POA review 5/20

[jaxterry]

Just returned and wanted to post my review. I thank everyone who posted ideas and comments and answered my many questions before we went - all of that pre-planning really does help!

 

We have been on 10 cruises before, most Carnival, but you really must see Hawaii.

 

We didn't come in a day or two ahead and that was a mistake - do so if you can so you can see some of Oahu, Waikiki, Diamond Head, etc.

 

First port - Kauai. We rented a car - the car rental on all islands is really easy - used Thrifty here and they are waiting for you as you exit the ship. Quick and easy to sign in - and whether you are Blue chip or not they take you at either line and process fast. We got an upgrade here because they were out of midsize - an SUV. Only problem is the gas cost, but appreciated the vehicle.

 

In Kauai, you really want to see so much! We went early morning to the Waimea Canyon - loved it, especially the colors and waterfall. We two went to one area for hiking - realized we were in an area all alone in Hawaii, just the two of us. Our next stop was a microbrewery in the Plantation resort in Waimea - not far from the canyon. Tried some 6 oz. local brews for $2 each in a lovely bar and there were others eating some good looking food. Then to Spouting Horn - geyser in the water. Did love the horn, the chickens there, and the little retail huts had the cheapest prices on the island!

 

On to Poi'pu beach that was recommended to snorkle - the water is only about 2 feet deep and very rocky, and the waves were huge that day. Was a struggle even for an experienced snorkeler, so we did only about 15 mins.

 

In the afternoon drove up the north coast (beautiful) - there would have been a lot of fun places to stop but we were in a hurry. Went to the end of the road to Ke'e beach. There after parking you can start up the Napali trail - if you climb about 1/2 mile straight up on a very rocky path,you get to the top where you can see a lot. The couple before us saw two whales - we heard about them all over the island as they are there very late this year due to cooler water. It is a very challenging path - we are in good condition for our age and were the oldest ones we saw that day! Also saw a girl in sandals - not a good idea there as you need very sure footing! We made sure to climb down just before dark for the long ride back - there were kids starting beer parties - we had wanted to snorkle but didn't see anyone doing that there. Had a nice drink that evening at the Marriott close by -

 

Second day had only until 1pm - hadn't rented a car, so just walked a very short distance to the Marriott beach - they will let you use the beach, grass and water, but not their chairs. I saw some from our ship go and get the hotel towels and then you can use the chairs. The gardens at this hotel are beautiful and the koi ponds. Not a good place to snorkel but there were some surfers.

 

Next day in Hilo, Big Island - had booked a rental from Thrifty again, and again was very easy to get as they were waiting for us again. We had met two ladies that needed something to do that day and they joined us and split the cost of the car rental and gas (total was $13 per person for 4 for car and gas and we drove 180 miles that day!) Gas here and Kauai about $3.50 a gallon and $3.75 in Maui. Drove right to VNP and it was spectacular. We spent about 6 hours there, really. Go see everything there and take all of the pulloffs on the road to walk on hardened lava. We had never seen anything like that before and it was worth the whole day. Didn't try the Chain of Craters road to get close to see lava as the road had been recently been covered with lava and those that tried to get close said they didn't see anything. After the VNP, drove not too far (20 mins) continuing on HWY 11 to the Punalu'u black sand beach. A nice place - the beach is really really black and there are large green turtles (honu). The turtles aren't afraid of humans but signs tell you to stay 15 feet back and many were not.

 

Next day in Kona, Big Island. We rented a car from Enterprise - they were right at the port and you could use the entertainment book coupon from your city if you mention it when you book. (We forgot to........). Drove to Place of Refuge south of Kona and although it really isn't much to see, there were a lot of tourists there and we found the story of the place very interesting. Just next to it is Two Step - the best snorkeling we had in all of Hawaii! The guard at Place of Refuge suggests you park there since there is little parking at Two Step and it got very busy. There is not much there but porta potties, and some shade and a little sandy area. Mainly it is large smooth lava rocks - you can lay on them and you step right into 10 feet of water right away. There are waves, but not difficult to snorkle or get around. The coral is the best we have seen in 15 years of snorkeling. The fish are good too. It is tiring snorkeling with the waves, but worth it there. We stayed for hours.

 

Next day in Maui - we rented another car from Thrifty and once again easy to do - they were waiting at the pier. By the way, on every island, the map given to you by the rental car company is the best - and gives specifics about where to return the car. That is important, because sometimes we were rushing back and didn't exactly remember where to go.......We drove right to Maalea and my husband went through the Aquarium while I shopped. He took an hour, but said he could have used 1 1/2 hours - is $23 for adults plus a few dollars for the audio self- guided tour which he said was well worth it. I found a great deal there on a Red Dirt shirt - they have them on all of the island for usually $20-22, but I paid $15 for one for my husband. Then on to LaHaina - there was a craft show around the huge Banyan tree on the square and a lot to see and do. Was billed as just like Key West but the touristy area is a lot smaller, but fun. Could have used more hours there to go to happy hours, shops, etc. Went on to Kannapali beach area (just north of LaHaina) and tried to find Black Rock area by the Sheraton for snorkeling - were in a hurry to get to the luau at Royal LaHaina Resort and didn't find the right area for snorkeling, but enjoyed a beach there. This is the resort area - beautiful big hotels. They tell you to get to the luau very early to get the best seats, but really those that came an hour after us (just before it started) were sitting two feet from us, so it is really a waste of an hour to stand there waiting. We did like the luau and food - right on the beach, watching the sunset, and we got the tickets in advance online for $49.95. The drive back to the ship that night was beautiful too (oh, they ran out of midsize cars again and we had a PT Cruiser convertible, nice for Maui). The next day went on the Road to Hana. If you have any stomach problems, this is very difficult - many on our ship were sick and my husband included, so this trip was very difficult for him. We spent 11 hours because we stopped a lot on the way there and spent a lot of time. I do suggest you take all of the turnoffs to waterfalls, pools, arboretums, little towns, parks, and beaches and you will see great scenery. We liked the arboretum that was $10 admission - well worth it. The state park just before Hana has caves and a black sand beach that was supposed to be great for snorkeling - there was no way you could snorkel in those waves! We tried another beach in Hana, was mostly locals and not a nice sand beach, and went to one just south of the general store - not the white sand beach we were looking for, but farely peaceful. Again, no way to snorkel there.

