Jump to content

Pride of America October 28-November 4 Review


scrstu
 Share

Recommended Posts

We were a group of 8 empty nesters in our 50s that cruised aboard POA sailing on October 28. Most of us are quite active but a couple are not so we did not always stick together in port so I will mention a couple of excursions that, although we didn’t take, we were told firsthand how they went.I relied heavily upon these boards and other sites such as Trip Advisor to choose all of our excursions so I’m hoping to pay it forward by giving my opinion on how things went. We did not book any excursions through the ship.

 

 

We used Go808Express for all our shuttles (airport to hotel,hotel to pier, and pier to airport). The process for booking was easy and it was amazing to walk to the meeting spot and be instantly whisked to our next destination. The driver was friendly and knowledgeable and made each transfer pleasant and seamless. It was less expensive than a cab (or cabs given that we had 8 of us on some transfers) and even easier.

 

 

We came in 3 days early and stayed at the Marriott Waikiki Beach but did not book through NCL. We were very happy with our room, an oceanview with a balcony. The view was amazing and we were able to spend some time watching the surfers and people watching from our balcony.

 

 

The first day in Honolulu, 4 of us headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center (http://www.polynesia.com/)and 4 others to the Sea Life Park Luau (www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/things-to-do/luau). The food and entertainment at both luaus were good (we don’t have anything to compare it to so that opinion may not be all that valuable). The drinks at the Sea Life Park were not impressive and since there is no alcohol at the PCC, that was good to know as if that’s why you prefer the Sea Life Park, then head to the PCC if you have time. The displays and shows at the PCC were great.We really enjoyed all that we were able to see and definitely did not catch all there was to offer. The downfall of the PCC trip was the shuttle driver, Rob.We chose to use their small shuttle transfer to get us from the hotel and Rob was highly irritating. He continually asked us if we thought he was funny (NO!)and every sentence ended with “Cousins”. His knowledge was good but his delivery was very grating. It could have been a very different couple of hours if we had a different driver.

 

 

The second day in Honolulu, most of us headed to Pearl Harbor.We booked a shuttle tour through Adventure in Hawaii (adventureinhawaii.com/oahu/pearl-harbor/). We also included a tour of the USS Missouri. I don’t think I could have spent time in Honolulu without including a tour of Pearl Harbor. It was somber to be where so much life was lost but necessary to be there to honor those who were lost. We enjoyed the tour of the Missouri, too, and it was interesting to see how sailors live. This time around, our shuttle driver, Art, was the perfect mix of personable and knowledgeable. We enjoyed his commentary throughout the tour.

 

Embarkation day started early with a college football game (we’re all big Wisconsin Badger fans) at a sports barowned by former Wisconsinites, Snappers Bar & Grill (www.snappersbar.com/). It was fun to ask around to try to find a place to watch and we were able to walk the less than 2 miles to get there without a cab. The $5 breakfast special was really good: 2 eggs cooked to order, 2 pancakes, toast and bacon or sausage.The drinks were also priced well (and yes, that means we were celebrating with the Badgers at 6 am local time, but we do what we must as Wisconsin loyalists). 4 of us then hoofed it to Diamond Head and quickly completed the hike to the top. The hike was somewhat challenging because we didn’t have a whole lot of time and it was quite warm as we did it mid-day but the views at the top were amazing and I’d definitely recommend this hike. If you’re not very fit, just do it early or late to keep it cooler and leave some extra time for a more leisurely pace and you should be able to do it.

 

We headed to the ship at 2 pm via the shuttle mentioned above and embarkation was easy as can be. Our rooms were balconies on deck 11. We enjoyed the room location as food, beverages and sun areas were right across the deck. We also make it a point to avoid the elevators all week so as to walk off some of our buffet time so the trek up and down to everywhere else was good for us. We got a bite to eat and headed for the muster drill.

 

 

Dining: We never made it to the dining room for breakfast (although I wish we had) because of excursions most days but the breakfast buffet had plenty of choices. It’s pretty much the same offerings each day but there’s enough of a variety that we didn’t get bored. The eggs benedict sometimes were cold but I’m sure that’s tricky to have on a buffet because you don’t want the yolks to cook. Some found the sticky buns to be lacking in “sticky” but there’s certainly enough other things to eat so avoiding these few items is simple. Lunch we did either off the ship or in the buffet. Pizza and pretzel buns/sticks are very good and all other options were also fine (nothing noteworthy either good or bad). We went to the Cadillac Diner once for lunch and enjoyed the grilled chicken sandwich but others from our party went there at a different time and found the staff to be terrible. They were great when we were there so, just like any other restaurant, service is dependent on the staff. Dinners were divided up amongst the included dining options. Some evenings we hit the buffet to save time but we made it to the main dining rooms 3 nights and others in our group dined there additional nights. Each evening we ordered a variety of items and most were very good. The steaks were enjoyed by those ordering but it comes with French fries which become soaked with juice so they discovered it was better to substitute a different side or ask for a separate plate. Desserts were hit and miss. The crème Brule on the final evening was wonderful and some found the chocolate lava cake to be heavenly. I always figure if I order a dessert and it’s sub-par, it just makes it easier to pass on it so it’s not a problem for me! One couple went to East Meets West one evening and said they preferred the buffet or dining room over that option.

