elhenry
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Posts posted by elhenry
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Does anyone know if the Smith Family a Luau has seats or do we sit on the ground? My DW is trying to figure out what to wear....
They have seats at long communal tables. Dress is garden party casual, although really you could wear anything you wanted: just like on a Hawaii cruise!
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Sailed in 9504 on the Jewel in April 2012. We'd sailed the "suite" life before, but nothing was like the OS. with two (large) balconies, even if we could only use the front one in port, a large "living room" with an actual table, not a coffee table, a "make-up" room and a bathroom with windows. You'll love it.
happy cruising,
el henry
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We were in 11512, 11514 (balcony cabins) and 11518 (suite) on the POA in July.
POA cabins are double the price of any other comparable cabins I have sailed, but that is the price of Hawaii.
512 and 514 were *great*. They were teeny tiny cabins, but the balconies were as deep as the suites and almost as wide: two loungers and two chairs. Folks will tell you that you are not in your room much, and that is true, but even in Hawaii I liked relaxing on the balcony.
That said, I am not sure if the suites are worth it. The rooms are larger, but not enough to hold more than two folks. The perks of the suite (Cagneys. butlers) may not be worth it when you are off the ship every day. Only you can decide.
happy cruising,
el henry
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We booked Mary Lou's, but had two for the price of one and also had Gil from Big Aina: for our Hilo stop, we were eight, so four traveled with Ken and four traveled with Gil to the various stops, and both Gil and Ken commented. I was not in "Gil's car", but he was friendly and knowledgeable when I did speak with him.
happy cruising,
el henry
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I sailed POA in July 2013. I am also Emerald on RCCL, having sailed them six times since 1988 (oops, am I that old?)
The POA is an excellent introduction to the islands. I also booked the cruise knowing that a return to Hawaiii was not in the cards for me anytime soon, and we found the ease of travelling from island to island on a cruise, where you are eating, sleeping, or enjoying yourself, to be the way to go.
I do not understand the comments some make about the POA crew. They could not have been nicer to me, or to my elderly and frail mother, or the rest of the family.
The biggest difference from RCCL will be the dining. There is no consistent option in NCL (this was my third NCL cruise) for dining every night, with the same servers, at the same time, and you will not have the same "Oh of course you want Earl Grey tea" service that you get with fixed dining. Freestyle dining has advantages (particularly in Hawaii, where you are docked overnight and may not want to be tied to a dining time), but only you can decide if fixed dining is important to you.
From my point of view, the food is similar, the entertainment is similar, and you are in Hawaii: go for it!
(p.s. NCL overall is not expensive; the POA is, compared to other NCL cruises and to RCCL)!
happy cruising,
el henry
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Are casinos open in Hawaiian waters?
No. Gambling is illegal in Hawaii and ships in Hawaiian waters cannot operate casinos. The POA, which cruises exclusively in Hawaiian waters, has no casino.
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We are looking for good private tour guides for Oahu (Pearl Harbor/North Shore) and Hilo (VNP and waterfalls). Recommendations?
We used Mary Lou's for VNP and additional touring on our July 2013 POA cruise. They were wonderful and I would highly recommend them. Since we left from HNL, we did not use any tour guides in Oahu.
Happy cruising,
el henry
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We sailed the POA in July 2013. To add to the chorus recommending Kalapaki Beach, our group took paddleboarding and/or surfing lessons with the Kauai Beach boys, located right at the beach (which is less than a ten minute walk from the ship). They were very kind to totally uncoordinated me. They were a little surprised that my nephew took to surfing so well. All they heard was Pennsylvania. They understood more when they heard "snowboard".
Happy cruising,
el henry
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I disagree that there are no worthwhile beaches near the ship in any port. In Kauai, Kalapaki beach is lovely little beach in front of a very nice hotel. We took paddle boarding lessons with the "Kauai Beach boys" and the second morning, a turtle swam within five feet of me, something that did not happen at the more distant, less "accessible" beaches. That said, Kauai is the only port with such a beach in walking distance.
el henry
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Although I have often heard that a priest will lead Mass if traveling with the ship, I have never actually been on one that had one. (I am not RC, but my traveling companions often are.) We were on the Jewel in 2012 during Holy Week and no priest, but the dailies listed "Pray the rosary with your fellow guests" in the chapel in the morning. My cabin mate attended every morning.
Actually, I take back that I have never heard of an RC priest on board a ship. I am Episcopalian and about 10 years ago, on the Celebrity Mediterranean cruise I think, I was wearing my t-shirt that says "A woman's place is in the House of Bishops". A lady came up to me and said that she was traveling with her brother, an RC priest, and she sincerely hoped he saw my shirt. LOL. But I never saw him!
happy cruising,
el henry
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The attachment should be a rainbow over the NaPali Coast (July 2013); what happens if you arrive right after the rain. So you definitely need to return!
el henry
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Lovebears, we did get leis, but that was on the Kona side. Not to worry, however , if it's leis you want, I am sure that Mary Lou and Ken could find them on the Hilo side.
el henry
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We were on the POA in July 2013. We had 6 p.m. reservations, and that was cutting it awfully close: (we were on port side, but it is a leisurely sailby).
I would go wtih 6:30 or later.
el henry
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Daisy4235, have you considered private tours? I was on the POA in July 2013 with our extended family, including my disabled mother, (the other end of the spectrum from the wee one) and I refuse to drive. (On vacation, I don't even want to drive on the "right" side of the road, I don't care how easy, what a snap, etc., it is to rent cars. I'm on vacation, I don't drive.)
We used Mary Lou's on Hilo and Kona and they were wonderful. I am sure they could tailor a tour to a two year old, and you could go back to the ship on your timetable (as we did with Mom). If you visit the Hawaii Boards, you will see other suggestions for private tours.
