Sailing the Hawaiian Islands - POA?

[maren91]

The idea of sailing around the Hawaiian islands over new years sounds like a dream to me. Have been to all the stops before on land trips so this is not a first trip and am also an experienced cruiser. The reviews of POA are pretty horrible and the cost of a balcony room is up there with what I've paid for Haven rooms on other ships. If you've sailed on her, did you come off being wowed or did you regret not doing a land tour? 

[omahabob]

Plenty more where those came from.

 

[maren91]

3 minutes ago, omahabob said:

Plenty more where those came from.

 

I'm pretty good with the search function, thank you for the reminder though. 

[omahabob]

I should probably explain that further. You may have already read those reviews, but you're basically asking for a review. Were there specific questions you had beyond what the reviews cover? That might get you responses that better fit what you're trying to figure out.

 

Personally, I've never cruised Hawaii, so assign whatever import to this you feel fit. I've often THOUGHT of a cruise there. But we've visited there several times, and I just have a hard time imagining being able to enjoy all the wonderful things Hawaii has to offer, with the limited time a cruise ship gives you on shore. It would have to be a really fantastic ship to make it worthwhile to me. But, that's just me. Your mileage may vary.

[mooline]

@maren91, I'm the one who posted the live review just this month. I've cruised a bit on NCL and other lines, so can offer some frame of reference.

 

The POA cruise is one of a kind. the itinerary can't be beat - and on this cruise, it's all about Hawaii, less so about the ship.

 

That said, the staff was fantastic - to a person, they were kind, hard working and engaging. Our suites were exceptionally comfortable and well-appointed.

 

Yes, we spent a small (well, maybe not so small) fortune on this trip, but: 1: It was a trip of a lifetime and 2: Hawaii is expensive whether you're cruising or not.

 

To your question about a land tour: We could not have seen what we did, in the time we had if we did a land tour. You're in LA, we're in FL, so the travel time and logistics to Hawaii are far different for the two of us. Since you've done your homework, you know that the POA itinerary has 2 overnights, one in Maui and one in Kauai, so there is time to experience those islands in a different way, if you want.

 

We absolutely loved our experience, and if we ever want to go back to Hawaii (which, just make, we will) we now have an idea of what we want to experience a little more deeply.

 

Hope this helps!

 

PS: I'm going to be posting the Freestyle Dailies to my original post, so that might help you a bit with your decision. It's a process, though so bear with me...  :)

[maren91]

6 minutes ago, mooline said:

@maren91, I'm the one who posted the live review just this month. I've cruised a bit on NCL and other lines, so can offer some frame of reference.

 

The POA cruise is one of a kind. the itinerary can't be beat - and on this cruise, it's all about Hawaii, less so about the ship.

 

That said, the staff was fantastic - to a person, they were kind, hard working and engaging. Our suites were exceptionally comfortable and well-appointed.

 

Yes, we spent a small (well, maybe not so small) fortune on this trip, but: 1: It was a trip of a lifetime and 2: Hawaii is expensive whether you're cruising or not.

 

To your question about a land tour: We could not have seen what we did, in the time we had if we did a land tour. You're in LA, we're in FL, so the travel time and logistics to Hawaii are far different for the two of us. Since you've done your homework, you know that the POA itinerary has 2 overnights, one in Maui and one in Kauai, so there is time to experience those islands in a different way, if you want.

 

We absolutely loved our experience, and if we ever want to go back to Hawaii (which, just make, we will) we now have an idea of what we want to experience a little more deeply.

 

Hope this helps!

 

PS: I'm going to be posting the Freestyle Dailies to my original post, so that might help you a bit with your decision. It's a process, though so bear with me...  🙂

Thank you for this! Really appreciate it and looking forward to seeing the dailies. Hope you have a good July 4th! 

[mugtech]

POA is an excellent way toget a taste of Hawaii, but for those who have experienced the islands previously, it adds little to the experience.  We enjoyed the cruise, but it was much more entertaining to stay with family for a week and explore on our own.  It is very expensive 7 day cruise because it is a USA ship.  I liked having no casino, but others may see that aspect differently.

