POA - Hawaii - 5/25-6/2/2013 trip report

[jdblakeslee]

TRIP TO HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

MAY 23 – JUNE 2, 2013

We flew from Gulfport, MS to Honolulu with American Airlines. My detailed flight debacle is an addendum to an otherwise perfect trip. Thanks to my sweet husband and travel partner for not allowing our issues with flights to spoil our trip.

As a point of reference for Cruisecritic.com, we are 65 and 60, active, and this was my husband’s first trip to Hawaii. We noticed that most of the passengers on our cruise were older—much older than us. An extraordinary number of them had real mobility issues which the crew handled with ease. We did not see any shows, didn’t participate in any activities on the ship, but enjoyed relaxing by the aft pool and lounging on our balcony. We did not dine in any of the specialty restaurants onboard. We only ate in the Aloha Café once, a late breakfast, but noticed that when we walked through at various times of the day, the food was fresh and plentiful and the staff was busy keeping tables clean. The other mornings we ordered room service and every order was spot on. Coffee, croissants, a little bacon, juice, water, delivered timely by a smiling crew member. We had dinner every evening in either the Skyline or the Liberty Restaurant. Prefer the Skyline. We enjoyed two of our waiters and we requested to be seated in either of their areas when we spoke with the hostess. We thought the food and service was great. We did not book any of our shore excursions through NCL.

We originally had booked two nights at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach prior to sailing on the NCL Pride of America cruise. We didn’t have plans for the afternoon of our scheduled arrival but had booked the “Hole in the Wall Food Tour” with Matthew Gray in Honolulu for Friday, 5/24. Our pick-up time was 9 a.m., tour from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. When we missed our connection in Dallas, we first called the hotel to let them know and then to Mr. Gray. The Outrigger was so generous in their altering our reservations to only one night and did not charge us for the missed night. Mr. Gray’s cancellation policy, however, clearly states that if you cancel within seven days of the scheduled tour date, no refund would be given.

We arrived at the Outrigger around 3 p.m. Friday, dropped off our luggage in our waiting room, threw on our swimsuits and grabbed two beach chairs for a couple of hours. Friends of ours from Michigan were staying just down the beach from us and we all met at Duke’s for some wonderful drinks, a light supper, and an amazing sunset. We were in bed by 9 p.m.

Saturday morning, we checked out of the Outrigger by 8 a.m., grabbed a cab and took our luggage to the Aloha Tower at the pier for storage while we spent the morning at Pearl Harbor. Total for cab ride with the stop was $ 60. We arrived at Pearl Harbor around 9 a.m. and while I stored my purse, David got our tickets we had reserved online for the USS Arizona tour at 10 a.m. We spent the next hour at the different exhibits there. The Bowfin was of particular interest to David and I mostly wandered around behind him, snapping pictures. With Memorial Day being celebrated Monday, 5/27, there were lots of school groups visiting Pearl Harbor, some with scheduled performances on the grounds. The band and flag corp from Linn High School, Linn, Missouri, were on the ferry with us and were scheduled to play later in the day at the memorial site for the USS Missouri.

We caught a cab from Pearl Harbor, went back to retrieve our luggage, and were dropped off at the pier for embarkation around 2 p.m. The lines were mostly gone and we sailed through the check-in process. We located our aft balcony cabin, 8708, easily, and went to the Skyline Restaurant for a civilized lunch! Our waiter, Christian, was a delight. We purchased our wine package from him there in the restaurant (20% off) and he opened the first bottle at our table. We enjoyed lunch and took the rest of the bottle to our cabin.

We met our cabin steward, Narciso Pastor, and asked that he clear the minibar, which he did on the spot. We didn’t see him but maybe once a day, the evidence of his care showed up in clean towels twice daily and fresh beach towels when we needed them replaced. We always had ice in the ice bucket. We appreciated the privacy he provided us while giving us excellent service.

