Pride of Aloha Review Jan 14th - Jan 21st 2007

[2Xayear]

I have been on several cruises and have always been thankful for the info gleaned from CC. The best of intentions to post a review have always fallen short so this time I took the time to put my thoughts down as soon as I got back. I hope this is provides some usefull info for anyone planning a Hawaii vacation. I warn you in advance, I was a little longwinded....:eek:

 

Pride of Aloha

Arrived in Oahu on Friday afternoon. Had no set plans but did have dinner in the revolving restaurant, which was very good and took in the Cirque Hawaii show. We have attended two Cirque de Soleil shows and this was every bit as enjoyable. A smaller venue and I wish they had a bigger crowd but the performance was first rate and worth every penny.

Sunday Day 1 – Embarkation in Honolulu

Very smooth, virtually no lineups. Arrived about 2:00 and I think we were aboard in about 10 minutes. Headed up to the pool deck for lunch and then a quick walk around the ship. I think they announced our rooms were ready by about 3:00 and our bags arrived shortly thereafter.

Our initial reaction was that we quite liked the ship. Particularly liked the Hukilau Lanai on the stern (Deck 11) they had what I thought was a better-organized buffet in the Lanai with the added benefit that we could sit outside. One complaint though is the Hukilau itself. The inside portion of the Hukilau is split into “stations”, (Hot entrees, Salads, Fruits, Desserts etc). We were advised on the first afternoon that one should just bounce from station to station but the numbers of people made it difficult. People had difficulty understanding the concept of going from one to another and the layout of the buffet made it difficult to understand. People are more used to the concept of starting at one end and going to the other. Also, this layout required you to go to one station for breakfast meats, another station for a fried egg or an omelet, another station for fruit, one for toast and yet another for ketchup. No salt and pepper on the tables so one had to look around for that too BEFORE heading to a table. Don’t mean to belabor this point but the buffet should be rethought. The Lanai buffet is laid out like a conventional buffet and I think ran much smoother.

Ate in all three of the specialty restaurants and they were all GREAT. Well worth the extra charge. Ate in both dining rooms too and they were both good as well. One night with less than good service but I wrote that off as a one-time thing.

Met Ann and Jim (sorry but I kept calling you Jeff) and the 2 Julie’s at Breaker’s. Had a drink and headed off to bed. The two-hour time change for us had us looking bed by 10 most nights.

Our outside room (9073) was smaller than we have had previously but was fine otherwise. Staff were very friendly and most that I came in contact with seemed happy to be there.

Day 2 – Kauai

Rented from Thrifty (very happy with them too) Shuttle picked us up at the ship and took us over to the Thrifty location. In and on our way in no time. Drove to the end of the road on the north end of the island. Surfers on the beach at the end of the road made note of the “Shark Sighted” signs posted in the sand. Drove south back towards the ship and then headed up Waimea Canyon. Spectacular!!! Don’t be shy about pulling off at the many overlooks and pullouts. Was standing in awe, admiring the view for several minutes and then noticed a couple of mountain goats directly below us. Took some photos and then realized there was 4 more. I think “Mom & Dad” were teaching the little ones to climb. Seemed that the little ones were being “nudged” down the hills.

Took the road to the very end and the last viewpoint is particularly impressive. From that vantage point we were looking north, directly above the area we had driven to earlier in the morning.

Headed back to Thrifty, dropped off the car (met Lucy from CC while waiting in line for the shuttle) and headed back to the ship.

Day 3 – Kauai

Had a flight seeing trip booked for 10:30 to enable us time to get back for our 1:00 departure. We took the shuttle to the close by, Anchor Mall and were then picked up and taken to the airport. This one hour, fixed wing flight around the island was absolutely beautiful!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and very good value for the money. This was our highlight of our visit to Kauai. :D

There is a beautiful beach behind the Anchor Mall so if one wanted a “Beach Day”, take the mall shuttle and walk behind the mall to the beach.

