Pride of America Itinerary Question?

[ajtraveler66]

I just checked out the latest NCL Pride of America itinerary. I noted that the ship ports overnight both in Kawai and Maui.

 

I cruised on the P of A about 6-8 years ago....and I don't recall us porting overnight. Does anyone recall that being the case? I know I would have remembered if we had.

 

Anyway, I love the idea of staying at port overnight and I'm anxious to hear everyone's thoughts on the advantages (maybe even disadvantages) of staying at port overnight.

 

I would think it would be GREAT for hitting the beaches and not worrying about getting back to the ship.

 

I assume that you can come-and-go as you please even if you come dragging in at 2:00 a.m.

 

Ready to read your comments.

[beeandkmon]

The overnights are great because you don't have to stress about making it back to the ship on time. You can also get a really early start (if you want) on the second day.

[ransrider]

Thanks for pointing that out. We will be sailing on POA January 23, 2016. This will be our first Hawaiian cruise. Any advise for a newbie?

 

Deb

[greatlakesgirl]

It's a great cruise, and the overnights are wonderful - no rushing back to the ship. And yes, you can come back to the ship at two AM and turn around and leave again at three AM, if you so desire. :)

[Donray]

I just checked out the latest NCL Pride of America itinerary. I noted that the ship ports overnight both in Kawai and Maui.

 

I cruised on the P of A about 6-8 years ago....and I don't recall us porting overnight. Does anyone recall that being the case? I know I would have remembered if we had.

 

Anyway, I love the idea of staying at port overnight and I'm anxious to hear everyone's thoughts on the advantages (maybe even disadvantages) of staying at port overnight.

 

I would think it would be GREAT for hitting the beaches and not worrying about getting back to the ship.

 

I assume that you can come-and-go as you please even if you come dragging in at 2:00 a.m.

 

Ready to read your comments.

 

Always stayed overnight in those ports. Was on the POA ten years ago and they stayed two days in port.

[Susan-M]

With only 5 cruise ports in Hawaii, for a 7 day cruise, the ship would need to double up at some ports.

 

In late 2007 the 7 day itinerary was the same as it is now. Fanning Island used to be included in the itinerary (per the Jones Act) - not sure exactly when the itinerary changed, but eliminating Fanning Island freed up 3 or 4 more days for the ship to be in Hawaii.

 

It's an excellent itinerary if you want to cruise ... the only thing better would be a land trip.:)

 

... oops, my mistake - there are 6 cruise ports, but PoA doesn't go to Lahaina for some reason.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Susan-M

[ajtraveler66]

With only 5 cruise ports in Hawaii, for a 7 day cruise, the ship would need to double up at some ports.

 

In late 2007 the 7 day itinerary was the same as it is now. Fanning Island used to be included in the itinerary (per the Jones Act) - not sure exactly when the itinerary changed, but eliminating Fanning Island freed up 3 or 4 more days for the ship to be in Hawaii.

 

It's an excellent itinerary if you want to cruise ... the only thing better would be a land trip.:)

 

... oops, my mistake - there are 6 cruise ports, but PoA doesn't go to Lahaina for some reason.

 

I just checked with the other party that went with us, and they are certain that we did not port overnight at any of the sites. I guess we must have zig-zagged throughout the islands and had a day or two at sea.

 

Well at any rate, seeing that they port overnight in Maui and Kawai.....well it certainly makes me want to consider taking this cruise again.

[Susan-M]

Spending a day or two at sea in Hawaii would be unusual because the islands are so close to each other (other than the required trip to Fanning Island that I mentioned above). NCL did have three ships in Hawaii at one time, so those itineraries probably varied a bit. I think they were Pride of Hawaii, Pride of Aloha and the current one ... plus there was another one called Wind that did a longer itinerary - do you remember the name of the ship that you were on?

 

Yes, overnights in Kauai and Maui do make this itinerary very attractive ... plus both ports on the Island of Hawaii that cover both east and west sides of the island). Go for it!:)

[VideoTech]

We thoroughly enjoyed our POA cruise - it's a great introduction to the major Hawaiian islands and allows you to sample several of them, so you can decide which one you want to go back to. Now if only DW and I could agree on which island that would be.....

 

The overnights are fantastic. It takes away the worry of being back at the ship by any certain time, and allows you to do as much or as little as you want over those two days. In fact, if you "missed the boat" at Hilo, you'd only have to drive around the island to pick it up again in Kailu Kona. And yes, as others have pointed out, you can come and go as you please, at whatever time you please, in the two overnight ports.

[Omega Mu]

We loved our POA cruise last year! Next year we are going back to the Big Island for a land vacation, splitting our time between Hilo and Wiakoloa. Taking the cruise really helped us see which islands we preferred to spend more time on (Maui and Kauai were also wonderful... future trips).