Party of 8 – Our Hawaiian Adventure on the POA (with pics)

[MLindaG]

I'm getting excited for our trip in August. I did have a question...... Your pictures were wonderful. What type of camera did you use?? I of course have my cell phone that takes good pic's and our point and shoot camera that we have used for years recently broke. So, do I get another point and shoot.......go to a better camera that is a little bigger or just use my phone??? Just wondering what you used as your pic's are fantastic! Thanks

[young50]

cw2go - did you do a review on Alaska? I have a friend who is looking to take her mom next year.

[cw2go]

cw2go - did you do a review on Alaska? I have a friend who is looking to take her mom next year.

 

I did but it was in 2010... I sailed Celebrity r/t Seattle, honestly when I go again it will be one way and will include the "true" inside passage and Glacier Bay. Most likely I will sail with Princess and sail to or from Vancouver. There is no wrong way to do Alaska but I do regret not taking a more scenic route and experiencing Glacier Bay.(Cost and my children were factors in my last sailing, they really wanted Seattle) I am someone who will sail any line and selects cruise based on the itinerary and ports times so I have no loyalty to any specific lines. I've seen the shows, ate the food and experienced the ships so for me it's all about the destination...with that being said in Alaska that is truly the most important. Ship activities are limited and the vibe is far more sedate.

 

Alaska can be a serious addiction! It's amazing! Everything you read and hear are TRUE!

 

Hope this helps,

Patty

[greatlakesgirl]

Thank you so much for your review. I just booked a cruise on the POA in April 2015 and can't wait. Your review and pictures were very helpful. Thanks again!

You are so welcome, glad my review is helping out so many people! Have fun, relax and enjoy Hawaii and the POA! :)

I'm getting excited for our trip in August. I did have a question...... Your pictures were wonderful. What type of camera did you use?? I of course have my cell phone that takes good pic's and our point and shoot camera that we have used for years recently broke. So, do I get another point and shoot.......go to a better camera that is a little bigger or just use my phone??? Just wondering what you used as your pic's are fantastic! Thanks

Thanks so much for the compliment! I used a little point and shoot - a Canon PowerShot ELPH 115 IS. I had the same dilemma as you; my old point and shoot broke a couple months before the trip, so what to do? I really considered spending a lot more on a fancy camera but in the end, decided to go with the little Canon. I'm glad I did.

 

Hope your trip is as amazing as ours was! Enjoy!:)

[greatlakesgirl]

I did but it was in 2010... I sailed Celebrity r/t Seattle, honestly when I go again it will be one way and will include the "true" inside passage and Glacier Bay. Most likely I will sail with Princess and sail to or from Vancouver. There is no wrong way to do Alaska but I do regret not taking a more scenic route and experiencing Glacier Bay.(Cost and my children were factors in my last sailing, they really wanted Seattle) I am someone who will sail any line and selects cruise based on the itinerary and ports times so I have no loyalty to any specific lines. I've seen the shows, ate the food and experienced the ships so for me it's all about the destination...with that being said in Alaska that is truly the most important. Ship activities are limited and the vibe is far more sedate.

 

Alaska can be a serious addiction! It's amazing! Everything you read and hear are TRUE!

 

Hope this helps,

Patty

This is good advice, so thank you. We have been knocking around the idea of Alaska in a few years, as you know! :)

[golfer1966]

I also had tears in my eyes at the end of the movie too. When we took the tour of the Missouri, it was easy to see how so many never made it out alive from the Arizona. With no power or lights and all those narrow hallways and misc turns and rooms all over...they didnt have a chance. Its very somber.

 

I went to Germany a few years ago and took a tour of Dachau Concentration Camp and it was the same there.... very quiet, somber and sad people everywhere. Its good to see these things first hand to ensure things like Pearl Harbour and the Holocaust never happen again.

[greatlakesgirl]

I also had tears in my eyes at the end of the movie too. When we took the tour of the Missouri, it was easy to see how so many never made it out alive from the Arizona. With no power or lights and all those narrow hallways and misc turns and rooms all over...they didnt have a chance. Its very somber.

 

I went to Germany a few years ago and took a tour of Dachau Concentration Camp and it was the same there.... very quiet, somber and sad people everywhere. Its good to see these things first hand to ensure things like Pearl Harbour and the Holocaust never happen again.

Well said. I am so glad we were able to see Pearl Harbor and that our kids were able to see it, too. They will learn about it in history class, of course, but to experience it makes it a reality.

[golfer1966]

I also read someplace the chickens eat allot of the bugs, so thats why they dont really do anything about them

[golfer1966]

Well said. I am so glad we were able to see Pearl Harbor and that our kids were able to see it, too. They will learn about it in history class, of course, but to experience it makes it a reality.

 

Your right.... Seeing it with your own eyes gives you the reality of what happened. Books are ok, but seeing it and touching it, makes it all the more real.

