POA trip report 5/10/14

[EllieinNJ]

As you can see, I'm still jet lagged starting this report at 3am. Someone started a TR on the main Norweigian forum and was attacked by the regulars just for her opinions, so I thought I'd do my report here, where people might appreciate it. My report is a little different than others. You've all been told what a great ship she is and how beautiful Hawaii is. I'm going to reiterate all that because I loved everything about the trip but some may be interested in knowing our planning stages and costs of our excursions. We booked this cruise back in Oct. 2013, 6 months away. We did not know you can get extra OBC if you book at least 9 months away. At that time, NCL's price for an inside guarantee was $1499pp ($1349 senior). I started checking out the online TA's and found one who had the same inside guarantee for $1199 plus $75 OBC and an additional $75 toward an excursion. Checking the airlines, we found United had a non-stop from Newark to Honolulu for $758pp, Thursday to end of cruise Saturday so we booked it. In retrospect, we would have liked one more day in Waikiki. Booked the cruise with the TA and still got another $25 OBC from NCL. Now it was waiting and planning time. The anticipation was very exciting. We both signed up for the Norweigian Credit Card and each got another $100 OBC which we were able to use toward final payment, dropping the price to $1099pp. After final payment end of Feb. we noticed that the prices were coming down on NCL's website and by the time we were given our cabin (10181-last inside aft) the price was now $999 ($849 sr.) So we called the TA and after waiting on the phone around 30 minutes, she was able to get us an mid-ship oceanview on Deck 4 (4608). for no extra charge. I was so happy but after seeing the configuation of the bed under the small window and two pull-down overhead bunks I did a mock booking and saw there were several obstructed oceanviews left, especially one between two lifeboats (7582). So again called the TA and waited again, she did manage to get me that exact room but let me know it was a downgrade from what I had. I might have made a mistake but I was completely happy with my new room because it had the floor-to-ceiling window and sitting area. As it turned out, someone from my rollcall had that room but was upgraded to a balcony, that is why it was available. For all of you, if prices come down, just call and ask rather than waiting for some upgrade fairy. More to come in reply.

[EllieinNJ]

We left Newark at 9:15am Thursday and arrived Honolulu at 2pm (Hawaii time). Arranged for Mark from Hawaii23 to take us to our hotel from airport but he sent his cousin Johnny cab instead for the same $23 plus tip. If you take Roberts shuttle it's $13pp and you stop at many hotels. This was door to door, no other stops. We were staying at the Waikiki Resort Hotel on the east side, across from Pacific Beach Hotel and one block from beach. We had a lovely clean city view room on 14th floor with balcony and full hot breakfast for $129/night. (web special) The hotel was very nice and the breakfast delicious. Walked around a bit and had dinner at McDonalds because we were going to be eating alot on the ship. We don't like to get up too early while on vacation so planned first excursion, an open double decker bus tour of Pearl Harbor and City tour of Honolulu with Polynesian. $40pp for 5 hours (if you use a visa card and put VISA in promotion code, additional 15% off. The bus picked us up in front of the Duke statue on beach at 9:45am and we were back by 2:30pm. Now I had already purchased tickets to Arizona in advance but decided on this tour at last minute so gave them my donation. It was a great 1/2 day tour but maybe some of you want to see more. They also have whole day tours but on a big bus. Then got ready for our 4:45 pickup from Germains Luau. On their website it's $75pp including bus but I got it from Savon for $58pp with bus. Their pickup was right in front of our hotel on a big bus. The bus hostess said there were five full buses going that night. Now these bus hosts and hostesses chatter constantly as you will see on all your tours you book. I didn't want to waste a night on the ship so that's why I booked Germains and was very happy with it. The food was good and the entertainment exceptional. Got back to hotel around 10:30pm. Saturday morning took The Bus to Diamondhead. Only $1 with medicare card, round trip (didn't know but busdriver saw we had the first tickets and didn't charge us for return trip. I made it as far as the first overlook but my DH went all the way to the top and back in about an hour. We were back at the hotel by 11am. Also scheduled Mark from Hawaii 23 to drive to pier for $18 at 12pm. We were waiting in the lobby by 11:45am and again he farmed it out to someone else who never bothered coming in to look for us and left. Eventually he got another cab to pick us up around 1pm and told us there would be no charge. We did try to pay the cab but he refused and even refused a tip. FYI do not get to the pier at this time. Go earlier or later. It was horrible. Finally got in room around 3pm and rushed to buffet to have a bite before M&G at 3:45pm. More to come.

