Pride of America Hawaii Review 5/29/2010- LENGTHY!

[SDTraveler78]

Anne-

We took a non-cruise trip to the Big Island Nov '09 and the cruise this past May 2010....my experience has been that you cannot get very close to the lava flow due to toxic gas concerns. We walked across the jagged lava fields and got as close as the rangers would allow us, but still needed binoculars to see it. Also, you see the lava flow best at night- during the day, it will not be as impressive.

[susanrobert]

Hi Pete, Here is another question for you... Do you remember what day the VIP cocktail party was? We always enjoy it and hope it's not when we will be off the ship. Did you receive a bottle of sparkling wine at embarkation?

 

As always, thanks so much for your help. I too would love to see pictures of your suite.

 

Thanks

[Love2CruiseMore]

Hi Pete! Great review!!! I am not the best at navigating this site, where did you post the Freestyle Dailies? My family is booked on the POA 6/25/10!!! :D

 

Thank You!!!

[SDTraveler78]

Hello there Love2Cruise-

Here is the direct link to the freestyle dailies I posted:

 

http://sdtraveler78.shutterfly.com/pictures

 

 

I will post a link with pictures of the stateroom/ cruise soon!

 

Happy Cruising-

Pete

San Diego, CA

[SDTraveler78]

Hi all-

I have started posting some pictures of our stateroom and ship pictures- see link below. Enjoy- let me know if you have questions!

 

http://sdtraveler78.shutterfly.com/pictures

 

Pete

San Diego, CA

[Love2CruiseMore]

Thanks Pete! I can't wait to get one of those pineapple drinks in my hand!!!!:D Thanks for the dailies, my DD is really looking forward to the orchid lei class, so I wanted to confirm the day/time. Also, thanks for the photos of the teen area! Did you have a teen in your group? If so did he/she participate in anything? I don't recall you mentioning kids/teens in your review??? Also, I love Shutterfly.com I have made many albums and cards using that site, but I have never seen a family page like this...it's GREAT! Mahalo :D

[SDTraveler78]

Lovetocruise-

Yes, I had my 14 year old nephew and his friend with us on the cruise. There were approximately 110 teens on the ship, however the report from them was that the teen club was not happening- I think they were just trying to be "too cool" for the teen club- I think they actually enjoyed it!

Those pineapple drinks were great! :-) It was a great cruise-- you will have a wonderful time... let me know if I can be of assistance in your planning!

 

Happy cruising,

Pete

San Diego, CA

[riofriotex]

Also, what do they do on the PoA as far as a luau is concerned? Anything or just Hawaiian dancers?

 

There is not a luau on the ship. However, NCL owns Luau Kalamaku on Kauai and provides a shore excursion to it on Thursday night. We did not go but about 700 people on our May 22 cruise did! That was the best night to eat at the specialty restaurants IMHO.

 

BTW folks you can get lots more information and tips about what to do in the ports, where to stay on Oahu, etc. in the Hawaii forum under Ports of Call.:)

[rjlovestocruise]

Awesome review! Thanks so much for all the info...my husband, myself and people from both of our families are going on the PoA next week! Having the Freestyle Dailies is just WONDERFUL! : ) Again, THANK YOU! :D

[Browezilla]

Boy, that's some "Lucy in the Sky" carpeting :-)

 

We have a trip planned this winter on PoA. Thanks for the pix.

[SDTraveler78]

Awesome review! Thanks so much for all the info...my husband, myself and people from both of our families are going on the PoA next week! Having the Freestyle Dailies is just WONDERFUL! : ) Again, THANK YOU! :D

 

 

No problem!! Have a wonderful cruise- if you have any last minute questions, let me know!

 

Happy cruising,

Pete

San Diego, CA

[runningcrazy]

Hello fellow cruisers!

