POA May 21-28

We recently returned from POA and want to do a review to give our impressions. We have done 4 prior cruises with NCL and really like the freestyle dining and not having to always be dressed up for dinner. We have to do that everyday for work.

So we did the one night pre-cruise deal and arrived in Honolulu and took a taxi to the Marriott Waikiki. Think the fee was around $45-50. There is a shuttle service for both transfers to and from a hotel back to the airport for about $60 per couple but you need to make several stops. It all depends on your preferences. We arrived at the hotel and went to the NCL office to check in. They take your pictures for the cruise ship saving time for embarkation day and give you your room assignment and info about the bus transfers and other pertinent info. For those worried about printing off your luggage tags and how to affix them, no worries - they have tags for you to use. Leis for ladies and shell leis for men greet you on check in from the hotel but we somehow missed that. The rooms are very nice and our lanai faced the ocean. We were about one block from the ocean and easy to get around and walk to shopping, dining and just going to the beach. Did not eat there so cannot say how the food is there. Went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for our dinner and had tasty burgers. Did some walking about but it was an early night for us due to being tired from a very long travel day.

Embarkation

They have bus transfers to the ship from the Marriott and give you assigned times so you avoid the mass of humanity trying to leave at the same time. We had 11 am and were on the ship by 11:45 and in Cagney's eating lunch by 12:15. Our friends were on the 11:15 bus and onboard and eating at the buffet by 12:45. We were in the grand suite so we did VIP check in that was easy peasy. Our friends were on deck 8. When we arrived at the pier, the buses were taken to the front of the line for checkin before heading to the desk for your room check in. So a bit of an extra perk if you do the pre-cruise hotel. Then after our VIP check in, a butler escorted us on to the ship and up to Cagney's for lunch. We missed our shell lei for embarkation and not sure how that happened. Also skipped the embarkation picture. Cagney's had great food and service as always. No shrimp on the lunch menu and when I mentioned that to our host he said they could make it happen but we declined. Enough other things to eat. Very friendly servers and host so people who have complained about their being unfriendly - we never experienced that on this trip. They made announcements about suites being ready by 1:30 and remaining rooms by 2:30. We did sneak up to our suite after eating and dropped off our carry on bags and then proceeded to look around the ship right after we finished with lunch.

The ship

We did not have the dining or drink packages so cannot address how those worked. Everything looked new and fresh. We checked out the shops, theaters, dining rooms and lounges and there are plenty. We also spoke with many of the cruise staff and no matter where we went, we were treated like family and always very friendly. In fact many of the staff gave us great suggestions about what to do for tours. 75% of the staff are US citizens and love working on this ship. They like getting paid in US currency and not having to work 15-16 hour days. And they schedule time off for them so they get to go on shore at different ports, too. No crabby or rude servers at all. Just the opposite. I cannot emphasize it enough! We had our muster drill at 4:45 and it is mandatory. They take down names and if you miss it you need to do it on Maui. After the drill which took about 15 minutes, we went to the pool deck for sail away and music with beverages. A nice time. They had a buffet so we ate there and very tasty with a variety of selections. After that, we went to our room and got ready for the show for that night. More on shows later.

Our suite 12006

We treated ourselves to the Grand Suite and what a treat it was! We rarely saw anyone in the halls by our suite so a very quiet area. No noise from above either. We had concierge Jack who we never used but always greeted us when we did breakfast in Cagney's. Our butler was Jay and he was a stitch. He brought us daily appetizers but we only had one request for dry snacks one day when we had our friends up for drinks and he brought them right away. We missed the small sandwiches and chips we always had on prior cruises and did not ask so maybe we could have gotten them, too. Our room steward was Boni and he seemed to always figure out when we were out of our room because every time we came back, the room was made up. Great service. Our bottle of champagne was there along with a bowl of fruit and a floral centerpiece. I had requested 3 bottles of wine and already in the room in the frig as well as our still water request, coffee choices and extra pillows and blankets.

