POA 12/16 tidbits

[AlaskanGrits]

After an amazing trip I figured I would post some tidbits about NCL's POA. This is going to be more random thoughts about things we wondered about than a classic review. Cruise Critic was by far the most helpful resource to us, but with POA there are relatively fewer reviews and insights, less active roll calls, and generally less information about this voyage compared to others we have enjoyed. So here is our contribution about our random thoughts.

 

The ship is great! It is an "older" ship but all new in 2016 so the floors, walls, furniture etc were all perfectly new. Reviews from only a couple of years ago simply do not apply. If you work hard, you can see evidence the ship is not brand new, but nothing "old" detracted from our enjoyment of her. She is a smaller ship but since there is no Casino the space compromises are nominal. The ship had everything we hoped it would - just usually a bit smaller and it takes a little more effort to find some of it. The gym (which is even "big" once you find it) seems almost hidden (there is an outside entrance past the kids club rooms on 12). Teppanyaki has only 2 tables and is also hard to find (it is inside East Meets West without it's own entrance).

 

The buffet is small and the food is "fine". The desserts are very limited compared to Escape or Getaway. Maybe that is a good thing in hindsight. The Specialty restaurants are good enough. East Meets West is a great concept but very small and a rather limited menu. The food was good for a "free" (or included, really) venue. Book early if you want to try it.

 

Our room was really amazing. We booked an "Owners Suite" (SC). This was our first NCL "suite" without a Haven and we wondered if it was worth spending money on a suite without the Haven on a port intensive cruise. We did not miss the Haven, and we were glad we stayed in the Suite, although this is a good cruise to save some money on the room as you will likely see less of it. The use of Cagneys as effectively the (non) Haven restaurant, along with small ship without crowds, renders the Haven "area" sort of irrelevant. The Butler works the same as the Haven. The Suite does not come with 3 bottles of anything beside wine given Hawaii has some laws evidently on this. Also there is no unlimited drink plan. But Pepsi products and water is re-filled by your Butler (in certain Suites). Pat was professional and courteous. The Suite concierge, Chris, was helpful facilitating excursions, tables, or even rent-a-car coordination. We were surprised at how laid back the ship was. The vibe was definitely different than on Escape. No One tried to push a meal or drink plan at all. They were there if you needed them but not on top of you.

 

The highlight of the ship is the time it affords you on the Islands. The opportunities are endless. We had time with the "overnight" stays to have a "crazy" excursion on one day and than a laid back day to rent a car and tour on our own the other day(s). This worked perfect for us. We booked the excursions in advance but the car rental days we winged until the night before and despite it being the week before Christmas we had no trouble securing last minute reasonably priced (for last minute Christmas time in Hawaii) rental cars (give or take $100 depending on car size). The shuttle at the port made it so easy. The second time. We took a taxi to the car rental the first time not knowing this was an option.

 

Wi-Fi was very good and not very much needed. You are either at port or close enough to it most waking hours so that you have full cell coverage (for US major carrier passengers). I did get the Wi-Fi anyway (I thought it came with the package but it did not actually), but didn't need get nearly through the 250 minutes. As a tip I noticed the "unlimited package was cheaper on day 2 and day 3 and then unavailable. I really liked the idea of spending a bit less using it fewer days, still getting unlimited minutes.

 

Embarking was very simple. We arrived about 11:30 and walked right through to turn our luggage in with no line. Then the suit room line was only one family deep and the standard line looked no worse. We were on the ship in less than 15 minutes after arrival.

 

We were disappointed to find the Marriott was full and so our NCL "free night" was at the Aston. On paper the Aston looks about the same as the Marriott, but the reviews, including pictures and stories, really scared us off. Perhaps it is lovely after all, but we figured we would be tired enough not to care about staying at some luxury resort, but exhausted enough to care that we could sleep and get the most out of the start of the cruise. We chose to stay the night before at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It was perfect. So much right there, close to the port, clean, and very reasonably priced. We stayed on points but it looks like you could get a room for $100 - $300. The room was comfortable. Noise was limited to 7:45 fireworks (Friday night). The Rainbow Tower is close to the beach and so is the Ali'i which we stayed in after reading reviews about the long check in at the other towers (which have a joint check in unlike Ali'i). There was a line for the main check in but it wasn't terrible. The Ali'i had no line at all but took a little more effort to locate.

