First Time on NCL

[UlvaZell]

We are sailing for the first time on NCL in June. We are cruising on the Pride of America. I can hardly wait. :D

 

As a newbie to NCL what are the do's and don'ts that we can learn from all of the veterans? Anything particular to NCL as well as from those that have cruised on this ship and this itinerary. We are on deck 8 in a category BE stateroom.:confused:

 

Lastly, for those that have made this passage, what excursions did you make? I have heard from others that the Road to Hana is a must...

[UlvaZell]

47 views and not one response... I found my answers elsewhere

[CrystalWater]

I suggest you read the reviews on Cruise Critic about your cruise and how bad NCL is in the first place along with making it worse with American Crew. I personally would never recommend NCL. Read the reviews for yourself.

[watchdiva]

So glad you found your answers! I assume you found the Ports of Call forum (which would answer your questions about the shore excursions in each of the ports), the Roll Call forum (where your fellow pax may have already started a Roll Call for your ship/cruise date) and also that you figured out how to use the search function on the NCL board (not always an easy to use but if you persist, you'll find answers and insights about your ship).

 

You'll have a great cruise and hopefully you'll come back to report on your experience.

 

I've found that if you post a specific question, the answers start flying in - it's hard to answer generalized questions on a message board. As you get closer to your cruise, post your specific questions and I'll bet you'll be surprised at the number of responses you get!

 

IMO the most important "DO" is to have a great time and the most important "DON'T" is don't sweat the small stuff - roll with whatever comes your way.

[hazeleyez3]

Just in case you do look back...

 

 

• Find out about the specialty restaurants. If you find one that interests you, find out when you can make reservations. You may also want to find out if there is a sur-charge.
  
• If you don't want to wear formal clothes, don't bring them. You will be fine in resort casual on the optional formal night.
  
• If you like to swim pack a swimsuit in your carry-on. It may be an hour or two after you get on the ship that you are allowed to your stateroom.
  
• If you want to do a popular ship excursion book it online (you avoid the excursions desk on the ship, and can confirm you'll get tickets).
  
• Find out about self-debarkation. If you can do that it can save you time.
  
• Be sure to use the sign outside the door. You have to change it to say, make-up room, turn down, do not disturb. If you forget to turn it to "make-up room" don't get upset that they didn't.
  
• If you are doing a pre-stay, take a look at the Mariott Waikiki. If you stay there you can check into the ship before hand (there is a desk to the right of one of the entrances.
  
• Get the Hawaii Revealed books, read them before you go, bookmark places, and take the books with you.
  
• Rent cars. A lot of the things you can do on your own, and at your own pace.
  
• I would highly recommend the Road to Hana; however, realize that you probably need a full day for this. Again, if you go by yourselves, bring the Revealed books.
  
• Go to Volcano National Park
  
• We did a luau in Honolulu post-cruise: The Paradise Cove
  
• If you can afford it, a helicopter ride on Kauai.
  
• If you rent a car in Kauai, go back to the shops where the ship docks and "reserve" a place to park that night.
  
• We did the sunrise tour on Maui (only NCL excursion)

[rewob]

We loved our NCL cruise last year. I was nervous after reading all of the negative comments before our cruise. Well, the cruise was beyond our wildest expectations. I am convinced that those who post reviews that are ALL negative, have to work hard at having a rotten time. The reviews that I tend to listen to are the ones with both positive and negative comments.

 

How can vacation be anything but wonderful!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

47 views and not one response... I found my answers elsewhere

 

You are cruising on NCLA and not NCL which is why you probably didn't get too many answers.

 

Rewob,

What ship did you sail? Were you on NCL or NCLA?

 

Bill

[Terre]

We just got back from POAm and loved it. We researched the Hawaii board as well as the NCL board to decide what we wanted to do. We booked all of our rentals on line and had no problems getting them when we got in to port.

 

We read from others that the "Revealed" books, i.e., Maui Revealed, etc. were helpful and we checked them from the library and I made copies of just the pages we needed and took those with us. They were very helpful and informative especially on the Road to Hana.

 

DON'T worry about packing. You really don't need much. Take three different outfits for dinner and one dressy one if you want to dress up for formal night. POAm is not strict about formal night and we even forgot about it the first night (looked like a whole lot of others did, too!)

 

If you go to the Volcanoes National Park, take a rain poncho or rain coat, wear old shoes you don't mind getting messed up and a flashlight if you go to the lava tube. It was raining there when we went and it was chilly. I took a light weight hoodie and glad I did. Umbrellas don't help much because of the wind. It was warmer in the other direction when we got to Mauna Loa, I had to take off my hoodie. I actually wore my old shoes almost every day because we did a lot of walking around or hiking at each place. Always have that poncho ready, too! Those showers pop up and go away very quickly.

 

DO pack a change of clothes in your carry-on like shorts or capris so you can change when you get to your cabin.

 

POAm has hair dryers that are very good, so you won't need that. They also provide shampoo so unless your scalp is dry and you use a special shampoo, you won't need to pack that.

 

You can ask for extra towels, pillows or a even an "egg crate" or foam mattress if your mattress is not comfortable.

 

You can order two lobster tails or steaks or shrimp cocktails or whatever you want more of at dinner.

 

If your airline is one that works with POAm's Easy Fly program, do it. This was the best thing ever. The night before you leave you will pack all of your luggage and set it outside your cabin for pick up. Normally, you will find your luggage among a sea of luggage when you get off the ship the next morning.

 

With Easy Fly, you will get boarding passes and airline tags for your luggage. You put those tags on your luggage and set your luggage out. You will not see your luggage until you get home. This was wonderful for us because we had a late flight home and wanted to spend the day at Pearl Harbor. They won't let you take any bags or purses inside -- just a wallet. We took a small bag to put things in that we had to use the last morning and our jackets for the flight home and checked everything else with Easy Fly. Once at Pearl Harbor, I checked the small bag and my purse. We kept our passports and tickets in our pockets and DH took his wallet. Using Easy Fly we could walk off anytime just like those who carried their luggage with them.

 

DON'T stress over this too much, just have a great time!

 

We loved the Road to Hana. There are not a lot of places to pull over, but when you can, don't miss the opportunity for great photo ops. In Hilo went to Volcanoes National Park and then drove down to Mauna Loa Macademia Nut Factory and Akaka Falls.

 

In Maui we did the Road to Hana the first day and did whale watching with Pacific Whale Foundation in Lahaina the second. In Kona we drove south to the Painted Church and the House of Refuge. There are several coffee plantations you can stop at and we chose Greenwell. They have samples of coffees and will take you on a tour. In Kauai the first day we booked with AirVentures and flew over the island. The second day we just chilled.

 

Read the Hawaii board for other suggestions. We did book the ship's luau and it was pretty good, but I know there are some you can book yourself. And remember that there is no casino on the POAm.

 

Hope this helps.

[UlvaZell]

Thanks Terre and Hazeleyez3. I really appreciate the great information...:)