just back from Pride of Aloha

[stingraynz]

Hi

 

Just back from POA sailing from March 25 - April 1.

 

I intend to write a full review but for now I just wanted to let the upcoming cruisers that the POA was a terrific hostess. We had a fabulous time. The ship is beautiful and the American crew was a big part of our enjoyment. i was really worried and they did not disappoint. Our cabin steward Nathan was one of the best we ever had. I am also sure the big tip on the first night made him want to stand outside our door all the time. :)

 

Bradford and Paul in the Crossings dining room were absolutely fantastic they can be found around table #118.

 

This is my 20th cruise since 1997 - I have cruised most lines (except Carnival) and my 5th cruise on NCL so I have a lot to compare it to and this was truly a great trip.

 

Any specific questions I can try to answer until my write up is finished.

 

My only real advice is pack light, the rooms are terribly small with no storage space. You really don't need much and the dining is quite casual so leave the fancy clothes and all the shoes behind. We all made the mistake of bringing too much.

 

We had great weather and really calm seas and I hope you have the same.

 

More later....

[RSWBADGER]

Glad to hear to had a great time on your cruise, we were on the March 18th Pride of Aloha cruise. It's hard to beat the intinerary of the Hawaiian Islands, Aloha.

 

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[BeachBumMama]

Welcome back and glad you had a great time!:)

[marcyjane]

Welcome home and glad you had a wonderful cruise.

 

It's so good to read a good review on the Pride of Aloha from people like you and RSWBADGER who have just been.

 

Going May 20th and can't wait, but I'm not looking forward to the long plane ride. What will I do, What will I do for 8+ hours on a plane I can't stay still that long.

 

Wonder if you did any Spa Treatments, if so how were they and did you notice any good specials during the week.

 

Thanks so much and can't wait to read your full review.

 

Marcy

[BeachBumMama]

Going May 20th and can't wait, but I'm not looking forward to the long plane ride. What will I do, What will I do for 8+ hours on a plane I can't stay still that long.

That's one of the things holding me back from booking Hawaii. I'm on the east coast.:(

 

Have a great time when you go!:)

[Barb Nahoumi]

Don´t worry about the long flight. We flew to Honolulu from Boston, when we cruised on the Pride of Aloha last Christmas.

 

Try to book aisle seats, so that you can walk around, bring a good book, watch the in-flight film, and lastly-----sleep alot.

 

Tomorrow we face a 5000+ mile flight home from Uruguay. Owww our achin´

asses.

 

Barb

[carmel]

Welcome home and glad you had a wonderful cruise.

 

It's so good to read a good review on the Pride of Aloha from people like you and RSWBADGER who have just been.

 

Going May 20th and can't wait, but I'm not looking forward to the long plane ride. What will I do, What will I do for 8+ hours on a plane I can't stay still that long.

 

Wonder if you did any Spa Treatments, if so how were they and did you notice any good specials during the week.

 

Thanks so much and can't wait to read your full review.

 

Marcy

 

 

I've flown to China twice. I'm on the east coast so it was a 6 hrs flight to LA then a 14.5 hr flight to China. I'm also a fearful flyer!!!!

 

Back in the days where flying was more than cattle herding, LOL, I boarded my Delta flight from Atlanta to Honolulu. They had Hawaiian music over the PA system, had sprayed the airplane with some amazing tropical flower smell and all of the flight attendants were in mu-mus. The menus reflected the destination - pineapple chicken, pulled pork, etc. The FAs would come around and ask if you had ever been to Hawaii and then tell you their favorite places. This was not in first class - this was COACH! By the time we landed, the whole plane had sort of bonded and it started off our vacations in an amazing way.

 

I don't expect the same experience this time around ;)

[carmel]

Stingraynz,

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm booked for next March. In my efforts to read everything I can about this cruise, I have come across some horrible reviews of the ship. I got so worried. I'm so glad to hear things are turning around and that you had a fantastic trip!

[Glamourgal]

I so look forward to the rest of your review!! I have to wait until Sept but I'm so excited!!

 

I do have a question regarding the restaurants, which of the 2 main "free" restaurants did you prefer? I will try to remember table 118 in Crossings!!

[marcyjane]

Carmel,

Wow that flight sounded great! with Delta.

We are flying out of Nashville on American to Dallas and then on to Honolulu.

Hope The FA's are like that on the American Airlines flight, that sounds like so much fun!!!

6 weeks from today will be my last day at work we are flying out on Friday for our Sunday departure on The Pride of Aloha.

Thanks,

Marcy:)

[stingraynz]

Hi

 

Review still in progress. Dealing with being back to work, jet lag and a weekend card tournament seems to have monopolized my time.

 

To answer a few questions:

 

They did have spa treatments, all the regular Mandara spa offerings. We did not have any treatments done but after doing all the scuba diving we did my sister really wanted to book one. However, the port intensive itinerary really did not leave us much time on the ship. They did have spa specials in the daily paper - but I always find them to be the treatments you don't really want. For example, hand and foot massage when I would prefer either back or hot stone. I'm sure those ones sell well.

 

We always went to the Crossings restaurant as our cabins were aft. As soon as we hooked up with Paul and Bradford we stayed and ate both Breakfast and dinner there. I never even saw the other restaurant, Palace I think it is called. Keep in mind if there is anything on the specialty reataurant regular menu (not the stuff with an upcharge) you can order it to either the Crossings or Palace. We went to Kahili and the appetizers were fantastic.

 

We are also from the East (Toronto) and the flight is hard. I bought an MP3 player to use for long flights to Asia or Hawaii. I also brought my 'revealed' guidebook for Maui on the plane this time to read up on anything I did not get to. All in all Hawaii is certainly worth the flight.

