Pride of Hawaii Review March 12-19 PART 2

We sailed into Maui on Tuesday and saw whales inside the breakwater. We, again, ordered the room service breakfast, and were quickly on our way to get our Thrifty rental car. We were able to get on the first shuttle to the airport because of our Blue Chip card. We we given a PT Cruiser convertible and this time, for $9.99, we also got one of their GPS units. They programmed the Thrifty location in and we set up the unit in the car and we were on our way. We absolutely loved the GPS unit! We looked up locations in a little brochure and then programmed the corresponding number into the unit and we were set to go. Before each turn, it would tell us we had to turn, and it always got us right to where we wanted to go. It talked us from one end of the island to the other and then back to the car rental location. It was so much easier than having to follow a map. Every car should come with a GPS. They are wonderful!

We first drove down to Kihei to watch the windsurfing and from there went to McGregor's Point (before the tunnel) to whale watch. The seas were really rough and we didn't spot any whales, probably because we didn't stay too long. From there we drove to Napili Beach to a restaurant that was recommended by someone on Cruise Critic.....Seahouse Restaurant. There was a very small sign and we felt we were very lucky to have seen it. You get to the restaurant by walking through Napili Kai Beach Resort. The restaurant was right on the beach. It was like a house of glass, and once we were inside and seated, we not only felt like we were on the beach, but like we were almost in the surf. The beach and the view of the surf were wonderful. We ordered the recommended avocado and snow crab sandwich on Hawaiian bread and we were not disappointed. We would return there in an instant.

Then we drove back via Lahaina and got a taste of that lovely little town with all it's shops and the big banyon tree in the plaza. It was fun driving along the coast and seeing all the tour boats out in the ocean and all the activity along the beach. The weather was a little damp that day and so we decided to head back to the ship early.

We had not made reservations for dinner that night so we decided to see if we could get in to the Grand Pacific. They told us they could accommodate us if we shared a table with another couple, and we did. The food all right, but the service was slow. I felt sorry for the waiters, because they were working hard. There just were not enough waiters to take care of all the people in the room & we were told that the most inexperienced people worked in this restaurant. After dinner we went down to the reception desk and tried to get reservations for the next night for our anniversary dinner and also for the night after that. We were unable to get reservations anywhere, even at the Grand Pacific for our 50th anniversary because it was formal night and lobster night. That was a disappointment to us, but we liked the casual atmosphere at the buffet and decided that we would go there and probably get a better meal than we would anyplace else on lobster night. As it ended up, we ate the rest of our dinners in the Aloha Nui Buffet and we really enjoyed our casual, unhurried, unplanned meals there and the food was good, AND we didn't have to pay extra. We tried to get into the Italian Restaurant, but it was booked up until the end of the cruise.

That night we had the cutest little towel elephant on our turned down bed, along with the usual chocolates. Annie is THE greatest!

We slept in late day 2 in Maui and went up to the Aloha Nui for breakfast.

We decided on biscuits and gravy and the Capt. came along and stopped at our table and said, "Now that's what I call a breakfast!" We had a convertible reserved for the day, but I had a bad cold so we canceled the car and decided to relax and explore the ship. It was really nice to get off that go-go-go track....though there was a lot we wanted to see and didn't. We were able to read the ship's bulletins and then go topside and *people watch*. When it came time to leave at 6 PM, the Capt. announced that this was a good time to whale watch... we did, and saw one whale as we left Maui for the 173 mile trip to Kona.

We arrived in the bay at Kona about 6:30 AM on Thursday. By the time we got up and went to our balcony and looked out - 2 tenders (rescue boats) had already been lowered to take us ashore. We went upstairs to the Aloha Nui for breakfast. This was our first day to eat there for breakfast. They were making omelets, but there was quite a line, so we went over to the area that had scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage and croissants and we had all this along with orange juice and coffee. There really was quite a selection along with onions and mushrooms and also hash browns and all kinds of toasts and danishes also every kind of fresh fruit. We ate and then went back to our room and got our things ready to leave (ship's pass and our picture ID) to go ashore. Got down to the reception area and got a number to get on to a tender. There were a lot of people waiting in the reception area, but everything went pretty fast.

We did not reserve a rental car in Kona. We also did not book an excursion, but instead got on the free shuttle to Hilo Hattie's and there we bought some coconut syrup that we had been looking for. We got back on the shuttle and returned to the dock and then got on the free Wal-mart shuttle. Wal-mart was up on a hill and we got some great pictures of our ship floating out in the water.

We returned to the dock and then took the Snorkel and Beach Shuttle to the beach we had originally planned to go to for snorkeling --- Kahalu'u/Turtle Beach or White Sands Beach. It cost $10 each for the round trip and the driver was a good tour director, telling us about the places we were passing. It was a different beach than many we had seen. The water was so clear that we could see yellow striped fish and lots of turtles. There were large sea turtles swimming around, even with all the people there. There was a restaurant and we got something to drink and enjoyed the turtles and all the people. On the way back we saw the most photographed church on the island and also the church right by the water, where John Wayne and Pilar were married.