[01Holiday]

They say a lot of the fun and excitement of a holiday is the anticipation of going - your review was great and has just added to it, we will be there in January 2015 and can't wait to experience the islands on POA - thank you for taking the time to share :)

[greatlakesgirl]

They say a lot of the fun and excitement of a holiday is the anticipation of going - your review was great and has just added to it, we will be there in January 2015 and can't wait to experience the islands on POA - thank you for taking the time to share :)

I'm so pleased you found my review helpful! I hope you have a wonderful time in Hawaii and love the POA as much as we did! :)

[10XCruiser]

Wonderful review. We will be going the same time of year as you - Feb 26-Mar 7 2015. What would you say the average temp is during the day? Shorts, capris, long pants ...? Packing is going to be hard. This will be my 26th cruise but the one I have looked forward to the most!

[greatlakesgirl]

Wonderful review. We will be going the same time of year as you - Feb 26-Mar 7 2015. What would you say the average temp is during the day? Shorts, capris, long pants ...? Packing is going to be hard. This will be my 26th cruise but the one I have looked forward to the most!

Thank you! I hope you see a ton of whales like we did! :)

 

Average - probably low 80's, we thought the weather was just about perfect! Cooler up by Volcanoes National Park, and if you go up to Haleakala on Maui, be prepared for it to be around 20 degrees cooler, more if you go up for the sunrise.

 

All of us but my Mom-in-law wore shorts everyday; she wore capris. I can't think of a time other than flying over and flying home that we wore long pants.

 

Enjoy your time in Hawaii and I hope you love the POA! :)

Edited September 29, 2014 by greatlakesgirl

[SenoraM]

Thanks for the great review and photos! Just wondering if you can comment a little more on the POA tender process in Kona? We have a rental car reserved (no ship excursion for us) so I'm hoping it will be quick and easy! On a previous cruise on the Dawn, I recall having to go in the early morning to line up for tender tickets. Thanks :)

[greatlakesgirl]

Thanks for the great review and photos! Just wondering if you can comment a little more on the POA tender process in Kona? We have a rental car reserved (no ship excursion for us) so I'm hoping it will be quick and easy! On a previous cruise on the Dawn, I recall having to go in the early morning to line up for tender tickets. Thanks :)

You are so welcome, it was a fun review to write.

 

Hmm...well, since we didn't have anything planned for our Kona day, we weren't in a hurry to get off the ship and didn't head down to deck five (or six, I can't remember!) for tickets until almost 10:30. You get them in the atrium by Pink's Champagne Bar, if I recall. Anyway, we got our tickets, waited about five minutes, and then they called us. It was very easy. I think if you go down early and get in line you could be one of the first off.

 

I wish I could give you a more definitive answer! :) Hope you love your trip! :)

Edited September 30, 2014 by greatlakesgirl

[SenoraM]

OK, good to know anyway, thanks for responding! We'll plan to be up and out early, I'm sure it will all work out fine. Can't wait to go - 6 more weeks!!

[bosnatis]

Great review. Going on POA April 4th 2015.

[greatlakesgirl]

Great review. Going on POA April 4th 2015.

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a wonderful time! :)

[Picklebritches]

LOVED the review and it really hit a lot of the questions that my group had. Like Bosnatis, my group of 16 will be on the POA April 4-11th. We've booked all the activities we plan to attempt, rented the cars, and now I'm trying to tie up loose ends or details. Again, thank you for taking the time to do it, and you've inspired me to do the same upon our return! Mahalo!

[greatlakesgirl]

LOVED the review and it really hit a lot of the questions that my group had. Like Bosnatis, my group of 16 will be on the POA April 4-11th. We've booked all the activities we plan to attempt, rented the cars, and now I'm trying to tie up loose ends or details. Again, thank you for taking the time to do it, and you've inspired me to do the same upon our return! Mahalo!

So glad you enjoyed my review, and I can't wait to read about your trip when you return!

[Aug4Oct3]

As everyone else has stated: thank you for this review! The pictures are amazing and helped me decide on a couple of our excursions :cool:

My husband and I are going April 4, our first cruise, and our first trip to Hawaii, so we are overwhelmed with so many choices of activities!

[greatlakesgirl]

As everyone else has stated: thank you for this review! The pictures are amazing and helped me decide on a couple of our excursions :cool:

My husband and I are going April 4, our first cruise, and our first trip to Hawaii, so we are overwhelmed with so many choices of activities!

So glad it was helpful in your planning! I hope you fall in love with Hawaii like I did; to me it is the most amazing place ever!

[ransrider]

Does anyone know how far ahead NCL makes their excursions available on their site? Saw a few mentioned in this review that I would like to check out.

[mongee]

I'd like to know the answer to that too. I read on NCL somewhere that they are available six months prior to sailing season but that didn't really answer my question. I don't know when sailing season is. In the meantime I go http://www.ncl.com/excursions to check out the current excursions so I can start planning our itinerary though I know they could very well change by the time we go.

[greatlakesgirl]

I think we booked our Molokini snorkel about five months out. We went in February 2014 and I looked back in my emails and found one from my brother-in-law telling me he'd booked his family's snorkel excursion. The email was dated the previous September, so at least five months prior they can be booked. Maybe even six months because I booked ours even before he did.

 

Hope this is helpful! :)