Pride of America January 5th-12th review.

[whale-watcher]

Just back from our wonderful Hawaiian vacation and cruise on the Pride of America. Here is a quick review--

 

Part One: Pre-cruise stay.

 

Flights: we flew on northwest nonstop from Minneapolis to HNL. It is a long flight, but there is less connection anxiety with a nonstop. We were able to upgrade our flight out, and this is worth doing if you have the miles. No upgrades were available for the return flight, so we had the standard coach red-eye experience (but no real complaints, as the flight was on time).

 

We rented a minivan from Thrifty at HNL and the process was quick and easy with blue chip.

 

Pre-cruise stay: We spent four nights at the Turtle Bay resort on the north shore. The is the place to stay on Oahu if you love the outdoors and dislike crowds...there are miles of beautiful hiking trails along the ocean. On one side of the resort is Kulima cove, a beautiful sheltered beach for swimming and snorkeling. The other side has spectacular surfing waves, and you can actually sit in the hot tub with a Mai Tai (TB had the best ones we tasted, and we tried quite a few:) ) and watch the surfers.

 

Oahu pre-cruise activities: in addition to swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing at Turtle Bay:

Surfing lessons (through TB, but held in Haleiwa); these were a HUGE hit with the teens!

Shark encounter through Hawaii Shark Encounters...excellent and memorable experience, but the water is rough. I would suggest this for anyone not prone to motion sickness...and even if you do get sick, it is a fairly short tour. We took the advice of another cc member and volunteered to be the first in the cage so we could enjoy the sharks before rocking back and forth in the swells.

Horseback riding along the ocean to Kawela bay and past the banyan tree featured in "Lost"....this was one of the highlights of our vacation.

Luau at TB resort...we elected to do this rather than the PCC, as it was a beautiful day and we couldn't drag ourselves away from Kulima cove. The food was good, and the dancers were excellent (they are from PCC), but this is a small production, and worth attending only if you staying at TB.

Dole Plantation...we had a blast going through the maze, and enjoyed our dole whips, but left when the big tour busses arrived and elected to skip the train tour. We did stop at Laniakea beach just past Haleiwa and saw a large turtle sunning itself on the sand and many more offshore (there were turtles all over the north shore, but Laniakea is a reliable place to look for turtles out of the water).

James Campbell Wildlife sanctuary...this is worth visiting if you are a birder, as you can see rare birds such as bristle-thighed curlew and Hawaiian stilts.

Shrimp Trucks: we had spicy garlic and coconut shrimp from fumu's; the coconut was great, the garlic was a little rubbery.

Windward coast: this is a beautiful part of the island, with many scenic stops (such as the sea arch, Chinaman's hat, the byodo temple). We returned to Honolulu via the Pali highway so we could stop at the Pali overlook.

 

We planned to visit Honolulu and Waikiki before boarding the POAM, but the traffic was so heavy we elected to drop of the rental car and enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the ship instead.

 

Coming up...the cruise itself!

[whale-watcher]

Part Two: the cruise!

 

Embarkation: we arrived at about 1:30pm, and the terminal was practically empty. There was no waiting at all with VIP boarding, but the regular lines were very short or non-existent as well.

 

Cabins: we had 2 AE penthouse suites on the port side of deck 12. The cabins were slightly smaller than full suites on princess, and the bathroom was more like a princess minisuite, but the layout was good, and the cabins were spotless. The dark wood paneling was beautiful, and the espresso/cappuccino machines were a fantastic perk! The BEST feature of the cabins...the balconies are HUGE and sheltered with dining table and 2 chaise lounges....we lived on these balconies whenever we were onboard!.

 

We picked the port side in order to be able to enjoy the final sea day from our balcony. In retrospect, we ended up spending much of this afternoon on the open decks for more panoramic views, and the starboard side would have given us better views in port for the Maui and Kauai overninights. The ship does turn around after the Napali sailby, but this is late in the afternoon and it does not really give the starboard side much of a view.

 

Deck 13 just above us was heavily used by smokers in the morning. We did not smell smoke, but did notice a lot of noise from chairs being dragged back and forth in the early morning (we are early risers, so this did not really bother us, but take this into account if you plan to sleep late!).

