Pride of Hawaii Oceanview Stateroom Categories

[mitsguy2001]

My girlfriend now thinks we should do the Pride of Hawaii, rather than Pride of Aloha. However, POA is more expensive, so she wants to do an oceanview stateroom rather than a balcony stateroom (which is what we'd have on POA). She also says the staterooms on POH are larger, reducing the need for a balcony.

 

However, in searching the deck plans, it seems that none of the oceanview staterooms are in good locations. Some of them are on Deck 4, which is the lowest passenger deck, so I'd be worried about engine noise, anchor noise, and whatever crew areas are below them. Some of them are directly below public areas or near the theater. Some of them are located very far forward or aft, and I'd be worried about motion and noise.

 

If we do book an oceanview room, which category and deck would you recommend? Would noise be a problem on Deck 4? What areas should we avoid in order to avoid a noisy room? And, how much motion and noise can we expect with a forward or aft room? Basically, we have to choose the lesser of all evils.

 

If none of the oceanview locations are any good, should I convince my girlfriend that we should pay the extra for a balcony room (it seems that only BB rooms are in good locations), even if we don't use the balcony at all, in order to be in a better location? Or, should I convince her that we are better off with POA where balcony rooms are cheaper? Thank you.

[NCLcruisefan]

My girlfriend now thinks we should do the Pride of Hawaii, rather than Pride of Aloha. However, POA is more expensive, so she wants to do an oceanview stateroom rather than a balcony stateroom (which is what we'd have on POA). She also says the staterooms on POH are larger, reducing the need for a balcony.

 

However, in searching the deck plans, it seems that none of the oceanview staterooms are in good locations. Some of them are on Deck 4, which is the lowest passenger deck, so I'd be worried about engine noise, anchor noise, and whatever crew areas are below them. Some of them are directly below public areas or near the theater. Some of them are located very far forward or aft, and I'd be worried about motion and noise.

 

If we do book an oceanview room, which category and deck would you recommend? Would noise be a problem on Deck 4? What areas should we avoid in order to avoid a noisy room? And, how much motion and noise can we expect with a forward or aft room? Basically, we have to choose the lesser of all evils.

 

If none of the oceanview locations are any good, should I convince my girlfriend that we should pay the extra for a balcony room (it seems that only BB rooms are in good locations), even if we don't use the balcony at all, in order to be in a better location? Or, should I convince her that we are better off with POA where balcony rooms are cheaper? Thank you.

 

If noise and vibration are your concern then you are better off on a lower deck midship. Aft will have more vibration b/c of the tail of the ship. For those who get seasick or don't like vibration then you want to be low and midship. I would just say to stay away from room near elevators or where luggage comes out to have less noise. You will not hear any crew or anything like that. These ships don't give off much noise from other decks. On one of our cruises we heard deck chairs scraping the floor constantly at night while trying to sleep. This was in a high level in a balcony room. so higher is not always better. That was a nightmare trying to sleep at night while they fixed the chairs all night. So don't worry about it being low in the ship. In fact you will be closer to get off the ship when docked. And you will never hear the engine, so don't worry about that either.

[NCLcruisefan]

oh and surprisingly you will never hear the anchor either. It is possible if you are very far forward; but it would not be what you expect; just a light sound that only those who have listened to it before would recognize

[NCLcruisefan]

and POH balcony rooms are very small. The smallest room I have ever stayed in; smaller than any inside stateroom. Hope this helps

[Audiocracy]

I don't believe most of the new ships use anchors. They use their thrusters to maintain position. The anchor's only used in rough seas or high winds, IIRC. Also, I wouldn't worry about engine noise as the POH (not sure about the POAl) uses an azipod propultion system which, i believe, is quieter and also has less vibrations since they are electric motors.

 

Finally, the interior staterooms on the POH are 143 Sq Ft. while the balconies are 167 Sq Ft. plus an additional 38 Sq. Ft. for the balcony. I don't understand how NCLcruisefan can say the balconies are smaller than the interiors unless they were referring to interiors from other ships/cruiselines

[NCLcruisefan]

OK the balcony stateroom on the POH is smaller than any stateroom, including inside staterooms, on all the cruises that I have been on. And it doesn't help the way they placed the furniture in their room giving you barely any room to walk.