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, maren91 said:

The idea of sailing around the Hawaiian islands over new years sounds like a dream to me. Have been to all the stops before on land trips so this is not a first trip and am also an experienced cruiser. The reviews of POA are pretty horrible and the cost of a balcony room is up there with what I've paid for Haven rooms on other ships. If you've sailed on her, did you come off being wowed or did you regret not doing a land tour? 

The POA is the only ship owned by a major cruise line that is registered in the US.  The Passenger Vessel Services Act is a US law which prevents all foreign flagged ships from operating exclusively in US waters without including a foreign port in their itinerary.  That means that the POA is the only cruise ship in the world that can sail around Hawai'i without having to travel hundreds of miles to a foreign port.  There are lots of other ships, both those owned by NCL as well as other lines, that include Hawai'i on an itinerary, but no other ship can do a week long trip entirely within the islands.  Anytime you have a monopoly you can charge higher prices than if you have direct competition. 

 

The PVSA also requires US flagged ships to have a crew that includes a majority of US citizens or residents.  It also means that US labor laws must be followed, which require higher wages and more strictly limited work hours than on other ships.  With crew members working fewer hours per week, more staff are needed to accomplish the required amount of work.  All of these factors mean higher cruise fares.

 

Because gambling is not permitted in the state of Hawai'i, the POA does not have a casino.  The lack of a casino, the higher costs, and perhaps even the makeup of the crew all combine to make for a less desirable cruise experience, at least in the eyes of some.  Many of the reviews of the POA are negative for these reasons.

 

Despite all these concerns, however, my wife and I really enjoyed our cruise on the POA in December 2016.  We're planning on sailing Hawai'i again soon.

[maren91]

23 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

The POA is the only ship owned by a major cruise line that is registered in the US.  The Passenger Vessel Services Act is a US law which prevents all foreign flagged ships from operating exclusively in US waters without including a foreign port in their itinerary.  That means that the POA is the only cruise ship in the world that can sail around Hawai'i without having to travel hundreds of miles to a foreign port.  There are lots of other ships, both those owned by NCL as well as other lines, that include Hawai'i on an itinerary, but no other ship can do a week long trip entirely within the islands.  Anytime you have a monopoly you can charge higher prices than if you have direct competition. 

 

The PVSA also requires US flagged ships to have a crew that includes a majority of US citizens or residents.  It also means that US labor laws must be followed, which require higher wages and more strictly limited work hours than on other ships.  With crew members working fewer hours per week, more staff are needed to accomplish the required amount of work.  All of these factors mean higher cruise fares.

 

Because gambling is not permitted in the state of Hawai'i, the POA does not have a casino.  The lack of a casino, the higher costs, and perhaps even the makeup of the crew all combine to make for a less desirable cruise experience, at least in the eyes of some.  Many of the reviews of the POA are negative for these reasons.

 

Despite all these concerns, however, my wife and I really enjoyed our cruise on the POA in December 2016.  We're planning on sailing Hawai'i again soon.

I think this is a great explanation to all of it, thank you for this. Hope you have a good July 4th!

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, maren91 said:

The idea of sailing around the Hawaiian islands over new years sounds like a dream to me. Have been to all the stops before on land trips so this is not a first trip and am also an experienced cruiser. The reviews of POA are pretty horrible and the cost of a balcony room is up there with what I've paid for Haven rooms on other ships. If you've sailed on her, did you come off being wowed or did you regret not doing a land tour? 

First and foremost, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It is a lot of complaining,,, by people who have never sailed on the POA. 

 

The POA is the absolute best way to see Hawaii. And you save the time and expense of having to sail from the west coast on other lines. 
 

You are in port every day. You have two overnight port calls that enable you to maximize the Hawaii experience, if you choose. A luau at night.sunrise from the top of a volcano and a bike ride down, if you choose. 

 

Have they changed the itinerary,,, sure have. And a lot of people who have never need on the POA and never will be on the POA slam away. Whatever. Just Fake News. 
 

