Live from the Pride of America - 09/21-09/28/2024 - Hawai'i (Oahu to Maui to Hawai'i to Kaua'i)

[Seas2mountains]

Here are some catch up photos from yesterday. 
 

Sunrise view from our hotel. 
 

The angled balconies that have a partial ocean view. 

Our partial ocean view. Our balcony was not angled and had the wall. We liked the room set-up with the sofa. 

 

[Seas2mountains]

We typically walk a few miles each morning when staying at this hotel. 
 

Do you see the rainbow? This is by Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon. 

 

We watched some fish that may not be seen in the photo. 

Surfers are in the distance. 
 

Photos taken on the walk. 

[Seas2mountains]

Here are a few more photos taken yesterday morning mostly from the Fort DeRussy park. 

Chickens 

The military chapel still has services.  The Catholic service was duct taped out a few years ago. 
 

Beautiful old car located at a hotel on the way. 

[Seas2mountains]

Photos from Hale Koa grounds. It is more beautiful in person. They host weddings here. 

I think she’s trying to get all her ducks in a row. 

[mking8288]

An aloha good morning to you, looks like POA hasn't docked yet and you are posting & uploading these beautiful pictures (thank you, lovely ... just dreading the 12 hours non-stop) 

 

I'm guessing again, you are making good use of cellular signals from nearby land towers and not POA's onboard WiFi ... even if they installed/added the Starlink upgrade to the ship.  

 

Thinking of those sweet & juicy Dole pineapples and other fresh fruits from the islands.  

[Seas2mountains]

Dinner last night was at Cagney’s. When we arrived, the hostess told us we were at the wrong restaurant and we had reservations for Moderno. We should her our NCL app that showed the reservation was at Cagney’s. 
 

Our server was one of the international employees from the Philippines. She said she can work on POA for up to 5 years. The service and food were excellent like is served at Cagney’s on all ships. 
 

We had shrimp cocktail and salads. We were hungry and forgot to take photos of our steaks. We had no room for dessert. 

[Seas2mountains]

Dinner reservations at Cagney’s were at 6pm. We were finished in time to catch sail away at 7pm. 
 

POA had assistance from a tug boat. 

[Seas2mountains]

27 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

An aloha good morning to you, looks like POA hasn't docked yet and you are posting & uploading these beautiful pictures (thank you, lovely ... just dreading the 12 hours non-stop) 

 

I'm guessing again, you are making good use of cellular signals from nearby land towers and not POA's onboard WiFi ... even if they installed/added the Starlink upgrade to the ship.  

 

Thinking of those sweet & juicy Dole pineapples and other fresh fruits from the islands.  

Aloha from Maui. You are welcome. Thank you for all your past live reviews with detailed information and great photos. 
 

Maybe one of those long California to Hawai’i and back cruises would work? 
 

I watch my husband enjoy the pineapples but I have to avoid them as I developed sensitivity to them as I got older. 
 

We are now docked.  I am using Verizon service to post. We used some of our 150 free minutes last night and will try to avoid buying the WiFi package for a few days. 

[PhillyTravelBug]

Gorgeous scenery / coastline. 

[Seas2mountains]

We had a great day in Maui! The Hawaiian ports tend to be in commercial shipping areas. When we were seated by a window for breakfast in Skyline, we were happy we lucked out to get a table next to the window. 

 

Just after we were seated, another couple was seated at the window behind our table. My husband said they must be some kind of VIPs (he’s joking) as they got their coffee and water served quickly. They summoned someone to their table to complain about the views of the containers and trucks and insisted they be seated at a window with better views. They got moved to the other side of the ship where there is more of a water view but with containers and commercial shipping equipment. 
 

The servers at breakfast were great and we were warned that food might be delayed due to the number of people in the dining room.  It wasn’t delayed at all and we were happy with everything. 
 

Fruit salad 

Avocado and pepper egg wrap. 

