POA Report: 7/24 - 7/31/2010

[TXDZ]

Day 7, Fri. 7/30: Kauai

We decided to get an early start, since we had to be back on board by 2:30. After grabbing breakfast in Aloha, we headed out to Po'ipu Beach. We put the top down for the drive even though it was a bit drizzly (kids really loving us at this point). Before I go any further, I'll just say I really wish we had had more time in this area - Hanalei and Tunnels beach were beautiful, as was the drive to & fro, but Poipu Beach was really what we were looking for in a beach-variety of activities, not too remote from civilization, beautiful. We'll remember that next time.

 

We got there close to 8:30 a.m., and there was virtually no one there, although the lifeguards were having a meeting at the tables under the pavillion. It was still drizzly & a bit chilly, but we were determined to make the most of it. Parking was free (and ample since we were so early) & we found a nice shaded picnic table to put our stuff. Waves were crashing & there were a good number of surfers already out off the beach just west (I think it's west!) of where we were. There's a decent reef that you can walk right out into & snorkel - the inlaws got right to it, despite the surf being rough and the water being cold...they said fish were abundant and interesting. I found a spot that wasn't too rocky & DD and I walked in & enjoyed a refreshing dip...DS did a little snorkeling too. We noticed a commotion in an area that kind of jutted out and separated the beach we were at from the one to the right, with some people gathering, and lifeguards putting up a barricade. We waited for the crowd to clear and walked over, and there was a monk seal taking a nap, almost close enough to touch! (The signs were warning signs to stay away and citing state law prohibiting harassmant of monk seals). We watched it for a while...kind of awed by the size and nearness of it.

 

We knew we wanted to hit some shops before we had to get back on the ship, so we headed to a nearby shopping center & looked around. It was a little more high end than I wanted to bother with, but it had a Starbucks, and I was craving a Frappuccino, and lo and behold, I found my new favorite flavor, Mocha-coconut Frap. :p Unfortunately for me, it's only available in Hawaii, so it'll be a LOOOONG time before I get another. :( DH found a few more t-shirts (I haven't mentioned it, but the man came away with about a dozen shirts from the trip...he owns a snow-ski apparel shop & wears ski resort t-shirts during his season...I have no idea what he's going to do with all those Hawaii shirts!).

 

Another note - since we picked our rental up later in the day the day before, we were trying to beat the 24 hour deadline to get it back so we'd only be charged for one day, which meant we needed to get it back before noon. We left Poipu beach in plenty of time, but just as we entered Lihue, we started thinking about getting gas so we wouldn't be charged for it by Thrifty, and realized gas stations are NOT on every corner! We finally found one, but cut it VERY close...there was a long line of rental returns, and the agent didn't get to us until 12:09 - she handed us a statement charging us for the extra time, but we convinced her to waive it, since we were most likely in the parking lot on time.

 

Lots of POA passengers were waiting for the shuttle back to the ship, so we just hung out & enjoyed watching all the chickens and roosters congregate. They were everywhere, and not even the least bit afraid of us. DD had some crackers that she threw bits of down, and the birds came out of the woodwork...and the roosters definitely asserted their dominance. Funny how entertaining something like that can be!

 

When we got back to the pier, we still had an hour before we had to be onboard, so DH, DD and I walked to Anchor Cove mall (which there is a shuttle to, but we decided to walk, since the sun had not started beating down yet). Did some last t-shirt shopping and finally found one for myself, and the DH & DD got their first shave ice of the week...they pronounced it delicious, and were very unhappy that they had waited so long (they didn't expect to like it b/c they don't like snow cones). I bought one of those Del Sol t-shirts (the ones that change colors in the sun) and got a free canvas bag with a honu on it.

