nisky

Thanks for your nice comments. Hopefully, other recent cruisers will add other tips.

As for surge protectors built-in to multi-outlets... we have never encountered a problem, but certainly don't want to take any risks in the future. Let's jut say "multi-outlet extensions" instead.

Here is a summary of helpful POA tips and comments I pulled together from many Cruise Critic posts and Pride of America member reviews from the last couple of years (including our 6/4–6/11/2016 roll call group, particularly sunnyvegas). Hopefully it will be useful for future cruisers. Please add your tips in this thread.

PRIDE OF AMERICA (POA):

POA and HAWAII RESEARCH –

*(A small sample of great Cruise Critic POA member reviews; Norwegian Cruise Lines forum/ Pride of America subforum; and Hawaii board posts):

AryMay blog: http://mysouvenirmemories.blogspot.com¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

kwbound ‘An Exhaustive Review of our Exhausting Hawaiian Adventure’

Notion_of_the_Ocean (review)

BnAv10 (review)

Hawaii board: ‘Hawaii Cheat Sheet’ (page 1, #1; Page 3 #47 & #55)

limmerb (7/20/15 review)

newcruise12 ‘Top 10 Things to Know about the Pride of America’

carmzav ’11 Day Oahu Explorer cruise tour review on POA’

*(A sample of Hawaii websites to review):

thisweekhawaii.com

gohawaii.com

konaweb.com

101thingstodo.com

GENERAL -

*Pride of America Statistics - Launched: 2005; Refurbished: March 2016; Decks: 15; Tonnage: 80,439; Passengers: 2,186; Crew: 917; Registry: United States; Current Cruise Critic Editor Rating: 4.0 (of 5); Member Ratings: overall 3 (of 5), dining 3.5, cabins 3.9, service 3.8, value for money 3.7

*POA sails from the Port of Honolulu, Cruise Ship Terminal Pier 2, 521 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.

*(from NCL website, May 2016): Hawaii Cruises: There’s no need for a passport when you sail on any Hawai‘i inter-island cruise. If your ship never sails beyond the islands of Hawai‘i, all you need is a government-issued photo I.D. which includes a passport or a valid driver’s license with a photo. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 does not require a government-issued photo ID.

*Lanyards are great to hold your ship key card.

*The pool deck can be windy so use boca clips to hold your towels down. This has been a lifesaver for us on cruises--plus they are conversation starters. :)

*Pack glow bracelets/necklaces to have for the GLOW or White Hot Party.

*Pack post-it notes--to leave notes for your cabin mate or to your steward.

*Pack zip-lock bags of all sizes. They come in handy for food, wet clothes, suntan lotion and water bottles.

*The ship is easy to navigate, with the exception of the Deck 6 Liberty Dining Room that cannot be directly accessed from the interior of Deck 6 forward or midship. It is accessible from 1) the aft elevators and stairs; 2) by going into the Skyline main dining room, Deck 5 aft, and walking up the spiral staircase; and 3) by the outside jogging/walking track (when not closed by weather), by entering the hallway at the aft-most starboard doors.

*The Deck 12 spa and fitness center is on a half deck at the aft of the ship.

*The ship phone number is on the back of the key card.

*Traveler's checks can be cashed at the Guest Services desk.

*To reach the ship: 1-888-NCSHIPS (1-888-627-4477) from the U.S.; 1-732-335-3280 from overseas.

*For the bow observation area, walk beyond the forward pool, then along outside of ship to observation area.

*A nice area is the Sunset Garden Interior Promenade, Deck 3 forward.

*The jogging/walking track is on Deck 6.

*Breakfast buffet is supposed to start at 6:00 am, though it is sometimes late.

*If you eat in the buffet, you can sit and get better coffee in the Gold Rush Saloon. Discovered this late in the cruise.

*The Moderno Cafe, Deck 11 aft, has the same morning buffet as the Aloha Buffet but is often much less crowded. (Check for the time it opens, though). It is a nice relaxed and uncrowded place for breakfast located aft between the Aloha Cafe and the open air, shaded Aloha Lanai. They have a buffet with fruits, pastries, French toast etc and a station for made to order eggs, omelets. You can dine inside Moderno or walk through the restaurant doors out onto the Lanai. Of course you can make up a plate in the buffet also and then walk aft to the lanai as well if you need to dine earlier.

*A good location to eat is the aft deck seating behind the Aloha Café.

*Shows are mostly at 7:00 & 9:00 pm.

