azappraiser

Hi All,

 

On our first day in Kauai we are doing a Luau and a land tour of other things. On the second day we are considering a tour of the island. The second day we are considering an aerial tour. I have never been in a helicopter so this would be an amazing thing to do. However, the costs are quite expensive and the Cesna is about half the price.

 

Has anyone done the tour with the Cesna (tour company is Wings Over Kauai)? The cost savings are significant and the savings could be spent on other tours/excursions.

 

Any feedback is appreciated.

I flew with Wings Over Kauai last year when we were in port on Kauai... GREAT TRIP. I booked the 2nd flight of the morning (better lighting & fewer shadows in my photos) and they had me back to the ship in plenty of time before the ship sailed. Tip for getting your best photos... wear darker colors to minimize reflections.

Will get in early for Pride of America Sailing and go right to ship. Ship doesn't leave until 7. Can you check-in,board and then leave the ship fora few hours? Also, nearest beach?

Be back on board before the muster drill at 4:45pm... otherwise you get to make it up during your 1st day on Maui. The port is in the downtown area... I don't remember seeing any nearby beaches.

I am too excited for words. This will be my second cruise and my first time to Hawaii. I previously sailed on The Epic about three years ago.

 

I am in a studio cabin on the 13th level. I have booked The Equus Hotel for two nights in Honolulu before sailing. Thus far, I have booked one shore excursion -- the Canyon on Kauai. I am thinking about the Road to Hanna on Maui.

 

Any suggestions and tips would be appreciated.

 

I will be sailing the very end of November and early December. Any chance that I might see whales?

 

:)

Check out "Ricky's Tours" in Hilo... pretty comprehensive tour. He picked up our group at the pier, & had us at all the "hot spots", with plenty of time to explore. The small group tour made it much easier to beat the crowds... and the price was very reasonable.

On Kauai, check out "Wings Over Kauai"... I know everyone raves about the helicopter tours, and as much as I wanted to do one, the price was just a bit out of reach; however, the $125.00 airplane flight was well within the budget and I had an absolute blast!!!

Enjoy your cruise.

Haven't been to Paradise Cove, but we thoroughly enjoyed Germaine's.

Formal dress on the POA is wearing your Aloha shirt tucked in :cool:

Are there fridges in the staterooms on POA? Thanks.

We had one in our Aft balcony cabin... I asked our room steward to remove and inventory the mini-bar items so we could put our own drinks in there.

I've got to agree with the balcony... in particular, an AFT balcony! I too enjoyed sitting out there as we were coming into port, not to mention the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets... see below ;)

Is the ultimate beverage package the only exclusion if I book a future Hawaiian cruise on board?

Seems rather difficult to research this.

I see that most recent promos are not valid on Pride of America.

Wondering if it is good idea to book on board.

Most of the liquor packages that are offered on other ships are not available on the POA due to Hawaii's liquor laws... no Ultimate Beverage Package or Wine Lovers Package. They do offer beer buckets on board and there are occasional "Bar Managers' Wine Specials" as well as the drink of the day.

As you may know, there is NO casino on board as well... gambling, including bingo, is prohibited in Hawaii; and since the ship never leaves Hawaiian waters (with the exception of the upcoming dry dock on the mainland) the ship is considered to be under the jurisdiction of Hawaii.

Would like to know where smoking is allowed on Pride of America. Thank you.

Waikiki Bar, Deck 13 Aft. Smoking would also be allowed in the casino... if the POA had one. :rolleyes:

The dry dock is in San Francisco sometime in February, I believe. Then she does an 11 night reposition cruise back to Hawaii on March 15. Excellent pricing for this cruise compared to the usual 7 day inter island prices. Might be worth moving your summer cruise up a few months.;)

 

Edit: Sorry AZ, I quoted you because of the reference to a "spring" dry dock, but actually speaking to the OP just to point out the earlier date and the unique trans pacific plus inter island opportunity this presents.

