Live from the Pride of Hawaii!

[Cruiser from MN]

Kathie, thanks for all the great information. Some additional questions about the laundry facilities - are there irons and ironing boards (I'm assuming there are none in the rooms)? Also, you mentioned the significant cost of using the ship's laundry service - if you have it available could you post the costs for pressing services? Thanks so much.

 

There are both irons and ironing boards in with the washer and dryers.

[thecruisers723]

We've done the specialty restaurant on Carnival, and from time we sat down, until we were finished with dessert, it was approximately a 3 hour dinner. Does anyone know how long we can expect to be in Cagney's once seated? We are trying to figure out reservation times and coordinate them with showtimes.

[zimmerjulie]

"But like on every cruise ship some people will love the food, some people will hate it. (People at the next table on the Sapphire walked out muttering about "Garbage"). I certainly disagreed.

 

I really loved the food and the dining experiences.

 

Thank you for your perspective. I don't blame others for negative reviews, but it is nice to get this perspective and know that all is not lost. There is hope!

 

Your post brought a much needed smile to my face.:)

 

Thank you DebraDot. I really appreciate that.

[laura salzy]

Shiraz, when does the POH sail past the Na Pali coastline? I switched from port to starboard and now I know NCL will think I'm nuts, but I'm thinking of trying to get back on the port side. When docked, was Port side better? Thanks!

[bobnsandi]

Just got off the Pride of Hawaii and it was wonderful! They do have self service laundry facilities. There is no charge to use the washer or dryer. There is also two irons and ironing boards in the room. If you do not bring your own detergent you can buy onboard and the charge is $1.00 for a box of Tide. The box is only enough for one load. Hope this helps.

 

The laundry machines are quite "modern" European and

some folks noted that the $1 box of detergent was too

much for one load. Best to bring your own (in a zip-lock

of course, can't cruise without those zip-locks).

 

We've been discussing this issue, and we posted some

photos with at least one location on the PoH. The

others are in the same location, different deck.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=360327

[Shiraz]

Shiraz, when does the POH sail past the Na Pali coastline? I switched from port to starboard and now I know NCL will think I'm nuts, but I'm thinking of trying to get back on the port side. When docked, was Port side better? Thanks!

 

I think they vary the exact Na Pali schedule sometimes. We sailed by there in early evening. The first part (north) was really defined and gorgeous but the second part (south) seemed to be in a sort of cloud shadow and mist so it wasn't as dramatic. I think that's a counter-clockwise direction from Nawiliwili. We had driven up to the Kilauea lighthouse & Princeville the day before so it was kind of cool to see it from way out in the ocean.

 

We had some not-so-lovely views in some harbors (like Maui's I think it was, looking at the huge wall of the pier building for 2 days but we were extremely busy and tired so it wasn't a biggie deal, and it was kind of cool to look down at the gangway and see if people were coming/going, etc.) Frankly, I'm having a hard time remembering what was out the patio door @ Hilo (first stop). You know -- I don't think the pier view matters too terribly because that's one of the least things I remember! We saw the lava & Na Pali -- that's etched in my memory. Having a balcony period was fantastic, and it just so happened that Na Pali's one side was port on this sailing. It may change and it's one of those things I think the captain keeps as a carefully guarded secret because I bet the NCL call center folks have no idea . . .

 

Okay, get this -- when I was at registration getting our printout of our charges a couple of nights before the end of the cruise, I asked the clerks whether the Na Pali viewing would be from one or both sides of the ship and they said only from the port side (we actually LOOKED UP my cabin and determined that it was on the port=left side!!). Then I was in the Galleria (shop) a little later and overheard a fellow passenger asking the clerk there the same question and she said "both sides." I told her what they said at the regis. desk and she said "I better call & get this straight." She called and they told her the same thing I had been told; one side. The clerk got all flustered and said "well they did both sides last week." Hmm. So what we did isn't necessarily exactly what the next one will do. Our printed itinerary did not have lava viewing on it but when they announced it of course I went nuts!!! That was definitely an added bonus!!

