Hawaii by Land & Sea – POA Cruise 5-14-2011

[Allis154]

Loved the review! Brought back memories of our last visit..and stoked the excitement for our upcoming visit!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Gidday to Ginny & Lisa,

 

Remember the Aussie group from the Mariner last May?:)

8 of us are doing Hawaii this Sept. NCL cruise & 7 days in Waikiki.

 

It has been so great reading your review, lots of great info.

 

Kevin & I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Alaska & the Canadian Rockies, & now I have to start planning for Hawaii. Would you mind if I emailed you directly. My email is tmullock@optusnet.com.au

 

Cheers

 

Tanya

Hi Tanya! Of course I remember you. We had a lot of fun on that cruise. That was a great Cruise Critic group and enough sea days to really get to know each other better.

 

I will e-mail you. When do you go to Hawaii?

 

Thanks, Ginny and Lisa, the video showed me what I needed to know. After seeing the steps into the boat and again up to the path to the grotto, I will abandon that idea! However, my scooter has been on a lot of tenders and I plan to have it on a lot more. The secret is that I use a small, light weight travel scooter. NCL's criteria is scooter must be under 100# and I need to enter tender on my feet...but the crew helps me. If the water is too choppy, I might be denied.

 

I will keep looking for something new to do in Kuai. Might ask the pilot at Air Venture if he can get help me into his plane. That would be a new experience!

 

I am relieved that you are not in the path of the fire. I pray that your relatives homes are spared, too. Mother Nature has been very cruel with fires, floods, earthquakes and tornados.

I am glad the video helped you see the situation at the Fern Grotto better. It sounds as if you have a wonderful scooter. If you can step up at all, just needing a steadying arm and a little support I am sure the people at Air Ventures can help you into the plane.

 

I also saw an excursion on the Princess website to Waimea Canyon that is specifically wheelchair accessible. You may want to check that out since you mentioned being on Princess. Enjoy!

 

I enjoyed your trip alot! Thanks so much for taking all the time to post it and also for the wonderful pictures.

My Dad was in the Air Force and we were stationed in Hawaii for 2 years in 62-63 I remember wide open beaches and and wonderful time! Alot has changed over the years but I have been looking forward to returning for a long time. Our cruise is almost 2 years away and I am reading all I can to make the most of the trip. I will save your report for more reading when our trip gets closer.

Thanks again and I hope you can return to wonderful Hawaii again sometime.

 

Bev

Mahalo. I am sure you will find many changes in Hawaii since the 60's but I bet many things have remained the same, too. I know that Oahu has kept most of the tourists in the Waikiki area to preserve the rest of the island. Other islands, especially Kona and Kauai still have that easy, laid back feeling. Enjoy researching what will work best for you and your family in Hawaii. That is half the fun.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Loved the review! Brought back memories of our last visit..and stoked the excitement for our upcoming visit!

Mahalo! Happy planning for your vacation. There have been many other other excellent reviews before mine and there will be many more to come. You should have plenty of material to keep you busy before your cruise.

[brunolvr]

Thank you, Ginny, for taking the time to share your great adventure and your beautiful pictures with us!:) Your review is probably the best I have ever read -- you make us feel like we're right there with you. I'm so glad your untimely surgery didn't spoil your fun!

 

Have you got another cruise planned yet?

 

Did the Captain happen to mention when the POA will be going into drydock?

 

Thanks again, Ginny, and I hope someday our (cruising) paths will cross so I will have the chance to meet you in person, since I feel I already know you as a friend.;)

[Bucky3]

Again, thank you so much for sharing in wonderful detail your Hawaiian adventure. I think I must be almost as sad as you to see it come to an end! Being very familiar with Hawaii, I enjoyed returning through you to so many of our favorite places. We love each island and would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. Having said that, Oahu has always seemed to us to be the place we would choose for an extended stay. The contrast between Waikiki (which we love) and the north shore where you enjoyed Turtle Bay is just amazing - almost like being on an outer island!

 

Mahalo for taking us along with words and stunning pictures. Aloha!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you, Ginny, for taking the time to share your great adventure and your beautiful pictures with us!:) Your review is probably the best I have ever read -- you make us feel like we're right there with you. I'm so glad your untimely surgery didn't spoil your fun!

 

Have you got another cruise planned yet?

 

Did the Captain happen to mention when the POA will be going into drydock?

