Hawaii POA Review from 5/26

We booked this trip on relatively short notice for a trip of this magnitude. With just a couple of months planning time, we were scrambling to do the research we needed to do in order to make the best decisions on excursions, etc. With all that said, our vacation was fabulous!!! There were 4 of us in our party – my husband and I and our two kids (17) (21). By luck we were able to reserve a family suite on the POA.

We started by arriving in Honolulu the day prior to departure. Our flight out of Dallas was painfully long but we knew it would all be worth it! We had reservations at the Embassy Suites Hotel – Waikiki Beach location. Not right on the beach, but a block back. We are big Embassy Suites fans and typically stay with them when we travel as a family. The complimentary full breakfast and evening manager’s reception is a nice perk when staying with this hotel line. Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised as they upgraded our two room suite to a three room, giving us an extra bathroom. The entry to this hotel is all open air and you are given complimentary juice in a champagne glass, which was a nice touch as well. The lobby contains a water dispenser containing fresh fruit like strawberries and limes or oranges and limes. It was refreshed frequently and was quite a treat when coming in from the beach.

We booked all of our transportation (airport to hotel, hotel to ship, ship to hotel, and hotel to airport) through one company which proved to work out extremely well. We used Hawaiian Isle Taxi service, who charged us $30 total for each leg of the trip. We had the same driver (Arnaldo) each time and even had the option of ordering leis for our arrival at $10 each, which were wonderful. Upon leaving Arnaldo even picked up two leis for me to take home with us at that same price.

After checking into the hotel, we walked several blocks until we found the famous Duke’s on the beach. Duke’s was very busy as expected. We walked straight through the restaurant and out on to Waikiki Beach. Our first glimpse of paradise in this bustling city! We then took a stroll through the International Market and a few other stores along the way, then headed back to our hotel for the manager’s reception. There is a terrific shopping and restaurant area right outside the back of the hotel. The Embassy Suites manager’s reception was the standard with chips and salsa, pretzel mix or goldfish, etc. It was held on the 4th floor of the hotel where the pool is. This is also where the complimentary full breakfast is held. Seating is an outdoor, but covered environment. The birds fly freely and actively under the covering looking for any bite of food. If you put your plate down and walk away, they will partake of your meal without hesitation. The manager’s reception included a live band, which was excellent!

Saturday – ship boarding day! We decided to keep our day simple and only planned the day to consist of getting on the ship, since we knew we’d be staying some additional days in Honolulu post cruise. Arnaldo picked us up and had us at the cruise terminal by 11:00 am that morning. We were early and it wasn’t too busy yet, so after going through security we walked straight up to a check-in representative. We actually made a mistake, as we were supposed to go to the VIP area for check-in since we were suite guests. Our representative (who showed zero personality, not even a smile) checked us in and then escorted us to that area to wait. Thomas the concierge for the suite guests on the ship came through and introduced himself to each waiting party. Thomas is friendly and quite a delight to visit with. He proved to be extremely helpful and informative throughout our experience on board. Eventually butler’s started to arrive and greet their guests. We were not greeted by our butler however, but did witness the party next to us give a gift to their butler and become fast friends. This same butler did in fact turn out to be our butler, Mark, however he never greeted us.

More review to come, plus some pictures...

Thanks for taking the time to write and post this review.

Keith

Thanks for posting! We are going in a few months and love to hear other's experiences.

If I am able to upload pics correctly, here are some initial arrival pics. First one of us landing on the beach in our leis that we ordered through our taxi service, second a shot of the live band outside at Duke's, third busy Waikiki beach by Duke's, fourth a shot of the entry to the International Market, and fifth just a part of the nice area of shops outside of the back entrance to our hotel.

I am afraid the photos didn't load.

Keith

I am afraid the photos didn't load.

 

Keith

I think I have them there now. Sorry about that.

I am afraid the photos didn't load.

 

Keith

FYI They loaded for me so possibly it's your end.

I see them now. I think I looked before you did the edit and now they are there.

Keith

We failed to take pictures of our suite but I can tell you that it was smaller than expected (aren’t they always), but did have a huge wrap around aft balcony which completely made up for the limited space on the inside. The family suite supposedly accommodates 5 and I think that is probably too many to try and put in that room. However, if you travel light and don’t mind being in close quarters, then it might work for you. You can see the balcony in the first photo below. We are the first wrap-around balcony on the right just above the deck with the flowers. Also, in the room we received a fruit basket, a fresh flower bouquet, and a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine.