Have they had a hard time getting US crew members after the pandemic. Sure have,,, to the point of having to reduce passenger load and reduce service for a while. But the goal was to provide a service, even if slightly diminished. But if you look at the US travel industry in general, that is true. We stay at upper-middle class hotels 3-4 times a month… and there is insufficient staff to clean the rooms and serve the food. 
 

POA is your floating hotel. Use her. Enjoy her. It is the only way the cruise Hawaii!  

[maren91]

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

First and foremost, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It is a lot of complaining,,, by people who have never sailed on the POA. 

 

The POA is the absolute best way to see Hawaii. And you save the time and expense of having to sail from the west coast on other lines. 
 

You are in port every day. You have two overnight port calls that enable you to maximize the Hawaii experience, if you choose. A luau at night.sunrise from the top of a volcano and a bike ride down, if you choose. 

 

Have they changed the itinerary,,, sure have. And a lot of people who have never need on the POA and never will be on the POA slam away. Whatever. Just Fake News. 
 

Have they had a hard time getting US crew members after the pandemic. Sure have,,, to the point of having to reduce passenger load and reduce service for a while. But the goal was to provide a service, even if slightly diminished. But if you look at the US travel industry in general, that is true. We stay at upper-middle class hotels 3-4 times a month… and there is insufficient staff to clean the rooms and serve the food. 
 

POA is your floating hotel. Use her. Enjoy her. It is the only way the cruise Hawaii!  

Thank you for this, I've enjoyed reading all of your comments and posts over the years and really needed this perspective. Hope you have a great July 4th!

[gymbomb]

18 hours ago, maren91 said:

The idea of sailing around the Hawaiian islands over new years sounds like a dream to me. Have been to all the stops before on land trips so this is not a first trip and am also an experienced cruiser. The reviews of POA are pretty horrible and the cost of a balcony room is up there with what I've paid for Haven rooms on other ships. If you've sailed on her, did you come off being wowed or did you regret not doing a land tour? 

 

It has been a few years (we were on the last sailing in early March 2020 before they shut everything down), but we absolutely loved it! I sailed with my mom in a balcony room. We thought the ship was totally fine and didn't experience any problems at all. Like others have mentioned, you spend all of your time in port so it isn't the kind of trip where it is important to have a ship with all the bells and whistles.

[Crown Vic]

Sailed B2B on the PoA last October. Great way to see the Hawai’in Islands. Being American crewed, the ship board experience is ‘different’ from that of internationally crewed cruise ships. Notice I said ‘different’ not necessarily better or worse. Personal choice! Also sailed on the Pride of Aloha around Hawai’i. 
If one is concerned about the cost of a land trip, visiting the same ports, versus the PoA,  sit down with pencil and paper and list the cost of inter-island travel/transfers, hotels, food and entertainment versus the price of the cruise. Would think that the PoA might come out as a better deal and certainly much more convenient. As the song says “Try it! You’ll like it!”

The GM we had, Kaj Turinen, was amazing…but…heard he had left NCL. Pity!
Mahalo nui loa!

[Victress2007]

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the POA, so much so that we took the family for his mother's 80th birthday!
The biggest difference to us was the American crew.  If you're into being treated like royalty this crew probably won't meet your expectations. They have much more liberty on their off time and you're likely to see them enjoying the restaurants and bars in their off time.  We had no problems with the crew at any time and it was somewhat refreshing to see these (mostly) young people working hard and enjoying their time on the ship.

Vic

[LouChamp]

On 7/2/2023 at 6:15 PM, The Traveling Man said:

The POA is the only ship owned by a major cruise line that is registered in the US.  The Passenger Vessel Services Act is a US law which prevents all foreign flagged ships from operating exclusively in US waters without including a foreign port in their itinerary.  That means that the POA is the only cruise ship in the world that can sail around Hawai'i without having to travel hundreds of miles to a foreign port.  There are lots of other ships, both those owned by NCL as well as other lines, that include Hawai'i on an itinerary, but no other ship can do a week long trip entirely within the islands.  Anytime you have a monopoly you can charge higher prices than if you have direct competition. 