No apology necessary... however, in Arizona, Feb/Mar is "our" spring time ;)

Curious if any frequent cruisers can break down the major differences between these ships?

 

I have cruised on other lines previously, and after my most recent (first time w NCL) experience on the Sky, I swore I would never book another Norwegian cruise. Granted, we were on a quick four-day cruise, and the stops were great, however the ship disappointed. The food options in the dining rooms was comparable to a school cafeteria. We were traveling to slow down and relax, but waiting a minimum of an hour for drinks or salad each night to even begin dinner was a bit too slow. Also, the crew did not seem too engaged or informed. I am open minded and didn't have incredibly high expectations, but I was more-so bummed for those who I was traveling with and had convinced to cruise.

 

So- my family is now researching options for a vacation to Hawaii next summer. A cruise has been mentioned and NCL Pride of America is our only choice during this time of year. I am hoping that someone who has cruised both ships before will tell me that it is a great cruise and my Sky experience was unusual or a result of just doing a quick long weekend cruise...

 

Anyone?

Although I can't comment on the "Sky", you should know the POA cruise is very port intensive... the ship is basically a floating hotel that takes you from island to island. You should also know the POA is going in for dry dock in the spring, so by summertime you'll be sailing on a newly renovated ship.

There's no water park, zip line, or bowling alley on board, but there are plenty of activities to keep you busy... when you're actually on the ship. I can't over emphasize it enough; a cruise on the POA isn't about the ship... it's all about the ports. I'm quite certain everyone else that has sailed on her will agree.

Five months until we sail and I've got a few questions buzzing round in my head - I'm hoping someone(s) can help, for background, we are a family of six with kids aged 11, 14, 15 and 18:

 

- when we go off the ship at port do we need to have ID with us, would our (New Zealand) drivers licence be ok for this? What about the kids? Do they need anything?

 

I know adults are required to have their "Ship Card" and a photo ID... not sure what minors are required to have, we don't have any; sorry.

 

- if we wanted to drop the kids back to the ship while hubby and I do something on land would that we ok? Presumably if the 18 year old is with it would be alright? Equally, are you allowed to leave them onboard without parents?

 

From NCL Guest Ticket Contract - When accompanying a minor or minors on the vessel, the adult Guest agrees to be the agent of such minor(s) for all purposes, to accept full responsibility for supervising such minor(s) and to bear full responsibility for the actions of such minor(s). The adult Guest further agrees that the Carrier is not liable for injury to minor(s) in the adult Guest's charge arising from the willful or negligent acts or omissions of other Guests or persons who are otherwise not acting on behalf of the Carrier. The adult Guest also agrees that under no circumstances will a minor be left aboard the vessel, other than in the care of the vessel's Kids' Crew or Teen's Crew programs, while the adult Guest responsible for the minor leaves the vessel for any reason, and in such circumstance the adult Guest agrees to indemnify and hold Carrier harmless for any and all loss, injury, or death of the minor or any other person involving the minor whatsoever.

 

- because we pay a fixed gratuity fee does that mean we don't need to tip staff onboard? I understand that we can if we want to but is it generally acceptable to not tip? Does that gratuity money actually go to the staff or is it just NCL making a bit of extra money? Someone told me they always go to the desk and say they wont be paying the gratuity and then tip staff as appropriate - is that really something that people do?

 

As mentioned above, the gratuity does in fact get to the staff... including those that are behind the scenes. Most passengers leave it in place and often tip above and beyond for exceptional service. Drinks, spa services, and (not when we sailed) specialty restaurants have an additional automatic gratuity added. Your butler & concierge are not included in the daily service charge.

 

- we have booked a suite for the six of us, thats ONE room THREE beds and SIX people (it's ok to call us crazy)! Does anyone have any tips on how to making things a little more bearable? I'm thinking maybe we could use showers in the gym if we needed to? Any other thoughts? Don't get me wrong, we are happy with this arrangement since it means we get to take this cruise but still, any advice very much appreciated!!

 

Good Luck!!!

 

Sorry for the long post - hope there are some people out there that can help. Thanks so much.