[mitsguy2001]

If noise and vibration are your concern then you are better off on a lower deck midship.

 

What deck and category would you recommend on the Pride of Hawaii? It seems that very few decks have midship oceanview staterooms. I'd be nervous with Deck 4 since we don't know what is below it. What other decks would you recommend?

 

Also, I thought the lower decks had more vibration from the engine?

 

Aft will have more vibration b/c of the tail of the ship. For those who get seasick or don't like vibration then you want to be low and midship.

 

If we can't get a midship room, are we better off with forward or aft?

 

I would just say to stay away from room near elevators or where luggage comes out to have less noise.

 

Where does the luggage come out on POH?

 

You will not hear any crew or anything like that. These ships don't give off much noise from other decks.

 

I have heard about staterooms on other ships that are so noisy that it is basically impossible to sleep? It is usually due to either engine or anchor noise or a crew bar. Engine noise might be a problem on Deck 4. Where are the crew bars located?

 

On one of our cruises we heard deck chairs scraping the floor constantly at night while trying to sleep. This was in a high level in a balcony room. so higher is not always better. That was a nightmare trying to sleep at night while they fixed the chairs all night. So don't worry about it being low in the ship. In fact you will be closer to get off the ship when docked. And you will never hear the engine, so don't worry about that either.

 

Other people on other ships say that the engine and anchor noise is so loud they cannot sleep at all if they have the wrong stateroom.

[mitsguy2001]

oh and surprisingly you will never hear the anchor either. It is possible if you are very far forward; but it would not be what you expect; just a light sound that only those who have listened to it before would recognize

 

Other people on other ships say that the anchor noise is extremely loud, and it sounds like the ship crashed into a coral reef.

[mitsguy2001]

I don't believe most of the new ships use anchors. They use their thrusters to maintain position. The anchor's only used in rough seas or high winds, IIRC. Also, I wouldn't worry about engine noise as the POH (not sure about the POAl) uses an azipod propultion system which, i believe, is quieter and also has less vibrations since they are electric motors.

 

Finally, the interior staterooms on the POH are 143 Sq Ft. while the balconies are 167 Sq Ft. plus an additional 38 Sq. Ft. for the balcony. I don't understand how NCLcruisefan can say the balconies are smaller than the interiors unless they were referring to interiors from other ships/cruiselines

 

I have read on another message board that on the Disney ships, the engine noise and anchor noise is extremely loud if you are in a bad stateroom. Does Disney not use that system that you say POH uses?

[mitsguy2001]

OK the balcony stateroom on the POH is smaller than any stateroom, including inside staterooms, on all the cruises that I have been on. And it doesn't help the way they placed the furniture in their room giving you barely any room to walk.

 

Are they bigger or smaller than on the Pride of Aloha?

[mitsguy2001]

I should also ask: how rough is the water near Hawaii? If it is extremely calm, then maybe we could just concentrate on finding a quiet stateroom regardless of motion. But if it is rough, then we'd want to take motion into account.

[NCLcruisefan]

Well it the water was calm when we were there. But the Pacific is rougher than the Caribbean; and colder:eek: . On Disney; it is a very old ship. Nowadays these ships have so much technology that they can do so much without feeling or hearing it. I have never heard the anchor on a ship while around the ship. i have heard it when standing on the jogging track located halfway down the ship; which is outdoors; while standing and watching it. It lowers slowly and isn't loud. NCL, IMO has always had the best stabilizers. So you won't feel much on their ships. But the aft of these ships vibrates a tad; shaking the hangers in the closet; and it does feel more waves. Just like in a car or airplane. You will feel more in an aft room. Now my experience was in an aft balcony; which is actually on the back of the ship. Just being towards the aft should be fine. On the POH the luggage comes out near the elevators midship and so are the laundromats. So that could be annoying hearing people go in and out all night. So if you stay away from midship elevators you are fine. On the POH they are clever in the elevators at both ends; it has a wall that winds around to get to it. I am assuming that is to cause no problems with noise for the passengers sleeping. But midship it is just open to the hallway; and the main one used by passengers. Just know that on the POH if your room is toward the aft; you have to walk all the way forward every day to get off the ship and to go to most places.