Day 4 – Hilo

A medical emergency forced a stop at Honolulu at midnight, enroute to Hilo. We arrive on the Big Island about 3 hours behind schedule. We had a car rented (again from Thrifty) but had to rethink our day due to the shorter time in Hilo. Headed up to Volcanos National Park. Make sure to drive to the end of Crater Drive (about 20 miles). Park your car and walk over to the edge of the lava. Very nice view of the shoreline and the “arch”. One could see the steam for the lava, but it was too far away and our time to short. We stopped at the overlook at about Mile 12. Was able to get some good shots of the steam as the lava entered the ocean. This is the same part of the coast one sees from the ship for the evening lava viewing. Arrived back in Hilo with time to see Rainbow Falls, which is very close to town. No time for anything else and I REALLY had wanted to see the black sand beach and the turtles but one most have an excuse for another visit, right?

The lava flow during the evening “volcano drive by” was terrific but VERY hard for a decent photo. Too far away for point and shoot cameras and too much motion for my big zoom lens.

Day 5 – Kona

Had nothing planned for Kona but for the next trip, we will probably rent a car. Took the shuttle to Wal-Mart for some gifts and I wanted a CD of some Hawaiian music. Actually I had heard a tune at Cirque Hawaii and again on the ship that I wanted the CD. Came back to the dock and had a swim right there on the beach beside the dock. It’s true folks…the water in the Pacific is MUCH cooler than the Caribbean. Very nice nonetheless, but be aware.

Day 6 – Maui

We had a 10:30 whale watching trip booked with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Took a cab the their location (about $30) The trip was fantastic. Saw whales, got a few photos and generally had a good time. Nice to support this foundation was an added benefit. Finished off with a lunch at “Buzz’s Wharf, which is right beside the dock. The “grow” their own shrimp and so the Shrimp and Chips was recommended. Terrific food in our opinion. The Combo Shrimp/Fish & Chips we hear is great too.

Headed over to the Aquarium and spent a couple of hours wandering around. Saw my sea turtles here but would have preferred the black sand beach in Hilo. They put on quite an ice show with a diver in the tank with the sharks. Pretty nice looking tiger shark here too. They hand feed a Spotted Eagle Sting Ray that behaves like a puppy. It was always after the diver for another mussel. It would eat the mussel and spit out the shell and certainly brought a smile to our faces. Took the local transit bus back to town (fare $1) which ends it’s run at the mall. From there we caught a free bus that loops around back to the ship dock area. It was a roundabout way to get back to the ship but we saw much more that way.

Day 7 – Maui

Did the Sunrise at Haleakala Crater tour (independent) and it was BEAUTIFUL!! It was supposedly not as cold as normal but I will tell you…bring a blanket!! My wife had a toque, gloves and her Alaska jacket. She was warm but getting cold at the end. Being the hardier type myself, I had on a sweatshirt and shorts. I too was getting cold at the end but it was my hands that felt it the most. I had a tripod out taking photos so my hands suffered the most. A tip for you, thanks to our guide. Get up there EARLY, yes it will still be dark. Bring along a little flashlight or penlight, as it is really hard to see. Park in the Visitor Centre lot, walk up the stairs towards the crater and slip in behind the visitor center itself. There is a VERY nice viewing area against the rail AND protected from the wind.

Our tour included a VERY good breakfast on the way back. Kilue Lodge offers great food and some very scenic grounds to do a quick walk around. We were back to the ship by about 10:30. Staff asked if we had been on tour. When we mentioned the sunrise tour there immediate reaction was “have a good nap”, and that’s what we did. Spent the afternoon lounging by the pool with more naps.

Day 8 – Oahu

We were docked by about 7:00. Had a leisurely breakfast at the Hukilau Lanai and mourned the fact that we had to leave. Our flight wasn’t until 1:45 but by about 9:30 NCL was saying that all passengers should now be off the ship so we reluctantly headed of the ship, caught a cab and went to the airport.

Conclusions:

In spite of some comments on the boards about NCL America, we were pleasantly surprised. We for the most part cruise Holland America, but this offered great value for the money. We treated the ship as our floating hotel, that allowed us to do what we wanted and see much more of Hawaii.

