Sailing on the Pride of America - November 5 - 12, 2022 - Review

[mary_228]

On 12/7/2022 at 11:16 AM, NikiPinkston said:

The Liberty main dining room was closed and Skyline MDR was open for dinner only. In addition to East Meets West, Moderno, and La Cucina were also closed.

I am confused about La Cucina as the daily showed hours for this restaurant every day.

[NikiPinkston]

17 hours ago, mary_228 said:

I am confused about La Cucina as the daily showed hours for this restaurant every day.

My apologies, I was basing my statement that La Cucina was closed from looking at the website prior to our leaving for Waikiki and, apparently, the week that we were aboard was the first week that La Cucina (and, I think, Teppanyaki) were open. We ate in the Aloha Cafe (the buffet) a couple of times and passed by Moderno (which was closed) going out to the Aloha Lanai (outside eating area), but La Cucina is on the other side so we never passed by to see that it was open. I believe all of the restaurants on the POA are now open.

[MSUjohn]

8 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

My apologies, I was basing my statement that La Cucina was closed from looking at the website prior to our leaving for Waikiki and, apparently, the week that we were aboard was the first week that La Cucina (and, I think, Teppanyaki) were open. We ate in the Aloha Cafe (the buffet) a couple of times and passed by Moderno (which was closed) going out to the Aloha Lanai (outside eating area), but La Cucina is on the other side so we never passed by to see that it was open. I believe all of the restaurants on the POA are now open.

i was on PoA for the cruise departing December 31 2022. on this cruise all of the specialty restaurants were open. my father and I ate in La Cucina once and Moderno (our favorite) twice.

Edited March 19, 2023 by MSUjohn

[Defhermit]

I'm going to be on PoA in 2 weeks and this thread was very informative! Thanks!

[NikiPinkston]

30 minutes ago, Defhermit said:

I'm going to be on PoA in 2 weeks and this thread was very informative! Thanks!

Thank you, @Defhermit! I'm so glad it was helpful. Have a wonderful cruise! You're going to love the Pride of America. (I'm jealous.) 😁🚢🌴

[mooline]

I am just now looking at the FANTASTIC review, thank you so, so much @NikiPinkston!! We're a multigenerational family of 6 sailing POA in June. Now 2 months out, we're starting to get very excited! The kiddos in our group (6 and 11) have never cruised before, so it's extra special for them!

 

I've downloaded every one of your Dailies, every page and will love going through those! You're a gem.  🙂

 

Two questions:

 

1: I didn't see any snorkeling excursions in your review, but did you hear anything about water temperatures, especially for the NCL Molokini Crater tour? I believe it's pretty cold (by our Floridian standards) and wondering if everyone will find it enjoyable, even with wetsuit tops provided by the tour operator. (I'll also post this question in the Hawaii forum).

 

2: Interesting review of the MDR...we've always had good luck in the MDR on other cruises but a tough steak is going to disappoint at least 2 of our gang. We have purchased specialty reservations for 2 nights but now thinking about bumping that up to 4 nights (especially since Moderna is open). Thoughts? It's not inexpensive, but good food can make a big difference!

 

Thanks again for helping us plan for a wonderful trip 🙂

 

 

[NikiPinkston]

1 hour ago, mooline said:

I am just now looking at the FANTASTIC review, thank you so, so much @NikiPinkston!! We're a multigenerational family of 6 sailing POA in June. Now 2 months out, we're starting to get very excited! The kiddos in our group (6 and 11) have never cruised before, so it's extra special for them!

 

I've downloaded every one of your Dailies, every page and will love going through those! You're a gem.  🙂

 

Two questions:

 

1: I didn't see any snorkeling excursions in your review, but did you hear anything about water temperatures, especially for the NCL Molokini Crater tour? I believe it's pretty cold (by our Floridian standards) and wondering if everyone will find it enjoyable, even with wetsuit tops provided by the tour operator. (I'll also post this question in the Hawaii forum).

