Hi Everyone,

My husband and I just booked an inter-island cruise around Hawaii for September. It's on NCL's Pride of America and we're being cautiously optimistic. Masaki seemed to enjoy his cruise last year aboard the Pride of Hawaii and we're going into this with a laid back attitude. We know we're not going to get Regent-type service. We're trying to keep our expectations at a realistic level.

The itinerary fits our schedule and we were able to get a nice Deluxe Penthouse with a hot tub on our balcony so we're excited! But we're also a bit nervous about being on such a large ship. It will be interesting to see how we do as one couple in a jumble of 2,000 people. Luckily, suite passengers get priority embarkation and tender tickets so we're hoping we can avoid some of the crush.

And, we figure if we don't particular enjoy the cuisine onboard, we can always eat on island. In fact, we're hoping to have lunch at Alan Wong's Pineapple Room on our first day in Oahu. Has anyone dined there recently? How about his Hualalai Grile at the Four Seasons on the Big Island?

If you've got a fav Hawaiian restaurant, please share! We'll be visiting Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.

Also, has anyone done the Feast at Lele luau on Maui? It's supposed to be a bit more upscale with a plated dinner instead of a buffet. It sounds fun but the only day that's available is the same day we're doing the Road to Hana, so I don't know if we'll be up for dressing up and dining out later that night. We'll see.

We plan to do a lot of hiking and photography and just plain relaxing! I'll be blogging about our experience and posting pictures from the islands.

We can't wait! I started a new job at Barnes & Noble Publishing earlier this summer and my husband's been super busy too. We're looking forward to spending some time together!

Cheers,

Andrea

Hi Andrea! Interesting, we are doing the same itinerary November 17-24 on Pride of America. We've got that same "cautious" approach, not having sailed on such a big ship/"mainstream" cruise line before. We are booked in the lowest suite category, AE...but strategically on deck 12, which looks to be the least populated. We like our peace and quiet!

Of course, I will be VERY interested to hear about your experience. And perhaps we can exchange info/tips beforehand, any helpful tidbits we read about this ship. I've read all the reviews on CC, and for the most part, it seems that they are fair to decent (esp. when booked in a suite category).

It is all about expectations, that's for sure. We are just very excited about seeing Hawaii for the first time. Would love to do it on Regent or Silversea, but they don't sail there often!

Hope you have a fantastic time!!

We enjoyed our NCL cruise for what it was. No comparison to Regent but our butler, Craig, was awesome.
We haven't been to Pineapple Room recently but it should be just as good. You MUST go to Hualalai Grille at the Four Seasons! YUM! Will you also be going to Alan Wong's for dinner?
Are you looking for lunch and dinner places on Oahu? Will you be renting cars on the other islands? Let us know so we can help you more eating options!

Here are my notes and Penny's interlaced with mine, regarding our cruise of Hawaii. This note was sent to a friend of a friend:


"Blue Hawaii Helicopter was great. We purchased the dvd of our in-flight conversation, sites, etc Think Blue Hawaii Helicopter was available on all the islands. We took our trip on Kauia. Was wonderful and would highly recommend it. Ray booked it online from our hotel in Honolulu, I think, and saved a bunch of money.

Rental cars cost about $35-$45 per day. We thought they were worth it and driving was easy. If you are sharing the cost with a friend, then I'd also rent car company's navigational unit if you don't have your own. They really do a good job in getting you where you want to go. Rental cars were easy to use. At every port, except Kona, there were shuttles running back and forth to the airport to pick up the rental cars on a regular basis. The airports were only about 10-15 minutes away from the docks. Think the airport at Kona is farther away and I did not see any shuttles. We rented from Hertz in Hilo and the return shuttle was only a small van. There were too many people waiting to return to the ship so we couldn't get on a van back. Had plenty of time but Ray was concerned that the next van many also be overcrowded. No problem! Ray just went up to Thrifty shuttle and asked if her was going back to the ship. He told us that he was and a bunch of us went with him. He didn't ask, and didn't seem to care, whether we had rented from Thrifty. Ray called from cell phone (no reception problems) and reserved our cars. Think he used AAA and got a discount. Don't remember if we used Hertz all the time but the ship uses Alamo I believe. We did notice that there was a long line to pick up Alamo cars when we got to the airport at Hilo.

