Anybody cruised with Pride of America - Hawaii

[bazzaw]

The 7 day cruise of the Hawaiian islands is definitley on our bucket list -- but didn't realise how expensive it is -- almost $400 pp/pd in an inside cabin!! :)

 

Is it worth it?? We will be stopping over in Honolulu next year enroute to the US - where we will stay with friends for a while and then do a Globus tour of the Western US National Parks. So - I guess it would save us paying extra airfares at some time in the future.

 

What say you??

 

Barry

[GUT2407]

The 7 day cruise of the Hawaiian islands is definitley on our bucket list -- but didn't realise how expensive it is -- almost $400 pp/pd in an inside cabin!! :)

 

Is it worth it?? We will be stopping over in Honolulu next year enroute to the US - where we will stay with friends for a while and then do a Globus tour of the Western US National Parks. So - I guess it would save us paying extra airfares at some time in the future.

 

What say you??

 

Barry

 

 

My next door neighbours got back about four weeks ago and loved it. I'm pretty certain they didn't pay that much though.

[Aus Traveller]

I have heard mixed reports on the Price of America cruises. Maybe it depends on the time of year. If it is during College holidays, the cruise can be rowdy.

 

We haven't done the Pride of America cruise, but we called at four Hawaiian ports on a Princess cruise. We were disappointed with what we could see in one day's visit at these ports. Years ago we did a land tour of the four major islands, flying between the islands and staying a couple of nights on each one. We got around in hire cars. This was brilliant and it might work for you.:)

 

Maybe the cruise is more expensive than we are used to because the cruiseline has to employ all Americans who want a reasonable wage. With their 'Jones Act' (I know that isn't the correct name) they have to employ Americans because the cruise goes from one American port to another without going to an international port.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Aus Traveller

[p_toasty]

Hubby and I turn 50 in 3 years and want to do our Hawaii five O party cruise on Pride of America.

 

Don't fancy going during college party time? We were looking at January do you think we would be safe?

[MaudeLou]

We sailed on the Pride of America in July hols 2012. Had read mixed reviews but had an excellent time. We love Hawaii and look forward to returning some day.

[The_Big_M]

Hubby and I turn 50 in 3 years and want to do our Hawaii five O party cruise on Pride of America.

 

Don't fancy going during college party time? We were looking at January do you think we would be safe?

 

Late Jan better than earlier.

[The_Big_M]

I can understand the point about the land option.

 

That said, Hawaii isn't a cheap place generally, so that probably plays a factor too.

[hematocrit]

We have cruised the Hawaiian Islands on both Pride of Aloha and Pride of America. As Aus traveller has said, the higher cost is due to having to employ all American crew and pay American wages.

We enjoyed the cruises, especially watching the lava flowing into the sea on the night cruise round the Big Island. However, we did find that the crew were not as "service oriented" as the mainly Asian crew on the other NCL ships (guess they're used to getting tipped for every small service!).

Our last cruise round the islands was a "Fire & Ice" cruise, combining the Pride of America round Hawaii and the Norwegian Pearl cruising the Inside Passage of Alaska. We got a good price, including flights with Hawaiian Airlines and stopovers in Honolulu in both directions. Certainly less than $400 pp/per day.

[GCHAN]

This cruise has a brilliant itinerary. We did it in early November 2 years ago and the cruise was excellent.

 

I prefer Celebrity and HAL for food, but the food on Pride of America is acceptable.

 

I think the entertainment was better on this cruise.

 

We are going again shortly and looking forward to it.

 

The prices quoted locally always seem way higher than overseas agents and $400 is over double what we paid.

[chengkp75]

The higher cost of POA is not just in crew costs, though those are quite a bit more than international crew. The fuel must be shipped into Hawaii, much of the food, and all of the supplies are shipped in, and this is why Hawaii in general is an expensive place to live or visit.

 

Not sure how much "spring break" partying there is, due to the high cost of the cruise.

 

Compared to other cruises in Hawaii, the POA gives you more time in port than any comparable cruise. Generally, the ship is "at sea" only about 60 hours a week, with two overnight stays in Maui and Kauai. Can you see more of the islands on a land vacation? Probably. Would a land vacation cost more? Likely, with hotels, meals, and air transportation between islands.