[umwife11]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Like the others booked on POAl, I've been a little concerned after reading some of the reviews and experiences others have shared...

 

It seems to be that they're on the up and up and it sounds great! Look forward to reading your full review...

 

Welcome home!

[Lyn2005]

Can't wait for the review!

 

I usually take bad opinions with a grain of salt. We are not terribly picky people so we don't expect anymore than cleanliness and at least some degree of professionalism on the part of the staff. We are on vacation so having to wait for meals doesn't bother us, means more time to chat with our companions and eat leisurely rather than mow it down like at a fast food restaurant. I personally am uncomfortable with being waited on hand and foot. I prefer my privacy and to do things for myself, I would not enjoy a butler. I loved Celebrity, it is quite formal and you are catered to on a high level. I am looking forward to a laid-back, casual atmosphere. We don't have high expectations so we will probably be pleasantly surprised. We plan on using the ship as a floating hotel.

[rslharris]

We are going the end of Sept. and would like to know which excursions were the best.Did you book through the ship or wait until you docked to find a guide? Thanks for any help.

[stingraynz]

Hi

 

Sorry for taking so long...but here is what I have so far.

 

I will add my info of what we did in the Ports of Call hopefully within the next few days.

 

HAWAII TRIP MARCH 18 – APRIL 2, 2007

 

PRE-CRUISE MAUI ACCOMMODATION

 

We stayed a week prior to the cruise at the Palms of Wailea. We rented from Outrigger but they are all or mostly all privately owned condos. We had a ground floor 2 bedroom garden view deluxe unit (#501) and we absolutely loved it. It had just been redecorated and it was beautiful. It slept six adults comfortably and the views to the gardens were heavenly. Wailea is in south Maui and it is such a beautiful spot of what it seems an endless array of beautiful spots. Most rooms had either sliding doors or a huge window. Even a huge window in the kitchen could be used for a pass through if eating out on the lanai. The kitchen had new stainless steel appliances and was very well equipped with cookware and many other small appliances. We thank the owners of unit 501 for such a well-appointed space. Outrigger supplied clean bath and beach towels daily, as well as daily housekeeping service.

 

OUTRIGGER PALMS OF WAILEA

3200 Wailea Alanui Drive

Wailea, Maui 96753

866.733.519 800.688.7444

808.879.5800 888.294.7731

 

CAR RENTALS

KIHEI RENT A CAR

I have been to Maui a number of times in the last 10 years and have always rented from Kihei Rent-a-car. They are a nice operation and have pick up service from the airport and they bring you to their office to get your car. The nice thing about this rental service is they rent older cars, which are not only a good price but they look like local cars. This way they may not be such an attraction to car thieves as the obviously rented convertible mustangs that are constantly targeted.

 

KIHEI RENT-A-CAR

800.251.5288

808.879.7257

http://www.kiheirentacar.com

info@kiheirentacar.com

 

THRIFTY

In the all the ports of the ship (including Maui for the two port days) we rented from Thrifty. We used the further discount services of discount Hawaii car rentals in conjunction with Thrifty. We had great service from Thrifty. Definitely make sure you join up to be a ‘blue chip’ member. It is worth it as the line is shorter and we did get upgrades.

 

In Kauai Thrifty is not located at the airport. So do not take another car rental company shuttle and hope to get there. The location is actually closer to the pier than the others.

 

In Hilo Thrifty was located at the airport, right next to Alamo so you could take the Alamo shuttle but they did tend to ask and check before you boarded the shuttle.

 

In Maui Thrifty was not located at the airport. It was on the airport road but not at the terminal with the other rental agencies. Maybe that is why the rates are more competitive.

 

We never had a long wait for a shuttle, they were fairly frequent, we were very pleased with their service.

 

We went during spring break and there were a lot of people, but our friends always managed to get a car (walk in rate) all the time from one of the rental agencies. Even though the shuttle drivers had said that there were no cars available. If you want a car just go and try to get one, there are many cars available – you may not get the one you want but they may have something available.

 

Car Options we used

· Discount Hawaii Car rental 888.292.3307

· http://www.thrifty.com 800.367.5238

· http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com or

· http://www.hawaiidiscountcarrental.com

 

MAPS & GUIDE BOOKS

We used the AAA map to get a general overview of all the Islands. I always made use of the Thrifty’s supplied map in all the ports. They pointed out the much needed nearby gas stations fast food chains and other needed stores and stops.

 

The best guidebook I have ever read has got to be the ‘Revealed’ guidebooks by Andrew Doughty. I love his writing and explanations of the sights. They were not only ‘spot on’ but they were great to read. I bought the ones for Kauai (The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed), Big Island (Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook) & Maui (The Ultimate Maui Handbook: Maui Revealed). These books were very detailed & gave me all I required along with my prior knowledge of the Islands.

 

If you did not buy these guidebooks to read before you go. Do not worry, there are dozens of free publications & map books offered everywhere you go. My favorite of these is always the ‘101 thing to do on Maui’, ‘101 things to do on Oahu’, etc. There was also an excellent small publication for all of the ports. It was only available at the Honolulu pier right around the entrance to the port building when you embarked on the ship. Try to look for it here, I did not see them offered any where else. It was called Cruise Visitors Guide and was put out by Hawaiian Shores Magazine. It had great maps of the pier areas and some ideas and ads of things to do. It gave just enough info to get you around and find some tour companies. The thing I liked about this ‘port guide’ (that is how I will refer to it from here on) is it had a fairly decent map of the immediate port / pier area, which is really handy. They listed the top things to do and gave info on taxis or shuttles that are geared towards cruise ship guests vs. staying on the Island. There was a website listed as http://www.hawaiicruiseguide.info

 

ACTIVITIES

 

We don't book excursions through the ship. They are often both crowded overpriced. I have been to the Islands before so I have done quite a few of the activities. There is so much to do in Hawaii. I find I am always so busy having fun I never just relax. I would recommend reading the revealed guidebooks or something similar, figure out where your interests lie and contact the companies recommended and make a booking. Make sure you find our what their general cancellation policy usually it was 24-48 hours. Be very sure to enquire about not being charged if the ship does not come into port. I would suggest to rent a car in any port to have the freedom to get around. The world is at your feet.