 

We walked back to the ship with time to spare, and I after putting our stuff in our rooms, decided we would hit the pool deck for the afternoon. DH and I got chairs on the deck above the pool & enjoyed the Jimmy Buffett cover band as we sailed away. We also had the special drink of the day - a pineapple rum concoction in a carved out pineapple. there was definitely a party atmosphere, and the most people I'd seen on deck the entire week. DH and I had a great time hanging out this afternoon - singing along, watching the contests, and relaxing. It was very sunny by now, but the breeze was cool. As we headed for the Napali Coast, we both observed that this was the thing that POA was missing - a day at sea. ALthough I know the whole purpose of this cruise is to hit the high points of Hawaii's major islands, it was sooo nice to be able to relax and not worry about what time we needed to be where and missing out on something. I think this was the DH's first time to relax all week, and he stayed out there long after I left (I'm fair skinned, and can only take so much).

 

The kids and I decided we wanted to take part in one of the onboard activities, so we headed to the improv workshop put on by one of the Second City Castmembers in Club Mardi Gras. There was a good crowd - mostly younger adults & teens. She put us through some of the exercises they do together to warm up and build trust with their improv partners, and it was really a lot of fun. My kids are theater kids, so they had actually done most of the exercises she showed us, but they really had a good time & it was fun actually interacting with other passengers for once. Lots of laughing going on in there, and afterward, the young lady who ran the session (I forget her name at this moment!) was kind enough to hang out and take pictures and answer questions from each and every person who cared to stay. My daughter appreciated that b/c she sees herself pursuing a showbiz career someday and had specific questions (where's the best college for people who want to act or do improv, etc.)

 

After the workshop, we made it on deck in time to see the boat turn back from the Napali Coast, and head out to sea. Then the kids actually wanted to go to their rooms and watch a movie - I think they ended up taking a nap!!! So I went back to the room & cleaned up (DH still by the pool!), and started packing (boo) b/c we had signed up for Easy Fly, and needed to have everything sorted and packed by midnight, and well, it was going to be a miracle if we could get everything packed b/t the 4 of us and not go over the airline's weight limit on the bags!

 

When DH came back & showered, I went back to the shops to see one last time if there wasn't anything I couldn't live with. There wasn't, and I think I put my hands on each and every cheap t-shirt they had, looking to see if any of them might be good enough for me (I felt very inadequate about my 2 t-shirts v. DH's 12, and the kids who probably had about 6 each by this point), or my niece and nephew. I wasn't terribly disappointed. Not like I get to wear t-shirts to work or anything.

 

When we all reassembled, we decided to have our last meal in Skyline, despite our really bad experience earlier in the week. This was our most relaxed and fun meal on the ship. Service was good, the food was better (I had a Vermont Cheese & Beer soup that was actually quite lovely & the guys enjoyed some crawfish...and DD was happy that we let her have 2 servings of baby shrimp cocktail). A cute little boy decided to entertain us on the piano for a couple of songs (they didn't have anyone playing this night, and it looked like the staff had given permission...he wasn't bad for his age). I imagine his folks just wanted a photo op, but it was fun for the rest of us, I think.

 

After dinner, we went up and took some sunset photos - they turned out surprisingly well -and I think it hit us all that this week was just about over....the thing we had looked forward to for so long. I know I felt some regrets for sweating some of the small stuff during the week & the occasional impatient comment to my kids for this or that, but I was also so glad we had taken this opportunity-warts and all-to sail on this ship and see the islands this way. But at this point, it was time to get back to the room to finish the packing in earnest, so no time for reminiscing.

 

As I mentioned before, this was a rocky night & it made packing fun (not really). In order to reduce some of what we brought home, we decided not to bring the Dailies back (which I hated b/c I was going to share them here, but they were just too cumbersome all together), and we decided to leave our blue books for Maui and the Big Island (which were fairly heavy, even for paperbacks) in the cabin w/a note for Andrew, our steward, to either keep them himself, offer them to other cast members, or see if they could be used in the ship's library (we didn't use them much). We kept Kauai b/c we plan on heading back there as soon as we can. We also decided to leave Andrew $20 for being so responsive to our requests throughout the week (we had left him smaller tips throughout the week as well). I know there's some debate about doing this above & beyond the service charge, but we were really grateful to him for keeping things in order in our room & the kids'.

 

I think we fell asleep around 11 pm.