 

Our cabin steward (Danilo) and butler (Madel) were both excellent. Never did meet the concierge. Madel brought us room service breakfast every morning and fruit and snacks every afternoon. We did order room service for dinner one night, and this was a relaxing option (full room service breakfast and dinner is a suite perk, and one of the reasons we elected to book these cabins for this port-intensive cruise).

 

The ship itself is beautiful and we thought the design was functional. There are many wonderful open decks both fore and aft for whale watching and photography. Every now and then we did smell a whiff of a "sewage" smell near the internet cafe, but did not smell anything in our cabin. We felt that the ship handled the large swells around the Napali coast very well.

 

Dining: we are big fans of anytime dining on princess, and had no problems with freestyle dining. We made reservations for only two nights: Teppanyaki for our Maui overnight (lots of fun, and excellent shrimp and filet), and Little Italy for our Kauai overnight (the speciality pizzas were crisp and wonderful, and the Caesar salads were really nice as well). Service was quick and excellent in both of these restaurants. We also dined one night at the Cadillac diner. All three of these venues were beautifully designed spaces that made us feel as though we were eating at restaurants on shore rather than large cruise-ship dining rooms. We did use the poolside Key West grill a lot in the late afternoon when we returned to ship starving after a busy day of touring in port. There was something different available there every day (Bratwurst and sauerkraut, ribs, Hawaiian barbeque).

 

The buffet layout is the best we have ever seen...no long snaking lines, but lots of well-spaced islands. The second outdoor breakfast buffet at the very aft of the ship was never crowded (I made cheese sandwiches there most mornings as we spent most of our days as far away from town as possible and wanted to enjoy picnic lunches). We did eat breakfast in the dining room one morning, and were in and out in 20 mintues!

 

Service: we thought that crew was friendly and enthusiastic. This is not a lifelong career for most of these kids, but they work hard and take pride in what they do. The shore excursion staff was also helpful and friendly. No complaints from this family!

 

Entertainment: we spent our evenings soaking in the hot tubs or relaxing on our balconies. We did enjoy the narration during the Napali sailby.

 

Disembarkation: we had VIP tags and walked right off with no waiting at all. Our luggage was easy to find and we were on our way in a matter of minutes. Even without the VIP tags, we did not notice any of the crowding we have experienced on other cruise lines (not going through customs and immigration helps in this respect).

 

Internet connection was spotty...although wireless and ethernet were both available in the cabin. Cost was 75cents/minute (or larger blocks of time: 100 minutes for $55). I did print out boarding passes online, but the print quality was poor and I had to re-print at the airport.

 

next: the ports!

[Molokai-Chuck]

Mahalo for the posting....glad you enjoyed the cruise!

 

Chuck

[whale-watcher]

Part Three: the ports.

 

I picked up a Garmin nuvi GPS unit at an after-holidays sale, and this was EXTREMELY useful for finding our way around (and helping us estimate driving time).

 

Hilo: we had beautiful sunny weather (as we did in every port!). We rented a 4wd expedition from Harper's... we chose this option as we planned to drive to some of the upper reaches of VNP and wanted the option of driving on the saddle road if time allowed (it did not). We were on the road within 10 minutes of leaving the ship, and headed straight to the Mauna Loa "strip" road (this would only be of interest to serious hikers/ birdwatchers/ geology buffs; we were able to find some rare native Hawaiian birds here that we did not see anywhere else, but the drive took a long time and I would probably not do this again). Spent the rest of the day at VNP, including the chain of craters drive and the crater rim drive. We did have time to stop at rainbow falls on the way back. Spoke with a few pax who took bus tours, and they all regretted not renting cars at this port. HINT: get up early for this port...the sunrise was stunning, and we had clear views of Mauna Kea (we could see the observatory through binoculars). There were quite a few whales just outside the Hilo breakwater.

