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Quick summary of POA 9/25 and Hawaii trip -1st timers

cruznbelle

By cruznbelle,
in Hawaii

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cruznbelle

cruznbelle

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I want to do a proper review but bascially we were on the 9/25 cruise POA - 1st time NCL - 1st time Hawaii for me - and despite going in with low level expectations - NCL won us as cruisers - Hawaii won my heart. The airport in Oahu totally left me cold - oh wait that was HOT very HOT - no A/C waiting 1.5 hrs to sit on a 9+ hr flight after sweating - HELLOOOOOO international terminal... oh well - that will be the worst you will hear from this post :rolleyes:

 

Background - We love to cruise and have sailed many ships - most good, a few great, three mixed bag. But vacation is vacation and what's not to LOVE about that! I had just completed a girls trip on RCL Grandeur (2nd time on that ship) and of course had an entirely different type of cruise. That was Partyyyyyyy Time.... NCL POA was relaxxxxing... perfect on both accounts.

 

 

Anyway my summary - in case someone has questions.. we stayed/experienced:

  • Outrigger Waikiki - perfect location - ate at Dukes, Kola grill, Chucks :eek: (horrible - just say no trust me). Also beware ocean front rooms/suites - great view but HOT unless you keep curtains pulled all day. I'd consider saving money here next time, but still you should see the balcony shots in the morning and at night.
  • Grand Suite on POA w/ Butler and hot tub! - nice nice nice - 3rd time in a grand/royal - NCL embarkation, concierge and wet bar feature beats out the competition's amenities as we didn't need a CL at that point - add in a friendly butler, perfect cabin stewardess and a hot tub - nervana
  • Ate at Lazy J, Jefferson Bistro, Teppanyaki w/ wine package - no main dining because I got the impression food was mediocre. Well surprise, surprise.. food was good to excellent - Aloha buffet - far better than RCL who kept running out of coffee every day for breakfast- :eek: And then would yell at you if you tried to serve yourself. So despite opinions to the contary - eggs benedict, sausage,bangers,fruit, yogurt, juices and coffee - all perfectly delicious - perhaps not a heathy choice - but I diet off vacation not on. Oh - the cinnamon rolls - I don't know WHAT they do, but simply the best - people were hovering for them - strange because I make some pretty darn good ones during the holidays but these are way better.. hmmm...
  • private grand circle of Oahu - Jay's limo - very good
  • Toured Turtle Bay Resort North Shore - would like to stay at
  • Toured Kahala Resort Oahu- sign me up tomorrow!
  • Jameson's by the sea for lunch - I'd go again in a heartbeat
  • Sky-Trek - Blue Hawaiian / Temptations tour Hana (the best)
  • Feast at Lele Luai in Lahaina - incredible!!! (the best too :D )
  • Avis rental car driver who dropped us at Dollar after waiting a while for shuttle - stellar - thank you!
  • Ricky's Tour - VNP - very nice
  • Kona Inn for lunch - decent food - great, not to miss view - was rainy that day
  • Dophin Inn Restaurant - Hanelea Kauai - yum and quaint :p
  • Thrifty rental car shuttle guy that gave us a 10 min overview of where to start our driving tour of Kauai - keep being who you are - we followed your advice and had a great time
  • Helicopter - Kauai - Blue Hawaiian - a bit crazy at office but wonderful flight - love the Eco-Star - rides like a cadallac
  • HHV Alii Towers - very very nice - truely skip the Deli, try a ginger marguarita, and do some sushi. We were tired of restaurants and got some Champagne, cheese and crackers at the ABC, take out Sashmi platter for me (dh hates sushi), and a deli sandwich for him - dinner on the balcony overlooking the ocean - perfect end to a action packed vacation!

I simply could not get over how nice people were - even vendors who knew I wasn't buying - still polite and friendly - WOW - and no I don't have a favorite island - everyone has asked me that - each one had a particular charm.

 

So feel free to ask away if anyone was considering these vendors and want to know more.

 

Thanks to all on cruise critic who help me in my planning.