RENTAL CARS:

- I suggest rental cars in every port. We used Thrifty, which was great! We rented in Maui, Hilo, and Kauai. Based on suggestions from fellow cruise critic members, we did not rent a car in Kona. In hindsight, I would have rented a car here. We spent almost 50 dollars on taxi fares to Turtle Beach and Kona Brew Company. The rental car company (Thrifty) is right in the King Kamanehea Hotel (sp?) and only costs about 40 dollars for the day. We got a full size car in each port (Dodge Charger)- Maui cost $82.00 for 2 days, Hilo $38.00 for 1 day, and Kauai $82.00 for 2 days. Great deals! I booked these online prior to going on the cruise. We were extremely pleased with Thrifty--- word of advice.... join the free "Blue Chip" program though Thrifty. When you are a Blue Chip member, they will have your keys waiting and you have your own line to wait in when picking up your car! This saved me a SUBSTANTIAL amount of time in Kauai- there was approximately a 20 minute wait in the regular line and no line for Blue Chip members-- remember, signing up is free!

In Kauai, the closest cruise ship parking is in a small shopping center called Anchor Cove. Go and pick up your car early and get to the shopping center parking lot-- there will be a man there that sells overnight parking passes for $20.00. Once that lot fills up, you are out of luck- once you buy the pass, you have your spot "reserved"- you get in/out privs for the day and overnight parking. The walk from Anchor Cove to the ship is about 7-8 minutes.

I did rent a GPS from Thrifty on Maui- other than that, we just used maps-- the roads are pretty easy to navigate, however if you want hassle free driving, GPS may be the way to go. Be careful however- Hawaiian road names are difficult for the GPS to pronounce, so you will have to be vigilant while driving looking for your turns!

 

BOOKS/ GUIDES:

- As many cruise critic members have recommended, I HIGHLY recommend the "Revealed" books. I purchased the 4th edition "Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook" ($16.95 Borders), 5th edition "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" ($16.95 Borders), and 7th edition "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook- Kauai Revealed" ($16.95 Borders). These book have a wealth of information and very good maps. It does have a bad review of the tubing the ditch adventure in Kauai, however which I do not agree with. Apparently, the author had a relationship gone bad with a staff member of Kauai Backcountry Adventures and this was his revenge (this is what the tour guides told me when I asked them about this!).

 

VARIOUS INFORMATION:

- When getting off the ship when in port, you must have your room key card AND a photo ID to get back on the ship (drivers license, passport)

- If you like snorkeling, I would recommend buying a set at the K-Mart/ Wal-Mart when you arrive in Maui. A decent set cost me about $40.00- I did not have room to pack my own set from home in my luggage. This is likely more cost effective and time effective than trying to find a rental facility to rent snorkel gear.

- I highly recommend renting a car and doing your own tours/ exploring/ adventures versus ship excursions-- especially with larger families/ groups. We would be looking at $400-$500 for organized excursions- we paid $40.00 for a rental car and basically did the same thing the big busses did-- only ours was on our own time and private!!

- There is a Wal-Mart/ K-Mart on all of the islands!! The ship charges for sodas and bottled waters-- so head to the big box stores and stock up on these items- you can bring non-alcoholic drinks back onto the ship!

- You may smoke on the ship- only in your stateroom or at the aft bar on the ship "Waikiki Lounge" I believe it is called

 

 

I hope this helps! I am going to try and scan all of the Freestyle Dailies and post a link to give you all an idea of activities on the ship as well as some pictures.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions or clarify anything for you! This is a wonderful cruise and itinerary- you won't be disappointed!