 

And again; you should be never hearing the engine on any newer ships built. I have never heard one yet. But I hear that you can hear it a little if you are all the way forward

[NCLcruisefan]

Well it the water was calm when we were there. But the Pacific is rougher than the Caribbean; and colder:eek: . On Disney; it is a very old ship. Nowadays these ships have so much technology that they can do so much without feeling or hearing it. I have never heard the anchor on a ship while around the ship. i have heard it when standing on the jogging track located halfway down the ship; which is outdoors; while standing and watching it. It lowers slowly and isn't loud. NCL, IMO has always had the best stabilizers. So you won't feel much on their ships. But the aft of these ships vibrates a tad; shaking the hangers in the closet; and it does feel more waves. Just like in a car or airplane. You will feel more in an aft room. Now my experience was in an aft balcony; which is actually on the back of the ship. Just being towards the aft should be fine. On the POH the luggage comes out near the elevators midship and so are the laundromats. So that could be annoying hearing people go in and out all night. So if you stay away from midship elevators you are fine. On the POH they are clever in the elevators at both ends; it has a wall that winds around to get to it. I am assuming that is to cause no problems with noise for the passengers sleeping. But midship it is just open to the hallway; and the main one used by passengers. Just know that on the POH if your room is toward the aft; you have to walk all the way forward every day to get off the ship and to go to most places.

 

And again; you should be never hearing the engine on any newer ships built. I have never heard one yet. But I hear that you can hear it a little if you are all the way forward

[NCLcruisefan]

And that hallway is a long; long; long; long hallway. This ship is long.

[mitsguy2001]

Thank you very much for your info. I notice that some rooms have a porthole and others have a picture window. Which do you recommend? How big are the portholes, and how big are the picture windows?

 

I'll go through each Deck that has oceanview staterooms with my comments and concerns. If you want to, you can respond with your comments:

 

Deck 4: Mostly Category F, with porthole. You don't seem to think that engine or anchor noise is a problem. All are port side. Is that good or bad? We don't know what is below Deck 4; that could be a problem. Above seems to mostly be staterooms; not a problem. Also, is noise from the medical center going to be a problem?

 

Deck 5: Several different categories. Most midship rooms are Cat. DD, with a picture window. Unfortunately, most are below public areas, which could be a problem. Would we be ok if we are below the seating area of a restaurant? Would we have noise from the theater, or is that never used at night?

 

Deck 6: Directly below jogging deck, so I should probably not even consider it.

 

Deck 8: Category CC with picture window. All the rooms are far forward or aft, and most are above public areas. And, the forward rooms appear to be very small.

 

So, which of those would you recommend? If none are satisfactory, then should I convince my girlfriend that we should go for a Category BB balcony room? Or, since those are above the lifeboats, is that a problem? Or, should we just go with Pride of Aloha where a Category BC balcony room is cheaper?

 

Thank you again.

[mitsguy2001]

If no one has been on the Pride of Hawaii, could maybe someone who has been on one of its sister ships maybe answer the stateroom questions? Thank you.

[slk230red]

If no one has been on the Pride of Hawaii, could maybe someone who has been on one of its sister ships maybe answer the stateroom questions? Thank you.

I think you are over analyzing your cabin choices. We had a mini suite on deck 11 and it was nice, but all we did in the cabin was sleep, shower, and change clothes. We were just too busy enjoying the ports...without days at sea we really didn't have time to enjoy the balcony.

I really believe that our cruise on the POH would have been just as nice in an inside cabin. Some people think that once you have a balcony it's hard to go down in categories, but it really depends on the destinations. I say spend the extra money on rental cars and see as much of the islands as possible. When you return to the ship each day, you will get ready and go to dinner, go to the show, walk around the ship, then return to your cabin and sleep. The next morning you'll get up, eat breakfast, then go get your rental car and head out for some great sights/snorkeling/surfing.

Just my 2 cents worth.:cool:

 

Enjoy the cruise,

 

Dave

[mitsguy2001]

I think you are over analyzing your cabin choices. We had a mini suite on deck 11 and it was nice, but all we did in the cabin was sleep, shower, and change clothes. We were just too busy enjoying the ports...without days at sea we really didn't have time to enjoy the balcony.

