Hawaii cruise on a 3-star ship

[CruisingSince2012]

It seems like I can't win here: POA has a better itinerary but is not a great ship. I told myself for years I will never sail on any NCL ship, even that one. Now I'm not so sure about that because the Celebrity Solstice only repositions there so I can't choose my cruise dates. Ideally I would like to cruise when there are pods of whales, not a few getting ready to migrate, and visit all four major islands. It would suck to sacrifice great food, entertainment, etc. for the sake of visiting all four islands and seeing lots of humpbacks. Should I ignore the 3-star rating and book a POA cruise for the ports or sail on a better ship that visits fewer ports of call?

[NMLady]

I'd say book POA if it has an itinerary you want as well as timing you want.

[New2cruise1483]

I guess it depends on what is most important to you. Is it seeing Hawaii or enjoying the ship? If seeing Hawaii is the priority, than the ship shouldn't be important. Plus, since it's such a port intensive cruise, you really wouldn't be on the ship that much anyway. Who knows, you might be surprised and find that you actually enjoy the ship as well! I would say go for it, enjoy the islands and keep an open mind about the ship:). I hope this helps a little bit.

[bonvoyagie]

It has been 9 yrs since we cruised on the POA - she still had that new ship smell as she was about 1yr old at that time. We are destination cruisers by nature so it did not bother us that the ship was going to be simply a floating hotel.

 

Overnighting in most ports is interesting as you do have more choices for off board evening activities - the downside is that you are docked mostly in areas for cargo ships and it is often a long way to the main towns.

 

I think you would find a mostly American crew interesting - I know we did - and remember this was also back in the time when NCLA was having real problems keeping staff around - they soon tired of ship life and even fled the ship mid cruise - just disappearing during a port stop. NCLA did get there screening and training better and have had little problems since.

 

You already know your options - so I would take a 5 star vacation with a 3 star cruise ship over a 3 star vacation on a 5 star ship.

[jomf]

Go for it, one of the best cruises we have taken. The food was not top notch but the islands more than made up for that.

[carsaw]

We went back and forth with that decision before we finally decided to go with the POA. We cancelled our other cruise because it did not spend enough time on the islands for a first timer to Hawaii and so glad we did. Is the ship perfect-no but you can find fault with any cruise if you try. Actually some things were better than expected and I wouldn't change a thing. We stayed overnight in Honolulu a couple nights before the cruise and took a nice day tour. We rented cars in Kauai and Maui since they were both overnights and were able to see and do so much.

 

Next time we will fly and do a land vacation to a couple of our favorite islands but we wouldn't change a thing for a first time visit to Hawaii.

[Imalismom]

We are 30 days out from our POA cruise, and I am so glad we are doing this. Yes, the POA has gotten some bad reviews, but the good reviews seem to outweigh the bad reviews.

 

Like others have said, you are really only on the ship during evening time so who really cares that it is not the glitzy "Breakaway" or "Getaway"? I know I don't. Will I miss the Disney shows that the Disney cruise line does? Yes, but really, I plan to be so tired from touring all day that I will probably be in bed anyway, resting for the next tour.

 

I keep reading the the UDP restaurants are all great. I can let you know in 37 days :) as we will dine at each one.

 

You only go through this life once - it would be a shame to miss all the islands that you want to see via cruising because POA is not a "5 star" ship.

[newmexicoNita]

It seems like I can't win here: POA has a better itinerary but is not a great ship. I told myself for years I will never sail on any NCL ship, even that one. Now I'm not so sure about that because the Celebrity Solstice only repositions there so I can't choose my cruise dates. Ideally I would like to cruise when there are pods of whales, not a few getting ready to migrate, and visit all four major islands. It would suck to sacrifice great food, entertainment, etc. for the sake of visiting all four islands and seeing lots of humpbacks. Should I ignore the 3-star rating and book a POA cruise for the ports or sail on a better ship that visits fewer ports of call?

 

Book whichever one has the best itinerary; sailing Hawaii is all about the ports, nothing more and where are you getting the idea Celebrity has better entertainment? Better food yes, probably. Sure the Solstice is a great ship: it has to be your decision and the problem, you have already made up your mind NCL is below your expectations. The interesting thing, you really haven't cruised that much so it isn't like you have a lot of other experiences. I have a gut feeling you are going to end up doing what you want and not what anyone hear really recommends.

 

I hope this thread doesn't turn into another negative, debate about cruising and NCL.

Edited June 18, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[hypercafe]

If I were going to cruise Hawaii the Pride of America is the only way I would do it. Going that far my only goal would be to see as much of the Islands as I could in a week, and sailing past a active volcano lava flow at night seems like icing on the cake. I think NCL is a very good line, no better or worse then X, just different. If you want to experience a luxury ship then take a TA from Florida on one. Seabourn, Silversea and Regent go from there, lots of sea days.