When you enter the suite, there is a guest bathroom to the right and you walk right into a huge living room with a flat screen tv (with a lot of channels and movies to rent - we had all movies for free due to being in the suite so a nice perk we made use of every day!) couch, two chairs, player piano, large table with 6 chairs and a chaise bench. So much space. There is a bar with 3 stools, sink, and frig. There is also a cash bar supply if you wish to use it. You enter into a pantry off from the bar where the coffee maker is located along with another frig and extra bottled water, soda, tea choices, and extra condiments. The coffee maker is one of the pod ones which works ok but my husband preferred brewed coffee he found on deck at various stations.

The master bedroom was right off the living room and had doors to close it off. A comfy king size bed and desk with complimentary computer we did not use. We had our cell phones and had service when in ports and on land and often some service when at sea so you really do not need to buy internet packages unless you really want to be connected at night while sailing, another smaller flat screen tv and entry in to the walk in closet with two areas to hang clothes, a lot of drawer space and a safe that was easy to use. No regular laundry day but laundry bags there and we used it to do laundry on Thursday with same day service. We are gold members so got a $25 discount and paid only an additional $15. We sent a lot of clothes so we felt we got a great deal.

The bathroom has two sinks, a big jacuzzi tub, a large shower, and separate toilet area. Always well stocked and easy to use. I tried the tub but did not like the hump in the center. Made it hard to get in and out and felt like a pretzel when in it so opted for the huge shower. Lots of towels and could have gotten more if needed.

Balcony

There are 5 double glass doors to the balcony and it is Humongous! 4 chaise loungers, a table for eating with 4 chairs and a hot tub you self fill in 30 minutes and drain more quickly. It was too hot to use during the day but we used it at night or early morning. Very relaxing. The balcony is wonderful but we were on the wrong side for the Napali coast sail by so we went on deck for that. The ship turns and sails back down the coast but further out and a quicker pass but not complaining.

Dining options

We ate breakfast and lunch in Cagney's a few times and loved it. Great service and they remembered us after the first visit on embarkation day. We also were allowed to bring our friends for a meal there as our guests so another great perk. We had two dinners there with no advanced reservations and got right in. There were a lot of empty tables in all of the specialty restaurants (did not see Teppanyaki so not sure about walking in there) so not sure if we got in due to being in the Grand Suite or because it wasn't busy. Think a lot of people are tired from all day touring and keep it easy in the buffet or dining room. Had breakfast in the Skyline dining room one day and very good. Had the Eggs Benedict and as good as Cagney's and cooked just right. We did Cagney's for lunch and very good. Miss some of the menu items like the pasta with mushrooms. The Skyline dining room was also good for dinner with good service and friendly waitstaff. The menu is the same in the Liberty dining room but just need to be a bit more dressed up for there. And the warm lave cake was to die for! We did the buffet for lunch and dinner a couple of times. Large selections and hot food. Think they had daily themed dinners so a lot of variety. And the staff in the buffets were also friendly with lots of tour suggestions.

Shows

We went to shows every night but one. Missed the comedian night but really enjoyed all of the other ones, especially the Four Seasons group. Very talented and good voices. We saw them in the Hollywood theater the last night and I asked if they thought they were incognito. They answered they like to support their fellow performers. Entertainment was entertaining! Never made it to any or the extra shows so cannot comment on those. But there was always a lot going on at night and venues were busy.

Ports

Maui - We had a car rented for 2 days but decided on just one. They tell you right at the car rental to park at the airport and then take the shuttle back to the ship. There is no place to park a car overnight in Kahului by the ship. So we did our visit to Lahaina and just walked around there. We have been here many times and just went to refresh our memories. The next day we took a shuttle to the Kahului shopping mall and walked around a bit. Nothing spectacular. Our friends did the Haleakala sunrise and biking tour down the mountain and had a blast. We did it several years ago and sounds like nothing has changed. The bikes are pretty much coasting the whole way down with your hands on the brakes. Definitely consider this tour. The sunrise is beautiful although it can be a bit chilly so dress in layers. A van follows the bikers down so there is a place to store your belongings on your trip and they make scenic stops along the way.