We met the hotel manger one night at dinner. Before knowing his title, I commented on how happy with were with NCL. He too was aware of the negative comments and said they were working harder to improve. It shows in our opinion.

Last tip, there is young lady tending bar in the Atrium Bar. I would go every morning at 7:00 for a coffee, and use my laptop to check email. Although her name badge says she is from Sacramento, she grew up in Hawaii. She is a wealth of information and a goodwill ambassador for NCL America. I apologize for not remembering but here name was something like Soncoa. Here last name was three letters long. Look here up.

Bob

[gregandamy]

Sounds like you had a great time! Just wondering what company you used for the airplane tour in Kauai. Was it a smooth ride?

[2Xayear]

Wings over Kauai - Bruce was fabulous. Safety first and a beautiful flight around the island. Incredibly smooth flight but that is entirely weather dependent. We skirted some rain around the north end of the island but had a very smooth flight.

http://www.wingsoverkauai.com/

[whenzuc]

Thanks for your upbeat POA review. A few questions for you please.

1. Kauai- How far is Waimea Canyon from car pickup/cruise ship?

2 The beach by the Anchor Mall- hoe far from ship? Would you recommend this beach for the balance of the day of I start with a helicopter ride in the morning? Or would you rent a car and go elsewhere, and just go to this beach on the 2nd morning?

3. If I have a morning activity- Captain Zodiac snorkeling and back by 12:30- would you rent a car, or just go to the beach by the dock and forget a car? Can you spend 1/2 a day there? Is it that nice?

4. Is there a need for GPS/navigation in the rental cars?

5. Did you rent all cars by the airport or closer to the cruise ship?

6. Which independent trip did you take to the sunrise tour? How long are you in the cold for?

[whenzuc]

Thanks for your upbeat POA review. A few questions for you please.

1. Kauai- How far is Waimea Canyon from car pickup/cruise ship?

2 The beach by the Anchor Mall- hoe far from ship? Would you recommend this beach for the balance of the day of I start with a helicopter ride in the morning? Or would you rent a car and go elsewhere, and just go to this beach on the 2nd morning?

3. If I have a morning activity- Captain Zodiac snorkeling and back by 12:30- would you rent a car, or just go to the beach by the dock and forget a car? Can you spend 1/2 a day there? Is it that nice?

4. Is there a need for GPS/navigation in the rental cars?

5. Did you rent all cars by the airport or closer to the cruise ship?

6. Which independent trip did you take to the sunrise tour? How long are you in the cold for?

[2Xayear]

Thanks for your upbeat POA review. A few questions for you please.

1. Kauai- How far is Waimea Canyon from car pickup/cruise ship? Not sure on the exact mileage but I think it was about 30 minutes to the START of the Canyon. You can spend lots of time in the Canyon itself since there are three major lookouts and several pullouts to view from.

2 The beach by the Anchor Mall- hoe far from ship? 5 minutes...

Would you recommend this beach for the balance of the day of I start with a helicopter ride in the morning? Or would you rent a car and go elsewhere, and just go to this beach on the 2nd morning? Either would be fine. It's a very nice beach and close to the ship. I might be tempted rent a car for the balance of day 1 and visit the falls or something and then spend the morning on Day 2 at the beach.

3. If I have a morning activity- Captain Zodiac snorkeling and back by 12:30- would you rent a car, or just go to the beach by the dock and forget a car? If you do the snorkel thing, then I would still consider renting a car as I mention in the line above. Can you spend 1/2 a day there? Yes. Is it that nice? I thought it was a great spot. I know you can rent surfboards there and maybe bodyboards? There is quite a nice garden area in the hotel right at the edge of the beach.

4. Is there a need for GPS/navigation in the rental cars? Just used the maps from Thrifty and the research I had done before the trip.

5. Did you rent all cars by the airport or closer to the cruise ship? All car rentals were from the close by airports. Readily available shuttle service to the car rental but I will admit that due to the short time Hilo, as mentioned in my review, we hoped into a cab to get to Thrifty and beat the crowd. Got us in and on our way sooner than waiting for the shuttle. This was entirely our decision as we had limited time in port. Also, I would have prefered more time in VNP, but time was slipping away....