To us, the food on the ship was not all that good but is passable. Next time we'd eat more meals off the ship. We didn't find food to be as expensive as we thought it would be. This was probably our biggest disappointment. However, as Ray said, there are plenty of alternatives. We had the rental car overnight in Kauia and on the second day we just left early on the second morning and had a great breakfast on the way. As Ray said, we didn't really think that eating out on the islands was excessively expensive.

Specialty Rest. on ship. Cagney's is rated high but the night we were there wasn't worth it to us. We asked a couple seated next to us and they agreed with our assessment. Meal cost us $20 pp. We really enjoyed the Japanese specialty rest. Tapigniap??? Can't remember how to spell it! Anyway, I agree, well worth the $10 or $15 surcharge. They do have assigned seating times - 5pm/7pm/9pm I believe - so, if you plan to do this may want to choose a night/time when you know you will be on board and not participating in any activity. I know that this one books up quickly as it has limited seating. As soon as you get on the ship, start making reservations for the specialty restaurants as they tend to fill up fast.

Zero tolerance for bringing on your own spirits, except for wine and you pay a $15 corkage fee per bottle. If you don't finish the bottle during a dinner they will keep it for you, send it to your room, or whatever you want. They have a good system. We ordered 5 bottles of wine on the day we boarded (they had a wine waitress available in the Atrium - or whatever NCL calls their lobby). We could have had them sent to our room or they would hold them for us. We elected to have them hold them for us. Whatever restaurant we chose to eat in we just showed our receipt and told them which bottle of wine they wanted and they brought it to our table. If we did not finish the bottle they would either cork it and save it for us or deliver it to our room. We elected to have it delivered to our room and it was there ahead of us. (Think we went to a show so they did have a little time.)

We enjoyed the shows on board."

To view our albums of Hawaii, go to:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Signin.jsp?UV=437821501871_939337764110

sign in: cruise@yahoo.com p/w: cc
click on "My Albums" and then go to Page 3. You'll also see some of my albums on "My Friends Albums" approx. page 5, showing Hilo, Kona, Kuaui.

Cheers! Ray

Andrea - let us know when in September you'll be coming. We'd love to get together!

Masaki

Andrea, my husband and I did the Feast at Lele when we were in Hawaii in 2004, and it was fantastic. I had booked early enough that we were right in the front row so we had great photos of the entertainment. The food was wonderful too. You may be tired from driving the Road to Hana, but the experience at the Feast of Lele is worth it!

Hi Everyone!

We're getting really excited about our trip. We visited New England this past weekend and spent one evening going over our plans and trying to iron out what we'd like to do and see.

Kristin: Definitely let me know the type of things you're interested in and I'll be sure to take a lot of photos to send you after the trip. My husband's main concern is the food on PoAM. I'm trying to keep my expectations low so I can only be pleasantly surprised. And, if the food's not what we like, we'll just eat on island. The suites themselves look lovely (albeit very colorful!). We're just excited to see Hawaii! Have you decided if you're going to do the Road to Hana? We're still waffling on whether to drive ourselves or take a tour.

Amanda: We've booked rental cars on all the islands except Oahu, but we may book one for the day we disembark. Due to the schedule of the cruise, we unfortunately won't be able to have dinner on any island except for Maui (hope to do the Feast of Lele that night) and Kauai. For the rest of our island meals, we'll be relegated to either breakfast, brunch or lunch. We definitely want to go to the Hualalai Grille at the Four Seasons. I've got to write out a full itinerary and see where we can fit in some dining experiences.