 

Happy cruising-

Pete

San Diego, CA

 

 

I have a question about your rental cars--I went to Thrifty and signed up for the Blue Chip as you suggested--did you have a corporate acct. or some type of coupon? The first car I priced in Honolulu was a mid-size for $278 for two days---???? Help am I missing something.:eek:

[riofriotex]

I have a question about your rental cars--I went to Thrifty and signed up for the Blue Chip as you suggested--did you have a corporate acct. or some type of coupon? The first car I priced in Honolulu was a mid-size for $278 for two days---???? Help am I missing something.:eek:

 

Yes you are missing something (hint - it's all over in the Ports of Call - Hawaii forum - suggest you go there with future questions). Go to this link:

http://hawaiicruisecars.com/

and book your cars through there. You'll see for Thrifty there is a rate code given - click the Thrifty link and it will be filled into the form; you'll just need to add your Blue Chip number and other info.

[Hunwolf]

Wow...great review.

 

We spent a week on Maui a few years ago so it's too bad you didn't have a "great" experience there. The winds can really rip on the west side there particularly in the mid/late afternoon. We found the Kaanapali/Kapalua beaches to be pretty calm early in the day (through about lunch). If anyone going there has a car...the best kept secret is the DT Fleming Beach Park. Limited services there but a true paradise.

 

The beaches on the southwest side near Wailea are nice but tend to be crowded and rather windy this time of year.

[SDTraveler78]

I have a question about your rental cars--I went to Thrifty and signed up for the Blue Chip as you suggested--did you have a corporate acct. or some type of coupon? The first car I priced in Honolulu was a mid-size for $278 for two days---???? Help am I missing something.:eek:

 

Hi there-

I see $72.00 for 2 days for a full size car (maybe it depends on the days you are picking up/ dropping off).... what days are you searching for? I'd be happy to help!

 

Pete

San Diego, CA

[cruisegrl79]

Thank you for the tips!

[fjmac]

Pete

Thanks for a very informative review. I have more then a few cruises under my belt but will do my first Norwegian on the POA at the end of August. A number of threads have talked about needing cash for tips on board. This is not the case for Celebrity, RCCL and Holland. How much should I plan for. Other then the dining options, is there any other significant differences between Norwegian and the others I mentioned above?

Thanks in advance

Frank

[riofriotex]

A number of threads have talked about needing cash for tips on board. This is not the case for Celebrity, RCCL and Holland. How much should I plan for.

 

This is puzzling to me, because with NCL you set up a shipboard account when you board - either with a credit card, or a deposit of cash. You are charged a $12 per person per day service charge which I understand is shared by the stewards, restaurant staff, etc. If you buy alcohol you have to sign a charge slip and there is a place there to add a gratuity. It may be similar for places like the spa but I did not use those. You get a copy of all your charges very early the last Saturday morning (and can always go to the service desk and ask for a printout earlier). We did hand our steward an extra cash tip at the end of the cruise, but otherwise we did not need any cash on board for anything.

[SDTraveler78]

Hey there-

There really is no need for extra cash for tips, unless you plan to tip butler/ concierge if you are in a suite-- even then, you can go to the front desk and put the tip on your onboard ship account. I like to give them cash in a card personally, but that is completely up to you. I think you will enjoy NCL- it definitely is my preference-- I love having the dining options (specialty restaurants) they offer. I also like the laid- back feel the ships have and the "do what you want to do" kind of attitude.

 

Happy cruising!

Pete

San Diego, CA

 

Pete

Thanks for a very informative review. I have more then a few cruises under my belt but will do my first Norwegian on the POA at the end of August. A number of threads have talked about needing cash for tips on board. This is not the case for Celebrity, RCCL and Holland. How much should I plan for. Other then the dining options, is there any other significant differences between Norwegian and the others I mentioned above?

Thanks in advance

Frank

[ammaoftheseas]

Hello fellow cruisers!

My mother, sister, nephew, nephew's friend, and I (5 of us) just returned from the 7 day Pride of America Hawaii cruise and I am happy to provide an in depth review of our wonderful vacation. I hope that you find some of the information helpful for your future PoA cruise- I spent countless hours reading fellow cruise critic postings and used many of their suggestions. I am a cruising veteran, however this was the first cruise for the rest of my family- it was interesting to get their impressions from a "first timer" point of view!

