Quick Review of the Pride of America - Hawaii

[schildiams]

Great trip!

Here's some info:

Embark - we got there by 11am and were on by 11:30. No Platinum waiting area or special embarkation for Platinum. Suites had a separate area.

Had lunch in the Skyline day 1. Rooms were ready around 1:30 pm. The Skyline was closed for lunch the remainder of the trip.

Inside room on deck 4 under the lobby - noisy. Also one day had overwhelming shellac smell inside the room. Otherwise good location.

There is shade to be found - back deck 11 is great; pool bar on 12 has a breeze and shade. Sides of pool are hot bc there is no ventilation on Deck 11. 

Deck 3 mid is used to get on/off the ship. Long lines for the first tender only. Not bad otherwise.

Food was good all around. Same for drinks. Drinks were very expensive if you don't have the package. With tax/tips, could be $24 per drink!

Long line to make dinner reservations on board the first day. 

Long lines at Skyline at 5:30 pm even with reservations. Separate line for no reservations was quicker, ironically.

Comedian and magician were very good. Cover band was good, too. 

Ship never felt too crowded though it was full.

Diner and Gold Rush worth visiting.

Bring beach footwear for rocks!

Stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for three nights.

Took UBER to Ship - @$15.

Maui day 1 -  took free shuttle to mall and then rode the public bus all the way to Lahaina and then transferred to waiting bus up north to the best beaches/Ritz/Golf. Wirth the trip! $4 r/t per person (day pass)

Maui day 2 - walked across the street to public bus near TJMaxx/Safeway and took it to the beach in Paia. Beautiful! Rode it the rest of the route after the beach to sightsee. $4 all day pass.

Kona - tender and took the $2 public trolley at pier at 9:40 am - DO NOT take this one! - wait instead until the 10:20ish trolley which skips the malls, etc. and heads right to the beach. We took an UBER back for @$12. Very rocky beach, but good for snorkeling. Can rent at the beach.

Hilo- walked a block to the hop on/off bus $20 pp - went to first 5 stops including Rainbow Falls/Banyan Trees/Japanese Garden, then transferred to the beach hop on/off later (included in the price). Well worth it! 

Kauai - Walked to close by Marriott beach/golf course/lighthouse. 

Kauai day 2- took the $75 ship sponsored bus tour to Waimea Canyon - MUST SEE!

Sat on deck to hear commentary while sailing past cliffs on way out.

Disembarked on our own - off ship by 7:20 am. Had Lined up on deck 6 mid. Took UBER to airport for approx $17. Thru security at HNL by 8:30am. Waited a long time for noon flight.

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[BirdTravels]

Hawaii is one of our favorite destinations. 

 

All great tips for a Hawaiian vacation. 

[schildiams]

This was definitely one of our favorite trips ever :)

[sue402001]

Thanks for your review of the POA shildiams! You answered one of the questions I had about boarding. Do you know if you can get back off the ship once you board in Honolulu? thanks!

[schildiams]

We wondered the same but we didn’t end up trying. I think it’s doable though bc there was a sign up to be back on board by 6:30pm 

[Dgoddess61]

following

[sue402001]

On 7/9/2019 at 9:54 PM, schildiams said:

We wondered the same but we didn’t end up trying. I think it’s doable though bc there was a sign up to be back on board by 6:30pm 

Thank you!

 

 

[Jetswdo]

Did you see any bell caps for embarkation?  I really would prefer having a bell cap take our luggage upon getting out of taxi--

It seems that this embarkation port it is iffy to fine a bell cap.. Anita

[schildiams]

On 7/11/2019 at 7:08 PM, Jetswdo said:

Did you see any bell caps for embarkation?  I really would prefer having a bell cap take our luggage upon getting out of taxi--

It seems that this embarkation port it is iffy to fine a bell cap.. Anita

None - but we were early (11am). It was very easy without - we just rolled our luggage into a room with a conveyer and someone helped put the bags on.

[Jetswdo]

We are planning on arriving 10:30-11:00 ish.  Hopefully we will be dropped off as close to the entrance as possible----Anita

[B-52]

Tell Me more about your Beach Day in Maui...

Which beach did you go to

Were you able to rent chairs, etc?

Thanks

[schildiams]

17 hours ago, B-52 said:

Tell Me more about your Beach Day in Maui...

Which beach did you go to

Were you able to rent chairs, etc?

Thanks

We walked across the street to the bus stop near tjmaxx/safeway (its green and in the middle of the parking lot) and took the public bus to Paia, which is a cute little town. $4 day pass. ride is approx 15 minutes? Rides thru the airport which has a stunning waterfall. There is a public park there but we walked to a more private section by the Paia Inn. A big sea turtle was in the sand. There are no chairs at all - we brough ship towels. There ,might be a bathroom by the public park section, though. I had beautiful comfy sand and gentle waves. Some shade was available, too. We caught the bus a few hours later. It was a nice, easy day.

[CamColt]

Thanks for sharing!  I am starting to research this cruise for next year and this information was wonderful!  

[schildiams]

You're welcome 🙂

[Dgoddess61]

Can you tell me if they offered the "bag of Laundry" for a flat rate during the 7 day cruise?

[locotogo]

Which side of the ship were you on to see the Na Pali Coast? 

[NikiPinkston]

Thank you for a great review!  We did this cruise a few years ago & are going again in March for our 40th anniversary; I'm SO excited I'm counting the days.  We're staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for 3 days post-cruise, so I appreciate your info about the Uber. Do you have any tips or recommendations about the Hilton? Thank you! 😎