[annecolorgreen]

Sounds like a wonderful trip :).

 

We are planning similar Kauai activities. First morning--hang gliding then Poipu beach or Hanalei, etc...or the reverse for the 2nd day. Which would you recommend? We were actually thinking of a cocktail and sunset on Poipu day one.

 

How much were they going to charge you for the extra time? a whole other day?

 

Thanks for your review!!

[TXDZ]

Sounds like a wonderful trip :).

 

We are planning similar Kauai activities. First morning--hang gliding then Poipu beach or Hanalei, etc...or the reverse for the 2nd day. Which would you recommend? We were actually thinking of a cocktail and sunset on Poipu day one.

 

How much were they going to charge you for the extra time? a whole other day?

 

Thanks for your review!!

 

Well, Hanalei is farther away than Poipu, in the opposite direction and you have to go through some road construction to get there and Thrifty warned us there could be delays depending on the time of day (we didn't experience any in the evening that we came back - I gathered it was worse in the afternoon), so if that bothers you, then I'd say Hanalei on Day 1, but really, I wish we'd done Poipu on day 1...we met some people on the Thrifty shuttle who did Hanalei on day 2 and they didn't seem to have any issues. Just get up early, and you'll be fine...again, if you want waves, though, go past Hanalei to Tunnels beach - you'll have to cross about 3 more 1-lane bridges to get there, but that's part of the fun.

 

I will say, sunset & cocktails on Poipu sounds great....

[CH_ca]

Hi TXDZ, wonderful and very detail review! Thanks for taking the time to tell us. I've been reading your post everyday in the past few days, anxiously waiting for the next one every time. I have a question about joining the Blue Chip membership for Thrifty. Did you join after you made all the car reservations? If so, did you have to call them to link up all the reservation numbers to your Blue Chip account number? Or did you join first then log in and make reservations then? I'm just wondering if I could make reservations through HawaiiCruiseCars.com and then join the Blue Chip Club without having them to know the linkage between the two. Then when I go pick up the cars, I'd just tell them the reservation number and show them my Blue Chip card. Thanks.

[riofriotex]

I'm just wondering if I could make reservations through HawaiiCruiseCars.com and then join the Blue Chip Club without having them to know the linkage between the two.

 

There's no problem with joining Blue Chip first, then making the reservations through HawaiiCruiseCars.com. That's what I did. All the latter does is bring up the Thrifty website with the corporate rate code already plugged in - then all you have to do is add your Blue Chip number. Blue Chip doesn't get you any discounts (that I'm aware of), just preferential treatment at the rental offices which can save you time.

[TXDZ]

Sounds like a wonderful trip :).

 

How much were they going to charge you for the extra time? a whole other day?

 

Thanks for your review!!

 

I think it was about $9 (not the full day rate...)

 

Hi TXDZ, wonderful and very detail review! Thanks for taking the time to tell us. I've been reading your post everyday in the past few days, anxiously waiting for the next one every time. I have a question about joining the Blue Chip membership for Thrifty. Did you join after you made all the car reservations? If so, did you have to call them to link up all the reservation numbers to your Blue Chip account number? Or did you join first then log in and make reservations then? I'm just wondering if I could make reservations through HawaiiCruiseCars.com and then join the Blue Chip Club without having them to know the linkage between the two. Then when I go pick up the cars, I'd just tell them the reservation number and show them my Blue Chip card. Thanks.

 

I'll defer to riofriotx on this b/c I didn't make the reservations myself. DH did sign up for Blue Chip before making the reservations, and he made them online, I think directly through Thrifty.