 

This cruise was very different from other cruises I have been on where there were none or very little taxi’s available at the pier and there were no tours or guides waiting to solicit their tours. I think it may have something to do with the security or laws. If you are looking to book your own tour or shore excursion you must do it ahead of time or get yourself to an ‘excursion broker’ such as Activity Warehouse, Snorkel Bob’s or Boss Frog’s. They are located in many of the little strip malls. You will get a great price however they will be very crowded tours and excursions. This is not my favorite way to do things - but that’s just me. I prefer to book my own excursions through the company and have more of a private tour.

 

If you are committed to booking through NCL they do have an excellent assortment of tours. I also have to say of all the cruise lines I have traveled with, I have felt that NCL always gave the best value for tours and also stood behind their tours. I have often been disappointed in ship-sponsored tours – especially the half-day tours. However, I have never been disappointed with an NCL sponsored tour. I feel that they do care about their quality of tours. Where other cruise lines I have experienced, do not stand behind their tours. Celebrity is the worst and I will not book another half-day tour with them, but that is sermon for another day.

 

Many of the tours are very early morning tours. The best snorkeling, boat tours and especially scuba diving are morning tours before the winds kick up. If you want to do a lot of boat or water activities you may want to consider staying pre or post cruise in one of the Islands.

 

SCUBA DIVING

 

MAUI OCEAN CENTER

Under the ‘adventures’ section in the Maui Revealed Guidebook, there was an option listed to ‘swim with sharks’. Three times a week certified divers could book the ‘Maui Shark Dive’. This is an approx. 40-minute dive in the main shark tank at the Maui Ocean Center. The total time for viewing, orientation & dive was approx. two hours. We did this dive during our pre-cruise stay in Maui and I cannot even describe how cool this dive was. The tank is about 18 feet deep and you overweight yourself so you can just hang out on the bottom with all the tank creatures. They have about six different species of sharks including black-tip & white-tip reef sharks, sand bar sharks, gray sharks, 2-3 hammerheads and even a tiger shark. There were many species of Hawaiian tropical fish and 6 huge stingrays and a spotted eagle ray. The eagle ray is quite obviously the ‘queen of the tank’ and a big part of the dive was feeding her mussels on the half shell. We were quite lucky as we were the only two divers booked for our day and they allowed us to stay in the tank almost twice as long as the scheduled time. “Thanks” Harry and Jim!!

 

WHEN: Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings

Maui Ocean Center Office: 808.270.7075 or

info@mauioceancentre.com

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

 

ED ROBINSON’S

Probably the best dive op I have ever used anywhere was Ed Robinson’s. They came recommended on CC as well as in the Maui Revealed guide. They were spectacular from beginning to end. Very organized, very prepared and had everything worked down to a science in regards to loading the boat, setting up payment, setting up gear. The dive crew was levels above spectacular. We had originally booked a two-tank dive to the cathedrals off of Lanai, 2-tank night dive & the 3-tank adventure that included back-wall Molokini. We had to cancel the Lanai dive to allow the dive in the shark tank. So our first dive with them was the night dive. There were three dive instructors onboard and 3 or less divers with each instructor. These guys were into spotting the best wild life possible for your dives. They were so into showing us the best possible time. Our guide John was so great, he wanted to show us the fish swirling in the water column outside off of the outer reef in Molokini and it all looked exactly as he described in our briefing. He gave me some great tips about finning and breathing on deep dives greater than 120 feet. Whether you brought your own gear or used theirs they set it up, changed it out between dives and packed it up afterwards. If you booked multiple dives, they offered a discount and allowed you leave your stuff on the boat for the next day etc.

 

Ist dive site was either Mid Reef Molokini or Reef’s end – the main attractions here were the schooling fish and two reef sharks. I could look up the Dive sit name in my log book if you need further detail.

 

There were many whales spotted on the surface before and after the dive but none on the dive itself. I have yet to see a whale on a dive.

 

2nd dive was the night dive not at Molokini but just off the coast in Wailea, on a reef in the middle of a sand bar. We saw tons of night creatures like nudibranch, dozens of lobster and eels. The black night abyss was surprisingly very soothing and calm.

 

It also didn’t hurt that we had fantastic conditions, calm waters and the humpbacks were very loud and active during the dives.

 

The next morning we did the 3-tank adventure and it was an early morning. We got out just as the sun was rising over Haleakala on Maui’s south shore. Our guide on these dives was Kim.

She was a maniac – she seemed to be showing us something either rare or truly hidden every second. Excellent!

 

The first dive – our deep dive was a straight 110 feet for 18 minutes. We saw the elusive frogfish (a great specimen), we saw a rare hawk fish, some schooling tropical fish and a huge moray eel together with some shrimp in their lair.

 

Second dive was at their ‘secret spot’ called ‘85 foot reef’ and the name was very appropriate. Where again we saw tons of reef life.

 

Third dive was on the back wall of Molokini. This is supposed to be the best wall dive in the USA. It was a straight timed drift dive and we were to stay between 50-60 feet. The bottom will drop as deep as 300ft. There was great visibility. But we liked to call this dive the reverse drift dive as we had to swim the entire dive ‘against’ the current. The other group aborted their dive and was already back on the boat when we surfaced. I guess we were tougher we persevered and finished the dive as planned current and all. The topography on this dive was phenomenal and we encountered a very cute octopus and some sharks followed us around.

