pattyj 1204

Thanks for asking this question. It sounds like fun and I'm pleased to know about this option.

Good choice, you will have a great time.

You got some good advice, we just returned from our POA trip and loved it. We also wanted laid back things to do. We rented a car in Maui and drove the well-marked modern road to the Maui Ocean Center. It was fun to walk through the clear round tube seeing all the ocean creatures. There was a place to pet starfish, urchins and other shallow dwelling creatures. Worth the trip. Enjoy your vacation.

We missed the port of Kona, might make sense to not pre-pay, just reserve. We didn't get charged for our scheduled rental in Kona and don't have to wait for a refund. Just something to think about asking the rental companies. We also used Discount car rentals.

Silver is correct. My husband and I both have knee problems and had very little difficulty managing on our own in the rented cars. I can't walk fast and a guided tour was going to be difficult for me. We were able to find lots of places to stop for photos or just the gorgeous views. You might enjoy the easy walk through the Maui sealife center (not sure if that is the right name) It is off the main highway, easy to find and navigate. A walk-thru tunnel where you can see the sea creatures.

As an aside, could he get a handicap card to use for handicap parking? Also a wheeled walker could come in very handy. When he got tired he could sit down and you could carefully push him along. Do some research into what you might want to see and I noticed that a lot of places had ramps to walk on in addition to the stairs. Have fun on your trip.

We used Pacific Shuttle for our disembarkation tour. We did the east side of the Island and the luggage came with us in the vehicle. We had a group of 6 and it was an amazing tour. Not a big touring bus.

Just off an NCL ship and yes, they do check all your luggage and carryons. I don't think the other cruise lines allow you to bring water and soda on either.

We were on your ship with you and probably passed by each other several times without knowing it!!! Glad you and the boys had a fun time. I think our last day in Honolulu was the hottest and sunniest day we had. :) We rented cars everywhere too and it was easier than some people said it was going to be. Parking at the airport was a breeze. Of course we weren't getting up at 3 am to see the crater sunrise.LOL This was just a sample of the beauty to be seen in Hawaii, and I'd love to go back again and do a land based vacation.

We used Pacific Shuttle with Brent on our last day in Honolulu, you might want to check him out. He did a tour for 6 of us called the East Oahu Scenery Tour and it was awesome. Saw some gorgeous shorelines and a beautiful cactus garden the college students were weeding. Some of the biggest cactus I've ever seen.

This was our first cruise with NCL and we breezed through the check in process in about 20min. at 3:30pm. Some rooms weren't ready yet, but our floor was so we were able to go right up to the room. I did notice that if you had anything special at check in the staff was moving them to a shorter line, Maybe someone with more cruises under their belts will give you a better answer.

We are also just back from our cruise and parked overnight at the airport, it was really painless and legal. The $15 to park was monitored by a ticket that you got when you entered the lot. It was easy. Just took the shuttle back to the airport/car rental area and we were on our way. We had rented cars in all the ports, but missed going to Kona as that is a tender port and the weather service said there was a big storm with heavy rain and high winds, so we didn't get off the ship. We got a sea day instead and got to see the whale wild life refuge area and Molokai island. Just need to make sure if you reserve a car that you won't get charged if something like that happens.

I'm just off the Pride of America and I didn't see lobster offered anywhere. also the option of paying for an upgrade to different main course has been discontinued. When I was mentioning about the upcharge for some food items on the MDR menus, the waiter said that it has been discontinued. We went to both main dining rooms and the Cadillac Diner we didn't see any. I too missed the lobster.

I agree with Turtles06 We have sailed on Celebrity--this will be our first cruise on NCL. Our room stewards have always been helpful and happy. They greet us by name and our room is taken care of very well. I have never tipped before the cruise starts, but always adequately tipped at the end of the cruise. I always have thank you cards with me and write out kind comments on the comment cards we get--asking how our service was. I will miss having the same waiter/waitress at the main meal. But I'm willing to give freestyle a chance.

Thanks for posting brings back memories of our 2 cruises to Alaska. Being from the Midwest I never saw "real" mountains and believe me I was impressed. Never knew where to look first. Hated to go to sleep in case I might miss something beautiful. Your photos are gorgeous.

Thank you to everyone that answered for me. That cost seems much less than I was thinking it would be. We aren't Costco members--Sams club for us. LOL Oh well, we are on vacation and it will cost what it costs. I just wanted to know for the ballpark number. Thanks again. We are leaving on Tues, so it will be nice to be somewhere warm and beautiful.

I was wondering about how much money we'll need for gas fill ups when we rent the cars on the Islands, not Oahu (we are going on organized tours there) I'm going to go to the bank and wanted an estimate of the cost of a gallon of gas. It is fairly inexpensive here, but I understand it will be more expensive in Hawaii due to having everything shipped in. Thanks for the help.

I can check this out in the next 2 weeks. we are sailing on Feb. 25, 2017. I hope I can get some lobster because DH owes me a dinner. LOL

Thanks again for doing all this posting. Making me so very excited about our upcoming cruise. So much fun.

I hope we'll be able to see it. Nature sure is an awesome force that we can't control or predict.

We are leaving cold country in a little more than 2 weeks and can hardly wait for some sunshine!!! Thanks for the review. I'm enjoying all your photos. We have a balcony cabin on the port side and are looking forward to seeing the Napali coast too. 2 off topic sort of questions. What is in that hula Pie it looks amazing, Dukes is in our game plan for our pre cruise stay. Also your Shave Ice looks good too. Ice cream in the bottom and the shaved ice on top with the syrup flavoring? Sounds Yummy.

I saw a video yesterday of the lava flow and a small boat near the steam and waves that the lava made when going into the ocean. Nope, don't want to see it that up close and personal. Looked really dangerous to me. The POA is supposed to sail by the Volcano/lava, but not so close that it would pose a danger to the passengers. We are leaving Honolulu on the 25th of Feb and should be able to report back when we get back home.

We took that road tour also. Your photos of Emerald Lake are just like looking at it. Some of your photos would make an awesome puzzle. I saw a place to have a photo of your own made into a puzzle. Great postcards too. Thanks for posting.

Is there a possibility that you could call Princess cruise lines and ask them for help choosing an appropriate tour for a person using canes. Good luck, I'm sure someone else will come on with some help for you. Have fun in Hawaii.

Poor toddler and mother. Bet she was beyond embarrassed by the screaming when nothing she could do would help. That happened to us on a trip to Europe. Not much fun for sure. I feel badly for you too.

My son bought my husband and me each one of those power stations. He said I should have plenty of power for my Kindle and DS all the way to Hawaii.