See answers in RED above.

Aloha.....Can't seem to find Golf Excursions listed under POA Hawaiian Cruises. Five years ago NCL had many choices. Did NCL stop golf excursions?

Here are the offerings from when we went in September:

Sunday, Maui

- Wailea, Emerald Course, Par 72 - $223.00

- Wailea, Old Blue Golf Club, Par 72 - $202.00

- Kapalua, Plantation Course, Par 72 - $269.00

- Kapalua, Bay Course,Par 72 - $259.00

Monday, Maui

- Same as above

Tuesday, Hilo

-Volcano Golf Club, Par 72 - $127.00

Wednesday, Kona

- Makalei Golf Club, Par 72 - $103.00

Thursday, Kauai

- Kauai Lagoons Golf Club, Par 72 - $195.00

- Poipu Bay Golf Club, Par 72 - $237.00

- Puakea Golf Club, Par 72 - $105.00

- The Ocean Nine-Hole Experience, Par 36 - $105.00

Friday, Kauai

- Kauai Lagoons Golf Club, Par 72 - $195.00

- Puakea Golf Club, Par 72 - $105.00

Taylor Made Equipment Rentals ran $40.00 per round, shoes were also available in limited sized with club rental. Add 4.166% Sales Tax to all fees, which include greens fees, 1/2 cart fee & R/T transportation.

Wings Over Kauai... or rent a car & drive to Waimea Canyon

It all depends on what side of the ship you have your cabin on.

 

In Honolulu, its all pretty urban close up, with the mountains further in the background.

 

In Maui, the ship docks port side HOWEVER its just a small pier then you have nothing but ocean. On the starboard side you lookout over a small harbor then you have a great view of Maui.

 

Hilo is much of the same way... docks on the port side but the better view is on the starboard side.

 

Kona... Don't matter. You are anchored and tendering, so the view is always changing as the ship rotates around the anchor.

 

Kauai... The ship docks starboard side. However it is mostly industrialized right there with little to look at starboard side. The better view here is port side as you look across the harbor at un-populated mountains in Kauai.

 

Check out google earth and you will see what im talking about for these spots. Also keep in mind that while docking side I gave you are normally true... they can, and have occasionally changed.

 

Attached is a picture of the POA docked in Maui.

On our cruise, the dock was on the starboard side in Hilo.

Wondering why The NCL ship- Pride of America not on the list!

We had "Captain Ron" on board the POA last September. We were also fortunate enough to be invited to dine at his table the night we sailed from the Big Island to Kauai.

Very interesting evening... we learned that the captain of the POA (since it is an American Flag vessel) MUST be an American citizen. We also learned that Captain Ron and his 1st Officer are both licensed harbor pilots, therefore we never had to wait for a local pilot to board before coming into port.

Captain Ron also suggested we try a truly amazing, flour-less, chocolate decadence dessert... all I can say is it was incredible. :D

We were entertained by Captain Lars on the Pearl (Sept. 2011) and we treated to bridge tour on the Gem by Captain Roger (Jan/Feb 2013)

When POA is docked or tendered in Maui, Hilo, Kona and Kaui what are the views like from the ship? Industrial? Beautiful? Any thoughts? Worth sitting on the balcony and viewing?

We had a nice view from our aft balcony in Maui & Kauai... ship was docked with bow facing land. In Hilo, we had a view of the warehouses. In Kona, we tendered, so we had a great view there as well. Sunrises were incredible! Sunsets too!

What pier does POA dock in Honolulu and does POA offer transfers to and from the airport?:)

According to NCL's web site, the POA docks at Pier 2. Taxis are available, but no transfers. There are reasonably priced transportation services available... here's the one we used.

My last thread started was deciding between Tarfalgar tour and Cruise. Well we choose the cruise. We are a party of 8 with 2 teens, 5 middle aged people, and on grandma (early 70s). We are doing 7 day NCL cruise on POA in June and are extending our trip 2 to 3 days on Oahu after the cruise.

