Pride of America 6/16 to 6/23 report w/pictures

[Momtocss]

Day 6: Kona

 

Our plans for Kona were to have a beach day and go shopping. We had breakfast at Skyline. I got a strawberry yogurt parfait and french toast and sausage and DH had blueberry pancakes, ham, and hash browns.

It was an overcast day which was probably good for us. We had a tender time of 9:30. The line was quite long and I think we got on the tender more like 9:40. We did not get a good view of Kona due to the vog. We walked to the beach area and paid $12 each for beach chairs. We had brought books to read. It was hot enough for DH to have to get in the water a couple of times. It was fun to people watch too. A couple different groups came to scuba dive. They rented snorkel equipment where we got our chairs as well as paddle boards and canoes.

We stayed for three hours and then cleaned the sand off our feet and did a little shopping. DH bought a hat. It was not too busy when we got lined up to tender back to the ship. We were the last on one of the boats and took off quickly. We decided to stay in our suits and go to the pool. We ate burgers and fries at the Key West bar and grill. It was good. Our only complaint was they had no desserts there. We went to the buffet for soft serve ice cream when we were ready to go to our room to clean up. We took naps as we wanted to go to the White Hot Dance Party that night.

[Momtocss]

We had 6:30 dinner reservations at Liberty. We each had calamari for our appetizer. DH had another New York strip steak and I had salmon. DH had the chocolate lava cake and I had the snickerdoodle pound cake for dessert. We went to the Magic with Joel Meyers show and enjoyed it. We got a bucket of beer at the White Hot Dance Party. I got Angry Orchard and DH went with the IPA’s again. The cruise staff does a good job getting the party started and then slowly drift away. We enjoyed our night.

 

 

 

 

[NancyL2]

Following...I'm really enjoying your review with all the pics.

[Momtocss]

Day 7: Kaua’i

 

We knew we wanted to do a luau while in Hawaii. The ship offers one luau and when looking at prices it made economical sense to also do Discover Kaua’i ending that excursion at the luau. We knew it was going to be a long day. Our excursion started at 10:00 am and we were not expected back to the ship after 9:00 pm. We went to Skyline for breakfast. I got the strawberry yogurt parfait, scrambled eggs, sausage, and asked for hash browns but got country potatoes. DH had the grapefruit with oranges and an omelet and hash browns. We also got and order of the golden belgian waffles with the bananas and caramel sauce which we split. That was pure deliciousness! It was like having a dessert with your breakfast.

 

 

 

 

[sjudis]

The food looks “meh”. I would’ve thought they would have more color, fresh caught local fish and local produce[emoji20]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Momtocss]

We met in the Hollywood theater and were put into three different groups for the Discover Kaua’i excursion. You were given a choice of three or four different sandwiches to choose for lunch. DH chose chicken salad and I got roast beef. We stopped at a Lydgate Beach, Opaekaa Falls, Wailua River, Spouting Horn Beach Park, and had lunch at Poipu Beach. Driving along this area, we decided this was our favorite island and if we ever win the lottery this is where we would move. I would want a house right on the beach and from there could live a very simple life. We got our lunches which included our choice of sandwich, chips, fruit cup, cookie, and water. After eating, we walked across the street from the beach and got a shaved ice to share.

Lydgate Beach

Opaekaa Falls

Wailua River

Spouting Horn Beach Park

Poipu Beach

[Momtocss]

We then went on to visit Waimea Canyon. On our way back we stopped at Kauai Coffee Company. They had many flavors to sample. We had a banana theme going that day. We had banana shaved ice and also bought the banana flavored coffee.

Waimea Canyon

 

Kauai Coffee Company

 

 

 

 

After that stop, we headed to the laua. We were given two drink tickets. We found our

assigned table and then got a drink and walked around to see the items vendors were selling. We then watched the pig being unearthed. When we got back to our table, salad and bread had been served. Our table was one of the first to go through the buffet line. I think I took a little bit of everything. I even tried the poi on my pulled pork. It was not as bad as I had heard. The food was all very good. You also went back to the buffet for dessert which was three individual things to try. My only complaint about the laua was how hot it was. After dessert, we got up from our table to moved closer to the bar. DH had another drink before it shut down. We opted to stay in that area to watch the show than go back to our table. Another couple who was at our table did the same. We enjoyed the show and fire dancers. As soon as the show was over we made a beeline to get in line for the bus. It had been a long day and I wasn’t too keen on standing in long lines to go back to the ship. We were on the first bus back and our driver was hilarious. He sang Tiny Bubbles and Sweet Caroline with the whole bus singing along. We thoroughly enjoyed our day.