 

The crew were entirely friendly. We saw some reviews about a supposedly less friendly "American" crew. We simply disagree. They were ad helpful and friendly as any cruise. I did not like one comment from the hostess at Cagney's asking me to remove my baseball hat at 6:30 am breakfast, but she was just doing her job. Really I don't get the no hat policy at breakfast and didn't expect it given the "Freestyle" image. Not worth more time on that other than it's the only "moment" that was less than 100% pleasant.

 

Overall this was a perfect cruise experience. The ship and staff are wonderful. Of course the Islands are insanely beautiful and opportunities for memorable excursion experiences abound. The weather in December was perfect but for 24 hours when it rained resulting in cancellation of water excursions in Kona. Some helicopter tours got cancelled in Hilo which it sounds like happens a bit. We were able to get ours in having read to book them early since the weather seems to build more often after the morning.

 

Hopefully there is some nugget in here for someone considering this cruise the way we found so many which helped planning ours. Aloha!

 

 

 

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[Crazy planning mom]

Excellent post. I particularly agree with your obsevations about the we crew and ship.

[Silver Sweethearts]

I did not like one comment from the hostess at Cagney's asking me to remove my baseball hat at 6:30 am breakfast, but she was just doing her job. Really I don't get the no hat policy at breakfast and didn't expect it given the "Freestyle" image. Not worth more time on that other than it's the only "moment" that was less than 100% pleasant.

 

In reading about the venue, we found several references to where it is considered a specialty restaurant in which a no hats rule applies at all times.

[ColinIllinois]

In reading about the venue, we found several references to where it is considered a specialty restaurant in which a no hats rule applies at all times.

 

 

No baseball hats rule also applies to the MDR's according to the dress code on NCL.com.

 

"We want you to be comfortable, but tank tops for men, flip flops, baseball caps, visors and jeans that are overly faded, with holes or tears and worn below the hips are not permitted in main dining rooms or specialty restaurants."

 

https://www.ncl.com/faq#what-clothes-should---pack

 

Unfortunately on various ships NCL is selective about enforcing dress codes, but that's a subject for another thread.

[AlaskanGrits]

Thanks Crazy Planning Mom especially for your helpful posts I ready before our journey! ColinIllinois and Silver Sweethearts, thanks for the input on the hat. I understand the hat policy and don't really take issue with it at dinner or at the "fancy" locations like Jeffersons. Mostly I mentioned the "incident" to highlight the absence of anything more substantial, as the staff were so pleasant and helpful. But I do think that rolling out of bed for an early breakfast and freestyle cruising are at odds with thinking much about hats, for what that's worth. I had not really read up on a dress policy given I try to dress appropriately and it just never has been an issue for me. So I was surprised by the policy which clearly is there in black and white. I also thought at the time the tone from this individual was a bit demeaning, although I could have just been sensitive. She may also be annoyed at having to say this often which was reflected in her tone rather than anything intentional, as I bet I am not alone in being surprised at this venue at this time (breakfast usually on the way to a sunny excursion) there was such a policy. In no way did this detract from this trip.

 

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[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for your input on POA. It is true there are not alot of reviews so I have pieced parts together to create a whole. Our pre-cruise, cruise, and post-cruise is mainly for my DGD and DD. I can't wait to see her face tomorrow when she receives her gift from her mom and myself. We did the similar idea to yours the crazy exhausting excursion the first day and something more laid back the second day. We booked all independent excursions with the exception of the short Pearl Harbor and a trip to the airport with NCL on disembarkation day. Saved the $$ and booked a balcony since POA will be our floating hotel and booked several days pre-cruise at the Hale Koa and yes, more excursions. It is nice to read a positive take on the employees of POA.

[AlaskanGrits]

Linda the Book Lover what a wonderful present and surprise! You will all have an amazing time. The private tours and being "on your own" was easy on this cruise. We also did the NCL assisted Early Bird Pearl Harbor tour on the way back and it was a perfect way to manage the luggage before the airport and get to see Peal Harbor with plenty of time to spend and to spare.

 

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[BirdTravels]

Mahalo!

[sh1955]

Do you happen to know what type of coffee machines are in the suites?

[AlaskanGrits]

Sh1955 we never used ours, preferring John Adams bar (LaVazza) or the French press at Cagneys, but it looked like Nespresso with the little pods. I will try posting my first photo of it but no promises

 

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[AlaskanGrits]

Here is the coffee machine in the suite. Quality is poor as it is a zoomed clip from a far away photo.

 

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