Ray: Thanks for all that great information and for the photo gallery link! That was excellent! I found a wine list at CC and went over it with my husband. I think we may opt to bring some wine onboard and pay the $15 corkage fee. I don't drink at all (maybe a fruity drink with an umbrella in it once in a while) but Len does enjoy a pre- and post-dinner glass of wine and the wines available didn't wow him.

Andrea: I'm so glad to finally talk with someone who's done the Feast at Lele! I'm really thinking now that we should do this. That evening is actually also our 14th anniversary so it would be a special thing to do. Now it's just figuring out the logistics. Hey, it's vacation. If we get tired we can always sleep on the plane on the way home!

Thanks everyone for your advice and I'll be sure to give a full report as our plans progress!

Andrea

Andrea, we have the same concerns about the food - we plan to avoid that Aloha Cafe and the Cadillac Diner. We'll probably eat at the specialty restaurants most of the week, and do our usual room service for breakfast each day. We are just NOT buffet people at all.

As far as what to do on the islands, I think we'll play it by ear. Our last couple of cruises, we had everything planned to a "T" before we left, and this time we just want to figure it out as we go along. My husband wants to experience an authentic luau one night, so perhaps we'll end up at the Feast at Lele.

Your cruise is just around the corner, isn't it? What week in Sept. are you going?

Andrea, if you have time on Maui, you should drop by Mama's Fish House in Paia for lunch. I think it's probably our favorite restaurant on Maui. Not cheap but we've never had a bad meal there.
There's a mom and pop place on Kauai called Hamura's Saimin Stand. Saimin is the local version of Japanese ramen (noodles in soup). I guess it would be our version of a diner...about 20 stools scattered around a counter.
My brain's too tired but I know there are MANY other places that we could recommend. I'll think about it some more and I'm sure Masaki will chime in later.

I was just in Maui and have say go go go to Mama's Fish house in Paia. We were there on Saturday but unfortunately missed lunch. They have a serving break from 2-4:30 in the dining room. However, the appetizer menu was fantastic plus they were serving a special entree (Mahi-Mahi)that was out of this world. We also had the Wonton Shrimp, which were whole shrimp wrapped in a small wonton with a sauce that was very, very good. It is pricy but the food, service and view are all wonderful.

If you like Margarita's at all, try the Maui Margarita...quite good and different.

Jan

Hard to go wrong with Mama's ... that is, as long as you've got the money in your wallet/purse. ;) Never had a bad meal there.

Masaki

Thanks for all the tips everyone! Jan, I took your advice and booked Mama's Fish House for lunch on Leonard birthday. I think he'll love that. He's such a foodie! This morning we confirmed the Feast at Lele (also in Maui). Can't wait!

We'll try to post some photos during the week. Thanks again for all the help and see you all soon!

Andrea & Leonard

Hope you like Mama's as much as we did. Look forward to hearing about your trip.
Jan

Hi Everyone,

Leonard and I are back in New York. Our trip to Hawaii was truly fabulous right up until The Kahala Resort sent our carry-on bags (with all our photos, cameras, and laptops) off to the airport with someone else. Grrr!

We were checking in and the bellman said he was right behind us with the luggage. Well, after he didn't show up we called the front desk to be informed that they were chasing our luggage to the airport. Unfortunately, it hasn't turned up yet and we're pretty devasted about it. The Internet was pretty terrible on the Pride of America so we couldn't blog or upload many of our photos. Sigh.

I've got a few professional photos taken of us at the Feast at Lele on Maui (excellent luau, by the way!) and a few of us taken at Dolphin Quest but that's it. I feel like crying but we're just going to have to get over this.

We're talking with the resort manager and will speak with an insurance adjuster tomorrow. We hope it all goes smoothly but once they see our itemized list of all of Len's photo gear totally nearly $14,000, we may have a fight on our hands. We'll see.

