Shhhh... Brand X cruiser looking at Pride for the March SFO Crossing to HNL

[Granny DI]

We've cruised on almost every line. We are suite people now and NOTHING compares to the Haven on the Breakaway. This includes the Royal Suite on the Celebrity Millennium! We have our 3rd cruise booked in an Haven AFt penthouse for May. We have $300 OBC, drinks package, specialty restaurants package and gratuities for about 1/3 of the cost of an equivalent suite on Celebrity, RCL etc.....We have a HAL cruise in a Neptune Suite booked for 2017 and it is double the cost of a Haven suite with no GOODIES!!! Chose it for the itinerary and the new ship. The other thing we love about the suite life on NCL is that it isn't stuffy like so many of the lines. No formal wear needed!

 

I have never sailed on the POA so can't tell you anything about the ship but look forward to this special cruise out of SF. It's never been done before so it will be an adventure. I have been looking for a one way cruise to Hawaii for at least 10 years. We are spending an extra week in Kauai so this is perfect for us. We did the NCL Hawaiian Island cruise in 2006 on a ship that was substituted for the POA. We loved the cruise.

 

I know absolutely nothing about SE's or SG's on the POA but the ratings are very good. We are very excited..even my DH who hates sea days!

[dexddd]

I'm a fixated cruiser on 'Brand X' but live in the SF bay area and am seriously thinking about cruising on the 'unique' 11 night SFO to HNL in March 2016. We cruised on Pride about 5 years ago for a charter and loved the ship. We were in one of those kinda funky SJ suites that had a boat in front of the window and a tiny second bedroom and bath, not a real suite as we didn't get any perks. Anyhow, I have a question, which is better, an SE or an SG? Not sure what the difference since we are generally familiar to *cough cough* 'Band X' with names for their different suite categories.

 

Pat

 

I see there has been some discussion of suite perks, here is the list as far as we know (there may have been some changes) on page 2 under Waldospepper:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2059939&page=2

 

As far as when you were last in an NCL suite and experience, from our experience it has been average on NCL. Some people tell of being treated like royalty at every step and others as you described.

[jmele999]

Is this cruise stopping at a foreign port? If not, is NCL violating some law regarding the transport of passengers from one US port to another one without stopping at a foreign port.

[dexddd]

They try to schedule the dockings for POA in Honolulu, using the US Navy's Pearl Harbor drydock, when the Navy isn't using it. It gets sublet to San Francisco Shipyard. She was scheduled for her regulatory docking later this year (the last one in 2013 was for addition of the cabins), but the Navy preempted them. So, they scrambled and found the first available slot in SF. A friend at NCL says that there will be quite a lot of changes to the hotel (its about 3 weeks in shipyard) due to the changes in management at the top. I don't know if this is cabin changes or changes or new motifs for the public venues.

 

Thanks for the update.

[Granny DI]

Not even close to the Jade. The POA was originally being built for Hawaiian American Cruises in Pascagoula, MS, but when that company went bankrupt, NCL stepped in and took the unfinished hull off the US taxpayers' hands (US federal loan guarantees to the shipyard), completed it in Germany, and named it the POA. It is a design unique to itself (actually there was originally to be two ships, but the second one only got as far as steel cutting).

 

Thanks for the info. There were originally 3 ships that NCL planned to sail Hawaii...the Jade was one of them. NCL decided to just keep POA in Hawaii. Always lots of rumors the Jade will be redeployed to Hawaii. The POA had a big problem when being built in Germany...it sunk, so NCL had to scramble to bring another ship to Hawaii. I think it was the present day Sun. I think the name was Pride of Hawaii...anyway we sailed on that ship in Jan 2005. I don't remember when the POA finally arrived in Hawaii. We have never sailed on the POA. We've only sailed the Norwegian Crown, Pride of Hawaii?, Epic and Breakaway.

[Granny DI]

Is this cruise stopping at a foreign port? If not, is NCL violating some law regarding the transport of passengers from one US port to another one without stopping at a foreign port.

 

The POA transports passengers every Sat from HNL to HNL without stopping at a foreign port. That's why the POA has no casino and strange liquor rules. It's been doing this for at least 10 years.

[chengkp75]

Is this cruise stopping at a foreign port? If not, is NCL violating some law regarding the transport of passengers from one US port to another one without stopping at a foreign port.

 

No, the POA is the only US flag deep sea cruise vessel, so because it is US flag, the PVSA has the opposite effect on her than any other cruise ship out there, it allows the ship to transport passengers between US ports.

[Merriem]

Thanks for the info. That is a great deal. Just emailed my TA and we have an SG. Such a nice trip. Thanks for the info.