We lined up and went thru security again on the dock and got back into the tender and were returned to the ship. It was 1:30 so we went up to the Aloha Nui Buffet to get some lunch and ate by the window and watched the tenders coming and going and the people parasailing ($85). Out by the pool the hamburger bar was making up hamburgers and fruit smoothies and a live band was playing. People were in the hot tubs and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

We left Kona at 6 PM and while we were sailing to Kauai...the Garden Isle, we went to the show in the theater that night - On Broadway ....at the end many of the staff, including the Capt. were introduced. We thought the show was quite well done and we really enjoyed it.

The ship docked in Kauai about 8 in the morning on Friday and we looked out over our balcony and saw another whale inside the breakwater. Wow! We got the shuttle and picked up our Thrifty rental car and drove to Poipu Beach. We laughed because everywhere we looked there were chickens and roosters running around, and even on the beach. We were going there to snorkel, but because of my cold we sat on the beach and enjoyed the sunshine. The water was so blue and clear and everyone said there were so many fish to see. There was a wonderful craft faire there and everything they had for sale was exquisite and so different. After the swap meet there was no room left in our luggage, but we bought some small items and figured somehow we would manage to squeeze them in. After lunch we went in the opposite direction to see the beaches there and to see if we could get to Fern Grotto. We were so disappointed because it was still closed and they said it would not be opening for several more weeks.

We drove from there to the waterfalls that were used in Fantasy Island, Wailua Falls, and they were really flowing heavily and were so beautiful. From there we drove on up the road about 5 miles into a rain forested area and came to where a stream crossed the road. There were Hawaiian children playing in the water and it was so green and beautiful. We decided that Kauai was definitely the place to be on that day - it was St. Patrick's Day! We stopped at Costco to gas up our rental car before we returned the car. We had dinner and returned to our room to find, yet another towel animal on our turned down bed.

The next morning we had breakfast and got off the ship to take the only excursion we had booked.....Air Ventures one hour Big Kahuna plane ride. Our Roll Call friends, Cruisepal and her husband were also booked on this flight. They had a brand new 6 passenger plane and 6 of us piled in. We had the most unbelievable tour over the whole island of Kauai and it was a major highlight of our trip. We were pleased with the cost of the trip - $99. We returned to the ship because we sailed early, at 2 PM, so that we could sail past the Napali Coast on our way back to Honolulu. We met with our Roll Call friends on the back deck of the ship and saw such spectacular sights along the Napali Coast and also saw some whales.

We ate our last dinner in the buffet and enjoyed another good meal. We bought some pictures our ourselves from the photo gallery and then went up to our room to pack because with the Ez Fly program we had to have our bags packed and out in the hall by 10 that night. The suitcases DID close, so we were happy.

The next morning we went to the Aloha Nui Buffet for breakfast and with only a laptop carrier and a backpack we disembarked at 8:15, which was the time the EZ Fly people were asked to leave. For $10 a piece we found a shuttle that was going to the airport and sadly, our wonderful cruise was over.

Thanks for the great review, LokiGB!!! DH and I are are going on the POH in Sept, and are a little nervous because of all the bad press this ship is getting, but....your review has helped tremendously!!!! :)

We have been on several cruises, and we are very easy going, and we don't let too much stand in the way of having a good time.....so...I think this first time to Hawaii....is gonna be great!!!!!

Hi LOKIGB,

Great review:) I've been having fun with my pictures putting them into a slide show with Hawaiian music. Its a lot of work and it takes a tremendous amount of time. I have some pictures that I think you would like so I'll be emailing them to you soon. Did you ever find my review? DH and I want to go back to Hawaii but next time we would stay put and relax. This was a go go go trip to get it all in. We did get a good feel of Hawaii though. I wish I had done some snorkling. Next time

<<DH and I are are going on the POH in Sept, and are a little nervous >>

Glad my review helped! If you and your DH decide not to go, my DH and I will gladly take your place. :D

I really liked your positive upbeat review unlike many of the others for the NCLA cruises.

We are sailing on the PoAM on 5/5/07 and are expecting the same wonderful experience.

Pat

Pat -

With your positive attitude, you WILL have a great time! Tonight we were looking at some price specials we printed out NCL cruises to Hawaii in the late fall and we are thinking - since we only have one 50th wedding anniversary - why don't we downgrade a less expensive room AND GO AGAIN! YES! I'm ready!

There was sooo much to see and just not enough time to see and do it all AND there wasn't time to even see all the ship and read all the Bulletins, so going a 2nd time seems like such a good idea. I wondered when I saw people here talking about going and then going again and wondered - are they crazy? Well, now I understand and we want to go back too!!!

May should be such a perfect time to go Pat - you're going to have such fun! Have you been on any other cruises?

