A 7 night or longer? What to do?

[momneedsrest]

I am in the planning stages for my 30th anniversary. Husband & I really want to go to Hawaii and a cruise seems to be the best option. Our other cruises have been on RCI in the Carribbean and we LOVED them. I see that NCL has a 7 night cruise around the islands but I am seeing mixed reviews about the ship, Pride of America. The RCI cruises are longer and begin in HI and end in Vancouver. I think we would enjoy an RCI cruise because we have a comfort level there. On the other hand, a cruise that calls at the major islands and returns to Honolulu is a plus because of the pre/post cruise opportunities to spend more time in HI. I could really use some help here!

[CruiserBruce]

The decision is yours. There are several threads on this board that discuss the pros and cons of West Coast 14 or 15 day cruises vs. NCL's Hawaiin 7 days.

 

Several other cruise lines have roundtrips out of San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco.

[FunCruiser56]

We have sailed alot with RCI but never found a cruise with an itinerary and price we liked. We found just what we wanted with CELEBRITY 11nights starting in Honolulu ending in Ensenada (bus to San Diego) We are spending a few extra days in Honolulu precruise. Wonderful prices on great balcony cabins. We sail this April but I see there is the same cruise next April also.

Most of the reviews for NCL are poor and prices high. Not for us

Bev

 

Sent from my KFJWI using Tapatalk 2

[MalervyC]

I'm a huge RCI fan as well, but for our honeymoon, we researched countless cruises in Hawaii. I found POA to have the best itinerary even though there have been some complaints about service and the staff. I honestly don't see us being on this ship much. except to eat (sometimes), sleep, and shower, plus let's be honest, you need to make the trip your own and understand that things happen. Take it in strides cause being on a cruise is better than a day in office! Also found that other cruise lines have 5 days at sea - seems way too much especially when I think about spending pre/post cruise days on Hawaiian Island. There are tons of threads on this and I guess it really does depend on what kind of trip you want. For us - the land out weighed the sea :) Good luck and hope you have a great time on your trip!!

[Twagner111]

We were on the Pride of America in January 2012. I too was leary of the bad reviews (that I didn't read until aver we booked it). However, I thought the staff was excellent. The ship was nice and well maintained. The evening entertainment was fine...we did go to a few shows. The food in the mdr was good, the food in the specialty restraints was better. It seems that some people are just looking for something to complain about...come on..you are in Hawaii for seven days!! Who cares if the liquid soap is not that foamy.

[irishone127]

I'm a huge RCI fan as well, but for our honeymoon, we researched countless cruises in Hawaii. I found POA to have the best itinerary even though there have been some complaints about service and the staff. I honestly don't see us being on this ship much. except to eat (sometimes), sleep, and shower, plus let's be honest, you need to make the trip your own and understand that things happen. Take it in strides cause being on a cruise is better than a day in office! Also found that other cruise lines have 5 days at sea - seems way too much especially when I think about spending pre/post cruise days on Hawaiian Island. There are tons of threads on this and I guess it really does depend on what kind of trip you want. For us - the land out weighed the sea :) Good luck and hope you have a great time on your trip!!

MaleryC please contact me. We are taking the same cruise (different weeks) and live in the same town. I am irishone127ataoldotcom

[DaisyGoldberg]

We did the POA last May and I too was worried about the reviews, but ultimately shrugged them off because of the itinerary. I wanted to see Hawaii, and being in port every day meant if the ship wasn't optimal, well, I'd treat it like a hotel and not a cruise vacation.

 

We had a wonderful time. The ship was clean, the staff were friendly and helpful, the food was great, excursions were fun, activities were enjoyable, etc.

 

Honestly, unless you're coming off a string of true luxury line cruises and nothing less will suit, Pride of America is great. It was every bit as good as my last Celebrity cruise, and far superior to our Princess Alaska cruise the year before in every way.

 

Please don't let cranky reviews deter you. You can usually suss out whether somebody's just a whiner (seriously - everything about the cruise was a complete disaster, from boarding to dining to housekeeping to tours? What are the odds, especially when three other reviews of the same trip are glowing?)

 

Add a few days before the cruise and maybe a day afterward to enjoy Oahu/another island and rest, because there's so much to see you don't want to start out tired!

[chengkp75]

As a former NCL ship's officer in Hawaii, let me say that the one thing that people don't understand (and NCL's advertising doesn't stress enough) is that unlike most cruises, the destination is the attraction, not the ship. Think of the POA as a moving hotel.

 

As others have said, you are in port every day, two days in Kauai, two days in Maui, and actually two days on the big island as you go to Kona and Hilo. With a day or two pre/post in Oahu, you can really see most of what Hawaii has to offer.

 

The POA experience is different from any other cruise. The US staff is not the same as the international staff on other ships (NCL works very hard to improve the guest service attitude of staff, but unfortunately, we Americans don't have the same attitude towards our guests as others do). However, if you have strong feelings about "supporting local", then please consider POA, as all of the crew are US citizens, the ship buys local island produce, and supports things like the local ice cream company. Ships that embark/debark elsewhere do not store in the islands, and therefore, little goes to the island economy.

 

Enough cheerleading for the only US flag cruise ship out there, sorry for getting on my personal bandwagon. POA is not terrible, just different from any other cruise experience. Things have changed since the early days in Hawaii.

[DaisyGoldberg]

The US staff is not the same as the international staff on other ships (NCL works very hard to improve the guest service attitude of staff, but unfortunately, we Americans don't have the same attitude towards our guests as others do).

 

I didn't find the American staff any less professional than good hotel staff anywhere. They may not have been quite as actively ingratiating as cruise staff recruited from the usual countries, but that's somewhat refreshing if that behavior tends to make you uncomfortable.

 

I found all the staff, American and foreign alike, very friendly.

[Budget Queen]

My time is valuable and I greatly prefer Hawaii over sea days on a cruise ship. NCL has a superb product that I have sailed 8 times. I now add a week on each side of the cruise for the rest of my preferred touring of Maui and Hawaii. Interisland Hawaiian flights are cheap and short.

[loma linda ca a & j]

My time is valuable and I greatly prefer Hawaii over sea days on a cruise ship. NCL has a superb product that I have sailed 8 times. I now add a week on each side of the cruise for the rest of my preferred touring of Maui and Hawaii. Interisland Hawaiian flights are cheap and short.

when we finally get to hawaii, we shall use your plan -

1 week before & after the 7 day NCL POA cruise !!!!:)

[Budget Queen]

when we finally get to hawaii, we shall use your plan -

1 week before & after the 7 day NCL POA cruise !!!!:)

 

It is still a short time. :)

 

I've been flying into Kona, then fly out of Kona or Hilo to Oahu- usually the day of the cruise- having usually 3 later flights that could be caught before ship sailing. I am also, never in any rush to get on a ship.

 

End of cruise, I stay a few days on Oahu, then fly to Maui for about a week. Fly out of Maui with an open jaw booked mainland flight.