Pride of America Questions

[whale-watcher]

We are thinking of booking a 7 day cruise on the PoAM, but have a few random questions, which I have not been able to find answers to by searching...

 

Has anyone stayed in an AA suite, and how are the private on-deck hot-tubs?

 

Is it worth paying extra for a suite with butler/concierge service on this ship, or do you spend so little time in the cabin on this itinerary that it doesn't really matter.

 

It looks like the AF family suites located on the aft corners have huge balconies...is this really the case, and do they wrap around enough to provide a view to the side of the ship as well? Has anyone booked one of these with the connecting balcony cabin to make an extra large family suite?

 

How is the whale watching from the open decks?:D

 

Do all the itineraries provide scenic cruising of the NaPali coast and nighttime lava viewing...I can't really tell from the website.

 

How important is it to be on the port side?

 

The family penthouse suites are booked already for the sailing we want, but I would love to hear a review from someone who stayed in one of these cabins.

 

THANKS!!!

[CruisinMK]

Has anyone stayed in an AA suite, and how are the private on-deck hot-tubs?

 

We stayed next door to this cabin, we could see the tub by peeking around the railing. Have to say the tub on the balcony is an incredible, over-the-top feature.

 

Is it worth paying extra for a suite with butler/concierge service on this ship, or do you spend so little time in the cabin on this itinerary that it doesn't really matter.

It's up to you how much time you'll spend in the cabin or use the butler.

The ship is in port every day, but you don't have to go ashore every day.

Even if you only used the butler to bring full breakfasts, it is a fantastic perk.

Especially since on this ship, suite balconies are big enough for a dining table for 4.

Think about it, breakfast on the balcony in Hawaii.

You'll have a hard time adjusting to normal life again.

Breakfast in room is especially good for busy days, leaves more time and energy for other things.

 

It looks like the AF family suites located on the aft corners have huge balconies...is this really the case, and do they wrap around enough to provide a view to the side of the ship as well? Has anyone booked one of these with the connecting balcony cabin to make an extra large family suite?p

These family suite AF are unique to this ship, very special animal. Two seperate balconies, two bathrooms, seperate bedroom, etc.. I don't think these get typical suite privs, such as a butler, but they'd still be a good choice for a family. The AG are 100% obstructed, so you wouldn't get the nice balcony views of the AF, but they're also bigger.

 

How is the whale watching from the open decks?:D

You definitely can spot some if you go during whale season, especially February to April. Much fewer in dec&may but possible.

 

Do all the itineraries provide scenic cruising of the NaPali coast and nighttime lava viewing...I can't really tell from the website.

All the American flagged ships do both. Only the American flagged NCL ships do the Na Pali coast (no other cruiseline does this)

 

How important is it to be on the port side?

It is pretty nice for the NaPali coast, but you could just watch from the decks also. Or show up at the italian restaurant when it opens the last night to catch the view from there. With the exception of the Na Pali coast, and that's a big exception since it's one of the prettiest things you could ever see from a cruise ship, it doesn't matter which side really.

[work4travel]

MikeKaye you are a tremendous resource! Thanks for taking the time to answer so many questions in depth.:)

[whale-watcher]

MikeKaye you are a tremendous resource! Thanks for taking the time to answer so many questions in depth.:)

I will second that!!!

Thanks so much for the detailed reply...it is really helpful! The full breakfast on the balcony does sound wonderful...especially with such a busy port schedule, and I had not really considered that benefit. We will try to find a combo of rooms on the port side.

[woodley]

We styed in AA in October. The suite was wonderful very luxurious and the hot tub was fun. It really is only big enough for two, three at a push but you keep touching feet which I dont like. Also you have to fill it yourself and it doesn't stay full.

I wish we had not booked this suite as it was a lot of money and we did not really spend any time in the suite.

 

We were on the port side which was great for the Napali coast but at all the ports we docked at the view was of industrial dock yard. The other side had a much better outlook in ports.

 

The three tv's were not used at all so again a waste.

 

The butler was useless. Did not bring breakfast at all two days. Food always cold when it arrived.

 

Robes took three days to arrive despite asking.

 

Hope this helps

[whale-watcher]

..Hope this helps

it does...thanks!

We have a party of 5, so I am looking at some possible AE or AD penthouse combinations...availability is tight, so we might just have to make do with what we get.

[CruisinMK]

Some of the AE/AD have doors that connect to a regular balcony, I think.

That might be a good combo. 3 in one room, 2 in another.

[whale-watcher]

Some of the AE/AD have doors that connect to a regular balcony, I think.

That might be a good combo. 3 in one room, 2 in another.

None of these combos were available, and all the family suites (AC and AF) were taken, so we are booked in 2 adjoining AE suites...

We might switch if other cabins open, but 2 connecting suites are a VERY appealing option!!

 

We are on the starboard side, so we will need to find a good viewing spot for the NaPali coast, but hopefully will have some nice views when we are in port. We'll keep our fingers crossed when it comes to the breakfast delivery.

 

Now comes the fun part:D ...I actually think that planning for a cruise is almost as much fun as the cruise itself!

 

Thanks so much for all the information...it was really helpful.

[CruisinMK]

Wow great.

 

The AE's are pretty darn big.

400 square feet, for the inside portion alone.

The AE balcony on Pride of America is 3 times the size of the AE balcony on Pride of Hawaii. 185 square feet, that's bigger than an inside cabin.

The balcony has a couple loungers, and a dining table for 4.

Have fun!

[whale-watcher]

The big balconies are a real draw for us...this is where we spend most of our waking hours on board! This is one of the primary reasons we chose the PoAM over the POH (not to mention the fact that we can have 2 AE cabins on the PoAM for thousands of dollars less than the cost of a single A3 villa on the POH, which seems to have a rather small balcony).

[RangerMom]

Whale watcher,

You asked all the right questions on this one. And thanks for all the input. When are you going on your cruise. You mentioned some choices already booked. We are looking for Feb or Mar 2008. Just wondering.

[Leahcimp]

We just returned from the PoAm. I agree with everything MikeKaye said.

 

We had an AD cabin on the port side, which was great. We too could peek around and see the hot tub on the balcony next door. I think they used it for the NaPali cruising but that was all.

 

Our balcony was pretty big... plenty of room even after 4 loungers and a table with 4 chairs.

 

We saw lots of whales from the open decks, as well as large schools of dolphin.

 

We used our butler a little bit, especially the first couple days to get our dining and excursions setup. One day he was ON duty from 10am-4pm, which didn't make sense to me since that's when most people are off the ship.

 

BTW, the NaPali coast is an incredible sight. If you don't get a port-side cabin, either make some friends that have one or secure a good location on the open decks!

[whale-watcher]

Whale watcher,

You asked all the right questions on this one. And thanks for all the input. When are you going on your cruise. You mentioned some choices already booked. We are looking for Feb or Mar 2008. Just wondering.

We are cruising in January of 08...we have cabins on hold for 2 different sailings, but will probably sail on the 05 January cruise. We were able to reserve to connecting AE's on the port side, so we are pretty excited!

 

Thanks for your input, Leahcimp...glad to hear you saw whales! The NaPali coast sounds amazing.

[lola319]

Hi

 

Greeting from Houston, Texas

We are going on the POA next month, I have never been to Hawaii, to be honest I don't know anything about what to expect. The excursions...or what not to miss, also if you have any suggestions about hotels to stay in honolulu, something about 3 star hotel.

Do you have any tips for non swimmer...:eek:

 

Thank you

 

Lola