POH Review 8/20/07

[twotraveljunkies]

Pride of Hawaii

 

This was our 1st Hawaii cruise but 18th cruise overall, and 4th with NCL. This was our 5th vacation to Hawaii. Being a frequent cruiser we knew this was obviously the most cost effective way to see Hawaii but had our concerns regarding what we had read from reviews. We love Hawaii and thought maybe we needed to see how you could combine the two things we enjoy the most and fill that Hawaiian vacation we were looking for.

 

We were actually very pleased. The service we experienced onboard was quite good and found no complaints from other passengers too. All the waiters were friendly and our cabin steward was very cheery and pleasant as well. Sometimes the service was a little slow but we also ate usually between 6 - 8pm prime hours so understand the peak hours are just going to be like that. We were really impressed the breakfast buffet every morning and had the best selections ever on any ship. The very rear of the ship outdoors had a really quaint area to eat breakfast.

 

Our cabin was on the 5th deck Ocean View category. The decor was nice and ample room for the 2 of us. My only real complaint on the entire ship really is the hard flat pillows and liquid soap dispenser. We just prefer bar soap. Other than that, which is so small in my opinion we would rate the ship really high. We never had a problem with the turn down service. There is a dial by your door that says ”turn down service,” along with “make up my cabin” and “do not disturb.” You choose what you want from them. We also had on most nights a cute towel creation made up by or stewardess. We would not recommend booking a cabin on deck 4, portside, as this was where we disembarked every day and it was obviously a high traffic area.

 

If you are going to get a balcony, the sail by Na Pali coastline in Kauai is by 5pm and portside on the ship. Truly though the captain does a great job with pausing during the highlight of the scenery by turning the ship 360 for viewing for some of it.

 

Entertainment onboard was good, not better or worse from other experiences. Show times were at 7:30 and again 9:30.

 

The photos on this cruise were well overpriced. An 8 x 10 was $24.95.

 

Beware – there was a topless deck that we had not idea about and didn’t see a sign for. It is called the freestyle sun deck as I looked it up in my brochure just now on deck 15. It was 3 American girls and an American waiter who came around giving them really good bar service.

 

The crew is made up of 75% American and 25% international crew. In the dining rooms the advantage is when you ask for something like sour cream or whipped cream you don’t necessarily get the ? look for such items. It was easy to make requests like we were back home. We ate at Cagney's and although the atmosphere was very nice we thought the food was good but not great. Paniolo has good fajitas there. The Grand Pacific had great atmosphere and you really thought you were in a nice restaurant. We had lobster night at the Alizar restaurant on Thursday. The second lobster was better than the first. I couldn’t find a good dessert anywhere to please my chocoholic nature.

 

One area we did not visit because it was “out of sight out of mind” was the big shopping area/jewelry store in the rear on the ship. I couldn’t believe we just forgot to look!

 

We rented a car in all the ports but Kona. Convertibles were not much more in price to rent so we had fun with that. We found that it was best to call the local office to make sure there was a shuttle to pick us up from the ship. In Maui we returned the car that evening as the last shuttle with Thrifty to the ship was 9:30. You could pay for the next day rental car and park it overnight but very limited space to do that around the pier.

 

Because we understand Kona is the place to do the best snorkel in Hawaii, we did the Captain Zodiac tour. It was really fun and the snorkeling was pretty good also.

 

We went to the NCL Luau at the Gaylord in Kauai. It was very big and nice but not as intimate as others that we liked.

 

In Maui there was a Kmart and Walmart really close to the ship if you had a car. In Kauai there was a Kmart close by too. There was also free shuttle for shopping at Hilo Hattie in every port and some ports had that for Walmart too.

 

Disembarkation off the ship was so easy and relaxing. Any one who has cruised before knows what we are talking about! We got off just before 10:30 but did notice our luggage was the last to sit there. It was nice to see Alamo at the port shuttling passengers, including us, to get our rental car at the airport off site. By the way, do not purchase the transfers from the ship. “Roberts Hawaii” at the airport and on disembarkation day has a nice motor coach shuttle for only $5 a person each way!

 

We enjoyed our experience on the POH and would definitely recommend this ship and itinerary.

[sunsetme]

thanks for the review. I have also booked an OV on 5--do you have any cabin pictures?

[twotraveljunkies]

I will see if I have more...this is one

[CC Help Michell]

Thank you for taking the time to share your review! We also loved the aft lanai area of Aloha Nui -- it was so calm and beautiful back there every morning as we made our way to the pier! Some of my favorite photos from our trip were taken there. :)

[Meema1098]

We are sailing on POH on 9-10-07. A friend of mine was on POA last spring, and they offered half price dining in specialty restaurants on sail away night, and also if you dined between 5 and 6. Was this offered on the POH while you were on? I have heard that perhaps POH does not offer that deal, only POA.

 

Also - is there self serve laundromats on the POH? Thanks for your help and thank you for the great review. I am so excited!!

[twotraveljunkies]

You will have a great time for sure!

 

The half price was offered on the first night but didn't notice if it was on any other night or certain times. There was free self serve laundromats onboard and but you have to pay $1 for soap or bring your own.

[mtg2323]

Thanks for the review! When you rented your car at each port, what sights did you see or would you recommend?:)

[Meema1098]

You will have a great time for sure!

