Review of Hawaii Dec 10, 2011 POA

[Just4You]

... and I do believe the spirits guided your feet that day in the falls:)

 

I still believe this is the case, as well. Thank you for confirming that I'm not crazy.

[HKG]

By Chance did you see any Pride Of America model ship in the gift shop for sale onboard?

 

Thank you

[Just4You]

By Chance did you see any Pride Of America model ship in the gift shop for sale onboard?

 

Thank you

 

Dan saw an 8 to 10 inch ship for sale in one of the gift shops but didn't check the price. He said he was the Pride of the America with the same lettering and colors.

[sptym]

Amazing review. We're going in March and I already feel like I've been there

Thanks so much for the great review .

Mary

[cat-tav]

hand-painted silk jackets I bought in Oahu at a vender near the ship at Aloha Tower.

 

 

Your jacket is gorgeous and I would love to have one. I'll be on the POA next June. Do you know if these jackets are still being sold and if so, where?

 

I am enjoying your review--it's making it harder to wait until June!

[bigtoeswim'n]

Hi Carol! The zipline I did in Maui was the Rainforest Zipline & Waterfall. Dan and I also did the Canopy zipline in the past in Kauai. Neither has any strenuous steps to climb and the trails are well groomed and easy to navigate. You are driven up into the hills/mountains, then you walk an easy trail, they hook up your harness to the first zipline run cable (that you put on when you first arrive), and away you go down the hill on a zip line. Then they unhook the harness, you walk as a group to the next platform, they hook you back up, and you go again. These two ziplines both have 7 zipline runs. You recall Dan has a very bad back and walks wth a cane, well he could easily walk the trail with me in Kauai. The most difficult part of the Maui zipline was walking across the suspension bridge, but you are also cabled on so you won't fall. You can always call the zipline company and speak with the personnel there to get an idea of how strenuous it might be.

 

Kauai has around 4 ziplines. Besides the Canopy Zipline (above), there is a Jungle Mountain Trek (also called Zip & Splash) which is more of a combination of hiking, ziplining and swimming at Kipu Ranch. There is a Tree Top Zipline Adventure with 6 runs in a Norfolk pine forest with a suspension bridge. The most difficult and strenuous, is the Climb, Zip and Eco Challenge where you scale a 55-foot wall 40 feet above the ground and 'leap' off the platform. For your husband, I would recommend the two ziplines I mentioned above in Maui and Kauai.

 

I hope you are feeling better soon. The air in Hawaii is so wonderful and moist, now that I'm back my sinuses are bothering me as well.

 

Thanks so much for the suggestion about calling a zipline place ahead of time to ask my questions. Now, why didn't I think about that?? Sometimes I can beee sooo dense!!

 

Glad to know your zip didn't have so much demand of the knees. I sure want to zip someday, bucket-list.

[bigtoeswim'n]

SUMMARY:

I can sum up Hawaii in one word: MAGICAL. This is the only place on Earth where I can lose myself and find myself again. What I mean by this, is that if I ALLOW the spirit that permeates all things to flow unhindered by my own thoughts, I can lose the part of myself which is focused on the material world with all its problems, fears, sorrow and pain, and can reconnect to the source of the spirit, which in turn is connected to me. So I lose myself to find myself. It sounds more complicated than it is, but is actually a natural and beautiful truth.

 

Mahalo Nui Loa (thank you very much) for allowing me to share my experience with you.

A hui hau (until we meet again)

 

Just4You

 

Your words are sooo true about Hawaii being magical. This was by far the best cruise ever. Even a rain storm in HI is magical. When I try to tell others about my cruise, I have to pick my words carefully as I start to ramble and blabber. How could they ever know what I'm trying to say??!!

 

I'm concentrating on Christmas right now, but soon will get my pics printed. DH turned in his underwater camera for pics. That thing had been sitting around here for years, unused. Bought it for a cruise to Cozumel but the excursion was cancelled. Hope it works.

[Just4You]

Your jacket is gorgeous and I would love to have one. I'll be on the POA next June. Do you know if these jackets are still being sold and if so, where?

 

I am enjoying your review--it's making it harder to wait until June!

 

Sometimes the ship parks right next to the hula girl statue at Aloha Tower. If not you'll have to walk to it. The woman who makes these beautiful hand-painted silk shirts & jackets with matching jewelry is in the row of shops in this area. You will see them from outside the shop when walking around. She is still there, and the price is still a great deal. I paid about $25 for top & $15 for necklace with matching earrings about 10 years ago and they still look great.

