POA review thanksgiving cruise

We are a couple in our late 50's with a passion to travel and tick things off our "bucket list". We are looking for value for our travelling dollar. We usually travel to Las Vegas with friends for thanksgiving but the $1.35 exchange rate made me look for other options. We got a TZ deal from a local TA that included airfare and one night in Waikiki before the cruise. Paying for the trip in Canadian dollars allowed us to buy OBC at $1.11 exchange rate. I bought enough to cover, gratuities, specialty meals, Cruise Next credits and a few dollars to spare.

We took "SpeediShuttle" to the Ohana Waikiki East because we arrived late at 10:30pm and the taxi line was long. They offered a return trip to the hotel for $58.81 per couple and said that we could use the return leg from the hotel to the POA. We made an appointment for an 11:30am pick-up at the hotel and we were set. I figure cab fare would of been $50 to Waikiki and another $20 to the pier as it was $30 from the pier to my airport car rental at cruise end.

We arrived at the ship by noon and were onboard quickly as there was no one in the latitudes line-up. (this was to be a trend) We had a sirloin strip lunch in the MDR and it was surprisingly good. We set out to explore the ship and found everything to be in very good shape. I knew the POA was going for a refurbish in March so I was concerned but actually found the ship to be in better shape than the Grand Princess after her refurbish. The dining areas, gym, theater, lounge areas, and deck areas were all good and did not take away from the enjoyment of the cruise.

Breakfast at the Aloha buffet (8-9am) was our usual way to start the day. It had all your standard western breakfast items with eggs and omelets made to order. There were plenty of egg stations including the Moderno restaurant so waits (except the last day) were not very long. I’m happy with my lox on croissant or a bowl of country potatoes with eggs as long as I get a healthy portion of pineapple or papaya. Coffee was offered in “bulk brew” or Espresso with water. The “Americano” was a much better cup of coffee as it was freshly ground and brewed sort of like a commercial “Keurig”. It was so good I had cups of decaf late in the evening when I usually don’t drink coffee after noon.

Pre-dinner dinners were had at the Aloha buffet or at the Cadillac Café. The buffet had a decent selection highlighted with the carving station. They usually had roast chicken, roast beef and even a roasted suckling pig one evening. Memorable dishes included a short rib dish, Thai curry, and BBQ ribs. It seemed by the pile of food on most plates it met everyone’s standards. We tried all the appies at the Cadillac Café and only the wings were any good, the rest was average to awful.

Skyline MDR food was adequate though not memorable. They allowed very casual wear including shorts and flip flops for dinner.

Liberty MDR served basically the same food as Skyline but had a dress code. I found service to be slower than Skyline. The staff was not as attentive as some of the other cruises that we have been on with several occasions of “group discussions” at the serving stations.

Late night snacks brought us back to the Aloha buffet but we usually just had tea or a beverage. The area was closed at 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays so only the Cadillac café is available for free snacks.

Moderno was the only “specialty” dinner that we tried as Brazilian Churrascaria was a style I was curious about. The restaurant was quite empty for a 7:30 seating and I was disappointed with the food and atmosphere. Been there, done that and no need to try it again on a NCL ship.

Dining summary: Food was readily available throughout the ship and was adequate and plentiful. I would describe it as hotel banquet food and service and not fine dining. Some of the selections were not to my taste but I didn’t go hungry at any time.

Entertainment at the “Hollywood theater” was good to excellent in most cases. The “O What A Night”, comedian, and magician were entertainment highlights. The Rock-A-Hula show and the “Broadway Music” (more like off Broadway) show by the production cast were awful in my opinion. We had to walk out of the “crew talent” show as well and that’s usually one of our favorites.

Ports of Call:

We rented a car (Dollar) in each port and there were shuttles to pick us up and take us to their location for pick-up in Maui, Hilo, and Kauai. We booked across the street from the tender port at the Marriott King Kame in Kona to save time on a short day. Prices ranged from $30-$55 a day with gas usage ranging from $6-$16.

