Tips for POH and Hawaii

[2cruiseagain]

I wasn't sure whether to post this here or the NCL board so I did both!

I thought I could try to give some tips for the things we did during our great vacation on the Pride of Hawaii. These are from fresh experiences that would have been helpful to me during my research. We were in 2 balcony cabins on the port side, 9th deck on the 7/10 sailing.

Pride of Hawaii

Do bring your own plastic cups. The drink cups are tiny on the ship. We bought a pack in one of the many ABC stores for $2.50 and had plenty for the whole cruise to fill with water or juice. If you have the soda sticker, they don’t mind filling these instead.

Do consider an over-door shoe holder for holding small items. It sounds funny but, we were always misplacing things because the room was so small.

Do make dinner reservations the first day for the week. Make them at one of the specialty restaurants. (Pappas is all the way at the top and nobody was waiting) The reservation line was always 8-10 deep and was easily 45 minutes the rest of the week. They also never answered the phone whenever I tried.

Don’t expect much with the food. While we had great experiences at Pappa’s, Jasmine and Shabu Shabu, we had mediocre experiences at Le Bistro & Alizar (formal night). We had a somewhat poor experience at Paniolo’s but we are from Houston where there is a great Mexican restaurant on almost every corner. However, later in the week during peak times, Paniolo’s could usually seat you, so it wasn’t in real high demand which might say something.

Don’t expect to see a bunch of young lazy Americans. There were some young people, but most were varied in age and most worked hard with a great attitude. Under staffed and under experienced would be the best way to explain the lack of superior service. Keep your expectations low and you will be surprised. We had a stateroom that wasn’t clean when we arrived. The steward supervisor of the floor explained that the previous steward quit that day and closed the door which means the room is clean. She was very apologetic and cleaned our room extensively and gave us great service the rest of the week.

Don’t believe the screens showing the occupancy of the restaurants. Often, restaurants would show availability but when called they would claim to be booked all night.

Do ask Thrifty if they can mail the driving map magazines for all of the islands. These were very informative and I wish I would have had them in advance for the coupons, specials and general information. Even if you have to pay for the shipping.

Do be ready to tip all of your tour operators. Whether you go through the ship or on your own they all had their hand out. Even the guy who drove us up to the top of Haleakala for our bike ride. The only one that didn’t ask was the helicopter tour.

Do consider the famous north shore tour after disembarkation. This was only booked to keep up with our luggage until our 7:30 flight. It turned out to be a fun and informative tour to the Dole Plantation, Macadamia Nut factory, a Buddhist temple and beaches along the north shore which were breathtaking.

FYI – after our sailing, they emptied all of the mini-bars because they couldn’t keep up with it. It was supposed to be the cabin stewards responsibility but they were overwhelmed as it was. Many people commented that their steward told them to take what they wanted because they were doing away with the program. We saw huge bags of the contents with no accounting what so ever on the last full day on board.

Honolulu – 2 night at Outrigger Reef. SnorkelHaunamaBay. Hike Diamond Head. Germaine’s Luau

Don’t expect much at Waikiki. The north & northwest shores seem to have much prettier beaches and don’t have the feel of Manhattan in Hawaii.

Do rent an SUV to haul all of your luggage and save any taxi fares. The freedom this gives you will far outweigh the cost of a rental car.

Do Germaine’s Luau. They provide transportation, decent food, 3 drinks, good entertainment and a great sunset on the beach. If you buy their souvenir glass, they will fill it with your drink which is at least twice the size. I also printed an outdated (2000!) coupon from their website for a free gift and they gave me a hat.

Hilo – VolcanoNational Park & Thurston Lava Tube

Do rent a car to do your own tour. It is an easy drive and you can go at your own pace. We used Thrifty with the Blue Chip program and were on our way very quickly. However, a jeep was a waste of money with all of the rain coming and going.

Do bring a light rain jacket. This, along with normal clothing, should be enough warmth for the Volcano National Park. Our short sleeves and shorts were almost embarrassing when we arrived to cold misty rain at the top. And, jackets aren’t cheap there.

Do bring a flashlight if you want to see the un-lit lava tube.

Maui – West Maui on our own with Molokini snorkel/scuba trip & Haleakala downhill bike ride.

Do rent a car – Here is where a convertible might be nice.

Don’t expect to go to Molokini in the afternoon. I think the trip usually goes there in the AM but never seems to make it in the PM because of high winds.

Do the Haleakala bike ride. A highlight for us. Great views, great crisp weather, great time. We thought about the sunrise trip but, our teenagers might have made this unbearable. They provide you with a rain suit & gloves if you need them.

Kona – TurtleBeach snorkel on our own.