*Lunch at the buffet is usually served until 3:00 pm before the start of the conversion for dinner.

*The buffet in the Aloha Café was laid out very nicely with stations, and even when very busy, we were able to find a table. We ate breakfast here daily so that we could eat outdoors on the back deck. We also ate in two of the specialty restaurants (La Cucina and Teppanyaki Grill) and they were good.

*Most of the seating for the buffet is on the starboard side of the ship. We got a seat in the smaller section on the port side, and this became our spot whenever we ate at the buffet. Even at crowded times, we were able to get a table in that area. They also allow seating in the Gold Rush Saloon that is connected to the buffet on the port side, but we never ate in there (and they have a popcorn machine in the saloon).

*The establishments that have a dress code (Liberty Dining Room and The Bistro specialty restaurant) only require for women shorts below the knee, pants, dresses/skirts, and for men they require long pants, closed toe shoes and collared shirts.

*Download the NCL Iconcierge phone app before you leave home. You can use it to review your account, book dinner reservations, etc. (free!), as well as to text and call others on the ship using the ship's network (for a cost of approx. $7.95). You relaunch it when you are on the ship. We set our phone on airplane mode then turned ‘on’ wifi to do this.

*There are many activities on the ship scheduled throughout the day even though they are in port every day, so you will never get bored when on board.

*Liberty Dining Room, Deck 6 has had longer meals times than the Skyline dining room on Deck 5.

*We found main dining room service (timewise) to be not bad at all. On several evenings we were seated at around 5:45 pm and still made it to the 7 pm show. We didn't mind sitting at the back of the theatre...no cold air blasting down onto us back there.

*Both complimentary dining rooms (Skyline, deck 5 and Liberty, deck 6) were aft with only four elevators access. The other complimentary dining was East meets West in the main atrium on deck 5 and the Aloha Café on deck 11 mid to aft. The smaller Cadillac Diner, Deck 6, and Key West Bar, Deck 12, were casual options. Specialty restaurants were sprinkled on decks 5, 6 and 11.

*Reservations were needed at all dining venues, except buffet and diner, as the ship was full and the mostly American-Canadian cruisers preferred early dining.

*Cadillac Diner was our favorite spot to grab a quick bite and the staff in there was very personable.

*Friday night is not the day to be stuck in a dining room between 5:15 and 7:00 PM That is your only view of the Na Pali Coast unless you take a helicopter excursion. Consider seeing the Na Pali Coast and then going to dinner afterwards on Friday night!

*There is narration on the Promenade Deck as the ship goes by the Na Pali coast after departing Kauai (usually about 5:15pm).

*I would book the port side for the Na Pali sail by (leaving Kaua’i) which will be from the port side first (and a much quicker sail-by on the starboard side).

*Na Pali Coast sail by: Occurred at 5 pm and the pass-by takes about 45 minutes. We had dinner at 7pm - ideal time as we didn't want to dine earlier for not missing sunsets. (Note: for early June 2016: sunsets are around 7:10 pm).

*The Na Pali narration also comes through the TV. For this it was on the Bridge channel (channel 23). We had to turn the volume all the way up, and also pull the TV out and angle the speaker towards the balcony, but we could hear and understand it fine. Just make sure you remember to turn the volume back down before you change the channel!

*During the Na Pali coast sail-by, we went down to Deck 6, port side, for viewing. Very uncrowded, while the upper decks were packed.

*We approached the Na Pali coast a little after 5pm, and one of the Hawaiian ambassadors started the narration at 5:15. TIP: make your way to Deck 13 forward and port side early to get the best view and hear the narration clearly.

*I would book the port side for the Na Pali sail by which will be from the port side.

*The evening at Kona is also the night of Kona Lobster that is served in Cagney's and Jefferson's Bistro for an additional cost.

*Laundry service is $24.95 for all you can stuff in one bag.

*There is a small pool located on deck 12 aft, below the Waikiki bar. This is the only place that smoking is allowed.

*The White HOT party was on Wednesday after leaving Kona, starting about 10:00 pm up on deck 6. In the past, they’ve had black lights set up all around the room so everyone wearing white "glows"... and they sometimes hand out glow stick bracelets, etc. There will be a band and dancing and since POA doesn’t dock until 10:00 am in Kauai the next day, it's a good night to stay up "late." It's fun to check it out even if you don't stay for the whole event - just wear all white if you have it!

