Back to NCL after 10 years - Many questions about Hawaii, kiddos, suites...

[mooline]

Hi everyone,

 

Returning to cruising after a 5 year hiatus. Yay!  Celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with our daughter and her family, with a splurge cruise on POA June 2023. Our entourage includes 2 kiddos who will be 6 and nearly 12; both kids are first-time cruisers. We are staying in suites: we have the Owners Suite; our daughter and her family are in a 2 br Deluxe Family suite.

 

Lots of questions for you experts!

 

       1: What are the seas like on POA cruises (any seasickness concerns?)

 

       2: What advice do you have for traveling with kiddos who've never cruised?

 

       3: How, if at all, should we plan for potential seasickness with kids of this age?

 

Most of our cruises have been on NCL; yet our last NCL voyage was in 2013, so I'm sure much has changed.

 

       4: We typically book suites and enjoy the suite perks. What's the biggest change, in your opinion, in the NCL's suite experience over the last 10 years?

 

Dining seems to have changed a bit, for example it looks like Cagney's is now priced a la carte; when we last sailed I recall that the cost for Cagney's was simply a per-head surcharge of something like $20/$25.

 

      5: How does speciality dining work now (in terms of cost and availability)?

 

      6: Does anyone have a wine list for POA? Would like to see what they have since we'll want a really special wine for the anniversary celebration.

 

Any and all advice, comments, suggestions, etc are welcomed! This is a special event and I want to plan well to ensure that everyone in our family (ages 70 to 6) enjoys him/herself to the max. By the way, we all do spend a lot of time together and we know we enjoy each others' company, so that's a great foundation to build upon!

 

Thanks! It feels good to be coming back!!

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by mooline

[dexddd]

There are several varieties of OS on POA.  Some have whirlpools on deck, some don't.  OS used to get unlimited in room soda and water plus champagne and three wines.

 

Seas normally calm.

 

Pools are great for kids.  Kids normally like Teppanyaki.  Suites on POA can't get breakfast or lunch to room from Cagney's.

[Treasure Hunter]

Plan your excursions to include plenty of beach time. Also a luau. Sitting up close ( you pay extra). We took the full day excursion to  the Polynesian Culture center and had a great time. Lots of funny shows. I would think your bookings would include at least two free specialty dinners. Yes, kids love Teppenaki.come into Hawaii at least one day early to lessen jet lag. If you can do whale watching, especially on a zodiac they will find it really exciting ( unless the little one frightens easily. There are often sea turtles to see too.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, mooline said:

Hi everyone,

 

Returning to cruising after a 5 year hiatus. Yay!  Celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with our daughter and her family, with a splurge cruise on POA June 2023. Our entourage includes 2 kiddos who will be 6 and nearly 12; both kids are first-time cruisers. We are staying in suites: we have the Owners Suite; our daughter and her family are in a 2 br Deluxe Family suite.

 

Lots of questions for you experts!

 

       1: What are the seas like on POA cruises (any seasickness concerns?)

 

       2: What advice do you have for traveling with kiddos who've never cruised?

 

       3: How, if at all, should we plan for potential seasickness with kids of this age?

 

Most of our cruises have been on NCL; yet our last NCL voyage was in 2013, so I'm sure much has changed.

 

       4: We typically book suites and enjoy the suite perks. What's the biggest change, in your opinion, in the NCL's suite experience over the last 10 years?

 

Dining seems to have changed a bit, for example it looks like Cagney's is now priced a la carte; when we last sailed I recall that the cost for Cagney's was simply a per-head surcharge of something like $20/$25.

 

      5: How does speciality dining work now (in terms of cost and availability)?

 

      6: Does anyone have a wine list for POA? Would like to see what they have since we'll want a really special wine for the anniversary celebration.

 

Any and all advice, comments, suggestions, etc are welcomed! This is a special event and I want to plan well to ensure that everyone in our family (ages 70 to 6) enjoys him/herself to the max. By the way, we all do spend a lot of time together and we know we enjoy each others' company, so that's a great foundation to build upon!

 

Thanks! It feels good to be coming back!!

 

 

1. You are in port every day. Two overnight port calls. No sea days. And only transiting interisland at night. Seas will depend on the weather. 
 

