that you cannot bring wine onboard. We've done it a number of times on NCL ships without any problem. They do impose a corkage charge of $15 per bottle. I'm wondering whether this is a recent change I just haven't seen posted anywhere.

 

Your review was so much fun to read. It's given me some ideas for excursions.

[tripster]

Thank you for the great review. I found it very informative. Sound like you had a wonderful time! Can't wait to see Hawaii for myself. :)

[vbmom87]

Did Valley Isle's tour include time to swim at the black sand beach or in a waterfall? How much does the tour cost?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

The internet rate for adults came to $123.94 when I booked a few weeks ago. I am not sure about swim time at the black sand beach. Here is what the website says about the waterfall:

 

The Pools Of Oheo is part of Haleakala National Park and located on the eastern part of Maui, about 40 minutes beyond Hana. It is formed by Pipiwai stream which creates a series of pools and waterfalls as it enters the ocean. When weather conditions are favorable, it is great for swimming.

[hillside]

Hi, All, Hopefully I can answer and clarify. Just keep asking! Our trip was so much better because of all the info gleaned on CC.

 

The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani was an average large hotel. The room was clean and we picked it for our last night because it was across from the Surfrider (with signing privileges) and The Outrigger on the Beach's Duke's restaurant. I happened to get a good price via internet from orbitz. ($106, I think) I really just was coming in from Maui overnight and I knew we'd spend the evening across the street.

 

As far as Valley Isle, it wasn't a problem to get off the ship. I called on my cell when we were off and walking towards the vans. All seats were good. As it turned out they had 3 vans and you were pre assigned to a van. We had 7 people from Aston Papakea that had been picked up earlier. Since we were staying there post cruise we had a chance to get a bit of info. One thing they told me was that there were 2 back gates to walk through, one directly to an ABC store and the other further down to a mini mall and farmers market. That saved me a bit of a walk! The other 3 people were from the ship and we'd exchanged info on the boards! Fun to meet. Our seats were my husband ahead of me and me in the back with the 3 ship CC ladies. It was very comfortable and we could see everything. Nobody in our party swam at the black sand beach, but some went down to it. We wandered about up top and took in the wonderful views. The sand is so intensly matte black. It was amazing to see. I guess I thought it would be gray. We also circled around a road in Hana to a red sand beach and ancient fish ponds at the request of one of the passengers. Again, another lovely sight. The pools in Haleakala pools were down a slippery path so many didn't go down. You could, we didn't. The visitors center took a lot of the time there with an interesting display around most of the walls. Fascinating history. Check that out, too.

 

I'm sorry, I meant Aston Waikiki Hotel. What was I thinking????? If I can figure out how to edit that post now that it's up, I'll correct. We loved the hotel and location. It certainly wasn't the Ritz, but the views and location!!!! We had an ocean view room and if I go back I'll take oceanfront and be front and center. Our room had a great view, but I think I'd go for the top of the line! The prices were very good, I felt. I just knew we'd be traveling for a month, so I wanted to economize when I could. No regrets! We had a little fridge and I bought milk and cereal which we had each morning after our first morning next door at Mc Donalds. McDonalds (and their senior citizen coffee) is on one side of the hotel and an ABC is on the other. You walk out and cross the street and you're on the beach. They even have a selection on floats and whatever else guests have left that you can borrow for the beach. The morning coffee in the lobby is excellent, by the way. (Kona) We brought our own travel mugs which we used whenever. I learned that on my first cruise. It's easier to carry 2 mugs back to the room than foam cups. Just my opinion.

 

As for wine. We took the path of least resistance. I know you can bring wine on, declare it and have a corking fee. It just seemed too much trouble. We just got a $30 dollar bottle of wine when we bought. If I was bringing on Opus One or the like, that's a different matter. We just liked a glass on our balcony and it was a bother to have to get it or have it delivered. Am I whining???? Oh, well.

 

Again another lengthy piece. I'm thrilled with our trip and wanted to share as much as I could. Another tip is if you stay in a condo, Costco is a good place to get groceries.We picked up a cooked chicken, bacon, bread, eggs, cheeses, etc... Also get the loyalty card for the supermarket that you shop at for more savings. I got the Safeway card and used it immediately. Fill in at the farmers markets. Have fun!!!!!!:)

[Cruise_More_Often]

Thanks, Hillside, for the info on the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel. You're making me very glad I booked it for us (and I booked that oceanfront you talked about)!

 

You're right about the hassle with the wine, especially since there are some choices for around $28 on the ships.

 

Thank you for answering my questions!

[J&RLOVESTOCRUISE]

Thank you Hillside for you review. I also booked the Waikki Circle Hotel about 2 weeks ago for our January stay. We did manage to get an Oceean front room for 124.00 including taxes so I feel we really got a great buy. I read the reviews in Frommers and knew that's where we wanted to stay.

[vbmom87]

Thank you Hillside for you review. I also booked the Waikki Circle Hotel about 2 weeks ago for our January stay. We did manage to get an Oceean front room for 124.00 including taxes so I feel we really got a great buy. I read the reviews in Frommers and knew that's where we wanted to stay.[/quote

 

 

J&R, Someone is looking for you:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1175842

[Cruise_More_Often]

Thank you Hillside for you review. I also booked the Waikki Circle Hotel about 2 weeks ago for our January stay. We did manage to get an Oceean front room for 124.00 including taxes so I feel we really got a great buy. I read the reviews in Frommers and knew that's where we wanted to stay.[/quote

 

 

J&R, Someone is looking for you:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1175842

Looks like J&R found them; they're posting on the M&G thread for their cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1155152

[pspercy]

I asked NCL about bringing wine aboard, limits etc; she said "How big is your suitcase ?"

 

She also implied corkage in effect was only charged in a restaurant but I've seen postings saying it's charged as you board so dunno about that.

[Cruise_More_Often]

I asked NCL about bringing wine aboard, limits etc; she said "How big is your suitcase ?"

 

She also implied corkage in effect was only charged in a restaurant but I've seen postings saying it's charged as you board so dunno about that.

We've seen it both ways. One time we had our bottles sticking out of a backpack and no one stopped us. That time we had a bottle in the cabin gratis. We took the other one to one of the restaurants, and when our waiter could not find the "corkage paid" sticker on the bottle, we were charged for it.

 

If you read the main NCL board, you'll see that many people try sneaking liquor onboard, but if they're caught, the ship takes your luggage and calls you down to what we call the "naughty room," where the liquor is confiscated. I have no idea whether they'd allow you to pay the corkage fee on wine if it's smuggled and you're caught.