What side of ship is best for Hawaiian cruise. POA

[bigblue20899]

We did the hawaii cruise 3 yrs ago and the best side is actually the balcony cabins in the rear of the ship if you can get one. Awesome views from all sides. Spent 4 days on the big island then returned to oahu to cruise.............loved kauahi

[superbonnie]

We were on POA before they moved her and had an corner aft suite. That was the best vacation decision I ever made.. I love the suite life and that one was the best.

[csr1460]

Pride of America April 3-10, 2010

We had a terrific time April 3-10. Thanks to all the postings on this board which helped tremendously. We checked our luggage in before noon on the embarkation day. Pier address is 521 Ala Moana Blvd. We had a rental car and there is a small parking lot next to the pier where parked checked in and drove off to explore before returning at 6 pm through reentry. Rooms were small but clean and staff overall extremely helpful and pleasant. Everyone on board went out their way to make you welcome. We liked the freestyle dining and used Liberty or Skyline most days. Room service the day we used was fine. food was good and well presented. Rented a car in all ports and using Thrifty with Blue chip card proved extremely helpful in skipping the line and driving away(the rental papers were ready at the desk). Only in Kona used Enterprise which was also easy. If use a GPS be sure to mark the pier location before getting picked up by the car shuttle, we were picked up at all the ports automatically. Service by the cabin crew and restaurant waiters was outstanding and really made our trip. Apart form the standard gratuity which is automatically added we made it a point to tip our steward and waiters and were amply rewarded. At Liberty by requesting the same waiter for our entire trip at dinner we enjoyed a very personal service

 

Maui:

We drove the road to Hana which took 5 hours or so,longer than I expected with stopping at various points and walking. As I planned Haleakala crater at Sunset we completed the loop on the bad road rather than retrace path. This sections scenery is really bleak. The road to Haleakala is windy and was areal challenge coming down what with windy wet weather. There were a lot of clouds masking and I suspect Sunrise may be better before the clouds rise. Parking neat the pier was full and we found the last spot near the sea wall. The second day we visited Lahaini which is pretty harbor with shopping and good food.

Hilo:

This was very wet rainy day which i believe is typical. Good idea to bring a rain poncho. We drove to Volcano National park, went down first to the Thurston lava tube with no crowds,than chain of craters road before doing Crater rim. I think this helped avoid the crowd and buses which were doing the opposite. stopped at an Orchid farm(overpriced) and Macadamia factory before getting back. Sailed past the lava flow which was like embers in a dying fire. To see the lava flow actually flowing need to be much closer.

Kona:

Collected car from Enterprise and drove around. Most memorable was lunch at Jamesons on the sea

Kaui:

We picked up our car and drove to Waimea canyon. The beaches are very good on the way but I suggest stop on the way back as clouds start to form by noon spoiling the lookout of Napali coast. Parking for the pier is a little ways and there are two options. Get a pass from the Anchor Cove mall for $ 20 and you are guaranteed a spot within walking distance of the ship. The other suggested by Thrifty is to park at the airport for $9 and use the shuttle that operates till 8 pm. We used Anchor cove. The second day took a helicopter ride with Mauna Loa helicopters and this was awesome! Seeing Kaui from air makes you appreciate the beauty and all the thousands of waterfalls( it rained before we arrived) Ate in a hole in the wall place Saimin noodles(speciality of Hawaii) which was very good

Oahu:

As we had no luggage we disembarked after a leisurely breakfast called Thrifty who picked us up visited Pearl harbor and others before our late flight home