AlohaPride

Thanks. I'd still like to see the menu so I know what to budget now.

Bueller?

Does anyone have any PDF images of the Drink Menu for Pride of America? I'm trying to figure out the average cost and see if the Drink Package (drinks up to $11) would be worth it for how much I intend to consume.

I will be on the POA in December. A friend, whose husband hates to cruise, asked me along and I said heck yes. So we will be in a regular balcony. I have absolutely loved reading your review so far.

Since my late husband was retired military I booked our hotel room at the Hale Koa, which is a military hotel. It is near the Outrigger. It has great reviews.

As each day goes by I am getting more excited. Of course my friend keeps calling me about going on other cruises with her and I have to remind her that I still work but couldn't pass up Hawaii.

The Hale Koa is really nice. There aren't coffee makers in the rooms and there is no room service, but that's made up for in the rates and location of the hotel. The pools are really nice and the drinks at the barefoot bar are yummy. You won't be disappointed with the Hale Koa. We were just there yesterday enjoying the pool with my parents, who are retired military. We live here and when they visit it's always a favorite place to go.

I'm exhausted just reading your review! Wow!

I see this as affecting their passengers who typically book the more expensive cabins - balcony and suite cruisers. I wouldn't think those in inside cabins would want to eat in their rooms. What a disappointment.

Edit to add: Never mind. Room Service is free for suite passengers. This only affects balcony passengers, really.

They are currently running kids deals so worth checking now for booking. The promos were great in February and have been chipped away at a bit each month, but the 3rd-8th at 50% off or free has continued for the time being.

Do I need to call NCL? I'm not seeing any kids deals on their website. . .

Yes they run kids sail free' date=' our two sailed POA in March under this special.

However, unless you live in Hawaii, airfare is a significant factor. Before we booked, I checked multiple combinations of cruise and air costs before booking. We ended up getting ksf after booking but before final payment,so keep you eyes open.

 

 

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Thanks! We do live in Hawaii. We'd prefer to take a different cruise, but the lava is flowing on the Big Island and we'd like to go see it.

I'm looking into POA. My dates are extremely flexible. This'll be our first time with NCL. Do they ever run booking specials? Kids sail free for example?

Great news! Maybe we'll wait on Europe and book the first Christmas cruise on the King. ;)

Something else to consider will be the trans-Atl when the new ship makes its way to North America. You'll still see some of the Med ports and save quite a bit on air. I've looked at the air prices for what I think will be similar cruises on the Princess site (because they really outshine HAL with that web feature and I'd expect both CCL cruise lines have the same airfares). For a BCN to FLL cruise, the air runs $1450 - 1700/pp from HNL. They have another cruise from Rome but it is too far out to see those airfares. You'll be able to see those fares for the Ocean Princess trans-Atl in about a month.

 

We've rented a pre-cruise apartment in Europe in the past and have another booked for a future cruise. Particularly for a family of 5, the extra space (and a kitchen) makes this an excellent alternative to a hotel. Being able to save money isn't bad either.

I heard a rumor that the new ship is going to stay in Europe and not do trans-A. I hope that's not the case, because that would be my preferred cruise. I've always wanted to take one.

Yes, we go outer island often. We love Kauai. Maui has a lot to do. My husband was born in Hilo, and we have plans to get up to Volcano National Park in the next year to see the lava flows with our girls.

North Shore Ka'ena Point doesn't go through any residential, and would have been an easy and fast detour for a tour guide. It's only about 20-25 minutes from Haleiwa. The North Shore Marathon starts in Haleiwa and goes out to Ka'ena Point and back. It's a great run.

We were thinking of stopping in Toronto because a friend of ours from there says air to Europe Is way cheaper from Toronto than the U.S. ;)

I'll need it. DH is more interested in this possible trip than in any of the others we've taken. I'm kinda feeling the pressure. LOL

I'm so glad you enjoyed your time on our island! We are thinking about stopping in Toronto on our way to Rome in 2016.

 

I know it’s been a while since I swam in the ocean, but I don’t recall it being so rocky! I ended up cutting up my leg on the rocks when I went out to swim, though I didn’t even notice until my mom pointed it out to me…then promptly told me to go back into the ocean so that the saltwater will clean my wounds haha

Yes, the ocean here has a lot of rocks. The islands are volcanic. The white sand is shipped in to make some of the beaches more people friendly. The reef is also what helps make the waves so large.