 

The PVSA also requires US flagged ships to have a crew that includes a majority of US citizens or residents.  It also means that US labor laws must be followed, which require higher wages and more strictly limited work hours than on other ships.  With crew members working fewer hours per week, more staff are needed to accomplish the required amount of work.  All of these factors mean higher cruise fares.

 

Because gambling is not permitted in the state of Hawai'i, the POA does not have a casino.  The lack of a casino, the higher costs, and perhaps even the makeup of the crew all combine to make for a less desirable cruise experience, at least in the eyes of some.  Many of the reviews of the POA are negative for these reasons.

 

Despite all these concerns, however, my wife and I really enjoyed our cruise on the POA in December 2016.  We're planning on sailing Hawai'i again soon.

Aloha. Your detailed post was spot on.  Years ago in 2004 we were booked on the POA but it had a problem when it was being built so our reservation was switched to the Pride of Aloha which is now the Norwegian Sky I believe. Given all the requirements of staffing etc you detailed the cruise was full of hiccups. They Hotel Manager who agreed to meet with me comped us in all the specialty restaurants and then gave us an onboard credit. We then sailed the POA and while the experience is different than other ships it is an excellent way to sample the islands without flying to each one essentially wasting a day of flying, security etc.  We did sail Princess also a few times and once around the islands south to Kirabati and to Tahiti. That too was excellent.  We divide our time between NY and Honolulu but like to visit the other islands occasionally so thanks again for your posts and all the best to my fellow CCs!

[chengkp75]

On 7/2/2023 at 6:15 PM, The Traveling Man said:

Anytime you have a monopoly you can charge higher prices than if you have direct competition.

This is not the actual case with POA.  The other cruise lines that do 12-14 day cruises to Hawaii from the West Coast, charge less for their 12-14 days than POA charges for 7 days, so this competition keeps the prices down on POA, from a sales standpoint (this has been true since NCL started the US operations).  The reasons that prices are higher on POA than other cruises are:

 

1.  US wages for the entire crew (even the non-resident alien crew get paid the same as the US crew, by US law)

2.  Fuel has to be transported to Hawaii, so it costs more than the ships that fuel on the West Coast.

3.  Most of the supplies (food, liquor, and replacement supplies for the hotel and engineering) have to be transported to Hawaii, increasing cost.

4.  Most spare parts for the ship come from Europe, and the POA, as a US ship, must pay customs duty on all these parts brought into the US, while foreign flag ships don't (they are "in transit" from overseas to a foreign ship).

5.  US crew require more extensive safety training at approved land based training facilities, and the required documentation is more extensive and costlier than foreign crew, which drives up the cost (it costs NCL about $8000 just to get a new crew member to the ship the first time), and because the documentation for US crew is the same as for other merchant seamen, they could get a job at a higher wage on another ship, after having NCL pay for the documentation.  This means that there is no standing labor pool of credentialed mariners to crew POA, as there are for foreign ships.

6.  US crew can quit and walk off the ship at any time, with no legal complications, unlike the foreign crew, so the foreign crew tend to stay to complete their contracts.

On 7/2/2023 at 6:15 PM, The Traveling Man said:

It also means that US labor laws must be followed, which require higher wages and more strictly limited work hours than on other ships.  With crew members working fewer hours per week, more staff are needed to accomplish the required amount of work.

There is no more restriction on hours worked for US crew than for foreign crew.  The hour limitations on seafarers is set by international convention, so it applies to all.  However, US law requires overtime payment (at least 125% of base wage), for hours worked over 40 per week.  Even the foreign crew on foreign ships are entitled to this overtime, but their base wage does not have to meet a minimum wage standard like the US crew.

[The Traveling Man]

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

This is not the actual case with POA.  The other cruise lines that do 12-14 day cruises to Hawaii from the West Coast, charge less for their 12-14 days than POA charges for 7 days, so this competition keeps the prices down on POA, from a sales standpoint (this has been true since NCL started the US operations).  The reasons that prices are higher on POA than other cruises are:

 

1.  US wages for the entire crew (even the non-resident alien crew get paid the same as the US crew, by US law)

2.  Fuel has to be transported to Hawaii, so it costs more than the ships that fuel on the West Coast.

3.  Most of the supplies (food, liquor, and replacement supplies for the hotel and engineering) have to be transported to Hawaii, increasing cost.

