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POA Sept. 17-24 My review of this wonderful Hawaiian Paradise.

lindiloo65

By lindiloo65,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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lindiloo65

lindiloo65

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First of all let me tell you about myself. I am 67 yr. old and have been on many cruises and to Hawaii twice before but first time on a cruise. My daughter who is 28 accompanied me and she has never been to Hawaii. We left Sept. 13 from IAD in D.C. and because I could not tolerate the 11 hour flight straight to Honolulu we stopped over in San Diego to visit a friend. We stayed there for two days. On the 15th we left for Honolulu. All of our flights were 5-6 hours long and mostly on Alaskan Airlines. No entertainment provided so I paid for the $10.00 tablet loaded with Movies. I don't regret it because it was very hard to pass the time otherwise. We landed in Honolulu in the afternoon and were greeted with a Lei. My travel agent arranged for Blue Sky to do our transportation but ended up Aloha Tours picked us up and we headed to our hotel Hilton Hawaiian Village. It was very busy as two insurance conventions were in town. I had been booked in the Rainbow Towers but they had overbooked so I was upgraded to Ali Towers and from an Oceanview room to an Oceanfront room. The room was very nice and looked right over the private pool and the lagoon at the Hilton. After a bit of a rest we walked to Dukes Restaraunt and had a nice dinner. We elected to just have the salad bar and the Hula Pie which was huge and my daughter and I shared it. I would warn anyone that has back or leg problems not to walk to Dukes and take a taxi. It is a good 25 minute walk. We walked on the road side going down and I made the mistake of trying to walk on beach coming back and fell. Thankfully a nice gentleman helped me up and I was not hurt just sore the next couple of days. Went to ABC stores in the Hilton ( they have 4) to get something for breakfast. Next day we had booked an all day tour with E'Noa tours starting at 5:45AM. It was an amazing tour starting at Pearl Harbor and than going to Dole Plantation and than around Oahu. Lunch was included at Pounders in the Polynesian Cultural Center. The tour ended at 4:30PM and we saw most of the highlights of Oahu. I highly recommend them if you are short on time as we were and only have one day to see the sights in Honolulu. The guide was very informative and made a very long day go by quickly. We than got ready for the sunset and went to the lagoon to take pics and than waiting for the fireworks which are 7:45PM at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. I was able to see them perfectly from our balcony. After that got pizza at one of the restaraunts there and repacked to get ready for our cruise the next day. Woke up early and caught a taxi to Diamond Head. I went up to the entrance and set and waited at the picnic tables while my daughter did the hike. She was gone about 90min. Afterwards we went to the Farmers Market at the Kap'olani Community College which is not far from Diamond Head. It is held evey Tues. and Sat. It was very crowded but there were some really good buys and tastings of just about anything Polynesian. We stayed there til around 10AM and caught taxi back to the hotel. I had late check out so we would have time to freshen up and get down to catch van to the ship. I was picked up by Roberts this time and were off to board the Pride of America. Will try to post about the embarkation and first port Maui tomorrow.

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lindiloo65

lindiloo65

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After Roberts picked us up, we were on our way to the Pier. It was exciting to finally see Pride of America since I have been reading about it for so long. Got luggage and headed into terminal. There was a line to take checked bags, than went in line to fill out forms, then onto check in where showed id, cruise documents, set up charge card and got picture id. Than we were off to board the ship. This all took 30 minutes. I was really impressed with how organized it was especially after reading all the negative comments. We had our picture taken and than boarded and looked around a bit and than went to lunch. You have your choice of the Aloha Buffet, Skyline Restaraunt, or Bar and grill up on the pool deck. We elected to go to the Skyline as it was not crowded and a calmer pace. Had a nice relaxing lunch but on way out my daughter noticed my eyes were swelling and once got to a bathroom I noticed it too. Went to sit in Pink's Lounge and wait for our floor to be called and try to decide what to do about the swelling. They call your room by when the floor is ready. Usually start with 13 where suites are and go down. We waited about an hour and than our floor was called. Once in the room, the swelling was worsening and I called reception to ask if Dr. on board and he called medical center and found a nurse was there so off I go to the Medical Center to be evaluated. Not sure if from the flowers in the lei or crab I had for lunch but loaded up with Benadryl and told to watch it closely. Our cabin is a nice size for two of us. Plenty of storage space, two twin beds with tables next to each one. Bathroom is small but not a problem. We had more than enough outlets so didn't even use the extender we brought along. We were in an obstructed oceanview OK and it was pretty obstructed with two lifeboats. Were able to get some sunlight and see some scenery. Worst problem was they would be working on lifeboats right outside your window and you didn't know it til you looked out so had to be careful about keeping curtains closed especially when changing clothes. We had muster drill at 4:45-not like any muster drill I have every attended. We met in assigned station and a member of crew went over safety guidelines. We didn't have to wear life jackets, they just demonstrated how to put them on. Afterwards had meet and mingle with my roll call group. Than we got changed and went to dinner at Cagney's and also could watch ship being pulled out of port. Cagney's was really good-had filet mignon which was cooked just right. Only problem was half way thru meal my daughter started feeling seasick so meal had to be rushed. After that we knew to take Dramamine before pulling out of port. She went to bed and I went to check some books out from library and also to get extension cord from Reception for my Cpap machine. Afterwards off to bed since it had been a long day and were in port early tomorrow. More later about Maui. * Trying to post pictures but haven't figured out how to do it.