[TXDZ]

Last Day, Sat. 7/31: Oahu

Since we did Easy Fly, we could leave anytime we liked (if you have bags, they do a color-coded tag thing, but honestly, I saw no one enforcing that strictly). We were scheduled for a 9:00 Robert’s Pearl Harbor & Honolulu City tour, so we ate in Aloha one last time (seated in Gold Rush b/c it was busy again), and took a final stroll around the upper decks and through the photo gallery area to see if we’d missed any we wanted to buy. After double and triple checking our rooms to make sure we’d left nothing behind, we headed to John Adams coffee bar to people watch a while longer before we disembarked to meet our tour (we did leave one of the goldfish bowl cocktail glasses that we just couldn’t make fit in our bags or the in-law’s bags). I felt bad for the FIL because he had basically taken all his clothes out of his suitcase to make room for the things he and his wife had purchased, and he was going to have to schlep that thing around with him until we headed to the airport @ 6:30 that evening (our flight was at 8 pm).

 

Disembarking was a breeze - just one last swipe of the room cards, and you were off. Down the escalator, and out the terminal to find our driver. Several passengers had their suitcases with them, which were stowed beneath the bus for the duration. The bus was locked at every stop on the tour, in case you are wondering how this works if you have your luggage with you. Our driver had a funny/sarcastic sense of humor - he called himself "Cousin Good Looking." Some of our fellow passengers didn’t seem to appreciate his humor, though & did a lot of scowling. Maybe they were just tired? A word about this tour: It is jam-packed, and very few of the stops have a place to use the restroom or get a snack. In fact, Pearl Harbor was our last chance to do any of those things until about 2:30...so, bring granola bars & water (there’s a snack bar @ PH), but be prepared to hold it if you need to use the restroom! One older gentleman on our bus actually had to go into a bamboo thicket to relieve himself after he was told there would be no place to go for another 45 minutes! I’m not quite sure why they bother having restrooms on the buses b/c they don’t let you use them.

 

OK...back to the beginning of the tour. Cousin Good Looking informed us that we had gotten lucky and had 10:45 tickets to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, so we went straight to the harbor, enjoying his commentary about the Hawaii highway system, and explanation why they have interstates (I forget now). We watched the film and looked around before catching our boat to the memorial. Kids had a lot of questions, which I was glad of, and fascinated by the oil bubbling up still.

 

After Pearl Harbor, we headed up toward the Pali Lookout, which was the windiest place we’d been (since we didn’t go to Haleakala Crater), and we live in West Texas, so that’s saying something. Saw the waterfall that flows upward (because the wind blows the water back up as it’s falling), and then on the way back down saw some embassies, etc. Here, our driver got off on a bit of a native Hawaiian rant about the "illegal takeover" of Hawaii by American businessmen who overthrew the Queen, etc. etc... He did that a couple of times, so it was a little uncomfortable.

 

We then went through the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (a/k/a the Punchbowl) and got a nice narrative. It would have been nice to be able to get out and look around, but tour buses are not allowed to stop & offload passengers, so we just drove through.

 

Next to downtown Honolulu to see the Iolani Palace and the Kamehameha statue). After this, he dropped off one couple at the Hilton and finally, we headed around the corner from the International Marketplace for lunch. He gave everyone about 45 minutes to find something for lunch before he had to leave to take everyone else to the airport. We were not going with him to the airport b/c our flight was not until 8, and we had plans to meet some friends who live on Oahu in about an hour.

 

After taking our leave of the bus, we looked for the closest restroom & then for something to eat. We found a coffee shop/restaurant in the upper level of the International Marketplace...service was slow, but the food was really good. We wandered around for a while, and then DH and I realized that the Waikiki Beachcomber, right next to the IM, was the hotel we stayed in when we were in high school. It was the same on the outside, but we hadn’t recognized it b/c when we were here, you could see the beach from the hotel...now, there are blocks of buildings between. Still, it was fun to go up the escalator & look around the lobby (same layout, drastically different decor), and a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville! When we went, there was just a hotel bar, and we remembered the name of the band that played (Jimberrock - bunch of guys in Miami Vice gear playing rock covers...fun for a bunch of highschoolers...probably a bummer for them that we were the best audience they could get).

 

Anyway, inlaws decided to head to the airport right after my friends found us - they brought us fresh flower leis (our first of the week), and we went back to the food court for Dole Whips (YUM), and conversation. It was so fun to meet these people who I had only known on-line before. And, they were kind enough to drive us to the airport instead of us finding a cab, so that made the last part of our time on the island pretty painless.

