georgiacat

I would suggest that you spend 2 days at each lodge that you visit.  One day only gets you there, sleep, and get on the bus the next day; very tiring.  

We reserve cruises/cruisetours through a travel agent and asked her to get us close to the main lodge since we are limited in our walking.  You may wish to designate handicapped lodging.  They have shuttle buses to get you around the campus from your room to main lodge, but sometimes it is quite a distance to walk.  Shuttles may be inconsistent in timing.

Check out the reviews posted here about Princess cruisetours.  They can answer a lot of questions.  We have been twice.

love to cruise 2017,

Will you be on NCL?  We just finished a cruise on NCL in Hawaii and chose their transfer "Pearl Harbor & City Tour" with airport drop off.  It fit our needs perfectly.  Debark from the ship was a breeze.  Luggage stayed on bus.  We had city tour with a stop for King Kamehameha statue pictures and almost 4 hours at Pearl Harbor.  Arrived at airport about 1:45 pm for our 4:30 pm flight.

We took a taxi to the Maui Ocean Center last week.  We thoroughly enjoyed the center and spent 2-3 hours there.  Don't miss the whale show (theater).  It was very much worth it.

There are a lot of options with PCC.  We did the luau with show and the HA, Breath of Life show last week.  We were finished by 9 pm with everything.  Back to hotel by 10:30 by bus provided by PCC.  We chose to use their transportation option instead of renting a car.  If you do not stay for HA, you will be finished earlier, about 6:30 pm.

The food at the Aloha luau was delicious.  The show was great.

Thank all of you for reassuring me.  I was worried and you have made me feel much better.  
Down to the last minute.

I completed my check in last night for the POA and was assigned a check in time of 1:30 pm.  However, we have to be out of hotel by 11 am; car service is picking us up at 11 am; I thought we would be at port by 11:30 am.  How strict is POA at enforcing their check in/boarding times?  If we arrive at port at 11:30, will we be able to proceed to check in?  What do we do in the meantime if we have to wait until 1:30?

thank you for your help.  First time on NCL ships.

I am so glad to see that you are back to cruising.  I was beginning to worry if anything had happened to you.  I will enjoy your reviews and tales/tails.

We are sailing on the POA in a couple of weeks; I will report when I get back.  Meanwhile, I reserved a private tour for 3 of us on Maui with Michael of Maui Island Transport and Tours.  It is reasonably priced and customized for what we want to do (no road to Hana for us).  I did not have to prepay.  His response to my inquiry was prompt and we arranged what we wanted to see.  Will report in about a month on how it actually goes.

I found him in a roundabout way.  Reserve your tours early because everything is getting booked up.

I have really enjoyed reading about your cruise.  Thank you for taking the time and effort to report this.

As to the 10's (from someone who used to work in a business that 10 or fail were the only options), this comes from headquarters.  Not even the captain is in charge of pushing this.  They are told what to do and what to make or else.  If I can't give them a 10, I skip the survey.

Request a wheelchair for 98 year old.  That may help things.

Use Google Maps.  It will give you distance and maybe time.

Thanks for the information regarding posting the pictures.

On some ships, you can order fried eggs from the omelet station.  Have your sister try that.

I am enjoying your report.  How do you get your pictures separated with white space between each one?  When I post pictures on CC, they stick together.

On your personalizer, distilled water can be found under special dietary needs.  It is free.  If not in room, request from room steward.  Bring your own extension cords.

Thank you all for the information.  Our first time on NCL; I just want to be prepared.

We will be sailing POA in May.  I made a reservation for Cagney's dining.  I see that it is a la carte.  How does that work if we have a specialty dining credit (with our cruise, not a dining package)?  Do we get a voucher with a certain amount of money to spend?  or are we limited to a special menu to order from?

Thanks for your help.

I ordered water package for the room a couple of weeks ago.  I had to hunt for what I wanted.  Go to beverages, click water, and go as far right as possible to see the selections.  There are more offerings than what you first see.

I agree with your thoughts about the POA excursions, and we don't want to rent a car either.  I plan to use excursions from https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/ for Maui and Kona.  We have used this company for excursions in the Caribbean (not been to Hawaii yet), and I liked what I got.

For Hilo we are going on the Hoppa On Hoppa Off Keikana Trolley Tour.

For Nawailiwili we have a Helicopter tour (Blue Hawaiian) and Day Pass (Royal Sonesta).

Prior to cruise in Honolulu we are doing the Polynesian Cultural Center (booked on line with transportation) and Roberts Circle Island tour.

Google each island for cruise excursions.  Most of what you get involve snorkeling and hiking (not for me), but you can find other tours.

Let me know what you find.  It may give me more ideas.  We sail in May.  

I would think probably the Maui Ocean Center.  It seems modern.

Have you considered the Maui Ocean Center?  We have not been yet, but it is on my list to visit.

I notice that you said it rained hard both days you were in Maui.  Did you notice if things were open as expected or closed on Sunday?  We are thinking of taking an island tour and wondered if shops would be open on Sunday morning.  If they are not, I suppose we could schedule for Monday.

We usually tip about $5 pp (there are 2 of us) for a half day, just okay, excursion and $10 pp for an excellent half day excursion.  If there is an additional driver, we usually tip him/her half of what the guide got.  We withhold tips if we feel that something within the guide's control was not up to par.

When we were on the train from McKinley to Whittier, it was very chilly on the train.  I did not take off my outside coat the whole time.

I gave a report on Fairbanks part of the cruisetour that is under Alaska.  Check that out.

We did the Alaska cruisetour "on our own" (I suppose) last June, 2022.  Enjoyed it very much.  It is not hard to find food and sometimes cheaper than what the connoisseur  tour would provide (even though that food is prepaid.  You paid for it whether you eat it or not.  I would suggest, if you have the time, that you do 2 days at each stop:  Fairbanks, Denali lodge, and McKinley lodge.  You will not be as rushed as only one day, which is not a whole day to explore.  Enjoy!