johnrich

11 hours ago, iahawkfan21 said:

I’ve not seen a machine in any of the terminals but it’s possible I guess.  You should be able to bring some soda onboard with you on most cruise lines so consider stopping at the store on the way.  Will be cheaper too.

NCL does not allow you to bring any soda through the security checkpoint. There are Coke machines in PortMiami after security so I was hoping the same was true of Port Canaveral. 

We will be traveling on the Breakaway and departing from Port Canaveral. Are there Coke vending machines after you go through security in the port facilities? 

We went to Jetty Park and the Exploration Tower when we stopped there. It is right near the port. We really enjoyed it. We spent around 3 hours and thought it was very interesting and nobody was there. Highly recommend it!

We used Uber last time we sailed out of Port Canaveral two years ago. We stayed at the Comfort Inn Orlando Airport and took an Uber to the Port around 9:30 AM. The cost was only around $45 for the three of us. It was very quick and convenient. We got to the port around 10:20. The trip back to the airport was a little more - I believe $54. We got off the ship around 8:00 AM and were sitting at the gate at the airport at 9:30 AM. 
 

We are departing from PC in 41 days and are planning on using Uber again. 

When we were on POA last December, we arrived at the port around 9:45. There wasn’t even a line to drop off our checked luggage at the X-ray machine. By 10:00 we were through security and in the suite guests lounge. We waited about five mins to check-in. After checking in we had to wait another five or ten minutes and we were taken in a group of around 15 people on a tour of the ship and finally dropped off where we were introduced to Spencer, our butler, who took us to our room. Although our room wasn’t totally ready we were able to drop our carry-ons off. We explored the ship for an hour or so until the room was ready around 11:30. 

We loved POA and Hawaii in general. I’m sure you will also. 

This is the first time we have ever used cruise air out of all the cruises we’ve taken but since it was only $99 per person and the cheapest we could find on our own was $650 pp (it’s over Thanksgiving) we decided we’d give it a chance. 

We have the reduced air as part of our cruise in November. There are three of us in the cabin. On our cruise summary it now lists airports (but not flight numbers). I understand that flights are usually confirmed around 60 days in advance.

My concern is that it is listing two of us as connecting through PHL and the other connecting through CLT.  My PCC has left the company and I haven't been assigned a new one so I just spoke to whoever got the call. She said that the flights are just listed as placeholders and refused to connect me to the Cruise Air Dept. 

Has anyone else experienced having two different itineraries when in the same cabin like this? If so, how did it work out? Were  they indeed just placeholders and you were all on the same flight after flights were confirmed. 

Thanks!  

When we were in Maui, we caught the car rental shuttle bus to the airport to pick up our vehicle. Our driver informed us that the Maui Beach hotel which is on the main drag as you make the left out of the port (maybe a ten min walk if that) offers overnight parking for cruise guests for only $5. This way you don’t have to go all the way back to the airport to drop off and pick up your car. 

While visiting Kauai, if you are planning on renting a vehicle there, I would suggest parking it at Anchor Shops (pay at JJGrillers restaurant - I believe it was only $10 - $15> but not positive). It was very convenient and they have an Anchor Shops shuttle continuously going back and forth from the shopping center to the port. 

Both made parking much easier than we thought they were going to be. 

Yes, it is very odd. We booked for a Thanksgiving Cruise. The airfare from Pittsburgh to Orlando was $199/pp which was pretty reasonable however we needed two adjoining cabins and I couldn’t find them online so I called. Not only was the rep able to get us cabins beside each other, the airfare was only $99. Just wish NCL booked on Southwest. They have nonstop with great times. No other airlines offer nonstop. 

We sailed on POA in December. Our shuttle from our hotel got us to the port around 9:45. There weren’t any porters there but we wheeled our luggage into the terminal and made a right and went a little bit and through a set of doors and there were 3 men there taking your luggage and putting it through the X-ray machine. We then went back out to the main section and got in line to go through security. You should be able to drop your luggage off and then just go back outside and catch a cab or Uber to wherever you want to go. We saw several people go outside after dropping off their luggage. I assume they were doing some sightseeing. 

Although it is too late for the OP to do anything now, this happened to us several years ago. When I printed out our eDocs I noticed the two different terminals so I contacted NCL. The person I talked to was very nice and even sent an email stating to all board at terminal B. She said if security gives us any problems to show the email. Well, security did give us a hard time. The guard at the door wouldn’t even look at the email from NCL. We asked to speak to a supervisor and she told us she was too busy to call one so we just blocked the line so no one else could get in (sorry fellow passengers) so she finally called a supervisor who took us to the side and then we had to argue with her. She eventually let us through but was really nasty with us and said we’ll be sorry because some of the key cards would be in the other terminal and we’d be causing the check-in agents extra work and spending extra time waiting since we “don’t know how to follow directions” on the eDocs. Well when we got to check-in, low and behold, all of our keys were together, so the customer service rep did what she said she would do and security was wrong. The security is not NCL, but rather POM, but should accept emails from NCL that tell the passengers to go to a different terminal than on the eDocs. 

My point is, be sure to call and ask that all key cards be placed together and ask for a follow up email. 