 

Cheryl

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AussieChick78

AussieChick78

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I want to do a proper review but bascially we were on the 9/25 cruise POA - 1st time NCL - 1st time Hawaii for me - and despite going in with low level expectations - NCL won us as cruisers - Hawaii won my heart. The airport in Oahu totally left me cold - oh wait that was HOT very HOT - no A/C waiting 1.5 hrs to sit on a 9+ hr flight after sweating - HELLOOOOOO international terminal... oh well - that will be the worst you will hear from this post :rolleyes:

 

Background - We love to cruise and have sailed many ships - most good, a few great, three mixed bag. But vacation is vacation and what's not to LOVE about that! I had just completed a girls trip on RCL Grandeur (2nd time on that ship) and of course had an entirely different type of cruise. That was Partyyyyyyy Time.... NCL POA was relaxxxxing... perfect on both accounts.

 

 

Anyway my summary - in case someone has questions.. we stayed/experienced:

  • Outrigger Waikiki - perfect location - ate at Dukes, Kola grill, Chucks :eek: (horrible - just say no trust me). Also beware ocean front rooms/suites - great view but HOT unless you keep curtains pulled all day. I'd consider saving money here next time, but still you should see the balcony shots in the morning and at night.
  • Grand Suite on POA w/ Butler and hot tub! - nice nice nice - 3rd time in a grand/royal - NCL embarkation, concierge and wet bar feature beats out the competition's amenities as we didn't need a CL at that point - add in a friendly butler, perfect cabin stewardess and a hot tub - nervana
  • Ate at Lazy J, Jefferson Bistro, Teppanyaki w/ wine package - no main dining because I got the impression food was mediocre. Well surprise, surprise.. food was good to excellent - Aloha buffet - far better than RCL who kept running out of coffee every day for breakfast- :eek: And then would yell at you if you tried to serve yourself. So despite opinions to the contary - eggs benedict, sausage,bangers,fruit, yogurt, juices and coffee - all perfectly delicious - perhaps not a heathy choice - but I diet off vacation not on. Oh - the cinnamon rolls - I don't know WHAT they do, but simply the best - people were hovering for them - strange because I make some pretty darn good ones during the holidays but these are way better.. hmmm...
  • private grand circle of Oahu - Jay's limo - very good
  • Toured Turtle Bay Resort North Shore - would like to stay at
  • Toured Kahala Resort Oahu- sign me up tomorrow!
  • Jameson's by the sea for lunch - I'd go again in a heartbeat
  • Sky-Trek - Blue Hawaiian / Temptations tour Hana (the best)
  • Feast at Lele Luai in Lahaina - incredible!!! (the best too :D )
  • Avis rental car driver who dropped us at Dollar after waiting a while for shuttle - stellar - thank you!
  • Ricky's Tour - VNP - very nice
  • Kona Inn for lunch - decent food - great, not to miss view - was rainy that day
  • Dophin Inn Restaurant - Hanelea Kauai - yum and quaint :p
  • Thrifty rental car shuttle guy that gave us a 10 min overview of where to start our driving tour of Kauai - keep being who you are - we followed your advice and had a great time
  • Helicopter - Kauai - Blue Hawaiian - a bit crazy at office but wonderful flight - love the Eco-Star - rides like a cadallac
  • HHV Alii Towers - very very nice - truely skip the Deli, try a ginger marguarita, and do some sushi. We were tired of restaurants and got some Champagne, cheese and crackers at the ABC, take out Sashmi platter for me (dh hates sushi), and a deli sandwich for him - dinner on the balcony overlooking the ocean - perfect end to a action packed vacation!

I simply could not get over how nice people were - even vendors who knew I wasn't buying - still polite and friendly - WOW - and no I don't have a favorite island - everyone has asked me that - each one had a particular charm.

 

So feel free to ask away if anyone was considering these vendors and want to know more.

 

Thanks to all on cruise critic who help me in my planning.

 

Cheryl

Thank-you Cheryl,

 

You have restored my faith in my upcoming cruise (10 days to go!). With all the reviews I was reading I was starting to get a bit down that I was wasting my money. I am an extremely NON-fussy person and also agree with the fact that a vacation is still a vacation no matter what!