Anyway, I'll be writing up my trip report this week. We had the far forward deluxe penthouse suite on the Pride of America and while the room was terrific (spacious, nice amenities), the butler service offered is certainly not Regent! Still, it's a great itinerary and we had so much fun! We just would never recommend this trip to someone if they didn't opt for a penthouse suite. I'll explain our reasons in the trip report.

Thanks to everyone for your recommendations before we left. We went to Mama's Fish House for Len's birthday and it was spectacular! Beautiful location and amazing food!

I'll write more later. I should get to bed now since it's 1:30 am and I have to get up at 6 am for work tomorrow. Yikes!

Andrea

Andrea -

Oh is that a painful way to end a great vacation. I hope you had the camera cards with you at least. The gear can be replaced but the photos cannot. Please keep us posted about the luggage. Welcome home. Anxious to hear your trip report.

So sorry to hear, Andrea. Hope that they can recover your bags ... or at least replace the items. Though the photos and other records can't be replaced ... :(

Masaki

I am sending positive thoughts that they find your carry-on items. What a way to end what sounds like a great trip.

Ewww .. that is one lousy way to end your trip. Glad to hear you enjoyed the rest of it. We are keeping our fingers crossed you get your items back in good shape and quickly!

Cheers, Anne

OH NO!!! I'm so sorry to hear that, Andrea - wow. Hopefully everything will work out to your satisfaction, and SOON.

You know we can't wait to hear about your trip - but take your time and catch your breath. I just posted elsewhere about an upsell call we received this morning, one of those NCL things I guess!

So sorry to hear of your misfortune, with your carry ons! I do hope it all works out for you!

Andrea, so sorry they lost your carry-on bags. A very hard loss for a writer to lose all of her equipment. I'm sure it's been a challenge to keep your blog updated and take notes for your book. Hope the lost luggage shows up soon. Losing my laptop would be my worst nightmare.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your words of comfort regarding the loss of our photos, cameras, and computers. We could care less about the gear since it’s replaceable and we have our data backed up in various places. It’s the loss of the photos that’s heartbreaking.

We’re coming to terms with it though and were up half the night preparing our insurance claim. It’s a good thing we’re organized because I have pretty much every receipt, serial number, and a photo of each piece of equipment that was taken. Of course, we also have to start a dialog about the intangible costs and what The Kahala plans to do to compensate us. We’ll see how that goes.

Anyway, I hope to write up my full trip report later this week but here are some of the highlights.

Hawaii is probably one of the most beautiful places on Earth and you really feel connected with nature on the islands, especially Maui and Kauai. We wish the islands were closer to New York! The flight is a killer from the Northeast. In hindsight, I should have used our frequent flier miles to upgrade to first class instead of going for the free tickets. Live and learn.

Len and I had decided that we wanted to do an inter-island cruise in Hawaii so we could get a sense of each island and then determine which one(s) we’d return to for a longer vacation in the future. This was a terrific approach for us and I’m glad we did it this way. We just wish other cruise lines were offering this itinerary!

We had to select Norwegian Cruise Line America since they’re the only line doing inter-island itineraries. (We couldn’t afford the extra time to sail to Hawaii from the mainland’s west coast.) NCL is certainly one of those lines that nickels and dimes you at every turn and the level of service is nowhere near what you’ve experienced on Regent or Silversea, etc. That pretty much goes without saying and we understood that fact when we booked the vacation.

We had a terrific time on the cruise but I think that had a lot to do with our attitude going in. We basically booked the best cabin available at the time (#10000 forward, deluxe penthouse suite) and lowered our expectations as much as we could. We were there for Hawaii and not the Pride of America.

We were determined to have a good time and this truly was one of our best trips ever. Every day was pretty magical. I doubt we’ll ever get on an NCL ship again but I would recommend this itinerary to people who want to sample the Hawaiian islands. I’d add the caveat that the recommend would only be for a penthouse cabin since those perks made it a bit easier to avoid the icky parts of NCL (the long tender line for Kona, extended breakfast room service menu, priority embark and debark, etc.).