 

Going through security @ the airport was easy, but we found the waiting area pretty hot & stuffy. They were begging people to check their suitcases/bags b/c it was a full flight, but then, they turned people who tried to check their bags away. Weird. Flight home was uncomfortable b/cwe had a gentleman (or not so gentle) behind us who kept punching our chairs and yelling at us that he couldn’t get to his things under our chairs if we dared to lean back even a little bit. He couldn’t even ask us nicely if we could sit up so he could get to his things. Hello? It’s an overnight flight. Of COURSE we’re going to lean back and sleep. That was kind of miserable, and the DH used all the restraint he had not to yell back at the guy. Otherwise, we got home w/o any glitches...unfortunately, as soon as we got back to Dallas, we got into the car for the 5 hour drive home b/c I had to go to work on Monday (boo!). *Side note: I was really sad when I got back to work on MOnday & found out that some leave I had donated to someone else had been returned to me b/c she had come back from caring for her relative sooner than she had planned, and didn't need my day, so I COULD have had an extra day in Oahu!* That was tough to swallow!

 

All in all, it was a wonderful week that we will never forget. We learned a lot...inlaws said they would never go back to Hawaii again. Too long of a flight to get there, and they felt there are ample comparable places closer to see. DH and I definitely plan to go back, but will not do Pride of America again, or recommend it to our friends, unless they too just want the highlights. We’ll go back and spend time on Oahu and Kauai...possibly sans children next time!

[GypRasc]

We were planning on doing the Roberts Pearl Harbor tour the day we disembark too but not so sure now that's our best option. We liked the idea of being able to have them take us and our luggage to the airport but DH will not be happy if the bathroom breaks & lunch schedule are as you've indicated. Guess I better think this one over a little...

[kwbound]

There are "interstate" highways in Hawaii so that they can use federal highway funds to build them. I think I read that in one of the "Revealed" books.

[riofriotex]

We were planning on doing the Roberts Pearl Harbor tour the day we disembark too but not so sure now that's our best option. We liked the idea of being able to have them take us and our luggage to the airport but DH will not be happy if the bathroom breaks & lunch schedule are as you've indicated. Guess I better think this one over a little...

 

I was really surprised to read about this Roberts tour, given that so many people on this forum seem to rave about them. Maybe they are good on the other islands, but this tour sounds absolutely awful to me. Kind of the vision of how I imagine all big tour-bus tours to be--horrors!!:eek:

[tallyho8]

We had this tour on July 17 and also had "cousin good-looking". We were immensely satisfied with this tour and our driver. :)

 

At Pearl Harbor my wife forget her asthma medicine in the bus and I had to ask "good-looking" if he would go back for it. He was very gracious about it and seemed not to mind at all. We were "lucky" enough to have the 10:45 trip also. It was not too crowded at the concessions or bathrooms that day. And if anyone is fascinated by the oil still bubbling up, please come visit us on the Gulf Coast some day. :rolleyes:

 

At lunchtime we had restrooms available at the International Marketplace and many choices of places to eat. We had a very nice and quite inexpensive meal at a little Chinese restaurant there. Later on we did have another restroom stop at Aloha Tower also. Cousin was very good-natured on this trip and had many of us laughing many times. We did not hear any rants from him that day.

 

They also had a vendor with hot dogs and drinks at the stop by the King Kamehameha statue.

 

I really hope we get to go back on this same trip and cruise in the future and I hope "cousin good-looking" is still around.

 

I do agree though that the night flight back was horrid. I wish there were more early flights available.

[osandomir]

TXDZ, Thanks for your detailed review!!

Can you please tell me how Easy fly program worked for you. What airline did you fly? Did you have to pay additionaly for your checked bags to the airline and how was it arranged?

Thanks.

[salty dingo]

I used a similar service once on Celebrity. The way that worked was you fill out a form earlier in the cruise to request acceptance into the program. Not all passengers will be accepted, and the criteria for acceptance depends on airline, flight time, and possibly other factors.