 

I am so pleased that you had a fantastic holiday. We are also staying at the HHV on the first night before the cruise, but we are also lucky enough to be staying 8 nights after the cruise as well. That and the fact that our $AUD is worth almost as much as $US will go a long way to making the trip that little bit better!

 

I look forward to reading your more detailed review in the future!

 

AussieChick

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shazz43

shazz43

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Thanks Cheryl your holiday and the cruise sounds fantastic

Just wondering how long you stayed in Honolulu before the cruise to do all the sightseeing you did,it seems like you did quite a bit,

I have 3 days after the cruise,hoping this will be enough time :rolleyes:

Thanks

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annecolorgreen

annecolorgreen

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I, too, had an awesome experience! Glad to hear that you did too :).

 

Wasn't the Feast at Lele just the best? I was surprised at how small the crowd was--so much more intimate that what I thought!

 

I can't decide on a favorite island either...dh seems to be leaning toward a beachfront condo on Poipu Beach in Kauai, but there is so much I didn't see on the Big Island. I also thought Hanalei was just adorable.

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cruznbelle

cruznbelle

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AussieChick78 - Don't worry - especially if you're a non-fussy person - you will have an awesome time! This was the first time I was actually "Meh" about a cruise as we got ready to leave because of so many negative reviews. I briefed my husband ahead of time not to expect much from the food on board and don't expect much from the staff. Food was on par with RCL which is fine for us - we don't expect 5 star dining. The Lazy J was nice - definitely not Mortens or Ruth Chris - and tried the lobster 3 times which all the restaurants seemed to kill (overcook). The Bistro (our favorite) rolled out a new menu on Thursday (mid cruise which is quite a feat) which is stellar and am told that they cook the lobster there different now - try the lamb chops - . Teppenyaki was also very enjoyable.

 

Plus I simply could go on and on about the staff - we try to treat everyone as we would treat a friend and as such we only ran into 3 people who were "less than impressive" which only stood out because the rest were so friendly and attentive. But that's expected on any ship. I actually had a random breakfast waiter? who was getting off the ship during our debarkation tap me on the shoulders to say goodbye! How nice and different was that! And then there was James and Amanda in the sports bar and Bryan in the Waikiki bar and Chris in the Bistro, and Christian in Lazy J's etc etc etc...

 

HHV - it's big, it's got children running around everywhere but it offers such a variety. I loved that I could call for takeout to different restaurants and just walk from the room to both along w/ the ABC store. I equally enjoyed our stay at Outrigger - much less people and children running around. Glad we did both. Being from AUS, I assume you enjoy fish - try the ulula? if you see it on a menu - as good as Emperor or King fish (if I remember my fish) at Jonas - Hollywood Beach Syney - our #1 most romantic lunch we've ever had :p

 

Hope this helps ease your mind! Oh and don't despair as you 1st ride from the airport - it's slightly ugly with big city traffic - not exactly vacation venue - no worries as that goes away as soon as you get off the highways.

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cruznbelle

cruznbelle

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Shazz43 - We landed on Wednesday so we only had Thursday,Friday and debarkation day (left Sunday) - so we had the same amount it sounds you do. Because we were short on time, I went ahead and contracted with Jay's Limo to do a private island tour for 7+ hrs. It was perfect for us as it was an excellent way to see alot in a short amount of time, spending little time at some places, much more time at others - something you don't get on a tour bus. Also I try hard to build in some relaxation time so Friday was large breakfast, shopping, bar drinks and food later, then went swimming in the ocean after the sun peaked around 4pm. I really wish we had more time - we missed a lot.