Hilo - We took the Hoppa On Hoppa Off shuttle and paid $20 for 6 stops. The best deal all week!!! The first stop was at Rainbow Falls and quite stunning. Spent 20 minutes there. Then to Old Hilo, a couple of parks with monuments and ending at Richardson Beach. You can get off at any of the stops and just get the next bus 15-20 minutes later. You get wrist bands to wear to ID you to the bus drivers. We got off at the Richardson Beach and saw 8-10 big sea turtles sunbathing on the lava next to the water. You can get really close to them but don't touch or bother them...a hefty fine of over $1000! Our friends did a volcano, coffee plantation and chocolate place tour and loved it. They got to see steam vents, walk on the hard lava and even saw lava flow so they had a great tour day.

Kona - We took off this day and just tendered to the shore. We got right off the ship at 9:30 but they still gave out tender tickets at the Hollywood Theater. So not sure what to do if you want to get off early. I think those with booked tours are taken care of. Once onshore we walked along the beach and saw shops and visited the first Christian church on the islands. We could go to the Marriott and use the beach and walk around their grounds but never made it there.

Kauai - We planned to do the mountain ditch tubing tour and had signed up pre-cruise. Our friends tried to sign up a day later but were unable to book it but we got them a spot as soon as we boarded the ship so obviously they save spots. The drive up to the start is about 45 minutes and once there we had a safety lecture by a young kid just graduated from high school. However, he and the other guides knew their stuff and what they were doing. The tour was spectacular and the best thing we did all vacation! The tubes are easy to use, the lava tunnels are dark and quite long (one is nearly a mile long) and the water is not as cold as everyone says it is. A definite tour to do. We were lucky we did it the first day because we had heavy rains that night and the tubing tours were cancelled the next day due to flooded tunnels! Yikes!!! We were back on the ship by 4:00 but were too late for the luau everyone says is so good off the ship. One of the gals on our tour brought clothes along and changed before returning to the ship and managed to catch the luau but the shore excursion guy really discouraged doing that because you can just as easily miss the bus. The next day we got the shuttle to the shopping mall and went to a really neat toy shop and bought some nice books for our grand babies and a couple of toys. They had very unique things there. Then we came upon Kauai Outdoor Adventures and saw the tubing tour for about $90 less per person so you can always wait and book the tour once you arrive on Kauai. They do 5 tours a day and ours was at 12:30 so plenty of time to book it once you get there. We did a car tour for two hours for $50 per person and saw a lot of things. We went to coco palms (something to do with an Elvis movie), a couple of mountains that looked like a sleeping giant, and one with a shark fin and King Kong, The Opaekaa Falls (better than the Rainbow Falls), the Wailua River where we saw kayakers going to the Fern Grotto, a great look out point, Malahea road lined by eucalyptus trees and the spouting horn at Poipu Beach. They dropped us off right at the ship when we were done and we felt like we got a good deal and saw more of Kauai. Once you leave Kauai, you do the sail by of Napali Coast and it should not be missed! The cliffs and valleys are so beautiful! We were on the starboard side but the port side gets the sail by at a slow speed so we needed to go up on deck but after the turn around, we did see it from our huge balcony although not as close as the first sail by.

Disembarkation

We decided to eat our last breakfast at Cagney's and then had our concierge help us off the ship. He helped us to the front of the line so another suite perk but our friends did their own and had no problems. Easy peasy. You have your bags out by midnight if you want them to take them down or you can carry them off by yourselves. Once off the ship bags are lined up according to your debarkation luggage tag color and time. You can pick those up the night before from the front desk and you pick your own time. Last tags were for 9:10 but you need to be out of the cabins by 8:30. There are a lot of cabs right outside the pier so no problems getting one. We stayed on Oahu for 3 days longer so not sure about time to airport but it is not far from the pier.

Final impressions

We have been to Hawaii many times and found this to be a new and unique experience. We enjoyed the cruise but it is a one time thing for us. Too many other places to see. The staff was so good. I really do not understand why some here have complained but maybe we were lucky or they were unlucky and ran into the one bad apple. The ship is very user friendly and beautiful. The food was very good. Entertainment was fun. We are happy we did this cruise and, yes, it is expensive, but all of Hawaii is expensive. This is a good introduction to the islands for those who never visited before and certainly enough tours to get a flavor for each island. Hope this is helpful to anyone planning a future cruise and ask questions. I will do my best to answer.

