Pride of America - Luggage question, + a few more

[libbieb]

We are leaving this week for a 7 day cruise in Hawaii on Pride of America. There are 3 of us and I am a little worried about where we will put the luggage. Is there room under the bed or in the closet? If we all take 1 large suitcase and maybe a smaller carry-on, will we have a problem storing the suitcases????? We have a balcony room on the 8th floor, i believe it is a BE category . Can we carry on our smaller bags when we check in?

 

What is the best time to get the the ship to check in?

 

Will we need the luggage tags when we leave the ship to go home or are they just for getting on the ship? We have booked the Pearl Harbor excursion on the last day, will we give them our bags that morning? It will be very early won't it? or did I read somewhere that we leave our bags somewhere the night before? That makes me really nervous. Can we take our carry on bags with us to get on the bus for the excursion?

And one more thing, at least for now, I read that you can't take a purse or bag with you on the Pearl Harbor trip, what do you do with them since we will obviously need our wallet and purses for the airport??

 

Thanks for the help!!

[electricron]

We are leaving this week for a 7 day cruise in Hawaii on Pride of America. There are 3 of us and I am a little worried about where we will put the luggage. Is there room under the bed or in the closet? If we all take 1 large suitcase and maybe a smaller carry-on, will we have a problem storing the suitcases????? We have a balcony room on the 8th floor, i believe it is a BE category . Can we carry on our smaller bags when we check in?

 

What is the best time to get the the ship to check in?

 

Will we need the luggage tags when we leave the ship to go home or are they just for getting on the ship? We have booked the Pearl Harbor excursion on the last day, will we give them our bags that morning? It will be very early won't it? or did I read somewhere that we leave our bags somewhere the night before? That makes me really nervous. Can we take our carry on bags with us to get on the bus for the excursion?

And one more thing, at least for now, I read that you can't take a purse or bag with you on the Pearl Harbor trip, what do you do with them since we will obviously need our wallet and purses for the airport??

 

Thanks for the help!!

 

There is room for bags both in the closet and under the bunks.

[Molokai-Chuck]

Yes....there is some room under the bed for storage.....depends on the thickness of your luggage. As for in the closet area....room for one or two....standing on end.....but takes the floor space in there away.....but is workable for sure.

 

Yes you can also carry on some or any of your bags....just be sure to take your meds and valuables as a carry on. It is possibile that you may not see your bags till after sail-away.....and cabins are usually not ready for you until 2 to 4pm.....so what you carry will be with you till then....So....go to lunch at the buffet or the Skyline dining area....I like the Skyline when boarding the first day for lunch....not as crowded ...and quieter...and take your time....also...don't forget to go and make your special dining reservations...if any, right away...usually start at 1pm on boarding day...and can reserve for dinner that night and dinner the next night.

 

As far as best time to get to the ship....thats up to you..... I usually go early....around 12 noon....thats when the security guards usually open the chain-link gate and allow you to turn over your bags to the porters....then on in to the pier building....then maybe a wait there....till security is ready for you to go through.

 

As to luggage tags when getting off ship....they will either leave some in your cabin the night before or you can get them at some common place the day or so before. You then place your bags outside of your cabin door with the tags you are to use before midnight or so.... so they can carry them down and off the next morning. Be sure and keep your meds and valuables again....and also a set of clothes for the next day....as your bags will be gone! If you are doing a tour through the ship on the last day(out of Honolulu) and leaving that afternoon or night....you will get your bags in the pier building and have them (porter) place your bags under the bus you are touring on....and they will let you out at the airport when the tour is over....and you claim your bags when you get off the bus.

 

Bags and such are not allowed on the grounds of the USS Arizona at all....since 9-11 ....and that will not change in the near future I am sure.

Not even a fanny pack.......or camera case....here is what is posted...

 

 

Strict security measures prohibit purses, handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, luggage and/or other items that offer concealment. Visitors may bring a camera and cam-recorder. A storage facility, operated by a private vendor, is available for visitors coming to the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, the Battleship Missouri and the Pacific Aviation Museum. The facility can be found at the enterance to the USS Bowfin Sumarine Park. There is a nominal storage fee. The storage facility is in operation daily 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visitors may use the same bag storage and parking stall for all three tours.