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lindiloo65

lindiloo65

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Arrived in Maui around 8AM. Every port has a talk about the island and they give you info about places to see and shopping. Also give you a map. Our first shore excursion wasn't til 4:30 so stayed on ship til than. Used to have shuttles to Walmart or Hilo Hatties ( but it is closed now) but no longer offered. We went to one of the many Hawaiian activities on board. This one was to make beaded lanyards. They offer one each day and if you can I would suggest going.

We used Roberts for all of our excursions but one. But regretfully they have gone way up in price and now are comparable to NCL. Our excursion was to the Haleakala crater to see the sunset. We were taken up in a large bus. The drive up was about 1 1/2 hours long and we traveled up 10,000 feet. Once we arrived you will notice it is much colder. I knew about this and brought along extra clothes like hat, gloves, coat but really did not need anything but long pants and wind breakers. The hawaiians kept talking about how cold it was but they are not used to the cold like those that live in cold climates.

We staked out our spot and waited for the sun to set. We had a beautiful evening-no rain and the clouds lifted so we could see the sunset. We were up there for about half hour and than headed back down. It was kind of scary on way back because it was dark and the road was narrow but we had a good driver.

Next morning our next excursion was to Wailea Beach . The beach was beautiful. There were lawn chairs, umbrellas, and snorkeling equipment for rent. I sun bathed and my daughter got in the ocean. After an hour we took a taxi to Wailea Shops which were a lot of high end stores like Prada, Louis Vitton etc. We walked around and my daughter did some shopping. We ate at a restaurant called Cheeseburger Grill and taproom. It was expensive but all restaurant in Hawaii are. We caught a taxi back to the beach to meet the bus back to the ship.

After getting back on ship went to Moderno for dinner. Moderno is a Brazilian restaurant. They start you off with a salad bar and cheese bread. Than bring bowls of mashed potatoes, rice, yucca fries, and mushrooms. Than servers bring around skewers with different types of meat: filet mignon, chicken, lamb chops, lamb roast, pork roast, sausage, pineapple covered with cinnamon and sugar, sirlion beef. You eat what you want. They give you two cards-one green which means you want more meat and red means you are finished. It is alot of food so would suggest you don't eat alot that day.

Than off to bed to get ready for Hilo.

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mgfiest

mgfiest

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to add pictures to your post the pictures should be on the computer that you are typing on... if you click the little paperclip that is on the first row next to the smilie face that is where you have to find your pictures. you have to know where you put them.. that a must... lol

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lindiloo65

lindiloo65

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I have tried repeatedly to post pictures to my review and I go to the paperclip and pick the photos and hit upload and that is where problem starts. Says I don't have proper security note. The pictures are on my computer. If anyone knows what to do, I greatly would appreciate it. I really do want to post pictures of my trip.

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lindiloo65

lindiloo65

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Arrived in Hilo around 8AM and we had a full day of shore excursions. Most people went to the Volcanic park but we elected to do something different. First stop was Akaka falls which was beautiful. I did not walk the the actual falls as it was a steep and wet walk but saw pictures that my daughter took. Next we went to botanical gardens and zoo. The zoo was small but had a lot of animals and birds particularly and some beautiful flowers. Next stop was the Moana Loa Macedamia Nut Factory. You could look in at them cracking the nut and doing various things with them. Of course the big attraction was the gift shop which had delicious ice cream. I had the chocolate macadamia nut ice cream. They had every thing you can imagine to purchase with macadamia nut. We than left to go back to the ship. We had dinner at Jefferson Bistro which is a French restaurant. This was our favorite restaurant. The atmosphere is so fancy and food delicious. Afterwards after changing back to casual clothes headed to deck to find a spot to watch the lava flow. Around 9:45 the captain pulls as close as he can so you can see the hot lava flow into the ocean plus there is a commentary about the volcano. It was one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. Pictures just don't do it justice. We watched it for almost an hour before he started to said towards Kona. Next day we arrived in Kona. We chose not to do an excursion this day and just do our own thing. Unless you were on an excursion you went to Pink Champagne Lounge and got a ticket and than waited until your number was called and you were escorted down to catch the tender. I will be honest I was terrified and I made sure the staff knew this. They made sure that two people were in front of me and two behind. I got on safely and got off safely despite my fear. There are a lot of shops and restaraunts near where the tender comes in. Don't get sucked into taking the $15.00 hop on hop off trolley. There is another on that is $2.00 and just wait for that one. We caught taxi to post office to mail a couple of packages and than walked to Kona Brewery for lunch. Afterwards caught another taxi back down to the waterfront and looked around the shops. Than back to ship. That night we ate at LaCucina which is Italian. It was also delicious. I went to the one and only show tonight which was Oh What A Night. It was based on Frankie Valli and the four seasons. It was really good and the four guys are so talented.

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Pharry

Pharry

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Thanks so very much for the review!! I do have a question, when the ship is in port overnight, does it stay docked overnight so you can do things at night or do you have to be back on the ship at a specific time? Thanks

 

When the ship is in port overnight you can come and go as you please. It stays docked.

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