 

 

Entertainment: We were really hit and miss on the shows as there’s so much going on and often these occur while in port. Those that went to the production shows enjoyed them. The comedian on board was great. His shows were fun (even the adults only one was not too dicey) and his commentary on the dance contest was really funny. That was probably the entertainment that I enjoyed the most: the Ultimate Dance Contest that paired staff with passengersa nd they were judged on entertainment quality rather than dance quality. The crew really knew how to up the ridiculousness factor to make it really fun. I was sort of on the fence about the Cruise Director, Jasper. He was funny but quite full of himself and sometimes that was a bit off-putting. He was entertaining though so I wouldn’t mind sailing with him again.

 

 

Sunday (Maui): All of us did the Road to Hana tour through Maholo Tours. Meet up at the pier was quick and easy. They had 2 shuttles going out that day and each was met by a manager who shuttled us to our tour guide. Once everyone was delivered outside of the port area, we were on our way with our guide, Lenny. We were also fortunate enough to have a guide in training, Jason, who was also very knowledgeable. Both of these gentlemen grew up on the island and if one wasn’t sure of an answer to our questions, the other piped in. It was awesome! We were able to complete the entire circuit even though one small section of the road was closed due to a landslide earlier in the week, but they had completed the clean up so we went through rather than circle back. Be warned that the risk of motion sickness is real, and although Lenny did his best to reduce the swaying, there’s no avoiding it and one of our party became quite ill. She was able to get over it,but was miserable for the mid-part of the trip. Lenny gave us lots of choices as to where we wanted to stop and avoided all areas that already had tour groups so we were able to feel like we were totally on our own. We stopped at many scenic areas (one where Lenny did a cliff dive for us that was amazing) and chose to stop at Aunty Sandy’s roadside stand for some tasty banana bread and at a house with beautiful gardens and handmade crafts for sale on the front porch and the Maui winery for sampling and shopping. The lunch they provided was very good. Rice and chicken or pork and noodle salad; typical plate lunch from a local vendor. Yum.

 

 

Monday (Maui): Some from our group went to wander the area outside of the port but it’s fairly industrial close. They were able to find some things to walk to but I don’tthink anything of note was happened upon. We chose to stay aboard and wander a bit and that was nice, too!

 

 

Lei making: On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons (I think: watch the FreeStyle Daily to double check the scheduling), the Hawaiian Embassador, Kaulana, has classes on how to make different leis. The first was kukui nut, followed by the fresh flower lei, and then the last day was a woven ribbon lei. Each day, you are given the materials to make 1 lei and then there’s opportunity to purchase supplies for the nut or ribbon leis if you’d like to make more. Kaulana teaches you the technique but also alot about the culture and meaning. He also has a port talk most mornings and we went to a couple of those. Instead of the typical shopping talks, he concentrates on the cultural and historic areas of the port that you may be interested in visiting. Whenever you are able to make his presentations, I would squeeze in what you can as it was always well worth the time when we were able to participate in his offerings. One warning: The ladies can be very territorial at the fresh flower lei making seminar. We walked in just after they began the session (as we were rushing in directly from an excursion) so joined tables of ladies that had just begun the process of making a lei. Let me tell you, there were some hoarders onboard! There were plenty of flowers for everyone to make a lei, but they were not sharing theirs. It was comical that a number of ladies literally were hunching over huge pile of flowers (one lady at a pile meant for up to 3 leis) that they would never be able to deplete until their lei was complete and then they offered the left overs. So sad…not at all in the spirit of the lei, that’s for sure. Fortunately, the table I and 1 friend ended up joining had a couple of lovely ladies and together, we scavenged plenty of flowers for us all. Frankly, the only lei that would be worth skipping would be the fresh lei as it’s an obvious process to make and you aren’t going to get to keep that one or make more for loved ones back home.

 

 

Tuesday (Hilo, Hawaii): 6 out of the 8 of us did a shuttle with Lavaland Tours to Volcanos National Park. Our tour guide was Vince, who was great! Vince knew so much about the park and was such a warm person. We loved our day with him. We started at the visitor center that was quite busy but after that, we were able to avoid the crowds. We stopped at a lava tube and left just as the big busses were parking. The trail we took to the lava fields was one he recently discovered and we met one guy leaving as we were going in and another couple that were going in as we were going out, but otherwise, we were on our own. We learned a lot about the volcano and the flora in the area and enjoyed our day to the fullest. On the way back, we chose to stop at a candy company and picked up a few things for folks back home. The 2 of our group that did not go to VNP, did the Hilo Hoppa-On Hoppa-Off bus and it was one of their favorite days (and inexpensive, too)! They went to the black sand beach (and maybe some other beaches) and saw turtles and a monk seal. They totally enjoyed the beach day and the drivers on the busses were fun and very knowledgeable.

