Let the Islands Come To You ... Cruise Journal

Thanks for the through trip report, TreasureQuest! I just finished reading up to you sailing away from Honolulu and have some questions:

1. How far is the walk from HHV to Wailana Coffee House? Is the service pretty quick there? How long would you say the typical breakfast took?

2. How can I find out the schedule of the hula class at HHV? Did it cost extra?

3. You mentioned that you disputed the parking charge at HHV. Did you not have a car? If not, how did you get to Pearl Harbor?

Thanks in advance!

TreasureQuest... Just got finished reading your review. Had to do it over a couple of nights. LOL I found it to be quite informative and very well written. It sounds like you and your daughter shared a wonderful journey together...one that you will long remember and cherish. I will be taking this cruise with my son in June and hope that we have just as many wonderful memories to take back with us. We took a cruise to Alaska four years ago when he graduated from high school, which to date is our favorite cruise. We took a helicopter and landed on a glacier and took a seaplane to a lodge for a salmon dinner...among other excursions. The beauty of Alaska was breath-taking! I've heard that Hawaii is just as beautiful. I'm really looking forward to this trip...especially after reading your review! Thank you so much sharing your vacation experience with us and for posting some wonderful pictures. I hope you continue to check in on this thread to see how people are still reading and enjoying your review. And maybe even to answer some questions from those of us who have yet to experience Hawaii. Mahalo!

I started you review late last night and at 1:30 A.M. I decided I had to go to bed..

Got back up this morning and this was the first to do on my list today.

What a wonderful review (the best I've ever read).

I am so grateful this was bumped back up as it is to good to be forgotten!

Just thought that I would bump this one back to the top! :)

THANK YOU! We leave in September 2010... :)

Thank you Treasurequest...when I finished your review, I felt like I had just ended my vacation...or put down a great novel that when you close the cover, you sigh and smile. I, too, will pull much of your adventure into my travels when I am priviledged to visit the Islands for the 2nd time in 30 years (1981 honeymoon...2011, 30 years anniversary). Julie

What an amazing review! The best I've ever read. I actually had a little dampness around the eyes when I finished! You so wonderfully illustrated that Hawaii is an "experience" - not just a "trip". So many of us get caught up in the planning (how far this ... how long that ...) that we don't allow ourselves to experience the wonder.

Thank you for sharing!

What an awesome review of a wonderful quest!!

I am so happy this was bumped to the front page again or I may not have ever found it. We are planning a trip to Hawaii for 2011 including a cruise on POA and I am sure I will refer to this thread many times.

Such precious wonderful memories you and your daughter have to share! Life is about making memories and you have certainly done that on your cruise.:)

What an awesome review!!!! I was wavering b/w planning a Hawaii land vacation vs NCL cruise --- I definitely think the cruise followed by a few days of island time is exactly the dream vacation that will suit my family the best. Thank you for your time in posting this :)

I enjoyed your review. We did the Carnival Splender from LA to Hawaii. The Pride of America sounds like it gives you a lot more port time. We may decide to do that in a year or so. :):)

Thanks to kteachcruiser for getting this near the top again!

It has taken me several enjoyable hours to read and provided wonderfully useful information. We're taking our two young adult sons on this cruise to celebrate my husband's retirement so will be approaching it as a collaborative "quest"! Thanks for the fantastic review!!

This must have to be one of the most enjoyable and comprehensive reviews of POA that I have ever read so had to bump it up.

Thank you to those of you who bumped this review.

Although older, it is the best I have read on Hawaii, thus far, and deserves an afterlife on these boards!

You can go to the islands, or you can let the islands come to you. In November of 1970, I went to the islands. This year was my chance to try letting the islands come to me and I rather liked it. You go back to the ship in the evening, have a nice leisurely dinner, go see a show, wander into the lounge to catch at least part of the party, then you go to bed. In the morning when you wake up, there’s another island arriving in front of your floating hotel. How cool is that?!

