Our PoAM Cruise Video

[suzy5555]

I finished our cruise video if you are interested here is the link:

 

www.youtube.com/cw5555cw

 

I want to thank everyone here. You made the difference in our vacation. I spent months reading this board and your input was priceless.

 

Mahalo,

 

Suzy

[cruisesR4me]

wonderful, I really liked seeing your video. We are still trying to decide on cruising Hawaii in Jan.

[suzy5555]

wonderful, I really liked seeing your video. We are still trying to decide on cruising Hawaii in Jan.

 

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. We really splurged on this vacation. I've had a lot of sadness over the last few years. My mother passed away suddenly. My father came to live with us and was very ill. He passed away last year. I found myself reading and escaping to Hawaii on these forums. My MIL went on this trip with us. She is 81. She snorkeled for the very first time. She is amazing. So inspiring. Life is fragile and I wanted this to be special for everyone. If you have never been to Hawaii, you definitely need to cruise Hawaii.

[kg4pit]

I really enjoyed your video. DH and I are going on this cruise in January for our 25th anniversary!

[NEcruisers????]

Do you have a cruise report online?? What room were you in?? Glad you had a GREAT! Trip! We leave in less than 2 weeks!!

[suzy5555]

I didn't do a review for a couple of reasons. For this trip, it was about Hawaii and not the cruise. I'm such a simple person that I was actually uncomfortable being in a suite with all the extra attention. We were in 11518. We splurged on the suite so we could have a larger common area and the huge balcony for 3 of us to hang out. Also, we didn't go to any of the shows, clubs, and only ate in one speciality restaurant. Because I did so much research and we rented cars in every port, we didn't even use the concierge. I didn't feel I had anything to add that was different. These are a few things that I will add now:

1. We way overpacked. We only checked 3 bags so I should have packed (or purchased) an empty bag to hold the additional things we acquired.

2. We used Charlie's taxi from airport to hotel, hotel to pier. Very pleased with their service. At end of cruise, we just used a taxi that was waiting at the pier, and I feel were got gouged.

3. I was concerned about the parking situation in Maui, so when I saw on www.biddingfortravel.com that people were winning bids in Maui on Priceline for the Westin Resort for $125, I couldn't turn that down. The hotel was beautiful. It also gave us the opportunity to spend all day at Ka'anapali Beach. I also bid on Priceline for our HHV prestay.

4. When we did eat in the main dining rooms, we couldn't have ask for better service. My MIL has acid reflux so she needed a special menu. They went out of their way to accommodate her.

5. The child in me wanted towel animals everyday.:D We only got 2.

 

I have never uploaded a video to Youtube before. I actually gave a wrong link in my original post but there is no longer an edit button for me to make the change. This link show the video slightly better.

 

 

I have many more pics and I may post another video. I'll let you know if I do. Feel free to ask any questions. I find myself still hanging out here even after the trip. :)

[judyf]

Great video, did you make that from digital photos? As you can tell I have no clus on these things. I am able to load pictures to webshots. :)

[suzy5555]

Great video, did you make that from digital photos? As you can tell I have no clus on these things. I am able to load pictures to webshots. :)

 

Hi Judyf,

 

Yes they are from digital photos. I finally gave up my dinosaur camera (that I truly love) and bought a digital camera for this trip. I'm still learning the camera. We had overcast and haze all the days of our vacation so my pictures aren't very clear. (I'm sure I could use the software that came with my camera to enhance the photos but didn't want to take the time yet). Plus when you upload to Youtube you lose quality as they convert the pictures. I'm new to all of this also. I got the information from this forum under "videos". I used Windows Movie Maker that came with my computer. I thought it was fairly user friendly. Now I'm hooked. Plan to scan old Christmas photos and make everyone a movie. Gosh, I need to be cleaning house or doing yard work or something but this stuff is way more fun.:D

[judyf]

Hi Judyf,

 

Yes they are from digital photos. I finally gave up my dinosaur camera (that I truly love) and bought a digital camera for this trip. I'm still learning the camera. We had overcast and haze all the days of our vacation so my pictures aren't very clear. (I'm sure I could use the software that came with my camera to enhance the photos but didn't want to take the time yet). Plus when you upload to Youtube you lose quality as they convert the pictures. I'm new to all of this also. I got the information from this forum under "videos". I used Windows Movie Maker that came with my computer. I thought it was fairly user friendly. Now I'm hooked. Plan to scan old Christmas photos and make everyone a movie. Gosh, I need to be cleaning house or doing yard work or something but this stuff is way more fun.:D

 

 

 

LOL I know what you mean. I haven't ventured that far in palying with my pictures. I'm sure I have the movie marker but never really did much with all the extra stuff that came with the computer. I have the media center and never use it, my daughter makes fun of me. But lives too far away "Virginia" to come and show me what to do. :D

[whale-watcher]

Really enjoyed the video...thanks! Which cabin were you in (it looks like an AE penthouse?)...

