PoA, June 15-22 ~ An action packed, extended family extravaganza!

[LisaLisa87]

I've seen at least two other trip reports for this sailing, but thought I'd chime in and focus on our activities on and off the ship -- particularly off the ship since most everyone chooses this cruise for the ports! I'll start with a summary and fill in some details and add photos over the next few days. I'd be happy to answer any questions along the way.

 

Our Crew

This was a trip with DH's family and included my in-laws; my BIL with his DW and two DDs; my SIL; and myself, my DH, and our 16yo DD. The trip was my MIL's idea, and she paid for most of the trip. DH and I were ecstatic as we spent our honeymoon on Maui a little over 20 years ago and have been dying to go back ever since. Four of us left from MD and the other six left from FL. We all arrived the day before embarkation.

 

Pre-Cruise

My MIL booked the hotel and air through NCL. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. Once we collected our luggage from baggage claim, we were met by a rep from NCL and, after a little waiting around, we were escorted to a shuttle for our ride to the hotel. My in-laws and BIL and his family arrived first, and they were given rooms in the Ali'i building, which apparently is the VIP building. Guests there have a dedicated concierge and, more importantly, access to a private pool and bar on the second floor. When we checked in, we were told that we'd be in the Rainbow Tower. When I asked if there were any rooms in the Ali'i building, I was told that the resort doesn't put guests who booked through NCL there. Hmm... We weren't that upset since The Rainbow Tower is oceanfront as well, but Ali'i is definitely the better building. We spent some time on the beach, ate dinner at the Rainbow Lanai (meh), and then watched the weekly fireworks show (fun!). We ended up staying at the resort until about 2pm on Saturday and then took Ubers to the cruise terminal.

 

Our Rooms & The Ship

My family and my in-laws + SIL were in two balcony rooms on deck 10. I was nervous about the location under the pool deck, but we didn't hear that much noise -- just a little scraping in the morning. We have been on 11 cruises, and this was the smallest room since our very first cruise on the Norway in 2001! It was tricky to navigate with 2 adults and 1 adult-sized teenager in the room. The bathroom was tiny as well. We could have used more storage, but we made it work. The ship is older but is in good shape. No complaints about condition or cleanliness. It doesn't have many bells and whistles, but we booked this cruise for the itinerary, as most do. BIL and his family were in a penthouse with large balcony on deck 13. Needless to say, they didn't have the same issues with space or storage that we did! I'll post more later about our activities on the ship.

 

Meals

We all had the 3-night specialty dining package, and we used it to eat at La Cucina, Moderno, and Teppanyaki. We liked all three, but the service at La Cucina was so slow that it almost ruined the meal. Of the three, Teppanyaki was my favorite. We also ate at Liberty twice (didn't care for it either time), the Aloha Cafe once, and at a Luau when we were docked at Maui. All of our breakfasts were at Aloha Cafe, except for one at the Cadillac Diner, and most of our lunches were off the ship. Strange thing about the Cadillac Diner: It wasn't advertised in the Freestyle Daily at all, and it appeared that many didn't know that meals there are included in the cruise fare. The day we went for breakfast only 1 other table was taken. We ended up asking if we could move outside and we were the only ones out there!

 

Activities in Port

We were a busy bunch. I'll give a quick rundown here and provide more detail later.

Day 1: Embarkation and At Sea

Day 2: Maui - We had rented 2 cars a few months before the cruise, which we used to drive to Lahaina where we walked around town and then we went to the Old Lahaina Luau (amazing!).

Day 3: Maui - We drove to two separate beaches, one for surfing and another for swimming. After spending time at the first beach, we got some great food from a couple of trucks across the street.

Day 4: Hilo - Eight of us booked NCL's "Zipline through Paradise" excursion. It was cloudy all day and sprinkled briefly a few times, but we all had a blast anyway. Afterward we ate at the Hilo Bay Cafe and then Ubered back to the ship.

Day 5: Kona - All 10 of us booked NCL's "Big Island Snorkel" excursion. It was very well run and we all enjoyed it. Although we saw lots of fish and one sea turtle, I was hoping to see more. Afterward we walked around Kailua Village.