 

If you are accepted into the program, you will receive instructions, which will probably be something like this: leave your checked bags outside your cabin door by midnight and the next time you see them will be on the baggage claim carousel at your destination airport.

 

Yes, there is a fee for the service and it would be in addition to the airline checked bag fees. I'm not sure if they combine the fees into one charge, but they probably do... how else could it work? Since different airlines have different bag fees, the total price probably depends on the airline.

 

I believe I paid $20 for the service, back in 2007, on Celebrity. Maybe that helps to clear it up a little although I can't really speak to Carnival's program.

[DAGVBSB]

There are "interstate" highways in Hawaii so that they can use federal highway funds to build them. I think I read that in one of the "Revealed" books.

 

There are 3 interstates in Hawaii: H1, H2, and H3....lol

[DAGVBSB]

We wandered around for a while, and then DH and I realized that the Waikiki Beachcomber, right next to the IM, was the hotel we stayed in when we were in high school. It was the same on the outside, but we hadn’t recognized it b/c when we were here, you could see the beach from the hotel...now, there are blocks of buildings between. Still, it was fun to go up the escalator & look around the lobby (same layout, drastically different decor), and a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville! When we went, there was just a hotel bar, and we remembered the name of the band that played (Jimberrock - bunch of guys in Miami Vice gear playing rock covers...fun for a bunch of highschoolers...probably a bummer for them that we were the best audience they could get).

 

 

We stayed in the Beachcomber for 3 days after our POAm cruise. They have recently renovated the rooms and they were very large. The staff at the hotel were some of the most friendliest people I met during the whole trip. They always were asking if there was something we needed.

 

The only negative was that we were put on the 3rd floor on the back...it overlooked the roof of the Magic show, International Marketplace and some air conditioning units. What a lovely view for Hawaii for us...

[TXDZ]

[quote name='riofriotex']I was really surprised to read about this Roberts tour, given that so many people on this forum seem to rave about them. Maybe they are good on the other islands, but this tour sounds absolutely awful to me. Kind of the vision of how I imagine all big tour-bus tours to be--horrors!!:eek:[/quote]

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the tour...but was starving by the time we were let off for lunch - at about 2:30...we don't usually eat that late at home, and breakfast was way back at 8-ish, and only a bag of chips & water @ PH to tide us over. If they could have built in one bathroom break, I would have had no complaints...

[quote name='tallyho8']We had this tour on July 17 and also had "cousin good-looking". We were immensely satisfied with this tour and our driver. :)

At Pearl Harbor my wife forget her asthma medicine in the bus and I had to ask "good-looking" if he would go back for it. He was very gracious about it and seemed not to mind at all. We were "lucky" enough to have the 10:45 trip also. It was not too crowded at the concessions or bathrooms that day. And if anyone is fascinated by the oil still bubbling up, please come visit us on the Gulf Coast some day. :rolleyes:

At lunchtime we had restrooms available at the International Marketplace and many choices of places to eat. We had a very nice and quite inexpensive meal at a little Chinese restaurant there. Later on we did have another restroom stop at Aloha Tower also. Cousin was very good-natured on this trip and had many of us laughing many times. We did not hear any rants from him that day.

They also had a vendor with hot dogs and drinks at the stop by the King Kamehameha statue.

I really hope we get to go back on this same trip and cruise in the future and I hope "cousin good-looking" is still around.

I do agree though that the night flight back was horrid. I wish there were more early flights available.[/quote]

I personally liked Cousin Good Looking, and was sad that the majority of the crowd on our bus was kind of cranky/not really into his banter. I think he probably sensed that too, which took a little away from his performance. I think the main problem was - we did not stop @ Aloha Tower...we just went and went and went until 2:30. To be fair, though, he was driving a different bus than his usual bus, and actually had to go back to the bus place to have something done to the one we were in b/c his microphone wasn't working while we were at PH...so our schedule was off a bit. I don't think we had a typical experience, but still, would warn anyone on a tour bus excursion to be prepared for minimal bathroom breaks & bring snacks if that might be a problem for you.