2. Enroll them in the kids club as soon as you embark and let take them there on embarkation day to make friends. 
 

4. Make sure that your butler knowns what will impress the kids. 
 

5. Almost all restaurants are a la carte. Pay for what you order like McDonalds. Get a dining package if you want to go to specialty dinners.  You get multiple appetizers, one entree, multiple sides  and desserts. Mostly the same as restaurants used to be. 

[genealogyfan]

When my friend and I went on the Pride of America, she didn’t have much issue with seasickness. 
 

Since the ship is overnight in two places look for private excursions. They are normally cheaper (unless the cruise line discount is better).  We did a luau excursion via a private company and it was less crowded and more options for food and entertainment then the ship excursion luau.  We also did a Road to Hana via a private excursion company too and rented a car in Kona and the 2nd day in Maui.

[mearsfansinboise]

We did a circle cruise to Hawaii when our kids were about ... 8 and 10; that was not their first cruise however. 

There was one night the seas were rough - they had to close the decks, and a lot of elderly people got banged up.

The way we avoid seasickness is Bonine.  The kids and I take Bonine twice a day and we've never had an issue.  We also drink Ginger Ale - is there actually ginger in it?  IDK, but that's what we do.

The kids were enrolled in the kids clubs and enjoyed that a lot.  It seems like that cruise getting there was fun, being on the islands was fun, but sailing back home was a lonnnnng 5 days or however many it was.

[mooline]

Thanks so much to all of you and apologies for my late acknowledgment.

 

These are AWESOME tips - I so appreciate all of you taking the time to comment.

 

Dexddd, I understand we have the OS with the whirlpool, the deluxe OS - so I'm sure the kiddos will be hanging out with us a lot when we're not on excursions! (Mom and Dad will no doubt appreciate that.)

 

Treasure Hunter, yes, we're flying in on Thursday for a Saturday departure, to ensure that we have no delayed/missed connections and to counter the jet lag. Any ideas for things to do with the kiddos in Honolulu (short of not staying in Honolulu, which I've heard is the best idea!) Beaches may not be the premier attraction since we live in FL, but I do realize that Hawaii beaches (and waves) are completely different from anything they've seen. And, about the Zodiac - the little one is a thrill seeker, she will be driving the boat no doubt. It's the adults we need to worry about! 😂

 

BirdTravels, thank you for the many excellent tips! I hadn't thought about the quick enrollment in and orientation to the kids club - should we do that even if they're not sure they want to go? And the butler suggestion is fantastic - thanks!

 

GenealogyFan, thanks to you, too! We normally do ship excursions since none of us wants to get left behind. (We had an experience like that on the Spirit cruise while at the Alhambra - there was s huge traffic issue and our bus was an hour late returning, but fortunately it was a ship tour!) It's a different story for sure with an overnight in port, though and we'll look into the ones you've suggested.

 

Mearsfansinboise, was the rough sea incident on the crossing, or inter-island? Nonetheless, we will definitely load them (and me) up on GingerAle and maybe Bonine (need to check if the 6 year old can take it)

 

A couple more questions:

 

1: A friend who lived in HI said to avoid Honolulu, even for our pre cruise 2 days. She suggests going to the north shore. She tells me that Honolulu around Waikiki is unsafe at night, and so overrun with tourists by day that it is unpleasant. Thoughts?

 

2: Anyone know of beach horseback riding excursions? The 12 year old is a rider and would, I think, greatly enjoy the experience of riding on a beach!

 

3: So the kids clubs are a big hit with the kiddos, huh? Do the clubs take the kids on any tours? Is it worth having the kids skip a tour to stay in the clubs?

 

No doubt more questions to come as we get closer. Thank you again for sharing your experiences and expertise.

 

[mjkacmom]

We have 5 kids, our kids liked the clubs up until age 8 or so, and then again as teens. None liked them from 9 - 12 (NCL and DCL).

[Treasure Hunter]

The north shore has the Polynesian Cultural Center which is more like a theme park with shows not rides( we loved it) and the Dole plantation on the way ( yummy pineapple and soft ice cream) also surfing beaches and food trucks).