4.  Most spare parts for the ship come from Europe, and the POA, as a US ship, must pay customs duty on all these parts brought into the US, while foreign flag ships don't (they are "in transit" from overseas to a foreign ship).

5.  US crew require more extensive safety training at approved land based training facilities, and the required documentation is more extensive and costlier than foreign crew, which drives up the cost (it costs NCL about $8000 just to get a new crew member to the ship the first time), and because the documentation for US crew is the same as for other merchant seamen, they could get a job at a higher wage on another ship, after having NCL pay for the documentation.  This means that there is no standing labor pool of credentialed mariners to crew POA, as there are for foreign ships.

6.  US crew can quit and walk off the ship at any time, with no legal complications, unlike the foreign crew, so the foreign crew tend to stay to complete their contracts.

There is no more restriction on hours worked for US crew than for foreign crew.  The hour limitations on seafarers is set by international convention, so it applies to all.  However, US law requires overtime payment (at least 125% of base wage), for hours worked over 40 per week.  Even the foreign crew on foreign ships are entitled to this overtime, but their base wage does not have to meet a minimum wage standard like the US crew.

I always enjoy your posts on CC.  You certainly have a wealth of information, and you are able to articulate that knowledge in an easy to understand manner.

 

I may have taken a shortcut or two in attempting to make my point.  The monopoly which NCL holds with POA compared to every other major cruise line is on week long cruises.  If someone only has a week of vacation, plus the weekend prior and the weekend after their days off, then they only have nine consecutive days for travel.  That could stretch to ten days if they are able to take their vacation during the week before a Monday holiday.  If their goal is to see as much of Hawai'i as possible by taking a cruise, then POA is their only viable choice.  Cruises from or to the west coast either would require far more than a week or would leave only a few days in the islands.

 

Crews on ships registered outside of the US frequently work 60 hours per week.  I'm not familiar with the rules governing their rate of pay, so perhaps they do earn more after passing the 40 hour mark.  On the POA, as you mention, all crew must be paid at a higher rate for overtime hours beyond 40 per week.  That means that the overall cost to NCL to provide and compensate a crew is greater on the POA than on other ships.  Either they need more employees to get the work done or they have to pay higher wage rates (overtime pay) to compensate fewer employees to work longer hours to perform the required tasks.  I may not have stated my message as eloquently as you did, but the basic underlying points are the same.  No other cruise line can provide a similar Hawai'i cruise experience to that of the POA and the labor costs per unit of work performed are higher on the POA as they are on other ships.

[GoingPlacesSoon]

I enjoyed this cruise for the itinerary, but found the service to be lacking.  It is not at all the same on other cruise lines.  Most of the staff reported that they were "first year contract" , "would not renew" and were not happy to be there.  So sad to hear.

[chengkp75]

38 minutes ago, GoingPlacesSoon said:

I enjoyed this cruise for the itinerary, but found the service to be lacking.  It is not at all the same on other cruise lines.  Most of the staff reported that they were "first year contract" , "would not renew" and were not happy to be there.  So sad to hear.

Unfortunately, there are very few young US citizens who are willing to move away from home for 4 months, work 12-14 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no day off for 4 months, for minimum wage, and share a 80-90 square foot cabin with 3 complete strangers.  Let alone be subject to random drug and alcohol testing.

[omahabob]

The average cruise ship worker gets from $15 to $22 per hour. It goes up from there for specialized positions.  Factor into that the fact that they don't have to pay for food, utilities and rent, and it gets better. In fact, Norwegian pays better than a lot of other lines. Cruise ship workers in the Hawaiian Islands are subject to the same federal and state labor laws as everyone else, so their hours are not that drastic. And since overtime rules apply, Norwegian would have to fork over a lot of money in overtime if their people were really worked that way. They're also encouraged to leave the ship in port when they're off duty. So, it's not quite as bad as some people make it sound. They do indeed spend a lot of time away from home, but some people like that, particularly when travel is involved.

[omahabob]

And it's usually two to a cabin, not four.