[zimmerjulie]

We've done the specialty restaurant on Carnival, and from time we sat down, until we were finished with dessert, it was approximately a 3 hour dinner. Does anyone know how long we can expect to be in Cagney's once seated? We are trying to figure out reservation times and coordinate them with showtimes.

 

Our dinner for 4 in Cagneys was 1.5 hours long. I wonder how it has been for others? Our Le Bistro dinner was 2 hours.

[D&J38]

We were on the inaugural cruise of the POH. I am reasonably certain that the Napali Coast viewing will always be on the port side, as the ship will travel counter-clockwise around the north of Kauai as someone said.

 

I think the only reason we saw it from BOTH sides on the inaugural cruise was that the ship had to turn around and go back to Nawilwili for that medical evacuation. Otherwise the captain would probably have continued on around to the next port. So it's no wonder the store clerk believed it was both sides.

 

In port at Maui, the view was clearly superior from the starboard side--we got to look out over the moutains of Maui and the kayakers in the bay, etc. Starboard was also best for approaching the volcano.

 

All that said, however, I wouldn't sweat it. Just go on deck for some of the sights if you're on the "wrong" side.

[rosiej]

We sail July 17th. Love reading the thoughts on PofH, pro and con. This is only our second cruise, how is the room service on PofH? It is included, correct? We were almost finished with our Disney cruise 3 years ago before we realized this amenity. Hope to utilize room service for breakfast more often on this cruise. We welcome any info, also on breakfast in general on the ship. Keep the posts coming! :)

[zimmerjulie]

hi rosiej,

room service is included. The room service breakfast is continental-style, at least for the regular, non suite, cabins. They have danishes, muffins, cereals, fruit, yogurt, etc., but not hot items like eggs, bacon, sausage. They will have sit-down restaurant breakfast in a dining room and a breakfast buffet in the Aloha Nui Cafe. I enjoyed the breakfast buffet. I had a made-to-order omelette that was excellent and various other things...fruit, small seasoned hash brown patties, fruit empenada, and very good bacon.

[bubiesmom]

I am so excited I found CC! I have been searching for a cruise for months and am going to book POH for 01/01/07. I can't wait. I have some questions, if anyone can help me.

Will a Mini-suite AF accomodate 2 adults, 16 and 11 y/o?

Does anyone have a photo of it?

Will NCL let my son(2 months shy of turning 12) do the shore excursions that specify you have to be 12?

I will be booking through NCL directly, should I book air on my own?

I saw a post and they said that I should book air on my own, but shouldn't I if I am not going to buy insurance...

Does anyone have menus for restaurants that are not the specialty ones?

Can you book ressies for Papa's with ncl.com? Everyone says it's very good.

Well, I look forward to hearing from all of you seasoned travelers. I have not been on a cruise in 15 years and my kids have never cruised. My daughter and I are going to cut and paste all of your helpful hints.

[laura salzy]

Shiraz and D&J - thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question re: port vs. starboard. I am forgetting about it, staying starboard as it's exactly mid-ship close to the elevator and like you both said, we can go up on deck whenever we want to. If I remember our last cruise, we hardly used the balcony in the Caribbean but it was really nice having it. Now, time to research the shore excursions. I just printed NCL's 25 pages to read!

[bearette]

Though i haven't had experience witht his myself from what i heard is your son who is not yet 12 will not be allowed on the tour. The age limits are for insurance and safety reasons and even one day makes a difference.