MAUI – We rented a car from Thrifty for the two days we were in Maui. Thrifty had a shuttle that met us and other renters at the pier to retrieve our car. We spent most of the day in the Lahaina area, sightseeing, at the beach, etc. and we had reservations for the Feast at LeLe that evening. We arrived at our scheduled time and were promptly seated on the front row. Drinks, food, entertainment, service, all A-plus.

Our second day in Maui we had planned to have a relaxed day. We had scheduled noon massages at the Grand Wailea Resort & Spa. We arrived at 10:30 a.m., valet parked, and separated into our individual spa areas for a bit of pampering. And we were. This Waldorf Astoria property is exactly what you’d expect. Over the top. The grounds are beautiful, the staff so welcoming, and I spent an hour before my massage in the provided wet and dry areas that are gender-specific, soaking in the Roman tub, plunged in the cold tub, under the massage waterfalls which target shoulder and neck areas, then five separate aromatherapy pools focusing on detox, fragrance, and moisture. Afterwards, an attendant placed me in a private room where she cleaned me with an exfoliating scrub and rinsed me with warm water. She provided more warm towels and a robe, and escorted me to a covered lanai area where she served me chilled lemon water. I would wait for my masseuse there. My treatment lasted an hour and it was amazing. More chilled water on the lanai before I dressed. I had brought clean clothes, hair supplies, and such to shower, wash my hair, and I left feeling like new money. David and I shared a glass of wine in the outdoor bar, comparing notes on our spa experience. I think he enjoyed it as much as I. We drove back to Thrifty where the return process was quick, efficient, and we were on our way to the ship in no time. With a late breakfast and no lunch, we were hungry, so we ordered a few spring rolls with room service and shared them on our balcony. Delish! Sailaway was beautiful and we loved Maui!

HILO – We booked Ricky’s tour of Hilo and met him at the pier. It was a fun, informative, interesting day. So much as been written about his tour, all true. He covers a lot of territory in the six hours you spend with him. The tour is a great value at $ 65 pp. There were 10 people in our van. It was air-conditioned. He provided water and snacks. There were plenty of photo ops and shopping stops. I would not hesitate to recommend his tour.

KONA – We booked Captain Zodiac’s Snorkel Tour for the afternoon time frame so we had some time to shop around Kona. We left the ship around 10 a.m. and wandered around the shops in the little downtown area near the port. Captain Zodiac’s is one of the more popular excursions in Kona and I think we counted six boats of participants that afternoon. Each boat holds 16 people. We rode out to the snorkel site in a relatively protected cove and spent about an hour, snorkeling. On our way back to the pier, we saw several interesting sites, mostly volcanic formations and our guide was very knowledgeable in his narrative. We had plenty of time to board the ship so if you are worried about the afternoon time for this adventure, don’t. A simply beautiful afternoon.

KAUAI – We had no plans for this port for the first full day. We originally had rented a car but decided to cancel it and have an easy day on and around the ship. We took the shuttle to Hilo Hatties around lunch time and did a bit of shopping. When we got back to the ship, we grabbed our Kindles and found two lounge chairs by the aft pool and relaxed.

The second day, we had booked a helicopter tour of the island with Blue Hawaii. Best thing we did. Kauai is such a beautiful island and we knew we would have a better chance of seeing it if we viewed it from the air. This was not our first helicopter ride so we knew what to expect and how to prepare. There were six passengers on our helicopter, with David and I in the front two seats beside the pilot, Scott, from Texas. There are no words to describe the experience. It was amazing. Beautiful. Wild. Lush. Breathtaking. Book this. Don’t even think twice.

We stopped by Mariachi’s Mexican Restaurant nearby for margaritas and guacamole after the ride and caught the shuttle back to the ship. All good.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on our balcony. We had such a beautiful view of the harbor and realized after we had set sail that most of the ship was watching the Napali Coastline viewing along with us! Having the aft balcony on this portion of our cruise was wonderful because we virtually saw the sailby twice!

