june123 Posted July 13, 2015 #1 Share Posted July 13, 2015 First of all thank you for looking at this thread . Hubby and i are looking into taking this cruise 2017 so i`m starting my research as we don`t know a lot about the islands and this will be our first visit . I was sure i read in someones review ages ago that on one evening during this cruise you pass active lava flows going into the sea at night . If so this must look spectacular . I haven`t been able to find any info to back this up so it may have been my imagination . Does anyone know if this is correct ? if so which day / island . Also i believe a balcony cabin on the port side would be best for viewing the sail past of na`pali but looking at the route the starboard side looks best for viewing the big island . Any recommendations ? Many thanks x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minaco Posted July 13, 2015 #2 Share Posted July 13, 2015 We have sailed on POA twoce. First in 2009 and then again in 2012. On our first cruise we were able to see the lava flowing quite freely into the ocean. We went up to the observation deck as the entire ship was a buzz with excitement. However, on the second cruise, the lava was no longer flowing into the ocean. It is constantly changing. You won't know until your sail date if you may see lava or not. That being said, the port side does have great views of the Napali coast which has narration being announced at the same time. The ship does turn around to afford the starboard side a view too. But, it isn't as long of an experience, as the ship begins to sail off into the distance after a few minutes losing sight of Kauaii. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted July 13, 2015 #3 Share Posted July 13, 2015 First of all thank you for looking at this thread . Hubby and i are looking into taking this cruise 2017 so i`m starting my research as we don`t know a lot about the islands and this will be our first visit .I was sure i read in someones review ages ago that on one evening during this cruise you pass active lava flows going into the sea at night . If so this must look spectacular . I haven`t been able to find any info to back this up so it may have been my imagination . Does anyone know if this is correct ? if so which day / island . Also i believe a balcony cabin on the port side would be best for viewing the sail past of na`pali but looking at the route the starboard side looks best for viewing the big island . Any recommendations ? Many thanks x IF you get the opportunity to view lava flowing into the sea it will be at the big island (Hawaii) probably after your stop in Hilo. I say IF because it is up to mother nature whether or not any lava is entering the sea when you are there. The volcano has been active for year and has been flowing into the sea for much of that time. We have never seen it from sea, but have seen it at night from shore and it is quiet spectacular. If you cruise by the Na Pali coast I believe that you would have better views from a port side balcony, however that is a day time pass by and anywhere on deck will provide wonderful views. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel-b Posted July 13, 2015 #4 Share Posted July 13, 2015 First of all thank you for looking at this thread . Hubby and i are looking into taking this cruise 2017 so i`m starting my research as we don`t know a lot about the islands and this will be our first visit .I was sure i read in someones review ages ago that on one evening during this cruise you pass active lava flows going into the sea at night . If so this must look spectacular . I haven`t been able to find any info to back this up so it may have been my imagination . Does anyone know if this is correct ? if so which day / island . Also i believe a balcony cabin on the port side would be best for viewing the sail past of na`pali but looking at the route the starboard side looks best for viewing the big island . Any recommendations ? Many thanks x Hi June123. We sailed the POA mid June of this year. The lava flow on Big Island was not flowing towards the sea. At least, where it would be seen from a sail-by on the POA. When we were at the Volcano National Park, a guide mentioned this has been the case for some time. The lava is best seen via air (helicopter). At least, in April it was. As mentioned above, these conditions can change frequently. NCL promotes the sail-by on the evening the POA would sail from Hilo to Kona. There's no way to know at this time what the lava flow condition will be like on the Big Island in 2017. As for balcony cabins - I throw my hat into the suggestion ring by recommending an aft balcony cabin. When we sailed past the Na Pali coast, we happened to be in the aft bar area called Aloha cafe, having drinks with friends. This was a great area to view the Na Pali coast from. As we turned around to sail away from the coast, we saw two whales breaching in the ship's wake. And the sun was setting as well. It was amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azappraiser Posted July 13, 2015 #5 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) No lava flowing when we went last September, but I will 2nd Mel-B on the Aft Balcony. We had an amazing view of the Na Pali coast on the way in and on the way out... no whales, but we did get to see some spinner dolphins playing in the wake and I was fortunate enough to capture a sunset that was absolutely stunning; both as we were sailing away from Kauai & headed back to Honolulu. DW also caught an amazing sunrise from our balcony while in port on our 2nd day on Kauai. What I enjoyed most about the aft balcony was sitting out there with my cup of coffee... listening to the wake and watching the sun come up... what a way to start a day. ;) Edited July 13, 2015 by azappraiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retiring cajun Posted July 13, 2015 #6 Share Posted July 13, 2015 azappraiser, we had a chance to book aft balcony, decided to stay midship. 4 couples. I would have chosen the aft if alone. my question is, any vibrations, motor noises, swaying in this location. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azappraiser Posted July 14, 2015 #7 Share Posted July 14, 2015 azappraiser, we had a chance to book aft balcony, decided to stay midship. 4 couples. I would have chosen the aft if alone. my question is, any vibrations, motor noises, swaying in this location. thanks We were on deck 9 and I really didn't feel any vibrations what so ever. And, the only noise I heard was the water churning from the prop wash in the wake; which was very calming. One thing to remember, the islands are so close to one another, the ship is basically just plodding along when sailing from port to port. Also, during our cruise, the seas were very calm... hardly any motion detected at all. In fact, our flight over wasn't nearly as smooth as the cruise. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