6. Which independent trip did you take to the sunrise tour? We booked with Shoretrips.com but they sub it out to http://www.ekahi.com/. Price was the same as booking direct with Ekahi so if I had it to do again, I would just book direct. Since they are not an "approved" NCL tour provider, we had to walk the short distance away from the pier to meet them, but don't worry, they showed up on time and as planned. It's a concern getting off the ship at 4:00 AM and it's still dark and one is heading off to meet the tour.How long are you in the cold for? We arrived at the vistor center probably by about 5:25 am. We were there until 7:15 when we met back at the van and drove up to the summit itself. Remember...a small flashlight and warm clothes. The breakfast on the way back down was super!!

 

Hope this helps...

[j-9]

Thanks Bob,

We're heading out (from Victoria) in a couple of weeks for the same trip so it was nice to hear the positive review. Did you fly Harmony out of Vancouver? If so, how was it? Is the food actually edible?

[2Xayear]

Flew Air Canada out of Victoria and then an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Honolulu. Probably the best Air Canada flight I have had in years. Served an actual meal, had complimentary headsets for the movie and a complimentary bar service. I have not had a free drink on Air Canada for years. :)

[olgi1966]

Sounds great... so with a rental car, you can go around most of Kauai's coastline? How soon were you able to get off the ship in Kauai to get the Thrifty shuttle?

[ROOSA ROGER]

thanks for the positive review I am on the Pride of ALoha in may cant wait:)

[Ring]

Thanks for the great review. Where did you stay in Oahu? Also where is the revolving restaurant? We are staying one night pre cruise and five nights post cruise - Sept-Oct/07.

Thanks for all your helpful hints!

[jerseyjk]

Thanks for taking the time to write a terrific review ... it's a big help.

 

Wondering if you might happen to have copies of the dailies you could post somewhere? I've been searching for POA dailies and the only ones I could find dated back to '05.

[2Xayear]

jerseyjk - I have the dailies but am just leaving town on a business trip and will not get then scanned before I leave.

 

Ring - We stayed at the Aqua Island Colony in Honolulu. Not a five star but clean, affordable and a big room with a view overlooking Diamond Head and the beach. My T/A set it up for us and it was all we needed before we got aboard the ship. The revolving restaurant was very close to our hotel AND Cirque Hawaii.

 

olgi1966 - We were off the ship shortly after docking. Waited about 5 minutes for the shuttle. Drove north to the end of the road, with stops at EVERY overlook. Stopped at the Wailui Falls on the way back and then headed up to Waimea Canyon, right to the end (The last stop is fantastic!) and then back again to Thrifty.

 

ROOSA ROGER - Hope you have a much fun as we did!!

[lucylovesvacations]

Aloha Bob! - Great review! I was also on this ship at this time and I agree with Bob. The ship was great, the people working on the ship were so friendly and helpful. I asked for a foam pad for the hard bed when I first got there and it was soon delivered. Our room steward was so sweet - Ethel was her name. Lots of smiles and Aloha's from everyone working. The girl making the waffles at the Hukilau Buffet was having a great time with everyone, everyday. Great experience on board. As for my Hawaiian islands experiences -- Ahhhh :D pure pleasure! Paradise exists and it is a long way from snowy, cold Utah!

[RoseM]

jerseyjk - I have the dailies but am just leaving town on a business trip and will not get then scanned before I leave.

 

Ring - We stayed at the Aqua Island Colony in Honolulu. Not a five star but clean, affordable and a big room with a view overlooking Diamond Head and the beach. My T/A set it up for us and it was all we needed before we got aboard the ship. The revolving restaurant was very close to our hotel AND Cirque Hawaii.

 

olgi1966 - We were off the ship shortly after docking. Waited about 5 minutes for the shuttle. Drove north to the end of the road, with stops at EVERY overlook. Stopped at the Wailui Falls on the way back and then headed up to Waimea Canyon, right to the end (The last stop is fantastic!) and then back again to Thrifty.