Day 6: Kauai - We booked a private "Secret Beach Picnic Ride" with CJM Country Stables for the afternoon. Again, we rented a minivan and jeep ahead of time for transportation. Afterward, we spent about and hour at a beach and then did a little shopping before heading back to the ship. This is the night we ate at the buffet.

Day 7: Kauai - Since this was a short day, a few of us got off the ship and went to a nearby beach while the others stayed on the ship.

 

Post-Cruise

Our flights out were late in the day (6pm and 9:30pm), so we ended up booking 1 night at the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Waikiki. We all put our luggage in the room, spent the day using the resort's pool, beach, restaurant, etc., and then showered prior to heading to the airport. It was pricey, but we ended up having a fantastic day!

 

That was a longer "summary" than I had planned, but stay tuned if you're interested in reading more and seeing some photos of our adventures!

 

Edited June 28, 2019 by LisaLisa87

[finest14]

18 hours ago, LisaLisa87 said:

I've seen at least two other trip reports for this sailing, but thought I'd chime in and focus on our activities on and off the ship -- particularly off the ship since most everyone chooses this cruise for the ports! I'll start with a summary and fill in some details and add photos over the next few days. I'd be happy to answer any questions along the way.

 

Our Crew

This was a trip with DH's family and included my in-laws; my BIL with his DW and two DDs; my SIL; and myself, my DH, and our 16yo DD. The trip was my MIL's idea, and she paid for most of the trip. DH and I were ecstatic as we spent our honeymoon on Maui a little over 20 years ago and have been dying to go back ever since. Four of us left from MD and the other six left from FL. We all arrived the day before embarkation.

 

Pre-Cruise

My MIL booked the hotel and air through NCL. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. Once we collected our luggage from baggage claim, we were met by a rep from NCL and, after a little waiting around, we were escorted to a shuttle for our ride to the hotel. My in-laws and BIL and his family arrived first, and they were given rooms in the Ali'i building, which apparently is the VIP building. Guests there have a dedicated concierge and, more importantly, access to a private pool and bar on the second floor. When we checked in, we were told that we'd be in the Rainbow Tower. When I asked if there were any rooms in the Ali'i building, I was told that the resort doesn't put guests who booked through NCL there. Hmm... We weren't that upset since The Rainbow Tower is oceanfront as well, but Ali'i is definitely the better building. We spent some time on the beach, ate dinner at the Rainbow Lanai (meh), and then watched the weekly fireworks show (fun!). We ended up staying at the resort until about 2pm on Saturday and then took Ubers to the cruise terminal.

 

Our Rooms & The Ship

My family and my in-laws + SIL were in two balcony rooms on deck 10. I was nervous about the location under the pool deck, but we didn't hear that much noise -- just a little scraping in the morning. We have been on 11 cruises, and this was the smallest room since our very first cruise on the Norway in 2001! It was tricky to navigate with 2 adults and 1 adult-sized teenager in the room. The bathroom was tiny as well. We could have used more storage, but we made it work. The ship is older but is in good shape. No complaints about condition or cleanliness. It doesn't have many bells and whistles, but we booked this cruise for the itinerary, as most do. BIL and his family were in a penthouse with large balcony on deck 13. Needless to say, they didn't have the same issues with space or storage that we did! I'll post more later about our activities on the ship.

 

Meals

We all had the 3-night specialty dining package, and we used it to eat at La Cucina, Moderno, and Teppanyaki. We liked all three, but the service at La Cucina was so slow that it almost ruined the meal. Of the three, Teppanyaki was my favorite. We also ate at Liberty twice (didn't care for it either time), the Aloha Cafe once, and at a Luau when we were docked at Maui. All of our breakfasts were at Aloha Cafe, except for one at the Cadillac Diner, and most of our lunches were off the ship. Strange thing about the Cadillac Diner: It wasn't advertised in the Freestyle Daily at all, and it appeared that many didn't know that meals there are included in the cruise fare. The day we went for breakfast only 1 other table was taken. We ended up asking if we could move outside and we were the only ones out there!

 

Activities in Port

We were a busy bunch. I'll give a quick rundown here and provide more detail later.

Day 1: Embarkation and At Sea

Day 2: Maui - We had rented 2 cars a few months before the cruise, which we used to drive to Lahaina where we walked around town and then we went to the Old Lahaina Luau (amazing!).