 

If you embark on the ship around noon, you can get back off the ship to shop.

[Zeno]

Wonderful review! I am copying some of those hints - very useful!

[Just4You]

Entertainment:

I completely forgot to mention the entertainment on the ship. It changes, but this is what was offered the week we went.

 

The evening show in the Hollywood Theatre, Deck 5, forward, is at 7pm and another repeat show at 9pm. There was also a show at Mardi Gras Theatre every night. Check the Freestyle Daily that will be left on your bed every evening for the following day schedule. When embarking on the ship, make sure to grab Day 1 Daily that is given out while you wait in line to ge on board

 

Day 1: Comedian Bud Anderson was on the first night. He is funny & insightful

 

(First night at 5:15pm in Hollywood Theatre, Deck 5, forward, the Shore Excursions Manager gives a one time presentation on the highlights of Hawaii called "Your Itinerary to Paradise." Sit in front rows as she throws out lots of free stuff, from chocolate covered macadamdia nuts to clothing from Del Sol that changes color when in the sun.)

 

Day 2: Aloha Polynesia Show. You don't want to miss this one. Get there about 15 min early to watch the cocunut husking. There are performers who represent Tahiti, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and the islands of Hawaii.

 

 

Day 3: Lights, Camera, Music! by NCL performers(we missed this one).

 

Day 4: Murray the Magician. You may recognize him as one of the contestents from America's Got Talent. Sit closer to the front to get a great view. My DH was on the stage with him at the 9pm show. It's hilarious! The next night he does a close-up magic show in Mardi Gras Theatre at 8pm.

 

Day 5: Never Too Old to Rock 'n Roll with Toby Beau (we missed this one).

There was also an Eagles Tribute with Toby Beau on the following night at Mardi Gras at 8:30pm but we missed it again.

 

Day 6: Rock-a-Hula Luau with NCL performers (we missed this one).

 

Day 7: Oh What a Night! A Tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons by the Jersey Boys who also play at Las Vegas. (I was surprised to see them on Today Show 12/23/11). They were great. The music was really LOUD so we moved farther back in the theatre. It was packed but there were still lots of great seats located throughout the area.

[Kylie]

Just4you-

Enjoyed reading your review. We went on the POA again in June and will probably go back just because there is so much to see and do in Hawaii. Also our DS works on the ship!

I enjoy reading reviews to get ideas what we should do when/if we go back.

[ckzimmy]

Was the comedian Bud Anderson kid friendly? We will have a 9 year old with us when we go on the POA in March.

[Just4You]

Was the comedian Bud Anderson kid friendly? We will have a 9 year old with us when we go on the POA in March.

 

His comedy is clean and fun. We saw several children on the ship having a great time. NCL has activities for them. Some of the parents who dropped them off that morning said they didn't want to leave the kid zone area by afternoon when they went to pick them up.

[Just4You]

Just4you-

Enjoyed reading your review. We went on the POA again in June and will probably go back just because there is so much to see and do in Hawaii. Also our DS works on the ship!

I enjoy reading reviews to get ideas what we should do when/if we go back.

 

Is that a dancing parrot avatar? It's adorable! We have 2 african grey parrots which is why I use a pic of them (when they were 4 mo old) as my avatar.

[Kylie]

Is that a dancing parrot avatar? It's adorable! We have 2 african grey parrots which is why I use a pic of them (when they were 4 mo old) as my avatar.

 

I noticed your African Greys! I would love a bigger bird - even thought about a conure but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to spend enough time with it. Also, our 2 mini doxies wouldn't allow it to be out of the cage without a ton of supervision. I only have a cockatiel and a lovebird now.

[RicardoC]

Thanks for the review! We're boarding tomorrow for my first NCL/Hawaiian cruise...last time we were in HI was 14 years ago (I was 4!) so It's been a great experience so far :)

 

BTW...just came back from Diamond Head now...it was beautiful :)

[ClaireAndMike]

=) Beautiful review. Maybe today I will have time to write mine. Ellen and I really enjoyed meeting and running into you and Dan throughout the week.

 

I am absolutely chomping at the bit to return with Mike. He was talking about around Thanksgiving of 2012 but I don't know if I can save up that quickly with him not working full time BUT we will see! Where there's a will there's a way.

 

The most difficult part is being able to be away from my dog for so long. This trip I didn't have to worry about it at all since Mike stayed home but I know if he was with me, I'd have been worried sick about her 24/7.

