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Pride of America 11 days Land & Sea (Hawaii)

RonenLin

By RonenLin,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Silver Sweethearts

Silver Sweethearts

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, RonenLin said:

Is the 3 extra days in a hotel worth the extra cost? Also do they include food during these 3 days and excursions? On another note, what excursions are worth going on in each of the islands?

 

For best results, you may want to pose your questions on the Hawaii message board too.

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don't-use-real-name

don't-use-real-name

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The normal cruise itinerary is the 7 day circuit of the Islands of Ohau Maui Hawaii and Kauai.

 

Is this 11 day cruise the ship positioning cruise from the mainland to Hawaii to start

off island cruising 2022 - ??? the 3 extra days of hotel - the routine island sailing there

are no hotels involved - overnight accommodations are on the ship - extra hotels nights

pre-post cruise are usually at the guests own expense - puzzled ??? 

 

The POA is unique as it is the only flagged ship to do this without a foreign port call (PVSA).

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Middleager

Middleager

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2 hours ago, RonenLin said:

Is the 3 extra days in a hotel worth the extra cost? Also do they include food during these 3 days and excursions? On another note, what excursions are worth going on in each of the islands?

We'd stay extra days in Hawaii for as long as possible, but to tour ourselves.  Hawaii is easy to drive, other than rush hour in Honolulu/Waikiki.  There're lots to do in each island for different like/taste/budget. 

 

For example, in Maui we did Road to Hana, drive up Mt. Haleakala, Iao Valley, scuba diving at Molikini, drove around Lahaina north to Kahalui (lots of windy/hairpin roads but beautiful).  In Kauai, see Napali Coast on helicopter, drive/hike Waimea Canyon and enjoy Poipu Beach, drive north through taro field, to snorkel at Ke'e Beach.  You need to do some research to see there's lots to do.

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Beachiekeen

Beachiekeen

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We stayed 3 nights on Oahu before the cruise. It’s easy to plan your own pre-cruise stay where you have the freedom to spend the time however you choose.

 

We rented cars on Maui and Kauai. On Maui we did a beach day and drove up Haleakala; on Kauai we drove to Waimea Canyon and did a helicopter tour; we did paid tours on the Big Island. 

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BermudaBound2014 Great Review Rare

BermudaBound2014

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Absolutely, spend as much time as possible. You don't mention which part of Canada you are from, but if it's anywhere east of, say, Calgary, then I would highly discourage travel without extended days. From Michigan, 2 weeks is the minimal amount of time I have ever visited. 

 

 I'm not a big fan of Oahu (lived there in the 80's), but if it's all you can do than by all means take extra time there. You won't be bored. Hawaii is not a place you need to pay for tours as getting around is easy. Traffic signals are in english and we drive on the same side of the road here as you do in Canada :). 

 

Silversweetheart gave you excellent advice. There is Lots of information about specific islands in the Hawaii forum. 

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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, RonenLin said:

Is the 3 extra days in a hotel worth the extra cost? Also do they include food during these 3 days and excursions? On another note, what excursions are worth going on in each of the islands?

If you actually pull up your specific cruise, it will tell you what is included and not included. Maybe look then ask additional questions

 

17F85BB3-D2B5-47CB-B15D-CDD4E37CDB79.thumb.jpeg.edfd8872e95380ebfb5b5c86d7c2b271.jpeg

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Oceansaway17 Holiday Sharing Rare

Oceansaway17

Posted
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1 hour ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

So what does it hurt to have an extra source of information??

no it doesn't hurt but in general I found the boards for specific islands or ports to be not as active.

 

It always bothers me to see folks on the cruiseline boards chase people over to the other boards.

I post where I think I will get the most traffic.

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NH Cruisers

NH Cruisers

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The wife and I are booked for the April 9th cruise.  Plus the 4 Day 3 Night add on.  Cost a lot, but we don't need to make big decisions on where to go, because tours ate scheduled for us.  I believe all food and drink is on us, nothing complementary.  That may be the biggest expense.  Will find out.