 

Security measures are strictly enforced at all visitor destinations on Pearl Harbor. Federal law enforcement officers and security bike patrols monitor the parking lots. However it is not recommended to secure items of value in your car. Be safe: do not travel with valuables and use the storage locker.

 

Hope this helps you out......don't worry....just hang loose....and Aloha!

 

Chuck

[libbieb]

Thanks for all the good advice!! Is it safe to leave our purses, ie drivers licenses, credit cards in this storage place since we will need them with us for our flight home. And I guess it is also safe to leave our luggage outside the cabin the night before? It makes me nervous that we may never see it again, even if I have all my valuables with me. Thanks again, we are so excited but have never cruised before so this is all new. If you have any other tips, just pass them along.

[Toyz711]

go over to the hawaii boards

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62

i believe that, since you are with a tour, you can leave your purse and stuff on the bus while at pearl harbor.

it's normal to worry about leaving your luggage out the night before disembarking. but we all do it, very little problems. if you are doing a NCL tour, you will get luggage tags for the time they want you off the ship for your tour. you will get notices, while on your cruise, as to what you need to do.

[seamare]

There would be no way I would leave my identification, money, etc on a bus - I have read that there are lockers there but I myself will enlist one of my husbands pockets - he usually wears 6 pocket shorts and that will be where all my identification will go. I streamline what I carry when I travel so there will only be a couple of cards. I simply don't put my trust in anyone but myself!

[Toyz711]

you can take your id and money in your pockets, you can't take a purse or any type of case, at all. on the hawaii boards, there have people there that can tell you how small the lockers are. i have done tour bus, in many location, where they just lock the bus...never had a problem.

[AussieKathy]

I would put your important papers in your pockets and check the rest in the lockers at Pearl Harbour very secure.

 

Can't you also get your bags sent directly to the airport I remember some people doing this on the Star last year and they didn't see there luggage till they got to their home airport.

[Terre]

We used the program where you can check all of your luggage and NCL will take it all to the airport for you. We kept a tote bag and put the things we needed for the next morning in that. I have to say it was quite nice not having to carry around that luggage at the airport! Didn't see our luggage again until we got home. This program cost $20 a person and well worth it in my opinion. You will get special luggage tags for this.

 

There are no lockers at Pearl Harbor. You have to leave every thing at a check station and there is a $3.00 per bag charge for them to check it. We checked the tote bag and my purse. We kept our wallets, passports and tickets in our pockets. Every thing is fine at the check desk. You can take your camera in with you.

 

You should have no problem putting your luggage under the bed.

[whale-watcher]

We did the grayline PH tour after our POAM cruise last month. Because this was not an NCL tour, we did have to pick up our own luggage and have it brought to the tour bus, but this tour offered secure storage of both checked and carryon luggage while at PH, as well as free airport or Waikiki hotel dropoff...

 

The cost was only $12 per person, which is much less than the official NCL tour (although it is operated on the same busses with the same drivers!). If you book the NCL tour, your luggage will be picked up outside your stateroom the last night of the cruise and brought directly to your tour bus, but as there is no immigration or customs check, the whole disembarkation process is quick and easy, even if you need to pick up your own luggage to bring to the bus.

 

For PH, you must either leave your backpacks/purses/camera/diaper bags on the bus or check them in at the bowfin before entering the Arizona memorial... leaving items on a locked tour bus with a driver watching is just as safe, IMHO, and does not require the extra cost and effort of checking your bags at the bowfin. You can bring along only what fits in your pockets, and cameras have to be out of the case (unless the cast fits tightly around the camera; larger camera bags are not allowed).

 

We had been planning to rent a car for touring PH on our last day, but cancelled because NWA does not participate in the easy fly program, and we did not want a car full of luggage. In retrospect, I am glad we did the grayline bus tour, as this took care of everything...transportation from the ship to PH; a tour of Honolulu and Waikiki; secure storage of luggage and backpacks...all for only 12/pp, which is less than the cost of the easy fly program alone.