 

  • We didn't see Dole - it was packed - we both regret bypassing
  • We didn't do PCC - I'd rather visit the current places not see village depictions - but that's personal choice - the swimming and simply spending time with each other far surpassed this for us
  • We didn't do Pearl Harbor although we certainly had time for it - DH is recovering from knee surgery and he has been to Pearl Harbor - so I felt babying the knee was better for us - we'll be back
  • We did visit many beaches and parks - one - a locals beach - was totally empty - which I found hard to fathom - a small wedding was just getting set up there and I can understand why
  • We did see the Dolphins at Kahala
  • We did see surfers at Sunset beach

In 3 days you can see a bunch - just don't forget to enjoy the resort and/or beach in Honolulu/Oahu itself ;)

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shazz43

shazz43

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Thanks Bunnelc,it all sounds so good, i am just starting to do my research now for our May cruise,

definately want to fit in shopping time and relaxation time as well as sightseeing while in Honolulu , i will look into Jays tours, also could you give me more details about the Feast at Lele Luai in Lahaina, this seems to be a highlight as well and booking early seems the way to go ;)

Thanks again

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CruisingGoddess

CruisingGoddess

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Thanks Bunnelc,it all sounds so good, i am just starting to do my research now for our May cruise,

definately want to fit in shopping time and relaxation time as well as sightseeing while in Honolulu , i will look into Jays tours, also could you give me more details about the Feast at Lele Luai in Lahaina, this seems to be a highlight as well and booking early seems the way to go ;)

Thanks again

 

While you're researching, you might want to look into a tour through Polynesian Adventures:

 

http://www.polyad.com

 

We're taking a tour through them while in Oahu. Here's a link to my itinerary:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1280257

 

Hope it helps!

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GypRasc

GypRasc

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Thanks Bunnelc,it all sounds so good, i am just starting to do my research now for our May cruise,

definately want to fit in shopping time and relaxation time as well as sightseeing while in Honolulu , i will look into Jays tours, also could you give me more details about the Feast at Lele Luai in Lahaina, this seems to be a highlight as well and booking early seems the way to go ;)

Thanks again

 

Shazz43 the following attachments might help with your research. Planning this trip was so overwhelming because of so much info that I had to organize things to keep myself straight. Hope these lists of excursion companies help.

Websites for Hawaii Excursions - Big Island.pdf

Websites for Hawaii Excursions - Kauai.pdf

Websites for Hawaii Excursions - Maui.pdf

Websites for Hawaii Excursions - Oahu.pdf

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Sunny AZ Girl

Sunny AZ Girl

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Thanks Bunnelc,it all sounds so good, i am just starting to do my research now for our May cruise,

definately want to fit in shopping time and relaxation time as well as sightseeing while in Honolulu , i will look into Jays tours, also could you give me more details about the Feast at Lele Luai in Lahaina, this seems to be a highlight as well and booking early seems the way to go ;)

Thanks again

When is your cruise in May? We will be on the POA May 14!

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shazz43

shazz43

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Thanks Cruising Goddess and GypRasc for the websites and lists, you all seem so very organanised, as you say GypRasc it is all so overwhelming, different tours,some many options, what to do, what not to do, lol, :confused:, where do i start

Sunny AZ Girl we are planned to go 21 May, 1 week later :rolleyes:

 

Thanks

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Sunny AZ Girl

Sunny AZ Girl

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Thanks Cruising Goddess and GypRasc for the websites and lists, you all seem so very organanised, as you say GypRasc it is all so overwhelming, different tours,some many options, what to do, what not to do, lol, :confused:, where do i start

Sunny AZ Girl we are planned to go 21 May, 1 week later :rolleyes:

 

Thanks

Too bad.....we need a few more on our Roll Call.:D

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CruisingGoddess

CruisingGoddess

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The only missing information from the NCL shore excursions are the prices. I did a copy/paste from their website including pricing.

 

They may change but at least you can compare to Roberts and other independent tour operators.

 

Good point! I usually don't look at the prices until I've figured out which I'm interested in. You did a lot of work by looking them all up!! Kudos to you! :)

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Bucky3

Bucky3

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What a delight to read your review. Was especially interested in your comment about each island being unique in it's own way! So many times you hear, "seen one, seen them all!" - a comment I could never understand!

 

We love all the islands, and I wouldn't mind being "stuck" on any one of them, but if I HAD to chose just one, it would be Oahu. We love Waikiki, but we also love the rest of the island as you can compare the outer limits to almost any of the other islands - minus the Volcano, of course! We've never stayed at Turtle Bay, but maybe someday! It's beautiful out there.

 

Aloha!

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