NCL Pride of America cruised July 2017

[BayGirl22]

If you purchase the drink package you pay the "gratuity" at the time of the purchase and no further charges will be added to your bill. The exception being in those ports which charge the "state tax" on beverage purchased on the ship. Should you purchase per drink once you are on the ship you will note on the receipt a gratuity charge.

 

But there's no drink package on the POA (at least not for alcoholic drinks) so we'll all be paying by the drink.

[Linda the Book Lover]

But there's no drink package on the POA (at least not for alcoholic drinks) so we'll all be paying by the drink.

 

What was I thinking-POA does not offer the drink package and I know better too!

[World of our own]

Hi! I am super excited for you! The drink gratuity is not optional, they do add one in and then give you an option to tip again... really weird in my opinion.

 

No liquids can be brought on the boat and they search EVERY suitcase, so I recommend bringing a reusable water bottle. You can bring it to the buffet and fill it with whatever you like, as long as you don't puht youhr water bottle under the spout . I used their plastic cups and dumped into my water bottle. A bottle of water is really expensive like $3-4 :)

 

Thanks for the heads up but we've been told we can bring wine/champagne (bottles) and pay a corkage fee, of $10 which we're thinking of doing as I don't really drink that much but it turns out cheaper. We're looking into excursions too but they seem a bit on the pricey side!!

[World of our own]

Hi! I am super excited for you! The drink gratuity is not optional, they do add one in and then give you an option to tip again... really weird in my opinion.

 

No liquids can be brought on the boat and they search EVERY suitcase, so I recommend bringing a reusable water bottle. You can bring it to the buffet and fill it with whatever you like, as long as you don't puht youhr water bottle under the spout . I used their plastic cups and dumped into my water bottle. A bottle of water is really expensive like $3-4 :)

 

Thanks for the heads up but we've been told we can bring wine/champagne (bottles) and pay a corkage fee, of $10 which we're thinking of doing as I don't really drink that much but it turns out cheaper. We're looking into excursions too but they seem a bit on the pricey side!!

[World of our own]

If you purchase the drink package you pay the "gratuity" at the time of the purchase and no further charges will be added to your bill. The exception being in those ports which charge the "state tax" on beverage purchased on the ship. Should you purchase per drink once you are on the ship you will note on the receipt a gratuity charge.

 

There isn't a drinks package on this cruise as it doesn't leave the USA waters we were told.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Thanks for the heads up but we've been told we can bring wine/champagne (bottles) and pay a corkage fee, of $10 which we're thinking of doing as I don't really drink that much but it turns out cheaper. We're looking into excursions too but they seem a bit on the pricey side!!

 

Corkage for a 750ml bottle of wine or champagne is $15.00 each.

[need2cruisesoon]

Corkage for a 750ml bottle of wine or champagne is $15.00 each.

 

Yes, we were on the 7/1 cruise and I brought on 6 bottles ($90).

There is a alcohol checkin desk before you get to the main check in and you declare number of bottles and type.

 

You need to carry on as they will scan your luggage and confiscate all bottles.

 

An AIBP even if offered would have limited use due to the time spent off the ship.

[need2cruisesoon]

Thanks for the heads up but we've been told we can bring wine/champagne (bottles) and pay a corkage fee, of $10 which we're thinking of doing as I don't really drink that much but it turns out cheaper. We're looking into excursions too but they seem a bit on the pricey side!!

 

Forget about ship excursions, either hire private tour companies or rent a car.

[Brookefairway]

Hello Mom of six-- can you tell me how the seas were at night? calm or need to hold on seas?? thanks

[MomOfSix13]

Hello Mom of six-- can you tell me how the seas were at night? calm or need to hold on seas?? thanks

 

Hi!

 

Our seas were quite calm, the boat only/mostly sails during the evening. During evening time you can feel the boat subtly, that kind of mild drunk walk. My hubby and I get that motion sickness feeling when we spin in a circle on amusement park rides, but the boat didn't bother us one bit. Neither of us had to take motion sickness medicine, but everyone is different.

[MomOfSix13]

Thanks for the heads up but we've been told we can bring wine/champagne (bottles) and pay a corkage fee, of $10 which we're thinking of doing as I don't really drink that much but it turns out cheaper. We're looking into excursions too but they seem a bit on the pricey side!!

 

Thats great! They only let us bring 1 on and it was a cheap bottle like 7.99 and then we paid $15, so it became a $22 bottle of wine :)

 

The excursions are expensive! If you are crafty you can actually book directly and uber there. For Example, in Kauai we did the muddy bug waterfall tour (on day 1) through the ship it was like $500-$600, but we booked directly and it was $350 plus the $15 uber ride. Still a huge savings!