We had lunch at Cagney’s before leaving port, which is a really nice perk for suite guests. We were on another NCL ship last Fall in a suite and it appeared that it was the same lunch menu as what we had on that ship. We explored the ship and while out on deck saw our first of several rainbows, which were all absolutely beautiful. As we left port we saw a submarine coming in, which I think may have been an excursion as I saw pictures of it later in the week on the ship. We also experienced a beautiful Hawaiian sunset. We ordered dinner in our room – another perk of being in a suite. Dinner that first night was surf and turf for those of you trying to identify which night is lobster night on the ship. The overnight trek to Maui was somewhat rough, but we have experienced far worse on the last ship we were on right after Hurricane Sandy.

Can't wait for the rest of your review! We are on the POA in three weeks.

I was up before sunrise as my body clock had yet to make the new time zone change. So I snuck out of the cabin and went up on the very windy deck to watch us come into port and watch the sunrise. We passed a sailboat as we were coming into port in the dark that was all lit up like a Christmas tree. As the sun began to rise you could see clouds over the mountain top. I found coffee already available at a very early hour in the Aloha Café as they prepared to officially open for breakfast. So I grabbed a cup and headed back to enjoy coming into port from my own balcony. Being in an Aft cabin, I was unable to see the narrow path the ship came through to make it into port between two jetty’s until after we passed through. I was amazed at the small amount of space! We rented a car the first day in Maui, as we did in several ports. I was able to get really good rates booking online in advance through several different car rental companies for the entire trip. I believe the rental for this island was via Hertz. The rental car companies offer free pick up and return to the port on most islands. As we waited in line, we noticed the line for the free shuttle to the Hilo Hattie store, which is also available on most of the islands.

After picking up our rental car, we headed towards Lahaina, with plans to continue on after some shopping and hit a beach in Kaanapali. We also had a silly mission to hit a shave ice store on each of the islands. Our first shave ice stop was in Lahaina. Of the 5 islands and shave ice places we visited, we rated this one our second favorite. Lahaina is a terrific little shopping town! Really quaint shops and wonderful strolling area. There was an art fair happening under the famous banyan tree that we did not take the opportunity to peruse. We shopped for a while in the little shops, walked along the waterfront, and then continued on our way to find a beach and lunch in Kaanapali.

Our quest for a beach was met with problems. I had read on CC from other posts that you could park your car for free at some restaurants at the Whalers Shopping Village. We found the shopping mall but were forced to pull into a somewhat expensive parking garage which we immediately circled back out of. We drove around and couldn’t seem to find a beach that wasn’t part of a resort that you had to be staying at. We finally found what looked to be a public beach with a small and very full parking lot. At this point we were somewhat frustrated and questioning our car rental strategy, we drove back towards Lahaina and wheeled it into an Outback and had lunch. (Of which caused some immediate drama and disappointment amongst part of our group because the last thing you want to do is eat at a chain restaurant while in Hawaii IMHO.)

We decided to continue back towards the area where the ship was and explore beach areas in the vicinity of the airport and ship port. We stumbled across a couple of interesting beaches. One was rocky with rough waves. I am not 100% but think we may have been at Waihee Beach. The other was Pa’ia Bay, which was quite picturesque.

I am loving your review! I am also from Dallas and will be on the POA at the end of August..cant wait to read more about your trip!

Good to know you enjoyed your view from your aft balcony-we are also enjoying one on our POA cruise-thanks for sharing your experiences!

I am loving your review! I am also from Dallas and will be on the POA at the end of August..cant wait to read more about your trip!

I would go back in a heartbeat! I wish I was going in August! My daughter and I will take a trip next March for her Senior trip - she was begging me today to go back to Hawaii!

Good to know you enjoyed your view from your aft balcony-we are also enjoying one on our POA cruise-thanks for sharing your experiences!

Loved our Aft view - watching the wake was beautiful!