[punkincc]

Loving your review! We will be on this trip in August, so will be taking lots of notes. We also have Hawaii 23 booked for airport to hotel, but had not decided yet on hotel to ship. Maybe we should go with someone other than 23, based on your experience! Was also thinking about just heading out to the ship later, as I had heard early arrival is a zoo. Maybe even 2:30 or so? Interested in your opinion.

 

I'm sure you will not be flamed.:) The poster you refer to was not flamed because of her "opinion". We all have likes and dislikes. She was flamed because she insisted her opinion was "fact" and there were many who disagreed with her.

 

Congrats on your great upgrade and nice upsell. I will be watching the prices on ours as well.

[greatlakesgirl]

Good start to your review! We were on deck 7, cabin 7552 and loved the location, right near the forward elevators and stairs.

 

Thanks for posting and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.:)

[cruiser2015]

Great start on your review. We're sailing in July.

Hate to jump the gun on you, but here's the "lobster question" that's all the buzz around here. Was any served on your cruise? (And I'm not interested in the specialty restaurant upgrade).

[carsaw]

Thanks for starting this review since I just booked this cruise for October. Booked air, hotels and starting to look at excursions. After going back for forth with options for first time Hawaii vacation, decided this was the best for us. We can see more in a short time and if we really enjoy a certain island, we can go back later on a land vacation. :)

[azappraiser]

Just starting to read your review... very good so far, but would be much easier to read if it wasn't one huge paragraph. I lost my place a couple of time in the opening thread. :(

[EllieinNJ]

We had seven officers waiting for us at the meet & greet when about 6-12 passengers showed up. They still acted very professional, told us about the ship and what to expect. FYI a few days later they had an opened Q&A meeting in the atrium and I asked why there was not a lobster night on POA in the main dining room or buffet like on other NCL ships. The food director just skirted around the answer saying lobster was available in the specialty restaurants for an upcharge and did not answer my question. After muster drill we explored the ship which was lovely then went to MDR for dinner. One of the choices was a shrimp dinner, which was absolutely delicious. FYI they only give you five shrimp so order extra shrimp when you first order because if you wait until they bring it to you you will have to wait again. The wait staff were very friendly and polite. Most were Americans and Philipinoes and the slower service was not their fault but how fast the food came out of the kitchen. One young 18 year old girl from South Carolina who was only working there 3 months was exceptionally friendly and chatty. She didn't know what to do after high school so she enrolled in a hotel food service course then she and others went to Chicago for the NCL interviews and was hired. Started as a busgirl and now a second waiter. Said NCL is very strict about behavior and has already sent home some employees for drinking and carousing. She loves working there and traveling. Back to the food. I'm not going to review every meal we ate but most dishes were good and the desserts exceptional. They have NY style cheesecake with strawberries and a decadent chocolate cake, tiramisu, and a chocolate raspberry torte, all to die for. Unfortunately we could not get hot coffee anywhere in the MDR. It was always lukewarm when brought. Ate at the buffet most breakfasts except one in the MDR because it was faster and they had hot coffee. Ate in the MDR most nights except one in the buffet to try it. Had better. Lunch was hit and miss because were were never on board at lunchtime but if we came back before 3pm the buffet was still open or after 3 we could get a burger at Key West bar, overlooking the pool on deck 12. In many trip reports that I read, some said they were too tired to go to the shows. We went to every show every night, sometimes two. The main show in the Hollywood theater was at 7 & 9 pm and there was another show in the Mardi Gras Showroom at 8pm. Some were good, some not so hot. You musn't miss the Beatle's tribute, the Four Seasons night or the variety show the last night. These were excellent. Now on to Maui and more to come.