 

Thanks again, Ginny, and I hope someday our (cruising) paths will cross so I will have the chance to meet you in person, since I feel I already know you as a friend.;)

Mahalo for your kind words. We are booked on the Sapphire Princess for the same time next year to go on a Pacific Coastal Cruise, LA - Vancouver. We plan to spend a couple days in Vancouver before returning to LA via Amtrak on the scenic Coast Starlight. So far that cruise is already fantastic as there is a very active Roll Call. In addition, we will be cruising with many of our AZ Cruiser friends. We are looking forward to it.

 

No mention from the Captain as to when the dry dock or changes will take place.

 

Again, thank you so much for sharing in wonderful detail your Hawaiian adventure. I think I must be almost as sad as you to see it come to an end! Being very familiar with Hawaii, I enjoyed returning through you to so many of our favorite places. We love each island and would be hard pressed to choose a favorite. Having said that, Oahu has always seemed to us to be the place we would choose for an extended stay. The contrast between Waikiki (which we love) and the north shore where you enjoyed Turtle Bay is just amazing - almost like being on an outer island!

 

Mahalo for taking us along with words and stunning pictures. Aloha!

Mahalo. I must agree. Steve and I talk about when we will return to the North Shore, not if. That is not necessarily true with the other islands, although I would like to spend more time in Kauai, so that would be number two for me. We did love all the islands, and the POA seems to currently be the best way to visit them all. My choice for a perfect Hawaiian vacation next time would be a week pre and post cruise split between the North Shore of Oahu and a resort of vacation rental in Kauai and a week on the POA in between.

[Bucky3]

Your future plan for Hawaii sounds like a perfect one to me! Hope it works out for you. If you haven't explored the Poipu Beach area, it's a good place to stay on Kauai if you like a beach atmosphere, and they generally tend to have less rain than Hanalei or Lihue areas of the island. Oh, I want to go now!!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Your future plan for Hawaii sounds like a perfect one to me! Hope it works out for you. If you haven't explored the Poipu Beach area, it's a good place to stay on Kauai if you like a beach atmosphere, and they generally tend to have less rain than Hanalei or Lihue areas of the island. Oh, I want to go now!!

Thanks! That's good information. Let's go!:D

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Ginny: I'm sad to see your review come to an end.:( But so glad you got thru it all before I leave on my cruise. Steve & I have talked about taking a land vacation in Hawaii sometime but our island of choice is the big island. But your description of Turtle Bay and all the things you saw has me intrigued so we have a rental car in Oahu for our post cruise stay and I think we plan to visit the north shore and we'll have to plan a return trip there for the 4 of us. I think I'm financially tapped until 2013 though.:D

 

Gidday Tanya. I'm emailing you too. I could never forget you and the generosity of you and all the others from Oz on our Mariner cruise. You all were so much fun. I hope our paths cross again in the future. My next cruise is a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Splendor April 29, 2012 after Hawaii next month.

[Trip10]

Sunny Az Girl,

 

Just finished reading your fantastic review and gorgeous pictures! Thanks for all the details and great narrative. So glad you got to go on this trip despite your unplanned surgery and complications. Hope you are doing well.

 

I liked reading about your decision making process regarding your choice for the excursions. And your review was the first I had read on the plane vs. the helicopter tour.

 

So many decisions! I'm the planner in our family and we will be on the POA Jan, 2011. Your review has added to alot of new info, thanks again for taking the time to write it.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Ginny: I'm sad to see your review come to an end.:( But so glad you got thru it all before I leave on my cruise. Steve & I have talked about taking a land vacation in Hawaii sometime but our island of choice is the big island. But your description of Turtle Bay and all the things you saw has me intrigued so we have a rental car in Oahu for our post cruise stay and I think we plan to visit the north shore and we'll have to plan a return trip there for the 4 of us. I think I'm financially tapped until 2013 though.:D

Don't you know it! My attitude on this trip was not to be a penny-pincher, but to make good decisions based on what we really wanted to do and make priorities from there. So I spent more on this trip than probably any other I have taken, but do not have any left over "We really should have....." thoughts. But, I will be having to save my pennies from here on. We will have to look for some kind of super special!:cool:

 

Sunny Az Girl,

 

Just finished reading your fantastic review and gorgeous pictures! Thanks for all the details and great narrative. So glad you got to go on this trip despite your unplanned surgery and complications. Hope you are doing well.

 

I liked reading about your decision making process regarding your choice for the excursions. And your review was the first I had read on the plane vs. the helicopter tour.