 

Anyone have experience with Travel Guard insurance. The trip insurance we are being quoted is crazy expensive ($2400) and Travel Guard is $1000-$1200 cheaper based off chosen package.

We've used Travel Guard before - Never had to file a claim, so I can't comment on their service.

 

Originally I was thinking of having our TA book our car rentals, but I am thinking of doing it myself because Discount Hawaii Care Rental seems to have good reviews and seems very easy. I do have a few questions...surprise. I arranged all of our rental through Discount Hawaii Car Rental - Hassle Free, Highly recommend. Once you have your reservations, join the "Loyalty Programs" for each company... most are free.

 

My TA is also offering $50 airport transfer which is $400 for 8 of us. I am thinking taxis are cheaper? Seems like a waste of $$ to me!

Check out this shuttle service - They have Airport to Pier and Pier to hotel services for a very reasonable fee. We used them from the hotel to the pier and had no hassles at all.

 

Maui Day 1- Renting a car to do the Road to Hana. Is it easy to find sites by ourselves? Also how long with this take? Can I return the car by 5 or 6 pm do you think? (Do not really want the car rental the next day)

No problems returning your rental car - just check with the office for their hours and times for the shuttle. Depending on the number of people waiting at the pier, they may only allow the driver to pick up the car in the morning; didn't happen to us, but it's best to be prepared just in case.

 

Maui Day 2- Half of our group is taking it easy on the ship and the other half is planning on doing a snorkel excursion through the ship. Recommendations on which is better?

No recommendation on which is better- personal preference and everyone has their own opinion.

 

Hilo Day 3- Doing Ricky's tour

We toured with Ricky - It's a FULL day, but he is very informative and really appears to enjoy what he does. Highly recommended!

 

Kona Day 4- Kona- Exploring the town, going to Kona brewing company and relaxing at beach

We did the same - although we also took the ships' excursion to the Seahorse Farm first. Very cool, also educational.

 

Kauai- Day 5- Thinking of splurging and doing helicopter tour. Recommendations?? Then the fern grotto boat ride followed by Smith Family Luau. We will rent a car this day, but probably can't return until later after Luau. Do we just return it the next morning? Will this cost more money?

One the 1st day, we explored with our rental car - Kilauea Lighthouse, then back through Lihue and on to Poipu to check out the blowhole. Wiamea Canyon was shrouded in clouds & rain, so we made a quick stop at the Hawaiian Trading Post, and then headed back to the ship for our anniversary dinner.

 

Kauai- Day 6- Going to the beach and explore on our. Lunch out and relaxing.

I booked an 11:00am flight with Wings Over Kauai - Much less than a helicopter and what a great flight!!! I'd go again in a heartbeat. They had me back to the ship in plenty of time for sail-away.

 

Oahu- Day 7- Thinking of renting a car first thing. My understanding is my husband can ride a shuttle from the port to the airport for free to pick up our car rental. Then he can come back and pick us up. Does this sound right? Do I book as cruise passenger or Honolulu airport? Then we doing Pearl Harbor. Can't decide between tour or independently?? Wakiki that evening. Also any Wakiki Beach Hotels recommendations are welcomed. Wanting to spend about $200 a night, so I realize this will be across the street.

I don't believe there are any rental car shuttles from the pier to the airport, but I could be wrong. As for Pearl Harbor, we booked a tour through Enoa Tours - reasonably priced and many packages to choose from.

 

Oahu- Day 8- Explore north shore and the island of Oahu

I'm a shutterbug, so I opted for a Sunrise Photo Tour, then drove up to the North Shore. Be sure to stop at Matsumoto's for a shave ice.

 

I love the planning part! Any advice you have, please give me your wisdom!!:p

See response in RED above ;)

A good morning sailors:

 

I was considering this cruise to supplement my planned land based trip to Hawaii.

 

Why are the reviews so consistently bad?

 

Does this ship deviate in the product offering and quality standards from other Carnival ships?