NCL offers a Pearl Harbor tour called Early Bird Pearl Harbor for guests with flights after 2:00. Does anyone know of any private tour operators that also offer this shortened tour that will keep our luggage on the bus while we tour?  I searched several sites. Roberts Tours show they have 2 tours but neither will work for us since our flight is at 2:45. I sent them an email asking if I am just not finding it on their website and the response said to look on their website. Ugh. I haven’t found other sites offering this. Thanks in advance!

John

Has anyone been able to use their FAS excursion credit for an excursion on disembarkation day?  We normally just book our tours independently, but we can only find the tour we want this time through NCL. 

We will be on the POA in 56 days. I started looking at excursions back in May and June (6-7 month before) and although all NCL ones were available, a few with smaller, independent tour operators found here on CC were full. However there are still plenty available thru NCL with less than two months left.

Also, POA is freestyle so no need to worry about booking the main dining rooms but if you want any specialty restaurants, you may want to book them when they open up to get the time of your choice.

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Wow, that's awesome. Do you know if this is something that normally do on most cruises, or is it just by chance?

I believe they have it on all of the NCL ships.

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Hi: I am cruising on my first NCL cruise next March. We have gotten professional photos before onboard Princess and Carnival; however, they were printed and presented to us before we departed. (We loved them too)

 

 

 

We definitely want to get more on our NCL cruise next March. Do you know why they ship them to you separately? Can you give me an example of prices or the cost of any kinds of packages?

 

 

 

Thank you so much.

As the previous poster stated, this was different than the photographers stationed around the ship. This is through NCL’s Perspectives Studios. The photographer, Lorie, spent around 45 mins with us taking pictures and then a couple days later at least an hour going through all the photos. We chose five to have printed on canvas and two on metal. In addition we got a USB drive with all of the photos she took and received the rights to use those as well. Lorie and Carlotta are who we dealt with and they were absolutely wonderful and made it so much fun! In fact we did this on the Epic last Thanksgiving and were on the Escape last week and Lorie saw us and remembered us - even our first and last names. It was great!

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Enjoying this review so far. I am hoping at some point you will post pictures of the daily newsletter (sorry don't know what its called on NCL) Or at least post was some of the daily and nightly activities were.

 

We normally cruise RCI and spend some time each evening in the casino. So this will be a change for us. Just making sure there is plenty to do.

 

We just booked for next September. The same week you just did.

Could you share what airline you took and if you booked your flights on your own? or thru NCL?? Any hints to getting a good price?? We will be flying out of Ohio. Keep hearing rumors that Southwest is going to start flying to HAwaii. Sure hope that is true.

Not sure what part of Ohio you’re from but if it is Southeast (Steubenville area where we’re from) Alaska Airlines just started flying out of Pittsburgh. We got a great deal for our December Pride of America cruise. We fly PIT to Honolulu with a stop in Seattle.

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We were told 4-6 weeks but we had ours in 11 days and they were wonderful!

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Thanks so much for the great review so far. We will be doing this cruise in December with family (7 adults) and are also staying at the Outrigger Ohana Waikiki Malia. We fly in 2 days prior to the cruise so also plan on hiking to Diamond Head one morning. Anxious to hear about the rest of your trip. If you have any other tips or tricks (like the Shakka app) please share! We appreciate it.

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Ship - Escape

Deck - 15

Stateroom # - 15752

Stateroom Category – B9

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? – We never heard either of the neighboring rooms or talking in the hall but during the day did here the ding of the elevator arriving to the floor as this room was the first room when entering the hallway from the elevator “lobby.” In addition, the ping pong tables on deck 16 are right above this room and you could often hear the players jumping/running and sometimes deck chairs. It was a bit annoying but only my fault for not reviewing the deck plans more carefully.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - View good looking out but not up due to overhang. Never had sun on balcony because of overhang but this is good for fair-skinned people.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal

Was wind a problem? - No.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - NA

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Only noise as stated above

Any other comments?

This was the closest cabin to the spa and since it was a spa cabin includes thermal spa access which was wonderful.

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Thank you so much for the tips. We will be sailing on the POA in 90 days so these are really helpful.

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Just thought I'd note that when I was on the pride in December I was able to bring a 20 oz soda on board with me every time I got off. And since you're in Hawaii you don't have to worry that what you're buying is bad so I didn't feel the need to buy the package. The bottles I would get I bought at the ABC store and made sure that they were still sealed and didn't have any problems.

 

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Good to know.

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As this is a NCL policy/procedure issue, I would be asking on the NCL board.

I actually posted it on both. Thanks!

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I know that normally NCL has a rule that if one person in the cabin purchases a beverage package then everyone must purchase the package. The POA doesn’t have Alcoholic beverage packages (at least for us from the USA) but does still offer the Soda package.

I would think this package would also require all cabin passengers to get it however I am noticing that when I try to prepurchase the package it is giving me the option to choose which passengers want it.

Does this mean we all don’t have to get the package? My mother and MIL do not drink soda at all so it would be a waste to buy the Soda package if we don’t have to. Just wondering if we choose the package for DW and I now if they will require us to add DM and MIL once we get on the ship.

I am hoping that someone who has actual experience with this situation will respond and not someone just assuming.

Thanks for your help.

Btw, we know that gratuity is added automatically to the $7.95/pppd. In fact when purchasing it here, as shown in the screen shot, the tips are included in the price of $66.78.

[i’ve posted this on the Hawaii board as well.]

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