But a decent trip review has to start with basic flight information, so here goes (with periodic thanks to CruiseCritic posters who gave me sound advice to make things go smoother). There was just the two of us, me and my 14-yr old daughter. We flew Continental, and the first leg was from Cleveland to Houston. That involved enlisting the services of a saintly neighbor who got up early enough to get us to the airport at 4:00 a.m. We were both too excited to be tired, but would be paying the price for that before the long day was over. We breezed through check-in and wandered the relatively deserted concourses until they boarded our 6:00 a.m. flight. It was a smooth flight and they even included breakfast en route (cereal and milk). We got into Houston a bit early and wandered the concourses waiting for our next flight. It was an hour late, so we ended up with a lay-over of over 4 hours. That short night was starting to take its toll by the time we boarded. But our non-stop to Honolulu was a very nice 767. There was a packaged blanket and pillow on every seat and a TV in the back of every headrest. We had a choice of several stations, including a few movies, some music stations and 10 video games. They also served 2 meals en route. It wasn’t exactly gourmet fare, but those people that write those nasty reviews complaining about cruise ship food ought to consider what they got served on their pre-cruise flight. It was edible, but hardly memorable. The first meal was served about an hour and a half after we left Houston. The second meal was served about an hour before we landed in Honolulu. It was a nine-hour flight. Do the math. I was ready to eat the seat cover in front of me (but the lady in that seat would probably have been annoyed).

But nothing can compare to the excitement we felt when we landed in Hawaii. I had booked this trip on a whim, not really sure it was going to be possible to take it. And I hadn’t told my DD about it until the night before we left. Frankly we were both amazed to find ourselves in Hawaii. En route to baggage claim, we stopped at a kiosk and bought leis for each other and had a little “aloha” ceremony before we proceeded to claim our bags. Roberts Shuttle was easy to find (Thank you CCers) and I paid $15/ea for round trip transfers. Within 20 minutes of reaching the bus, they were loaded and we headed for Waikiki. Ours was the first stop – the Hilton Hawaiian Village for 3 nights pre-cruise. We left our bags with the bell service at the taxi drop-off area and proceeded to check-in. My recent membership in the Hilton HHonors program (Thank you CCers!) qualified me for the line with nobody in it. So check-in was quick and we were in our room in short order – Tapa Tower, ocean view, 20th floor. Within 20 minutes, our bags arrived and we could begin to relax. The view was amazing. I probably shot a dozen photos from the balcony before we headed off to wander the grounds a bit prior to going to dinner.

We walked to the Kobe Steak House right around the corner. I had decided that I would go to a Japanese steak house in Honolulu, rather than try the one on the ship. On board you have already paid for your meal, so a $25/pp surcharge seemed pretty steep to me. We had a wonderful meal at Kobe. Since I had the entertainment book, the bill ran under $50, including 2 drinks and tip. The chef put on a good show, including some bits I’d never seen before. He really did a good job of playing to the little boy that was in the other party at our table.

We called it an early night and went to bed when the sun went down.

Did you have to stay at other Hiltons, or did you just signup and was able to get the rewards?

A little problem with going with an old thread. This poster hasn't posted on the boards in over 6 months. So them seeing your question is at least somewhat unlikely.

As a longtime Hilton Hhonors member, the only benefit it appears the poster got for this was a separate checkin line. To get that, all you need is to be signed up.

Other benefits come with various levels of elite status...which usually requires stays. There is a credit card deal that can get you some status, without stays.

THANKS for the thorough report and feedback. I must have missed if you went on the submarine. EVERYTHING else was VERY helpful. Glad I asked you about this today!!!!! :)

Even more than 7 years later, this review is still getting praises. I must add mine. We will be doing the POA next January, and I got some great ideas. We will be a group of 5 couples, so a rental car will have to be 2, but I am seriously considering suggesting it to our group.

Thanks, Treasurequest, for the great review, and later posters for keeping it alive.