 

Cruise Date: 5/29/10- 6/5/10

Stateroom: 9500 (Family Penthouse Suite)

 

HONOLULU ARRIVAL/ EMBARKATION:

We flew on Delta from Los Angeles arriving in Honolulu at approximately 12PM on Saturday (cruise day). The drive time from the airport to the cruise ship terminal is quite short- approximately 15-20 minutes. We had 5 people and 11 bags, so we decided to get a taxi (which was no problem- airport personnel at curbside called for an SUV type taxi)- it was definitely the way to go, as it was only a $25.00 fare! You could take the Roberts Hawaii bus, but it would have cost more for 5 people than a private taxi would have! We were dropped off at the port and were immediately greeted by a porter that assisted us with our bags- we were so happy to be freed from those bags- never saw them again until they were brought to our room!

We passed through port security once and then entered the NCL check-in area. We were in a suite, so there was a suite/ VIP section set up for check in. There was even a very cheezy "VIP lounge" area set up next to the check in with a few chairs and tables- the family got a good laugh out of that! We had our pictures taken for the key cards and set up the on board account. The representative (who looked about 21 and acted like it was his first day on the job) then pointed where we were to go proceed to get onto the ship. On previous cruises, the butler escorted us to our room- this time, we were on our own-- no biggie, just an observation. We finally arrived on the ship and were immediately greeted by one of the bar staff- very friendly and a great first impression.

 

STATEROOM:

We were in room 9500 (9th deck), which is a family penthouse suite. We were very happy with the room overall. The entry is very private and is in the very front (forward) of the ship- 9000 and 9500 are the only staterooms in the area. You walk into the room and there is a "powder room" immediately to your right- which was such a wonderful area for the ladies, as it was ideal for makeup, hair, and all the other things ladies do to get ready! Immediately to the left is plenty of storage area- shelves, drawers, the mini-fridge (stocked with beers, liquor, soda- which you must pay for of course), and the infamous coffee maker (Lavazza coffee)- this machine was different than the one we had on the Star- the water reservoir had to be filled multiple times each morning, which was annoying.

You then walk into the small sitting area, which is also the main bedroom. This stateroom is considered 2 bedroom, however the main "bedroom" really doubles as the living room area as well- the best you can do for privacy is pull a curtain. There is a nice LCD television in the "living room" a chair, 2 seater "loveseat", and a glass table. The chair/ loveseat need to be upgraded- they were not very comfortable and are looking a bit worn and dirty. The bed was extremely comfortable and large (looks like a king sized bed). There is also a small desk with drawers in the living room area, which was great for storing guidebooks, freestyle dailies, room service menus, etc.

Around the corner is the main bathroom- toilet, sink, and tub-style shower. This bathroom is larger than the regular bathrooms on ship, however nothing to brag about. I was a bit disappointed with the bathtub, as I am 6'4" tall and I could not stand up straight in the shower because my head would hit the ceiling. The bathroom was stocked with Elemis bath products, which was a nice touch. I also did not like the hanging devices they had to hang your clothes/ towel in the bathroom- they were so small that everything would fall off the "nubs" each time something was put on them.

There was a nice hallway with "stained glass" windows on the wall leading to the "kids" bathroom and bedroom. This hallway was nice because you could store some of your bags along the wall and still be able to keep the walkway open. You first approach the bathroom- this is the basic cruise ship bathroom with stand up shower stall. You then enter the second room- two very comfortable twin beds and one upper bunk bed on the back wall. This room had a small "old school tube style" television (I think a 13") and tons of cabinets and storage space. It also had a nice sized desk with multiple drawers for storage.

The balcony was smaller than I had imagined, however the view and vantage point were priceless. When you turn the television on to watch the live cam from the ship, the view is basically the one you see from the balcony of 9500!! We absolutely loved this. Again, it was a bit small- 2 lounge chairs and 3 regular chairs fit tightly onto the balcony. The lounge chairs have to be turned at an angle, as their is not enough room to have them straight to face forward. But again, the view is spectacular!