 

It would appear that the reviews when combined with the very expensive pricing makes this cruise a non starter.

 

Thanks to all

 

ABoatNerd

I too had seen the bad reviews... and taken them with a grain of salt. I also spent time checking out the good reviews. To be honest, neither good nor bad influenced me against taking this cruise.

As many others have said, this is a unique cruise and it's not about the ship... it's about the ports. Yes, it's different than a Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise, but it's not better or worse; it's just different.

Are you visiting 4 islands during your land-based vacation? If so, how much are you spending on inter-island airfare or hotels? How much time are you wasting in the security lines at the various airports, not to mention the wait time before each flight. The POA is the perfect way to get a taste of what the different islands have to offer.

Personally, I think the majority of the people that write the negative reviews wouldn't be satisfied no matter what ship they were on... they just want to anonymously complain about anything & everything.

On our trip last year, we had a cancelled flight on the way to Hawaii that caused us to miss a day on Oahu and a rental car that broke down on the Road to Hana. Although I was upset at the time, I certainly didn't let either snafu ruin my vacation. I had a great time on board.

Do some more research... find the positive reviews & check them out as well. Then, go on the trip with an open mind and form your own opinion.

Thanks so much, everyone!! I plan on getting several Ulu knives and some salmon as gifts as well as things for the grandkids. Hopefully I can get everything at one store and ship it all at one time.

The best place for an Ulu knife is here in Juneau... Made in Alaska and a great selection; prices range from very affordable :D to you've got to be kidding me :eek:

We found a store in Ketchikan for our FRESH, caught salmon. So fresh, it hadn't even been caught when we purchased it. They actually caught the fish after we left town... fileted it and packaged it, then sent it via FedEx overnight, which arrived the day after we got home.

Aloha fellow Zonie - Agree with your post. We sailed last September and had similar experiences on board with the restaurants & crew, and while we were also on deck 9, our balcony was on the Aft (9200) and we too had an excellent view of the Na Pali coast... coming & going! We'll be heading back next month (courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines) to spend a week on Oahu... can't wait.

I would add that bringing 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.

I booked both kapalua and kauai lagoons on my own through their website. I reserved cars since I was not certain how easy it is to get to these courses. I did not want to depend on taxis or the cruise line. Kapalua is about an hour away from maui port so I will probably take the car and let my wife and kids do the molikini tour on their own with her brother and his family.(he is not a golfer). I booked monday at kapalua because Sunday may be more crowded and also on second day there is no rush to exit the ship since its already docked. I am still not sure if im going to travel with clubs or not.

Kauai lagoons is a 5 min free shuttle ride from port. That day I will probably let my wife drive the rental. I already arranged a 830 pickup at port.

Tee times are 930 for both courses. For kapalua that may mean leaving port around 730-745. This may be a long day with an hour drive back I guess not being back until 3. Lagoons could be back by 2.

Im about 17-18 H.I. :)

You may want to check with NCL to confirm, but your itinerary now shows the POA getting into port in Kauai at 10:00am instead of 8:00am.

ARGH! CC really SHOULD let us edit our prior posts..

 

Correction...

Actually... you do have the option to edit your post, but you have to do it within 20 minutes of submitting the post or reply. There's a button on the bottom right that will appear after you complete & post your reply.

Not a punitive statement toward you but more against NCL because I've seen several people in the same boat (pun intended) as you. So much for "freestyle dining" that NCL advertises yet due to the way it works, people stress over reservations and schedules months ahead of sailing. When I hear "freestyle" I'm thinking "go with the flow, no pressure, etc" but, again, since the way it works "forces" people to get reservation as soon as they can if they want to ensure spots at certain spots at certain times -- which, in effect, is anything except "freestyle" at that point.

I don't get it either... say you're not going to be on a cruise three months from now, do you know where & at what time you want to have dinner that night?

On each of our past cruises, we enjoyed a couple of the specialty restaurants, but we waited until embarkation day to make any of the reservations and we had no problems what-so-ever in getting the day & time that we wanted. :cool: