Cruisin' Like a Hawaiian - Pride of America 05.04.2013 Review

Really enjoying your review and photos!

Can't wait for the rest of your review!! :)

I'm loving your review as this is a cruise I so much want to do :)

Thanks so much for your detailed review..we have six months to go..can't wait. Looking forward to the rest!

Love and miss the Pride of America. Thanks for the review thus far, and keep it coming! :p

Here we go . . .

Chapter 4: The Road to Hana

On Sunday morning, we woke up early. Well, to be truthful, I woke up early, sipped tea on our balcony as we docked, and then roused DH so we could head to breakfast at Cagney’s. Breakfast (pancakes for DH, french toast for me) was delicious but again the service was just way too slow and I began to fear that we’d be late in meeting our tour. In the end it was fine, but we decided the stress wasn’t worth it so we didn’t return to Cagney’s for breakfast either.

Nearly every travel guide, website, and review mentions that a drive down the Road to Hana is a “must do.” We toyed with the idea of renting a car, but in the end decided that we wanted to sit back & enjoy the ride without having to worry about navigating the roads ourselves. I was wowed by the reviews I read for Valley Isle Excursions (http://www.tourmaui.com/) and knew this was the experience we were looking for. The company offers a $10 discount for online bookings, but you cannot book through the website if you’re arriving via cruiseship. However, when you call and mention you saw the discount, they will honor it via phone for cruise ship bookings.

We enjoyed the Valley Isle Road to Hana Tour with fellow CC'ers Lainyella, Happy7, gloria12345, chelseajake, & Henny's parents. It was a LONG day, but we saw the diversity of Maui - black, red, & white sand beaches, a lava tube, a sea arch, a gorge that was reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, dessert like areas, jungles, and of course the winding Hana Highway & beyond. We had a close call at one point, but our driver was awesome. Oh, and DH spent most of the day snoozing so it was a good thing we didn’t drive it ourselves - LOL! In hindsight, we both agreed that we were glad we saw the diversity of the island for ourselves, but that this was a “once in a lifetime” excursion and not something we would ever do again.

Chapter 4: The Road to Hana (continued)

Chapter 4: The Road to Hana (continued)

Despite our exhaustion, we pulled ourselves together to go to the Captain’s Reception at 7:00pm. As we were dressing, I decided to check our excursion tickets to find out what time we were to meet the next morning as we had booked the Molokini Crater Snorkel through NCL. Imagine my horror when I realized the tickets said May 5th - today - the day we rode / napped our way to Hana and beyond.

As we left our cabin in a hurry to go to the Shore Excursion desk to see if anything could be done (this was clearly MY error, not NCL’s mistake), we passed George in the hallway and he asked what was wrong. After I explained the situation, he asked me to give him the tickets and let him take care of it (and then reminded me that we have Butler, and shouldn't actually feel compelled to do anything for ourselves). I could have kissed him. About 15-minutes later, he found us at the Martini Bar and presented us with new tickets for the next day. George to the rescue!

I should note here that this is one of many times throughout the course of the cruise that George played the role of both Butler and Concierge. We actually didn't see James much at all and when we did, he didn't acknowledge us. We were thankful that George was quite happy to play both roles and tipped him accordingly.

After the Captain’s reception (which was held in the library), we had dinner in Liberty. Dinner was quite good and our waiter, Darnell, was fabulous. When DH asked if he could get a Stella draft with dinner, Darnell volunteered to run up to the Gold Rush Saloon (from deck 6 to deck 11) to get him one and while there, spied that they had my preferred Belvedere vodka and brought back both a perfect martini and DH’s beer. Big kudos to Darnell!

Here we go . . .

 

Chapter 4: The Road to Hana

 

but that this was a “once in a lifetime” excursion and not something we would ever do again.

 

I agree. We rented a car and I drove the road four years ago. I have my survivor T-shirt. Wonderful trip. Loved it. But did not want to drive it again. This time, we had to do something different and chose to drive up to Haleakala on Sunday. We were so lucky!

Your review is terrific. It's funny but we made the same mistake with the molikini excursion, And showed up on the wrong date also. I'm usually so

Neurotic but I didn't catch it. We loved our molikini excursion. We were able to see a whale breech even though it was the end of April. I spent an hour last night positing my review of the POA in the review section and some error occurred

So I'll have to do it again

We used Valley Isle Tours - and they were great. I'll include some details as I proceed (just need to get more pics uploaded today so I can proceed).

 

Duke's was crowded, but we arrived before dinner service actually started because our stomachs were still on East Coast time so they just put us on the list and buzzed us when they started seating. In the meantime, we enjoyed our Mai Tais and listened to the live music on their back deck.

Thanks so much for that prompt reply-we are also booked with Valley Isle Tours-Your pictures are GORGEOUS and I am now really looking forward to that excursion. We will also be on East Coast time upon arrival but it is good to know that their will be music and drinks to tide us over :D

Your pictures are so wonderfully clear-did you find your camera easy to use? WE are looking for a new one for our trip-I presently have a point and shoot deal and DH's is more sophisticated-he wants something that is good in low light situations.

Thanks again!!!

Enjoying your review! Great details. We will be on the 8/24 sailing for our 30th anniversary. We will be renting a car in all ports except Kona.

Puddles 99, loving the review, and also I will be on the same PHL-HNL flight, connecting in Phoenix, before our July POA cruise. And I have been to two elementary school concerts in the past week (in Bucks County), so it must be the season!

elhenry

I agree. We rented a car and I drove the road four years ago. I have my survivor T-shirt. Wonderful trip. Loved it. But did not want to drive it again. This time, we had to do something different and chose to drive up to Haleakala on Sunday. We were so lucky!

Oh I'm glad it wasn't just me that wouldn't do it twice! We've already been talking about what we'd do "next time" - it's fun to dream! :p

Your review is terrific. It's funny but we made the same mistake with the molikini excursion, And showed up on the wrong date also. I'm usually so neurotic but I didn't catch it. We loved our molikini excursion. We were able to see a whale breech even though it was the end of April. I spent an hour last night positing my review of the POA in the review section and some error occurred So I'll have to do it again

Oh no, you too? Well I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that its not just me - LOL! I'll keep my eye out for your review, too :)

Your pictures are so wonderfully clear-did you find your camera easy to use? WE are looking for a new one for our trip-I presently have a point and shoot deal and DH's is more sophisticated-he wants something that is good in low light situations.

We had two cameras plus our iPhones. I mainly used our Nikon D80 DSLR when I wasn't in the water and when snorkeling, I used our new Canon PowerShot D20 waterproof camera. DH bought a SeaShell case for his iPhone 5 which is what he used underwater. My iPhone stayed nice and dry on land :D. DH would say that I take too many pictures of stupid stuff, but hey in the end I have 2000+ pics and at least a few good ones - LOL!

Enjoying your review! Great details. We will be on the 8/24 sailing for our 30th anniversary. We will be renting a car in all ports except Kona.

Oh I hope you have a blast! We may rent cars in a few ports next go 'round - whenever that may be!

Puddles 99, loving the review, and also I will be on the same PHL-HNL flight, connecting in Phoenix, before our July POA cruise. And I have been to two elementary school concerts in the past week (in Bucks County), so it must be the season!

We're actually in Bucks County, too - I have my location set as Philly because that seems to mean something to more people ;). It definitely is the season! I am sure you'll have a wonderful time on the POA - please let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!

Great review so far, my wife and I plan to do the same trip next year. Nice to see other person from the Philadelphia area.

Chapter 5: Molokini & Massages

We awoke to another gray day in Maui, which was quite sad. We had breakfast in the crowded Aloha Cafe and then gathered our gear to meet our excursion. I was glad I thought to bring a waterproof jacket with me. We took one of two buses over to meet the Pacific Whale Foundation’s Ocean Odyssey and set out for a day in the water. As the Captain reminded us, once we’re in the water, we won’t care if we’re getting wet! Due to the weather and rolling waves, several people got sick during the boat trip, but the Captain was right - once we were in the waters surrounding Molokini, we all felt fabulous. The water was clear as day, the fish colorful and plentiful, and DH and I ventured quite a distance from the boat as we explored.