Overall, we were very happy with the accomodations- plenty of room for 5 people and absolutely perfect for families with children.

 

CLEANLINESS/ BUTLER/ CONCIERGE/ ROOM STEWARD:

I always treat hotel and restaurant personnel well and tip well, however when I am on vacation and pay for a room that is quite expensive, I expect the service and ammenities to be up to par. I was dissappointed with a few things in this category. Our butler, Sean, dropped the ball quite a few times during our cruise. When we first arrived in our room, we were like kids in a candy store exploring our stateroom-- opening all drawers and cabinets, admiring all of the storage space. Well, we opened one drawer that was FULL of junk and items from the previous occupants of the room- potato chip bags, old freestyle dailies, a man's belt and black trousers, wrappers, etc. Gross!! Oh well, we let the butler Sean know when he came to introduce himself. He said that "he would have it taken care of"- well it was still there 2 days later and had to ask him again. We asked for an iron and ironing board from Sean- had to ask 2 more times to get that...eventually got it on cruise day #3. He always felt rushed and bothered when we had requests, which the requests were few and far between. When he went over the services he provides on the first day, he said to go through him when booking restaurant reservations. So we went through him one day and he said he couldn't confirm the reservation until after 5:30- so I called the restaurant directly and immediately got a reservation. It was more difficult going through him, so we pretty much stopped requesting anything through him by cruise day #4.

Our concierge James was very professional and a great resource. We were greeted by him each morning at the complimentary Lazy J's breakfast exclusive for suite guests. He had great insight into what to do on each of the islands and appropriately answered any questions we had. He confirmed all specialty restaurant reservations we requested and overall we were pleased with him.

We met our room steward once (Elvira) and were not terribly impressed. We ran out of bath products twice and were not refilled on 2 occasions. As mentioned earlier, junk was left from the previous cruise in drawers. We would have the seating moved around in the arrangement we desired and every day it was put back to the ship standard arrangement- you would think she would catch on that we did that because we liked it that way! This is a very small detail, however we enjoy the small things that really make a difference, such as the towel animals. We only had 1 towel animal for our entire cruise- the kids love it, however every day we came back from port, we were animal-free!! We talked to fellow cruise members and we were hearing of small zoo's in their stateroom from all of the towel animals they received! Again, not that big of a deal.

 

RESTAURANTS:

We dined in specialty restaurants 5 times- 2 days Teppanyaki ($25.00), 1 day East Meets West ($15.00), 1 day Sushi ($15.00), and 1 day Little Italy ($10.00). We also dined/ room service at the Cadillac Diner and Aloha Cafe.

- Teppanyaki--> LOVE IT! Great entertainment and wonderful "surf and turf" type food. Advice- when the waitress takes your order, order multiple items off the menu if you wish--- all of the specialty restaurants are all you can eat, however once the teppanyaki chef cooks the food, you can't really go back and order more (it is a show- not really time to go back and cook more). For example, I ordered the Filet Mignon and shrimp- I also order scallops and extra shrimp... the food is fantastic and a fun atmosphere!! It was my nephew's birthday and they had a cake made with his name on it and sang happy birthday-- great touch!! Carmen A. was a blast- she provided good service and fun to our teppanyaki experience!

- East Meets West--> good value for $15.00.... I relate this to PF Changs type of food...we loved it and ordered "family style" and shared everything.

- Sushi--> Sushi, teppanyaki, and East Meets West are all in the same area or large room. If you like sushi, you MUST eat here. It is by far the best food value on the planet. I had a sashimi plate for a starter that had 5 different types of fish and would have been easily $25.00 out in town. I then had 4 additional rolls after that-- I stopped at that point! Great value and the fish was very fresh.