 

We certainly got our work-outs and exercise with Ed’s group. I could not recommend them more. They were totally into diving and into giving you the best experience and dives possible. They made sure time onboard was spent to discuss what you should look for in the dive briefings. They were really into the wildlife.

 

ED ROBINSON’S DIVING ADVENTURES

800.635.1273

808.879.3584

http://www.maui-scuba.com

robinson@maui.net

 

JACK’S DIVING LOCKER – KONA

This dive op was recommended on CC and in Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine. It is a big dive op with a great dive boat. Their dive shop was fantastic. The dive conditions in Kona are my favorite in the Hawaiian Islands, but I would consider another op the next time. Our DM was not that great. He was more of a drill sergeant and really did not seem to know the dive site that well. We were picking out way more wildlife than he was and he seemed to flit around darting here and there when I was trying to take photos. He was not as into the wild life and I know Ed Robinson’s was a tough act to follow. I don’t have any specific complaints but I also did not have the wow-factor Ed’s did. The two dive boats used with both Op’s were very comparable and wonderfully equipped. I guess I just didn’t like getting bossed around and he was constantly banging on his tank – you know the type. I like the cute sweet naturalist types vs. the drill sergeant.

 

JACK’S DIVING LOCKER

800.345.4807

808.329.7585

http://www.jacksdivinglocker.com

dive@jacksdivinglocker.com

 

WHALE WATCHING

If you a cruising between January and April be on constant watch for whales. We saw so many whales while the ship was sailing. Especially when we were viewing the Na Pali coast on the afternoon leaving Kauai.

 

We didn’t get on an actual whale watching tour but my mom and friend’s did a sunset whale watch tour and they saw tons of whales. They really enjoyed it.

 

CRUISE

This was my 20th cruise and my 18th cruise in ten years. I have many prior experiences to compare to. This cruise was just as enjoyable as most of the rest and I thought is was better in almost every way when I compare it to my last cruise a few months before on the Holland America Zuiderdam. The ship was so pretty with her floral lei on the outside and inside I loved the Hawaiian and tropical fish themed décor. The numerous negative reviews I previously read made me quite concerned. I think some of the complaints were just that….complaints. I do think that others did have bad experiences and I thank them for their write-ups I really think that being armed with their prior knowledge and experiences allowed us to make better choices in terms of when to dine and how to deal with possible issues, right away. I was so worried we were not going to have the kind of cruise vacation we are used to and enjoy. I do think the NCLA ships were off to a rocky start, but I hope to think they are over those problems….our cruise was just as good as any other. In some cases even better.

 

Some of the departments that are still in need of correction is the Freestyle Dailies, the info was often incorrect and after a few days I didn’t even bother reading it. The fact is…the itinerary is so port intensive there is not much time spent onboard during the day.

 

CREW

 

I really liked the American crew. I must admit I was really nervous before we went from all the bad reports. There were not many recent reports for the POA so I was not expecting much and at the same time no one was going to ruin my good time!

 

I really felt they added to my enjoyment of not only the cruise but the Islands as well. Don’t forget, they are a great source of information! A lot of the crew members are from Hawaii and many have been on board for a while so they can tell you about the best places to buy stuff or the best hidden away beaches etc etc. We found they loved to chat and answer questions and just be social. I found that a ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ went a long way also, to give praise that they were doing a great job and they were making a difference, really did make a difference in the service we got! I tried to comment when things were good or great vs. just when they are bad. We all can understand how awful it must be to always be hearing only negative feedback.

 

I do not doubt that the previous bad reviews and posts were very warranted but some of the complaints I know would not have bothered me that much. I was very scared about those that said they did not get turn down service at night as that would be a concern to me. We need the bathroom cleaned at night as we all take our showers before dinner and the bathroom is a wreck. We also had three in our room so we would need the pull out couch turned down. I have to say our favorite waiters and Nathan our cabin steward were some of the best we have ever had and the general crew was way better on POA than on our last cruise in December on HAL’s Zuiderdam.

 

DINING

 

I will be the first to say I do not like ‘freestyle’. However, when we go on NCL cruises we try to make the best and work within the Freestyle model but get what we want as well. For us, we want the same waiter & Asst. Waiter. That is what is important – to have that relationship with the waiter. As soon as we find a couple good pairs we will always request them and even go at times they suggest will work best. On our particular sailing, early dinner seemed to be busier than later on. I think it was because of the many kids onboard from assorted school breaks. You must find the lulls and peak times on your particular sailing within the first few days. We got along with a waitstaff team so well, they booked the reservations for us with the host. They would say just leave it to us and be here at 6:45pm.

 

They were fantastic, they would recommend their favorite dishes, and create a new dish by mixing two entrees together. I had a catfish filet over a mushroom ravioli one night on Bradford’s recommendation and it was fabulous.

 

Dining for me is not a huge deal. I cruise a lot so the food is not the draw. I like to try new things. I always ask for the waiter’s recommendation and opinion. If it is horrible I ask for something else but really if I do not enjoy it I move on. I always feel full when I leave the dining room I did not have to cook it or clean up, so I am generally always pleased.

 

I find I am always drawn to the appetizers and some time they are not so good but who cares at the end of it all. IMHO, the desserts were probably the worst of the menu options. I do not know why but it always seems to me that NCL tries to make desserts a healthier option. I feel they offer a fruit plate – there is your healthy option. But other than that, ice cream should be creamy. Mousses should be made from real eggs and cream and full fat and real sugar. Please no more sugar substitutes and low fat or fat free options. They are just wrong. This is not just on NCLA I have been seeing this on NCL for years.

