Pride of America

[CRUZIN 4 SUN]

Anyone just off the POA? Just wondering if they are working some of the problems out from the first few cruises.

[Kerusso Logos]

I just got off on Saturday. What problems exactly are you referring to?

 

I know I had read there were some sewage issues. I personally didn't experience any, but there was some funky smells a few times I was walking the halls around mid-ship.

 

The only issues we had with the cruise was spotty attention from our room steward (didn't turn down room 3 nights) and very SLOW service in the restaurants.

 

In spite of that, we had a GREAT time!

[CRUZIN 4 SUN]

I have been reading about the POOR service and POOR food in the specialty restaurants. Were there any resturants I should steer clear of?

 

Also, is it necessary to check in on the ship early? I would like to spend the day in Honolulu before boarding. Would we miss out on the specialty reservations if we waited till the last minute to check in?

 

Were the dining dress codes enforced?

Thanks.

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

You need to board by 4PM since the boat emergency drill was at 4:30PM; we left port at around 9:30PM and there was no cruise away party going on at the main deck at that time. They only let you make dinnerressies for that night on the first night you were on board. But make your other ones early Sunday.

Remember Kauai gets in at 8AM and departs Friday at 3:30PM; so you have to be back on the ship by 3 on Friday; this is an itinerary change. I suspected it before I left, but NCL could not confirm, no matter how hard I tried; again, not a lot of communication between NCL and the ship; as far as I know this is a permanent change, so you can view the Kauai coast before dark; it was out of this world too and is a wise change by the ship captain. Kauai is the most gorgeous island!!!!!

Our room attendant took good care of us and we had turn down service every night.

No smells.

Ship was gorgeous; see my other posts.

Steak House had poor service; Jefferson Bistro had excellent food and service; Liberty was fairly good, the other main resturant was so-so. Plan on 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs to eat; that was okay with us. The Aloaha Grill had excellent food and excellent service. Was well arranged and not croweded except a few mornings for breakfast. Ice cream was great!!!!Vanilla with choc raisins or jelly beans. Nice kids' area in the cafeteria with low seats and low cafeteria line for little ones. Also one low sink in most public bathrooms for the little ones. Cute kid's pool with an adult hot tub overlooking it--a very nice touch is located on side of Kids Club. Kids Club was very good but open very limited hours and the babysitting was just that. Kids entertained themselves while attendant sat at front desk, unless you have real little ones. Teenagers seems to be having a ball in their very nice club. Kids Club atmosphere was very nice as well with windows to the ocean and not so closed in like other kids clubs.

NCL made our flight ressies and had us changing in LA from American to United with only 1 hr between plan times if we landed on time. We landed 50 minutes late and did not make our flight, so had to get a motel in LA and were not too happy about that. American was in bldg 4 and United was in the back of bldg 8. It was about a 30 minute walk and then we had to go through security again; we would not have made the connection even if our plane was on time. NCL travel service should have known this and not made such quick connections when you have to change airlines, especially at LAX.

Tried to call NCL a few times today to discuss this situation and after holding twice for 15 minutes gave up. Will put in a claim with our travel insurance. NCL customer service at Marriott Waikiki was poor too. I mentioned several issues before in previous postings. Also we got a note under our door between 8:15 AM AND 9:15 AM when we went to breakfast on departure date to go to the airport that our luggage should be at the door for them to take downstairs before 9. We were supposed to get this information no later than the night before. I asked NCL travel desk what we should do the night before re: luggage going to the airport and she said call a porter; I asked if I should tip him and she said I do not know. I had read NCL covered taking care of baggage and I seemed to know more than her which has been par for the cruise when dealing with NCL off the ship. Anyway, so my hubby took the baggage down and had to sit with it for 45 minutes since the transportation to the ship was 1/2 hr late--we went down 15 minutes ahead of time. If you read an earlier post of mine from Hawaii you will find there were other issues re: service with NCL at the Marriott and NCL not giving Radisson our ressies or many others until I called and insisted we and many others were booked there.

NCL customer service -off the ship--is an F. Just too many instances of poor service and being put on hold for ever so long; their staff is not well trained as well.

Other than that I had a great time. It was my best cruise, however, my husband says as far as the ship service etc, it was his worse. We cruised on the Disney Magic 3 times and on the Celebrity Century once. I think because I read these boards, I went well prepared and not with very high expectations, so it was easy to please me.