 

If we had it to do again, we wouldn't do the road to Hana - we would have gone back to the LaHaina and Kannapali area again to do more beaching, walking, and snorkeling, but I think you might want to experience the Road just once, as we did.

 

The next day returned to Oahu, and we really recommend the Easy Fly program. For $19.95 each, they take your bags from the hall outside your cabin and you don't see them until you reach your home airport. Couldn't have been smoother for us. We kept our carryon bags light, but with everything we needed. We took The Bus to Pearl Harbor bus number 20 and it is $2 exact change each - waited about 20 mins, and once we got there we had another 2 hour wait for our time to go to the Arizona Memorial. We used the time to tour the Bowfin submarine - $8 each with a free audio self- tour. You go all through the sub with a long narration, and it is also good to walk through the outside memorial area where you see a plaque for each sub that was lost during WWII. We took The Bus to the airport - number 20 again and we arrived about 1 1/2 hours before our flight (3:30 flight out Sunday afternoon) but were only about 3 people in line for security check.

 

So, our experience was that you see scenery in Hawaii that we haven't seen anywhere else and that was fantastic. Can't say how the local food was - in Hana I ate onion rings and Kona coffee ice cream for lunch and it was great!

[cruizinwithkids]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading it and can't wait to go in February,:)

[DebraDot]

Thank you for the review. A very enjoyable read.

 

One question: What time did you arrive at Pearl Harbor to get tickets for the Arizona Memorial?

[Duffys wife 1957]

Thanks for the review....................:D

[junebug8]

Thanks for the review! We are also going to the same luau on Maui. Glad you had a great time.:)

[jaxterry]

We arrived at memorial at 9:40 am (The Sunday of memorial weekend.....) and were given tickets for 11:40 am. Tried to get their earlier - could have, I suppose, if we had gotten up early and debarked the ship first thing. As it was, we debarked about 8:45, waited for The Bus, and the trip there took about 30 mins. The tickets at the memorial are given out starting at 7:30 am each day.

[CrusingJoe]

Very nice review, but how was the ship?

[jaxterry]

I tried to avoid too much discussion about the ship.......we have been on many that were great and rarely get ruffled by small problems, but when you have many many that makes it tough............There were many small problems - we like to play hard on the islands and just want some soap and a towel so we can take a shower before dinner and it is difficult when you have no shower soap for two days and tough to get towels unless you find a cart in the hall and take them yourself. Also tough to get ice - they fill it probably at 8am and we don't get back until 5 or 6 pm and by then it is melted. Room service will bring it to you sometimes.

 

Ship looked good, everything worked in our cabin except the air - was hot and stuffy (for a change - most ship cabins are cold) - we never complained but they knew anyway and tried to fix it - didn't work, so they put an envelope with a $50 OBC on the door - that was nice.

 

Cabins are very small - we had a KK guarantee so we were just below the lido deck, but much smaller cabins than Carnival, for instance. But, we did know that before we booked.

 

Entertainment not what we expected - two big shows total and they were good but only two shows in seven nights really. Karaoke was good though but only for a few nights. We didn't find good bands to dance to - we like new or old rock of any kind and didn't see anything like that.

 

Food - well that was a disappointment. We still feel you should be able to get a good meal in the regular dining rooms and that rarely happened. Service was very very slow even when they were not busy, and many meats were tough or grisly, other foods tasted bad. We have never before been disappointed in cruise food and we think we are not picky, but didn't love this. Buffet food was just ok - not as good as normal. Hard to find coffee cups every time, for example. In the dining room two nights we were told that a cappucino machine was broken, but when another guest asked the maitre d' he said no it wasn't - he produced some that my husband said was awful.

 

We were asked to sanitize our hands for every meal and they sprayed our hands when we got back on ship - but then apparently too many had a GI problem and suddenly the buffet was not serve yourself - one server told me that too many guests didn't wash their hands and that is why there were so many sick. It was not a major hassle.

 

Embarkation, getting off at each pier, tender service in Kona, and debarkation were all very good - better than normal. Those were quick and efficient.

 

The cruise past the NaPali coast on Tues afternoon and the cruise past the lava flow at night leaving Hilo were breathtaking - also two very very special times. The narrator about the NaPali coast is excellent. You don't need a narrator when you are watching lava flow at night!

 

So, all of this being said, we were still in Hawaii, mostly slept on the ship only, didn't go there to eat and gain weight, and had a wonderful trip.

 

Would we do it again? Absolutely. Just be aware of what to expect and enjoy your time on those beautiful islands.