*SS Liberty Library on deck 6 was large and well stocked with comfy chairs.

*There was a barbeque (good ribs, burgers, grilled pineapple) at the main pool on the Friday cruise-away day from Kauai. We went at 1:30 pm for shorter lines.

*Go to the Kukui Nut lei making the afternoon of Day 3. The two Hawaiian ambassadors China and Kaulani host it, and it makes for a great (free) souvenir!

STATEROOMS -

*If you have phones, cameras etc. to charge, consider bringing 1 or 2 power strips/surge protectors.

*It has been several years since we were on the POA, but one thing I remember about cell phones and service is to turn off the phone or put in airplane mode when you are sailing at night from island to island. If the phone is on, it tries to connect to the land cell towers all night.

*Current is 110 volts AC. Electric hairdryers, rollers, razors MAY need a converter.

*There are shelves in the bathroom and a small corner medicine cabinet.

*Consider bring a roll-up shoe bag with many pockets that could be hung from towel bar in bathroom to store various cosmetics.

*Bring a "24-pocket shoe hanger" to go over the closet door really reduces the clutter factor in a smaller cabin. It's great for stashing sunglasses, flip flops, sunscreen, and whatever when not in use.

*All staterooms have safes.

*Luggage can be stored under the bed(s).

*There is only liquid soup in the bathroom so if you like bar soap, bring your own.

*If you have a balcony cabin, bring large clips if you plan on drying your bathing suits, so they won't blow away!

*Bring clothespins for the clothesline in the shower.

*Hairdryers are provided in all cabins.

*Cabin doors are magnetized so pack some magnets to hold your invites/documents.

EMBARKATION -

*Many cruisers recommend boarding 12:30 or later, but others have been able to board as early as 11:30 am.

*The Skyline Dining Room was open until 2 pm on embarkation day. It is a nice place for a relaxing lunch.

*Muster Drill is at 4:45 pm on embarkation day. Don’t miss it or you will have to attend in the late afternoon of the first day in Maui!

AT HAWAIIAN PORTS -

*Ship exit/entry is Deck 3 midship at all ports except Honolulu (Deck 5). Besides the stairs, there are only 2 elevators that go down to Deck 3. During busy times upon returning to the ship, consider walking up to Deck 4 where there are 4 elevators.

*You will need to carry your driver's license and key card to every port in Hawaii.

*If you will be off the ship for a long period during the day, consider bringing baggies for food to take with you. You can make your own sandwiches at breakfast.

*Don't forget to bring water bottles for excursions.

*Look for “This Week (Island name), a thick, 3” x 11” brochure in each port. They include maps, info and coupons. We picked them up for ALL islands in Honolulu at a corner brochure stand.

*Tender procedure for Kona: This required tender tickets which were available to be picked up at Pinks Champagne Bar, Deck 6 starting at 6:45 am. Your entire party needs to be present when you get your tickets. They will let you know when you can go down to the tenders. If in a suite, you don't need a ticket, the concierge will escort you off when you are ready. I believe at some point in the am, after the general rush, tickets were no longer required and you could just go when ready. Last tender back to ship at 5:00 pm.

*Kona: The Keauhou trolley is available for $2.00 per ride and picks up at the Kailua Pier and takes you to quite a few of the scenic stops. It may be useful if you are not renting a car. If you google Keauhou trolley the printable schedule comes up (konaweb.com).

DISEMBARKATION -

*You will be notified that you can pick up luggage tags (color-coded by disembark time) at guest relations on Thursday. Your luggage needs to be outside your cabin no later than midnight on Friday. You can walk off the ship either with or without your luggage any time Saturday morning before 9 am.

nisky 6/18/2016

Too late for this trip, but for future travelers, the narration also comes through the TV. For this it was on the Bridge channel. We had to turn the volume all the way up, and also pull the TV out and angle the speaker towards the balcony, but we could hear and understand it fine. (Just make sure you remember to turn the volume back down before you change the channel :eek: WRITE A REMINDER NOTE. SERIOUSLY.)

Great point for future cruisers. Embarrassingly, we only learned about this after the sail-by.

Hi, Mindy and Tim

We concur with your great summary. It was also nice meeting POA officers and managers at our Meet & Greet.

We ate exclusively at the Liberty main dining room. I thought it was comparable with other cruise line MDRs with some meals average and some very good (prime rib, beef wellington, rack of lamb). We also had a tough time adjusting to the 6 hr difference from EDT, so we decided to eat early, before things got crowded. We made reservations at the dining desk around the corner from guest services when we boarded (at 11:40 am!) which worked well for us.