He agrees the ship is gorgeous. Prettier than the other 2 ships we have sailed on; however, unless you like smoke, stay away from the beautiful Pink's Champagne bar near the lobby; why NCL put this there I will never know. Cigar smoking etc which many people find offensive and it should be in another area. The entertainment here was superb as well, but unfortunately we only heard it for several minutes; there was a great singer playing the piano with Frank Sinatra tunes. Also there was a piano in the middle of the main resturant and we never heard anyone play there in the 2 times were were there for 2 hours each; we thought that odd and it would have been a nice touch if someone had played the piano while dining.

We found the specialty resturants were always 1/2 full, yet that were always telling everyone they were full all week. Jefferson Bistro had all tables empty near the prize window area for over an hour while we were there and this was before dark and would be a great place to seat. Could never figure this out.

The steak house waitresses look very frumpy in baggie jeans and the dress code was not followed here by most as it should be since it is very casual returant; we followed the dress code and wondered why we had when the majority did not and it did not seem the right atmosphere to enforce long pants on men, etc. Jefferson Bistro was a formal restaurant with great service; we tipped here. Keep in mind there you should be tipping for bar drinks and drinks in resturants; just a reminder. They did take out the $15 per person tip per day for us.

The cabin is very small and bathroom as tiny as could possibly be and fit a shower, toliet and sink in it. We packed light and stayed in hotels in Maui and Kauai. If we had to do it over we would do that again. The cabin was very pretty and well appointed. The balcony was not wide but deep and had a lot of wasted space; had 2 comfortable chairs; could have had a table and chairs as well and we could have had room service from out there; room too small for room service; no place to eat comfortably. And the Aloaha Grill was great!

I would not recommend having NCL do your pre or post hotel, transfers or air arrangements. If you have to do that or have already paid for it, be careful; double check everything. If connections are too close in time, ask for a change from NCL before you leave. Reconfirm your hotel reservations.

If you are staying in the Marriott, go to the NCL desk to checkin, not the lobby desk and be prepared for not so great service. Do not be afraid to ask questions and if you talk to someone not too knowledgeable, ask to talk to a supervisor. They have a lot of people working in this NCL Marriott office, but they are not good at taking care of their customers. I hope by the time you cruise it is better.

If we cruise again with them, we definitely will make our own other arrangements; I understand some others are not as independent as us. We hated staying in LA at night and getting to the hotel at midnight without clean clothes and no toothbrush etc. We were lucky, the Sheraton was excellent there with room service available and they gave us toothbrushes etc. I guess the best thing I can say is we did not fly a red eye and got some sleep. Hopefully the insurance will give us no problem with re-imbursement.

[Host CMLA]

. They did take out the $15 per person tip per day for us.

Hi Donna. Welcome back. And thanks for the review. One question. Was it $10 a day per person for the service charge or $15? Thanks. I've never seen $15 before.

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

You are right it was $10 per adult and $5 per child.

Sorry about the mistake. I just checked our bill.

John felt strongly that we would have gotten better service if we tipped individually; I felt with freestyle this was somewhat appropriate. Found our cabin attendants were more friendly and trying harder to please on Disney and Celebrity; however, our attendant was very adequate and pleasant; on the other cruises they went over and beyond expectations.

Bar service was excellent at all bars and in the Napa Wine Bar, by the way.

Very cordial service as well.

They were trying hard and my guess is they will get better. I think the resturants were only 1/2 full and not taking ressies to beef up their service, but of course, as a result, very few people could experience the specialty resturants. We went to the Steak House and Jefferson's Bistro. Jefferson's Bistro is definitely worth the service charge; the other one is not worth it and not as good as the other 2 main dining rooms.

The only place in the ship that was not gorgeous was the MadiGras Caberet; we did not go there but walked through it, but it was very gaudy, like a place you would find in Carnaval instead of another cruise line. I thought it was loud and tasteless. But the rest was absolutely stunning.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[WaldosPepper]

Welcome Back, Donna! I'm so glad you enjoyed your cruise, and enjoyed your ship's review! Sounds like you really made a lot of good mental notes - you were able to provide some great details about things many other's would never have noticed! Great job!