Day 3: Maui - We drove to two separate beaches, one for surfing and another for swimming. After spending time at the first beach, we got some great food from a couple of trucks across the street.

Day 4: Hilo - Eight of us booked NCL's "Zipline through Paradise" excursion. It was cloudy all day and sprinkled briefly a few times, but we all had a blast anyway. Afterward we ate at the Hilo Bay Cafe and then Ubered back to the ship.

Day 5: Kona - All 10 of us booked NCL's "Big Island Snorkel" excursion. It was very well run and we all enjoyed it. Although we saw lots of fish and one sea turtle, I was hoping to see more. Afterward we walked around Kailua Village.

Day 6: Kauai - We booked a private "Secret Beach Picnic Ride" with CJM Country Stables for the afternoon. Again, we rented a minivan and jeep ahead of time for transportation. Afterward, we spent about and hour at a beach and then did a little shopping before heading back to the ship. This is the night we ate at the buffet.

Day 7: Kauai - Since this was a short day, a few of us got off the ship and went to a nearby beach while the others stayed on the ship.

 

Post-Cruise

Our flights out were late in the day (6pm and 9:30pm), so we ended up booking 1 night at the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Waikiki. We all put our luggage in the room, spent the day using the resort's pool, beach, restaurant, etc., and then showered prior to heading to the airport. It was pricey, but we ended up having a fantastic day!

 

That was a longer "summary" than I had planned, but stay tuned if you're interested in reading more and seeing some photos of our adventures!

 

Love the Kona picture!

[sue402001]

Do you remember what time the first tender was when you got to Kona? If so, were there taxi's waiting to take people where they needed to go? Thanks LisaLisa87!

[LisaLisa87]

2 hours ago, sue402001 said:

Do you remember what time the first tender was when you got to Kona? If so, were there taxi's waiting to take people where they needed to go? Thanks LisaLisa87!

 

We booked our Kona excursion through NCL, which meant we didn’t need tender tickets. I’m pretty sure the first tender was right around 7am, and they ran continuously in the morning. I think we were on a tender by 7:30. The boat for our snorkel tour was right at the dock where we disembarked the tender, but it would have been easy to get transportation elsewhere. After the excursion we walked around Kailua Village. Very cute town and an easy walk from the tender launch. 

 

ETA: They offered “Early Bird” tendering, with no tix required, from 7:00-7:45. 

Edited July 8, 2019 by LisaLisa87

[sue402001]

16 hours ago, LisaLisa87 said:

ETA: They offered “Early Bird” tendering, with no tix required, from 7:00-7:45. 

 

Thank you so much Lisa! We should be fine on getting a taxi to our snorkel excursion with Fair-Wind Cruises. Love the early bird tendering!

[Jetswdo]

We are doing the Kona Big Island Snorkel-- just curious if that is what you did, and did you enjoy your day---

Regarding making dinner reservations:  I booked what I could for the 4 night package-- but saw that "East Meets West" has to be booked on board.  Do you remember where the line was to make restaurant reservations?  I want to make that reservation for Hilo day---- So as soon as we make it on board, I will head straight for the reservation line.

[LisaLisa87]

2 hours ago, Jetswdo said:

We are doing the Kona Big Island Snorkel-- just curious if that is what you did, and did you enjoy your day---

Regarding making dinner reservations:  I booked what I could for the 4 night package-- but saw that "East Meets West" has to be booked on board.  Do you remember where the line was to make restaurant reservations?  I want to make that reservation for Hilo day---- So as soon as we make it on board, I will head straight for the reservation line.

 

Yes, that's the excursion we did. We really enjoyed it. It was nice that the boat was docked right next to where we got off the tender. We didn't realize this ahead of time, but they actually had breakfast out on the lower level of the boat when we boarded. Lunch was served a little later. There are tables downstairs and lots of seating upstairs, some covered and some not. The boat was nice and the snorkel gear seemed to be of good quality. They also had floats in the water when we snorkeled as well as tons of noodles for whoever wanted them. There is a slide off the upper deck as well as a small jumping/diving platform. We tried both and had a blast! The snorkeling was good, but not great the day we were there. We saw lots of fish and one sea turtle. The water was beautiful, though, and our multi-generational group all had a good time. We also saw dolphins on the way out and on the way back. Here's a link directly to Body Glove's site that will give you more info about the boat and the excursion.