 

Btw- it was an AMAZING tour and so much fun.

[BayGirl22]

There's also a wine package you can buy when you board. You can choose 4, 5, or 6 bottles IIRC and there are 3 different quality levels. There are posts here about it. That seems like a good option if you prefer quality wine. Paying corkage is worth it for a nice bottle, but not for a $7.99 bottle, although the total still may be cheaper than what its sold for onboard.

[fridaythe13th]

We did a private helicopter ride in Kauai. AMAZING. This company picks you up at the ship. We rented a car after so they dropped us off at the car rental place. If renting a car in Kailua-Kona, pay more and rent closer to the ship. Use Kona - King Kamehameha Hotel. Across the street from the dock is the hotel. Do not rent from the airport as it will take you a long time to get there and back, losing precious beach/touring time. We did a private tour in Maui of the Hana Hwy. If you really want to enjoy it, let someone else do the driving, plus they have all the history and knowledge, and also the sunrise tour up to Halekalea (it was about 42 degrees in May), 10,000+ feet if I remember correctly. If you really want to enjoy it, let someone else do the driving, plus they have all the history and knowledge. We also rented a car in Maui since we have two days. We arrived in Honolulu three days before the cruise so we rented a car, did Pearl Harbor and drove around the perimeter of the island, stopping along the way to see the sights, one of them the Dole Plantation. In Hilo we rented a car and drove to the Volcano National Park. The mauna loa macadamia nut factory is on the way to the national park. They offer free samples and lots of goodies to buy in the store!

[kiwiuk4]

We reserved both prior to the trip. The bike tour down the volcano was clocked at 20-25mph! An absolute rush. No pedaling...the only calories that were burned were from holding the break and excitement. The tour moves as fast as their slowest rider and puts the men in the back and the most scared rider in the front. The bikes weigh 40lbs alone.

 

Thank you - that answers some of my concerns :cool:

[drdelta]

Hi Debbie,

 

I'm 38 and my hubby and I are pretty active, not in great shape but active :)

 

We arrived a day early in Honolulu and hiked Diamond Head, awesome!! And took a segway tour of Waiki Beach, soon cool and so much fun.

 

We booked our excursions ahead of time on NCL, but if you don't mind a little heard work try booking them directly and take an Uber...its so much cheaper.

 

Maui- we did a downhill bike tour of Halekelea Volcano...it was amazing and so much fun. You don't even pedal and u end up going about 20mph!

 

Maui Day 2- we did snorkel and turtle adventure of Molokini Crater...another amazing day

 

Hilo- Zipline Through Paradise- this was incredible and our guides were amazing! Hubby and I we able to zipline through 8 courses next to each. Worth every penny.

 

Kona- only tender port, but the first port where you walk off to shopping centers and a really nice small beach with water sports to rent. This is where we did the "Hop on Hop off" Google it in Kona Hawaii. That was a perfect way to explore Kona and took you to some great places. Wear water shoes to the snorkel beach they take you too.

 

Kauai- Rent a car and rent it ahead of time. They pick you up at the port and the whole thing costs like $45 for the entire day to have your own car to explore. You can park it at the port for $20 and take it on day 2. Then you can go wherever you want.

 

Day 1 Kauai- we did the mud bug tour to the waterfall. This was AMAZING ANF by far our favorite. You get covered in mud but they do give you clothes of theirs to wear. I recommend water shoes. We booked this directly and for 2 of us it was $330 and we drove our $45 rental car when if we booked through NCL they provide the transportation there and it costs about $600-$700. You do the math :)

 

If you want anymore info on anything we did please let me know I am happy to share.

 

Also if you download the Uber app this will be a true money saver. It costs $60 to transfer from the Honolulu airport with a service with terrible a.c. and uncomfortable seats. The Uber ride was $10! And the cars are like brand new and the drivers were awesome! Less than half the price of a taxi.

 

Thank you so much for the information. It's been very helpful! What rental agency did you use in Kahului? I called Enterprise but we would have to walk to their office to get the car...about a ten minuet walk! If we can have one delivered to the port that would be much better!.

[sun_lovin!1]

We are planning a January cruise on the POA in a couple of years. How's Hawaii in January? Also, is there a luau put on by the cruise line one night?

 

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[Silver Sweethearts]

Thank you so much for the information. It's been very helpful! What rental agency did you use in Kahului? I called Enterprise but we would have to walk to their office to get the car...about a ten minuet walk! If we can have one delivered to the port that would be much better!.

 

Cars are not delivered. If your rental agency has a shuttle, you would take that from the ship to the airport to rent you car. If no shuttle, then you would need to take a taxi to the rental location.