BACK IN OAHU – We woke up before our ship docked Saturday morning. We had booked a day room at the Waikiki Marriott and planned to carry our luggage off the ship with us. We would be the last passengers to leave the terminal so there was no reason to rush. We were able to order room service on this last day which was unusual since other cruise lines ask that you have your coffee and breakfast at the buffet on disembarkation day. The transfer to the Marriott was smooth. We arrived around 10 a.m., were handed our cards, they stored our luggage, and we were able to print off our boarding passes for our early evening flight for free at their designated computer/printer site near the concierge desk. We had packed a backpack for the few things we would need at the Marriott and dropped it off in our room. We wandered around the area outside the Marriott and it was already bustling with tourists. Waikiki Beach is like NYC on sand. The high rises and condos, the shopping centers, restaurants, etc. are not remotely as I remembered it from my visit in the 1980s. We got a table at the Tiki Bar and Grill overlooking the beach and had a few beers and grilled mahi mahi sandwiches while we watched everyone baking on the beach. The temps were warm but humidity low and a mild breeze kept us cool and happy. The Marriott had plenty of cabs when we were ready to go to the airport and I think the fare was about $ 40 with tip. No problems with traffic or check-in.

Our agreed-upon top five “likes” from this trip, in no particular order:

• Blue Hawaii Helicopter ride on Kauai
  
• Spa day at the Grand Wailea Resort
  
• Captain Zodiac’s Snorkel Adventure
  
• Pearl Harbor
  
• Feast at Lele
  

I know I have rambled on more than I should so for those of you who have read it all, I hope I have repaid my “mental debt” to Cruisecritic for all the helpful tips I continue to get from the Hawaii and NCL forum and others. If you would like to ask about more details, I’d be happy to respond as best I can. David and I don’t travel with a list of things “to see and check off” so our trip itinerary may not be as comprehensive as one you’d plan, but it suited us to a tee. I think travel is such a personal thing and we’ve learned what works for us. This is glimpse of how we do it and hopefully, it will provide a few ideas if Hawaii is in your future.

Jennifer

[jdblakeslee]

Let me preface this by saying that I use a local travel agent that has been a very good friend of mine for ages. I usually do all the research and present her with what we'd like to book and she does her thing.

 

Our outbound flight was GPT to DFW to HNL. Our GPT flight was due to depart at 10:30 a.m. At 11:15 a.m., the gate attendant announced that the flight was delayed in DFW (American Eagle that goes back and forth between GPT and DFW several times daily) because of mechanical issues and would be arriving at 11:30 a.m. So we're already starting out an hour late before we even board, and we only had 1 1/2 hr layover at DFW to make our connection. Once we boarded, we sat AT THE GATE for another hour while the plane crew and the ground crew tried to reconcile the passenger list. Computer issues. They finally walked through our cabin and asked our names and checked them off a master list. Permission granted to close the door and we taxied away from the terminal.

 

Then, still on the tarmac, the pilots and whomever tried to calculate to see if we had ENOUGH FUEL to get us to DFW since the new flight path was taking us a further route to avoid any weather issues around DFW related to all the tornadic activity in the area. An hour later, when the powers that be decided that we would NOT have to veer off course, we headed to DFW. Our flight to HNL had already taken off before we were even in the air from GPT.

 

Meanwhile, I had been emailing and calling my travel agent about all this, hoping she could get us rebooked on a later flight to HNL...but no available seats in any combination of flights that would have gotten us to HNL on our departure date. She booked us a room at the Hyatt Regency at DFW for that night, and we were confirmed on the first flight to HNL the next morning. AA did not offer to provide any sort of voucher for a room or food and we made our way to the hotel and had an early dinner.

 

The next morning, I couldn't print off boarding passes at the hotel so we checked in with the AA counter. The sweet gal there assured us that our bags would be flying with us and when I told her what had occurred yesterday, she asked why we weren't given vouchers...duh...??