MAUI, spent the morning and early afternoon at Kepaniwai heritage Park, and a stop at the Iao Needle ($5) state park. We left at 1pm for the 1 hour drive to Haleakala (park #1) to explore the area. We left before sunset as DW did not want me driving down the crater at night. Lots of switchbacks on the way up but the visit was amazing. We bought the Hawaii Tri-park Annual pass for only $25/vehicle. We spent the evening around Kahului and on the ship.

MAUI, drove to the (free) Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary at 10am and spent an hour there before travelling on to Ma'alaea for our 12:30 Pacific Whale foundation 2 hour whale watching tour. We saw about 6 humpbacks with one spectacular breaching. We hung around the area (Maui Ocean center) afterwards using free wifi before dropping the car off at 4:30. They said 8000+ humpbacks are expected in Feb/Mar.

HILO, A late start had us going only to VNP (park #2) around to visit the Jagger Museum Outlook. We've been to VNP before so 2 hours was enough and we spent some time back at the Mauna Loa nut factory before dropping the car dropped off at 4:30.

KONA, we had a car reserved at the King Kam so once we tendered to Kona we drove the 40 minutes to Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (park #3). We spent the afternoon there and drop the car off at 4pm. The place was fanatstic with a public beach next door for snorkling. Lots of colorful fishes in the cove.

KAUAI, drive to Poipu and hiked the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail. The 2+ hour hike was spectacular. Walking along the cliffs and seeing the views was a highlight of our cruise. When we finished the hike we hung out at the "fancy" Hyatt Grand Resort for a while before stopping off at the Menehune Fishpond on the way back to Lihue. We decided to off the car at 7pm rather than keep it overnight as we had nothing planned for the next day.

KAUAI, It was "Black Friday" so we stayed onboard as we departed at 2pm for the Napali Coast.

OAHU, got to the airport to pick-up the rental car by 10:30ish and head for the Dole Plantation for a tour and a "whip". It was a tourist trap but we hadn't been here on any of our other trips. Traffic was heavy heading for the North Shore as there was a surfing competition. We didn't bother to stop till we reach Waimea Valley where we stopped for a late lunch. The snack bar kitchen served a pulled pork sandwich on a taro bun that was delicious. We then proceeded to Chinaman's Hat and spent a hour there. At 6pm we felt we should get closer to the airport because of the traffic and stopped at the "Outlet Mall" so DW could get her post Black Friday fix. We dropped the car off at 8:30 after driving around looking for a gas station. There not one within a mile of the car returns that I could find on my GPS.

The pace of our trip was such that we saw some great sights as well as got some "rest & relaxation" before going back to work.

Summary:

Hawaii was as enjoyable as it was when we sailed the NCL Wind 10 years ago. Hawaii is about the destination and the R&R and the POA is a wonderful way to get both. Hawaii is expensive with $200+ hotels and $50+ meals, so if you can get a deal the POA is great value. If you’re staying at the Aulani Resort or the Royal Hawaiian type hotels pre/post cruise you may be disappointed in the POA. The destination is not the cruise ship but the ports that you’ll visit. I went with low expectations regarding the POA but it exceeded those and I would do it again.

Canadian FYI: I used some of my $1.11 OBC to buy 2 Cruise Next vouchers and the consultant wrote on the invoice $250us or $330cdn credit.

Glad you had an enjoyable cruise. Our first time on the POA was August 2014 and we will sail again on the post dry dock 11 night transpacific/Hawaii cruise in March. We were so busy spending every second off the ship seeing Hawaii that we scarsely experienced the ship at all. Never ate in the MDR or saw any of the shows, so looking forward to the extra sea days and nights to correct that.

For anyone who has the POA in their future, I would highly recommend the purchase of a Speciakty Dining Plan which allows you to dine in specialty restaurants for around $20 pp depending on the number of nights you purchase. Some of these venues will go a la carte in the coming year, so the savings with a package could be significant. Cagney's Steakhouse is always excellent, and our meal at Le Bistro I think had probably the finest and most professional service I have ever seen in a restaurant anywhere. I agree about Moderno. But we go because of the fabulous salad bar and those fried plantains and roasted pineapple with cinnamon. Those alone are worth the cover charge.;)

Thanks for the tip on the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail in Kauai. I don't recall ever hearing about it. Was this a self guided walk and how difficult was it? Where is the trail head located? Might be on the to do list for next March.

