acoralm

According to their website, Uber only provides services in Honolulu and Maui.

Thanks for the followup! Does it happen shortly after the muster drill?

It's right after the drill. The Hawaiian blessing is at 5:45 and the sail away party starts at 6pm. For sail away we went to the upper deck (14) by the cabanas, port side. It was relatively quiet there, and we had a great view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head.

Could you please elaborate on the BBQ and entertainment? Sounds like fun!

The food was a buffet of what you would typically find at a bbq: hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork, coleslaw, salads. I honestly can't remember what they had for dessert, but I'm sure they must have had something.

The entertainment started with Hawaiian music and dancers. After that they had a DJ, and the entertainment group that does the nightly shows did some dancing. Passengers were invited to join in during the usual wedding/party dances like the Electric Slide and such. A couple of cast members jumped in the pool and invited passengers to join. While I didn't partake in this activity, a few people in my party (including my children) jumped in fully clothed.

It was lots of fun and a great way to get pumped up for the sail away.

Thank you for the information. I might go ahead and set up a reservation for our first night and then just call day of for the others.

 

Thanks again!

You're welcome. On the first day, from 5pm to 7pm, there's a bbq and entertainment by the pool deck. You may want to hang out there instead of making dinner reservations. It was loads of fun. For the sail away we hung out on deck 13 by the new cabanas. There was hardly anyone there, so we had a great view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head.

We have a group of 9 and I went to ncl's website to set up some dining reservations.

 

Right now, the only complimentary restaurant showing up to make a reservation at is the Liberty Main Dining Room. It's my understanding that the Skyline is also a main dining room. Does that one not take reservations? Is there a difference between the two?

 

The only reason I'm wanting to set up reservations is because of our party size. I don't really want to end up waiting for a long time if we can avoid it.

 

Thanks!

We sailed on May 14 with a group of 13. We just called the reservations desk, usually a couple of hours before we wanted to dine, sometimes not even with that much anticipation. Even though wait times are usually not long or nonexistent for smaller groups, my suggestion is that you definitely make a reservation whenever possible. We walked into the Cadillac Diner one late afternoon and, even though they were not busy, they were not happy that such a large group showed up. They asked that the next time we call ahead.

Definitely book an inside and save the cash to use on shore. We sailed on the POA the week of May 14. I was in an inside cabin while someone else in our group was in a balcony cabin. For sail aways we would hang anywhere on the very front of the ship or the back. Neither were crowded. For the Na Pali Coast sail by I had read here on CC that deck 6 would be best. Such great advice! We had something to eat at the Cadillac Diner and then hung out for a while. It was not crowded at all. Great viewing spot!

Yes, it does include shuttle transportation to the port. I was just on the May 14 sailing, and our group was picked up at 11:30am. However, NCL had buses transporting passengers throughout the morning. I don't know how early they start, and I don't think you can choose the time. We were given the time when doing check in.

Thanks for reading! My husband and I just DVR'd the movie "Escape from Alcatraz" and are looking forward to watching! :) Did you do the night tour?

 

We went during the day and listened to a chat about inmate Jim Quillen. I would love to take the night tour, though. Maybe in the future...

I've been following along since the trip to Alcatraz and enjoying your blog. Your Alcatraz photos reminded me of my own trip to the prison last summer.

Thank you so much for the photos of the inside cabin. That is what we're cruising in, and it's so hard to find reviews from people that have sailed inside.

Looking forward to your review. We'll be sailing on May 14.

The brand is "Baglane" and the set I purchased was a set of 8 for $36.99 in various sizes.

That's a great deal. Thank you.

I just discovered packing cubes and they have made packing so much easier that it is unreal. At least for me and the type of clothes I have packed. The set I have also work well with the type of luggage we have. For $36 on Amazon I got a set of eight in a brand that has already been through multiple trips and still look like new, including the zippers. And they come in multiple colors so it would be easy to identify either multiple types of items or multiple people's belongings.