So she documented my little recap and told me to request to be reimbursed for our expenses when we got home. Flight to HNL was fine and our bags were waiting for us at the baggage claim. Thank you, Lord.

 

Cruise and excursions amazing...great week.

 

So, it's time for us to fly home and we printed off our boarding passes at the Waikiki Marriott where we had a day room off the ship. We got to the airport early, checked our bags, paid our $ 50, and proceeded to the gate. The area started filling up and before too long, the AA counter reps were asking for three people to give up their seats as the flight was oversold. Shock.

 

So, get this...for the three seats, AA would guarantee flights home the next day on the first flight out, pay for a room at the Waikiki Marriott, and give you $ 400 each to spend. Well, the line to grab that deal was a mile long. I'm sitting there thinking, well, we had to pay for a hotel room, food, and a few essentials because this unorganized airline didn't have the plan in place to fuel at the gate and to check passengers, and THIS is what they are having to pay for three seats that shouldn't have been sold????

Plane is at the gate, all this time....

 

We board. Flight is to leave at 10:10 a.m. Everyone gets in their seats, door closes, and we pull away from the gate. On the tarmac for about 30 minutes and there are planes backed up, ready to take off...and the pilot comes and says that they are recalculating the mileage since we are being directed over LA and they might not have ENOUGH FUEL, so we may have to return to the gate to refuel. Really???

 

Sure enough, back we go to the gate and we sit there for 30 minutes while they add more fuel. See where this is going? We are going to miss our connection in DFW back to GPT...I'm seething by now....

 

Pilot comes on, we pull back on the tarmac, take off, and he's going to try and make up some of the time but he feels sure that some passengers are going to miss their connections.... I am just stunned....is this standard protocol??

 

We land in DFW and are at the gate by 8:20 a.m. (time difference) and our flight to GPT leaves at 8:30 a.m. We are in row 32. No way we are even going to be off the plane in ten minutes. Meanwhile, the co-pilot tell us which gates the connecting flights are located and the flights that have been missed, he doesn't even mention...so we're sorta thinking, well, we know the drill...

 

Just as the door opens at our gate, the co-pilot says "All passengers for the GPT connecting flight, meet the AA rep at the gate. You will be escorted to your plane." I'm laughing so hard at this point, the folks sitting around us were tickled, too.

 

We met the rep and realized that there were 14 passengers that needed to make this connection (six military guys headed to Keesler AFB in Biloxi).

So here we go from Terminal D to Terminal B...and we get there and they have not even started boarding yet! No lights in the tunnel to get from the gate to the plane. Finally the lights come on, we board, fly, land at home, luggage is at baggage claim and I make a solemn promise to NEVER FLY AMERICAN AIRLINES AGAIN!

 

Way more than you wanted to know but be prepared. They only give out beverages on AA. If you want any food, even for an 8-hr flight, bring it with you or be prepared to purchase it. Not even pretzels or nuts.

 

OK, I feel better...not really. I hate trash-talking companies but this whole experience was so unbelievable, I just couldn't leave it unaddressed.

 

Jennifer

[irishone127]

Awesome review!!! Thanks

[Keith1010]

Great review.

 

Keith

[TxStacey]

Thanks for your review...I am from DFW..American Airlines Country..lol.. and I totally feel your pain. We live very close to the airport and most of our neighbors work for the airlines. The morale there is so bad that they simply don't care about the passengers. I hope with the merger with US Airways, things will get better.

It sounds like your trip was wonderful. Does the Grand Wailea offer a day pass?

[ride4806]

I am SO sorry that you had such horrible flight experiences. We will be using United and I am keeping my fingers crossed that we do not have any of the issues you did. That being said, I am happy to hear that you enjoyed yourselves despite the horrible beginning to your trip!! I do have a few questions,we also are going to be in an aft balcony-did you enjoy your views from it-and were you able to see the NaPali Coast well from your balcony? We are also staying at the OUtrigger Waikiki on the Beach-did you enjoy the location and find it central to many things? Thanks again for sharing your experiences with us.