I really believe that our cruise on the POH would have been just as nice in an inside cabin. Some people think that once you have a balcony it's hard to go down in categories, but it really depends on the destinations. I say spend the extra money on rental cars and see as much of the islands as possible. When you return to the ship each day, you will get ready and go to dinner, go to the show, walk around the ship, then return to your cabin and sleep. The next morning you'll get up, eat breakfast, then go get your rental car and head out for some great sights/snorkeling/surfing.

Just my 2 cents worth.:cool:

 

Enjoy the cruise,

 

Dave

 

But, we do need to sleep in our stateroom, so it is necessary that we have a stateroom that is quiet and doesn't have too much motion. That is very important to us. We will not be able to enjoy the cruise if we are unable to get any sleep. That is the most important thing to me.

 

I'd not consider an inside stateroom since they screw up your circadian rhythms.

 

Does anyone have any answers to my questions?

[spleen93]

Actually inside cabins are the best for sleeping since when you turn the lights off, it's actually dark and don't become light again until the lights come on. You don't have to worry about stray light waking you up. I wouldn't worry about circadian rhythm dysfunction unless you plan on spending your entire cruise cooped up in your room (you do plan on going out on deck/off ship to see Hawaii, aren't you?). As long as you continue to get exposed to outdoors/sunlight, your circadian rhythms will do just fine.

 

I agree, I think you are overanalyzing the situation. Considering too many parameters/variables can lead to decision paralysis. Midship and low is best to reduce motion/noise. Sandwiching your room between 2 passenger decks will minimize the possibility of loud noises above and below you (but doesn't guarantee it). And yes, you do need to worry about ship motion in the Pacific around Hawaii.

 

With your requirements, I'd pick a DD oceanview on deck 5, trying to pick a cabin with a cabin above me on deck 6 to minimize noise. But Le Bistro shouldn't be too noisy anyway so it may be moot even if you got a cabin that was more mid-ship. 'Course, I've never been on this ship (yet) so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

 

Spleen

[mitsguy2001]

Actually inside cabins are the best for sleeping since when you turn the lights off, it's actually dark and don't become light again until the lights come on. You don't have to worry about stray light waking you up. I wouldn't worry about circadian rhythm dysfunction unless you plan on spending your entire cruise cooped up in your room (you do plan on going out on deck/off ship to see Hawaii, aren't you?). As long as you continue to get exposed to outdoors/sunlight, your circadian rhythms will do just fine.

 

I'm not interested in an inside stateroom. My girlfriend has previously stayed in an inside stateroom, and does not recommend it. And, I'd have a lot of trouble waking up in the morning, and might fall asleap in the middle of the day in an inside stateroom, especially with the timezones. And, they are too small. My question was about oceanview staterooms, not inside staterooms.

 

I agree, I think you are overanalyzing the situation. Considering too many parameters/variables can lead to decision paralysis.

 

But it is important that I have a stateroom where I can easily sleep. I've heard too many horror stories of people being miserable during the entire cruise because they had a stateroom that was too noisy.

 

Midship and low is best to reduce motion/noise.

 

What about deck 4?

 

Sandwiching your room between 2 passenger decks will minimize the possibility of loud noises above and below you (but doesn't guarantee it).

 

Unfortunately, there do not seem to be any oceanview staterooms that are between 2 passenger decks.

 

And yes, you do need to worry about ship motion in the Pacific around Hawaii.

 

So then we need a midship stateroom?

 

With your requirements, I'd pick a DD oceanview on deck 5, trying to pick a cabin with a cabin above me on deck 6 to minimize noise. But Le Bistro shouldn't be too noisy anyway so it may be moot even if you got a cabin that was more mid-ship. 'Course, I've never been on this ship (yet) so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

 

Spleen

 

What about Deck 4? Or is that too noisy? How big are the portholes on Deck 4?

 

If we do decide to splurge for a balcony, which category should we go for? If we want midship, it seems we'd have to go for Category BB. But those are above the lifeboats. Is that a problem?

[mitsguy2001]

One more question. Someone recommended Category DD on Deck 5. However, most of the ones that come up are on the starboard side. The deck plans do not show what is on the starboard side of Deck 4. Does anyone know what is down there? I'd be concerned about being above something noisy.

