PoH 5/28 Review - Absolutely Spectacular (LONG)

[hansolo]

Thanks for your prompt reply. Well, we can just hike there and just admire the view and the older son can go to the pool. Probably won't stay there long then, take some pictures to say that we've been there.

[DALSAL]

puablo...thanks for all that info. I booked the tour last night,and have been second guessing it all day long today! I no longer have a bike,and have no time between now and the time we leave to even ride it if I had one! Im thinking about maybe cancelling the sunrise ride since we are getting in so late (or should I say early) from a luau.We would only have a couple of hrs before pick up time,so I dont think thats too smart. My hubby will be so disappointed (he thinks he can do anything!) ...he got all excited when I told him about the ride.I think he would be just as happy if I could find a tour that would get him close to a volcano...just in case I dont cancel...about how long did it take you to get down to the place that you ate breakfast? Thanks again,Dot

[puablo]

Thanks for your prompt reply. Well, we can just hike there and just admire the view and the older son can go to the pool. Probably won't stay there long then, take some pictures to say that we've been there.

 

I would highly recommend it. The area is so pretty, it's really worth just walking to and check out the surf along the rocks. And if any of your family chooses to go swim, then great!

[puablo]

puablo...thanks for all that info. I booked the tour last night,and have been second guessing it all day long today! I no longer have a bike,and have no time between now and the time we leave to even ride it if I had one! Im thinking about maybe cancelling the sunrise ride since we are getting in so late (or should I say early) from a luau.We would only have a couple of hrs before pick up time,so I dont think thats too smart. My hubby will be so disappointed (he thinks he can do anything!) ...he got all excited when I told him about the ride.I think he would be just as happy if I could find a tour that would get him close to a volcano...just in case I dont cancel...about how long did it take you to get down to the place that you ate breakfast? Thanks again,Dot

 

I know it was after 9am when we had breakfast, because I remember making a comment like "isn't this the time we should normally be waking up?" That was at mile 22 of the 26 mile bike ride. I'd hate to dissuade anybody from doing this trip but if you are going to be up late from the luau it would be pretty rough. Also one thing I should have mentioned earlier though is that if you feel uncomfortable on the bike you are allowed to stop at any time to ride in the van, and allowed to change your mind later and get back on a bike.

 

As for seeing a volcano, to be honest, Haleakala post-sunrise really isn't all that exciting after going to Volcanoes National Park, so if your plans include going to VNP, you can safely skip Haleakala and enjoy the other wonders of Maui -of which there are many!

[DALSAL]

Oh thank you for that info...we are going to VNP,so Im thinking we can skip the bike ride. Actually,I was quite surprised when my hubby said we cant miss the luau! Whats going to Hawaii if you dont see a luau! So,thats pretty much the only time we can do one..So,Im off to dinner and I will tell him he can ride the bike down,and I will stay in the van and sleep:) Dot

[SavageGirl]

My husband and I are booked for the Kiluea Lava Viewing Hike on July 3. We want to see lava, but I was upset that I would have to give up seeing a black sand beach. If we rented a car, as you did, and do VNP on our own, do you think we could see flowing lava? Did you even try to do that?

Also, what did you think of Richardson's Beach Park? I really wanted to see Punalu'u, but knew that would be too far out of the way.:confused:

 

 

Soon to be cruising on the PoH.....

[DALSAL]

My husband and I are booked for the Kiluea Lava Viewing Hike on July 3. We want to see lava, but I was upset that I would have to give up seeing a black sand beach. If we rented a car, as you did, and do VNP on our own, do you think we could see flowing lava? Did you even try to do that?

Also, what did you think of Richardson's Beach Park? I really wanted to see Punalu'u, but knew that would be too far out of the way.:confused:

 

 

Soon to be cruising on the PoH.....

 

Have you checked on that? After the earthquakes on sunday,I think most of the lava has changed its flow..parts of VNP are closed until further notice. The quake changed the flow of the lava. We go July 6th and some of my excursions have been cancelled :( and,no more lava viewing from the ship:( But,who knows whats going to happen,but its not sounding good. Dot

[SavageGirl]

Wow! I haven't heard anything about that!! I will have to check up on things. I was not informed about my excursion being cancelled.:eek:

[puablo]

Yeah sounds like all of Chain Of Craters Rd. and any Kilauea lava viewing is up in the air right now. Let me just pretend last week didn't happen and answer anyways...