As for airfare-99% of the time you can book your own airfare for a better price then the cruise line will offer it. NCL is the only cruise line, I think and have used, that has had decent prices on their airfare. In fact we used them to book our airfare for our cruise a week from tomorrow. The down side with them booking your airfare is you are at their mercy. This means you may end up with less then desirable flight times and if you don't rememeber to book your seats as soon as you get your flights you may not be sitting with your travel companions. You can pay a premimum with NCL to pick your own company and flights, but then you might as well book them seprately yourself. As for the travel insurance-booking your own airfare is a good reason to buy insurance! if your flight is delayed and you miss the ship NCL will not wait for you or assist you. Your insurance will pay for catch up tranportation and put you up in a hotel until you can be put on the ship. If you miss the ship with NCL airfare they are responsible for getting you to your ship so no problems there. Buying insurance through a seperate independant company like Travel Guard is a good idea since you can pick a policy for what you feel you need. (they have more options then the cruise line) Most people will tell you that no matter what you do-buy insurance. It is the "what ifs" that you are paying for and the peace of mind.

You cannot make reservations for the restaurants on line. You have to do that when you get onboard. The specialty restaurants with out a charge, like Papa's fillsd up fast so make reservations on the first day.

As I said before I haven't traveled on this cruise yet, but this is what I have been told or experienced for myself on previous trips.

[Shiraz]

Laura, I can really relate to that intimidating plethora of shore excursions. Happily we don't golf so we were able to cross those off right away!! I started with Kauai because it was small and picked the Fern Grotto trip, then after all wound up getting a car there (because it was a small island and I figured we couldn't get lost -- true, we didn't).

[jealdaka]

Who is the Cruise Director and assistant? Host?

[northwoods2]

I am so excited I found CC! I have been searching for a cruise for months and am going to book POH for 01/01/07. I can't wait. I have some questions, if anyone can help me.

Will a Mini-suite AF accomodate 2 adults, 16 and 11 y/o?

Does anyone have a photo of it?

Will NCL let my son(2 months shy of turning 12) do the shore excursions that specify you have to be 12?

I will be booking through NCL directly, should I book air on my own?

I saw a post and they said that I should book air on my own, but shouldn't I if I am not going to buy insurance...

Does anyone have menus for restaurants that are not the specialty ones?

Can you book ressies for Papa's with ncl.com? Everyone says it's very good.

Well, I look forward to hearing from all of you seasoned travelers. I have not been on a cruise in 15 years and my kids have never cruised. My daughter and I are going to cut and paste all of your helpful hints.

 

 

We are also thinking about booking 1/1/07 cruise. To address your question about your almost 12 year old. You might want to contact the excursion provider directly if you can find out who it is. When we were in Alaska the company let our 11 year old do some excursions that were specified for 12 and up. And for them it all had to do with shoe size - because we were going on a glacier trek.

[Breezey]

I have been following this thread which appears pretty positive in its write up of the Pride of Hawaii.

 

But I just read the member reviews for this ship on the reviews section and am shocked at how consistent the writers from the 6/6 cruise have been in their scathing reviews. All four writers gave it a 1 star (ok one was generous and gave it a 2).

 

We are cruising in September and hope that they get their act together. Wow, poor, rude service; bad food, two main things that can what wreck an overall cruise experience? Sure I can understand new ship kinks that need to be ironed out but none like these.

 

Anyone else worried?

[zimmerjulie]

Wow, it does look pretty dismal over there!

 

I have been keeping a pretty close watch on the reviews coming in on the NCL board, here, as I am really interested in this ship and crew, having had such a good time aboard.

 

So far I see 15 people who have given the ship great reviews, using the words "Wonderful, outstanding, fabulous, fantastic" to describe the overall experience. Cityggal-Vacationbound, bobnsandi, zimmerjulie, Silver Girl, LCI 598, kat 28, RSM2354, D&J38, Shiraz, AndyP7, Kapuna, Mike Kaye, RuUp2It?, cruiser from MN. I also got the impression that member Maeve 619 had a good trip.