Our luggage didn't arrive until 5pm though, which was annoying. Fortunately, we were wearing comfortable clothing at boarding.

We were just down the hall from you in 9622, port side. We weren't surprised to see that the cabin was small, but there are a lot storage spaces, and we were able to unpack everything we brought with us.

At the Na Pali sail-by (approx 5:15 - 6:00 pm), we, too, had a great view from our balcony and would have been able to hear the narration (supposedly on decks 6, 11, & 13) it the narrator would have just spoken louder! The rainbow was a great bonus. This sail-by makes the port side worthwhile, even though at all ports except Nawiliwili, Kauai, you are facing the industrial ports when docked.

At Kona, which we, too, toured on our own, we arrived at Pinks Champagne Bar to pick up our tender tickets at 7:45 am, and we were immediately directed to join in to end of the line of an NCL excursion group leaving the ship! I think we were on the 3rd tender out, since we saw two returning on our trip in. We were on shore by 8:10 am.

A tip to all future POA cruisers: hang on as you leave the Hollywood Theater (we went to all the shows and liked most of them) and when walking on the upper decks near the loungers, when at sea. We saw two accidents... one person who fell into a theater row when leaving after a show after the ship rolled a bit, and another who fell into a lounger on deck injuring her nose.

We, too, will be writing a review soon. Thanks again, Mindy and Tim

Has there been a policy change with NCL as far as Iconcierge usage on the ship? I keep seeing references to "non-fee" usage and I don't know if this is new, or people are just confused.

 

As far as I know, unless this is something brand new, there is no way to connect your free Iconcierge app to the ship's network without paying the one time per device fee, which has apparently gone up from $7.99 to $12.99 for the week. As far as I know, you would need to be connected in order to see your account, etc, not just to make calls or texts to others on the ship.

 

We used it on the POA in March for just the two of us, and on the Escape for a group of 7. That ability to call or text each other on the ship was priceless. Well worth the one time fee.

I believe there are free services now. This link was sent to me from an inquiry I made on the NCL board:

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/fi...E_05132014.pdf

Thanks for the very helpful replies!

nisky

We've downloaded the iConcierge app on our iPhones, but only want to use it for Pride of America info, dinner reservations and checking our account (all non-fee) in Hawaii. How do we connect for just the complimentary app functions once we are on the ship? (We are not purchasing ship wifi).

Thanks!

Did you use the iConcierge app on your cruise? We downloaded it on our phones, but only want to use it for cruise info, dinner reservations and checking our account (all non-fee). Is it easy to connect for this on the ship?

Thanks!

Affirmative [emoji3]. We had dinner at East Meets West one night, and I heard the hibachi chef and cheers from the room next door.

 

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Does POA only offer sushi and sashimi in East Meets West or were cooked dinners available there? How did you make reservations? And just to confirm, was it complimentary?

Thanks very much for your continuing help!

Thanks for good info. A few more questions:

8) Are there any venues other than the Aloha buffet, Moderno Cafe and the dining rooms that have complimentary pastries and sandwiches during the day?

9) Did your cruise have a sail-by of Kiluaea? (I know most haven't this year, but I keep hoping!)

10) Do you know where can espresso drinks be purchased other than dining rooms and specialty dining restaurants?

11) When you were in Waikiki, did you eat at (or see) any less expensive places for lunch that you might suggest? We're saving our $ for dinners.:)

Kattus: We have appreciated your pre-cruise comments and suggestions. We are on the 6/4 POA cruise.

1) What time were you able to board POA?

2) What times do you recommend for dinner and how long did it take for you to eat in the main dining rooms? (We would like to go to the shows afterwards).

3) Do you recall if there were shuttles to Walmart in Kahului, Kailua-Kona, and/or Nawilili?

4) Did you rent a car in Kahului? If so, was it easy to find & take the shuttles to the airport?

5) On your cruise, about what time did you pass the Na Pali coast and what time did you have dinner that night?

6) Has the sewage smell problem on deck 6 been fixed?

7) Do you have any POA tips that you picked up on your cruise?

Thanks in advance:)

We have enjoyed your blog immensely! The pictures and text brought your cruise alive for us. We're really looking forward to our June 4th POA cruise.

Thanks again.

Great, informative pictures and commentary! I'm looking forward to more, including the dailies if you have them.