Sent from my iPad

Well-written report, thank-you.

Great review thank you.

Enjoyed your report.

Keith

Thanks for spending the time to provide such a detailed review. We will be on the POA next Feb and first timers with Norwegian.

We have the bike tour booked already for Maui and I like your idea of the Hoppa On Hoppa Off bus in Hilo.

Still deciding what to do at the other stops and if we rent a car or not. Just heard issues with finding available parking and wondering if it is worth the hassle ?

D & N

This is exactly why we only did one day on Maui with our car but we have been there before and visited all the hot spots including the road to Hana so just decided to avoid the hassle of parking. You will love the sunrise bike tour. Such a wonderfully exhilarating and visually beautiful experience. I am not sure about the parking on Kauai since you are there overnight too. Definitely consider the mountain ditch tubing there. We loved it and it is not too difficult. We had all ages including a 6 year old and all sizes.

Thanks for your report, Mertziek. Wonder of you could comment on the status of the smell issue in the area of the wine bar entry just outside Cagneys. It was very strong on our post dry dock cruise out of San Francisco and possibly on at least a few cruises after ours. Others who have upcoming POA cruises are concerned it is still an issue. As a suite guest, I'm sure you had occasion to pass this area several times going to and from Cagneys. Hopefully, no mention of it in your report means that it has been resolved.

We had Boni back in March on the other side. We had a nice time as well.

Enjoyed your review very much. I'm so glad you and your friends had such a nice time in Hawaii and on-board the POA!

Punkin

We did not notice a smell there so either it has been corrected or we just were not smell observant.

Thanks for your report, it is making my decision easier to choose this cruise.

Great review. We were on this cruise in one of the owners suites on deck 13. We loved the tubing on our first day in Kauai too. Our trip was at noon time, so we were done by 3ish and took off for a driving tour to Hanapepe Swinging Bridge and Spouting Horn to finish up the day around 10 PM!

We took a helicopter tour the next morning and the waterfalls were phenomenal due to all the rain and flash flooding on Thursday night and Friday morning. Our Pilot said we were lucky and these were the most waterfalls he had seen in a long time, and many were not named because they don't flow very often.

Also wanted to note that we did not notice any smell in the wine bar area outside of cagney's. We even had to wait at the bar one evening (~30 mins) to be seated for our reservation at Cagney's.

I think I discover at least one new bit of information with every review I read. Thank you, mertziek, we will now consider the bike tour as well as the tubing adventure. I also had no idea there was a stocked bar fridge in this suite. We are staying in 12006 too.

We've never been to Hawaii, booked it through GolfAhoy and doing 4 golf excursions while in ports but will still have time for a few other tours.

I wonder if you could help by recommending your "not-to-miss" tours in Oahu, Hilo, Kona, and Kauai? I know now you like the sunrise bike tour and the tubing tour but since you've visited Hawaii several times, maybe you have a different opinion about tours when it comes to first-timers?

Thanks a bunch!

I think I discover at least one new bit of information with every review I read. Thank you, mertziek, we will now consider the bike tour as well as the tubing adventure. I also had no idea there was a stocked bar fridge in this suite. We are staying in 12006 too.

 

We've never been to Hawaii, booked it through GolfAhoy and doing 4 golf excursions while in ports but will still have time for a few other tours.

 

I wonder if you could help by recommending your "not-to-miss" tours in Oahu, Hilo, Kona, and Kauai? I know now you like the sunrise bike tour and the tubing tour but since you've visited Hawaii several times, maybe you have a different opinion about tours when it comes to first-timers?

 

Thanks a bunch!

What you get with that room is unlimited in room soda and bottled water plus 3 bottles wine from list plus one champagne. Anything else in fridge will be a charge. You can ask the butler to remove anything not free.

BinaBo - When we have visited Hawaii in the past, we always stayed on each island for several days either in a condo or hotel. We always rented cars (other than on Oahu) and did our own touring. The exception is on Oahu. Definitely do an organized tour for a Pearl Harbor so they set up the time for your Arizona visit and you avoid the long waiting lines. Do t remember who we used but there are lots of tour companies that provide those type of tours.

Thank you, mertziek and dexddd. Taking it all in!