 

 

 

[cincicruisers]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for sharing.

[Momtocss]

Day 8: Kaua’i

 

We planned a beach and shopping day for our last day on the cruise. We ate at Skyline for breakfast. I had the huevos rancheros and DH had eggs, ham, and potatoes. We also got the Belgian waffles again for “dessert”.

We caught the free bus to Anchor Mall. We had a coupon for buy something get a pair of socks for free at the Bamboo store. We each got a pair of socks and our bamboo lei. DH had been waiting all week for his free bamboo lei after learning about it at the port shopping talk. He made sure everyone in the store got one too. We got rained on while walking to the beach at the Marriott. It was the first rain we experienced our whole trip. We brought our beach towels from the ship and found a place in the grass to lay out. When the sun came out it was quite hot and we got in the water several times to cool off. We took in the beauty of Kaua’i and were sad when it was time to go back to the ship.

[Momtocss]

We got cleaned up and headed to Skyline for lunch. We had to get the peanut butter cup cheesecake again! I had the pho soup, hummus and peperonata, and fish and chips, DH had the chicken nachos, popcorn shrimp, and the philly cheesecake. It was a great last lunch on the ship.

 

 

[Momtocss]

We had dinner reservations at 6:30 which we canceled as we knew we would not be hungry after such a big lunch. We walked around on deck and then went to the Mardi Gras to see Joel Myers again. He was just as enjoyable the second time around. We decided to take a nap before the Na Pali Coast viewing. I woke up and looked out our room window and saw the most gorgeous rainbow. At first I thought it might be a reflection off the glass but then realized it was a true rainbow. I ran out to get on deck for some pictures. Looking one way at the coast was bright and sunny and turn around the other way was cloud cover and the beautiful rainbow. It just made the trip all the more special. DH was still tired so I got my book and went to the conservatory to read for a little while. It was still off and on raining so I was happy to be someplace dry.

 

 

 

[anyman]

This is great stuff. Wife and I are on the August 11th POA cruise, and this is like being there already.

 

Al

[KKB]

Oh, I am so enjoying your report!

We visited Hawaii for the first time last October & stayed at the Waikiki Marriott & loved it--we were just on the other side of the same tower as you I believe, with a view of Diamond Head.

I am thinking a cruise would be a great way to see the other islands while having the evening entertainment. Even on Waikiki we found evenings pretty quiet compared to cruise ships!

[Momtocss]

We ate our last meal at Skyline. It was no problem not having a reservation. DH had the watermelon, shrimp and mozzarella cheese along with a bibb lettuce salad and his fourth New York strip steak! I had the potato gnocchi and italian sausage and the barbeque mixed grill. We each got the chocolate lava cake for dessert. We still had some onboard credit to spend so I enjoyed two glasses of wine with my dinner. We caught Vegas! The Show and then went to our room to pack our luggage. We were so sad our trip was about to end.

[anyman]

We ate our last meal at Skyline. It was no problem not having a reservation. DH had the watermelon, shrimp and mozzarella cheese along with a bibb lettuce salad and his fourth New York strip steak! I had the potato gnocchi and italian sausage and the barbeque mixed grill. We each got the chocolate lava cake for dessert. We still had some onboard credit to spend so I enjoyed two glasses of wine with my dinner. We caught Vegas! The Show and then went to our room to pack our luggage. We were so sad our trip was about to end.

Well, you're just going to have to do it again.

Al

 

[Momtocss]

This is great stuff. Wife and I are on the August 11th POA cruise, and this is like being there already.

 

Al

 

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! I learned a lot from other reviews so hope this is helpful as well.

[Momtocss]

Oh, I am so enjoying your report!

We visited Hawaii for the first time last October & stayed at the Waikiki Marriott & loved it--we were just on the other side of the same tower as you I believe, with a view of Diamond Head.

I am thinking a cruise would be a great way to see the other islands while having the evening entertainment. Even on Waikiki we found evenings pretty quiet compared to cruise ships!

 

I am so happy we went this route to see the islands! The cruise was fantastic with the food and entertainment offered. I highly recommend it.