 

 

Wednesday (Kona, HI): 3 of our group headed out with Humdinger Sport Fishing. They had a wonderful day! The guys on the boat were great and, although it is a slow time for fishing, each of the guys were able to haul in a catch: 2 marlins and 1 mahi mahi. All the fish were great fighters and were really fun to reel in. The mahi mahi was kept (but they allowed the boat to keep it) and the marlins were tagged and released. Over all a very good day on the water. The rest of us went into Kona Town and wandered. We went to a farmers market and hit the shops for a while and then headed back to the ship.

 

 

Thursday (Kauai): We split into 2 groups of 4 this day with half headed to kayaking with Kayak Wailua (many similarly named vendors in thearea but we used kayakwailua.com) and the others to Waimea Canyon road trip with Roberts. The kayak and hike to the waterfall was a highlight of my trip. Due to flash flooding in the previous days, the trip was definitely challenging but well worth it. The kayaking was easy as the river’s current is not much and the winds were quite calm so even if you are an inexperienced kayaker, you’ll do fine. The hike was very muddy (up to mid-calf in some sections) so make sure to wear shoes either that you don’t care about or that can be cleaned. They also have shoes that others have left behind if you’d rather borrow a pair. When hiking, you also have to cross the river a few times and the current there was very strong and during one crossing, the river’s level was so high that the shortest among us couldn’t touch bottom for a brief section. That being said, our guide (Ricky) asked us on many occasions whether we wanted to go in a less challenging direction, and we were able to handle the more strenuous route. I believe the route could be adjusted so others less physically able could make it but be certain to let your guide know what your limitations are. We were able to complete the route expeditiously so we had plenty of time at the beautiful waterfall. I’d recommend this tour for those up to the challenge! The other of our group went on a tour with Roberts to Waimea Canyon. They said it was okay but it was a large tour bus and since we otherwise only did small tours, that was not so enjoyable for them. Nothing against the guide or Roberts, just too many people on the tour as compared to our other trips.

 

 

Friday (Kauai): We did a helicopter tour with Jack Harter Helicopter Tours (http://www.helicopters-kauai.com/) that was amazing! My parents did a cruise to Hawaii for their 25th anniversary about 30 years ago and a helicopter tour over Kauai was my mom’s favorite excursion so I knew I wanted to do this. We chose this operator for the doors off option and the slightly longer flight time. Our pilot, Ian, was great. He was talkative but not too much so as it’s nice to just enjoy the experience without constant babble. The scenery was breathtaking and the entire experience was awe-inspiring. I would highly recommend this tour!

 

Saturday (disembarkation): We stayed on the ship until the last call and getting off was easy. We chose to take our luggage ourselves. Most of us had some time to kill before our flights so we checked our luggage at the pier for $5/bag. Some took the city bus to a mall to watch college football and we walked to the Iolani Palace and took the guided tour. It was a beautiful place that has undergone an amazing restoration and we learned a lot about the history of Hawaii at the end of the monarchy. Following this, sadly we headed back to the pier to collect our luggage and meet our shuttle to the airport. Overall, we loved the entire trip and can’t wait to begin toplan our next adventure!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many thanks for this wonderful review. My wife and I are heading to Honolulu on Nov. 28 for the Dec. 2 departure of the Pride of America, We were especially interested in your day in Hilo and positive review of your day with Lavaland Tours. We have booked with them as well, and now are really looking forward to this day. We are also headed to the PCC prior to the cruise and have a helicopter ride scheduled the last day on Kauai. I hope all of our experiences prove as positive as yours. Thank you for sharing. We will do the same!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.

scrstu's quote: "Frankly, the only lei that would be worth skipping would be the fresh lei as it's an obvious process to make and you aren't going to get to keep that one or make more for loved ones back home".

 

 

A fresh lei is indeed an obvious process to make and it will not last long, but the idea is that you cared enough to take the time to make something yourself to gift to another person as a gesture of aloha. Even if you give it to a crew member who simply looks like they could have their day brightened (the "Spirit of Aloha" here), do go ahead and make the fresh leis again next time you cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very thorough and helpful review! We are going on the POA October 13, 2018 and the trip is being booked through a local travel agency so our price includes airfare, overnight stay at the Marriott Waikiki Beach, balcony stateroom, and several excursions with small tour operators similar to your tours. I'll be sure to tell our TA that we want a balcony room with great views in Waikiki Beach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, everyone! Silver Sweethearts, I couldn't agree more about the purpose behind a lei and that's why this particular session was a bit disappointing as some obviously did not get the spirit of the exercise. I'm ashamed to say I never thought about giving mine to a crew member, but that is an awesome idea!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...