Pride of America May 27-June 03

[DGK]

Thank you, thank you for everyone's assistance on these boards. It helped make our trip run so smoothly. We read all the reviews and were very happy with the advice that was given. This was our first trip to Hawaii and our first cruise

We arrived 2 days prior , got in late on a Thurs. and went to Pearl Harbour on Fri early morning. Stayed at the Mariott. Line up early at the NCL desk so you can get an early bus to the pier. NCL desk was closed prior to us arriving Thurs. and we left for Pearl Harbour Fri morning befor they were open. We also booked all our dinner res. at the hotel but they didn't know what night was 1/2 price in speciality restaurants or lobster night etc. dates and times needed adjustment after boarding.

Embarkation- no problem except we arrived at 1:00pm and luggage didn't till 8pm bring your bathing suite and evening clothes in a carry on.

Staff- This was our biggest surprise how friendly everyone was. After many reviews we read we had huge concerns. Well NCL has made major improvements in this area. Staff went out of their way to assist us.

Ship- Yes pool was small, in fact I was surprised at the size. Did it bother us..No. we were in port everyday and only used it once on our last day when we left port early at 2pm. Rooms were cleaned and tidy 2x per day, remember to turn the dial outside your room

Cabin- never cruised before at first found it small, later found it more than enough room. Lots of storage. Check behind the glass mirror in bathroom for more shelving. Loved the small private balcony. Bed was huge and comfy.

Entertainment- We didn't participate in much. All day in port , shower, dinner and a glass of wine on the balcony before bedtime. We were off the ship most mornings by 8.

Ports-Rented a car in all except Kona and did Captain Zodiac excursion . Car rental with budget and everything went smoothly. Had the Revealed books for all islands and enjoyed our days.

Food- We are not picky eaters , some excellent some O.K. Had breakfast every morning outside on the Aloha Cafe Aft. section. Otherwise it would of been too loud inside. If you like coffee bring a travel mug to take into port from your breakfast. Bring water and pop on board from the local ABC stores. We ate in 3 speciality restaurants. As soon as we boarded I went to confirm our res. I was told didn't need them for Liberty or Skyline. I am so glad I insisted that I did require them. These poor people who didn't know to make their res. on arrival had long long waits some nights...2hrs.

We carried on own luggage off the ship on the last day. It was hot and heavy but gave us the freedom to leave when we wanted.

Hawaii was wonderful The cruise ship is beautiful. Everyone was friendly.

Have a wonderful, safe trip. Thanks again for all your assistance with my questions prior to our fantastic trip, DGK

[littlekid58]

This is great we will be going on Dec 2.. glad you had a wonderfull time

 

Liz

[DaisyL]

Great review DGK ... we'll be staying at the Marriott so it's good to know we can make dinner reservations.

 

What night is lobster night? and did they have any 1/2 price nights?

What time did you make your reservations for?

 

From what I've read, you do not need reservations in the main dining rooms at 5:30 or 6 PM, but we do not want to eat that early.

 

Thanks

[dinobja]

Could you share some of the more memorable stops you made from the revealed books? We are going in August and have purchased the revealed books.

[DGK]

DaisyL- Our lobster night was on a Tues. which also happenned to be on of the 1/2 price nights in the speciality restaurants. The other 1/2 price night was our first night Sat. On the Tues. we ate in on of the main dinning rooms Skyline, the other is Liberty with the exact same menu. Our res. were at 7:00pm everynight. In retrospect I would of preferred 7:30 to view the sunsets. I caution the 5:30 time on the last night if you want a good view of the coast as you sail by. We sat on our balcony( port side) in between packing and got wonderful camera shots. Apparently the schedule changes between cruises for lobster and 1/2 price night. Don't be afraid to insist on a res. for Liberty or Skyline because the waits were horrible without.

dinobja- all of the areas we visited were wonderful. My hubby is recuperating from heavy duty chemo and bone marrow transplant so we planned our day trips with lots of flexibility and rest stops. I will list them all.

Honolulu- Pearl Harbour Fri Am , Supper at Dukes ( walking distance ). We made res. for 5pm so we could have a table facing the ocean and our view was perfect, Sat. walked along Waikiki beach and left for cruise.

Hilo- Drove to Punaulu a black sand beach and saw turtles then VNP.

Maui- Drove to Wamart (great place for bottle water, souvenirs etc.) , walked around the shops in Lahaina and Hilo Hatties. Lunch at Buba Gumps in Lahaina and then off to Kaanapoli Beach where the big rock is. This was our little mistake. The cruise has an excursion there and the crowds and parking were crazy. Plus when we got there , there was no chairs or umbrella's to rent and even if we did they were expensive. We were able to find some shade for the afternoon under a tree and went to the Old Lahina Lua in the evening.