[Seas2mountains]

Specialty coffees ordered in the dining rooms are included with the Hawaiian Beverage Package. We did get charged 21 cents for tax. 
 

 

[Seas2mountains]

When we are in a port on a Sunday, we have at times gone to a church service for our religion. There was a church located about a mile away so we walked. 
 

At the end of the service, they asked all visitors to come to the front of the church where they had volunteers give us beautiful hand knit leis. Most of the visitors were from the cruise ship so we got to chat with a few others from our ship to hear about their Maui plans. 
 

Our most memorable church in port was in Tortola as they had a wonderful dancing choir but there was a cute smaller church in Skagway, Alaska, that was neat, too. 
 

After the service, we caught an Uber to the airport to pick up a rental car. 
 

Our goal was to see turtles at a beach. We enjoyed watching them and surfers at Ho’okapi Beach which is on the Road to Hana. 

[Seas2mountains]

Here are a few more photos from the beach and lookout area. 

 

Cattle grazing 

[Seas2mountains]

We drove around for a bit and enjoyed using the GuideAlong app. We had lunch at a great restaurant in Haiku called Colleen’s at the Cannery. 
 

The food was excellent and the service started out great but we got ignored after there was a mix-up with the order. The waiter acknowledged that I asked for the salad dressing on the side and I ordered a different salad dressing than was on the salad. They did correct it by bringing a new salad but they didn’t come by again until we had waited a long time for the bill. 
 

My husband had Mahi Mahi fish and chips and  I ordered a grilled Mahi Mahi sandwich with a side salad.  Again, the food was delicious. My husband said it was one of the best fried fish he has had. 

[Seas2mountains]

We took the rental car to the airport and then grabbed an Uber back to the ship. 
 

We spent a total of about $150 for the rental car, Uber both ways plus tip and lunch with tip. 
 

We enjoyed a Perfect Margarita and Hawaiian Sea Breeze in the Atrium where a TV had the Sunday night football game playing. 
 

San Pellegrino is included with the Hawaiian Beverage Package. 

[Seas2mountains]

Ship photo from Maui. 

[Seas2mountains]

Our cabin is a bit cozy but it js clean.  There are some shelves in the closet that help to make good use of the space. This is a family balcony cabin. Just a reminder that this was a Diamond upgrade from an obstructed ocean view so we didn’t get to choose the cabin location but we are happy with it.  
 

We met our room steward after breakfast. He was checking to see if we needed anything. My husband asked for an extra towel and it was in our cabin when we returned. 

Notice the robes and slippers. Are these normally in a balcony cabin? 

 

[Seas2mountains]

We had dinner at Jefferson’s Bistro tonight which is aka Le Bistro. 
 

We were using our normal specialty dining package (not the Latitude coupons) and were told we could order ONE appetizer, one entree and one dessert. We heard the same thing last night at Cagney’s and asked about getting two appetizers and were told we.could.  And we did.  See photos from last night’s dinner. 
 

We said we didn’t plan to order dessert and asked if we could get two appetizers and no dessert.  Our excellent waitress said she would ask her manager. She came back and said it was a strict policy and we could order Escargot and a salad but would have to pay for the salad even if we weren’t ordering dessert. 

 

We said okay and were disappointed and did not order a salad. My husband said the manager checked in at the tables behind me a few times but avoided our table. 
 

We have no complaints about the food or service.  The bread was actually better here as it was crunchier like normal French bread and better than most Le Bistro served bread.  The entrees were really hot and the portion size seemed larger than other Le Bistro restaurants. 
 

The manager or maitre d checked in with us after our entrees came. We asked why we were denied ordering a second appetizer when we weren’t ordering dessert. She said it was a strict NCL policy that was enforced. We told her we got two appetizers at Cagney’s last night. She apologized. She came back as we were finishing our entrees and said she checked with her manager and we could order the salad. We said it was too late. 
 

The entrees were among the best we have had on any NCL ship and these are the ones we order all the time. 
 

Escargot. 

 

Dover Soke. 