[emcelh]

I think you've already decided. Your comment that "you would never sail on an NCL ship" and "it would suck to sacrifice great food, entertainment, etc" says it all.

[AmberCascades]

Celebrity is our preferred line, but we loved our POA cruise. The food was pretty good. Not the same caliber as Celebrity but still enjoyable. The crew was friendly, if not as formal as Celebrity's. The cabins were clean and comfortable.

 

It is definitely all about the ports. There were a couple of days we were so exhausted we just hung around in our cabins in the evening and watched movies. Some of the evening entertainment was good. We enjoyed the heck out of our excursions and the POA was a good place to spend the little time we had on the ship.

 

I would do this cruise again, for sure.

[mking8288]

Well, it's one of the best ways to see 4 different islands over 7 days/nights, and, with the overnight stops to see, among other things, the sunset/sunrise high above @ 10,000 ft. But, if your pursuit is pods of whale, sorry, the POA isn't going to chase after after them but from time-to-time, we had seen pods of dolphins playfully swimming alonside - you can book a whale watching boat to see them during their annual seasonal migration near/along with Hawaiian waters.

 

We'll settled even for an inside cabin on the POA on deck 4 to see all those places again vs. 7 nights on a Caribbean runs with a balcony - part of it is about that aloha spirit & state of mind, and, there's simply so much to see and to do - mahalo.

 

Our Hawaii photo collection - POA 2009 #1 https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/1980-2000%27s%20Travel/DSC00233E.JPG

 

POA 2009 #2 https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/1980-2000%27s%20Travel/DSC00243E.JPG

 

POA 2009 #3 - Kauai National Wildlife Refuge - north shore ... (whales do play in the water just off the coasts, just not while we're there) https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/1980-2000%27s%20Travel/DSC00223.JPG

Edited June 18, 2015 by mking8288

[bosnatis]

We were on the POA in April of this year and loved it. We rented a car at each port and did what we wanted to do instead of shore excursions. We had a suite that had the largest deck (400 square feet) I have ever seen on a cruise ship and enjoyed spending the evenings on it. The food was not great but it was good enough. You will love all the islands especially with the two overnights. Attached are a few pictures of the deck, coast and Queens bath.

[Seanote]

Wow. Been on 25+ cruises and Hawaii on the POA is definitely in the top three. Yes, the ship is not tricked-out like the brand new builds and yes having an American crew is a different experience, but Hawaii is so intensive that you don’t do much more than sleep and eat breakfast and (some) dinner on the ship. Honestly, if you actually notice that the ship does not have a zip-line, Flow Rider or Broadway shows, you are definitely doing Hawaii all wrong.

[punkincc]

Wow. Been on 25+ cruises and Hawaii on the POA is definitely in the top three. Yes, the ship is not tricked-out like the brand new builds and yes having an American crew is a different experience, but Hawaii is so intensive that you don’t do much more than sleep and eat breakfast and (some) dinner on the ship. Honestly, if you actually notice that the ship does not have a zip-line, Flow Rider or Broadway shows, you are definitely doing Hawaii all wrong.

 

Agreed. The POA ties for number one for me with our cruise to Alaska, also NCL. Neither one on a ship with all the bells and whistles, but I'd choose either one over one of the new builds going to the Carribean in a heartbeat.

[Bocadude85]

We just got back from Hawaii last month. We have been a few times. My vote is to just fly there and do a land vacation like we did. We flew to the Big Island, then onto Kauai and finally Maui. We skipped over Oahu this time. The inter island flights are only 30-50 mins generally and are fairly inexpensive. I think you get a better feel of the islands when you are actually staying on them and have the ability to rent a car and explore on your own and not have to worry about time constraints.

[Cruisercl]

I have done both a land trip (3) and a cruise in Hawaii. It really depends on what you are looking for; the cruise was an integral part of what that specific vacation is. They are two different vacations. Also Hawaii is VERY EXPENSIVE and the land trips cost us much more than the cruise did. Just my experience.

 

To the OP: I say go for it and book the POA. It appears you are just starting your cruising 'career' so I recommend keeping an open mind about all of it. I have cruised all of the cruise lines you have listed on your signature and agree with the adage of 'every cruise line is different'; IMO none, of the main stream cruise lines, are better than the other (they all have their issues at times). They are all different products; just like the airlines. They all have airplanes to get you to where you want to go but certainly are different products. Better is subjective.

 

Enjoy Hawaii............it is awesome!!!!:)

[CruisingSince2012]

I think you've already decided. Your comment that "you would never sail on an NCL ship" and "it would suck to sacrifice great food, entertainment, etc." says it all.

 

No I haven't. For years I said I will never sail on a Carnival ship or go to Alaska. Now look at what I have done and will do. I also thought I will never go to Utah and Las Vegas or north of Boston. Guess where I went?

 

Obviously I have to learn more about NCL to figure out if I would be happy on a "floating hotel" after my experience on the Sapphire Princess. If food in ports is better than anything on the POA and service on the ship is no better than I find elsewhere, I would have to think about value for the money as well as itinerary. That is the main issue here.

[Sizzlechest]

For a Hawaii, have you looked into a Perillo tour and forgo the cruise ship altogether? Don't know if there will be much whale watching, but it might be available as an excursion.

[greatlakesgirl]

From reading your other posts on the Hawaii board, I think you are determined to not like the Pride of America, no matter what. You should just fly to Hawaii or take another line.

Edited June 18, 2015 by greatlakesgirl

[punkincc]

No I haven't. For years I said I will never sail on a Carnival ship or go to Alaska. Now look at what I have done and will do. I also thought I will never go to Utah and Las Vegas or north of Boston. Guess where I went?

 

Obviously I have to learn more about NCL to figure out if I would be happy on a "floating hotel" after my experience on the Sapphire Princess. If food in ports is better than anything on the POA and service on the ship is no better than I find elsewhere, I would have to think about value for the money as well as itinerary. That is the main issue here.

 

There is nothing about NCL or the POA specifically which makes the ship a "floating hotel" except for the itinerary. You are in port every siingle day and overnight twice, which gives you lots of touring time. For most people, that is the draw and main focus, which is why they refer to the ship as a "floating hotel". It is not meant to be derogatory, but just refers to the fact that you are off the ship most of the time. Most people would see this as a plus. Perhaps the same sort of thing happens on the port intensive European cruises where the main focus is seeing and experiencing Greece or Italy and not so much the pool deck. The Epic is now in Europe, and I suspect that it MAY be currently more of a "floating hotel" for many than the bells and whistles ship it is in the Caribbean. Same ship, same amenities, but it is a different "experience" because of the itinerary. This is what folks are trying to tell you.

 

You seem to have some very biased opinions against NCL for some reason and seem to have came here hoping to have those assumptions confirmed rather than just asking for information and then forming an opinion. You have been given mostly positive feedback on the ship by some who have cruised much more than you, yet you seem to discount everything positive and go back to your biased assumptions.:confused:.

[hypercafe]

No I haven't. For years I said I will never sail on a Carnival ship or go to Alaska. Now look at what I have done and will do. I also thought I will never go to Utah and Las Vegas or north of Boston. Guess where I went?

 

Obviously I have to learn more about NCL to figure out if I would be happy on a "floating hotel" after my experience on the Sapphire Princess. If food in ports is better than anything on the POA and service on the ship is no better than I find elsewhere, I would have to think about value for the money as well as itinerary. That is the main issue here.

 

Just to show how people can have different impressions, you seem to infer that Princess Cruises is tops and hard to beat. I took one trip on Princess and would never go back. As far as value, if you sail from the mainland you are paying for 8 sea days. If your goal is to see the islands that is money out the window.

 

Sent from my XT1032 using Forums mobile app

[paiagirl]

No I haven't. For years I said I will never sail on a Carnival ship or go to Alaska. Now look at what I have done and will do. I also thought I will never go to Utah and Las Vegas or north of Boston. Guess where I went?

 

Obviously I have to learn more about NCL to figure out if I would be happy on a "floating hotel" after my experience on the Sapphire Princess. If food in ports is better than anything on the POA and service on the ship is no better than I find elsewhere, I would have to think about value for the money as well as itinerary. That is the main issue here.

 

I saw that you have also posted on the Hawaii ports of call:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2179233

 

We were on our first Princess cruise on the SAPPHIRE PRINCESS about 2 or 3 years ago on a 7 day cruise to San Francisco and I thought the food was terrible. It really turned me off because I have read cruisers write that Princess food is better than NCL. A few months ago, we were on another Princess cruise and a lady next to me at dinner told me that they had a cruise with the worst food that at each port, they ate their meal at port. I asked her what ship. She told me, SAPPHIRE PRINCESS. I told her of our experience. Glad to say that our food on the other Princess cruisers were a lot better.

 

Just had to tell you about our experience. We all have our views.

 

Have fun which ever way you see Hawaii.

[Ilovesailing]

I'll bite my tongue on this one.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Ilovesailing

[NYcruzzer]

It seems like I can't win here: POA has a better itinerary but is not a great ship. I told myself for years I will never sail on any NCL ship, even that one. Now I'm not so sure about that because the Celebrity Solstice only repositions there so I can't choose my cruise dates. Ideally I would like to cruise when there are pods of whales, not a few getting ready to migrate, and visit all four major islands. It would suck to sacrifice great food, entertainment, etc. for the sake of visiting all four islands and seeing lots of humpbacks. Should I ignore the 3-star rating and book a POA cruise for the ports or sail on a better ship that visits fewer ports of call?

 

Don't sacrifice...sail on the "better ship".. Sail on Celebrity. Bon Voyage !

Edited June 19, 2015 by NYcruzzer