 

The soufflés and the mousses were just really weird and artificial. Try them don’t necessarily listen to me but you may want to consider ordering two desserts in case they do not work out. Now Princess, Oceania and Celebrity really know who to make full fat, creamy dreamy desserts.

 

We usually ate breakfast in the dining room. On the mornings we had an early dive or something we always order room service. The RS was great! We wrote what we wanted whether it was on the menu or not and we wrote in a small note requesting a time and they even called us early to deliver it as they saw we had an early excursion. This was above and beyond our expectations.

 

Yes, the meals in the dining room were not quick but this was time we enjoyed by visiting with others or catching up on our plans etc. The service was not terribly slow – just very relaxed.

 

I am against the use of buffets so I can honestly tell you I did not even see the buffet or ‘the trough’ as I call it. For a really quick meal I went to the back small buffet (trough) area on deck 11 aft. I think it was called the Hukilau Grill vs. the Hukilau Buffet. I can honestly say the burgers and fries were fantastic. I thought they were great and very tasty. Like I said above I always seem to get fed.

 

We usually try to get to at least the Bistro or one of the specialty restaurants onboard. We tried the Kahili restaurant and everything was good but I have to say I liked the crossings dining room better with Bradford and Paul. They did have a daily special of 50% off the fee after 9pm so it was certainly worth it. You could make your reservations during the hours from 8am to 5pm either by phone or in the cultural center 7th floor. It is better if you have a few possible dates and times ready.

 

The regular dining rooms will make reservations for parties of 6 or more. Otherwise you just show up and wait. On our sailing it seemed to be really busy at 5:30 when the restaurant opens then at 6:30 not so busy and then busy by 7pm. After 8pm we did not have to wait the few times we ate at that time or later. The dining room almost seemed empty. Try to get a feel of the demographics onboard right away and eat at off periods and there will not be too many problems.

 

ROOMS

BC BALCONY STATEROOM #9256 FJORD DECK

We had a balcony room and 'yes' they do not have a sliding door but more of

a glass door that opens and the other side is solid with a port hole. This would not be my first choice for a balcony door, but we were prepared as my sister had already been on this ship when it was the Norwegian Sky. We got over it fairly quick and the balcony was very nice to have and I would absolutely recommend it! The balcony size was excellent. (It seemed to be about a third of the room size). To be able to go out and see that Hawaiian view from your room for us was so worth it and we slept with the door wide open every night.

 

The room is very small and storage space was non-existent. The usual little nooks and crannies that are available in the cabins just weren’t there. Bring a power bar if multiple outlets are needed for cameras and battery chargers etc. There was the regular size closet but only four very shallow drawers and only one nightstand. We had no room to put our bottles of water and lotions and potions etc. everything seemed to be all over the floor and/or in the suitcases under the beds. So do yourself the favor and leave anything you do not need at home. They supplied a fairly decent hairdryer so that was something else I brought and did not use. I never touched my curling iron. Next time they are all staying home.

 

We had a port side room and we really enjoyed the view that the port side provided in each port. Well, both sides had a great view as it was Hawaii after all, however, the gangway was always on the starboard side therefore the starboard side rooms always had the port buildings and parking lots in front so you really had to look beyond. Our side never had buildings or other ships butt

up against us. That is the kind of thing I try to take note of. We were not on the side for the NaPali sail but you could get a great view of this coastal sail on any deck for those few hours. For us, we enjoyed it on the pool deck with a few MaiTais.

 

WHAT TO BRING

Resist the urge to bring a lot of clothes and shoes. Both the islands and the ship are really casual. I really did not need any dress shoes or dressy clothes. Maybe one pair of nice pants and a good top and that would do. Otherwise, casual & aloha wear were the order of the day in the dining rooms. I would not even bother with a lot of lotions and sun block as there are some really cool hawaiian brands and lotions that you my want to stock up on while you are there.

 

Do not bring Alcohol onboard in your carry on hand luggage – they will confiscate it. You should have seen the pile of alcohol. The best bet is to put it in your checked bags and hope for the best. Better yet most people had best luck buying it in ports after embarking.

 

If you are going in winter (Jan – April) bring a windbreaker and something long sleeved and warm it did get windy and cold on the water at night. Even on shore it was quite breezy and comfortably cool. It did get into the high 60s some nights.

 

WHAT TO BUY

ABC Store, Hilo Hatties and WalMart will carry pretty much everything you are looking for. In a pinch Long’s Drug store may also have all the various Hawaiian stuff. Onboard the ship shops will also carry a wide variety but of course, the prices are much higher.

 

Some of my favorite purchases were;

· Hana Bay rum & Macadamia Nut Liqueur

· Kakui Nut Oil. I liked the brand ‘Oils of Aloha’ fragrance free product. It is great for your skin and really helps heal a burn. Use it after the pain has subsided. Helps aid against peeling and works on healing sunburned skin and prolonging a good tan.

· Kona Coffee – make sure it is 100% and NOT a blend. The prices will reflect this. Unless you are paying a minimum of $7 for a small bag it is most likely not 100% Kona.

· Hawaiian Secrets after sun and Hawaiian Secrets Tanning lotion. Or any kind of coffee scented oily sun Hawaiian products. Put this on over top of a high SPF and you will get a great brown tan and it smells great. Use the Kakui nut oil or the after sun lotions to keep skin moisturized.

 

ODDS & ENDS

If you have a later flight, a luggage storage service is offered at the pier. This was so fantastic as we disembarked at 9am and our flight was not until 8pm. We just wheeled our bags over to the other side of the terminal where you collect your bags. It was $5 per bag and they held them until 7pm. This allowed us to make use of the entire day in Honolulu / Waikiki.