[quote name='osandomir']TXDZ, Thanks for your detailed review!!
Can you please tell me how Easy fly program worked for you. What airline did you fly? Did you have to pay additionaly for your checked bags to the airline and how was it arranged?
Thanks.[/quote]

We had to fill out an application for each of us w/our flight information, # of bags, etc. and turn it in to the registration desk by a certain time on Wednesday or Thursday. If you were accepted, they checked you into your flight & you got boarding passes and tags delivered to your room on Friday...once you were packed, you put the bags w/the tags outside your room by midnight Friday, and they took them for you to the airport & checked them into your flight - you never see them again until you get home. It was $24 a person from NCL, and the usual baggage fees from the airline for each bag...I think the NCL fee was tacked onto our statement, and the other charged to our credit card, but I honestly don't know. ALso, not all airlines & destinations participate (we flew United). You just needed to make sure you kept anything you needed for the next day in your carry on.... The only complaint I had was that b/c of the way they do the check-ins, we ended up with the very last boarding group on the plane, so carry-on space was really limited by the time we got on the plane...would have preferred to be able to check in and get my boarding passes when I wanted to.

[osandomir]

We had to fill out an application for each of us w/our flight information, # of bags, etc. and turn it in to the registration desk by a certain time on Wednesday or Thursday. If you were accepted, they checked you into your flight & you got boarding passes and tags delivered to your room on Friday...once you were packed, you put the bags w/the tags outside your room by midnight Friday, and they took them for you to the airport & checked them into your flight - you never see them again until you get home. It was $24 a person from NCL, and the usual baggage fees from the airline for each bag...I think the NCL fee was tacked onto our statement, and the other charged to our credit card, but I honestly don't know. ALso, not all airlines & destinations participate (we flew United). You just needed to make sure you kept anything you needed for the next day in your carry on.... The only complaint I had was that b/c of the way they do the check-ins, we ended up with the very last boarding group on the plane, so carry-on space was really limited by the time we got on the plane...would have preferred to be able to check in and get my boarding passes when I wanted to.[/quote]

Thanks a lot!!!

[E's Mommy]

[quote name='TXDZ']

It was a VERY long day, thanks to leaving our house for the airport at 4:30 a.m. central time, and a 3 hour delayed layover in Denver[/quote]


We're looking to go the same time next year. Do you mind let me know how much plane tickets were? We're flying from MSY (via DFW) in late July 2011.

Thanks!

[TXDZ]

[quote=E's Mommy;26123346]We're looking to go the same time next year. Do you mind let me know how much plane tickets were? We're flying from MSY (via DFW) in late July 2011.

Thanks![/quote]

I can't remember exactly, but they were close to $900 per person (coach)....but we booked kind of late & didn't have the luxury of holding out for better fares. Keep your eyes open!

[vbmom87]

[quote=E's Mommy;26123346]We're looking to go the same time next year. Do you mind let me know how much plane tickets were? We're flying from MSY (via DFW) in late July 2011.

Thanks![/quote]

Sign up for fare alerts through websites like [URL="http://www.kayak.com"]www.kayak.com[/URL]. Keep watching and you may snag a deal. Usually the really good deals don't last long. I was on a fare alert to get my daughter home for Thanksgiving. Last week, for maybe 24 hours, Delta offered a great deal. Before you know it, the deal was history. Key is to decide what you consider a fair price and if it comes up, purchase. Just remember, if you snooze, you lose. I have seen deals that just lasted a few hours.

You may find the link below helpful in giving you an idea of the history of prices for your departure airport to your destination airport. The thing is when you see the prices for a particular month/week etc. it means what someone paid for tickets they purchased within that month/week etc. Unfortunately we don't know when they are actually traveling. However, I think it is still helpful.

[U][COLOR=#810081][URL]http://tiny.cc/d7c0f[/URL][/COLOR][/U][URL="http://www.farecompare.com/fare-graphs/historyDisplayGraphTabbed.do?departure=NYC&destination=LAX"][/URL]