 

There were 4 members whose opinions were mixed, "Good & Not so good"

loLa123, saydiver, jrozman, and stormy67

 

There were 5 that gave it bad to horrible ratings, "Save your Money, only good thing about this cruise was Hawaii itself", etc. Snowbrat, Ilovefuncruises, NCLcruiselover, Lynnie Sue, and hollym

 

I guess those of us who really enjoyed the ship and cruise have not yet gone over and posted our reviews in the separate reviews section!! I will do that tonight, as I am mostly done with mine, I think.

[Breezey]

Wow, it does look pretty dismal over there!

 

I have been keeping a pretty close watch on the reviews coming in on the NCL board, here, as I am really interested in this ship and crew, having had such a good time aboard.

 

So far I see 15 people who have given the ship great reviews, using the words "Wonderful, outstanding, fabulous, fantastic" to describe the overall experience. Cityggal-Vacationbound, bobnsandi, zimmerjulie, Silver Girl, LCI 598, kat 28, RSM2354, D&J38, Shiraz, AndyP7, Kapuna, Mike Kaye, RuUp2It?, cruiser from MN. I also got the impression that member Maeve 619 had a good trip.

 

There were 4 members whose opinions were mixed, "Good & Not so good"

loLa123, saydiver, jrozman, and stormy67

 

There were 5 that gave it bad to horrible ratings, "Save your Money, only good thing about this cruise was Hawaii itself", etc. Snowbrat, Ilovefuncruises, NCLcruiselover, Lynnie Sue, and hollym

 

I guess those of us who really enjoyed the ship and cruise have not yet gone over and posted our reviews in the separate reviews section!! I will do that tonight, as I am mostly done with mine, I think.

 

 

Thanks Zimmerjulie for the statistical analysis (LOL). I wrote my comments before I had a chance to see that another thread had been started which gave me better peace of mind. I have been on enough cruises and read enough review to know that I cannot rely on the small sampling that I read on the reviews boards. And regardless, my focus is on seeing Hawaii and no bad reviews there.

[Silver Girl]

I submitted a positive review more than a week ago, before the June 5-12 cruise ended. I did receive an e-mail stating that they had received it so I don't know why they haven't posted it yet, especially since the reviews that have appeared are from posters who had not yet returned when I sent it in.

[bubiesmom]

ok, thanks. my son wants to do that zip line thing...

[Shiraz]

Without knowing the perspective of the person posting a review, it's difficult to know how much weight to put on what they say about various aspects of the cruise experience. We've only cruised once before, so for us this was phenomenal! Other veteran cruisers would probably say it was "ho-hum" or even worse! For us this was about seeing Hawaii and having a floating motel with pretty decent accommodations. We ate and slept on the boat but hardly had time or energy to see shows (I saw 3, DH saw 2). I never went in the pool, played ping pong, basketball, used the gym (I would have liked to do the elliptical but I was already tired & didn't need a work out), went to the bars (except to quickly say "hi" to the other Ccers @ Bali Hai), never took hula lessons, aerobics, played in the game room, read in the library, etc., and didn't even make it to all the restaurants (Alizar comes to mind). The cruise-type activities were secondary for us because this itinerary was already full!!! I think NCLA understands that and has some cursory cruise things but realizes the people will be busy visiting Hawaii. We were at sea nights!!! When you're at sea you have no choice but to do stuff on the ship. In this case it was either dinnertime (which took 2-3 hours) or bedtime. If I were NCLA, I'd probably do the same thing -- figure people will either be in Hawaii (all days) or sleeping (all nights) so I'd economize by going light on the stuff people cruise for, like midnight buffet and top-notch entertainment. I don't even think we had the chocolate buffet our sailing (usually a Hawaii itinerary staple), which is fine with me because we'd have probably missed it because we were off enjoying Hawaii somewhere!

[bubiesmom]

I have been following this thread which appears pretty positive in its write up of the Pride of Hawaii.

 

But I just read the member reviews for this ship on the reviews section and am shocked at how consistent the writers from the 6/6 cruise have been in their scathing reviews. All four writers gave it a 1 star (ok one was generous and gave it a 2).