[CC Help Michell]

Great video, Suzy! :) I started to watch it the other day and it made me miss Hawaii so much I had to stop. Tonight I watched the whole thing, even though I STILL miss Hawaii SO much. You've given me new resolve about our return trip! Thanks for all the effort you put into it!

[suzy5555]

Really enjoyed the video...thanks! Which cabin were you in (it looks like an AE penthouse?)...

 

yes, it was an AE penthouse - 11518. I posted pics because I read somewhere on here that there weren't many pics of the AE suites. The suite was really nice. Don't you love that huge balcony? I was looking to book the Pride of Hawaii but the only suite left for my date was under the fitness center right under the free weights. I read it could be real noisy. The huge balcony sold me on this suite on Pride of America. We had room service breakfast there everyday. Many sunrises - pulling into port - fabulous!!!!!! And then sail by NaPali Coastline - breathtaking - Oh I long to go back:) Already planning next land trip.

[whale-watcher]

yes, it was an AE penthouse - 11518. I posted pics because I read somewhere on here that there weren't many pics of the AE suites. The suite was really nice. Don't you love that huge balcony? I was looking to book the Pride of Hawaii but the only suite left for my date was under the fitness center right under the free weights. I read it could be real noisy. The huge balcony sold me on this suite on Pride of America. We had room service breakfast there everyday. Many sunrises - pulling into port - fabulous!!!!!! And then sail by NaPali Coastline - breathtaking - Oh I long to go back:) Already planning next land trip.

Thanks so much...you are correct, there is very little info about the AE suites. The balcony looks fantastic...and the room service breakfast as well! We looked into a courtyard suite on the POH, but that was more the double the price of an AE suite, with a balcony a fraction of the size (we spend a lot of time on our balcony).

[suzy5555]

Thanks so much...you are correct, there is very little info about the AE suites. The balcony looks fantastic...and the room service breakfast as well! We looked into a courtyard suite on the POH, but that was more the double the price of an AE suite, with a balcony a fraction of the size (we spend a lot of time on our balcony).

 

Breakfast room service in the suite was between full menu and continental. Plenty of choices in my opinion. Our requested delivery time was met every single time. If I had my way, I would have eaten dinner there also. But I guess I need to see "some" of the ship.:) It is my understanding that the suites can even have room service from the speciality restaurants with advance notice. Of course, you still have the upcharge fee. Our butler Bhaz was outstanding. He knew we were renting cars in every port so he brought us maps, This Week, etc and discussed roads, traffic, sites, road construction, etc with us the night before. There are many other perks also. You saw the fresh flower arrangement, fruit, champagne as our welcome aboard gift. We had fresh fruit gifts two other nights also. We would have had champagne the last night also but we are teetotalers. We were suppose to be greeted and escorted when checking in but we arrived really early. We were the 2nd ones in line. So they missed us somehow. They weren't happy about that. It was fine with us. Embarkment was smooth.

[NEcruisers????]

Were you able to see the Napali coastline from your balcony? We are sailing next week and are in 11006.

[suzy5555]

Were you able to see the Napali coastline from your balcony? We are sailing next week and are in 11006.

 

Yes. As a matter of fact the last 5 pictures on my video were taken from our balcony after sailing at 2:00PM. We actually stopped at Napali Coastline. I think they did this because they take photographs of people with Napali Coastline in the background. This was near sunset. Your cabin is on the other side of the ship. They did turn 180 degrees so your side of the ship could see. Out of curiosity, I went out to public deck to see what view your side was getting. It was getting darker by then. If I were you, I would go to the public deck on the first sailby and then as they are turning go to your own and enjoy the view.

 

On our first day in Kauai, we went North, all the way to Ke'e Beach and Napali Coastline. When you leave port, you go North toward Napali Coastline. As we were sailing the coast it was fun to watch the land and identify where things were such as King Kong Mountain and Kilaeau Lighthouse, Princeville, etc.

 

Enjoy your cruise. I know we surely did.