 

2: Interesting review of the MDR...we've always had good luck in the MDR on other cruises but a tough steak is going to disappoint at least 2 of our gang. We have purchased specialty reservations for 2 nights but now thinking about bumping that up to 4 nights (especially since Moderna is open). Thoughts? It's not inexpensive, but good food can make a big difference!

 

Thanks again for helping us plan for a wonderful trip 🙂

 

 

Hi, @mooline, I’m so glad my review was helpful! Thank you for your kind comments; I really enjoyed doing it. You are going to love your cruise on the POA - I would do it again in a minute!

I believe that the water off Oahu is always pretty warm. Our days of snorkeling are long over, but we’ve gone into the water at Waikiki Beach and it was quite comfortable, and I never heard comments from our fellow passengers that the water was cold. Here’s some info on the water temperature around Oahu that might be helpful:

https://seatemperature.net/current/united-states/oahu-hawaii-united-states-sea-temperature#:~:text=The swimming season in this,82°F) in September.

Everything we ordered in the MDR was really quite good except for those steaks! The steak that DH ordered in Cadillac Diner was really good and, both times we ate in Cagney’s, the filet mignon was excellent. He really should have sent those bad MDR steaks back and ordered something else – that’s always an option. When we cruised, it was shortly after the POA had started sailing again, so some of the restaurants were not yet open, and we really like Cagney’s so we just stuck with that venue for our two specialty meals. The food in Cadillac Diner, another included venue, was also always really good and, while the buffet is not my favorite dining venue, DH likes it so we ate there a couple of times. I’m used to the buffets on NCL having really good food and selections, but many of the items in the buffet on the POA were lukewarm and a bit tasteless. Again, that may have been due to their recent start-up at that time.

If you have some real steak lovers in your group (like DH), it might be worth it to purchase some extra specialty dining, but you could probably get by okay without it. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful cruise!

[TMoore1144]

We are sailing in July on PoA for our 40th Anniversary.  I had a mix up and didn't get a reservation for Road to Hana, (sob, sob).  No way can I drive that road.  What would be a low, physically activity alternative to take instead?  I saw a YouTube video recommending the North Shore somewhere, but the excursion on NCL is full of Artists shops (I read shopping, they want your money). Husband has, asthma, bad knee, anxiety issues, climbing and long walks are out for him.  But I would leave him for a few minutes if it was for a good waterfall, lol.

[georgiacat]

We are sailing on the POA in a couple of weeks; I will report when I get back.  Meanwhile, I reserved a private tour for 3 of us on Maui with Michael of Maui Island Transport and Tours.  It is reasonably priced and customized for what we want to do (no road to Hana for us).  I did not have to prepay.  His response to my inquiry was prompt and we arranged what we wanted to see.  Will report in about a month on how it actually goes.

 

I found him in a roundabout way.  Reserve your tours early because everything is getting booked up.

[NikiPinkston]

Hi, @TMoore1144, whatever you do, you're going to have a fabulous time! @georgiacathas a great suggestion. A private tour might be perfect for you.

My hubby has a back condition that makes hiking or walking long distances uncomfortable, so I understand the requirement for low-impact activities. On our first trip to Maui, we stayed at Kaanapali Beach and rented a car and drove all over the island, but we booked a tour for the road to Hana. You are wise in not trying to drive yourself as I understand that it’s become quite congested with all of the visitors wanting to see it. If booking a private tour doesn't work out for you, Viator also has some road to Hana tours that might work:

https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=road+to+hana

I didn’t know the date of your cruise, so I just picked a random Sunday in July as the POA is in port in Maui on Sundays and Mondays.You could book a tour for Sunday as the ship doesn’t leave port there until Monday (late afternoon-early evening, as I recall) just for extra peace of mind. 