 

AVERAGE TEMP – everyday was about 80 degrees

[Duffys wife 1957]

Super review, Thank you so much......:D

[stingraynz]

Hi

 

Finally got a chance to put the rest together.

 

CRUISE PORTS OF CALL

 

IN GENERAL

 

There was usually a shopping shuttle to Wal-Mart or Hilo Hattie’s in most ports. There were no independent tours or tour operators selling any tours so don’t expect this like other cruises. There were rental car shuttles available and the ship’s tour buses. Sometimes (such as Kauai) we saw budget right there with a table for last minute reservations. At Hilo and Maui there were booths with some Hawaiian souvenirs and flowers being sold. For the most part these were commercial piers like you see else where in the world. Do not expect the Caribbean type piers with their world of goods and services catering to cruisers immediately after you step off the ship.

 

In the first few hours in most of the ports there will be volunteers on hand to help with last minute information to help make plans. Otherwise, as I said if you have not made reservations with a tour company a car will provide most information. Again, keep in mind the best boat tours for any water activities go out first thing in the morning – so it is best to book them ahead of time or with the ship.

 

HONOLULU

PIER LOCATION: Our NCL docs reflected the Aloha Tower Market Place (ATM) Pier 10 & 11. However, we docked at Pier 2. The Celebrity Summit was at ATM Pier 10 & 11. Tell the Taxi driver the name of the ship and they will know. Pier 2 was about a 10 minute walk from the ATM. The other pier is literally adjacent to the ATM.

EMBARKATION: check in begins at 1pm. We checked in after 3pm and the lines were fairly sparse.

SAILING TIME: 8pm

**must be on board 60 minutes prior to sailing time

 

DISTANCE: from airport to port is approx 5 miles

TRAVEL TIME: from airport to port is approx 10 - 15 minutes

TAXI FARE: going from airport to port be paid approx $25-30 for a van. Returning to airport from port at the end of the cruise we paid approx $18 for a town car. Both were metered and we thought the pricing was fair and service was great.

 

KAUAI

ARRIVE: 8AM DEPART: NEXT DAY AT 1PM

Beautiful Kauai. Lush, sensual, absolutely breathtaking. Often, this is people’s most favorite island. Expect some rain on your visit to this beautiful Island. It is not known as the ‘Garden Isle’ because it is arid.

 

The ship docks at Nawiliwili NOT port allen. Overnight parking nearby for $10 at Aloha Center Marketplace (nearby mall). We returned our car at the end of the first day so I did not see this parking lot first hand.

 

It was a short walk to the one or two nearby malls, Duke’s and the pathway to the Kalapaki beach in front of the Marriott. The anchor mall had tour options available.

 

We rented a car and drove the north shore in the AM on the first day then went to Waimea Canyon in the afternoon and returned the car by the evening. I think the cars had to be returned by 8pm if you did not want to keep it for the 24-hour period.

 

If you drive to the north shore, Princeville hotel is a beautiful place to stop for a break. We also noticed many restaurants were open for lunch, but close between lunch and dinner. Plan to stop for lunch before 2pm or you may find yourself looking for the nearest drive thru at 4pm.

 

The next morning we went to Kalapaki Beach and enjoyed the sand and surf until noon. We sailed at 1pm.

 

If you get a chance stop by Lappert’s Ice Cream, we went to the Hanapepe location on the way back from Waimea Canyon. They close by 6pm.

 

I did some research on Helicopter tours in Kauai – but we never took one so the following is a bunch of info I put together before I went.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Helicopter options

 

· http://www.bluehawaiian.com

· island helicopters

· inter-island helicopters

· sunshine helicopters 808.882-1223

· tropical helicopters 808.961-6810 wwwtropicalhelicopters.com

· volcano helicopters 808.961-3355

· paradise helicopters 808.969.7392 hilo 808.329.6601 kona

· safari helicopters 808.969.1258 800.326.3356

· Jack Harter – doorless http://www.trykauai.com http://www.helicopters-kauai.com

o They pick up at the pier

o 4 pax only – doorless

o highly recommended

 

· Air Kauai airplane tour also recommended

· Air Ventures **recommended http://www.airventureshawaii.com billy zeffiro

· Wings over Kauai

· 1996 maule MXT7-180

· Cessna 172 Sky Hawk

 

Questions to ask

· cancellation policy

· liability

· pick up from pier

· how much time spent aloft

· book in morning as usually better weather

 

 

Blue Hawaii Helicopters

· does not pick up at the pier

· they are located in the Harbor mall 10-15 min walk (uphill)

· had to be there by 9:15

· once at the mall a van picks up pax and delivered them to the airport

 

 

Kauai Helicopters

· they will pick you up at the pier

· they came recommended on CC

· http://www.kauai-helicopter-tours.com

· if you have a rental you could just meet them at the airport

 

 

NA PALI COAST

 

By the time the ship left if was after the scheduled time. It took around 2-3 hours to get around the coast of Kauai. The entire sail was beautiful. We watched from the pool deck but they do have the glass panels in the way. Deck 6 is probably best for viewing but you are just standing there against the railing. There were many saving their spot at the railing on the aft deck 11. This is a lengthy sail and you will be glued to that chair for hours if you think you are going to save a spot immediately as the ship sails from the port. We were sailing past Hanalei around 3pm. The prime Na Pali sailing was about 3:30-4pm. The ship sails by the Napali coast nice & slow, it may take about 1.5 hours so it is not a 5-minute thing. We were sailing past Nihiau about 5-5:30pm and we saw tons of whales during this time.

 

BIG ISLAND

The elusive Big Island. What a wonderful place. I caught a first glimpse of the Big Island at dawn from our balcony door. I went out and watched the morning colors unfold into the huge mountain shadow of Mauna Loa appeared. The shadow of the land and the waters was an ice gray blue and the sky was hues of pinks and light purples.