[Just4You]

=) Beautiful review. Maybe today I will have time to write mine. Ellen and I really enjoyed meeting and running into you and Dan throughout the week.

 

I am absolutely chomping at the bit to return with Mike. He was talking about around Thanksgiving of 2012 but I don't know if I can save up that quickly with him not working full time BUT we will see! Where there's a will there's a way.

 

The most difficult part is being able to be away from my dog for so long. This trip I didn't have to worry about it at all since Mike stayed home but I know if he was with me, I'd have been worried sick about her 24/7.

 

I'm looking foward to reading your review, please post a link when it's ready. I missed our parrots while on vacation but I made sure to leave lots of toys to hang in their cages each day. We hired a bird sitter who came to our home twice a day and we also had our neighbor and her children come by daily to play with them. We set up a motion-activated "parrot cam" so we could see if there were any problems. There weren't. We also received daily emails to tell us everything was okay. Our birds still love us for being away on vacation this long. I'm sure your dog would greet you wagging her tail and wanting to give you a big kiss when you get back. We hope we can sail again with you, but this time get to meet Mike.

Mele Kalikimaka!

[ilsteelergrl]

Thank you for such a great review:> I am taking my mom for Mothers Day, in 2013. I have never cruised NCL or been to Hawaii. Your review inlightened me to some of the things we should see while in Ports. Merry Christmas!

How is the weather in May???? Can you give any other helpful hints for first timers. We are booking a balcony stateroom, I was looking at the balcony rooms on Deck 11 are these noisy?

[herdingdogmom]

Thank you for such a great review:> I am taking my mom for Mothers Day, in 2013. I have never cruised NCL or been to Hawaii. Your review inlightened me to some of the things we should see while in Ports. Merry Christmas!

How is the weather in May???? Can you give any other helpful hints for first timers. We are booking a balcony stateroom, I was looking at the balcony rooms on Deck 11 are these noisy?

 

I went on this cruise with my Mom. We had a POA balcony room on Deck 11. We loved the location near the forward elevators. The only time we noticed noise from the pool deck area was one afternoon when a band played Jimmy Buffet tunes. Here is my review with some tips about the cruise. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1535362

[Just4You]

Thank you for such a great review:> I am taking my mom for Mothers Day, in 2013. I have never cruised NCL or been to Hawaii. Your review inlightened me to some of the things we should see while in Ports. Merry Christmas!

How is the weather in May???? Can you give any other helpful hints for first timers. We are booking a balcony stateroom, I was looking at the balcony rooms on Deck 11 are these noisy?

 

We usually go to Hawaii either April or December, mainly because the whales are migrating and the rates are less expensive. May should be ideal for seeing whales right from the ship.

 

As far as weather, it depends on the island and the side of the island. Here's a good website regarding weather in Hawaii:

http://imagine-hawaii.com/climate.html

 

If you really want to maximize your time and experience on each island, try to book a morning and afternoon shore excursion but make sure to allow at least 45 min to be back at the pier for the afternoon excursion. If your main objective is to relax and see an overview of each island, you can book a "best of" island tour.

 

There is so much to do on each island, it takes several days to really see what each island has to offer, so look at all the shore excursions carefully and make a choice. Personally, I have never done a shore excursion I didn't like.

 

For the islands you will be at overnight (Maui and Kauai), I recommend booking an evening excursion or renting a car and staying out late somewhere, maybe driving to the beach to watch the sunset.

 

The first time we went to Hawaii I didn't want to rent a car and drive since I didn't know what I was looking at or where I was driving. Once I learned the landscape and roads, now I enjoy renting a car to get around.

 

When booking a cabin, look at the ship map (on NCL website) to see what is directly above you. For example, we were on deck 10 and directly above us was Aloha Cafe, so it was noisy during hours of operation. Deck 11 should be okay unless you have a noisy neighbor from the adjacent balcony (as herdingmom mentioned above).

 

What a nice thing to give your mother for Mother's Day! You will have a wonderful time!

[herdingdogmom]

What a great review. Over 2000 views already - wow!

[ilsteelergrl]

Thanks Ladies I am so looking forward to the next year of planning and getting helpful hints!!!

[Just4You]

What a great review. Over 2000 views already - wow!

 

I enjoyed your review as well! Isn't it great getting to relive it through the reviews? I'm still on island time and the 'high' of Hawaii persists. I don't want it to end!

[V_Machine0206]

Thank you for the great review! I am really excited about this cruise on Feb 4 2012! I read something about the white hot party what is that ?