[jdblakeslee]

Txstacey, as a guest of the spa at the Grand Wailea, we could use any of the facilities at the spa area. I would guess that the pool and other common areas would be made available to their day guests as well, even for an additional fee. It would be worth it. Hands down, one of the loveliest properties we have ever visited. If we return to Maui, it will be because of this hotel.

 

 

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[jdblakeslee]

Skrebeir, the Outrigger Waikiki was beautiful. Location among the best. You will love the hotel and the staff is just amazing. They are used to accommodating crowds that want to see those sunsets and make every effort to please you.

 

Aft balcony cabins on POA are the best. We saw the Napali Coast sailby twice since the ship goes by so each side of the ship has a great view. Just great.

 

 

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[ride4806]

Thanks so very much for your prompt reply-you have made me even more excited about our trip and happy that we chose both that hotel and an aft balcony!!!

[TxStacey]

Txstacey, as a guest of the spa at the Grand Wailea, we could use any of the facilities at the spa area. I would guess that the pool and other common areas would be made available to their day guests as well, even for an additional fee. It would be worth it. Hands down, one of the loveliest properties we have ever visited. If we return to Maui, it will be because of this hotel.

 

 

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Thanks! I have heard it is fabulous and would love to spend the day there! Im going to check it out!

[Plmkrze]

Thanks for the review. We will also be flying from GPT but will avoid AA.

We also booked an aft facing balcony deck 9 POA.

As it looks I need your trip plans except the airline.

 

Thanks

 

 

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[JudyD222]

Our flight out the day the ship arrives back in port is 8 pm so we are trying to figure out what to do. I would like a place to shower, etc. if we decide to go to the beach. What time was check-in and check-out for the Day Room? How much did they charge? Did you choose not to take all your luggage with you to the room or was that a requirement? Thanks so much.

[jdblakeslee]

JudyD222, if you book your day room thru NCL, you will leisurely leave the ship around 9 am. We checked in around 10 am with no wait at the Wailiki Marriott. The bell captain stored our luggage which we retrieved when we left for the airport. It's a no-brainier for us. Nice, clean, cool room for the day. We had lunch at the Tiki Grill and Bar nearby and relaxed by the pool afterwards. Showers, a quick nap, and we were ready for the long flight home. Room was $ 250 thru NCL which included the transfer from ship to hotel but taxi to the airport was on our dime. Expensive, yes, but totally worth it to have a crash pad before that evening flight. Go for it!

 

Jennifer

 

 

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[honeymooner27]

Thanks! I have heard it is fabulous and would love to spend the day there! Im going to check it out!

 

I highly recommend looking into getting one of their deals. There are many deals through different magazines. We used the one through the Aloha Visitors Guide and it was amazing! You get to enjoy the grounds, get a lunch voucher, get to enjoy the hydrotherapy circuit and get a couples massage. It's beautiful and we had a great time pretending to be staying at the resort that day :)

[JudyD222]

Thanks for the info on the Day Room, Jennifer!

 

Judy

[AZKEN2MUCH]

Aloha, Jennifer~ mahalo for the great review. Am very interested in the spa treatment you received. Do you recall the pricing for that treatment? Have limitations as far as road/sea excursions so think this pampering is just the thing for me since there is no Hydrotherapy pool in the POA spa area. Many thanks~

 

Robyn

[aussiemandy]

When you said you purchased your wine package the first day in the restaurant and got 20% off, is that 20% off the advertised price of the packages which I thought we'd be able to purchase when we checked in? eg So the Enthusiast package @ $22 per bottle would be $17.60? So is it better to purchase your wine package once on board at a restaurant or bar and get a discount?