Trip Report on Hawaii Cruise
Oct 9th, 2006, 07:55 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trip Report on Hawaii Cruise
My husband and I recently returned from our cruise on the Pride of America. We booked the cruise after getting a great deal on the internet. We've been to Hawaii several times but never to the Big Island. We are not much of cruisers but thought this was a great way to go back for a trip. After reading the posts on the cruise we weren't expecting much, just a hotel on the water. I have to say we were very pleased. Service and food were good. Everything we read about service and staff issues we not true for our cruise. As part of the package we flew United. Normally to Hawaii we do the direct from Newark on Continental so this was a change. I didn't like switching planes esp. in Chicago which is very busy. The flight was filled with cruise passengers. We arrived in Honolulu around 2 pm and NCL staff was waiting in baggage claim to pick us up and our luggage. The system was flawless. We were on the ship in no time. Got our luggage and went to walk around the Aloha Tower shopping center. Got back on the ship to eat and bon voyage! I was fighting to stay up since we were still on eastern time. Left Honolulu around 8 pm. Woke up the next morning in Hilo. After reading the posts on the web, my husband and I booked a car rental in each port before we left NJ (and visted Walmart in each port!). Rented from Thrifty in all ports except for Kona which we did Dollar. Did Dollar since we could walk to from the ship. The rental agency is in the hotel next to port. Anyways, back to Hilo. We picked up the car via a shuttle and we were off to the Volcano National Park. I was surprised to find how "big" the Big Island was in terms of driving. It took us about 40 minutes to get from the car rental to the park. Once in the park we went to the visitors center and it was another 40 minutes to get to the area where you see the plume of smoke which is the lava hitting the pacific. It was really something to see. We hiked about a mile then climbed on the designated lava rocks to see the smoke. Driving back we stopped along the way to see the different landscapes and craters. Simply amazing! Before hitting the ship we stopped by Mauna Loa to learn about the Mac nuts and then to Walmart for some water for the cabin and soveniers. At night the ship went passed the volcano so we saw the lava pouring into the sea. Another amazing site! Next stop was Maui. We went to Maui on our honeymoon so we wanted to go back to the Hyatt and snorkel near black rock and ate at the Hula Grill as we did years ago. At night we did an excursion to watch the sunrise. Another amazing site! Glad we took this on a tour. Driving at night was more relaxing on a tour plus our driver stopped and told us facts along the way up and down the mountain. Bring a jacket and blanket. We layered up on this trip! For the rest of the day we went to the wind surfing beach near Mama's Fish House and hung out in Paia. Next stop Kona! Kona we needed to be tendered to shore. That was the only part of the trip where we felt sea sick. Once on dry land, we walked to Dollar. Got into our car and went to the Puukohola the historic site. Afterwards we went snorkeling Kealakekua. So many turtles everywhere on the Big Island. After seeing our fill, we went back into town to walk around Kona before getting back on the ship. Really cute town and wished we had more time! Back on the ship for our final stop Kauai! Kauai we did on our honeymoon so we planned to go to Poipu and the North Shore. Kauai is not to be missed. My favorite island for its beauty. The first day we drove to the North Shore and snorkeled at Kee Beach on the way back to the ship we stopped at Bubba's burgers for lunch (another favorite of ours). At night we ventured into Kapaa to walk around the shops and get drinks. The next morning we shipped our dirty clothes via UPS to make room for our treats to bring back home. The airlines allow for two suitcase but the cruise allows 4 per person. I pack like I will be away for a month so we needed to make room! Cheaper to ship the clothes than to pay the airlines. Once we got this out of the way, we were off to Poipu. Stopped by the Hyatt where we stayed years ago. I love the lotion from the Spa so I needed to pick some up. Off to Poipu Beach to get some snorkeling in. Saw turtles, eels, and tons of fish. Before getting on the ship we stopped by Puka Dog for a hot dog and homemade lemonade. Saw it on the travel channel and needed to try them. Had a dog with mango relish and it was worth the $6. Got back on the ship to go passed the Na Pali coast during the day. Breath taking views. Took the most shots of our vacation during this passing. Next morning we woke up in Honolulu where we rented a car for the day instead of sitting in the airport. Went to Waikiki to walk around before leaving our favorite vacation spot. There is a lot of construction going on in Waikiki. Old hotels being torned down. Shopping centers being remodeled. Almost made it difficult to manuever around. Can't wait to see the finished construction although a local told us it will take until 2014!!! Something to look forward to in the future. Feel free to ask any questions about hawaii or NCL Pride of America. Great cruise and great way to see Hawaii! Gave a taste to see where to visit again!