Sea Bass 

 

Salads. (Missing) 😢
 

Our reservation was at 5:30pm and we left the restaurant at 6:15pm. The missing salad course meant we were out faster and had a quicker than expected dinner. Only long enough for one glass of Prosecco. 
 

They do not include Veuve Cliquot with the Hawaiian Beverage package. You would have to pay $180 for a bottle but it is on display. 

 

[Seas2mountains]

We are back in the atrium bar listening to music from Pink’s which is one floor higher. We are hearing a couple at the bar say that their 9 hour Road to Hana tour was 2 hours too long and they would not recommend it or do it again. 
 

We want to do this someday and hear it’s best to do this early in the morning.  
 

 

[Seas2mountains]

Observed in the parking lot at Haiku yesterday after we finished lunch. 

 

Yes, he’s riding a bike and carrying a chain saw in one hand for what ?????

[laudergayle]

10 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We asked why we were denied ordering a second appetizer when we weren’t ordering dessert. She said it was a strict NCL policy that was enforced.

Interesting.  I just reviewed the Terms for FAS Speciality dining and the only term currently stated is below.  There is nothing about #of appetizers and desserts.  Oh well…🤷‍♀️

 

• Specialty Dining Packages include one main course per person at Cagney's and Le Bistro

[GALSews]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

Interesting.  I just reviewed the Terms for FAS Speciality dining and the only term currently stated is below.  There is nothing about #of appetizers and desserts.  Oh well…🤷‍♀️

 

• Specialty Dining Packages include one main course per person at Cagney's and Le Bistro

Under Specialty Dining Package: Terms & FAQ (ncl.com), this is the info for specialty dining packages if you purchase them: "An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert (does not apply to cover charge restaurants or Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items). SDP does not include beverages and additional and/or premium menu items will incur charges."

 

Now, when you look up info on FAS versus FAS+ here: Free_at_sea_Plus_ver_051823.pdf (ncl.com)

this is what you see for FAS package:

Why would a FAS dining meal be different from a purchased dining package? All the restaurant should know is that you have a meal.

 

I couldn't find it, but I thought that they had also changed from appetize and either a soup or a salad, to two starters. I'd prefer that due to health and religious reasons, sometimes the appetizers aren't something I can eat. I've had the shrimp louis ass just louis, no shrimp.

[MrsTocko]

@Seas2mountains  would love to know what/if there are theme night parties outside of the Glow Party (formally the White Hot Party).  Things like 80’s party or western hoedown(I made that one up unless it is a real thing…)

[detroitlions]

14 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We are back in the atrium bar listening to music from Pink’s which is one floor higher. We are hearing a couple at the bar say that their 9 hour Road to Hana tour was 2 hours too long and they would not recommend it or do it again. 
 

We want to do this someday and hear it’s best to do this early in the morning.  
 

 

The road to Hanna is awesome and you need to go early because the trip takes all day. I go to Maui every year and I have only done the whole thing once as I said it takes all day so I do half way to Hanna. 

[laudergayle]

3 hours ago, GALSews said:

Under Specialty Dining Package: Terms & FAQ (ncl.com), this is the info for specialty dining packages if you purchase them: "An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert (does not apply to cover charge restaurants or Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items). SDP does not include beverages and additional and/or premium menu items will incur charges."

 

Now, when you look up info on FAS versus FAS+ here: Free_at_sea_Plus_ver_051823.pdf (ncl.com)

this is what you see for FAS package:

Why would a FAS dining meal be different from a purchased dining package? All the restaurant should know is that you have a meal.

 

I couldn't find it, but I thought that they had also changed from appetize and either a soup or a salad, to two starters. I'd prefer that due to health and religious reasons, sometimes the appetizers aren't something I can eat. I've had the shrimp louis ass just louis, no shrimp.

My very brief Term came from clicking the FAS promo on the first page header on NCL.com then clicking Terms.  I guess NCL corporate is just as confused as the ships.  I think the term for this is Controlled Confusion🤣