Just returned from POA on Nov 22....

We returned from the Nov 14 to Nov 21 cruise of the Pride of Aloha... As we have been in Hawaii three times in the past 7 years the cruise was important as a cruise experience... Did not take any side trips or paid side seeing... Rented a car in every port.... Spent three days before the cruise in Oahu..

The cruise experience of the POA was a good experience. The ship was a nice size and was clean and well decorated...

The food in the dining room was good and the food in the buffet was good also... We only ate three dinner time meals in the dinning room as the buffet offerred a good selection and quality... The main dining room takes at least 90 minutes and does not have menu selections that impress me except the desserts.... We did not pay for any meals...

The Pizza stand is hard to find and only serves pizza for about 3 hours each afternoon... The pizza stand/oven does produce pizza all day but sends the pizza to the buffet... We tried pizza three times as a snack... Did not like the spices and pepper on the pizza..

The crew is the best crew that I have ever seen on a cruise ship and I have sailed three other lines in the past 4 years... The crew is getting better every cruise according to some that I spoke to concerning the imporvements....Several crew members left the ship in Maui to fly to the mainland for coast guard training... I confirmed with a ship's officer...

Would I recomment this ship and cruise for anyone? You bet I would... Would I cruise on ncl again? You bet..... I would like to see more new selections on the menu at dinner...

The best meals to me were on the deck.... They cooked ribs, steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs on three days out of the seven days cruise... Very good....

We had very good shrimp on the buffet several times and all kinds of beef dishes... Hamburgers and hot dogs are served every day at the outside back of the ship buffet....

The buffet seating is way too small... About half of the passengers that used the buffet had to eat outside around the pool, at the back buffet or in the Longboard sports bar.. All of which are connected and share the stairs and elevators at the back of the ship..

A cruise on the Pride of Aloha will be a fun cruise for 95% of the passengers...some passengers will find the menu and lack of a casino to be a concern.... So... Book this ship and enjoy the cruise and you still have Hawaii to enjoy....

Thanks for the report! We leave Saturday morning are really excited!

Ahh,

Traveler39. So glad you enjoyed your cruise and have so many nice things to report back

Would I recomment this ship and cruise for anyone? You bet I would... Would I cruise on ncl again? You bet

Getting on and off the ship was a breeze every day and every time we got on or off the ship.... We took the early disembarking on the last day and carried our luggage off at 7:30 AM...... That gave us an extra two hours on Oahu before our 6:30 PM flight.... NCL works to help the passenger in every way.... We look forwarded to a larger and newer NCL ship in the future...The POA looks great for a 5 year old ship....

I forgot to mention several things so as I think of them I will post...

We were not charged the Resort Fee... Our room was clean and well prepared... Made a point of finding our room steward "Kenneth" ( he was a good steward) as soon as we located our room on the 10 th floor balcony.... The area housekeeper "Blaize" came by to check on us in the first two hours...

The breakfast food was very good in the buffet everyday.... The eggs were cooked properly and a good selection of meats... We had strip steak one morning as a choice..... The cold soaps are very good and could be a dessert drink....

We rented from Thrifty Car Rental in every port except Kona and they did a good job of picking us up and returning us to the ship.... I would also recommend Alamo as they were very visable also.... Paid $26 to $30 each day for car rental...

It's good to hear that those who had been suffering through the lousy first reviews of the POA are enjoying their cruises!

Thanks for hanging in there and following up with a report. I may have to book this one for 2006!

Traveler39, glad to hear you had no problems with Thrifty. We are using them in Kahului and Hilo, and Enterprise in Kona.

I would appreciate any info you can give on where to meet the shuttle, pickup/dropoff times, etc. TIA.

So after all the worrying and fretting and panic, I'm glad you had a nice cruise...

I am booked on 10 for the may 15, 2005 cruise. Can you tell me where your cabin was located. We are aft in the last two balcony cabins and were wondering if it will be a problem since we are right under the buffet area. Thanks for any insight on the deck and cabin.

The cold soaps are very good and could be a dessert drink....

 

Cold soaps? yummy!

 

 

Sorry Traveler 39. It just struck me funny!

Try the cold Soups... think milkshakes... the cold soaps were good when warmed.... Ha Ha....

Thirfty cars picked us up at the boat (POA).... They will show up soon after docking but does not hurt to call them... Check your reservation and be sure you have their local number... If not.. call the main number for reservations and get hold of a operator... They will transfer you to the local airport office in the town in Hawaii that your ship is docked...

A cruise on the Pride of Aloha will be a fun cruise for 95% of the passengers...some passengers will find the menu and lack of a casino to be a concern.... So... Book this ship and enjoy the cruise and you still have Hawaii to enjoy....

Thanks for the good review....makes our decision to stay the course the correct one.

I am not concerned about the food as it is a minor item in the cruise as a whole - none of us are in danger of starving. I was only in a casino once and that was enough to convince me to never go back. Just want to see the Islands.

We leave in 38 days, can hardly wait - saw the first snow of the year here today.