 

[dumbth]

On 7/2/2023 at 10:09 AM, maren91 said:

reviews of POA are pretty horrible and the cost of a balcony room is up there with what I've paid for Haven rooms on other ships

 

I am a frugal HI resident who in years past sailed the islands on a 40' sailboat. When looking for a lazy way to re-live such experiences, I too was hit by POA sticker shock as well as reviews not up to par with my NCL Med experiences. Furthermore I hear the itinerary no longer cruises the Na Pali coast, which was #1 highlight with no excursion logistics needed.

 

There is an NCL alternative, which are the HI-Tahiti runs in spring and fall. The price per night is vastly more affordable, so I have been trying for out and return HI-TAH-HI. Visiting all the ports twice is fine with me, and I think the several sea-only days would be good therapy. That itinerary seems changeable and they cancelled me once, but someday...

[Silver Sweethearts]

3 hours ago, dumbth said:

 

I am a frugal HI resident who in years past sailed the islands on a 40' sailboat. When looking for a lazy way to re-live such experiences, I too was hit by POA sticker shock as well as reviews not up to par with my NCL Med experiences. Furthermore I hear the itinerary no longer cruises the Na Pali coast, which was #1 highlight with no excursion logistics needed.

 

There is an NCL alternative, which are the HI-Tahiti runs in spring and fall. The price per night is vastly more affordable, so I have been trying for out and return HI-TAH-HI. Visiting all the ports twice is fine with me, and I think the several sea-only days would be good therapy. That itinerary seems changeable and they cancelled me once, but someday...

Aloha dumbth:

Have you given thought to sailing the South Pacific on the Aranui 5?

[chengkp75]

8 hours ago, omahabob said:

The average cruise ship worker gets from $15 to $22 per hour.

I assume you are talking about POA crew, not international crew, as this is certainly not the case.

 

8 hours ago, omahabob said:

Factor into that the fact that they don't have to pay for food, utilities and rent, and it gets better.

This argument is trotted out a lot, but unless the crew member is living in his/her parent's basement, they will be paying rent on the apartment they use when not working, or where their family lives, and have utility bills as well.

 

8 hours ago, omahabob said:

Cruise ship workers in the Hawaiian Islands are subject to the same federal and state labor laws as everyone else, so their hours are not that drastic.

Sorry, again, federal labor laws for seafarers allows for up to 70 hours of work per week, just like the international crew.

 

8 hours ago, omahabob said:

And since overtime rules apply, Norwegian would have to fork over a lot of money in overtime if their people were really worked that way.

This is why the cruise fare is so high.

 

8 hours ago, omahabob said:

They're also encouraged to leave the ship in port when they're off duty

And, what of those crew who aren't off duty during the day?  Or they have personal matters to attend to, like doing their laundry?

 

7 hours ago, omahabob said:

And it's usually two to a cabin, not four.

The newer ships have gone to 2 to a cabin, due to international conventions, but the older ships had mostly 4 to a cabin, and some 6 to a cabin.

 

Spent 4 years on NCL's US flag ships, as well as their international ships.

[The Traveling Man]

13 hours ago, dumbth said:

 

I am a frugal HI resident who in years past sailed the islands on a 40' sailboat. When looking for a lazy way to re-live such experiences, I too was hit by POA sticker shock as well as reviews not up to par with my NCL Med experiences. Furthermore I hear the itinerary no longer cruises the Na Pali coast, which was #1 highlight with no excursion logistics needed.

 

There is an NCL alternative, which are the HI-Tahiti runs in spring and fall. The price per night is vastly more affordable, so I have been trying for out and return HI-TAH-HI. Visiting all the ports twice is fine with me, and I think the several sea-only days would be good therapy. That itinerary seems changeable and they cancelled me once, but someday...

That does sound like a lot of fun, and it probably wouldn't cost much more than a week sailing on the POA.  You would need to be able to travel for about a month straight, though.  The appeal of the POA for many people, of course, is the ability to squeeze in travel to many of the most desirable sites in Hawai'i in just one week.  Many passengers are unable to take off from work more than a week at a time.