[RumpunchGirl]

DH and I did this cruise 6 years ago. It's a great way to see a little bit of each of the 4 islands. We had an inside cabin. It was so small you had to crawl into bed from the foot of the bed as there was not space between the wall and the sides of the bed. I thought the cost was very high but our service was just as good as any other cruise we had been on. I noticed several Non American workers on this ship. I was surprised by this as I had read that everyone working on board was SUPPOSED to be American. It didn't really matter to me anyway. I was surprised by the large number of Japanese passengers, probably about 1/2 of those on board. Every announcement on the ship was made in English and Japanese. It was very interesting. I thought the itinerary was good, but we happened to hit a very bad patch of weather. It was very rainy and overcast most of our trip. We were told that it was the worst weather the Islands had seen in 30 years! In fact, we had scheduled an excursion on the last day that would take us to Pearl Harbor, The Polynesian Center and then the airport. It had been raining so much that Pearl Harbor was closed due to flooding and we just drove around on a bus in Honolulu for the first part of the day. Just our dumb luck!:eek: Our favorite ports were Maui and Kona, probably because we had the best weather.

[chengkp75]

DH and I did this cruise 6 years ago. It's a great way to see a little bit of each of the 4 islands. We had an inside cabin. It was so small you had to crawl into bed from the foot of the bed as there was not space between the wall and the sides of the bed. I thought the cost was very high but our service was just as good as any other cruise we had been on. I noticed several Non American workers on this ship. I was surprised by this as I had read that everyone working on board was SUPPOSED to be American. It didn't really matter to me anyway. I was surprised by the large number of Japanese passengers, probably about 1/2 of those on board. Every announcement on the ship was made in English and Japanese. It was very interesting. I thought the itinerary was good, but we happened to hit a very bad patch of weather. It was very rainy and overcast most of our trip. We were told that it was the worst weather the Islands had seen in 30 years! In fact, we had scheduled an excursion on the last day that would take us to Pearl Harbor, The Polynesian Center and then the airport. It had been raining so much that Pearl Harbor was closed due to flooding and we just drove around on a bus in Honolulu for the first part of the day. Just our dumb luck!:eek: Our favorite ports were Maui and Kona, probably because we had the best weather.

 

NCL used up some more of its political capital getting the NRAC (non-resident alien crew) bill passed in Congress. It really ticked off the USCG, which did not want it implemented. Basically, NCL had so much trouble with crew retention of the US crew, that they persuaded Congress to pass this act, which allows foreign crew to work on US flag vessels. The intent was to bring supervisory crew over from the international fleet to assist in training US crew. The foreign crew must have worked for NCL for 10 years, and NCL vouches for them as if they were on a work visa. They have US federal taxes, Hawaiian state taxes, and Social Security withheld from their pay, but the difference in pay between US and international overcomes this, and they could file for tax refunds, if they want to.

 

The real rub is that every crewmember on a US flag ship is a documented merchant mariner, and the Merchant Mariner Credential requires an FBI background check. Green card holders can obtain an MMC, but issuing these to non-resident aliens requires that the USCG rely on the crew's home country to provide a background check.

 

US maritime law requires that all licensed officers onboard (deck and engine) be US citizens. The unlicensed crew may be US citizens, or up to 25% may be resident aliens (Green card holders). The new NRAC crew cannot push the non-citizen percentage beyond the 25%, so adding more foreign crew will require lessening the Green Card crew.

[2aussiegolfers]

We did this cruise last year for New Year, absolutely loved it, the staff, the food, the restaurants, and a different island every few days, we did have a verandah cabin, but the thing to remember is you only sleep in there if you spend too much time in your cabin you miss lots.

There was lots of family's from the US, that meet from different state for a get together type holiday. We didn't have any rowdy groups, which made the trip all the more enjoyable. Met some lovely people.

 

It can be expensive depending on what time of the year you go, we were in Christmas New Year holiday time, so we expected to pay more, to keep the costs down look at the different times of the year the prices are a lot lower. If you have the flexibility on when you can travel, use it.

If you are a golfer they do great golf days on all islands, take your pick.

 

Enjoy the cruise, highly recommend it to see all of the Hawaiian islands not just one.

:)

[bazzaw]

My next door neighbours got back about four weeks ago and loved it. I'm pretty certain they didn't pay that much though.

 

Could be -- there seems to be a considerable price difference during the different Hawaian seasons . Next year , Feb - March inside around $1800 -- April onwards around $2800

 

Barry

[MOcruiserman]

We're looking to go in April 2016. The price is $2119 per person for an inside cabin - extremely expensive for such a tiny room.

 

But then again you do get to spend the best part of two days in Maui and Kauai, one day in Hilo and one day in Kona.

 

As an alternative we could fly from island to island but that would probably be more expensive, all told, and be a pain.

 

So we're probably going to grit our teeth and bear it. :(

[bazzaw]

We're looking to go in April 2016. The price is $2119 per person for an inside cabin - extremely expensive for such a tiny room.