Do this beach on your own if you don’t want to be on a planned excursion. You can take the shuttle for $10pp round trip and spend as much time as you like. I would have done the Zodiac snorkel trip if I were to plan one.

Do get off the ship early. We heard multiple announcements that there was no waiting for tenders when it first started. We left an hour later and waited 15 minutes. Also, the later in the day, the longer the wait to return to the ship.

Kauai – KipuFalls & Zipline tour & helicopter tour.

Do rent a car. Easy to get around and you can drive to many falls around the area.

Don’t plan on more than 2 zip-lines with this tour. The third will be a repelling zip that is very slow and not that fun. This took 3 hours for the 3 rides. The final 30 minutes at Kipu falls was the highlight and that could have been done by driving there and hiking down to the falls on your own. It sounds like Princeville has more zip-lines with more action. I actually fell asleep waiting for one of the zips to free up from another tour group.

Do use Safari Helicopters for your tour. Island Helicopters canceled my flight the morning of our flight more than 30 minutes before takeoff. They said it was illegal to take off in this weather. Yet, while sitting on the beach, I saw 5 helicopters fly by at the same time as our scheduled departure. I called Safari and they found a spot for us. We paid more because of the last minute, but if you book online direct, you can get the lowest price. They also have a DVD option of your own flight (not another flight with your pictures entered in front and back of the video.) Be sure to look for a coupon for the DVD.

Do go up to the sky deck early on the starboard side of the ship for the Na Pali Coast views. We were alone early but it was 4 deep at the peak viewing time.

[spleen93]

Thanks for the review!

 

Spleen

[kydeg]

2Cruiseagain..

 

Can you view the Na Pali coast sail by from both sides of the ship or does it only sail one direction?

 

Same question about the viewing of the lava flow... Visable from both sides of the ship, or only one direction?

 

Can you see it from a balcony cabin... on either side of the ship?

[2cruiseagain]

The lava is viewed from the starboard side. Great view from our 9th deck balcony.

 

Na Pali is from the port side. After sailing past the coast, the Captain announced that they would test out some new global positioning system so we floated farther away from the coast for an hour or so. We were up on deck but it wasn't as spectacular as it was sailing closer.

 

I would make sure you get a front row seat early when you can't view from your balcony.

[Giantfan13]

Not to sound nieve, but when should you be out on deck to see some of the sights?? I know when we cruised Alaska, and we were going into Glacier National Park, we were up on deck about 2 hours before we arrived at the glaciers (we really wanted a front row seat). Is this same strategy necessary to view things as you sail by in Hawaii? I haven't seen much mentioned on these boards about 'positioning' on board ship to see some of the sail by's. We have an inside cabin so we will be up on deck most of the time. When are the best times and days to view things from the deck. I have read about the lava flow and the coastlines. Can some one be a bit more specific about these things. Is there something that is a 'can't miss' every night?? So much has been written about off ship activities, what about on ship things. How early should you be out on deck to see certain things?? Thanks

[2cruiseagain]

The Lava flow was around 10pm. They let you know the exact time.

 

The Na Pali coast is about 5pm. Ship sails at 2pm but slowly circles the island. We went up to the top deck around 3pm and were able to secure some chairs together.

[pkylok]

Help I am trying to plan and in reading the previous posts, one says the Na Pali Coast is viewed on the starboard side and on another post it says, the port side??? Can anyone confirm?:confused:

Thanks

[Kiera99]

How was your two day stay at the Outrigger Reef? Is the construction almost done? Thanks for any info you may have.

[2cruiseagain]

Help I am trying to plan and in reading the previous posts, one says the Na Pali Coast is viewed on the starboard side and on another post it says, the port side??? Can anyone confirm?:confused:

Thanks

 

It is the port side. I mistakenly typed starboard earlier. The ship sails counter-clockwise around the island which means it's port all the way. Sorry for the confusion.

[2cruiseagain]

How was your two day stay at the Outrigger Reef? Is the construction almost done? Thanks for any info you may have.

 

Other than 4 in 1 room it was really nice. Utilitarian rooms with a large locker room type shower (for the sand?). It had a lot of nice features inside. The construction outside was towards the front away from the beach so it really was a non-issue when you were inside or at the beach. I booked through Continental Vacations and got a great price including a rental car. I went for the lower price and was pleasantly surprised. BTW there were 2 double beds and a hideaway bed in the couch.

[randlandk]

I have a question about doing the Volcano National Park in Hilo on your own. We have booked it with the ship excursions. Did you book a tour on your own or can you just walk it alone? We don't want to do to much walking or hiking is why we decided on the tour. Do you do anything else while you were in Hilo since you rented a car? Any other info on this would be great!!

