Pride of Hawaii Luau question??

[Lydia B.]

A couple of posts mentioned the "ship's Luau", some attending, enjoying, etc.

Do they mean the ship actually had it's own sponsored off site somewhere...or are they saying they booked through the "ship" as a shore excursion? Thanks so much.

[happycruisertx]

Hi Lydia B.!

 

The luau that it referred to as the "ship's luau" is booked as a shore excursion on Maui (first evening docked there.) It is approximately four hours long with a cost of approximately $90 per person. Package includes transportation, food, entertainment, and some alcoholic beverages (mai tais, I believe "Hawaiian beer," and other similiar drinks.) Reviews have generally been positive, and I personally know of a couple of people who went and had a very nice time. Their best advice (which we are definitely going to follow) was to arrive early at buses which take the rather large crowd to the site (hotel property described on these boards as beautiful and an excellent place to view Hawaiian sunsets-Maui Sheraton, I believe) in order to get the best seating. Check the NCL webiste for further info! :)

[RuUp2It?]

My husband and I just got back from the POH, we sailed on 6-5. The Luau was wonderful but do get there early as you will get a better seat. Also, there was a man at our table who went for more food, seconds, if you will and he was told that it was not allowed, I dont know why but just wanted you to know this bit of information. overall the Luau is beautifula and fun.....

[bonvoyagie]

Sailed the PoAM on 5/20 and did the luau as a shore ex. The evening was very enjoyable. Saw several native dances, a fire knife dancer, and had a wonderful time. There were between 800 and 900 people. The seating is done on a first come first row basis - except for those in wheelchairs or have limited mobility - they are placed in the tables closest to the buffet lines and are given the first chance at the food. I saw people going back for seconds - not sure if they were successful or not. It took a long time to get everyone through the line. All of the drinks were free and were served up until dessert time. The pulled pork was simply great, they wrap it in a banana leaf which imparts a bit of sweetness into the meat. They also have chicken, fish, and a wide array of salads - and of course poi.

[beachchick]

If you will be renting a car, you might consider doing a luau on your own. You would have to drive back across the island, so someone will need to be a DD. If you're interested in that, do a search on the Hawaii forum for Old Lahaina Luau (traditional luau; considered excellent by most) and Feast at Lele (sit-down, more "formal" experience, but also considered excellent). Neither are cheap, but they will give you some additional options.

 

If you are not renting a car, then the ship's excursion will be your best bet, IMO, as it includes transportation.

 

beachchick

[slothandle]

I have been to three luaus in Hawaii: Old Lahania, Pacific Paradise, and Polynesian Cultural Center.

 

The Old Lahania had the best dancers. Pacific Paradise had better food than Old Lahania, and some of the entertainment was different (FIRE DANCE WAS ONE PLUS THE DANCERS CAME OUT INTO THE AUDIENCE AND GOT THE CROWD TO PARTICIPATE). Both of these are on Maui.

 

In Honolulu, The Polynesian Cultural Center had a pageant at 2:30 p.m. where each village represented had a float on the river (similar to the river walk in San Antonio). They were dressed in island finery, danced and sang. Each island had a village where you participated or watched presentations. A fun thing to watch was the villagers climbing the coconut trees (Samoa I think). Because our group had late flights out of Honolulu, the Center gave a short luau presentation while we ate. There wasn't time to see all of the Center, but if I was in Honolulu again on a pre- or post- cruise stay, I would try to be there by 2:00 p.m. and stay until the final show that night. The food was equal to the food served at Pacific Paradise. Because the Center is part of BYU, there were no caffeinated or alcoholic beverages served.

 

I don't think a person would be disappointed with any of these, but I think kids would like the Center best.

 

Pat

[Shiraz]

I'm including ship's luau for POH on my review, which I am finalizing -- now it's Friday 6/23, so if you can't find it on the just back from 6/5 thread, you can search under my user name of "Shiraz" -- unless they vary the locale, our luau was at Maui Prince south of Wailea in Makena. The sunset was AWESOME!!!! We chose it because didn't want to hassle with a rental because our shore exes were Molokini snorkel and Hana, both with NCL, so this was really our only Maui luau option. (Also, OLL was fully booked). Hope you can find my other post -- gotta finalize & get it posted!!! Aloha!

[LunaTEKKE]

unless they vary the locale, our luau was at Maui Prince south of Wailea in Makena.

 

Greetings - does anyone know if the location is based on the ship...or the season? I will be travelling on the PoAl in August, and I would love to see this part of Maui. However, if the luau is at Ka'anapali, I've already got a "beach day" scheduled there, so I'd probably skip it.

 

Thanks!

Kimberly

[Shiraz]

The cruise line is really difficult to pin down ahead of time regarding info on the shore excursions. There is a department you can talk to but they were most UNhelpful -- i.e., they couldn't tell me when we got to the airport after Grand Finale tour (Oahu). They suggested talking to the receptionist once we were on board (way to plan ahead!!). With that in mind -- there is no penalty to cancel pure NCL excursions up to 24 hours ahead, so I guess you could book then cancel. Some "non-pure" (my made-up word) NCL excursions are ones they sub out and have to pre-pay for you.

[LunaTEKKE]

With that in mind -- there is no penalty to cancel pure NCL excursions up to 24 hours ahead, so I guess you could book then cancel. Some "non-pure" (my made-up word) NCL excursions are ones they sub out and have to pre-pay for you.

 

Thanks for the info...I guess that they figure that if they give too much away, we might go off on our own to do the booking! For most of the tours, I don't mind so much. However, I would have liked a little more info on this one and the helicopter tours. (The luau so I can maximize my time on Maui by seeing as much as possible -- and the helicopter tours to be able to check safety records).

 

-- Kimberly

[DebraDot]

I "think" I was able to figure out the company for the helicopter tours by comparing the descriptive write-up of the ship's excursion to that of the helicopter company's website. Nearly identical. Try it and see what you think. It was the helicopter tour company I was hoping for because of what I had read about their safety record.

 

Also, we have booked the Old Lahaina Luau and I was able to find a shuttle to take me back to the pier after the luau for $42.00. I am still trying to find a shuttle for less, but if I don't, it is worth it to me to be able to enjoy myself without worrying about the drive back.

[Shiraz]

That is awesome DebraDot!!! I'm sure you will enjoy that luau -- I was @ a friend's house who has cable and watched Travel Channel's Hawaii FAQs yesterday, and saw them answer the question whether "luau" is just a tourist trap. Apparently they endorsed Old Lahaina because it's the most authentic (and least likely to be accused of being a tourist trap). I think each luau has its pluses and minuses and one day I would love to be able to see OLL in addition to what we saw @ ship's luau!! Variety is the spice of life!!

[LunaTEKKE]

I "think" I was able to figure out the company for the helicopter tours by comparing the descriptive write-up of the ship's excursion to that of the helicopter company's website. Nearly identical. Try it and see what you think. It was the helicopter tour company I was hoping for because of what I had read about their safety record.

 

From what I've read on these boards, it's HeliUSA -- was that what you came up with? I'm actually leaning towards Inter-Island, Jack Harter, or Air Kauai. (Probably depends on who will pick me up at the pier!)

 

HeliAir has a good safety/maintenance record, but the complaint in the "Revealed" books was that there wasn't much "color" to the pilots' narration. I also read one review on these boards of a couple getting bumped from their tour, which had been booked through NCL.

 

-- Kimberly