So arriving back from Maui we were a bit disappointed. We did not have the experience we quite expected. I'm not saying we didn't enjoy the island. I think we made a user error on our part and didn't plan well enough in advance. We had pretty grandiose expectations of Maui that were not lived up to. We keep kicking ourselves for not mapping out our plan better. We just thought this was going to be our favorite island and it did not turn out that way. Plus it was very windy too - something we get enough of in Oklahoma!

With that said, when we got back to the ship we went to the hula class and then the lei making class. My daughter would not get out there and hula with me so we watched from the side. There are two Hawaiian Ambassadors on the ship. They did a wonderful job exposing you to the culture of the islands. They taught the hula class and then the subsequent class we went to. My husband and son joined us to make leis in the lei making class. I looked around the room and was quite pleased with the amount of men, including teen boys in the room making leis with their families. As a family, we had a wonderful time making our leis!

It was after this fun time together that we found a gem in the Pink Champagne Bar. I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember their names. But we thoroughly enjoyed sitting and listening to this Hawaiian duo several times. They performed a variety of music and even took our requests. Below is a picture of our favorite ship duo.

An important note here. When we were heading out to the hula class we passed our butler. He was delivering a late afternoon snack to each cabin and said he would be visiting ours shortly. We told him we had one member of our group still there in the cabin. Later on when we returned to the room there was no snack to be found. My son was the one left in the cabin and thinks he heard someone knocking on the door. The butler must have decided it was not okay to enter since we told him someone was there who was not answering. At first we were a bit disappointed because the afternoon snack was another perk we expected. However when we discovered what most likely occurred, we understood and appreciated the butler's respect of privacy in the cabin.

Another important note. That evening in our Freestyle Daily Newsletter there was a coupon for 50% off laundry services the next day. That was the only day of the cruise that there was a discount. Laundry prices were relatively high (IMHO) for the rest of the cruise.

Next up....sunrise at the top of the crater...

I just clicked on the link to the pictures I have uploaded thus far and they are terrible! I have been sizing them down according to CC requirements and now wondering if I absolutely have to do this for them to be uploaded. I have seen much larger, better quality pictures in other reviews, so possibly there is no need for me to downsize them. If you are reading my review through the eyes of someone considering a trip to Hawaii, please know that my pics do not even come remotely close to showing the beauty of the islands.

I just attached another picture (without the resizing) as a test to this post to see if it would upload, and the upload failed. :(

Terrific info - thanks and keep it up! We're doing POA on August 3rd - getting excited!

So the only excursion we booked through NCL was the Sunrise tour to the Haleakala Crater. The tour was supposed to depart at 4:00 am. Our excursion tickets arrived in our cabin and indicated there had been a time change because of road construction. Our new departure time was 2:30 am. I had read multiple reviews on seeing the sunrise and we really wanted to experience this. So we went ahead and managed to drag ourselves down to the tour busses in the middle of the night. It was a winding road in the dark all the way up to the top. Some on the bus were struggling to not get motion sickness. We arrived at the viewing area and had quite a while to wait before sunrise. Also, we did not see any road construction either. So we are not sure why we had to leave so early just to sit there and wait for probably an hour and a half. We sat in the tour bus because it was so cold outside until we felt like it was getting close to time. There were a lot of people there, standing in the dark waiting. We saw a glimpse of pink and our hopes soared! At the last minute clouds seemed to roll in and the view we had hoped to see was lost. We were very disappointed and loaded back up in the tour bus. The tour driver took us another 200 or 300 feet up to the top of the summit where we got out of the bus. It was then that we saw something none of us will ever forget. We were above the clouds and the sun was rising above them. It was the most incredible experience – we just couldn’t get over how beautiful it was! Facing another direction you could see down the mountain and a beautiful view of the island as the sun rose.

So then we began the drive back down. As sleep began to overtake us riding in the bus, the shuttle driver decided to share everything he knew about the island with us. All the way down the mountain he droned on and on and on. He did not come up for air until we were departing the bus back at the ship. He was very nice and extremely knowledgeable; we just didn’t appreciate his dissertation at that time when we were all deliriously tired. However, we know he was working hard and trying to share island history and information, (plus the fact that he got us up that horrible winding road in the dark) so we handed him a good tip and headed back to the ship for breakfast.