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NikiPinkston

NikiPinkston

Posted
Posted (edited)

We did NCL's 11-day explorer on our first POA cruise a couple of years ago & it was great.  At that time, we were in the Waikiki Marriott with a partial ocean view and a great view of Diamond Head.  Our tour guide was fabulous and we had an amazing time.  Someone has already posted the itinerary so I won't repeat that, but we got a really good sampling of all that Oahu has to offer.  Our favorite stops were Pearl Harbor, the National Cemetery of the Pacific, and the Polynesian Cultural Center.  I also liked the Dole Plantation, but the hubs not so much - it's definitely kitschy, but has some good photo ops.  The tour also made some other stops not listed, like the Nu'uanu Pali Overlook (great story!) and Sunset Beach on the North Shore where the annual surfing competitions are held.  You are correct that meals are not included except for the last day of the itinerary when we visited Kualoa Ranch & had a sandwiches & chips-type lunch on a small island nearby.  We had a little down time each day after our tour to have dinner on our own & explore Waikiki a bit.  We're booked on the POA again in November on the 7-day cruise (after 4 cancellations!) and will be spending 3 1/2 days pre-cruise in Waikiki so that we can do the "Monarch's Tour" and see the Bishop Museum & Iolani Palace one day, and then spend another day at the POA, including dinner and their show, "Ha."  Also looking forward to having dinner & watching the sunset at Duke's, doing a little shopping at Royal Hawaiian Center & International Marketplace, having a malasada at Leonard's Bakery, and maybe doing the Waikiki HO HO trolley.  The 11-day itinerary was wonderful for us for our first time on Oahu!

1b.JPG

Edited by NikiPinkston
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LJDawg

LJDawg

Posted
Posted

Looking to book this cruise for next year. Had question on what is included in the pre-cruise Tours. Are they just transportation to the Dole plantation, Pearl Harbor and Polynesian Center, or are do they pay for tour packages at those places (?).  thanks in advance!

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LJDawg

LJDawg

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Posted
6 minutes ago, LJDawg said:

Looking to book this cruise for next year. Had question on what is included in the pre-cruise Tours. Are they just transportation to the Dole plantation, Pearl Harbor and Polynesian Center, or are do they pay for tour packages at those places (?).  thanks in advance!

 

On 2/20/2022 at 1:25 PM, NikiPinkston said:

We did NCL's 11-day explorer on our first POA cruise a couple of years ago & it was great.  At that time, we were in the Waikiki Marriott with a partial ocean view and a great view of Diamond Head.  Our tour guide was fabulous and we had an amazing time.  Someone has already posted the itinerary so I won't repeat that, but we got a really good sampling of all that Oahu has to offer.  Our favorite stops were Pearl Harbor, the National Cemetery of the Pacific, and the Polynesian Cultural Center.  I also liked the Dole Plantation, but the hubs not so much - it's definitely kitschy, but has some good photo ops.  The tour also made some other stops not listed, like the Nu'uanu Pali Overlook (great story!) and Sunset Beach on the North Shore where the annual surfing competitions are held.  You are correct that meals are not included except for the last day of the itinerary when we visited Kualoa Ranch & had a sandwiches & chips-type lunch on a small island nearby.  We had a little down time each day after our tour to have dinner on our own & explore Waikiki a bit.  We're booked on the POA again in November on the 7-day cruise (after 4 cancellations!) and will be spending 3 1/2 days pre-cruise in Waikiki so that we can do the "Monarch's Tour" and see the Bishop Museum & Iolani Palace one day, and then spend another day at the POA, including dinner and their show, "Ha."  Also looking forward to having dinner & watching the sunset at Duke's, doing a little shopping at Royal Hawaiian Center & International Marketplace, having a malasada at Leonard's Bakery, and maybe doing the Waikiki HO HO trolley.  The 11-day itinerary was wonderful for us for our first time on Oahu!