[eyesofbrown]

Wonderful review so far. I am enjoying it.

 

I saw that you did Germaine's Luau. We are planning on going. But you said that you got back to the hotel at 10:30. We are on the Carnival Miracle, which sails at 11. Would it be realistic to do Germaine's Luau in light of that?

[dcikon2]

I like the details in your review. We did not get to eat in the main dining room on our cruise as we were off the ship pretty late, especially the days when it spent the night in port. We did eat in a specialty restaurant either the 1st or 2nd night. NCL gave this to us as a gift.

[chiapet]

Thank you for your review ... as we just booked for 8/23 ... and I'm just now doing my research ... a little late ... but your review is definitely helping :)

 

Keep it coming ... and thanks again!

[EllieinNJ]

I knew I wanted to try snorkeling somewhere on the islands but all I came up with either started too early, were too long or ended too late. That is until I found an afternoon snorkel trip on Maui called Four Winds II at the Maalaea boat harbor. It was 39.99pp from 1pm until 5pm. A barbeque lunch was an additional $7.50pp so I booked it for the first day in Maui. We had rented cars for Maui, Hilo, Kauai and Oahu in advance from Discount Hawaii Cars. A midsize car was between $35-40/day at Thrifty but they all upgraded us to full size cars at no extra charge. In fact Thrifty in Kauai wanted to give us an SUV but DH said no, he wasn't experienced in driving it. So after breakfast we took a shuttle to Thrifty, got the car and drove to Lahainia, walked around a bit, saw the giant banyon tree, drove past all the plush hotels in Kaanapali and then drove to the harbor. We brought our old GPS with us but it got us to where we wanted. Got there about 12:30 and was promptly told that the snorkel trip was cancelled because someone had a heart attack on the morning trip and now all the workers have to go be tested for drugs. I'm not sure what the connection is but I was so disappointed. I had plans for every day so couldn't look for another snorkel trip. Oh well, maybe on another trip somewhere else. Now what to do? We had decided beforehand not to do the Road to Hana but with this open time that is what we did. It was late leaving we knew but didn't have to be back to the ship at a certain time. Unfortunately I didn't have my notes where to stop on the road so we just stopped at some scenic points. The driving wasn't as bad as I thought and the traffic was very light, not a tour bus in sight. We did it in two hours and then road around Hana for awhile. DH programmed the GPS to take us back to the ship and it took us a back way, through dirt roads and forests but it hugged the coast and we saw beautiful black rock beaches. That way took three hours and was just as windy as the first way. I wouldn't recommend it. Got back to the ship around 6pm and the closer parking lot was already filled so we had to use the farther lot. They said it was only 100 yards farther. BS!! It was quite a walk back. The MDR was alot emptier this night because many people went to the very popular luau on this island. As I said before, I didn't want to waste any shiptime we had, thats why we went to the luau on Oahu. After seeing two shows this night we went to the buffet for our hot coffee and ice cream. Was in bed by 11pm. Next day was fog and rain on Maui. Our plan was to drive up Haleakala Crater and then to Iao Park. Waited awhile to see if the weather cleared up a bit but it didn't and we went anyway. The drive was very tedious and boring because you couldn't see anything. We already had the lifetime senior passes for all National Parks which we got last year at the Badlands in South Dakota, It was a one-time cost of $10, good for all passengers in the car. When we got to the top it was now so cold, windy and pouring. We had on jackets and long pants and we put on those throw-away rain parkas I bought at the dollar store. Didn't help much. Stayed less than five minutes but saw that the tour buses were still going there. What a shame to have to pay for a tour on this day. After we were back near the ship the rain stopped and started, then stopped and started again so we decided to turn in the rental car early and go back onboard. It was 3pm when we returned and after grabbing some burgers at the bar, found two rare vacant lounge chairs by the pool under the canopy which was dry and listened to the band for awhile. Very relaxing. So Maui turned out to be a bust for us but looking forward to the next islands. More to come.

