Review of our 7 day Hawaii Cruise and Shore Excursions on NCL Pride of America

[kdkoch]

tone1 - I'm not sure...I know it is still freezing at 8:00am or so. Even if it warmed up 10 degrees..that's still in the 40s, which is cold for us Hawaiians :)

[kdkoch]

Great review KDKoch: Thx for taking the effort to post.

 

My question is about the car rental. Did you buy car insurance? No one mentions this when they say they have rented a car' date=' so I assume they did not as I have read it is quite expensive.

 

How about the others who rented cars? In a perfect world, insurance wouldn't be necessary, but we all know about the distratct driver on the cell phone and stuff like that, creating havoc. Yes, I do know about credit cards have insurance coverage and most people's car insurance might cover this too. but I just want to know what other ACTUALLY did while renting a car in Hawaii.

 

thx everyone.[/quote']

Bigtoeswim'n - We have USAA, and our regular car insurance also insures us when we rent a car, so additional rental car insurance is not necessary. I advise you check with your own personal insurance company on their policy to find out what they would cover. I have had arguments with rental companies on this, insisting that we pay for their very expensive coverage, when it was not at all needed according to USAA.

[kdkoch]

Thanks for your informative, interesting and well-written review of the POA. As this will be our 6th cruise (3rd on NCL), we were somewhat depressed about all the negative comments regarding the food and service onboard; however, after reading your great review, I agree -- it IS what you make it, and a positive attitude is always best!

 

As you recommended in your review, we are arriving early on Oahu and will spend 5 fun-filled days exploring your island first before boarding the POA on 3/5. We are hoping (and praying) that the jellyfish we've heard about are gone so that we can enjoy some of your gorgeous beaches while on Oahu, but even if they aren't, we already have lots planned to see / do that won't include being "in the water", e.g., catamaran dinner cruise, touring several state parks and water fall areas, Diamond Head hike, Paradise Cove luau, and of course, Pearl Harbor.

 

By Saturday, I'm sure we'll be pleasantly exhausted and ready for some "downtime" once we get onboard. Thanks again!

Debbie,

I hope you enjoyed your time in Oahu. Jellyfish only come 1 time a month to only a few beaches around the island, 9 days after a full moon. I have never encountered them, and we go to the beach several times a week. For anyone else concerned about this, Google 808jellyfish, and it will tell you the days to watch out for them -- normally only on the Waikiki beaches, if they show up.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Debbie,

I hope you enjoyed your time in Oahu. Jellyfish only come 1 time a month to only a few beaches around the island, 9 days after a full moon. I have never encountered them, and we go to the beach several times a week. For anyone else concerned about this, Google 808jellyfish, and it will tell you the days to watch out for them -- normally only on the Waikiki beaches, if they show up.

 

That's a great website - but it only shows dates through 2010. A Little too early for all of us looking things up now.:(

[cruisinskier]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to post it! Makes us want to return real soon.....

[born2cruize]

Thanks for the great tips and the positive review. Is Haleakala still cold (30-35 degrees) later in the morning about 10-11:30?

 

Having been on Haleakala two weeks ago and Mauna Kea last week here is my opinion.

 

A rule of thumb is that the temperature drops 3-3.5 degrees every 1000 feet. so at 10,000 feet the temperature is 30-35 degrees cooler than at sea level. Remember that is a rule of thumb, mother nature is known to throw temperature inversions and other climate effects at us.

 

But the real kicker as far as the temperature is the wind chill. It was blowing hard the day we were there, literally was blowing people off their feet. Therefore it could have been 50 degrees but with the wind chill it was downright miserable.

 

On the other hand Mauna Kea is 13,700 feet, had no wind and the temperature was pleasant. Of course that includes wearing a sweatshirt and parka.