Thanks for the info and link. Hopefully, they won't start earlier, as our excursion is post-cruise on June 11.

Since yesterday, I just get a blank screen when clicking on any of the ship subforums in the 'Norwegian Cruise Line' box above. Is there a system problem?

Thanks again for the helpful replies. I wonder if there is anyone else out there in CC-land who has done this over the last year and who could provide some recent details.

If you have done this, I'm looking for information on how to get to the public bus from the port at Kahului to go to either Lahaina or perhaps Wailea Beach. Is there a shuttle or would we need to walk, and if so, how far? Any other advice?

Thanks in advance!

We have done PCC a couple times and like their add on tour of North Shore plus there buses are fairly new and comfortable. If you do the whole day at PCC I highly recommend the bus as its a long hot tiring day. But well worth the money and time. You will be back to your hotel about 9:30ish.

 

I would definitely do a package that includes a guide in order to get you to all the events in a timely manner as there i think five Pacific islands that participate. Look at the VIP packages because it will give you VIP seating at each shaded stop.

For night time I would skip their Luau and do their show Ha Breath of Life that has gotten rave reviews since it started playing and it too will give you vip seating and escort to dinner. For dinner they put on a great buffet including king crab, shrimps roast beef all this in there newel y reno'd banquet area.

If you do a vip package it will also include a behind the scene tour plus you'll receive colorful brochers books and a DVD of the show.

As others have stated forget there luau and look at a couple that are offered in Maui.

 

I can't stress enough that this day is worth every penny and is well planned out.

 

This is a 30 plus acre property has lots of shaded seating throughout for a rest.

 

You can also read 5 stars reviews at TripAdvisor here is link

 

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g60656-d1083842-Reviews-Polynesian_Cultural_Center-Laie_Oahu_Hawaii.html

Great info. Thanks. I'm not sure we can afford the Vip tour, but we will look at it.

Thanks. It looks like they have good reviews on CC and TripAdvisor.

We'd like advice on good tour operators to take a small group tour of Oahu from Honolulu. We're not interested in large bus tours.

Thanks

nisky

It is a pretty easy and very scenic drive up to the PCC if you do a day rental. If not that, I'd just book tickets which included round trip transportation from your hotel. There are many many tour companies which offer these. Roberts is a very well known and respected one. The PCC may offer packages with transportation direct from their website.

 

I'd look at the reviews for Luaus under Trip Advisor. The main criticism for the PCC dinner and show is that it is not really a luau, just a dinner, and then you walk elsewhere for the show. Not the same experience you'd get at many others. I believe it is possible to do just the PCC with option of one or the other or none for the dinner/show. You may want to skip the dinner and show and just book another of the Luaus offered in the area for a different day. There are two or three others with excellent reviews which would provide more of a luau experience, and they may all provide transportation.

Thanks for your helpful suggestions

nisky

1) We'll be in Waikiki this summer for 2 1/2 days before a cruise without a car. What is the best way for us to see the Polynesian Cultural Center as a day activity? We are also wondering if this is also a good option for a luau or if we should consider a different one.

2) Has anyone used the Go O'ahu card? We wonder if this is a good option for our pre-cruise visit.

Thanks in advance!

nisky

We have cruised on other lines, but not on NCL. We'll be taking POA in Hawaii this June and have some questions for the expertson this board:

1) Are there safes in all cabins? We have a BA Balcony.

2) Can you check your account during the cruise on your TV or is there another in-cabin option?

3) Can you reserve dining times in the main dining rooms for a series of upcoming days or on a day-by-day basis? Can you do this from your cabin or does it need to be in person at the dining room?

4) Is the buffet opening on time in the morning?

5) Regarding iPhones: is it enough to leave our phones on Airplane Mode in our cabins or do we also need to turn off Data?

Thanks in advance!

nisky

We ate early in the Symphony Dining Room, the primary anytime dining location. The Concerto Dining Room opened for anytime dining at 8:30 pm (after the earlier traditional dining).

We booked the Imperial Hotel independently last month ($235) and enjoyed it. It was about a 30 minute walk to Nyhavn and 40 minutes to Rosenborg Castle. It also included a very nice breakfast buffet was included.

Our large taxi from the airport for our group of four had room for four large suitcases and cost a total of 200 kr (~$40) for the four of us. No trouble getting a cab.

(sandyoftheseas: see my post about our Meet & Greet on the Princess board)

nisky