Hi Traveler 39

Thanks for your review and glad to hear you had a great time. Since you mentioned eating at the buffet, what was the dress code for dinner in the buffet? In one of the reviews, I thought I read shorts and tee shirts were acceptable dress "anytime" in the buffet. Is that correct information? We plan to take resort casual wear anyway but we are trying to pack light as recommended by everyone. Did you have a coffeemaker in your cabin?

We are getting so excited, only 5 weeks to go. Thanks again for all the good information.

M&MCruisers - boarding POA on 1/2/05

Glad you had a good time. Seems things keep getting better as time goes on.

Hmm, maybe I should start planning another trip LOL.

Thanks for the review we are going in Feb so it is good to keep hearing good reviews.

Cher

We look forwarded to a larger and newer NCL ship in the future...

There are two of us and will have inside cabin #8342 and would like to know how people managed the space in this size cabin. Can see pictures of sleeping area but no way to see space in closet, bathroom, or drawer space. Also does the cabin have a coffee maker and do we need an extension cord? Thanks.

Hi Traveler 39

 

Thanks for your review and glad to hear you had a great time. Since you mentioned eating at the buffet, what was the dress code for dinner in the buffet? In one of the reviews, I thought I read shorts and tee shirts were acceptable dress "anytime" in the buffet. Is that correct information? We plan to take resort casual wear anyway but we are trying to pack light as recommended by everyone. Did you have a coffeemaker in your cabin?

 

We are getting so excited, only 5 weeks to go. Thanks again for all the good information.

 

M&MCruisers - boarding POA on 1/2/05

We dressed in shorts and golf shirts and t shirts, etc.... Did not notice or see any special dress code for buffet... Saw a few bathing suits at lunch.. As for the dining room we dressed resort casual what ever that is and felt in place... Even on formal night... we did dress up a little but no suit, etc... One night I went to the dinning rooms in my shorts and ask for a take out of the entree and dessert... They were happy to do so... even offerred to let us eat in the main dining room... We were wearing shorts and golf shirts... We declined and took our take out to the buffet were we enjoyed our Beef Wellington and added shrimp from the buffet... Very flexible ship and crew...

We took an extension cord but did not need or use.... Had a coffee pot and used it only once as the buffet was so close... Plently of room for two although the little sofa bed made the space by the refrigerator tight... Closet and drawer space and shelf space worked good for my wife and I as we took no formal clothing...We also took the hanging shoe bag but did not use...

Enjoyed our balcony.... We paid $2800 total for the cruise with balcony on Deck 10....Airline was frequent flyer...We were right under the buffet area and walked up one set of stairs for the buffet and pool which is near by.... Recommend an inside room on this cruise if you can book for two at $1700 total, not including airfare... As being advertised now... We like a balcony but on this cruise your best view is from the end of the ship in the outside buffet.... Food, drink and a view... Have fun....

I have enjoyed hearing everyone's experience on POA. I am sailing on 12/5. I am attending a conference on the ship, but still have lots of time to see the sights. I think I am driving my cruise mates crazy with information I am finding. :) I have been surfing the web for a few weeks now, and have found alot of great info, and this place is the best.

I will post about my trip when I return.

Bonnie

So after all the worrying and fretting and panic, I'm glad you had a nice cruise...

I thought the same thing! It's a good thing you were prepared, and then had such a good cruise! Thanks for sharing! :)

Glad to hear you had a good cruise. Thanks for the review, we are on POA January 16, 2005 cruise. I am glad to hear the food is better. The crew are being trained. This is our 9th cruise but the first to Hawaii. Booked the Old Lahaina Luau in Maui and The Circle of Fire helicopter tour in Hilo. You said you rented a car, would you advise this? Is there public transportation at any of the ports? Did you hve any problems with smoke(rs)?

Bags are half packed. We had 8 inches of snow Wednesday and more is on the way tomorrow. Only 48 more days.

CJ

cjnalley,

My wife and I will be on the ship with you! #7208

Can't Wait To Leave.

These are small towns and the best public transportation is the K-mart/W-mart buses that will pick you up and return you about every 30 minutes... We purchased water and soft drinks at wal mart and stocked our refrigerator....

Some smokers but only noticed at pool... no problem.... Be sure to give the end of ship outside buffet a chance.... nice if the weather is nice....

There are two of us and will have inside cabin #8342 and would like to know how people managed the space in this size cabin. Can see pictures of sleeping area but no way to see space in closet, bathroom, or drawer space. Also does the cabin have a coffee maker and do we need an extension cord? Thanks.

My husband and I were in outside cabin #8339. No coffee maker but there was a very small fridge. The size was just fine for the two of us and there is ample room under the bed for your luggage. Lots of little shelves in the bathroom. The "dresser" was very small but fine for small clothing items. Bring an alarm clock since there is no clock in the cabins. There is a outlet in the bathroom and one on the desk. I saw no need to bring a extension cord for anything since all we had was a phone charger and a camera charger to plug in.

Thanks for the dress code information. We will be on Deck 9 w/balcony but mid ship.... hopefully with a coffeemaker. Just in case, I'll pack a few single paks of coffee and tea.

Thanks to you and all previous cruisers on the POA, we have been given good information about the ship. With that, we should have a good time with no surprises.

M&MCruisers