[EllieinNJ]

Sorry about the very long paragraphs. I'll try to break it up more. The bus back from Germains took about 45 minutes so it probably ended around 9:30. I know you are suppose to be back on the ship an hour before you leave so I think it would be cutting it too close. There are some luaus in Waikiki you could research which don't have any travel time and might be good for you.

[punkincc]

Ellie, thanks for reinforcing what I have heard mentioned before, but had not really considered yet when doing my Hawaii planning: always have a back up plan in place, in case of rain or ....... Time to take a second look at the plans. I know there are snorkel sails you can book right off the beach at Kaanapali, maybe that could have been an alternate plan for you.

 

Also, note to self, pack raincoat and make sure I have a way to check where the sun is! I know it can be rainy on one side of an island and sunny on the other, so I think the ability to check the weather on your cell would be a great thing to have.

[silvercrikhix]

Thank you for taking the time & energy to share your POA experience!

It is much appreciated and is enjoyable thus far! :D

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[EllieinNJ]

On to Hilo. Took rental car to Volcano National Park. Again used our senior pass for entry. Beautiful view at museum but Crater Road was closed beyond. Took Chain of Craters road almost all the way. Saw many hot vents and lava rocks. At the lava tube, it says entry is to the right, down a very long set of stairs. You can also enter from the left where people are coming out. Only one short stairs.

 

Wanted to go to the black sand beach which was about another 45 minutes passed VNP but got nervous about time to be back so headed to the falls. There was a terrible traffic jam due to a lane closure on the way back and we were stuck in it for about a half hour or more. Returned car and got back to ship just in time at 5pm for the 6pm sailaway.

 

Next day was Kona. We did not rent a car here but used my voucher from my TA toward the Historic Kona bus tour from Roberts. The original price was $55pp less my $75 voucher. Now this is a tender port and you have to pick up a number in the atrium on deck 5 and wait until your number is called then taken down to deck 3. We got to the atrium around 9:15am for our trip at 10am and there were hundreds of people waiting to be called. They were calling numbers in 25-45 increments every ten minutes and by 9:40 we got very nervous and told the girl giving out numbers about our appointment. She said just go down with the next group and explain and they will let you go. Got to the bus just at 10am and what do you know, they have a list of all the registrants and waited until everyone was on the bus, even people in tenders after us.

 

Our bus driver was Sam and he didn't stop talking both ways. It would have been a very boring tour if not for him. Only went because of the voucher. Would have rather gone to a beach (or snorkeling lol). Up next Kauai. More to come.

[EllieinNJ]

You know, someone mentioned that it was not raining on the west coast of Maui that second day but we would have had to leave so very early to do any kind of snorkel trip. Unfortunately our cell phones are not the "i" ones so we would not know about the weather.

[punkincc]

Next day was Kona. Now this is a tender port and you have to pick up a number in the atrium on deck 5 and wait until your number is called then taken down to deck 3. We got to the atrium around 9:15am for our trip at 10am and there were hundreds of people waiting to be called. They were calling numbers in 25-45 increments every ten minutes and by 9:40 we got very nervous and told the girl giving out numbers about our appointment. She said just go down with the next group and explain and they will let you go. Got to the bus just at 10am and what do you know, they have a list of all the registrants and waited until everyone was on the bus, even people in tenders after us.

 

 

OK, now I am a little nervous about our plans for Kona.

 

We are booked for the Fairwind II catamaran snorkel leaving from Keauhou Bay at 9:00 am. This is about a 20 min drive from the dock and we planned to book a taxi to meet us there around 8:00 am.

 

Does anyone who has done this cruise think getting off the ship in time will be a problem? It sounds like we might need to be in the lobby at the earliest possible time to get our tender tickets. What time do they start handing them out? We get into port at around 7am ( or earlier? ), so I just assumed it would not be a problem to get ashore around 8:00.

[Molokai-Chuck]

I have done the Fairwinds sail about 6 times from the cruise pier at Kona. Yes, you need to be on the very first tender. I have made it on time every time...and also will help to secure a taxi in advance.

Good luck.

 

Chuck

[AF-1]

You know, someone mentioned that it was not raining on the west coast of Maui that second day but we would have had to leave so very early to do any kind of snorkel trip. Unfortunately our cell phones are not the "i" ones so we would not know about the weather.

 

No worries about not having an I phone; you review is wonderful

[punkincc]

I have done the Fairwinds sail about 6 times from the cruise pier at Kona. Yes, you need to be on the very first tender. I have made it on time every time...and also will help to secure a taxi in advance.

Good luck.

 

Chuck

 

Thanks, Chuck. The tour must be a good one if you have done it 6 times!;)

[EllieinNJ]

Kauai is such a beautiful island. We only rented a car for the first day because of the early sailaway on the second day. Also, there is a $20 parking fee at the pier overnight.

 

We drove to the north shore, stopping at many beaches along the way. We also stopped at the lighthouse and guess what? It is a National Park and we again used our senior pass to enter.

 

All the rental car agencies only gave us a booklet for each island with small maps to use. The beaches all had names on the map but they were not named when we drove there so we didn't know which ones we visited except for the last two, Tunnel beach and Kee beach. If you are a good hiker there is a path from Kee beach that will take you to the NaPoli coast, 11 miles. They say you can also see it at 2 miles in. We were not that adventurous. After the drive back it was still early so DH said lets go to Waimea Canyon now so we did. FYI our GPS said to turn right off the main road but there is a big sign there that says the entrance is another three miles so that is what we did. Big mistake. Must have taken an extra half hour that way. The canyon is 11 miles in and we weren't even sure we were on the right road because there were no more signs. Finally got to the overlook and it was spectacular. The next overlook seemed to be around 15 more miles but we chose not to go. They say you can see the NaPoli coast from there as well.

 

Now comes the grand highlight of the trip. On Friday morning we took the shopping shuttle to the ABC store to meet our next excursion Wings Over Kauai. It is a six seater plane that shows you all of Kauai for a full hour for $125pp and was worth every penny. The ride was so smooth and the day was exceptionally clear. We considered a helicopter ride but it was double the price, only lasted for 30-45 minutes and was told it was very jerkey motions. This plane glided like butter. A memory for a lifetime. They gave us a DVD with our picture in front of the plane.

 

The ships pass by the NaPoli coast was very clear as well. We watched it from deck 6 which wasn't too crowded. We could hear the narration very well. Then when it turned to pass on the opposite side, hardly anyone stayed and there was no narration at all.

 

This last night we finally discovered the Cadillac Diner. Wanted our ice cream after the show but the buffet was closed and someone mentioned Cadillac. People said service was slow but we immediately were seated and given two great big sundaes. Wish we knew about it before. Next stop debarkation (disembarkation?). More to come.

[azappraiser]

EllieinNJ; What time was your flight with Wings Over Kauai? DW & I will be on the 13-20 Sept sailing... I'm interested in booking the 11:00am flight on Friday the 19th, but am concerned about getting back to the ship prior to the 2:00pm departure time.

 

BTW, GREAT REVIEW & thanks for breaking up your paragraphs... much easier to read. ;)

Edited May 23, 2014 by azappraiser

[greatlakesgirl]

Kauai was our favorite island. We did the north shore drive up to Ke'e, too, and also stopped at Kilauea Point Lighthouse. So beautiful up there! We wanted to double back and go up to Waimea Canyon, but ran out of time. I'm glad you were able to do both! Your glider ride sounds great! And we also watched the sail-by on deck 6; the top decks were way too crowded.