 

https://www.bodyglovehawaii.com/cruises/snorkel-dolphin-adventure/

 

We ate at 3 specialty restaurants and my MIL had made all of the reservations before we boarded. I just checked the Freestyle Daily for Day 1, and I don't see anything about where to go to make reservations for East Meets West. There is a general note in the "Dining Selections" section that says "Please call 5101 to make your reservations today." Sorry I can't be of more help on this one!

[Beachiekeen]

Oh wow, hubby and I are doing this cruise with my ILs, BIL and his friend in November! I want to hear every detail! 🙂 

[Jetswdo]

I'm glad the Big Island Snorkel was an enjoyable day for Kona. Looking forward for that- and so glad to know that the Body Glove boat is right by the tender--- 

It certainly would be great if I can just dial 5101 to put in reservations for that one restaurant-- As soon as we board, I think around the same time as you did, I'll head straight for the nearest phone, and hopefully someone will pick up at that extention.

 

Just wondering, what was the show on Hilo day?    I think the order of the shows until a few weeks ago was:  Honolulu - Welcome Show, Maui day 1, the Hawaiian dancers, Maui day 2 - Broadway and Hollywood review, Was Hilo the magician? Kona day the comedian?  Kauai- Singing group, the last night the Vegas farewell show.  I try to have dinner reservations 6:00, to be able to attend the later shows.  Usually, if we have a water activity based day,  we either just order room service or grab anything at the buffet-- I wish the comedian would not be on Kona day, because we are always so tired after snorkeling all day.

[LisaLisa87]

6 hours ago, Jetswdo said:

Just wondering, what was the show on Hilo day?    I think the order of the shows until a few weeks ago was:  Honolulu - Welcome Show, Maui day 1, the Hawaiian dancers, Maui day 2 - Broadway and Hollywood review, Was Hilo the magician? Kona day the comedian?  Kauai- Singing group, the last night the Vegas farewell show.  I try to have dinner reservations 6:00, to be able to attend the later shows.  Usually, if we have a water activity based day,  we either just order room service or grab anything at the buffet-- I wish the comedian would not be on Kona day, because we are always so tired after snorkeling all day.

 

The magician (Eric Buss) performed on Hilo day. He had performed earlier in the cruise (not as the headliner) as well. DH, DD, and I didn't go the first time, but BIL and his family did and said he was much better the second time (Hilo day). The evening of our day in Kona, the show was a vocal group called "These Guys Worldwide." We didn't go to that show, but I wish we had as we ended up seeing them perform on the pool deck on the last day and they were fantastic! Keep in mind that the snorkeling excursion ends at 12:30, so there's will be plenty of time for napping or lounging by the pool afterward!

 

ETA: Here's the full show schedule:

 

Day 1, Honolulu: Welcome Aboard Variety Show

Day 2, Maui: Aloha Polynesia

Day 3, Maui: Lights, Camera, Music!

Day 4, Hilo: Magic with Eric Buss

Day 5, Kona: Vocal Group These Guys Worldwide

Day 6, Kaui: Comedy with Jessi Campbell

Day 7, Kaui: Vegas! The Show

Edited July 13, 2019 by LisaLisa87

[Jetswdo]

Thanks, very very helpful.  Glad back on ship by 1:30? or so on Kona day.  We always stumble into our stateroom, totally exhausted after a snorkle excursion.  So I never book a restaurant reservation on those days- just wing it,  make use of room service or buffet-- then if we "catch a second wind" go to the headliner show that day, if worth the effort.  I'm glad for the lunch on board the snorkle boat, makes things much easier. (We are in our mid 60's-- my husband is very physically active, but takes long, long, naps, after a long hike, bike ride, or water activity- Me, I'm a couch potato, truthfully, and will sleep for hours after any beach activity!  These Guys Worldwide is scheduled to be on board during our cruise as well.  They are supposed to be very very good.  So if they are on Kona day, we will make every effort to make that show.  We have scheduled La Cucina for Kaui day at 6:00 pm, so we will walk out of that restaurant by 7:50 to make the comedy show.  Hopefully the comedian will be good that night!   Anita