- Little Italy--> This was good, but not great. I was really craving lasagna, which they did not have.... as other reviewers have stated, this is not a truly authentic kind of Italian restaurant, but still a great value for only $10.00pp. I did enjoy the meatballs and the pizza was good.

- Cadillac Diner--> The kids loved this place- and so did the adults! We liked the tuna melt sandwich and the cheese sticks! The desserts were very good as well- fudge brownie and the strawberry shortcake hit the spot!

- Aloha Cafe--> Was always pretty busy... okay food, quite a large selection of items.

- Lazy J's breakfast (for suite guests)--> EXCELLENT! This is a great perk of the suites-- I love having a relaxing, sit down breakfast with good food! The cinnamon french toast and banana walnut pancakes were excellent! And oh my, the pineapple is FANTASTIC! You order off the menu and can choose from buffet style "starter" selections prior to your meal (fruits, cereals, juices, breads, etc.) The hostess Jennifer was a delight to see each morning- she did a great job!

 

SHOWS/ ENTERTAINMENT:

- I read many reviews prior to leaving that said they didnt have time or were too exhausted to catch the shows-- I now see what they mean! We were either too tired or wanted to order room service and enjoy our nice room, view, and each others company (and not deal with the crowds). We need catch a portion of the Polynesian show which was decent and attended the White Party. The White Party was fun and consisted of mostly hip-hop and top 40 kind of music- if you are not into that, you will not like the white party. We also attended the karaoke competition, which is fun if you like karaoke! Other than that, we did not attend any other events. I would have liked to do the pub crawl, which was offered 2 times during the cruise. For $20.00, you get 5 drinks in 5 bars for 55 minutes-- it looked like a good time!

 

SERVICE OVERALL:

Overall, I think the service provided by the PoA crew was pretty darn good. It definitely has a different feel than a foreign flagged ship does. The crew is mostly Americans, and they seem to be bothered and/or irritated a bit easier than service staff from other countries. Also, there were quite a few occasions when I waited 5 minutes or so before being acknowledged- a "I'll be right with you" would have sufficed. Again, you can tell that the PoA has made a concerted effort to improve the customer service on the ship- the improvements seem to be evident (based on reviews of this cruise from years ago).

 

PORTS:

As most other cruise critic members have said, this is the highlight of the cruise. This is a wonderful 7 day itinerary. We primarily enjoy snorkeling and spending time at the beaches:

 

- OAHU (HONOLULU)- SATURDAY--> We have been here many times, so we did not do any excursions...we did spend 1 night in Honolulu after the cruise in my timeshare on Waikiki.

 

- MAUI (KAHULUI)- SUNDAY/ MONDAY- overnight--> this is tough to say, however this was our least favorite of the 4 ports we went to. It was EXTREMELY windy during our time here, which made snorkeling and beach activities very difficult. We rented a car here and drove to Lahaina (not a very far drive, approximately 45minutes to 1 hours). Some nice beaches here and quite a bit of shopping. We finally found a beach that we could do some snorkeling on. Second day we drove south to the Makena area, where the beaches are beautiful-- crappy part was that the surf was very high from the high winds and no snorkeling was to be found (we were headed for Big Beach, where there is supposedly good snorkeling) We spoke with one of the lifeguards and he recommended going a bit north to Wailea Beach. The Wailea area is beautiful- gorgeous houses and high end resorts here. We ended up at Wailea Beach and enjoyed our time here- the kids were able to play in the waves until the beach cleared out about 3PM when the surf became a bit dangerous.

We spoke to a few people about their trip to Hana- mixed reviews, however the general consensus I got was that it took entirely too long to get there and they probably wouldnt have recommended it-- take that information for what it is worth.... I spoke with a couple while returning our rental cars and they looked disappointed and exhausted. They did not enjoy 6 hours in a car most of the day!

