Planning our first cruise...

[Lil Misfit]

My husband and I are planning our first cruise next year to celebrate my graduation from grad school. We are considering the Pride of Aloha Hawaiian cruise on May 14, 2006, but we haven't booked anything yet. Since we're new at this, we have a lot of questions/concerns. For example:

 

* What's the deal with the $10 per person/per night "gratuity" charge? Are you expected to "tip" on top of that for drinks/meals?

 

* Do you have to take the planned excursions, or can you wander off by yourself and explore on your own?

 

* If we book the cruise and flight together (through Yahoo! Travel), do we still need to book our first night at a hotel somewhere, or will the flight arrive the day of embarkation?

 

:confused:

 

I'm sure I will have plenty more questions once we actually get closer to booking the trip. I'm just nervous and don't want to get in over my head!

 

Thanks in advance!

[johnql]

Let me see if I can answer your questions. You might also want to post your questions on the NCL board. There are many POA veterans there who can help you.

 

The $10 pp/pd gratuity charge ("resort fee") is a topic of much discussion and debate. Whether it's really intended to replace tipping is still not entirely clear. NCL's official policy is that tipping is not required beyond the $10 charge. However, tipping is not discouraged or turned down either. My advice is that you should do what you're comfortable with. If someone provides extraordinary service to you (and you'll know it when you receive it), it probably deserves an additional cash tip on the spot. If you receive what you consider good service (basically what you expected), the $10 should probably be fine.

 

You definitely do NOT have to book the ship's excursions. If you do your own research, you can book your activities independently and probably save some money doing so. Just keep in mind that, for many cruisers, the additional premium for booking through the ship is worth it for peace of mind because the ship will wait for you if your excursion is running late. On the other hand, if you're on shore on your own and get back to the pier late, you could miss the ship.

 

I'm not sure if I've got your booking details right. You've booked your cruise and flight together through Yahoo Travel. Does that mean your flight is booked through NCL with Yahoo Travel acting as the TA. If your flight is booked through NCL, you are probably scheduled to arrive the day of embarkation. You also don't have to worry (nearly as much) about missing the sailing because, if your air is booked through NCL, again they will hold the ship for a late arrival (within reason). If you're extremely late and they end up not holding the ship, NCL is responsible for getting you to the next port to meet up with the ship. If your flight is booked independently, they will not hold the ship. In that case, you're probably better off booking a flight for the day before embarkation.

 

Hope this helps. Have a great cruise!

[johnql]

P.S. A 15% tip for drinks (soda and alcohol) used to be automatically added to your bar bill. I understand that on the POA they now leave the tip line blank for you to fill in. The $10 resort fee does not cover drink tips, so you should tip accordingly.

[Lil Misfit]

I'm not sure if I've got your booking details right. You've booked your cruise and flight together through Yahoo Travel. Does that mean your flight is booked through NCL with Yahoo Travel acting as the TA. If your flight is booked through NCL, you are probably scheduled to arrive the day of embarkation. You also don't have to worry (nearly as much) about missing the sailing because, if your air is booked through NCL, again they will hold the ship for a late arrival (within reason). If you're extremely late and they end up not holding the ship, NCL is responsible for getting you to the next port to meet up with the ship. If your flight is booked independently, they will not hold the ship. In that case, you're probably better off booking a flight for the day before embarkation.

 

 

Thanks for your reply! :)

 

I believe that it does mean that the flight will be booked through NCL with Yahoo! Travel acting as the TA. I hope it means that the flight arrives the day of embarkation, because I don't want to worry about booking a hotel for the night and worrying about transportation to the ship the next day. I suppose once I actually make the reservations and put some $$ down the details will be explained to me. My husband is just a little nervous about putting a deposit down right now before we know all the facts.

[Lil Misfit]

Ya know, after reading about the POAloha, I think we may be booking with the NEW POAmerica ship instead. Of course, it won't be brand new next year, but still newer than the POAloha!

[KruznKel]

You can always get your deposit back if you don't like .....

[Happy ks]

I would do a bit more investigation of the flight if I were you. Transportation to the ship on cruise day is not a big deal, arriving to the ship on day of embarkation after an exhausting flight, is a big deal. If I were you, I would price out the cost of airfare booked separately from the cruise. Sometimes the savings can be substantial, we have saved more than enough to pay for a hotel and meals by booking on our own. But, this is may not always be the case for you, NCL may have a special deal on airfare. So, do like William Shatner, shop and compare. I have always found airfare to be the cheapest through the airlines online sites. I also shop around for the best hotel rates, Expedia is a wonderful site to search for hotels, but I always find the rate cheaper through another source, like the chain itself or AAA. One major reason to book your own airfare is control of your travel plans, cruise lines are notorious for obtaining the absolute worst travel flight accomodations. Our one and only cruise line airfare was a disaster, we were booked on a red eye flight with our 2 kids and our seats were not together. Fortunately, another passenger moved so I could be seated with my 6 year old daughter as she was scared being seated next to a stranger. Losing a nights sleep due to a red eye flight ruined the first 2 days of a 7 day vacation, all of us were cranky.

 

We are on the West Coast and our flight is only 5-6 hours vs. yours would put you at over 8 hours (many times more like 12 hours with layovers). Add the travel time to the airport, the time you have before your flight, it's a very long travel day. We have taken a couple of Hawaiian cruises and met wonderful people from all over the world. Many times we have talked to people being so worn out from travel and time difference, it takes them a couple of days to recuperate enough to enjoy the trip. So, If I were you, I would arrive at least one day early, preferrable two. Hawaii is a wonderful state, if you get out of Honolulu, Oahu is a wonderful island. (can you tell I'm not thrilled with the crowds of Waikiki?). You may want to consider staying a day of two after the cruise, you can never get enough of Hawaii!

 

Booking a hotel is not a big deal, there are hundreds of them in Honolulu. Transportation is not a big deal, there are cabs galore in the Honolulu area. You just walk out the door at baggage claim, ther are cabs waiting. You just walk out the door of your hotel, there are cabs waiting. No worries whatsoever.

 

Johnql is absolutely right about the $10 service charge. You are not expected to tip any more than that amount, but you can if you want to. Drinks have an added 15% tip (just like all other cruise lines). The $10/per person per day is the best and really only way to accomplish gratuities for all who serve you on a Freestyle cruise. Otherwise, you would have to carry along a big pile of cash in small bills to tip those who are serving you and you would probably miss some very deserving folk if you were to try to tip in that manner. It's a very effective program, no matter what people may say.

 

We have always gone our own way on excursions in Hawaii. The islands are fairly small, very few main roads, difficult to get lost. Taking a ship sponsored excursion can waste a lot of precious time, since you are only on each island for a day. Rent a car on (at least) Maui, Kauai and in Hilo, book them in advance, since they can sell out on cruise ship days. I would not recommend renting a car in Honolulu, unless you are driving out of the city.

 

There is so much to know, it would be worth your time to visit both the Hawaii board and the NCL board on this site. There are many people who have been on these cruises and quite a few Hawaiian locals contributing to those boards.

 

Have a wonderful time planning your cruise, you will be amazed at the beauty of Hawaii!