Thinking about NCL cruise

[bencruzN]

Hi there,

We (3 couples) are thinking about taking a cruise out of Hawaii during the summer of next year. I'm sure summer months will be a little more crowded due to school vacation and all, however that's when everyone wants to go.

 

A little background: My DH and I have cruised before all with Carnival. Our last Carnival cruise will be "our last Carnival cruise". The other two couples have never been on a cruise before but always wanted to try.

 

I've been reading about the newest NCL ship PO Hawaii (?), and read that that ship will be going to Europe after Feb. Will they be replacing that ship's itinarary with another one? We really like the aspect of cruising, and wondering if this itinarary will give that. What I mean is that all of the cruising seem to be done at night, and there is really no cruising time, you wake up and you're at a new port. For this reason we always like to have a balcony. Will it be worth it to have a balcony on this cruise since there's not much cruising time? Will this be a good cruise for first timers? Any cruise to me would be a good first timer.

 

I know I'll have more questions as time goes on. Thanks

[Don Haynes]

Next year the Pride of America and Aloha after April will have similar one week no sea day cruises. For those who prefer longer cruises the Pride of Aloha will have before May ten and eleven day cruises with a few sea days.

[jame_g]

I think this is a good cruise for first time cruisers. You are in port every day and travel mainly in the evening and over night. So for anyone worried about cruising you know that the next morning your feet will be on solid ground.

 

We also found this to be a great way to visit the islands and see the main attractions that Hawaii has to offer. While you are dining and sleeping, the ship is on the way to the next port, and you didn't have to pack and switch hotels. Price-wise and time-wise this was a great way for us to get the most out of seeing the the islands. I would do this cruise over again. The only thing I would do differently would be to spend more than one night in Honolulu, either before or after the cruise.

 

I would also advise that you mix in some activity based trips while in port, something where you are outside enjoying the beach, snorkeling, or a luau. In other words, don't make all of your excursions all-day affairs where you will spend hours in a bus or a car. Save that for the sites that you absolutely want to see where it's unavoidable.

 

This cruise is mainly about the ports and not so much about the cruising experience. I would read what others have to say about this cruise and plan ahead for any excursions, rental cars, etc.

[Agr8RN]

Although NCL is not my first choice for cruising, I personally would do the Hawaii cruise with them, it makes sense the way they are doing it, and it is truly a great and economical way to see Hawaii.

 

However, one thing to consider... don't consider NCL America a 'true' cruise. The crew is American, and it makes a world of difference.

 

Consider NCL America a U.S. Hotel that floats around the Hawaiian Islands and you'll have a fantastic time.

 

However, if you go in with the typical cruiser's mentality, expecting above and beyond service like you may have received on other lines, you will be disappointed.

 

Have a great time if you go.

[garycarla]

Before you do this, I would STRONGLY suggest you read some actual reviews along with postings that others have made in the past few months. (those people will probably NOT be responding to this post, as they have moved on and do not frequent these boards)

 

We are about to do our 3rd NCL cruise, but from I have heard first hand and on postings here, I would NOT take a cruise on their NCLA brand. Sure some people have bad cruises and write bad reviews, but it seems way too frequent with the Hawaii ships. We know two families that have ever cruised with them, and these are regular cruisers. They both had a terrible time.

 

With that said, lots of people go to Hawaii, cruise and love it.

 

Again, read some reviews. Do a search here of either "pride" or "hawaii"

 

p.s. - always try to be more descriptive in your SUBJECT working. This would of gotten way more response if it said something like " Thinking about Cruise NCL in Hawaii"

[CC Help Michell]

The NCL Hawaii itineraries are outstanding if you want to see Hawaii. You get to island-hop (which on a land vacation involves wasting half a day of your vacation time repeatedly in order to leave one hotel, fly to a new island, check in, etc). As the others have said, this is NOT a typical "cruise experience," and nobody should make a decision on whether or not they like "cruising" based on a NCLA Hawaii trip (in my view). I could have a wonderful vacation cruising the Caribbean if I never got off the ship (any ship; I've sailed there several times on four different lines) -- but the focus of the Hawaii cruises is the ports of call; those staying on board during the days have reported that there's virtually nothing going on, which makes sense -- the cruiseline knows that the vast majority (certainly 90% or more) of the passengers are off the ship and enjoying Hawaii.

 

Also, "sea days" and what one thinks of them are an important part of one's reaction to "cruising." DonHaynes is right, there aren't "sea days" on these itineraries, but next year's itineraries include more sea time (achieved by leaving the overnight ports earlier than NCLA has been). It remains to be seen if these ships can "ramp up" the traditional cruise activities on these days sufficiently to satisfy customers.

 

Our Hawaii vacation, which happened to involve a cruise ship, was a wonderful experience. I agree with the advice to read lots of reviews -- mine is linked below, but you can read member reviews of all three "Pride of" ships to get an overall picture of what the experience is like. I cannot remember reading a single review from anyone who didn't love Hawaii, regardless of what they thought of the ship. So if you think of it as a "Hawaii vacation," and not so much a "cruise," you probably will be satisfied, too.

[want2cruiseagain]

Before you do this, I would STRONGLY suggest you read some actual reviews along with postings that others have made in the past few months. (those people will probably NOT be responding to this post, as they have moved on and do not frequent these boards)

 

We are about to do our 3rd NCL cruise, but from I have heard first hand and on postings here, I would NOT take a cruise on their NCLA brand. Sure some people have bad cruises and write bad reviews, but it seems way too frequent with the Hawaii ships. We know two families that have ever cruised with them, and these are regular cruisers. They both had a terrible time.

 

With that said, lots of people go to Hawaii, cruise and love it.

 

Again, read some reviews. Do a search here of either "pride" or "hawaii"

 

p.s. - always try to be more descriptive in your SUBJECT working. This would of gotten way more response if it said something like " Thinking about Cruise NCL in Hawaii"

 

 

I have seen posts on the MSNBC message board (Travel - cruises) about the NCLA brand to HI. You might want to go there and check out those posts as well.