[dexddd]

I see there has been some discussion of suite perks, here is the list as far as we know (there may have been some changes) on page 2 under Waldospepper:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2059939&page=2

 

As far as when you were last in an NCL suite and experience, from our experience it has been average on NCL. Some people tell of being treated like royalty at every step and others as you described.

 

I forgot to mention that there seems to be some slight differences on PoA like what free wine/booze the various suites get. Plus you are supposedly not allowed to order a bar setup (applies to all room types).

[Granny DI]

Thanks for the info. That is a great deal. Just emailed my TA and we have an SG. Such a nice trip. Thanks for the info.

 

I heard about this cruise on cc but suites weren't available yet...jumped all over it when the suites came online. My TA didn't know a thing about the cruise. Thank you CC!

 

We have friends who love to sail in the "high end" suites on other lines... aka 17k per person. They sailed with us on the Breakaway in a Haven AFT suite without the goodies and they can't wait to go back. They are also sailing on this cruise with us in the best suite because it was a real bargain for them.

 

I can overlook a lot of things if I'm sailing at a bargain price...if I think I paid too much then I can be a little "fussy".

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I wish I had known about this itinerary before booking a B2B in the Caribbean for February 2016. Studio prices on POA are always really high due to there only being four of them. Presently studios are listed at $1,799 for 11 nights rather than the more typical $2,500-$3,000 for 7 nights.

 

Oh well, too many cruises and not enough time. :cool:

[jmele999]

No, the POA is the only US flag deep sea cruise vessel, so because it is US flag, the PVSA has the opposite effect on her than any other cruise ship out there, it allows the ship to transport passengers between US ports.

 

Thanks for the info. I forgot that the PVSA does not apply to US-flagged vessel.

 

I wish that NCL would offer that itinerary more often, but I understand that they are doing very well with their 7-day Hawaiian Island cruise.

 

Maybe we have to wait another 5 years (next dry dock if it happens in the west coast) to be able to do a west coast to Hawaii cruise.

[punkincc]

Sign up for the rollcall - we have a few folks already. This sailing came available about 1.5 months ago but studios and suites were not initially available. Studios never appeared to be available and suites came online 7/2 or 7/3 which is when we booked.

 

Did you get any promos? None for PoA at beginning of July as PoA was excluded. For this sailing they did introduce some upgrades from Inside to OV and OV to Balcony. Only other promos I've seen lately for any PoA sailing have been $300 obc for suites but very limited dates.

 

Thanks, I'll sign up for the roll call as soon as I have a chance. I was on vacation beginning July 2. Explains how I probably missed the news. Just glad I found out about it in time to get an SG suite. An SE might have been better, but no complaints here. I think the SGs are showing sold out now, but, Hint Hint, there will be a couple SGs which are currently on hold, 11508 and 11028 that will be released at 11:29 PM tonight if anyone is wanting one.

 

No promo perks that I can determine as far as OBC or dinner packages. Too bad you can't get a liquor package due to Hawaii's liquor laws, and a casino would have been fun on the crossing, but that will just save us some money in the long run.

[punkincc]

Thanks for the info. I forgot that the PVSA does not apply to US-flagged vessel.

 

I wish that NCL would offer that itinerary more often, but I understand that they are doing very well with their 7-day Hawaiian Island cruise.

 

Maybe we have to wait another 5 years (next dry dock if it happens in the west coast) to be able to do a west coast to Hawaii cruise.

 

 

Who know how long it will be as POA dry docks usually are done in Hawaii. And this is definately a unique cruise from SFO. I swore I would never do a one way from the mainland for Hawaii. Too many sea days, I always said, and I would much rather spend that time IN Hawaii. But we just did the POA 8- 2014, and when I saw this NCL "one of" crossing I just couldn't resist.

 

The itinerary on the POA inter island is definately much better in comparison to what we'll get on this SFO to Hawaii crossing. This one has way more limited port time in the islands, but with the price, it was a no brainer.

[punkincc]

I wish I had known about this itinerary before booking a B2B in the Caribbean for February 2016. Studio prices on POA are always really high due to there only being four of them. Presently studios are listed at $1,799 for 11 nights rather than the more typical $2,500-$3,000 for 7 nights.

 

Oh well, too many cruises and not enough time. :cool:

 

 

Come on Cruiser Bruiser, the Caribbean will always be there. This is a unique chance to sail NCL TO Hawaii. And when will you ever find that price again!?

 

I say cancel the B2B in favor of the SFO to Hawaii and tack on some days at the end on one of the islands.:p

[Pat&Paul]

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Edited July 26, 2015 by Pat&Paul
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[Pat&Paul]

 

No promo perks that I can determine as far as OBC or dinner packages. Too bad you can't get a liquor package due to Hawaii's liquor laws, and a casino would have been fun on the crossing, but that will just save us some money in the long run.