 

The half price was offered on the first night but didn't notice if it was on any other night or certain times. There was free self serve laundromats onboard and but you have to pay $1 for soap or bring your own.

 

Thanks for your prompt reply. I have heard conflicting replies about the laundry and also the half price dining. Thank you for a great review!!

[twotraveljunkies]

In Hilo we drove to the Volcano’s Nat'l Park. We walked through the Thurston Lava Tube then drove the Chain of Craters Road which we really enjoyed. This was our second visit to this park and loved it even more I think. As you have probably read, you can't see lava flowing at this time but the Chain of Crater gives you a good idea of how it ran and especially onto the beach area, the power of the lava. There is a walk to see the old lava field area. You can see how the lava crossing over covered the road. There is also little plant life squeezing through the lava, all pretty cool. Before you actually make this walk, after you park your car on the side, walk across the way toward the coastline first and you can see a great view of the coastline and an arch carved out there in the water. Many people didn’t do that and missed out I think.

In Maui we have done the road to Hana before but thought we would do it again. It was equally as nice and went 3/4 of the trip in our little Chrysler Crossfire convertible. The performance was great and typically I get car sickness and had absolutely none even as the passenger the whole way. This premium convertible was actually cheaper than the standard convertible (?). Anyway, that evening we walked around Front Street and always love the galleries there that are a must to browse through. Probably one on the best places to do that is right along there. We ate dinner at the open air dining Lahaina Fish Co., just okay food, not bad. We usually eat at Bubba Gump so we were a little disappointed.

Next day Maui we drove around Wailea and further to Big Beach. It is a really gorgeous beach with some surfers. Less than a mile beyond Big Beach we ate at a roadside stand and had a chicken kabob and it was delicious! A lady "chef" as she would describe herself cooks it up right there on the grill.

Kona we did the Captain Zodiac tour. It was quite a ride and pretty good snorkeling and gave us lot of history of the Hawaiian culture and area there. We got to see and go right up to some of the se caves and witness the lave tubes that went right into the ocean. There are lots of shops right off the tender in town too.

First we thought we were going to check out the Fern Grotto but didn't realize there were only certain times for the boat ride so we left as we would have had to wait over an hour. It ran what I remember to be every 1 1/2 hours. The Fantasy Island Wailua waterfall wasn't too far from there either so went to see that. The best picture we got was when my husband stood on the wall and took it so to see the bottom splash. Be careful of course! We drove on to the Waimea Canyon too. When it is not too cloudy you can be astonished by it but if you have seen the Grand Canyon before you will be just a little less amazed but very much worth the visit for sure. Driving there we stopped at a shave ice stand in the town of Waimea called "JoJo's" and had a tropical treat with the shave ice on top and macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom. Sounds weird but was really good! Later we went to Poipu and walked around the Sheraton there and toward the beach around. There was a seal there banked on shore in a designated roped off area. A permanent sign said to not bother them because they come there to rest. Really neat to see that protected area in a rather popular beach area.

We parked the car overnight for $10 in the area across the street from the ship.

The next day Kauai we just drove in the morning over to the Marriott Beach Club we happen to have our time share too so was neat to check out after 8 years. We enjoyed the entire afternoon out by the pool area and especially later too for Na Pali coast line. There is nothing I've seen yet that is so unbelievably naturally breathtaking.

We’ve done the helicopter in Kauai before and thought that the most beautiful natural beauty my eyes had ever seen with the waterfalls everywhere and all. If you get a chance to do that then try to!

[mikemo]

Thanks for the head's up.

We are in BD 8534 sailing 19 Nov.

Never been and planning auto rentals for the land tours (well, I have never been to HI, but L has).

Any couple want to join us?

M (long ago fmr BMW spec race driver)

[judyf]

Nice review, thanks for taking the time to post.

[Meema1098]

Pride of Hawaii

 

 

Beware – there was a topless deck that we had not idea about and didn’t see a sign for. It is called the freestyle sun deck as I looked it up in my brochure just now on deck 15. It was 3 American girls and an American waiter who came around giving them really good bar service.

 

OK - did I read this right? Is the deck topless, or are the girls topless? I did not catch this, but I printed out this review for my sister to read, and she asked who was topless, the sundeck or the people? Please clarify?!

[twotraveljunkies]

Funny...it is on deck 15 that is named the "freestyle deck" obviously intended for those who wish to sunbathe topless. It is by the smoke stack above the pool area. There are stairs that lead up to it and just found it by mistake as we stood up on the stairs to take pictures as we were leaving out of Kauai. Everyone who also stumbled upon them were polite enough to leave once they figured it out.

 

On Carnival ships they at least have like a flappy door and a bigger sign saying what you are about to enter.

[gem1017]

My two daughters and myself are booked on deck five #5074. I am wondering how much noise you got from the restaurants and bars on deck 6....if any:confused:

Thanks in advance!

[twotraveljunkies]

We were in cabin 5552 (with the edge of Le Bistro above us) and we had no noise at all. I am sensitive to that too because I am a light sleeper. I probably wouldn't knowingly put myself under a restaurant though if you can help it because of any kitchen noise banging dishes or what not. Carnival ships that we have been on have been the worst for cabin noise. One thing I appreciated too was that there were no “in cabin” announcements streaming in either. Even disembarkation day, none.