Pride of Am. Cruise
 

Has anyone out there done the Pride of America/Aloha cruise around the islands. We are booked for an easter cruise and need help in finding the best way to see the the island. We arrive on OHAU 2 days before the cruise. Pearl Harbor is one place we want to go. What are the best times? Keeping in mind it is Easter Week. We do Maui overnight and Kaui overnight. We would like to rent a car in both. When you have a cruise ship unloading passengers all at once car rentals can be awful. Any help out there.
We love to snorkel and like calm water. Where is the best place to lounge and snorkel.
We would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Lots to do on Oahu, including lots of websites:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34696831

Here's a thread with lots of Hawaii cruise info.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34693520
Click on brittany21 for lots of other threads about Hawaii cruises.

For shore excursions:

www.ncl.com
Shore Excursions
Hawaii
Find the name of your cruise ship and the date it leaves.
Click on the pdf symbol in that block.

You can rent a car and do the shore excursions on your own for a lot less $$. But you'll have an idea of what is available.

We were recently on Maui and drove over to see the POA. A beautiful ship. There were several shuttle buses for the rental cars, so that should not be a concern for you. Maui has many beautiful beaches with easy snorkeling right from the beach. You might want to head over to Kaanapali Beach. There is good snorkeling at Black Rock, which is at the edge of the Sheraton hotel. There is free beach access parking near the Sheraton, but it is only about 15 spots. If it is full, you can park at Whaler's Village and walk over. Parking there is validated with a $10 purchase, so you can stop in there for lunch after your snorkel. Hula Grill's beachside dining is great. After your snorkel, you can head back to Lahaina and stroll around there, or use the rest of your day to do some other sightseeing.

On Oahu, the Visitor Center at the Arizona opens at 7:30AM. If you get there as early as possible, you may get into the first group to see the orientation film and be on the first launch to the Arizona. Allow for at least 1 1/2 hrs there. If you choose to also see the Bowfin and USS Missouri, you'll want to allow another 2 hrs. After Pearl Harbor, you could do a walking tour of Chinatown or head over to Iolani Palace to tour. Or, drive up to the North SHore to watch the surfers. Lots to do on Oahu, just depends on your interests.

We've cruised on both ships -- a full week on Pride of America; just an overnight charity cruise on Pride of Aloha. We live on Kaua`i, but this was our first opportunity to see _all_ of the islands from sea level. Gorgeous views!

On O`ahu, you'll have a gazillion sightseeing options. Easter Week doesn't have much of an impact on the islands, except that the beaches are usually more crowded.

The cruise ship can arrange car rentals for you, or you can do it yourself directly with the rental agencies (and save a few $$ in the process). They all will pick up at the ship and take you to the car rental company for vehicle pickup.

With just one day to see each island, you'll probably not have much time to lounge and snorkel...unless you only plan to drive to the nearest good beach. Here on Kaua`i, the ships berth within an easy stroll of Kalapaki Bay (Marriott Hotel, Duke's Canoe Club) -- great beach for lounging (but no snorkeling).

Enjoy the cruise!

NCL's POA itinerary has always been one I wanted to do since the '70's when it was done by the predecessor US flagged ships (which went into rapid decline and bankruptcy).
The initial/recent feedback has been so negative, we decided to wait for some glimmer of improvement on NCL's part.
M
M

I would head out to Pearl Harbor first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds and long lines. That way you will still have the afternoon to go snorkeling or another activity.

When we did this itinerary yrs ago, we were able to reserve our cars for Maui, Hilo ahead of time on the ship. We may have paid a little more but as someone said, you don't have time to waste. We attended a luau in the evening, and then got up at o-dark-30 to go to Halehakala for sunrise. These were both great and we were glad we booked car. We had time but no time to spend at the beach.

I know I could save money on the car rental but don't know if they are down at the docks with cars or if you need to do whole shuttle thing and all check in at once? No time for this. I would also recommend whale watching tour in Maui if time permits. You should still be in prime season.

Hi,,just wondered if it was the ship sponsered luau you attended (I beleive at the Sheraton) and how it was.We leave in 2 weeks and I appreciate your info on the cruise.

We love small ships, but want to do this. Unfortunately, the feedback is way bad.
M

I can`t help you, but we leave on the POA this saturday. We are also staying an extra 2 days in Waikiki, and are also going to visit the Arizona. The reviews on the POA have been much better lately. People complained about the service when it first started sailing, so I will see how it is.

Try contacting this guy, who mostly deals with port calls but can probably help you with each island:
[email protected]

Also, please please please please please.....the spellings are <b>OAHU</b> and <b>KAUAI</b> .

I think someone told me that the Maui Prince Hotel is the designated luau for the cruise ship passengers. Bus transportation is provided from the ship. Our friends went to the Old Lahaina Luau instead and had to pay for their own private taxi service.