What did you like and dislike about your POAM cruise?

[Conanc]

Hello,

 

We are trying to decide whether or not to book a cruise on the POAM. I was hoping to hear what people liked and disliked about this cruise. Any opinions and tips on the itinerary as well as the ship would be most welcome! We are looking at a CAT BI - least expensive balcony.

 

Thank you!!!

[CruisinMK]

It is a very beautiful, newer ship.

 

Here are some random thoughts:

 

The itinerary for NCLA ships is fantastic, with overnight stays on both Maui and Kauai. Sails past glowing lava flows into the ocean at night, and a napali coast viewing on Kauai. Napali coast viewing in particular is spectacular, perhaps one of the prettiest things you could ever see from a cruiseship, and only NCLA ships do it. Most other lines now skip Kauai, which is many people's favorite. No sea days on this itinerary, but you can skip going onshore one day if you need a breather.

 

The standard rooms on PoAM are relatively small, about 138 sq. feet, think twice about trying to put more than 2 in a room.

The penthouse suites are really biig, with AE 3x size of standard cabin.

Many penthouse Suite balconies are far bigger (double?) than equivalent suites on POH, big enough to have breakfast from the butler served out there.

 

The lobby on PoAM is very nice, much classier looking than POH.

The pool on PoAM is disappointingly small.

Jeffersons specialty restaurant very nicely decorated, classy with paintings, great dining experience.

Cadillac grill decorated like 50's cafe has 24 hour comfort food, limited menu after 11pm

 

Our family loved PoAM so we then booked POH

 

Since this ship starts and ends in Honolulu, you have an opportunity to extend your stay in Hawaii in a hotel, good idea to take advantage of that if you can.

An alternative is the west coast round trips on competing cruiselines, but those have typically nine sea days and only 5 days in hawaii.

Another possibility is the Wind/Sun to fanning island, if you want a 10/11 day itinerary with fewer days in hawaii, 4 sea days, and a visit to a quaint simple atoll.

[buncher]

Thanks Mike for a good, positive review. Did you take any shore excursions and if so, can you share your experiences?

[Jfeasel]

We were on the Aug. 5 sailing of PofAM with a group of 11. We really liked the itinerary. We did 3 NCL excursions and the rest on our own which was a good mix. Tubing the Ditch was our best NCLA sponsored excursion. For our group, this ship was the best way to see the major islands. We also liked Free Style cruising - it gave us a good variety of eating options. Also, embarkation and debarkation were extremely easy, even with increased security. My husband really liked the golf staff and the courses.

 

There wasn't anything really that we disliked, we just found some of the staff's work ethics to be different from the staff on other cruise lines. We didn't feel that the majority of them went out of their way to make sure that each traveler was getting the best experience that could be provided. The assistant cruise director acted like we were taking up her time when we were doing activities. Her attitude wasn't very professional. I think one person on this board summed it up best, the NCLA ships are mostly staffed with people right out of college who aren't sure what they want to do so they try working on a cruiseline whereas other cruiselines employ professional cruise staff. On other cruises we've taken we really felt special and pampered. We didn't feel that way on this line. It didn't ruin our trip by any means and for those people who have never cruised, they probably won't even notice it. But there is a big difference between Disney and NCLA when it comes to staff. There were some staff people who were excellent and we filled out special comment cards recognizing their efforts.

[Onessa]

POAm is a great way to see a lot of Hawaii in a short period of time. It is a beautiful ship (not as nice as RCCI or Celebrity). It has nice restaurants and other amenities - but since you are on shore so much, we did not use them nearly as much as we have on other cruises.

 

We've done POAm twice. In Hilo visit the Volcano National Park (either with a ship's tour or on your own with a rent-a-car whichever you are more comfortable with). We tend to snorkel on Maui and at Kona. My DD (10YO) loves the Ocean Center in Maui. We did a really nice "off road" tour in Kauai that got us to some places we otherwise would not have been able to see.

 

No real down sides as far as I am concerned. I felt less like I was on a cruise than I have on any other ship - but I do not cruise for the "cruise experience" - I cruise for the itinerary.

[Conanc]

Thanks everyone. What are your favorite restaurants? Are reservations required for the specialty restaurants?

[CruisinMK]

I recommend jeffersons, beautiful decor and some very nice food. I like east/west a lot too, but I am more enthusiastic about asian food than most probably are. I didn't try the steak restaurant. The food in the italian restaurant was just ok, but was a nice change. The best part of was the view of Napali coast while we ate. :)

 

I ate at cadillac grill a few times for late night snacks without reservations. Very nice chocolate milkshakes, but they cost extra