We did peek into some of the inside cabins and they are tiny! There is also a pretty awful smell on deck 6 forward. If I had a cabin there, I would have been screaming. The Aloha Cafe is a complete mad house. The ship is huge so you really don't get to meet that many people (more than once anyway) and the service is less personalized.

The American crew wasn't as bad as we had heard but the staff at Lazy J.'s Steakhouse certainly lived up the name.

Deluxe Penthouse Suite
It turns out, the cabin we selected was a gem with lots of room and the forward location was amazing! It’s a great feeling to have the same view as the captain! We got to sit on our balcony (the entire length of the bow) and watch dolphins swim past and enjoy the ever-changing scenery. This was especially advantageous when we sailed Kauai’s Napali Coast. It was awe-inspiring and I’m so glad it was just Leonard and I sharing the experience over a bottle of wine and not us on the pool deck with the masses. (The pool area is way too boisterous for us. While a band by the pool can be nice, it’s just too crowded and noisy up there to do any real relaxing.)

Oahu, Hawaii
We stayed for one night pre-cruise at the Marriott Waikiki on Oahu. We had a terrific dinner at the Kuhio Beach Grill. This is a buffet and Len doesn’t generally go for that sort of thing but this was a nice one with crab legs and shrimp, several roasted meats (including the best prime rib I’ve ever had), and island specialties. It was a nice way to unwind after the 10-hour plane ride.

The hotel itself is in a nice location but the rooms are a bit uninspiring. It was a typical convention hotel. There is an NCL desk right at the hotel so you can check in and have your luggage picked up directly from your room. This is the first problem we encountered with NCL. Even though our travel agent had arranged for the transfer, we didn’t appear on the list. I showed the clerk our confirmation from NCL and she just seemed bewildered. We finally worked it out but we didn’t dare check out of the hotel until the bellman came to pick up the luggage and I basically followed him downstairs to make sure the bags ended up in the NCL pile!

Earlier on that first morning, we headed to Diamond Head and did the hike. I’m glad we did this so early in the morning (we got there at 6:30 a.m.). It was hot already and I can’t imagine people doing that hike in the mid-day sun.

After that, we headed to the Aloha Tower Marketplace to do some shopping and have lunch. We originally had reservations at Alan Wong’s Pineapple Room for lunch but changed our minds. We stumbled across a Hawaiian food blog and saw a post about Makina Chaya. It’s an Asian buffet with Kobe-style Wagyu beef at lunch (and real Kobe at dinner), crab legs, sushi and sashimi, vegetables, soups, etc. It was a great way to sample so many different Asian dishes. It was a bargain for

Around 1 p.m. we walked over to the Pride of America that was located just one or two piers away. Since we were staying in a penthouse suite, we were able to check in at a special desk and were taken to a small area with a few chairs and were offered a drink. One of the butlers came down to greet us and give us an invitation to meet with the concierge over refreshments from 1:30 to 4 p.m. We went right up to our cabin from there…the entire process too maybe five minutes.

We got to the room and were so happy with our choice of cabin. While the color scheme could have been a bit better, the layout was great…a foyer with a desk/computer area off to the side, a dining table and bar area with a cappuccino maker, a living room with a sofa and chair (horrible choice of furniture…not comfortable and very “Jetson’s”), a bedroom set off with French doors and a curtain, a huge bathroom with a walk-in shower with a one-way window overlooking the balcony plus a Jacuzzi. The cabin also had a huge balcony that stretched across the bow. There was a hot tub on the balcony as well. That was one of our reasons to book this particular room. We thought we’d really need to relax in the hot tub after our long days of touring.