 

I think it is safe to say that it is not possible to hike to the lava from the VNP side in the time you would have. Honestly I think it would be an all-day affair. I don't know how the trips work from the other side, but supposedly it's doable but you would miss VNP completely. Seeing as there is no lava right now, that renders it all moot, but presuming it were to restart in the same place, that's how it was.

 

As for Richardson's, it's not much of a beach really, and would be quite forgettable (small, etc.) if the sand wasn't black. It's more gray, really. It was neat to see black sand but it wasn't all that special. We only walked around for about 5 minutes.

[cruiseman40]

I also enjoyed my PofHawaii cruise. I love cruising and a lot of people has been complaining about the wait and making reservations on majority of the PofH restaurants. Remember folks we're dealing with American crew too and it is Hawaii, so relax and don't worry. Long wait and lines that week of 6/11-6/18. However, I loved it regardless and enjoyed my Hawaiian Vacation!

[NAS-KARR]

WHAT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR THAT WAS PUABLO. Finally a review that was informative and POSITIVE, I haven't read this from an NCL cruiser in many moons ! Good for you and that was a great job. Thank You very much.....

 

 

CIAO,

[beachchick]

puablo...great review! Since I just received an email from NCL saying that my second day Maui excursion was cancelled..we were thinking about doing the sunrise bike tour. The Revealed book does not give it that great a rating. I was a little surprised since I thought it was suppose to be good. I have a couple of questions for you..how cold was it? And,Im 57 and havent riden a bike in about 8-10 years,but I was always pretty good at it..did you find it difficult? Who did you book with? Thanks for any insight on this! Dot

 

Granted our Revealed books are a couple of editions out of date, but I don't feel that they give the Haleakala sunrise bike tour a "not so great." They do make it very, very clear that it is not as simple as people would like to think. There are risks, and it is not the place to re-learn how to ride a bike. The tour companies are, of course, going to make it as safe as possible. The problem seems to be that so many people figure, "Hey, they do this all the time. Anyone can do it, so it's no big deal; I haven't been on a bike for 10 years, but how hard could it be?" That's what's not so great, IMO. The bike downhill is a little more complicated than strapping into a roller coaster and just letting things go.

 

Certainly the sunrise bike downhill is an excellent choice for many. It is not a good choice for very young kids (I know they have age/size requirements), anyone who has not ridden a bike in the past decade, those who have serious respiratory conditions, or anyone who assumes that they can just put the bike on autopilot and coast 10,000 ft downhill on a winding road. I wouldn't recommend it for a pregnant woman simply because it's a bit more physical risk than I believe is wise, but I don't know if they have rules about that.

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

Yeah sounds like all of Chain Of Craters Rd. and any Kilauea lava viewing is up in the air right now. Let me just pretend last week didn't happen and answer anyways...

 

I think it is safe to say that it is not possible to hike to the lava from the VNP side in the time you would have. Honestly I think it would be an all-day affair. I don't know how the trips work from the other side, but supposedly it's doable but you would miss VNP completely. Seeing as there is no lava right now, that renders it all moot, but presuming it were to restart in the same place, that's how it was.

 

As for Richardson's, it's not much of a beach really, and would be quite forgettable (small, etc.) if the sand wasn't black. It's more gray, really. It was neat to see black sand but it wasn't all that special. We only walked around for about 5 minutes.

 

The road in from the Kalapana side has been closed as well, so that's not a viable option right now either. Things change frequently, so who knows what Madam Pele will decide to do in the near future.

 

I agree with your opinion about skipping Haleakala on a cruise if you're also going to VNP, but I have to disagree that sunrise is the only "exciting" time for Haleakala (in comparison to VNP). We've been there mid to late morning and thought it was well worth it. The two are so different that it's really not a direct comparison, IMO. But, with limited port time on cruises, I would choose VNP over Haleakala no question. We've only driven up Haleakala on land trips.