[spleen93]

Actually, this is why I would have recommended deck 5 for you - because if you stay on the port side of the ship, you would have deck 4 passenger cabins below you and deck 6 passenger cabins (or a section of Le Bistro restaurant) above you. I would avoid deck 4 cabins for the same reason you mention - you don't know what's underneath you and it could be noisy. I would look for deck 5 port side cabins around 5550 or so to place it in that "sweet spot".

 

Have you cruised before? I have NEVER had a cabin where I've found it too noisy to sleep. I still think that you are overworried about the sleep issue. Remember, you ALWAYS hear about the bad stuff that happens on cruises, the 90% of people that have wonderful experiences on cruises often time don't bother posting/reporting.

 

If you went by all the bad reviews that exist on all the different cruise boards, you would come to the conclusion that cruising was a particularly bad way to travel, with all the nickel-diming, chair-hogging, bad tablemates at dinner, atrocious food, rude passengers, disease infestations, peculiar disappearances that seem to happen onboard. The reality is that cruising is very popular and you get all types that cruise. Good luck with your decision.

 

Spleen

[mitsguy2001]

Actually, this is why I would have recommended deck 5 for you - because if you stay on the port side of the ship, you would have deck 4 passenger cabins below you and deck 6 passenger cabins (or a section of Le Bistro restaurant) above you.

 

Unfortunately, it seems that almost all of the Deck 5 staterooms that are available are on the starboard side.

 

I would avoid deck 4 cabins for the same reason you mention - you don't know what's underneath you and it could be noisy. I would look for deck 5 port side cabins around 5550 or so to place it in that "sweet spot".

 

As I said, they seem to be either sold out or not yet on sale by the NCL website. And, the week I'd be cruising does not appear on any travel agency websites (see my other post).

 

Have you cruised before? I have NEVER had a cabin where I've found it too noisy to sleep. I still think that you are overworried about the sleep issue. Remember, you ALWAYS hear about the bad stuff that happens on cruises, the 90% of people that have wonderful experiences on cruises often time don't bother posting/reporting.

 

I have cruised before on Disney. However, someone created a list of noisy staterooms on the Disney ships. So I was certain to avoid them, and I had a nice quiet room. But it was on a deck that was notorious for having many noisy rooms. Basically any report I have ever read by someone in a noisy room said that it was basically impossible to sleep.

 

If you went by all the bad reviews that exist on all the different cruise boards, you would come to the conclusion that cruising was a particularly bad way to travel, with all the nickel-diming, chair-hogging, bad tablemates at dinner, atrocious food, rude passengers, disease infestations, peculiar disappearances that seem to happen onboard. The reality is that cruising is very popular and you get all types that cruise. Good luck with your decision.

 

Spleen

 

But this is a case where the stateroom choice is what determines how noisy or quiet the room is. I have already read horror stories about staterooms that were unsleepable on POH. But they were on Deck 11. I have not yet read any reviews, positive or negative, by someone on Deck 4 or 5.

[Chuckie]

SLK230red, may I ask a question or 2? We are in a minisuite on deck 11 in Jan, and wonder about the sleeping arrangements. Do you have an overhead pullman? Couch? trundle? We were on the Spirit in Feb, and had all three of these. I'm asking because it will be my husband, me , a child and an adult cousin. How is the storage space?

Also, you mentioned rental cars. Were you able to book one rental and pick up a car on each island , or did you have to do individual rentals on each one? I had read something about booking on Oahu, and dropping off there and then picking up a car at the next port. What rental agency did you use?

Thanks for your help.

 

Arlene

[D&J38]

Mitsguy, we were in an AF minisuite with balcony on Deck 11 on the POH, midship, almost directly across from the self-serve laundry and where the suitcases were coming out. There was a public area above us, but it was just the deck and ping-pong tables.

 

We had NO trouble sleeping and heard almost nothing except maybe some kids running around up on the deck, but not late at night or anything. There was no engine noise, minimal motion the entire trip, and we heard no commotion from the hallway. I'm not sure I've read anyone complaining about noise on the POH yet. Some people will recommend the port side, but we were happy with our starboard location.

 

I agree that you might be over-analyzing the whole situation.

 

Janice