 

We are cruising in September and hope that they get their act together. Wow, poor, rude service; bad food, two main things that can what wreck an overall cruise experience? Sure I can understand new ship kinks that need to be ironed out but none like these.

 

Anyone else worried?

 

Hi, Breezey, yes I am very concerned. Yes, I'm sure the new ship kinks need to be worked out, but I read that the ship was only half full. If this is true, then I would think that bad service shouldn't be an issue.(?)

I was going to book for POH 1/1/07, but I'm not so sure. I think more people need to write their reviews. We need to hear from newbies and seasoned cruisers. Keep in touch.

[zimmerjulie]

zimmerjulie - a question for you

Thanks for your photos, my fiance' and I are booked for the POH in the fall. My question is, do you think the black diamond suite is worth the extra $$ ? Why or why not?

Thanks again

Sorry I missed your question further back in the thread. That is a tough question and would depend on your point of view and your budget, of course:) .

 

The suite, itself, is pretty dramatic and gave me the feeling of being perched in my own lavish nest at the top of the ship (for my short visit, anyway ;) ). The views are amazing. It is a special place.

 

The itinerary is an important thing to consider in the decision, I think. With so much port time to explore Hawai'i, you might gauge how much time you would actually spend in the suite. On the other side of that coin--how special and care-free do you want your precious little bit of time on the ship to be? (You can see that I relish my ship time). The concierge and butler can cut out some of the more mundane aspects, such as making specialty restaurant reservations, deciding where to eat (You can be served by your butler, en suite), and taking care of whatever else might come up.

 

If you are already suite people and are wondering just about this suite in particular, I thought it was amazing.

 

For me, I would not spend the premium for this suite because I am more of a saver than a splurger and because I spend so much time around the ship, enjoying the public spaces, the restaurants, and my fellow passengers, that I do not spend much time in my cabin. (Of course, if I had THIS one, I just might).

 

Not a very definitive answer and a long one, I know. I do not think there is a "one size fits all" answer for this one, but I hope I have mentioned a few things that might help you decide.

[NCLcruisefan]

You know guys it just comes down to the fact that everyones place in life and their perspectives are different concerning their cruise experience. For instance: on a Carnival cruise I took, the ceiling tiles shook viloently in the eatery and ketchup vibrated OFF the table and the whole ship smelled aweful. Now being used to NCL this was aweful. But to those who were new to cruising; they did not notice this at all. I went on a cruise when I was 8 months prego (surprise anniv. present from hubby :rolleyes: ) and it was extremely rough at sea and couldn't stand up. If that had been my first cruise; I would have never cruised again. So those that were new on that ship probably thought cruising was the worst thing ever. And on the Caribbean Princess, it was a beautiful ship and we had sooo much fun; but it just wasn't for me. Just lots of things that are for a different season of life. Does that make it bad; no. But I have to be honest in my reviews from my viewpoint of what was bad and needs improvement and what was good.

 

For instance, in my review of the POH I made it very clear that it was just my perspective and not everyone's view. I always say that. I did notice a lot of errors in my review; it took like 2 hours to write and remember everything; so I guess I was a little tired of doing it. My review and others by no means says not to book this cruise. But I did say that I wouldn't do it again. That is not the case for everyone; and that is why I say not to base your sole decision on a couple of reviews b/c you may book and have no problems. It comes down to who we interact with in the crew to cause problems or to make a good experience. If you interact with people on a good day that are nice; you will be happy. If you interact with crew on a bad day or that are just rude; you will go away with a bad taste in your mouth. But you are surely not going to come in contact with the exact same people that I did on this cruise and in the same mood they were in when I encountered them. I will say the day that I got on board I thought this is great; everyone is soo nice. But after experiencing others; that thought changed. Make your decision that is right for you. If you have never cruised before, then I am sure you will feel pampered beyond belief no matter what.

 

Zimmerjulie; I am sorry for any comments made to you before and for any animosity caused between us; even though I don't know you.