Maui Day 2- Drove to Ioa Valley and saw the needle. Lunch res. at Mamma's Fish House. The most expensive lunch I have ever had with the best view I have ever had. It was worth the $!!!! Because we wanted a nice table we were there so early 1100 to get a good table we sharred an entree and no problem.

Kona-Excursion captain Zodiak

Kauai-Drove to Waimea Canyon , JJ's Shave Ice, Wailua Water Falls , Lunch ata local Shrimp Shack and then drove to Lighthouse.

Kauai Day 2- Picked up beach umbrella and chair at local rental shop in port ( Anchor Cove Mall ) along with hubby wanted T Shirt from Red Dirt store in same mall and went to see Sprouting horn and relax on Poipu beach easy parking for both. lots of traffic on the east side of this island. we were very glad for the advice the Revealed book said to see the canyon in the morning because both days we were there couds came in in the early afternoon.

we found all our sights had plenty of clean restrooms.

One comment unrelated to this topic which I forgot earlier was being our first cruise we were also surprised about the amount of motion we felt on the boat. The waves were considered moderate at the time. We loved all the sights we saw and visited. Any other question I am more than happy to assist with,

DGK

[DaisyL]

DGK, thanks again for answering my questions ...

 

I wish the best for your husband with his recuperation.

 

I had to laugh when you commented on the restrooms.. We vacationed in Hawaii (Oahu & Maui) in 1990 and we would comment on how plentiful and clean the public restrooms were. Our 7 yo, at the time, was with us so we visited many, and coming from NY, restrooms are a rarity and clean are non-existant. Glad to hear they're still the same ...;)

 

Too bad you did not have an ideal time at Kaanapali Beach, it really is a beautiful beach. We're planning on renting a car in Maui, but our first day in Waikiki, before the cruise, we'll stop at an ABC store and pick-up the rollup bamboo mats and hopefully beach umbrella, and just toss them at the end.

 

Great ideas for trips at each port ... and 7 PM is a good suggestion for dinner reservations and it will give us time to go to the 9:30 PM show (that was our favorite time for dinner on the Dawn)...

 

We'll keep checking back, if you think of anything else ... thanks again ..

[dinobja]

Thank you so much for that break out of what you did I greatly appreciate it. I will be sure to go to the Canyon in the morning!

[monobrow1]

DGK,

 

glad you enjoyed your cruise.

We enjoyed our may 13th POAM cruise very much

INterested in your motion comment ref the ship.

Which part of the trip?

We only had motion from Kona to Kauai at night.

this was the longest part of our trip- 235 miles in 12 hours

When the ship needs to make time- there will be more motion

if the seas are moderate. but I believe that happens on any ship.

[DGK]

Sorry Monobrown1 that I can't be more specific regarding the motion we felt. Being our first cruise we have nothing to compare it to. I do remember the captain left port late many evenings to avoid the movement during dinner hour. I took the medication they hand out at the main desk after feeling so sick the first night and was fine , hubby didn't require any med.'s. No one got sick that we are aware of but heard comments many were on medication that they didn't require on other cruises. DGK

[smch916]

DGK,

You did two specific things that my husband and I have planned for our cruise next month. The NCL zodiak and the Old Lahina Luau. Could you please comment further on them?

 

Old Lahina Luau-Have you been to a luau before and how did this compare? Was it worth the money?

 

Zodiac-Did you have fun? Was the water clear? How were the Zodiac staff? Did you wish you were on one of the "bigger" boats going out there?

 

Thanks for your help!!

[DGK]

smch916- I was very nervous about the Zodiak and glad we did it. The bay that it takes you to has the best snorkling in Hawaii !!!!! People on our excursion commented how they have snorkled elsewhere in Hawaii and nothng compared to this. We were also very impressed with the excellent condition of the coral. The advantage of the zodiak over the larger boats is you are able to go close to the shore line and get a tour with history regarding the caves etc. It can also move quickly to see wildlife. We saw spinner dolphins and a whale shark on the trip out. There were 3 zodiaks for NCL and our crew was 2 young guys who enjoyed a rough ride. The boat ride was very bumpy. The next day we had a good laugh because when I awoke my arms and hands were very sore. I then realized it was from holding so tight to the rope on the boat.

The Old Lahina Luau was our first so sorry we cannot compare. It was a wonderful evening with great food and entertainment. The drinks were excellent and included in the price . We did hear not so good things about the Luau people booked through the ship. We asked for a table and chair to be seated at on our res. and glad we did.

Have a wonderful trip. DGK