As Puddles said, Kona is completely walkable if you wish, and I spent two days at Kauai on Kalapaki beach, an easy stroll (and easy to push a wheelchair) from the ship.
happy cruising,
el henry
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I think this is going to be a difficult question to answer, because I don't know how many people will have taken tours with both Ricky's *and* Mary Lou's, and therefore would be in a position to compare.
We used Mary Lou's for both Hilo and Kona in a July 2013 POA sailing and *loved* them; we had Ken, who tailored the tour to where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see, yet also exposed us to experiences (tamarinds off a tamarind tree, white pineapple, roadside leis) that we would not have known to request. But Ricky's gets rave reviews on this board too.
What do you want to do?
happy cruising,
el henry
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My mother stayed on board the ship on the Kona day, as she was not physically able to tender. She and my brother sat on the aft of deck 11. You could see all of the sights and some of the chairs had umbrellas (they were chairs with tables). Also, Moderno is open for breakfast and you could sit inside and see the same sights, only with a cup of coffee.
There are plenty of lounge chairs underneath the 12 deck, and thus in shade. Since absolutely no one will be on the ship, other than the physically challenged like Mom :), you should have your choice of seats.
el henry
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If any of the places visited haveentrance fees are they included in the price?
I believe our entrance fees were included in the price, as Ken had a "season's pass" to VNP. We did not go anywhere else that had an entrance fee. In any event, the fees for the parks, etc., are fairly low.
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Thanks for the quick replies. El Henry, did you take a photo of yours by chance? I was able to find a few photos online but not many.
Unfortunately, I do not have photos. You will hear from almost everyone on a POA cruise, because you want to wring every last minute from the islands, the cabins fall by the wayside for photo taking. (exception being the super duper cabins and the controversy about one/two bedrooms.)
Although the balcony was great, the cabin itself was a typical NCL balcony cabin, teeny weeny, but again, early to bed, early to rise, early to see the islands, and not in the cabin so much. Also, except for Kona and Kauai, the ports are industrial and not much to see from the balcony. Still nice, however!
el henry
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I do not remember the category, but we were in what I suspect is a "large balcony" on deck 11 of the POA. It was one of two cabins between suite cabins, and we were traveling with the other cabin and the suite (so I don't remember if we were 11518, 11514, all a blur!)
That being said, it was the *largest* balcony I have ever had on a regular balcony cabin. We had two lounge chairs and two regular chairs, much like a suite; it was as deep as the suite balcony, but not as wide. Made the sting of the POA's pricing a little less.
Was it as wondrous as the two balconies on the Jewel OS the year before? No, but until I win the lottery, I won't be sailing an OS on the POA. :)
happy cruising,
el henry
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As a vegetarian, this is one of my favorites; I like the chickpea salad as much as the sweet potato cake.
happy cruising,
el henry
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Midnight Blue, Sis and family also had Pu as their guide and the very first thing they mentioned was her voice. She must be quite impressive. They did stop at the waterfalls however.
We had Ken from Mary Lou's for both Hilo and Kona, and the Mary Lou's tour of Kona was the highlight of the trip for us. So glad the cruise worked out for you!
el henry
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Hello everyone!!!
We have been on several cruises ourselves but are taking a group cruise on NCL PRIDE OF AMERICA in September with family and one being disabled and depends on a wheelchair.
I have read over the special discussions related to cruising but not having any luck with POA specific information or HAWAII information.
Please reply with advice and suggestions for POA AND HAWAII if you or your fellow cruiser can offer some guidance.
Thanks in advance.
Meggan
Meggan, we traveled with my Mom, who was in a wheelchair, on the POA. One point which I have not run into on any other ship: the buttons to push the doors open automatically are not marked on the pool deck. We struggled with opening the doors and pushing her wheelchair for three days until we figured out where they were.
Kona is a tender port, the tender boats are tiny, and the seas are choppy. Unfortunately, since it is a great port, I do not think it will be accessible. My mom did not get off the ship.
If you would like a tour, and your wheelchair is collapsible, hire Mary Lou's tours on the Big Island. They were great with Mom.
el henry
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Didn't really pay much attention to that ship before and just checked out some prices for studios. Yikes.
Must be the itinerary I guess. I think I'll pass on 2700 bucks for a studio. :eek:
It is the itinerary, the American crew, and the cost of goods and fuel transported to Hawaii. Our POA balcony this year was only $1000 less than the Jewel OS in 2012. We booked 15 mos. out and the price never went down.
el henry
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I'm on your sailing so you CLEARLY don't want to near me because I will be too busy having a great time....as with ALL my other sailings I have had on NCL. I do not allow anyone to mess with positive vacation vibes (before,during and after) with their negative energy whilst im on vacation as I am enjoy sipping my martini's (dry with 4 olives)...you should do the same.
is a dayum smile going to make and break your vacation. you smile at the staff and they don't smile back e'ffem and keep a moving with a smile on your face all the way to the next bar!
why da hayle are you worried about having a bad time on YOUR vacation based on someone else's expectations on THEIR vacation !!!:eek: this is YOUR money you spent on this vacation, that you are about to throw away!!
*rant over*
but to answer your question is NO, NCL does not have no such policy. you cancel and take a loss of 100 % is your only option unless you have the cancel for any reason policy.
SMDH
Double like.
I read reviews to see what facts I can glean, not what vibes are thrown off. Otherwise, I never would have booked the POA and would have missed a wonderful cruise, in part because the staff was so helpful and friendly!
el henry
Smith Family Luau
in Hawaii
Posted
We were at Smith's in July 2013 and did not notice any particular mosquito problem. No more humid than the rest of Kauai. But you are there after sunset, so it can get a little cool. Again, nothing that I noticed as unusual.