 

I used to use compression bags, the ones that all you had to do was roll them to get the air out. The problem wasn't so much that they wrinkled the clothes excessively ... that's what wrinkle release is for ... but that the bags themselves were wrinkled and hard after being compressed. It made for a lot of wasted space in the luggage. And the resulting shape wasn't always convenient for the luggage I was taking.

 

Where compression bags beat packing cubes is when you have to take a large bulky item like a heavy coat or ski/snow pants. Normally if I need a coat I just carry it on but that isn't always convenient.

 

Just my experience and I'm sure others will differ.

What's the brand of packing cubes that you purchased on Amazon? Or perhaps you can post a link?

They only ship to the 48 contiguous states. So Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico are not included. :(

We usually try and get out for the proverbial "Sunday drive" each weekend, and this coming Sunday we will make Kahului Harbor our featured destination if anybody wants us to do so. The POA will be in then and we can look around, talk to port security face-to-face, etc. and find out first-hand about the parking situation and report back right away.

Thank you so much for that offer. We sail in a month and changing our current 2-day reservation to single days would probably bring up the total price of the car.

Thank you to everyone that has responded. So much great information and tips. I'm leaning towards a compression bag for thicker items, like my one pair of jeans and jean shorts, and maybe some packing cubes for the smaller things. Most of my shirts are a flimsy material that do not wrinkle or occupy much space so I should be good there.

Which are better? What are the pros and cons for each?

In about another month I will be cruising for the first time. I only want to take a carry-on suitcase and a personal item/backpack. Even though the cruise is only 7 days, I will be staying in San Francisco for a few days pre and post cruise. Total time of the vacation will be 2 weeks. What's the most efficient way to pack? I know that packing cubes are better for organization but won't I be able to pack more with compression bags?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for all the replies. It looks like sunset for us will be just past 7pm.

Does someone know the approximate time of the POA Na Pali Coast sail by and how long the first pass takes? I would like to make dinner reservations for that night but don't want to miss the amazing view. Thank you.

Will continue bringing mine as it does contain items well. For an inside cabin with 4 people, a definite plus.

Well, there's the answer to my indecision. Thank you.

I'm still on the fence about this one. I've gone back and forth with the pros and cons for the last week months. In May I'll be taking my very first cruise. We'll be traveling on NCL's Pride of America in an inside cabin. There will be 4 of us...myself, my 15 year old daughter and my in-laws. Although I don't want to carry one more thing, with so many people in such a small cabin I'm tempted to bring a shoe organizer along. Reviews here on CC are usually for the larger cabins so it's hard to determine how much storage we will actually have on an inside cabin.

In case anyone is still looking for a tote, someone posted this on another thread. HSN has the Baggalini "Have It All" tote on clearance for just $25.

http://www.hsn.com/products/baggalini-have-it-all-woven-tote/7835253?query=7835253&isSuggested=True&

I am a 50 year old female in decent shape- not a weight lifter, but not frail and I do not find it in the least bit heavy. I use mine solely as a carry on too- and I've cruised for 7 days with just the carry on spinner and tote so every inch was filled- still no problem.

Thank you so much for your input.

I have This Samantha brown luggage in yellow and absolutely love it! I bought it for the nesting ability and couldn't be happier. Check out this video around 2min 45sec and you can see just how the tote nests. I travel lots and this has really made my life easier.

 

http://www.hsn.com/videos/device/mobile/v/105958301/video-samantha-brown-embossed-ombre-spinner-3-piece-luggage-set.htm

The specs on the HSN website say the spinner is quite heavy. Do you feel that way? I would be buying to carry-on rather than check-in so something not too heavy to lift overhead is important.

Great deal for a Baggalini "Have it All" Woven Tote , $24.97 before tax and free shipping. Go go go this will not last long.

 

https://www.hsn.com/products/baggalini-have-it-all-woven-tote/7835253

Thank you so much for the heads up. I've been looking for something to carry as a personal item, and this seems to be a great choice.

I also saw the below set, and I'm very tempted to order as I want to get a spinner. Anyone know anything about this brand?

http://www.hsn.com/products/samantha-brown-hardside-collection-3-piece-set/7443850