Thanks a bunch for posting a review! I appreciated all of your info on rental cars that you provided in my other post but reading your FULL review is an extra BONUS! :) Our first time on NCL AND in Hawaii will be the 11-day repositioning cruise on POA in March so I am in research mode trying to get ready.

We took "SpeediShuttle" to the Ohana Waikiki East because we arrived late at 10:30pm and the taxi line was long. They offered a return trip to the hotel for $58.81 per couple and said that we could use the return leg from the hotel to the POA. We made an appointment for an 11:30am pick-up at the hotel and we were set.

This is the hotel that we are staying at for four nights after the cruise. Any comments on your stay? We have reserved a regular room with a kitchenette (not a suite) and got a very good deal with our senior discount. Unfortunately they will still add on the $11.95/day resort fee and another $25/day for parking. I won't complain, I know most places are much higher.

Coffee was offered in “bulk brew” or Espresso with water. The “Americano” was a much better cup of coffee as it was freshly ground and brewed sort of like a commercial “Keurig”. It was so good I had cups of decaf late in the evening when I usually don’t drink coffee after noon.

Is there a charge for this coffee? I am assuming that you meant this was available in the buffet?

I went with low expectations regarding the POA but it exceeded those and I would do it again.

Glad to hear you were happy with the ship. I am a bit concerned about the cabin size being so small, but figure we won't be in the room too much. Luckily we booked early and were able to get a free upgrade to a balcony (from an oceanview) cabin. Having the natural light will make the small size a little more tolerable.

Thanks again for the review. I appreciate all of the information and suggestions you provided!

Thanks for the tip on the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail in Kauai. I don't recall ever hearing about it. Was this a self guided walk and how difficult was it? Where is the trail head located? Might be on the to do list for next March.

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Brenda & Vance

http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/kauai/beaches/mahaulepu/

It was sort of self guided, there were signs along the way pointing out the sacred areas. I would say that we are probably 30+ lbs overweight and we did it comfortably as we took our time to experience the views. We started at "Shipwreck Beach" next to the Grand Hyatt resort at Poipu and walked all the way to the CJM Stables where NCL does their $179 horseback riding tour. ($110 at site) We were going to come back along a dirt road but the stablehands suggested going back the same way to experience the views from a different angle.

This is the hotel that we are staying at for four nights after the cruise. Any comments on your stay? We have reserved a regular room with a kitchenette (not a suite) and got a very good deal with our senior discount. Unfortunately they will still add on the $11.95/day resort fee and another $25/day for parking. I won't complain, I know most places are much higher.

We were put in a standard room by our tour company. The room was clean but dated. We just walked around the area briefly but the beach was a few blocks away. With a car and 4 days I would consider staying away from Waikiki as to me, the area/beach is crowded and just a shopping meca which I didn't come to see. DW may disagree with me.:)

Is there a charge for this coffee? I am assuming that you meant this was available in the buffet?

Yes, it's free at the buffet or $2.50ish after dinner in the MDR.. That how coffee is served in Italy and most of southern Europe. It's a fresh, richer, darker, more flavourful cup of coffee.

I am a bit concerned about the cabin size being so small, but figure we won't be in the room too much. Luckily we booked early and were able to get a free upgrade to a balcony (from an oceanview) cabin. Having the natural light will make the small size a little more tolerable.

With the ports, dinner, and shows we only used the room for sleeping in. I'm sure some even used their room less as many were off the ship shortly after docking and the ship was almost empty on the overnights at Maui and Kauai.

Awesome review!!! Thanks for sharing!! Sounds like you had a wonderful time!!

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Thanks for the trip report. We board on Saturday (Dec 5) and are looking forward to it.

Pete

I enjoyed reading your review.

Keith

I enjoyed your review. Sounds like you had a great trip. [emoji3]

Thank you so much for the link to info on Maha'ulepu trail. It sounds perfect. And looks like Poipu Beach is nearby as well, which we have yet to visit.

Mahalo for you cruise posting!

Chuck