 

beachchick

[DALSAL]

Possibly one reason why Maui Revealed does not give it such glowing reviews is because they mention their neice went along,and with 2 miles left on the ride,a bee landed on her and she failed to make a turn and took a bad tumble! She ended up in the hospital and said it took a full year to get over her head injury symptoms! And mentioned,that she still hasnt received her complimentary I SURVIVED the HALEAKALA DOWNHILL RIDE tshirt,that they felt she earned.

 

They do give a warning that sounds right to me. They say that since so many ppl do it,its tempting to think the danger is minimal.They say according to the newspaper at least one serious accident happens every week. They feel one problem is that riders are strongly prodded to ride at least 20mph,or the tour company will be ticketed...

 

Im also starting to think...since one day Im taking it,and the next day Im not...that might be an omen that I should NOT do it :) I guess its something everyone should read up on and then decide if it sounds right to them. And,then know that you can get in the van and ride when you want... Dot

[joyce155]

Thanks for the post you confirmed my thoughts 3 kids - a bike fall on "flat" land with a child on an island in the past with no consequence was concern enough at the time during vacation, we are going to look and hike since my youngest learned about silverswords and wants to see them however we are skipping the bike event to avoid a trip to the ED..may sound cautious but a bike ride for 3 hrs not worth the entire vacation they can do it when get older on their next trip.. :) the oldest could do, my middle is clumsy, and my youngest who knows...

[DALSAL]

Thanks for the post you confirmed my thoughts 3 kids - a bike fall on "flat" land with a child on an island in the past with no consequence was concern enough at the time during vacation, we are going to look and hike since my youngest learned about silverswords and wants to see them however we are skipping the bike event to avoid a trip to the ED..may sound cautious but a bike ride for 3 hrs not worth the entire vacation they can do it when get older on their next trip.. :) the oldest could do, my middle is clumsy, and my youngest who knows...

 

Min age for bikers is 12yrs old(plus meet the height requirement)...Revealed for what its worth,says they think it should be 16yo..

[puablo]

I'm afraid I have to agree, the downhill bike ride is nothing to take lightly. It is indeed not just coasting, you need to be adept at braking and turning, which is not so simple as you would think, especially those first few miles where the landscape and dropoffs are very intimidating. There's a big difference between riding enormous roller coasters where you're strapped in and the safety is out of your control, compared to this case where one false move and you're in trouble. Now, this sounds like overkill to be sure, but I would heartily agree it's not the place for kids. Especially those early-teenage years when they may be comfortable on a bike but haven't quite acquired a sense of danger yet. :)

 

All that said, I still highly recommend the bike ride for older teenagers on up, and I definitely recommend the sunrise.

[DALSAL]

I'm afraid I have to agree, the downhill bike ride is nothing to take lightly. It is indeed not just coasting, you need to be adept at braking and turning, which is not so simple as you would think, especially those first few miles where the landscape and dropoffs are very intimidating. There's a big difference between riding enormous roller coasters where you're strapped in and the safety is out of your control, compared to this case where one false move and you're in trouble. Now, this sounds like overkill to be sure, but I would heartily agree it's not the place for kids. Especially those early-teenage years when they may be comfortable on a bike but haven't quite acquired a sense of danger yet. :)

 

All that said, I still highly recommend the bike ride for older teenagers on up, and I definitely recommend the sunrise.

 

Ive even decided that Im NOT going to do it. I have rods in my back,and wont even stand on a small ladder for fear that I will fall and do something to my back.So,I started thinking about it,even if I feel I could handle it,if someone fell in front of me,I might not be fast enough to stop and then I might tumble too.Its just not worth it to me...I will ride in a van! I think I will get to see the landscape a lot better than the bikers too! :) Dot

[mdbkcruise08]

Hello, Thanks for the great review. Enjoyed reading it twice! We would also like to stay in Oahu 3 pre-cruise days and rent a car from the airport for the 3 days.

Questions:

*Where can we drop our rental off prior to boarding the ship in Waikiki?

*How do we get from the rental drop off to the ship in Waikiki?

*If we rent a car on the other islands during the cruise, where do you pick-up/drop-off?

*Is there a shuttle from the Waikiki port back to the airport?

Thanks so much.