 

- BIG ISLAND (HILO)- TUESDAY--> Of course, Volcano National Park is a must if you have not experienced it before. Again, we rented a car and drove there. We hit the highlights (Thurston Lava Tube, crater, steam vents), then drove down to the Kalapana area to see the black sand beach (Kaimu Beach I believe it is called). You walk over the lava fields to get there and it truly is a beautiful site. We then rounded out the day by visiting Rainbow Falls, which is close to where the cruise ship is ported. This was a nice day!

 

- BIG ISLAND (KONA)- WEDNESDAY--> We spent most of day at Turtle Beach (Kahalu'u Beach Park). We really enjoyed this beach and had some wonderful snorkeling-- I even got the chance to swim with a turtle-- how cool!! This is a small beach area, so get there early-- the beach is more pebbly than sandy, which we liked. The beach also has bathroom facilities and a snack truck for drinks/ snow cones/ nachos, etc. After this, we went to lunch at the Kona Brewery, which we loved! The food was great and the beer was wonderful! If you are a fan of Kona brews, you have to have a Kona beer at the original Kona Brew Company!! :-) We ended up taking a taxi to the beach and then to the brewery- cost about 40-45 bucks- was not terribly far, but not close enough to walk--- would have been better off renting a car!

 

- KAUAI (NAWILIWILI)- THURSDAY/ FRIDAY- OVERNIGHT--> Again, we rented a car here. See below for more information on rental cars. On Thursday, we did the Tubing the Ditch adventure. I booked this through the company website (Kauai Backcountry Adventures). We saw mixed reviews on this activity, so were a bit worried-- everyone in my party loved it! If you are extremely adventurous and enjoy whitewater rafting, then this may not be for you. We thoroughly enjoyed it however. You are only in the water "ditch" for about 1 hour, but it really is a fun time! Go onto their website to find out more on this activity. The same company also offers ziplining.

After the tubing adventure, we drove to Wailua Falls, which was really beautiful.

The island overall is beautiful- very untouched and rural- also called the "rooster island" because there are tons of roosters running around! Apparently, the roosters became very overpopulated after Hurricane Iniki freed many of them in 1992 and multiplied like wildfire!

The second day on Kauai was a short day- had to be back on the ship by 1:30PM. We explored the island a bit by car- went to see Spouting Horn and Po'ipu beach, which is a wonderful beach! When we go back to Kauai, we will definitely spend the day at Po'ipu Beach- great sand, great snorkeling, generally calm waters, good parking, and beautiful scenery.

 

RENTAL CARS:

- I suggest rental cars in every port. We used Thrifty, which was great! We rented in Maui, Hilo, and Kauai. Based on suggestions from fellow cruise critic members, we did not rent a car in Kona. In hindsight, I would have rented a car here. We spent almost 50 dollars on taxi fares to Turtle Beach and Kona Brew Company. The rental car company (Thrifty) is right in the King Kamanehea Hotel (sp?) and only costs about 40 dollars for the day. We got a full size car in each port (Dodge Charger)- Maui cost $82.00 for 2 days, Hilo $38.00 for 1 day, and Kauai $82.00 for 2 days. Great deals! I booked these online prior to going on the cruise. We were extremely pleased with Thrifty--- word of advice.... join the free "Blue Chip" program though Thrifty. When you are a Blue Chip member, they will have your keys waiting and you have your own line to wait in when picking up your car! This saved me a SUBSTANTIAL amount of time in Kauai- there was approximately a 20 minute wait in the regular line and no line for Blue Chip members-- remember, signing up is free!

In Kauai, the closest cruise ship parking is in a small shopping center called Anchor Cove. Go and pick up your car early and get to the shopping center parking lot-- there will be a man there that sells overnight parking passes for $20.00. Once that lot fills up, you are out of luck- once you buy the pass, you have your spot "reserved"- you get in/out privs for the day and overnight parking. The walk from Anchor Cove to the ship is about 7-8 minutes.