We passed by the University of Hawai’i Honolulu Campus on our way, and I think further along on this street it was like a tent city of some homeless people. It was a reminder that even paradise has its own difficulties just like everywhere else.

 

I didn’t think Waikele Premium Outlets was all the great personally. It was definitely the smallest outlet mall I’ve ever been to, and though there was construction here also it seemed more cosmetic than anything else. But we did some shopping at Kate Spade so it wasn’t a total loss haha

 

The majority of our homeless are actually from the "colder" states who give them 1 way tickets here rather than pay the heating costs during the winter for shelters. Our legislature this past session has decided to start sending the homeless back to their homes. Yes, it's warm here, but we can't afford to take care of so many either. We asked those states to send us money to help defray the cost, but that's not going to happen.

The only place I really wanted to see was Kaena Point, as the travel book that I got mentioned that it had the most beautiful sunsets, which we would be in time for if we did the typical counter-clockwise tour of the island. Unfortunately, I had to choose the one place on Oahu that all the tour guides (that I talked to, anyway) would just not go to, haha. Evidently, the west side of Oahu is sort of their high-crime area because it’s mostly locals living there—sorta like their Jane and Finch, for any fellow Torontonians. Cars are often broken into there, and we would’ve needed a four wheel drive vehicle for the terrain, which most tour companies don’t use, so we were out of luck there. Not sure if I’ll ever make it out there if I do end up going to Oahu again, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, haha.

 

There are two access points to Ka'ena Point. North Shore side and Leeward Side. Yes, Nanakuli and Waianae are lower income areas. BUT I feel perfectly fine leaving my car parked and going hiking. The beach park at Ka'ena Point on The Leeward side is beautiful and it's a shame he wouldn't take you. You also missed Ko'Olina on the way that is a beautiful place. Please try to visit next time you are here.

After that, we continued on our way. Not sure which mountain this was, but you could climb it much like Diamond Head (I actually think we saw this from Diamond Head). Considering how much steeper it looks, I don’t think I’ll be climbing it any time soon, haha.

 

Koko Head Crater. It's a fun hike. If you can do Diamond Hear from KCC you can do Koko Head ;)

Ron said this was a military hospital.

 

Tripler Army Medical Center. The VA is also there. :)

It's a shame you didn't get to see Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona, USS Missouri, and The Bowfin are very interesting places. The Swap Meet is also at Aloha Stadium on Sat, Sun, and Wed. Ward Centers near Ala Moana (1 block away) also has great shopping along with movie theaters, a Dave and Busters, and more boutique shopping.

Thank you for the review. I've always wondered about POA. ;)

My friend is from Toronto. She says that we should fly there and then book the Europe trip. She says it's much cheaper through Toronto.

I'm watching the itineraries. We really want to cruise this ship. I priced out the 12 day Rome R/T and it was 7700 for all 5 of us (awesome!). Now I just have to figure out the 10k I'll need for air. [emoji15]

I was very excited to learn they now have cabins for families of 5! I'm looking at April/May 2016, but wondering if we should wait a little longer. I am also VERY interested where it will be at Christmas of 2016. We took the Noordam's first Christmas cruise and it was so magical. I'd love to do it again.

I wonder if the larger cabins for 5 will be taken by smaller families. They have 2 bathrooms which make them desirable. If they are booked by parties with less than 5, I can't imagine how hard its going to be to book without having a year (or more) to wait.

Thanks for all the posts and pictures we have a 14night round trip out of Seattle planned for the summer of 2015 and are thinking we will travel to Seattle 2 nights before the ship departs so we can explore the city. We are not sure if we should stay in downtown or closer to the airport or the cruise port.

 

Thanks again the pictures are great we are looking forward to our trip.

Staying near the airport and taking a shuttle to the pier saved us a TON of money. We might actually go back to Alaska in 3 years instead of 5 LOL

Price out two connecting smaller cabins also. Often the price is similar or close, with almost twice the space a double baths, closets, etc.

 

Of course it depends on the size/ages of the 3-5 passengers traveling.