1b.JPG

Hi, curious is you could share details of what was covered in the trips to Pearl Harbor, Polynesian Culture Center, and Dole Plantation, which ticket/packages if any were included. Or was it basically driving you there and then on your own dime?

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cruiser2015 Holiday Sharing Rare

cruiser2015

Posted
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On 2/18/2022 at 5:01 PM, RonenLin said:

Is the 3 extra days in a hotel worth the extra cost? Also do they include food during these 3 days and excursions? On another note, what excursions are worth going on in each of the islands?

 

 

Now, I have not checked into this lately, but we sailed the POA several years ago.

Stayed in the heart if Waikiki for 4 nights pre-cruise.

As one might expect, pricing for cruise line add-ons is pricey. You can do much better on your own.

I stayed in that Marriott back in 1978, when it was the Hawaiian regent. Nice hotel, pretty much at the far end of Waikiki. Walkable to other spots, but less than ideal.

I booked tours through a large, local operator. for a couple of days, including Pearl Harbor and a sunset dinner cruise off of Honolulu.

The best deal for the Polynesian Cultural Center was done by booking directly with them on their website. They had assorted tours, including transportation from the hotel. I believe you will have options not offered by NCL's package. We went for the entire day (some touring around the island, then to the PCC and stayed for dinner and their excellent show. Last I saw, NCL does not stay for the evening (no show).

On your own, you may pick any hotel you like at whatever price level. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency which is centrally located.

Yes, a package takes away a lot of thinking, pure convenience, but at a price too.

I'd go independent - but that's just my opinion.

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Panhandle Couple

Panhandle Couple

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We are going on POA in a few weeks.  We booked within 120 days, so made final payment at booking.

 

A few questions.

Are you going to provide your own air fare, or use NCL?  I suggest you look at airline prices first to make this decision prior to booking a cruise.

 

If you make your own airline reservations, you can look at extra days before or after the cruise.  For us staying after for 2 days worked out best.  Travel is generally cheaper on Tuesday or Wednesdays. 

(in this case, we cashed in airline miles for the flights.  We have stockpiled lots of miles through the years)

 

There are a lot of hotels in Waikiki.  Bundling your air fare with a hotel can save some $$, but may also give you extra airline miles or hotel points.  Or booking on your own, you can use some points if you have them.  (in this case we cashed in hotel points for the room.  Again, we have stockpiled lots of points)

 

Rental cars are available at some of the major hotel lobbies at Waikiki.  We haven't made any reservations there yet, simply going to wait and see how tired we are from the cruise.

 

Excursions.  Keep in mind most everything is more expensive in Hawaii.  Oddly, rental cars are not priced too bad, about the same (or less) than major cities.  We found NCL excursion prices to be very high for POA.  We have opted for rental car in every port.  We have been to the islands twice before, but not since 2008.  Outside of Honolulu, Hawaii is mainly small towns, farms and lots of state and national parks, and great scenery. 

Staying longer in a spot you like, or shorter in one that is too crowded or just not appealing is great vs the canned tours.  Stopping at out of the way places for a snack or ice or a drink can't be done on a tour.  

 

Recommend viewing U-tube videos on POA and each island in general to see what other people have done, and what is there to see.  And the Hawaii board here on CC.

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cruiser2015 Holiday Sharing Rare

cruiser2015

Posted
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9 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

 

There are a lot of hotels in Waikiki.  Bundling your air fare with a hotel can save some $$, but may also give you extra airline miles or hotel points.  Or booking on your own, you can use some points if you have them.  (in this case we cashed in hotel points for the room.  Again, we have stockpiled lots of points)

 

 

About those hotels.

 

In my experience, the best rates are almost always obtained by booking directly with the property. This is partly because of discounts that may be available there, but not through a third party booking, such as AAA, senior/AARP; member of the hotel's (or their chain owner's) "club". The property's site may also offer special deals, such as including breakfast at a reduce rate.

 

Bundling may indeed offer some discount or miles, but you need to know the net cost of the hotel with the bundle vs. a direct booking, to be sure.

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