I did rent a GPS from Thrifty on Maui- other than that, we just used maps-- the roads are pretty easy to navigate, however if you want hassle free driving, GPS may be the way to go. Be careful however- Hawaiian road names are difficult for the GPS to pronounce, so you will have to be vigilant while driving looking for your turns!

 

BOOKS/ GUIDES:

- As many cruise critic members have recommended, I HIGHLY recommend the "Revealed" books. I purchased the 4th edition "Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook" ($16.95 Borders), 5th edition "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" ($16.95 Borders), and 7th edition "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook- Kauai Revealed" ($16.95 Borders). These book have a wealth of information and very good maps. It does have a bad review of the tubing the ditch adventure in Kauai, however which I do not agree with. Apparently, the author had a relationship gone bad with a staff member of Kauai Backcountry Adventures and this was his revenge (this is what the tour guides told me when I asked them about this!).

 

VARIOUS INFORMATION:

- When getting off the ship when in port, you must have your room key card AND a photo ID to get back on the ship (drivers license, passport)

- If you like snorkeling, I would recommend buying a set at the K-Mart/ Wal-Mart when you arrive in Maui. A decent set cost me about $40.00- I did not have room to pack my own set from home in my luggage. This is likely more cost effective and time effective than trying to find a rental facility to rent snorkel gear.

- I highly recommend renting a car and doing your own tours/ exploring/ adventures versus ship excursions-- especially with larger families/ groups. We would be looking at $400-$500 for organized excursions- we paid $40.00 for a rental car and basically did the same thing the big busses did-- only ours was on our own time and private!!

- There is a Wal-Mart/ K-Mart on all of the islands!! The ship charges for sodas and bottled waters-- so head to the big box stores and stock up on these items- you can bring non-alcoholic drinks back onto the ship!

- You may smoke on the ship- only in your stateroom or at the aft bar on the ship "Waikiki Lounge" I believe it is called

 

 

I hope this helps! I am going to try and scan all of the Freestyle Dailies and post a link to give you all an idea of activities on the ship as well as some pictures.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions or clarify anything for you! This is a wonderful cruise and itinerary- you won't be disappointed!

 

Happy cruising-

Pete

San Diego, CA

Thanks for the info we will be going on this cruise

[fjmac]

Thanks for the tip info!!

[jerseysmom]

Wonderful info! We are going on this cruise December 11. Never been to HI before. We love to snorkel but wonder if it will be too cold then?

[salty dingo]

There really is no need for extra cash for tips, unless you plan to tip butler/ concierge if you are in a suite-- even then, you can go to the front desk and put the tip on your onboard ship account. I like to give them cash in a card personally, but that is completely up to you.

All of the "customary" gratuity is included in the service charge you pay. No need to leave anyone any tips unless they provide exceptional service, or if you just want to tip extra.

 

Exceptions are: room service (tip the person per delivery), porters at embarkation, taxi drivers, tour guides, and the children's camp staff if you have kids and use the facilities.

 

Many people also choose to tip at the specialty restaurants. You have already paid a tip for the "standard" meal service, and the restaurant cover charge includes gratuity, but if the service is truly outstanding you may choose to tip extra. Same goes for bar service - tip is added on to the price you pay, but you can tip additional if you like.

[SDTraveler78]

December snorkeling will be fine! Water is warm year round, however visibility may be an issue at times as there is more rain/ wind in December.

 

Pete

 

Wonderful info! We are going on this cruise December 11. Never been to HI before. We love to snorkel but wonder if it will be too cold then?

[auntsue]

Thank you so much for the in-depth cruise report. We are going on this cruise at the end of February 2011 for our 40th.

 

I absolutely loved having copies of the dailies. Thank you again!

 

I do have a question about Kauai. I see it said you have to be onboard at 1:30 each day. If you are staying overnight, why is that? I was thinking of not booking excursions through NCL on the days we stayed overnight in Maui & Kauai because I thought it wouldn't be a problem if we got back late. Now, I would be too nervous worrying that we might be.