Oct 9th, 2006, 08:06 AM
#3
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Author: JEC
Date: 10/09/2006, 11:55 am
My husband and I recently returned from our cruise on the Pride of America. We booked the cruise after getting a great deal on the internet. We've been to Hawaii several times but never to the Big Island. We are not much of cruisers but thought this was a great way to go back for a trip. After reading the posts on the cruise we weren't expecting much, just a hotel on the water. I have to say we were very pleased. Service and food were good. Everything we read about service and staff issues we not true for our cruise. As part of the package we flew United. Normally to Hawaii we do the direct from Newark on Continental so this was a change. I didn't like switching planes esp. in Chicago which is very busy. The flight was filled with cruise passengers.
We arrived in Honolulu around 2 pm and NCL staff was waiting in baggage claim to pick us up and our luggage. The system was flawless. We were on the ship in no time. Got our luggage and went to walk around the Aloha Tower shopping center. Got back on the ship to eat and bon voyage! I was fighting to stay up since we were still on eastern time.
Left Honolulu around 8 pm. Woke up the next morning in Hilo. After reading the posts on the web, my husband and I booked a car rental in each port before we left NJ (and visted Walmart in each port!). Rented from Thrifty in all ports except for Kona which we did Dollar. Did Dollar since we could walk to from the ship. The rental agency is in the hotel next to port. Anyways, back to Hilo. We picked up the car via a shuttle and we were off to the Volcano National Park. I was surprised to find how "big" the Big Island was in terms of driving. It took us about 40 minutes to get from the car rental to the park. Once in the park we went to the visitors center and it was another 40 minutes to get to the area where you see the plume of smoke which is the lava hitting the pacific. It was really something to see. We hiked about a mile then climbed on the designated lava rocks to see the smoke. Driving back we stopped along the way to see the different landscapes and craters. Simply amazing! Before hitting the ship we stopped by Mauna Loa to learn about the Mac nuts and then to Walmart for some water for the cabin and soveniers. At night the ship went passed the volcano so we saw the lava pouring into the sea. Another amazing site!
Next stop was Maui. We went to Maui on our honeymoon so we wanted to go back to the Hyatt and snorkel near black rock and ate at the Hula Grill as we did years ago. At night we did an excursion to watch the sunrise. Another amazing site! Glad we took this on a tour. Driving at night was more relaxing on a tour plus our driver stopped and told us facts along the way up and down the mountain. Bring a jacket and blanket. We layered up on this trip! For the rest of the day we went to the wind surfing beach near Mama's Fish House and hung out in Paia.
Next stop Kona! Kona we needed to be tendered to shore. That was the only part of the trip where we felt sea sick. Once on dry land, we walked to Dollar. Got into our car and went to the Puukohola the historic site. Afterwards we went snorkeling Kealakekua. So many turtles everywhere on the Big Island. After seeing our fill, we went back into town to walk around Kona before getting back on the ship. Really cute town and wished we had more time!
Back on the ship for our final stop Kauai! Kauai we did on our honeymoon so we planned to go to Poipu and the North Shore. Kauai is not to be missed. My favorite island for its beauty. The first day we drove to the North Shore and snorkeled at Kee Beach on the way back to the ship we stopped at Bubba's burgers for lunch (another favorite of ours). At night we ventured into Kapaa to walk around the shops and get drinks. The next morning we shipped our dirty clothes via UPS to make room for our treats to bring back home. The airlines allow for two suitcase but the cruise allows 4 per person. I pack like I will be away for a month so we needed to make room! Cheaper to ship the clothes than to pay the airlines. Once we got this out of the way, we were off to Poipu. Stopped by the Hyatt where we stayed years ago. I love the lotion from the Spa so I needed to pick some up. Off to Poipu Beach to get some snorkeling in. Saw turtles, eels, and tons of fish. Before getting on the ship we stopped by Puka Dog for a hot dog and homemade lemonade. Saw it on the travel channel and needed to try them. Had a dog with mango relish and it was worth the $6.
Got back on the ship to go passed the Na Pali coast during the day. Breath taking views. Took the most shots of our vacation during this passing.
Next morning we woke up in Honolulu where we rented a car for the day instead of sitting in the airport. Went to Waikiki to walk around before leaving our favorite vacation spot. There is a lot of construction going on in Waikiki. Old hotels being torned down. Shopping centers being remodeled. Almost made it difficult to manuever around. Can't wait to see the finished construction although a local told us it will take until 2014!!! Something to look forward to in the future.
Feel free to ask any questions about hawaii or NCL Pride of America. Great cruise and great way to see Hawaii! Gave a taste to see where to visit again!
Date: 10/09/2006, 11:55 am
My husband and I recently returned from our cruise on the Pride of America. We booked the cruise after getting a great deal on the internet. We've been to Hawaii several times but never to the Big Island. We are not much of cruisers but thought this was a great way to go back for a trip. After reading the posts on the cruise we weren't expecting much, just a hotel on the water. I have to say we were very pleased. Service and food were good. Everything we read about service and staff issues we not true for our cruise. As part of the package we flew United. Normally to Hawaii we do the direct from Newark on Continental so this was a change. I didn't like switching planes esp. in Chicago which is very busy. The flight was filled with cruise passengers.