 

But then again you do get to spend the best part of two days in Maui and Kauai, one day in Hilo and one day in Kona.

 

As an alternative we could fly from island to island but that would probably be more expensive, all told, and be a pain.

 

So we're probably going to grit our teeth and bear it. :(

 

yes -- the insides are only 12 sqM. For another several hundred dollars each, you could get a window and an extra 1 sqM !!! :)

 

We are limited to the 25 April sailing -- but I cannot see any sailings in April at your price on the Australian NCL website . Are you looking at the US website - there is a considerable difference between the two. EDIT - yes, the $2119 figure you have quoted is from the US website.

 

Barry

Edited October 8, 2014 by bazzaw

[sheridan318]

Barry if you trawl through the web sites one had the island for around $2000 but with on board credit of up to $350 sorry I cant remember which one, also if you get a chance do a fixed wing aircraft flight over the island it was wonderful

Jacquie

[bazzaw]

Barry if you trawl through the web sites one had the island for around $2000 but with on board credit of up to $350 sorry I cant remember which one, also if you get a chance do a fixed wing aircraft flight over the island it was wonderful

Jacquie

 

 

yes - thanks. However, as I said, the price is very departure date sensitive. We are including this in a trip to the US so we only had one departure option - which happened to be one of the more expensive ones :(

 

Barry

[THE G TEAM]

DH and I have cruised POA in February a few times and loved it. I just checked Vacations to Go and was very surprised at the price hike (we did it February of this year for $1200 and change). At any rate, it is worth whatever the cost.

 

The over-nighter in Maui allows you to see the sunset on Haleakala Crater and drive the road to Hana. The whale watching with the Pacific Whale Foundation is fantastic and there are opportunities to do a luau and enjoy some of the world's best snorkeling.

 

Hilo and Kona on the Big Island are both great with lots of access to the active volcano, both by car/bus or helicopter. During the evening sail from Hilo to Kona, POA passes the spot where the lava is flowing into the sea. The ship actually stops, the lights are turned off and a Hawaiian ambassador sings and prays to Pele - quite the sight!

 

The over-nighter in Kauai allows for exploration of the canyons and waterways on both sides of this exquisite garden island. The ship's sail by of the Napali Coast (think Lost, Jurassic Park) is breathtaking and there are usually whale and dolphin sightings.

 

A pre/post cruise few days in Waikiki Beach is a must, so you can experience Dole's Pineapple Plantation, the North Shore (Banzai Pipeline), snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and visiting the other fabulous beaches of Oahu.

 

As to the ship itself, we did not notice any great difference with any other cruise ships we've been on. The accommodations, food and service was very acceptable.

[Aus Traveller]

DH and I have cruised POA in February a few times and loved it. I just checked Vacations to Go and was very surprised at the price hike (we did it February of this year for $1200 and change). At any rate, it is worth whatever the cost.

 

The over-nighter in Maui allows you to see the sunset on Haleakala Crater and drive the road to Hana. The whale watching with the Pacific Whale Foundation is fantastic and there are opportunities to do a luau and enjoy some of the world's best snorkeling.

 

Hilo and Kona on the Big Island are both great with lots of access to the active volcano, both by car/bus or helicopter. During the evening sail from Hilo to Kona, POA passes the spot where the lava is flowing into the sea. The ship actually stops, the lights are turned off and a Hawaiian ambassador sings and prays to Pele - quite the sight!

 

The over-nighter in Kauai allows for exploration of the canyons and waterways on both sides of this exquisite garden island. The ship's sail by of the Napali Coast (think Lost, Jurassic Park) is breathtaking and there are usually whale and dolphin sightings.

 

A pre/post cruise few days in Waikiki Beach is a must, so you can experience Dole's Pineapple Plantation, the North Shore (Banzai Pipeline), snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and visiting the other fabulous beaches of Oahu.

 

As to the ship itself, we did not notice any great difference with any other cruise ships we've been on. The accommodations, food and service was very acceptable.

That sounds a great itinerary. It covers a lot of the things we did on our land-based tour. :) It is much better than the four-day visit on cruises from Australia.

[MOcruiserman]

DH and I have cruised POA in February a few times and loved it. I just checked Vacations to Go and was very surprised at the price hike (we did it February of this year for $1200 and change). At any rate, it is worth whatever the cost.

 

For $1200 per person I'd book the cruise now, even though we can't go until April 2016. Unfortunately it would cost us over $2100 apiece, which I think is way high.

 

I'm going to wait a few months and see what happens to the price. Maybe I can get some kind of a deal.

Edited October 11, 2014 by cruisernewbieman