 

So many decisions! I'm the planner in our family and we will be on the POA Jan, 2011. Your review has added to alot of new info, thanks again for taking the time to write it.

Mahalo. Have fun planning. As the planner you will certainly reap the most benefit, too.

[brunolvr]

Ginny, I need your "expert" opinion on shoes to bring. I have a good pair of walking sandals. Do you think they would suffice in most cases? I'll also be bringing some Easy Spirit Walking shoes but I'm afraid I'll be too hot wearing those most of the time.

I tried to look at your pictures to see what type of shoes you were wearing to get a better idea of what might be best. Are there some places that you went that sandals weren't a good idea?

Thanks for your suggestions -- I'm not familiar with tropical, hot weather. We live in the rainy, cool Pacific NW and have only cruised to Alaska.:rolleyes:

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Ginny, I need your "expert" opinion on shoes to bring. I have a good pair of walking sandals. Do you think they would suffice in most cases? I'll also be bringing some Easy Spirit Walking shoes but I'm afraid I'll be too hot wearing those most of the time.

I tried to look at your pictures to see what type of shoes you were wearing to get a better idea of what might be best. Are there some places that you went that sandals weren't a good idea?

Thanks for your suggestions -- I'm not familiar with tropical, hot weather. We live in the rainy, cool Pacific NW and have only cruised to Alaska.:rolleyes:

I brought a good pair of walking shoes, couple pairs of good sandals, a good pair of dressy sandals and a pair of water sandals. I ended up having terrible problems with my feet swelling, especially near the end of the cruise and I was forced into one pair of black slip on sandals that are the world's most comfortable sandals. They come in wide widths and are very durable. They ended up being my standard sandal. I am going to order a couple more pair in other colors as I have never had such good luck with a shoe. They worked well for both walking and lounging.

 

I did wear my walking shoes at Pearl Harbor and I was happy to get them off at the end of the day. I wore my dressy sandals a few times and they also were good. I had no need for the others.

 

I did buy a comfy pair of flip flops at an ABC store that I wore a few times when I wasn't going to be doing a lot of walking.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I have to make a correction. Steve was reading my review and found a mistake. I listed the show "Oh What A Night" as being performed by Toby Beau. It was actually performed by the group Oh What A Night Tribute and was very good. My apologies to both groups!

 

I also forgot to include the link to our Post Cruise Oahu pictures. I must be slipping in my old age!

 

Thank you all for reading my review and all of your nice comments. I am anxious to read your reviews when you return, also.

[Arizona Laura]

Awesome job Ginny.

You can do ours next May 2012 with our Princess Coastal Cruise!!:)

Laura

[clearwatergirl]

Hi Ginny,

 

Thank you for the most wonderful review! Good detail without too much detail. Pictures are great!

 

My part of 21 will be sailing on the 6/25 cruise and can hardly believe it's here almost. I fly out next Saturday for a week pre-cruise in Honolulu.

 

All the information you shared reinforced several of our plans. All looks spectacular.

 

We're hoping to set up a M&G after reading about yours on POA. We're just waiting for a time and place at this point. Thank you for sharing that piece of info with CC.

 

I plan on a review and can only hope to do a good job. Never have done one and I really want to get the word out about NCL, good or bad.

 

Aloha :D:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Awesome job Ginny.

You can do ours next May 2012 with our Princess Coastal Cruise!!:)

Laura

Mahalo, Laura!

 

Hi Ginny,

 

Thank you for the most wonderful review! Good detail without too much detail. Pictures are great!

 

My part of 21 will be sailing on the 6/25 cruise and can hardly believe it's here almost. I fly out next Saturday for a week pre-cruise in Honolulu.

 

All the information you shared reinforced several of our plans. All looks spectacular.

 

We're hoping to set up a M&G after reading about yours on POA. We're just waiting for a time and place at this point. Thank you for sharing that piece of info with CC.

 

I plan on a review and can only hope to do a good job. Never have done one and I really want to get the word out about NCL, good or bad.

 

Aloha :D:D

Have a great trip! I will be anxious to hear how your cruise goes.

 

I think you will have a different Captain than what we had. Ours, "Buzz" was leaving on vacation for 3 months, but I believe all the NCL Captains are involved in the CC M&G's.

[Az's Cruising Nana]

Bravo! Bravo! Good job! You have convinced me we need to go back also!

 

Sue

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Bravo! Bravo! Good job! You have convinced me we need to go back also!