 

Maui: we did a two-day rental through Thrifty (quick and efficient). Day one included a visit to the Iao needle followed by a PWF whale watch out of Ma'alaea harbor, as well as a visit to the Maui Ocean center and quite a bit of time whale watching from shore from McGregor point. We brought along a spotting scope and enjoyed some wonderful displays of breaching, fin slapping, and tail lobbing. HINT: we joined the PWF before booking our whale watching tour...membership included one free whale watch ticket, discounts on all other tickets, and discounts at the PWF retail store in Ma'alaea and also at the Ocean Center...PLUS, we had priority boarding for the whale watch boat and where able sit right up front (although the whales popped up all around the boat). In the afternoon we went birdwatching at Hosmer's Grove on the slopes of Haleakala...we were able to see and photograph several I'iwi...a spectacular scarlet bird with a curved bill; the red robes of Hawaiian royalty were made from the feathers of this bird. Parking was tight at the pier...we returned at 6pm, and there were only a few spaces left by the seawall (and none in the small lot).

 

Maui day two: made a quick stop at McGregor for more whale watching, and then drove to the top of Haleakala. The view was spectacular...we could see the snow capped peaks of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island. There are many hiking trails in the park, and we could have spent many days here.

 

Kona: We booked the Big Island Spectacular helicopter tour (through NCL, but operated by Blue Hawaiian). This is an expensive tour, and it is a long drive from the cruise port to the heliport (with lots of traffic an not a lot of scenery). The heli tour includes a flyover of the molten lava and active volcanic vents, as well as a return trip along the Kohala coast and waipio valley, which were stunning. I would only suggest this tour if you have your heart set on seeing molten lava but are unwilling to give up any land time in Hilo to do so. We are glad we took this tour, but next time will plan a snorkeling excursion (such as captain zodiac) instead. HINT: plan to be at the front of the boat for sailaway. We were treated to a stunning sunset punctuated by breaching humpbacks and pods of spinner dolphins.

 

Kauai: We rented a car from Hertz (we are gold club members, and choose this company because of reports of slower service with Thrifty in this port). We were on the road in just 5 minutes, and headed straight for Waimea canyon to beat the tour busses. From there we headed up to Kokee state park for the spectacular views of the the coast and pristine forest. Finally, we then headed back north to Kilauea Point lighthouse. This is another spectacular spot for bird and whale watching, and I could have spent an entire day here. In retrospect, I would not have done both this and the canyon on the same day, as it was a long and tiring day (with LOTS of traffic). A better plan would have been to spend the afternoon swimming and snorkeling in the turtle-infested waters at Poipu beach (which we did on day two). Make sure to purchase your $10 parking pass at the Aloha Marketplace just outside the port area (we also liked the shave ice here).

 

The NaPali coast was partially shrouded by haze, but still stunning. We saw at LEAST 20 whales on Friday afternoon, including a pair breaching in tandem off the Princeville area. Most of the whales were close to shore.

[whale-watcher]

Part four: Final day:

Our flight home was not until after 6pm, so we booked a tour to Pearl Harbor and Honolulu through grayline (only $12/person, and they held our luggage and carryon baggage in a locked compartment). It was a busy day at PH, and we could not get admission tickets until the early afternoon (even though the bus was there by a little after 9am), so we drove to the Punchbowl and through Honolulu first, and then returned to PH with enough time to tour the mueseum and the bowfin before visiting the Arizona. Afterwards, we drove through waikiki before returning to the airport. We could have done more if we rented a car, but this was easy and inexpensive, and took care of the luggage storage issue. With a longer post cruise day I would have gone for a day room at the Wyland and spent more time in Waikiki.

[Illinitrvlr]

Thanks for the great review. We leave in less than 2 weeks and your review makes me even more excited. Welcome home!:eek:

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Glad you have a good time!

James

[whale-watcher]

Glad you have a good time!

James

Thanks James. Sorry we missed you, but you work with a great crew!

[cthyssen]

Hi Whale Watcher! I envy you for getting the upgrade out of Minneapolis! We booked 8 months in advance and are elite and still couldn't get it. Oh well. Couple questions for you -

 

1. Does Northwest do the bag check-in directly from the ship, or are you stuck with your luggage all day and basically forced to do some excursion?