Back on the ship we went to Cagney’s for breakfast – just like lunch, it is open for suite guests for breakfast. We went quite a few times that week for breakfast because we learned the best steak you could get wasn’t for dinner from the dining room, it was the Steak and Eggs entrée at Cagney’s for breakfast. Also, our concierge, Thomas, would meet us there each morning to check on us. He was so helpful as we prepared to depart for each island. He lives in Hilo and has great knowledge of all the islands and the best strategy to see them. From there we were wide awake. So we took the Hilo Hattie Hostage bus over to Hilo Hattie’s to shop. I mean, the Hilo Hattie free shuttle. It actually worked quite well and was nice that it was a free option to get to areas to shop. After shopping we headed back on the ship for naps and pool time.

LOL, the Hilo Hattie Hostage bus! Good to know, in case I run out of saline solution or something. And can we buy cases of bottled water or soda and bring them back on the ship?

LOL, the Hilo Hattie Hostage bus! Good to know, in case I run out of saline solution or something. And can we buy cases of bottled water or soda and bring them back on the ship?

The Hilo Hattie they took us to for that particular run was right next to a grocery store. I am pretty sure (not 100% though) that I saw cases of water going through security either when we boarded or at one of our port stops.

I'm enjoying your review and getting excited about my cruise in two weeks. I really need to do some more research. From reading your review, I gather "winging" it isn't the way to go. I am also staying at Embassy Suites. Although your pictures were small, they were still nice. Did you find a lot of young adults on board? My boys are 18 and 21. We took a cruise to Alaska last summer and my son said instead of the White Hot party, they should have called it the white hair party. I'm hoping for more young adults for my boys to hang out with on this cruise.

So the only excursion we booked through NCL was the Sunrise tour to the Haleakala Crater. The tour was supposed to depart at 4:00 am. Our excursion tickets arrived in our cabin and indicated there had been a time change because of road construction. Our new departure time was 2:30 am. I had read multiple reviews on seeing the sunrise and we really wanted to experience this. So we went ahead and managed to drag ourselves down to the tour busses in the middle of the night. It was a winding road in the dark all the way up to the top. Some on the bus were struggling to not get motion sickness. We arrived at the viewing area and had quite a while to wait before sunrise. Also, we did not see any road construction either. So we are not sure why we had to leave so early just to sit there and wait for probably an hour and a half. We sat in the tour bus because it was so cold outside until we felt like it was getting close to time. There were a lot of people there, standing in the dark waiting. We saw a glimpse of pink and our hopes soared! At the last minute clouds seemed to roll in and the view we had hoped to see was lost. We were very disappointed and loaded back up in the tour bus. The tour driver took us another 200 or 300 feet up to the top of the summit where we got out of the bus. It was then that we saw something none of us will ever forget. We were above the clouds and the sun was rising above them. It was the most incredible experience – we just couldn’t get over how beautiful it was! Facing another direction you could see down the mountain and a beautiful view of the island as the sun rose.

So then we began the drive back down. As sleep began to overtake us riding in the bus, the shuttle driver decided to share everything he knew about the island with us. All the way down the mountain he droned on and on and on. He did not come up for air until we were departing the bus back at the ship. He was very nice and extremely knowledgeable; we just didn’t appreciate his dissertation at that time when we were all deliriously tired. However, we know he was working hard and trying to share island history and information, (plus the fact that he got us up that horrible winding road in the dark) so we handed him a good tip and headed back to the ship for breakfast.

 

Glad you saw the sunrise were doing it in oct. what tour did you use thourgh NCL the short one or the exclusive thanks

Glad you saw the sunrise were doing it in oct. what tour did you use thourgh NCL the short one or the exclusive thanks

We did the shorter one. I believe the longer one may have included a bike ride down the mountain which would not be for the weak of heart!

I'm enjoying your review and getting excited about my cruise in two weeks. I really need to do some more research. From reading your review, I gather "winging" it isn't the way to go. I am also staying at Embassy Suites. Although your pictures were small, they were still nice. Did you find a lot of young adults on board? My boys are 18 and 21. We took a cruise to Alaska last summer and my son said instead of the White Hot party, they should have called it the white hair party. I'm hoping for more young adults for my boys to hang out with on this cruise.

I am so glad you asked this question. No, not a lot of youth on this ship. Definitely the older crowd. We didn't do the white hot party but I bet your son is probably right and it was a white hair party! LOL