 

ROOSA ROGER - Hope you have a much fun as we did!!

 

Bob...thanks for the review on the Pride of Aloha.....I have also sailed on HAL many times...Celebrity...Princess & NCL Jan 7th, the cruise before the one you took.

 

I went with my daughter,her husband, and grandson. My daughter and I usually sail together because her husband does not like sea days and we do. Husband and grandson spent some time snorkeling on Kona and Maui. It rained a lot on our cruise which cut down on what we could do, all though we did rent a car on Kauaii and Maui and did a lot of sight seeing. We all liked the ship from the rooms, entertainment, and all dining venues. Boarding with no expectations of anything we were pleasantly surprised. We all had a most enjoyable time ( especially grandson, after urging from us to try the teen center, spent almost every night there).

 

We would all do this cruise again in a heartbeat. Rosemary :) :)

[ROCruiser]

Thank you so much for the review. It will help us greatly when we go on 4/8. You mentioned that you brought your lap top. Do they have wi-fi ? Is it free?

[PDAZ]

Does the Pride of Aloha leave the dock overnight when in Maui? I saw a 9:30 departure on the NCL website for both days in Maui. I want to go to a luau on the first night, but I'm not sure if I can make it back to the dock in time if the ship pulls out at 9:30. If it does leave, can we stay onshore overnight? I've received conflicting answers! Thanks!

[ImMom]

Thank you so very much for this review! We are booked for our 1st cruise 4/15 on the PoAH. After reading some of the reviews I was a bit scared but yours made me feel a bit better. I can't wait! :)

[Kylie]

Does the Pride of Aloha leave the dock overnight when in Maui? I saw a 9:30 departure on the NCL website for both days in Maui. I want to go to a luau on the first night, but I'm not sure if I can make it back to the dock in time if the ship pulls out at 9:30. If it does leave, can we stay onshore overnight? I've received conflicting answers! Thanks!

 

No the ship doesn't leave Maui. Many people do the luau so the ship is quiet that night. My son works on the POA and I asked him about that - he said they always stay docked overnight.

[RoseM]

No the ship doesn't leave Maui. Many people do the luau so the ship is quiet that night. My son works on the POA and I asked him about that - he said they always stay docked overnight.

When I went on the POA with my family in Jan. when we left the ship we were told the gates would lock at 9:00 so to get back aboard before then. We did that so don't know if they locked the gates or not. Call NCL and make sure.

[peste386]

jerseyjk - I have the dailies but am just leaving town on a business trip and will not get then scanned before I leave.

 

Ring - We stayed at the Aqua Island Colony in Honolulu. Not a five star but clean, affordable and a big room with a view overlooking Diamond Head and the beach. My T/A set it up for us and it was all we needed before we got aboard the ship. The revolving restaurant was very close to our hotel AND Cirque Hawaii.

 

olgi1966 - We were off the ship shortly after docking. Waited about 5 minutes for the shuttle. Drove north to the end of the road, with stops at EVERY overlook. Stopped at the Wailui Falls on the way back and then headed up to Waimea Canyon, right to the end (The last stop is fantastic!) and then back again to Thrifty.

 

ROOSA ROGER - Hope you have a much fun as we did!!

2xayear - Thanks for the great review. We are leaving on this same cruise on 02/18/07. If you get back in time from your business trip please post the dailies as I would love to be able to use them to help schedule my time.

[marcyjane]

2xayear,

jerseyjk - I have the dailies but am just leaving town on a business trip and will not get then scanned before I leave.

 

 

I hope when you get back from your business trip and rest up that you can post the dailies.

Loved your review of the PO Aloha we will be going in May.

Thanks,

Marcy:)

[olgi1966]

Thanks for the info... it sounds great! I would like to see your dailies, too. I found a thread with the link, but it had expired. Would you post it again.

[olgi1966]

Thanks... sounds great! Do you still have the link for the dailies? The one I found was expired...

[marcyjane]

Just checking in to see if the dailies link had been posted or update for all those of us wanting them yet.

Thanks

Marcy