 

Sue

Great! You can go back with Lisa & me.;)

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

Great! You can go back with Lisa & me.;)

 

Okay this is starting to sound like the AZ Cruisers are gonna take over Oahu North Shore haha.:) I'm game.

[sha88]

What a fantastic review, Ginny. It brought back so many memories of our trip in February. Mahalo!

 

Shahira

[CruisingGoddess]

Ginny - Now that I finally finished my own review, I finished reading yours. I want you to know that your review is the FIRST I've read since going on this cruise in November!! Consider yourself something special!! LOL! ;) Your review was amazing!! A few comments/questions...

 

I was able to find a POA Christmas ornament during our cruise in November. It was in the smaller shop off to the side next to the art auction. Here's a photo of it...

 

 

Could you share who you contacted to notify the ship of your Meet & Mingle onboard? I'm thinking of organizing this for our cruise in September.

 

For your Molokini snorkel (which looked amazing!), it doesn't look like there is shaded or "indoor" area of the Trilogy boat, right? Do you know of Pride of Maui has an indoor or shaded area? DH will not snorkel and I don't want to leave him out in the hot sun without the ability to sit in the shade. How do you think the snorkeling at Molokini compared to Two Step or Kahaluu Beach Park? If Bob, Cindy, and Steve had to choose one place, which would it be?

 

Thanks!! Despite already having gone myself, the islands have so much to offer and I've gotten great ideas from your review for our upcoming cruise!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Hi Rebecca,

 

I will try to answer your questions in red.

 

Ginny - Now that I finally finished my own review, I finished reading yours. I want you to know that your review is the FIRST I've read since going on this cruise in November!! Consider yourself something special!! LOL! ;) Your review was amazing!! A few comments/questions...

Thanks! That means a lot coming from you.

 

I was able to find a POA Christmas ornament during our cruise in November. It was in the smaller shop off to the side next to the art auction. Here's a photo of it...

 

I wish they had those for us. There was none. I even had two or three of the people who worked there looking all over. They said they hardly had any ship specific merchandise left (which they were right) as NCL was reworking them all. They only had the ship models - too big to hang on a tree! My favorite ornaments are the little scale models made into ornaments, though.

 

Could you share who you contacted to notify the ship of your Meet & Mingle onboard? I'm thinking of organizing this for our cruise in September.

The Cruise Critic Admins have a link with the information posted on the top of the NCL forum.

 

For your Molokini snorkel (which looked amazing!), it doesn't look like there is shaded or "indoor" area of the Trilogy boat, right? Do you know of Pride of Maui has an indoor or shaded area? DH will not snorkel and I don't want to leave him out in the hot sun without the ability to sit in the shade. How do you think the snorkeling at Molokini compared to Two Step or Kahaluu Beach Park? If Bob, Cindy, and Steve had to choose one place, which would it be?

Yes, there is a large shaded cabin on the Trilogy boat. Steve spent some time down there as he also likes to "hide" from the sun. I will post some pictures at the end of this post.

 

Molokini snorkeling was good, but Bob & Cindy, who have snorkeled all over and Bob has some amazing pictures from scuba diving in the Caribbean say that Two-Step was hands down the best coral and fish they have ever seen anywhere.

 

Thanks!! Despite already having gone myself, the islands have so much to offer and I've gotten great ideas from your review for our upcoming cruise!

Have a great time. I am soooo jealous! I wish we were going back soon, too. I have thought a lot of what I would do if given the opportunity to return and will post some of my ideas at another time. Right now I have to give up and go to bed!

 

Pictures from the cabin area of the Trilogy boat:

 

 

I am sorry the pictures don't show more, but there is a seating area, a table with seating around it and even a "sofa" where a gentleman who had enjoyed too many pina coladas the night before spent the entire voyage. Steve didn't take a picture of that area as the guy just did not look like he would want to have his picture spread all over the internet.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Lisa, when you go on the POA next month will you pick me up a ship ornament id you see one? They said some should be coming in..... Of course, I will pay you for it.:)

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I will for sure look Ginny.

 

Also to Rebecca, I was on the Pride of Maui in 2007 and it also was a 2 level catamaran. The bottom deck with where they did the grilling and handing out drinks, where the restrooms were located and there was an area that was out of the sun where people sat down to watch a film that playing if I remember right. There was also a underwater area (glassbottom they claimed) on the lower deck. Most of the seating was on top but I know there was shade on the boat.