june123 Posted July 14, 2015 Author #8 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Thank you all so much x you answered my question so quickly for me . Much appreciated x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retiring cajun Posted August 10, 2015 #9 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Are balconies covered on 9th deck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel-b Posted August 10, 2015 #10 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Are balconies covered on 9th deck? Our cabin, 9700, was mostly covered. There is a section, maybe 1/3 of the deck at the railing that is not covered. The good thing IMO is this gives option for catching sun on the balcony if that's desired or staying in the shade. I meant to fix an error of my post above. I think I mentioned we sailed mid June but it was mid April! Sorry about that, have no idea why I typed that. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted August 10, 2015 #11 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I also have questions for POA experts: We have cruised before but not on NCL. I have created an online account for a Dec 2016 cruise. I have attempted to make various reservations but have been unable to. What calendar date can I expect to be able to make dinner reservations and shorex? thanks everyone! c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notion_of_the_Ocean Posted August 10, 2015 #12 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Do a helicopter tour in Kauai. Here is my video showcasing the tour I went on July 24th. https://www.dropbox.com/s/r7wyteyq8dmr50k/Jurassic%20Falls%20Helicopter%20Tour.mp4?dl=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitCatBrat Posted August 10, 2015 #13 Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) I also have questions for POA experts: We have cruised before but not on NCL. I have created an online account for a Dec 2016 cruise. I have attempted to make various reservations but have been unable to. What calendar date can I expect to be able to make dinner reservations and shorex? thanks everyone! c If I remember correctly, I believe I was able to make my dinner reservations online about 90-100 days out? Shore excursions a little earlier than that. Edited August 10, 2015 by KitCatBrat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalervyC Posted August 10, 2015 #14 Share Posted August 10, 2015 We sailed May 2013 and the lava was flowing into the ocean. From what I heard, it is no longer since the earthquake in Japan. If you are sailing in 2017 that could very well change. The sail by happens on Hilo day...or I should say that night. We booked deck 6 and had the bump out room so our balcony only had one wall. We felt like it was bigger - not sure if it was. Also we were starboard. I would recommend checking out the Hawaii boards. The best advice I had was to rent cars and drive ourselves everywhere. It was so easy and we saved tons of money. We brought our own GPS as well. We did Kipu Ranch ATV in Kauai. I would recommend to anyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted August 11, 2015 #15 Share Posted August 11, 2015 KitCatBrat- thanks for the info on dining reservations! I've noted that on our calendar. We are sailing on a family reunion so i'm gleaning info for everyone. Some of them might want a couple of the shorex; we'll probably do diy everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pspercy Posted August 11, 2015 #16 Share Posted August 11, 2015 For island info the State of Hawaii has free booklets you can send for: http://www.gohawaii.com/en/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retiring cajun Posted August 13, 2015 #17 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Just arrived for our 11day land & sea tour. POA Marriott Waikiki. Too early for room. Beautiful day! Sitting at Lulu's for lunch. Have to say the NCL office in hotel was not very noticeable. Not very welcoming either. Oh well, won't ruin my day[emoji4] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retiring cajun Posted August 14, 2015 #18 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Enjoying Mariott Waikiki hotel. NCL tour of Polynesian Cultural Center. Very interesting. Hot, humid day. Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexddd Posted August 14, 2015 #19 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Enjoying Mariott Waikiki hotel. NCL tour of Polynesian Cultural Center. Very interesting. Hot, humid day. Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor tour. Have fun. See if you can find out any info about the drydock coming up. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
df5250 Posted August 15, 2015 #20 Share Posted August 15, 2015 For island info the State of Hawaii has free booklets you can send for: http://www.gohawaii.com/en/ I have also found these brochures via an iPhone/iPad app with downloadable versions of the 2015/2016 guides. It's called the 'OfficialHawaiian Islands Visitors' Guide" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawgator Posted August 19, 2015 #21 Share Posted August 19, 2015 For island info the State of Hawaii has free booklets you can send for: http://www.gohawaii.com/en/ Wow...this is a really great website. Thanks so much for sharing this information. I just sent off for all their booklets to go along with the AAA Hawaii tourbook and ones from the public library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted August 19, 2015 #22 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) We're getting ready for a prolonged trip on another cruise line and I used Frommers.com and Fodors.com for many ports and cities. frommers diy walking tours are wonderful and there are maps which match the walking tour. Take a look: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/hawaii Edited August 19, 2015 by cbb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amychita Posted August 26, 2015 #23 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I'm gonna go ahead and take advantage of this thread because calling all the experts sounds exactly what I need :) First of all congrats on booking and researching so early! the lava thing sounds awesome! we are also looking forward to see that!. Our cruise is in 20 something days and all I have is one dinning reservation hehehe So this is our first cruise, my first time in Hawaii (and I'm in charge of planning for the whole group of 8 people!) so I want to know what can we do that is not crazy expensive to enhance our cruise experience :) so far I just figured about a hop on hop off bus in Hilo that is $20 each. The group is my husband's family so ages from 60 to 25 :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VideoTech Posted August 26, 2015 #24 Share Posted August 26, 2015 (edited) I'm gonna go ahead and take advantage of this thread because calling all the experts sounds exactly what I need :) First of all congrats on booking and researching so early! the lava thing sounds awesome! we are also looking forward to see that!. Our cruise is in 20 something days and all I have is one dinning reservation hehehe So this is our first cruise, my first time in Hawaii (and I'm in charge of planning for the whole group of 8 people!) so I want to know what can we do that is not crazy expensive to enhance our cruise experience :) so far I just figured about a hop on hop off bus in Hilo that is $20 each. The group is my husband's family so ages from 60 to 25 :p There's a link to my POA Hawaii review, and to a review of rental cars in Hawaii, down there in my sig. First of all, Hawaii is an expensive place. Not just for doing things, but even for things like meals & gas. Makes sense when you realize that almost everything has to be imported. You can definitely find less expensive things to do, particularly if you do NOT book your excursions through the ship. You can book almost all the ship's excursions, and others, directly through tour operators websites and you'll pay a lot less. However, do remember that when you book your own excursions, you are responsible for getting back to the ship on time. The ship will NOT wait for you if you are late, and then you'll have to fly on to the next island to catch up with the ship. Given the size and age range of your group, I think the hardest part will be finding things that everyone wants to do together. If you want to stay together and do some touring, you could rent a van at any or all of the stops, and do the driving yourself. Go online and also get some good Hawaii travel guides and research where and what. If you decide to drive the "Road to Hana" as many do, be aware that it takes a long time...often longer than people expect. If you have members in your group who just want to hit the beaches, you can do that on almost any island using a taxi - and on some islands, there are great beaches within walking distance of the ship dock. Also, staying inexpensive: There are often buses at the cruise ports that will take you for free to a shopping area nearby...and those are often near good beaches! Hop on the bus, take it to the shopping area, and walk to the beach. Use the bus to get back to the ship again. Definitely read a lot on the Hawaii cruise port board here. There's plenty of good advice there. Finally, do not miss Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, either before or after the cruise. I'm sure you'll love the cruise. It's a great way to get a taste of Hawaii. Edited August 26, 2015 by VideoTech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greatlakesgirl Posted August 26, 2015 #25 Share Posted August 26, 2015 (edited) I'm gonna go ahead and take advantage of this thread because calling all the experts sounds exactly what I need :) First of all congrats on booking and researching so early! the lava thing sounds awesome! we are also looking forward to see that!. Our cruise is in 20 something days and all I have is one dinning reservation hehehe So this is our first cruise, my first time in Hawaii (and I'm in charge of planning for the whole group of 8 people!) so I want to know what can we do that is not crazy expensive to enhance our cruise experience :) so far I just figured about a hop on hop off bus in Hilo that is $20 each. The group is my husband's family so ages from 60 to 25 :p There's no lava flow currently entering the sea, though that can change at any time. You'll probably have to take a helicopter flight to see it right now. Our group of 8 went about a year and a half ago. I and my brother-in-law did all the planning so I know how overwhelming it can be! We did have some specifics that we wanted to do: Oahu - Pearl Harbor and North Shore. Maui - Iao Valley, Lahaina Town, and Molokini Snorkel (which we booked through the ship just for convenience). Hilo - Punalu'u black sand beach and Volcanoes National Park. Kona - just walk around. Kauai - North Shore for my family of four and mom-in-law and Waimea Canyon for brother-in-law's family. Everything else that we did and saw just sort of fell into place during our touring, which we did cheap and easy through Discount Hawaii Car Rentals. We loved have the ease and convenience of rental cars. All the car rental companies send shuttles to the port and also will shuttle you back after dropping off your car. Here's a link to my review if you're interested in reading about what we did. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2014664 Hope you all have a great time! Edited August 26, 2015 by greatlakesgirl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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