We arrived in Honolulu around 2 pm and NCL staff was waiting in baggage claim to pick us up and our luggage. The system was flawless. We were on the ship in no time. Got our luggage and went to walk around the Aloha Tower shopping center. Got back on the ship to eat and bon voyage! I was fighting to stay up since we were still on eastern time.
Left Honolulu around 8 pm. Woke up the next morning in Hilo. After reading the posts on the web, my husband and I booked a car rental in each port before we left NJ (and visted Walmart in each port!). Rented from Thrifty in all ports except for Kona which we did Dollar. Did Dollar since we could walk to from the ship. The rental agency is in the hotel next to port. Anyways, back to Hilo. We picked up the car via a shuttle and we were off to the Volcano National Park. I was surprised to find how "big" the Big Island was in terms of driving. It took us about 40 minutes to get from the car rental to the park. Once in the park we went to the visitors center and it was another 40 minutes to get to the area where you see the plume of smoke which is the lava hitting the pacific. It was really something to see. We hiked about a mile then climbed on the designated lava rocks to see the smoke. Driving back we stopped along the way to see the different landscapes and craters. Simply amazing! Before hitting the ship we stopped by Mauna Loa to learn about the Mac nuts and then to Walmart for some water for the cabin and soveniers. At night the ship went passed the volcano so we saw the lava pouring into the sea. Another amazing site!
Next stop was Maui. We went to Maui on our honeymoon so we wanted to go back to the Hyatt and snorkel near black rock and ate at the Hula Grill as we did years ago. At night we did an excursion to watch the sunrise. Another amazing site! Glad we took this on a tour. Driving at night was more relaxing on a tour plus our driver stopped and told us facts along the way up and down the mountain. Bring a jacket and blanket. We layered up on this trip! For the rest of the day we went to the wind surfing beach near Mama's Fish House and hung out in Paia.
Next stop Kona! Kona we needed to be tendered to shore. That was the only part of the trip where we felt sea sick. Once on dry land, we walked to Dollar. Got into our car and went to the Puukohola the historic site. Afterwards we went snorkeling Kealakekua. So many turtles everywhere on the Big Island. After seeing our fill, we went back into town to walk around Kona before getting back on the ship. Really cute town and wished we had more time!
Back on the ship for our final stop Kauai! Kauai we did on our honeymoon so we planned to go to Poipu and the North Shore. Kauai is not to be missed. My favorite island for its beauty. The first day we drove to the North Shore and snorkeled at Kee Beach on the way back to the ship we stopped at Bubba's burgers for lunch (another favorite of ours). At night we ventured into Kapaa to walk around the shops and get drinks. The next morning we shipped our dirty clothes via UPS to make room for our treats to bring back home. The airlines allow for two suitcase but the cruise allows 4 per person. I pack like I will be away for a month so we needed to make room! Cheaper to ship the clothes than to pay the airlines. Once we got this out of the way, we were off to Poipu. Stopped by the Hyatt where we stayed years ago. I love the lotion from the Spa so I needed to pick some up. Off to Poipu Beach to get some snorkeling in. Saw turtles, eels, and tons of fish. Before getting on the ship we stopped by Puka Dog for a hot dog and homemade lemonade. Saw it on the travel channel and needed to try them. Had a dog with mango relish and it was worth the $6.
Got back on the ship to go passed the Na Pali coast during the day. Breath taking views. Took the most shots of our vacation during this passing.
Next morning we woke up in Honolulu where we rented a car for the day instead of sitting in the airport. Went to Waikiki to walk around before leaving our favorite vacation spot. There is a lot of construction going on in Waikiki. Old hotels being torned down. Shopping centers being remodeled. Almost made it difficult to manuever around. Can't wait to see the finished construction although a local told us it will take until 2014!!! Something to look forward to in the future.
Feel free to ask any questions about hawaii or NCL Pride of America. Great cruise and great way to see Hawaii! Gave a taste to see where to visit again!
Oct 9th, 2006, 09:31 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,502
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Glad you had a good time. We went last year on the Pride of America. The food and service in the main dining rooms was not good. If we had scheduled the specialty restaurants when we got on board, I think we would have been alright. Of course, there is an extra charge for those places but it would have made our trip much more enjoyable. The ship is beautiful and we loved Hawaii! We still had a good time!
Oct 9th, 2006, 12:59 PM
#8
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
sistahlou, really? No offense was intended at all.
My apologies JEC - and any others who were offended by my adding paragraphs. It has been done before on this board without complaint. I just wanted to provide a version that was easier to read. No "edits" other than the addition of paragraphs.
Again, my sincere apologies to anyone, ESPECIALLY the OP, who is offended.
My apologies JEC - and any others who were offended by my adding paragraphs. It has been done before on this board without complaint. I just wanted to provide a version that was easier to read. No "edits" other than the addition of paragraphs.
Again, my sincere apologies to anyone, ESPECIALLY the OP, who is offended.