Viator also has some “waterfall” tours.

https://www.viator.com/searchResults/all?text=waterfalls+on+maui+hi

You can just go to their main page and enter your search info and a lot of choices will come up. They’re a very reputable company:  https://www.viator.com/

We did the helicopter ride once and we saw a lot of amazing scenery and waterfalls. It was fabulous, although I realize it’s pricy. I also noticed that NCL has two Haleakala excursions, sunrise and sunset. We’ve visited at both times and enjoyed it so you might consider that. 

Hope that helps! Have a wonderful cruise! (I envy you.)

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by NikiPinkston

[TMoore1144]

I do have Haleakala booked, just not Sunrise or Sunset, regular times 😉  I did look at viator but they were picking up somewhere not at the ship.  Makes sense.  We are sailing July 15 through the 22.  Anniversary on the 16th, (40th) the day we get to Maui.  My birthday is on the 22nd, end of cruise but at least we are staying over a few days and not flying home.  Thanks for your answering so quickly.  That was very kind of you.

 

[NikiPinkston]

Oh, that's too bad Viator doesn't pick up at the ship! I guess you could always do the "North Shore and Waterfalls" excursion through NCL and just ignore the "shopping opportunities." Haleakala is beautiful anytime of day. Congratulations on 40 years and happy anniversary!

[TMoore1144]

26 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

Oh, that's too bad Viator doesn't pick up at the ship! I guess you could always do the "North Shore and Waterfalls" excursion through NCL and just ignore the "shopping opportunities." Haleakala is beautiful anytime of day. Congratulations on 40 years and happy anniversary!

Just checking out Trip Advisor.  They have one operator that does pick up at the ship.  Most of their operators don't offer Sunday trips but this one does.  Only draw back is a No Cancellation policy.  But it is an option.  And I have booked with Trip Advisor in the past on trips.

[mooline]

@NikiPinkston, our adult daughter is having a grand time perusing all of the dailies you posted!! We noticed there is no mention of a laundry bag special - is that offered on PoA?

[NikiPinkston]

Hello, @moolineI'm so glad that your daughter is enjoying the dailies. IIRC, there was a separate flyer that was left in our stateroom for the laundry special, although we didn't take advantage of it. I pulled out the hard copies of my dailies in case I happened to have it, but no luck.

Edited April 20, 2023 by NikiPinkston

[Moonglo]

Loved your review and pictures. Thank you for taking the time to share them with us.....it's very  appreciated. I know it will definitely help in the planning of our honeymoon.

[NikiPinkston]

 Thank you, @Moonglo! I'm so glad it was helpful. Have a wonderful honeymoon and many years of happiness!

[mooline]

@NikiPinkston, just wanted to say thanks again for all of your help to map out our POA cruise. We returned a week ago today and had a fabulous time, all 6 of us!

 

Your review and subsequent posts were so helpful. Thanks for taking the time (and lots of it) to offer all of this valuable information.

[NikiPinkston]

You are very welcome, @mooline! So glad to hear that you had a wonderful time. ☺️

 

 

[Elks2]

Thank you for your insights!  We're going in October and can't wait.  I am also loving your outfits as I'm thinking about what I'll pack. :)

[NikiPinkston]

Thank you, @Elks2! You are very welcome. As you can see, I wore crop pants 90% of the time along with colorful print Hawaiaanish tops and I was very comfortable. I also took the two dresses you see but probably could have gotten by with one. (I'm past wearing shorts and tank tops but those would have worked, too. The "dress code" on the ship and in the Islands is very casual.) I took two pairs of sandals, one everyday and one dressy, and one pair of sneakers which I only wore on the plane and on the day we went to Waimea Canyon. I also took a denim jacket which, again, I only wore on the plane. I'd love to answer any questions you may have. The POA cruise is by far my favorite - I'm trying to talk DH into going again! The weather will be beautiful in October and you are going to have a fabulous time!

[vegasvic88]

Wonderful review!  By any chance did you get any pictures of the MDR menu?  

[NikiPinkston]

Thank you, @vegasvic88 Unfortunately, we didn't get any photos of the MDR menu. 😪