 

We were so lucky to have calm seas as we slowly drifted around the island and Hilo came into sight.

 

HILO

ARRIVE: 9AM DEPART: 6PM

 

Good chance of rain and lower temps. Again, we must have appeased the gods as we had unbelievably calm seas and no rain. Even in the rain forests of Kauai we experience a light sprinkle. In Hilo, we did not get rain & it was almost clear sky at one point. There was a slight drizzle when we left VNP, but while we were there it was just cloudy.

 

We got off the ship by 9:30 picked up the car at the airport by 10am and from there we drove straight to Volcanoes National Park without stopping. It took around 25 minutes without any stops to get to VNP from Hilo airport.

 

It cost $10 for a one time admission for cars into VNP. BUT you can also by an annual pass for cars that covers all parks for $25. If you are going to VNP and Haleakala more than once this may be an option.

 

Visitors center can be your first stop. The only place that is available in VNP for restrooms. You can get your national parks stamps for your NP passports if you collect them here. There is also some good exhibits, maps & a fairly good movie on the volcano. This stop is not a must but worthwhile if you have 30 minutes or so.

 

There is a loop drive around the Kilauea Crater called ‘Crater Rim Drive’. You can stop and see the steam vents, Halemaumau (home of Pele), Jagger Museum, Lots of hiking options such as ‘devastation trail’ etc., also Thurston lava tub. For me, the if the Thurston Lava Tube is so full of bus loads – it takes away the awe factor. Try to time it in between the cruise ship tours. I think the must see in VNP is ‘Chain of Craters Road’. Fantastic!!

 

Chain of craters road is about 20 miles or so. You basically are driving down to the coast and viewing the latest lava flows and these flows you are looking at are so immense and just larger than life. You will drive right down to the end of the road where many cars will be parked. Park your car and start walking, there are two options here; the first is to walk to where the lava ‘drooled’ over the road and then you can continue further over the hardened lava to get close to where the action is right now. You will see the steam from the current lava flow in the distance. From where you park to where the lava first covered the road is short (about 10 minutes) you get there and back in less than ½ hour. Even though it is a short walk make sure you have sun block, water and some kind of head covering. Once you get to the lava covered road it is about 2.5 miles to where the current lava is flowing. There is a sign that gives an approx. distance. You may want to start out over the lava and go as far as you can do….but if you do not start out prepared you may not be able to go as far.

 

We stayed in VNP until about 3pm or so by the time we got back out to where Chain of Craters road meets back with Crater Rim Road.

 

***There was a great factsheet my mother got somewhere and I wish I had it before we left so we could have been better prepared. It was informational all on the current lava flow etc. If I was to do this again I would have concentrated on the Chain of Craters Road and the new lava flow. This part was absolutely fascinating. The website on the back of the factsheet is http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs152-00/ there is a bunch of other websites listed at the bottom of this webpage.

 

PunaLu’u - black sand beach 55 miles from Hilo. It is approx 30 minutes past VNP. We spent 5 hours at VNP and did not do any hiking. We walked around but time goes fast. If you plan to go to the black sand beach make sure you are on your way by noon or 1pm. We started back to Hilo from VNP by 3pm and by the time we got a quick bite (drive –thru) filled up the tank with gas and returned the car. We thought if we had time we would drive around Puna, but we did not have any spare time to do that. We would have been too rushed.

 

We were just getting back to the ship as the late tours were pulling in around 5pm. We did not get a chance to drive around Hilo and see the waterfront and the Banyan trees etc. I have been before but I would have liked to show my mom.

 

LAVA VIEWING

Started around 9-9:30pm

 

KONA

ARRIVE: 8AM DEPART: 6PM

 

Main street in Kona is Alii Drive. It is right there when you exit the pier. Kona means two things to me scuba diving and coffee. I already made a write up on the scuba diving at Jack’s Diving Locker and I’ll list some Kona coffee websites I got from other CC posters (thanks). If you have any other questions I will try to answer them but that is what I did on the Kona day.

 

Kona Coffee

· http://www.kona-coffee.com

· http://www.spiritofaloha.com

· http://www.smithfarms.com

· http://www.koacoffee.com

· http://www.alohaislandcoffee.com

· http://www.mountainthunder.com (organic and about 20 min from pier)

· http://www.teaandcoffee.net (articles)

· http://www.kona-coffee-farms.com (council)

· http://www.greenwellfarms.com

 

MAUI

ARRIVE: 8AM DEPART: NEXT DAY AT 9:30PM

 

There are endless options of things to do for the two days on Maui. Pick something of interest to you and enjoy the island. My favorite picks are anything that involves the water and sun!

 

There was a free parking lot right at the pier that had about 20-25 spots. Not too many. We got parking here around 5pm – just before the bulk of people started coming back. Otherwise, you may want to try to come back after 6pm when a lot of people went to Luaus. Otherwise, I heard there was another lot but I am not sure where it was.

 

SNORKELLING & BEACHES

 

My favorite beaches are in south Maui mostly from Kihei and down to Makena of course, including Wailea. Some are better for swimming with sandy bottoms, some are better for snorkeling as they are very rocky and lots of coral & no sandy bottom. Some are better for body surfing and boogie boarding. They have great write ups on all the beaches in the ‘Revealed’ guide book.

 

West maui along to Kaanapali also has fantastic beaches but I always find parking to be a bit more of a hassle at the nicer beaches around there. Just MHO!

 

I always go to Hookipa at least once to watch the surfers and wind surfers. It is located just past the great town of Paia on the Hana Hwy. Very close to the ship.

 

On the way to Hana, there is a great black sand beach at Wianapanapa State Park. I like that beach also, but have not been in years.