Love your review! We are going in September. Despite lots of research, it is good to get more info! Can't wait to read more.

Chapter 5: Molokini & Massages (continued)

We had been told to expect about an hour in the water at Molokini but after about 40-minutes, an “All Aboard” alarm was sounded and everyone was waved back to the boat. As we boarded, we learned that an older passenger appeared to have suffered a heart attack or stroke while in the water. He had been pulled out and was being tended to, but we needed to get moving to meet the Coast Guard cutter and rush this gentleman to the hospital. Watching that crew and the Coast Guardsmen in action was truly amazing. When we returned to dock later that afternoon, we learned that the man had made it and was expected to survive. I never heard a further update, but I hope he is doing well.

After parting ways with the Coast Guard ship, the Captain pointed the Ocean Odyssey toward the waters known as “Turtle Town”. Here the waters were murkier than Molokini, but we did spy a sea turtle (and two others as we left) but the batteries on our underwater cameras died so we didn't have great pictures here. While we were in Turtle Town, the sun came out & we basked in its rays as the boat returned to the harbor.

We returned to the POA happy but tired and were looking forward to our 3:00pm massages. DH opted for the Lomi Lomi massage and I indulged in the Hot Stone massage. Both started with an odd “dry brushing” that despite having had many massages in a variety of spas, I had never experienced before. Later that evening I realized that some of the discomfort from the brushing and hot stones that followed was due to the fresh sunburn I had on the back of my legs! Oh well!

Keeping with our laid back afternoon, we chose to go to the Cadillac Diner for dinner and indulged in comfort foods including potato skins, spinach dip, the prosciutto & mozzarella panini, and fish & chips before returning to our cabin happy & exhausted.

Chapter 6: Volcanoes & Waterfalls

One of DH’s few requests for this trip (along with ziplining and a helicopter tour) was to “see volcanoes” so let’s be honest, a trip to Volcano National Park was on the itinerary. We arranged a tour with Ricky (http://rickystourshawaii.com/Itinerary.html) who met us at the Aloha Room at 8:30am. I hadn't realized that this meeting point was literally at the end of the peer, so I left us plenty of time to walk - way more than we actually needed.

Ricky had lots of great trivia to share along the way and planned an appropriate amount of time for each stop which included Rainbow Falls, a Macadamia Farm, an Orchid Farm, Richardson's black sand beach, and several stops in Volcano National Park including the Thurston Lava Tube, Jagger Museum, and more. The crater road remains closed due to its proximity to current activity.

Chapter 6: Volcanoes & Waterfalls (continued)

This was another day well spent, but should we return to Hilo, we wouldn't do a tour like this again. Without hesitation I recommend Ricky's tour to any first time visitors, however.

We returned to the ship in mid-afternoon and after showering and freshening up, we headed to the Gold Rush Saloon so DH could participate in the Hawaiian Beer Tasting while I happily stuffed my face with the fresh popped popcorn available each evening. The tasting included five beers - two from Maui and two from Kona. DH discovered a new favorite in Kona Brewing Company's "Big Wave." We were surprised & delighted to learn that all participants in the tasting received a 1-liter glass beer stein emblazoned with the POA's hull art. It is one sweet mug to say the least! Side note - it's pretty much impossible to get a good picture of a clear glass, apologies!

Chapter 6: Volcanoes & Waterfalls (continued)

With DH nursing a slight buzz, we returned to our cabin to drop off the stein and then headed to martini bar to meet for the Chef's Table. As in our past experience, there were a total of 12 participants and a group photo was taken in advance. The photographer also took a few shots of each couple. All pictures were included (four total) were complimentary and delivered in commemorative folders, which included a copy of the menu, at the end of dinner.

We were seated for dinner in the library of Jefferson's Bistro at a long table and had an opportunity to introduce ourselves to those around us. Some of the courses were the same as what we had on the Sun last year and others were new or different in some way. All were delicious. The Executive Chef was not as dynamic as the Chef on the Sun so that aspect of the meal was less memorable & fun, but the company was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Chapter 6: Volcanoes & Waterfalls (continued)