 

 

It's a shame you had so much difficulty with the pre and post-cruise portions of the trip, and it definately sounds like NCL needs to work on the training of staff connected to these areas! YIKES! :eek: Thank heavens you did so much research here prior to your cruise, and were forearmed with all the appropriate information. Perhaps your preparedness helped some of these staff members, and in the future the information they received from you will allow them to provide future passengers with the correct answers.

 

Again, I'm so glad you enjoyed the trip, and it certainly sounds like the ship is lovely. What a shame that more folks couldn't have enjoyed the specialty restaurants. Perhaps they're sort of "breaking-in" the staff still, and they'll gradually ramp-up the number of reservations accepted each evening. Thanks so much for the thoughtful, thorough review. Welcome home!

[Conanc]

Hi Donna,

 

Welcome back and thank you so much for your posts! I am really glad to hear that you enjoyed the ship and Hawaii! Would you sail NCL to Hawaii again?

 

I do have a few questions for you. What hotel recommendations would you have for a pre and post stay? Would you stay at the Marriott again if you booked it on your own? Did you happen to see the Pacific Beach Hotel while you were in Waikiki? We were thinking of Hilton Hawaii as a post and something in the thick of things on Waikiki for a pre. By booking late, some of the "good ones" are taken already. I wanted the Outrigger Waikiki for a pre stay but it's not available.

 

Also, did you happen to notice the aft cabins at all? It looks like the balconies are bigger on these cabins. What do you think the view would be like for scenic cruising here with these balonconies overlooking the wake? Do you think there would be more of a panoramic view?

Thanks so much!!!

[Host CMLA]

You are right it was $10 per adult and $5 per child.

Sorry about the mistake. I just checked our bill.

Thanks!

 

About your hotel situation, Do you know if this is a new arrangement NCL has and the reason you had so many glitches is becasue they're still working out the bugs or was it just bad organization by NCL and the hotel? I've spent the night in two hotels arranged by NCL. One pre cruise in Singapore and one post cruise in Sydney, Australia. The Singapore hotel situation was a mad house. So poorly handled. The Sydney hotel was a dream and I'd stay in the same hotel if I returned. Too bad it's so hit or miss sometimes.

[Yorkshire]

Any ideas what time you got off the ship in Kauai, we are interested in doing an excursion picking up at the dock at 8am but note that the boat docks at 8am!!

[clr0806]

:( I am just off the POAM on 8-6-05. We had a group of 12 with 5 cabins total. I have sailed Celebrity and RCC and this was our first NCL cruise. After our week long sail we headed to Maui for an additional 9 night stay. I am sorry to say that our land trip was a much better experience than the cruise. Yes it is true that you can get a taste of several islands and then decide which one you may wish to spend more time on another visit. The biggest problems was that by the time you dealt with the rental cars and their restrictions on when you had to return to the ship you had a lot of wasted time. If I were to do it again I would probably opt for the cruise sponsered tours because they seemed to get out of the docks fairly quickly and they may have actually been able to do a little more. Every rental car company took at least 30 minutes to get to the office then another 30 minutes just to get the paperwork and car checked out. When we were in Kona they told us the last shuttle back was 3:00 even though we did not need to be back on the ship until 5:30 that was a waste of time and explained why Fair winds advised us not to book their ship because there was a 50/50 chance we would not make it to the dock or back to ship in time depending on morning or afternoon trips. Based on our experience the long lines for rental car pick up we were glad we did not book the non-refundable trip. As far as the ship goes she was beautiful. Only problem is that she is already started to show a lot of wear due to poor housekeeping and maintenance. Of course it does not help that passengers do things like place chewing gum on the exercise equipment in the gym. The rooms were not cleaned to our standards and we are not 5 star hotel people. I found the rooms in line with low budget hotels as far as cleanliness goes. One of our rooms had no soap in the dispensers until day 4 after numerous calls and complaints. My husband and I arrived at different times due to flight issues and I never once saw our room steward. Glasses on our balcony were not picked up for days. If you wanted something out of your room you had better luck if you left it in the hall. The food was just OK nothing special. We did not feel service or food were worth the additional charge in the specialty restaurants. The servers were very friendly and you did not get the feeling that they did not want to please you but meals took way too long and we missed several shows because of it. What amazed all of us was how fast the last nights dinner was served. It was the only meal that did not take 2 plus hours so we know they are capable of doing it better and more efficient. On other ships there was always signs of cleaning, polishing, and running vacumns on a daily basis. There was little to none of this going on during our run. We had to track down the dailies as they were not left in our room on three of the nights. While I did like the ability to chose my dining time I would give that up in a minute for better quality food, better food service and cleaner cabins. Of the 12 of us unfortunately none of us would sail this line again. On our Celebrity cruise it was as if our room steward had a secret camera that monitored our hallway. When we left our room and when we returned to our room she was always there checking on us and our needs. With that type of experience to compare against there was no way the current staffing or lack of an appropriate number of staff could compare. As far as the cabins go our parties travelling with three in a balcony room actually wished they had an interior room. The balcony room third bed makes access to the balcony difficult for those who wanted to enjoy coffee in the AM while others were still sleeping. Room size was adequate for two of us in our cabin. The interactive TV's were still not running. It was difficult to get into the specialty restaurants. They did not offer snacks in the bars unless you asked then they did have some kind of snack mix that would bring out. We did not like the fact that they allowed smoking in the champagne bar. They may make more money if the eliminate the smoking in that area. We did have a good time and I do not want to discourage future passengers. We spent a long time on our comment cards and used every bit of space hoping that our experiences will be eliminated for future cruisers.

[kennorris]

We also had a two day stay in Honolulu prior to the Saturday departure. My wife and I had a better stay than Donna by the sounds of it. We we book by NCL at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. I believe this is a less expensive hotel and the room was a little on the old side but clean. That being said, I had a very nice stay. We were one block from Waikiki beach and all the shopping my wife could find. During our stay the bathtub drained poorly and the room coffee maker was damaged and leaked all over the tray. I stopped by the front desk and told them about the two problems so that it could be fixed for the next guests. After a day visiting Diamond Head and Ala Moana mall we returned to find both problems fixed and we received a gift basket to make up for these failures. I thought that was very nice, they wanted to make things right and I got snacks!

 

I would recommend staying prior to the cruise because it allows a couple of days to wind down and get into vacation mode. We were booked on United, Phoenix to San Francisco and onto Honolulu. Smooth flights and no problems. There were several bus representatives in the luggage claim area and it took a little time to find the right one, each flight had seperate reps and buses. The hotel NCL reps were nowhere to be found but the hotel staff was very helpful and told us where to be. We went outside a 12:45 and the first bus was already full and leaving. They had a second bus there and we quickly loaded and were on our way. The route the driver took was interesting. Many streets in Honolulu are one way. We got to see old downtown Honolulu. Our driver was a very friendly Black man from Arkansas and he said he would not ever be found in that area after dark and he didn't like going there in the day time. That was good info, I like to wander and I tend to go where I don't belong!

 

OK, some ship stuff. Our room steward was almost invisible. I found him twice because I needed towels. The room was clean but the shelves in the bathroom were dirty, still had rings from the previous users. The bathroom is very small but as long as you keep your elbows in, your OK to turn around. I have read several reviews and comments from others that had much better experiences with the steward staff. It seems to be hit or miss. The first night on board I discovered there was not a top sheet on the bed, just a comforter. Being a guy, I wanted a sheet to sleep under so I went to find our steward. To make a long story short, a found the steward for the next group of rooms and asked him to let our steward know I needed a sheet. He asked our room number and said he would be glad to take care of that for us. Two minutes after we got in our room, Stephen knocked on the door with two clean sheets. He then remade the bed with a sheet and turned it down for us. Major cudos for that kind of customer service. We let the service staff know about this and I hope they read these boards. That young man will go far because he wants the customer to be happy.

 

I found the food and service to be OK. I had several really good meals and the rest were fine, just not great. Almost everyone was friendly and loved to talk. Sometimes they talked too much and especially to each other. Several times I had to wait while they finished a conversation before they would help me. No big deal because I expected this from reading these boards. The service was not RCCL or Princess but I didn't expect it to be.

 

I do have a major gripe, we never seemed to leave port on time. I think we waited for passengers at every port. I would have left them and it would have been their problem catching up to the ship. I said something to a crew member and he said they don't want to have the hassle of getting the passenger to the next port. He said they don't wait for a crew member.

 

Enough about the bugs. My wife and I went on 4 tours and rented a car for Maui. We went on the volcano hike while at Hilo. It rained for most of the morning and through part of the hike but finally quit. Walking on lava requires one to PAY ATTENTION to where your feet are going. My wife made the comment that the only thing she saw was the ground. We didn't get to see lava up close because the National Park Service was worried the whole lava shelf was going to fall into the ocean, over 200 acers is unstable. I would probably be single if we would have walked several more miles.

 

Maui was our car island. I wanted to drive to Hana, I did but it rained almost the whole way. We tried to walk to several of the waterfalls but the streams were too deep to cross. Needless to say, the trip was a little short of spectacular. We gave up and went to the leeward side of the island and wound up in Lahaina. Great town. Wandered around, found my surf school for the next day and bought a T-shirt. Went back to the ship and called it a day. Went back to Lahaina on Tuesday and learned how to surf at the GOofyFoot surf school. I was able to stand on the board and ride it into shore. I am not sure I would call myself a surfer. My shoulders and back were sore for several days after. I chose this surf school because Jimmy Buffet went there and learned to surf before he turned 50, me too! We shopped the rest of the day prior to getting back before the ship sailed. Don't leave you car parked in the public lot for longer than 3 hours, it's a $60 parking ticket. Guess how I know that. We loved Maui, I will return.

 

Kona. Went on the Captain Zodiac snorkel tour and had a blast. The bay has Captain Cook's monument along the shore ( very close to the location where the Hawaians killed him). Lots of fish and coral. On the way back we saw about 30-40 spinner dolphins swimming and jumping. Very cool mammals. The shopping off the pier is OK. More T-shirts including the 2005 Iron Man.

 

Kauai is very spread out, definately take a tour. We went on the sunset sail and snorkel along the napali coast. The wow factor is in play there. I have never seen a coast like this. The boat is bumpy and you get wet riding up front but..... this is a snorkle cruise, your supposed to get wet! The food was good and the view was, well, wow. I would do this again. The last day we went on the Hollywood movie tour. It is fun to see a movie clip and the guide pauses the movie, has you look out the left window and you see the set on the screen. This was repeated many times. Some of the movies we very 50's B movies but some I actually had seen. Raiders, Jurassic Park, 7 days/6 nights, etc. Lots of Elvis stuff.

 

Back to the ship and left late again because of time challenged passengers. Sailed by the NaPali coast, wasn't quite the same standing on a cruise ship rather than the front of a 50 foot cat. Maybe it was the thought that I had to get off the ship in the morning.

 

I really liked the freestyle departure. My wife and I walked off the ship with our luggage and were on the airport bus in less than 5 minutes. I like no customs and immigration, very fast.

 

NCL booked our return flight as a red eye, 11 PM. Needless to say, I am still recovering from that. We spent the day after checking in our luggage at the airport driving all over the island. North shore, middle of the island. Got good and sunburned. Just a beautiful day. Went back to Waikiki and walked around for the last time. Goofed off in the water and finally turned the car in and waited for the plane. The only bad thing about the return trip other than trying to sleep sitting up is a 4 hour layover in San Francisco. Long time to wait after flying the night away. But, we survived and got home in one piece.

I really like going to the caribbean but I love Hawaii. If I ever get rich, I will have a house on Maui and live there 4 months out of the year. Great dream, yah.

 

Hope this gives just a little more insight into the Hawaii cruise thing.

[loves Spike]

Sorry your experience was not what you hoped, ours was very different. We sailed as you got off. Our room was always spotless and turned down every night. I guess it depends on who your steward is, which is not right. It should be consistent. We rented our cars from Hertz and Thrifty. Both shuttles were there as we got off in Maui and Kauai and we returned within 15 min of all aboard with no problems. I must agree about the un-timely service in the dining rooms. I would not give up on NCL so fast, it was only this crew's first month. Cheers!

[ngwc1]

We are just back from Pride of America (Aug.6-13) and had a wonderful time. I felt it was a good way to get a taste of most of the islands but next time would opt for a land based trip on Kauai and Maui. We rented a car (Thrifty) in each port except Kona (where we took a taxi to the small boat harbor and snorkeled with Capt. Ray)and had no problems with lines or shuttle. We are typically early off the ship people and hopped on the first Thrifty shuttle. Our independent excursions were great and with 6 of us we saved a good bit of money. We enjoyed each port and felt the cruise just built upon itself...each port got better and better. Our room attendant ,cabin 8208 (Adam)was always available in the am and pm. He left us 5 towels for 3 of us in each cabin and was just very friendly and hard working. We felt the food was average in the Aloha cafe and service slow in the dining room. We enjoyed a great meal in Jefferson Bistro and thought Little Italy was OK. The itinerary is so full of wonderful ports and lots to do...needless to say I was usually tired by 10:00 pm...so maybe the ship was not as important to me. We sailed Celebrity to Alaska, and while we enjoyed the food more on Celeb., we were not always thrilled to get dressed for assigned meal time after a full day of excursions. For that reason, we enjoyed "freestyle" to Hawaii, but would not like it if we had lots of sea days. We enjoyed our family time and made wonderful memories...memories that will be talked about for years to come. Enjoy the islands...wish I could go again!

[Kerusso Logos]

We also just got off the P. of Am. and had a wonderful time. Did the ship tour to the Volcano National Park in Hilo and also the Luau in Maui. Also rented cars for one day in Maui (drove the road to Hana) and Kauai (went N. on 56 stopping at the lighthouse, Queens Bath and Ke'e beach). We had no problems with the rental cars, and didn't have to return either until late in the day. Also, in Kauai we did a helicopter tour booked independently through Air Kauai, which was incredible (highlight of the week).

 

I will, unfortunately, echo some of what others have said about the service. The staff was very friendly and eager to please, but the restaurant service was painfully slow and out room steward did not show up to turn down our room 3 nights. Not the kind of service I've come to expect on a cruise, but also not a complete surprise due to what others have experienced on the P. of Am. and PoA. In fact, this was the first time in 12 cruises that I actually reduced our tip. Most of our meals actually ended up being in the Aloha cafe, which I though was pretty good.

 

Also, I think somebody asked how early we could get off the ship in Kauai. We were off the ship at around 8 am the first day.

 

Again, we had a wonderful time. I loved the opportunity to get a taste of each of the islands in preparation for the next visit which will be land based (most like on Kauai). The above criticism were a minor annoyance in what was a great experience.

 

For those still waiting to sail....relax. If you go expecting to have a great time, most likely you will! Enjoy it.

[Adman98]

We also just got off the P. of Am. and had a wonderful time. Did the ship tour to the Volcano National Park in Hilo and also the Luau in Maui. Also rented cars for one day in Maui (drove the road to Hana) and Kauai (went N. on 56 stopping at the lighthouse, Queens Bath and Ke'e beach). We had no problems with the rental cars, and didn't have to return either until late in the day. Also, in Kauai we did a helicopter tour booked independently through Air Kauai, which was incredible (highlight of the week).

 

I will, unfortunately, echo some of what others have said about the service. The staff was very friendly and eager to please, but the restaurant service was painfully slow and out room steward did not show up to turn down our room 3 nights. Not the kind of service I've come to expect on a cruise, but also not a complete surprise due to what others have experienced on the P. of Am. and PoA. In fact, this was the first time in 12 cruises that I actually reduced our tip. Most of our meals actually ended up being in the Aloha cafe, which I though was pretty good.

 

Also, I think somebody asked how early we could get off the ship in Kauai. We were off the ship at around 8 am the first day.

 

Again, we had a wonderful time. I loved the opportunity to get a taste of each of the islands in preparation for the next visit which will be land based (most like on Kauai). The above criticism were a minor annoyance in what was a great experience.

 

For those still waiting to sail....relax. If you go expecting to have a great time, most likely you will! Enjoy it.

I am booked on POAm with a group of 8 for 9/24. You mentioned the luau on Maui.

How was it ? The limited description in NCL excursion literature doesn' sound very

good. Compared to the Old Lahaini Luau, it seems to have less chioices if food, drink

and entertainment. Were you shuttled to Lahaini ?

[CRUZIN 4 SUN]

Thanks for all of your great posts.

What is the secret of getting reservations in the specialty restaurants every night? Do you have to bribe someone or get up early and stand in the reser. lines?

[gotravelnow]

You should check out the Roll Call for the Sept. 24 sailing if you haven't already!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=182346&page=2&pp=25

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

If we did it again we would pre stay at the Turtle Bay Hotel in the North coast and post cruise or the Mandarin Oriental.

We have come to realize that we like a very luxurous hotel and will end up paying a lot more for it.