 

2. How was Hertz in Kauai? We are Gold Club members as well and were thinking of going with them instead to guarantee we get a 4-wheel drive vehicle in case we end up in any interesting hiking spots. Was there anywhere in Waimea Canyon that it would have helped to have 4-wheel drive?

 

Bet you wish you were back in Hawaii given our wonderful weather this weekend!

[whale-watcher]

Hi Whale Watcher! I envy you for getting the upgrade out of Minneapolis! We booked 8 months in advance and are elite and still couldn't get it. Oh well. Couple questions for you -

 

1. Does Northwest do the bag check-in directly from the ship, or are you stuck with your luggage all day and basically forced to do some excursion?

 

2. How was Hertz in Kauai? We are Gold Club members as well and were thinking of going with them instead to guarantee we get a 4-wheel drive vehicle in case we end up in any interesting hiking spots. Was there anywhere in Waimea Canyon that it would have helped to have 4-wheel drive?

 

Bet you wish you were back in Hawaii given our wonderful weather this weekend!

We were lucky with the upgrade...we flew on January 1 and the flight was nowhere near full.

 

Unfortunately, NWA does not participate in the easy fly program:( , but we ended up taking a Pearl Harbor/Honolulu tour through Grayline (aka Polynesian Adventure) on our last day. They were handing out literature when we boarded the ship, and the tour was only $12/person. They stored our luggage securely (as well as backpacks and purses at Pearl Harbor), and dropped us off at the Airport at 3pm (we were on the 6:20 flight back to MSP).

 

Hertz in Lihue, Kauai was great!! the shuttle was waiting at the dock, and they do have Gold Club service...my car was ready for me with contract hanging from the mirror, and I was on my way in less than a minute:) We had a minivan, and this was fine, although we didn't take any side roads. There are lots of wonderful hiking trails in Koke'e state park, at the top of the canyon, but my DD injured her ankle in Maui; we will just have to go back!

 

And by the way, our outdoor thermometer bottomed out at -25F this morning, and our "high" this afternoon was -5F!:eek:

[sag314]

We were lucky with the upgrade...we flew on January 1 and the flight was nowhere near full.

 

Unfortunately, NWA does not participate in the easy fly program:( , but we ended up taking a Pearl Harbor/Honolulu tour through Grayline (aka Polynesian Adventure) on our last day. They were handing out literature when we boarded the ship, and the tour was only $12/person. They stored our luggage securely (as well as backpacks and purses at Pearl Harbor), and dropped us off at the Airport at 3pm (we were on the 6:20 flight back to MSP).

 

Hertz in Lihue, Kauai was great!! the shuttle was waiting at the dock, and they do have Gold Club service...my car was ready for me with contract hanging from the mirror, and I was on my way in less than a minute:) We had a minivan, and this was fine, although we didn't take any side roads. There are lots of wonderful hiking trails in Koke'e state park, at the top of the canyon, but my DD injured her ankle in Maui; we will just have to go back!

 

And by the way, our outdoor thermometer bottomed out at -25F this morning, and our "high" this afternoon was -5F!:eek:

 

Thanks for the info about NWA and the easy fly program - we will be going to PH before the cruise - I will google Grayline to see if they have other tours the final day.

 

compared to you we are having a heatwave :) its 9 above here with a low tonight about -10. Cant wait to get on the plane!

[whale-watcher]

Thanks for the info about NWA and the easy fly program - we will be going to PH before the cruise - I will google Grayline to see if they have other tours the final day.

 

compared to you we are having a heatwave :) its 9 above here with a low tonight about -10. Cant wait to get on the plane!

Have a great vacation...that warm tropical sun will feel wonderful!

you might want to wait to book the grayline PH tour...the grayline and roberts reps were handing out information just outside the pier area and the prices were a little lower than what was advertised on line. We didn't reserve our spots until midway through the cruise (note that the NCL seaweb blocks access to the roberts website, but you can easily call the toll free number).

[Osnab]

Thanks for taking the time to post these reports. They were quite helpful and also enjoyable!!

Felicia

[whale-watcher]

Thanks for taking the time to post these reports. They were quite helpful and also enjoyable!!

Felicia

my pleasure...it helps me re-live my vacation (and forget the deep freeze outside for a while):)