 

Letha

[2cruiseagain]

We rented a car through Thrifty (sign up for the free Blue Chip program). It was extremely easy to drive there. Don't bother with a convertible or jeep because it will rain 8 different times during the day. There is a big loop around the park with stop offs and short walks to the steam vents, calderas, lava tubes etc. It is very easy. There is also a 20min movie at the main visitors center that is free. Be sure to bring rain gear and wear layered clothing for warmth. My family of 4 would have been a lot of money through the ship and it was only $50 or so with car, taxes and gas. Easily the best move for us.

[randlandk]

Actually that is great...its only the 2 of us, but we were pretty much going to pay $200 for the both of us for the excursion...of course it includes lunch. Did you guys eat somewhere near by, were there many places nearby to eat?

 

Did you guys go to a Luau....we are now looking at the Royal Luau? Any thoughts on that?

 

Great idea on the plastic cups and shoe holder.....especially for us newbies!! If you think of any other tips don't hesitate to share them!!!

 

Letha:)

[2cruiseagain]

It will be nice for you to have your freedom instead of being herded around and then be expected to tip your wonderful tour guide. We were with another family and took two separate cars and it was great. I am embarrased to say that we ate at McDonald's at the Walmart because the 4 teenagers just couldn't wait to eat longer. I did get to see the Taro Pie at Micky D's though. After trying Poi (sp?) a few nights earlier, I wasn't about to try this. There were some places to eat along the way and back but we were going to try to hit a couple of the waterfalls north of the port, so a quick meal while replenishing our bottled water etc. made sense. Now, try getting 8 people in Walmart to be quick about anything tuned into an impossible task. Ended up, we didn't want to risk rushing back and forth so we just went back to the ship a couple of hours early.

 

We did Germaine's Luau on Sunday night during our pre-stay. Free round trip transportation from Waikiki and included 3 drinks. Again, I figured I would have pay for dinner that night anyway and this way, we could stay on the ship while more than half the passengers went to the Ship's luau Wed. night. We were very pleased and it was nice to have the ship to ourselves that night.

 

I posted a tips thread here and on the NCL board with a few other helpful hints. I did find it helpful to bring a couple of suction cup hooks for hanging things on the bathroom mirror. Learned that trick a few cruises back, now they stay in my overnight kit.:D

[randlandk]

Ok you got me on the suction cups...I cannot envision it...LOL What kinds of stuff did you hang on your mirror with them? :)

 

Letha

[2cruiseagain]

Sunglasses, hats, etc. Anything that was taking up valuable counter space. There are mirrors all around the room so you can create a handy hook just about anywhere.

 

Of course you know to bring duct tape right?

[Kiera99]

2cruiseagain, Thank you for the tips, info and answer to my question. You have been very helpful. We will also have 4 in a room.

[2cruiseagain]

One thing we didn't do was either pack a small bag for the first two days or at least pack 2 days worth of clothes at the top of the suitcase. We were all tearing through our stuff and it made it messy and harder to re-pack for the cruise.

[NJskibum]

Thanks for the review and helpful tips

[randlandk]

Ok...I heard about bringing duct tape...not sold on the idea yet....tell me your opinion!!!

[Kiera99]

I heard that the tape is a life saver, when traveling. I know people that used it to tape up a ripped suitcase. There are dozens of uses for it in an emergency. You can tape anything together, etc.

[2cruiseagain]

I've had a flat roll of duct tape with me on my last few cruises and can't seem to find a reason to use it. I keep trying and it has become somewhat of a joke for us.

 

We do use sharpies and post-it notes though. Notes to each other and the cabin steward come in handy.

[2cruiseagain]

I heard that the tape is a life saver, when traveling. I know people that used it to tape up a ripped suitcase. There are dozens of uses for it in an emergency. You can tape anything together, etc.

 

I have even heard of it being used as a strapless bra! I'd hate to be around my wife when she took it off....ouch:eek:

[randlandk]

Ouch!!! LOL Did you take in any night time shows or anything like that...was wondering what kind of things they had that you could do at night.

 

Letha

[2cruiseagain]

Ouch!!! LOL Did you take in any night time shows or anything like that...was wondering what kind of things they had that you could do at night.

 

Letha

 

Magician was good for the portion we saw. But we did kind of mess up by having dinner around 8:30 every night. We always seemed to conflict with the early 7:30 and late 9:30 shows somehow. Might want to look at the Freestyle Daily's to see show times and setup reservation times accordingly. Normally we like to eat second seating on trad. dinning, so I thought 8:30 was about right. But, you are usually wiped out in the evening so a little earlier might be better. Remember though, the overnight stays in Kauai and Maui mean you don't want to feel rushed returning to the ship for dinner. Also make sure you are done eating by 10pm on the Lava Flow cruising.