[TSUmom]

Thank you for sharing! Your pictures are fabulous. My very first cruise was on Pride of America in 2006. I loved it so much I did it 3 more times and it was just as wonderful each time.

[Beachiekeen]

Loved the review, thanks so much! We are planning this cruise for next November but probably won't book for the next few months. I think we will rent a car in Kauai but I made note of the Best of Kauai excursion. Thanks so much for all the great info.!

[Momtocss]

Day 9: Honolulu/North Shore

 

We ate at Skyline before we disembarked and got to the Hollywood theater just in time to get in line to head out on our North Shore excursion. We got our luggage and got in line to get on our bus. I believe our driver said there were 48 of us on the tour. He said he usually has 30 so a much larger group than usual. We stopped at the Bydodo Temple, a macadamia nut farm (lots of nuts to sample), and the Dole Pineapple Plantation ( we got another Dole Whip). We travelled along the Waimea Bay but due to the size of our bus, we were not able to stop at any of the beaches. It was still a great tour and were happy to see the another area in Oahu. Our final destination was the airport.

 

 

 

We checked our two large pieces of luggage and found our gate. We connected to wifi and I worked on cleaning out my inbox full of e-mails. I had given up trying to keep on top of them while on the ship. I have t-mobile and never had service while at sea. I got us a pizza to share and a fountain coke. We did good on the ship only have water, tea, or lemonade with our lunches and dinners. As it was getting close to time to board we were able to check our two smaller pieces of luggage for free. We missed out on an opportunity to earn $1000 vouchers to move to a later flight as our flight was overcrowded. The first offer was $900 a person which I told DH no to. When they announced the $1000 offer we went to check on when the next flight would be and learned they only needed one other person for the later flight. As good as that deal would have been, I was anxious to get home. This was the longest vacation we have ever taken. We got another wrap on the plane and only one beverage service. I got a glass of wine. I watched four movies going home; Pitch Perfect 3, Phantom Thread, Game Night, and Mamma Mia again. We changed planes in Dallas and our daughter was at the airport when we landed to take us home. We were excited to share how great a vacation we had.

[Momtocss]

Final Thoughts:

 

We loved Hawaii and we loved the cruise. It was the best vacation. DH made the statement that he forgot how much he liked to cruise. Everything went smoothly. I was happy with the excursions we chose. It was a great way to see Hawaii. We thought the staff was super friendly. We had some great conversations with our servers. They took the time to chat with us and were open to answering our questions. We even learned from one more about the code bravo without having to ask. They are hard workers. Our food was wonderful in the main dining rooms and at the Cadillac Diner. I was bummed about not getting to East Meets West and having to eat at the buffet but oh well. The entertainment was good. The dancers are super busy with many performances. Our room steward kept our room neat and orderly and kept us entertained with the towel animals. She greeted us by name whenever she saw us coming and going from our room. I may have shed a tear or two at different points of our trip. The view was always breathtaking. We already want to go back. I would do the cruise again, however it is quite costly . I would choose different and more adventurous excursions now that I have seen Hawaii. I’m not sure what I thought Hawaii was going to be, but this trip was all that I could have wanted.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my trip report. I tried to soak up as much information as I could before we left and was always anxious to read other trip reviews. I hope this may have helped you as you plan your trip.

[oncruisecontrol]

Day 9: Honolulu/North Shore

 

We ate at Skyline before we disembarked and got to the Hollywood theater just in time to get in line to head out on our North Shore excursion. We got our luggage and got in line to get on our bus. I believe our driver said there were 48 of us on the tour. He said he usually has 30 so a much larger group than usual. We stopped at the Bydodo Temple, a macadamia nut farm (lots of nuts to sample), and the Dole Pineapple Plantation ( we got another Dole Whip). We travelled along the Waimea Bay but due to the size of our bus, we were not able to stop at any of the beaches. It was still a great tour and were happy to see the another area in Oahu. Our final destination was the airport.

 

 

I love this photo of the Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples. It reminds me of one of my favorite tv shows from the 1980's: Magnum P.I. This location was used often in that show.

[kevink]

Great trip report. Thanks!

 

— Kevin

[AmyJA]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write up your review!

[pmb0602]

Thanks for the great review and lots of info!! Got back from Alaska on the Bliss a week ago and are already planning our next cruise - Hawaii in Oct 2019. So I am a sponge for information and reviews :)