Turtle Bay was gorgeous; nice pool, nice hotel, gorgeous secluded aquamarine beach; quiet too.

Mandarin Oriental is near Waikiki in Honolulu in a secluded neighborhood; again gorgeous pool, beach, good resturants and dolphins to frolic with in their own private area if you pay extra; if you don't you have the pleasure of watching them. This hotel is close to the port.

Marriott is much better than Radisoon, but some rooms that are on lower floors have a lot of traffic noise. There is a lot of shopping there and it was okay; rented our Hertz convertibles there for pre and post stay and the Hertz counter gave excellent service. Close to pretty and busy Waikiki beach. Italian rest in the Hotel was good. There are plenty of cheap fast food places within walking distance too. Duke's is closeby but you have to make ressies way ahead of time.

By the way we would try to stay in the Hyatt or Princeville in Kauai and Four Seasons in Maui if we had to do it over again. Also would try for a larger accomodation on the ship. We have travelled so much and at this stage in life want luxury.

[Adman98]

Thanks for the tip, gotravelnow. Still wondering about that NCL sponsored luau on Maui though.

 

I spoke with NCL this morning and they were pretty vague saying only that it was a cruise sponsored "dinner and a show at the Sheraton Princess exclusively for NCL passengers". That bothers me since the Princess is in Honolulu. Also,after a really bad experience with HAL in Feb. on their "private" island Half Moon Cay", I am very leery of any shore activities a cruise line puts together.

[gzyteck]

Sorry your experience was not what you hoped, ours was very different. We sailed as you got off. Our room was always spotless and turned down every night. I guess it depends on who your steward is, which is not right. It should be consistent. We rented our cars from Hertz and Thrifty. Both shuttles were there as we got off in Maui and Kauai and we returned within 15 min of all aboard with no problems. I must agree about the un-timely service in the dining rooms. I would not give up on NCL so fast, it was only this crew's first month. Cheers!

Did you book your rental cars in advance? Who did you use in Kauai? Do you have a telephone number or website?

[Kerusso Logos]

Adman,

 

While I did enjoy the Luau booked through the ship I'm not sure it was worth the price. The food was good, they did provide sodas, punch, beer and coctails, and the show was entertaining enough. But it's also not something I would run out to do again.

 

They did shuttle us from the pier to the hotel on big comfortable buses (it was about a 45 minute ride). We ended up booking this one through the ship because of the size of the group and the convenience of having transportation arranged.

 

I can't compare it to anything else, but my father in law did comment after the Polynesian show on board (which was very good!) that he should have just waited for that rather than the Laua because the on-board show was much better. Again, I enjoyed the experience (mostly..see below) but I'd be interested to see how it compares to others.

 

Word of warning...if anyone does the Laua, it is outdoors, so be aware of "nature". When I first sat down at our table I was the lucky winner of the chair in the ant pile contest, which awarded me (and my wife) a number of bites on my feet and legs. It was a temporary annoyance, and we quickly changed tables. Just wanted to give future cruisers the heads up. It seemed to me to be a very isolated incident in that I didn't see anyone else having the problem, and once we moved it didn't happen again. I guess I'm just lucky!

 

Let me know if you would like more details.

[donna@donnaanderson.com]

We rented with Thrifty and got a chrysler convertible for $120+ for 2 days. We joined the frequent user club and the car was waiting for us.

You do need to book ahead of time since on some of the islands the # of cars is limited.

I spoke to one guy on the ship who said the Maui luah was terrible; very over-priced and a lot of waiting at the bus etc. He told them to give him his money back and he got it. We had no interest in it, so we did not go.

Maui has so many things to do, missing that and doing somehting else would not be hard to do and renting a car in Maui is the way to go for a lot of people. Driving is easy. Don't miss Laihana and we like the Wailea coastal beaches for swimming they are quiet and beautiful.

[strawberryblonde]

Thank-you, thank-you recent cruisers for all of your hints and tips. I'm taking notes :D . I had read good things about Thrifty on this board and am glad I have reserved through them.

[24cruzn]

We'll be spending a few days in San Francisco following our 9/24 cruise and since our last cruise day is at sea, it might make sense to do some laundry instead of packing extra clothes to get us through those extra days. I know the Dawn had a free laundromat, complete with irons and ironing boards (although I didn't use it) but haven't heard if similar facility is on PoAM. Thanks.