Thanks for posting such a detailed review...glad you had a great vacation!

Loved reading your review of our favorite place - Hawaii! You may have gotten the Seahouse Restaurant on Maui recommendation from us as it's a favorite of ours. We have spent many hours on the beach there and love those crab/avacado sandwiches for lunch. We agree, it's a little difficult to find but well worth the hunt!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, for your recommendations to go to the SeaHouse Restaurant on Maui. It was one of the highlights of our trip. We loved that whole resort area. The beach and surf there were so beautiful! It rained the day we went and was still sprinkling when we arrived and we loved the idea of feeling like we were having lunch on the beach, when we were actually inside and nice and dry.

We tried to get into the Italian Restaurant, but it was booked up until the end of the cruise.

I'm glad you had a good time. I was wondering about what you said about the Italian restaurant. How was it booked up until the end of the cruise?:eek: I was told you can only book a restaurant 24 hours in advance?

Any advice on how to get nighty dinner reservations at the restaurants on board????

Gloryb2god and Cruisinman -

Having said what I said about the restaurants, I have to say that when I told our Cruise Critic RollCall friends what happened to us, they said they didn't have any problem at all and they just walked up to the restaurants and told them they had no reservations and asked if they could be seated and the restaurants took them right in. We did not try doing this because we heard that you HAD to have reservations at the specialty restaurants...and for lobster night especially, you had to have reservations at the Grand Pacific.

When we couldn't get reservations on our anniversary we asked the head person at the reception desk if we went to our concierge, would he be able to get reservations for us (because we were told this was something the concierge did for you). He told us - nope - he would just call and have to go through me, and I can tell you there are no openings anywhere. Maybe we could have tried harder and fought this, but we just gave up.

As for the Italian restaurant - they do only take reservations two days in advance, but every time we checked - two days in advance, it was booked. It seems it was the first restaurant to get booked. I wish we had known that because we would have booked it our 1st or 2nd night. We also heard from our roll call friends that they walked right up to the entrance with no reservations and got right in.

Obviously, somewhere there is a problem. We also heard later that you could call the restaurant directly and get reservations, and we did not try that. We thought the only way to get the reservations was to go to the reception desk.

We were just glad we did get to Le Bistro and Cagneys our first two nights....and as I said in my review.....we really did not mind the buffet at all and in fact, quite enjoyed it...getting in and out and going when we wanted and dressing casually.

Gloryb2god and Cruisinman -

 

Having said what I said about the restaurants, I have to say that when I told our Cruise Critic RollCall friends what happened to us, they said they didn't have any problem at all and they just walked up to the restaurants and told them they had no reservations and asked if they could be seated and the restaurants took them right in. We did not try doing this because we heard that you HAD to have reservations at the specialty restaurants...and for lobster night especially, you had to have reservations at the Grand Pacific.

 

When we couldn't get reservations on our anniversary we asked the head person at the reception desk if we went to our concierge, would he be able to get reservations for us (because we were told this was something the concierge did for you). He told us - nope - he would just call and have to go through me, and I can tell you there are no openings anywhere. Maybe we could have tried harder and fought this, but we just gave up.

 

As for the Italian restaurant - they do only take reservations two days in advance, but every time we checked - two days in advance, it was booked. It seems it was the first restaurant to get booked. I wish we had known that because we would have booked it our 1st or 2nd night. We also heard from our roll call friends that they walked right up to the entrance with no reservations and got right in.

 

Obviously, somewhere there is a problem. We also heard later that you could call the restaurant directly and get reservations, and we did not try that. We thought the only way to get the reservations was to go to the reception desk.

 

We were just glad we did get to Le Bistro and Cagneys our first two nights....and as I said in my review.....we really did not mind the buffet at all and in fact, quite enjoyed it...getting in and out and going when we wanted and dressing casually.

Unless it was just good luck or what on our cruise on POH March 19th-26 I didn't have any problem booking any restaurant if you know what you want to reserve a day in advance. The only thing is you have to get down to the reservation desk right at 7 a.m. when it opens on deck 7 midship. There was only a couple of people in line every day at that time. If you wait until late in the day you definitely will have a hard time getting into a restaurant for that evening and your chances become slim for the following night by waiting longer that day to reserve. As you probably know they only allow you to reserve for that day and the following day. You just have to get yourself out of bed to get what you want. Good luck..

Missourihusker -

I think you DID have good luck on your POH cruise with the reservation desk. My husband was lined up at the reception desk at 7 AM the day before our 50th anniversary and he said he was 100 feet back behind the counter even at that. When his turn finally came, he could not get in to any restaurant. One reason for that was that it was *lobster night*.

We were among the first off the ship every day because we booked our rental cars for 8 AM, but whenever we got down to the reception desk, there was already a LONG line! BUT, now we know there were other ways you could get in.

Glad you were able to get in so easily and sounds like you had a good time too! We were really having too much fun to let the restaurant thing throw us - and we always ate - and well!