 

Thanks for all the replies you guys have been really helpful. We are going to skip this cruise though, all the decent priced suites are sold out. Also because of the fact that they have to exclude the beverage package promotion, it's just not a really good deal to us. We'll consider another NCL cruise in the future though, if we get the perks in a suite that other ships get.

[bonvoyagie]

I don't see why they need to continue the HI liquor laws outside of the state. They could offer a limited UBP for the TP crossing portion.

 

The last time this kind of cruise was offered was back in 2004 and 2005 when the three ships were being put into service. All had special sailings from SF to HI.

[chengkp75]

Thanks for the info. There were originally 3 ships that NCL planned to sail Hawaii...the Jade was one of them. NCL decided to just keep POA in Hawaii. Always lots of rumors the Jade will be redeployed to Hawaii. The POA had a big problem when being built in Germany...it sunk, so NCL had to scramble to bring another ship to Hawaii. I think it was the present day Sun. I think the name was Pride of Hawaii...anyway we sailed on that ship in Jan 2005. I don't remember when the POA finally arrived in Hawaii. We have never sailed on the POA. We've only sailed the Norwegian Crown, Pride of Hawaii?, Epic and Breakaway.

 

It was the Norwegian Sky that was rushed to reflag in San Francisco as the Pride of Aloha, which I was on for the entire 4 years she flew the US flag. Then came the America, after refloating and repairs from the sinking, then the Hawaii (now Jade) was built in Papenburg. The Sky will never return to US flag, and unfortunately, I'm doubtful that the Hawaii will return either.

[chengkp75]

Thanks for the info. I forgot that the PVSA does not apply to US-flagged vessel.

 

I wish that NCL would offer that itinerary more often, but I understand that they are doing very well with their 7-day Hawaiian Island cruise.

 

Maybe we have to wait another 5 years (next dry dock if it happens in the west coast) to be able to do a west coast to Hawaii cruise.

 

Given the number of sea days, and the additional fuel required for the transit from the West Coast, these voyages can not compete with the foreign flag Vancouver to Hawaii one ways.

[chengkp75]

I don't see why they need to continue the HI liquor laws outside of the state. They could offer a limited UBP for the TP crossing portion.

 

The last time this kind of cruise was offered was back in 2004 and 2005 when the three ships were being put into service. All had special sailings from SF to HI.

 

Because they would have to sell the package only for the transit portion of the cruise. Once it hit the first Hawaiian port, the liquor laws prevail, so this would be pretty much of an accounting nightmare, and most probably lead to many squabbles over price, when beverages were purchased, etc, etc, etc.

[Granny DI]

It was the Norwegian Sky that was rushed to reflag in San Francisco as the Pride of Aloha, which I was on for the entire 4 years she flew the US flag. Then came the America, after refloating and repairs from the sinking, then the Hawaii (now Jade) was built in Papenburg. The Sky will never return to US flag, and unfortunately, I'm doubtful that the Hawaii will return either.

 

Thanks so much for the info. I have corrected my records. We booked the POA while under construction...then the phone call from the TA that the ship had sunk. NCL wanted our reservation so much that they gave us a penthouse suite # 8001 for the cost of the balcony we had reserved on the POA.

[chengkp75]

Thanks so much for the info. I have corrected my records. We booked the POA while under construction...then the phone call from the TA that the ship had sunk. NCL wanted our reservation so much that they gave us a penthouse suite # 8001 for the cost of the balcony we had reserved on the POA.

 

I had my bags packed and was scheduled to fly to Germany to join the America in the shipyard on Saturday when the company called on Friday and told me not to fly, as the ship had sunk at the dock. About a month later, most of the US senior officers slated for the America were sent to San Juan to join the Sky for familiarization (about 2 months) and then the repo to San Francisco for shipyard.

[Granny DI]

What was the date of the first cruise of the Pride of Aloha? We sailed 1/30/05 - 2/6/05. We loved the cruise!

 

 

Just read a SE has opened up on the POA for the SF to HNL cruise...as I said yesterday the inventory changes by the hour!

[chengkp75]

What was the date of the first cruise of the Pride of Aloha? We sailed 1/30/05 - 2/6/05. We loved the cruise!

 

 

Just read a SE has opened up on the POA for the SF to HNL cruise...as I said yesterday the inventory changes by the hour!

 

After the shipyard, we did a 2 night non-revenue cruise to Santa Barbara for TA's and media, June 11-13, 2004. Then a repo similar to what the America is doing now, and the christening on July 4th, 2004, and then started the one week itineraries July 4th.

Edited July 26, 2015 by chengkp75