 

HALEAKALA

 

I love going upcountry & to Haleakala. My best advice is to wear layers it does get very cold. I was very comfortable in a fleece long sleeve shirt, gortex jacket, hat & mitts and this was in the heat of the day. If you decide to go up for the sunrise DRESS WARM! It will not be fun if you or anyone in your group dresses poorly. I made this mistake the first time I went to Maui. If you don’t have warm clothes – IMHO – don’t bother!

 

During the day, if it looks as though the summit is not cloudy, try to get up there. Even if it is cloudy it is still awesome. We certainly spent a few hours to the better part of the day up there during our week in Maui pre cruise.

 

One thing my mom and some other family did was a helicopter tour. I would have gone too but I had done some scuba diving the day before in Kona so couldn’t do anything at altitude. My mom loved it and she never does anything like that. She even bought the video. There trip took them around Haleakala, Hana and West Maui.

 

AIR MAUI – Helicopter Tours

808.877.7005

http://www.airmaui.com

airmaui@maui.net

 

Personally if I had my choice I would have done the helicopter on the Big Island at the volcano but that day in Hilo was too full and not enough time. I have always been fascinated with the volcano.

 

At the ship, I loved the view of Maui from our port side balcony – it was so lovely to look out onto those West Maui Mountains. They are beautiful at sunrise and sunset especially.

 

HONOLULU

After we disembarked the POA, we had pretty much the entire day before we had to head off to the airport. We have never really got a chance to spend the time around Honolulu so that is what we did first in the morning we went over to the Aloha Market Place. There are just a bunch of shops and restaurants really not much else, but we really found it worth it to go up to the top of the Aloha Tower for the views. From there we followed a short walking tour listed in the ‘port guide’ that brings you to some state buildings, a statue of King Kamehameha I and Iolani Palace, the only palace on American soil. From there we caught ‘the bus’ to Waikiki (bus # 42). We walked all over Waikiki and around the main street and the beachfront. We should have confirmed our flight before leaving to the airport cause as it turned out when we got to the airport our flight was delayed 1 hour so we could have spent more time in Waikiki.

[EggDropErin]

Very nice, detailed review! Thank you.

[wmbjr]

stingraynz,

 

Thanks for such a GREAT review and detailed information! The links are wonderful as is the first-hand experience. Thanks again!

 

WB

[Duffys wife 1957]

Loved the review...Thanks 4 the details:D

[sk84fungirl]

Hi

 

Just back from POA sailing from March 25 - April 1.

 

I intend to write a full review but for now I just wanted to let the upcoming cruisers that the POA was a terrific hostess. We had a fabulous time. The ship is beautiful and the American crew was a big part of our enjoyment. i was really worried and they did not disappoint. Our cabin steward Nathan was one of the best we ever had. I am also sure the big tip on the first night made him want to stand outside our door all the time. :)

 

Bradford and Paul in the Crossings dining room were absolutely fantastic they can be found around table #118.

 

This is my 20th cruise since 1997 - I have cruised most lines (except Carnival) and my 5th cruise on NCL so I have a lot to compare it to and this was truly a great trip.

 

Any specific questions I can try to answer until my write up is finished.

 

My only real advice is pack light, the rooms are terribly small with no storage space. You really don't need much and the dining is quite casual so leave the fancy clothes and all the shoes behind. We all made the mistake of bringing too much.

 

We had great weather and really calm seas and I hope you have the same.

 

More later....

 

 

See, this is why you have to form your own opinions. Research is great, but you really must think through your decision. Someone just returned from this trip a week after you and had a terrible time. I've also seen posts indicating it was great.

 

Well, I can't wait. I love Hawaii. For the price, I will visit several islands and don't have to take inter-island flights. Unpack once and I am done. Can't beat it with a wooden stick!

 

We experienced the same disparity when we researched the NCL Sun to AK last June. We had a blast then too!

 

Aloha everyone!

[ragin storm]

Very Nice Review..My question is:At pier 2 are there places to store our cruise bags after we disembark??/.we have time to kill before we head out to the airport and would like to walk around..thanks

[Droopy_Sails]

My favorite kind of review...packed full of specific, detailed and highly practical information. Thanks so much for taking the time to help others out by sharing what you've learned. It's a real kindness.

[RSWBADGER]

Very Nice Review..My question is:At pier 2 are there places to store our cruise bags after we disembark??/.we have time to kill before we head out to the airport and would like to walk around..thanks

 

Luggage Storage is Available at Pier 2 for $5.00 a bag. Stored Bags must be collected by 6:00 PM.

Click to Enlarge

[stingraynz]

Just as rswbadger replied the luggage storage is located just on the other side of the room where you collect your bags. It is located in the main luggage room do not leave that room. Bags must be collected by 6pm - but they will tell you for sure. It may have even been by 7pm. I think we went back to get ours by 5pm.

 

I am surprised I did not include this I must have been talking about it on another post this was indeed important!

 

Our flight did not leave until 8pm so this was perfect for us and very appreciated. It worked out great! We were allowed to enjoy one more day of Hawaii. We would have had a problem if we had to deal with the luggage all day. For $5/bag it was worth it.

 

Just a tip to make things easier....when you go back to collect your luggage go to where you went to embark the ship the week before. The staff will direct you it is really easy - however you will still have to go back through all the lines and security just as if you were getting back on board.

 

But to make this easy just hold onto your cruise card and have photo ID ready along with your luggage claim tickets. We had all the ID ready and had no problem but another man wanted to get back in and he did not have the proper ID and of course he was fit to be tied. The pier security guards do not care if you only have your claim tickets. Having the cruise card from the previous week was just an easy way to prove your purpose. But must have Photo ID for sure.