By then they will be 10, 9, and 7 :)

Ha! I think half the fun is pouring over the deck plans and reading reviews and then securing the "perfect" stateroom when you book. If you're not booking a suite, the deposit is refundable up to a few months before. And even with a suite, it is transferable to another cruise date (so I was told by a Disney agent). So although your money is tied up longer, it's not a huge commitment. And there's that much more time to enjoy the anticipation of your cruise!

 

I know this doesn't really answer your question about how fast five person staterooms fill up but it's my rationale for booking early. :-)

Oh, we are FOR. SURE. booking early! I always book at least a year out. Travel from Hawaii is expensive and we need to take time to save up (we don't use credit cards).

On most Disney cruises you get the best prices when booking opens. I would go ahead and book it as soon as I could.

Ok, so a year from when 2016 itineraries are released LOL

We want to cruise with DCL in 2017. I know the itineraries haven't been published yet (I'm guessing we have a year or more to wait), BUT should I plan to book as SOON as they are published? How fast do the regular cabins that sleep 5 sell out? I know, as of now, the cabins for 5 on the 14 day Panama Canal itinerary we want to take are already sold out for next year.

I guess I'm asking if I need to be religiously checking for published itineraries or if I can relax a bit. LOL

Thank you all for the kind words. It was nice to relive our trip over the past week since we've been home. My parents left on Saturday night and it's been a tough couple of days with the girls getting them back into a routine. :(

Day 17: Seattle

We didn't have to be off the ship until 9, but our room steward woke us up at 6. How kind of him. We showered, got dressed, grabbed our backpacks and spent the next few hours in the Lido desperately holding on to our time on board.

At 9 sharp we made our way back to the Promenade and off the ship. We grabbed our bags and made our way back to the Seattle Express Shuttle (at sign "S" but different from the Shuttle Express service). It was a pretty funny ride to our hotel. The driver had to stop at 4 hotels. So he drive to the closest one, but needs to take a u-turn to get to it, same story with hotels 2 and 3. Lots of u-turns. Had he just gone to the furthest hotel ALL the others would have been hit on his way back to the airport/cruise terminal where he could have dropped those people off as well. A 40 min trip turned into almost 2 hours. The girls took naps in the back of the shuttle.

After we checked into our hotel room the girls really needed to finish their naps. We had passed a local craft and art fair at Angle Lake Park down the street from our hotel. We decided not to go into Seattle and to go to that fair instead after the girls slept for a bit (6 hours of sleep is NOT ENOUGH for young children LOL). We were going to meet with another dear friend who was willing to drive to us instead of us going into Downtown to meet him. How blessed are we to know so many amazing people?!

The girls all woke up at about 3. They slept for about 3 1/2 hours! I was able to use my cell phone as a hot spot and catch up on what I had missed over the 2 weeks we had been gone. I had no idea Brad and Angelina had gotten married!

This hotel room is much much nicer than the first one we had. The A/C works really well, and it was cleaner. We will most likely stay at this hotel or the Clarion the next time we are in Seattle.

The Angle Lake Park International Festival was not very International, but it had a kids' play area, a splash pad, food trucks, and really good live music. Our friend met us and we spent a good 2 hours just catching up and shooting the breeze. It was a wonderful last afternoon in Seattle.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a 7-11 to load up on snack and rent a movie from Red Box. The hotel does not have DVD players, so we watched the movie on my laptop. It was a low key, relaxing night before our last day in Seattle.

Our last day in Seattle included a visit to the EMP Museum. If you haven't been, you really MUST go! It was so cool!! We wished we had more time to look around, and the sound booths complete with full drum sets were a HIT with our girls.

The Christopher Reeve Superman!!

Wicked Witch of the West's HAT!!

Alaska Airlines got us home safe and sound. It was a late flight, so the girls slept and I was able to watch Maleficent on the overpriced entertainment tablet. LOL It's nice to be home, but I sure wish we were still on that ship. This was the vacation to top all vacations we have taken so far, and our plan is to do it again in 5 years when the girls are older and we can be a little bit more adventurous (ala Dave and his "live from" thread). We also are going to do that zipline in Hoonah!!

Thank you for joining us on our adventure. If you have any questions, I'd be pleased to try to answer them.