The first thing we did was check out the hot tub. Hmmm. It didn’t appear to be working. We buzzed our butler and he made an appointment to meet with us to go over our questions later that afternoon.

We then went to meet the concierge. What a joke…completely useless. There were maybe eight other guests in the room when we arrived and he couldn’t even be bothered to personally greet us or let us know what he could assist us with. Everyone was reviewing various paperwork that the concierge obviously provided so I went to the (unstaffed) bar and started to pick up forms that were laid out. That’s when the concierge finally noticed us and he snapped at me for taking the papers. He had them in a specific order. Oh, excuse me. Anyway, after another five minutes he offered us champagne or water…not much in the way of refreshments in my opinion.

One of the forms he handed us was to make reservations at the restaurants for the entire week. I didn’t like the idea (who knows what type of food you’ll want to eat three days from now) but I also knew that the ship was at capacity and it would be tough to get reservations at the specialty restaurants. So, we filled out the form and assumed we had our ressies all set. Not quite. I’ll explain that in a second. We then left this “VIP” room with a few other semi-disgruntled guests who also felt the concierge was a lightweight.

We did the muster drill and then back to the room to meet with our butler. He was nice and energetic but we could tell he wasn’t going to be very proactive and we’d have to be very specific about our requests. I had a list of questions for him and he sat down with us to go over everything. My first concern was that the fridge was empty except for one bottle of water. He informed us that NCL doesn’t do the minibar thing but he could set us up with Coke products. Great, I drink diet Coke, go for it. (Later that night, I looked in the fridge and there was not a whopping 2 bottles of water and 2 diet Cokes. Okay then. The butler never did refill the drink supply…I had to ask every time…and there was never any ice in the bucket…just water.)

I thought it was pretty funny because every time I called the butler to have him bring up some sodas and water, he’d remind me how much each cost. Okay, well we managed to pony up the $5k for this room so I think I can swing a few more bucks for a six-pack of soda! But that shows the mindset of most passengers on the boat. It’s a very cost conscious crowd.

We enjoyed the rest of the evening and had dinner at Jefferson Bistro (one of the specialty restaurants with an additional cover). It was good but not outstanding.

Hilo, The Big Island
The next day we hit Hilo on the Big Island and did Akaka Falls and Volcanoes National Park. What an amazing way to spend the day…in a rain forest and then on the lava flows! It was great! When we went back to the room, we were looking forward to taking a dip in the hot tub. You guessed it. No one came to fix it while we were out. It would be an understatement to say I was aggravated since I reminded the butler that morning to get it fixed and had tipped him pretty generously hoping that would motivate him. Guess not. We called him and he said he assumed someone would have fixed it by now and Leonard pointed out that he should have made sure it was being done. We weren’t that confident in the butler so I went down to the front desk and spoke with the front desk manager and he had someone up in the room to fix it within 10 minutes.

Of course, it wasn’t a simple fix and the plumber tried to leave after 20 minutes for a dinner break. Len would have none of that and so he stayed and then called the electrician to help him. They fussed with it for about an hour and the result was they could sort of get it working but the switch was toast and they didn’t have another on the ship. The electrician said he didn’t think the hot tub had been used in quite a while from the looks of it. We questioned why this wasn’t on someone’s checklist for routine maintenance and he said that’s not the way NCL works. Okay.

While all the maintenance was going on, I started to review the materials that were left in the room while we were exploring Hilo. There was a sheet of dinner reservation confirmations but it was nothing like what I had requested. Wrong times, wrong restaurants, etc. I called the concierge and he said that they take the liberty of arranging your reservations so you can sample everything and not be disappointed. I calmly told him that I’m more disappointed by being asked to select restaurants and dining times only to be told that I’m getting what they want to give me anyway. Not much of a perk for the suite guests. I would have rather take my chances at the restaurant reservations desk because then at least if your first choice isn’t available, you can find out what else is and make the decision yourself.

We ended up changing some of the ressies but the concierge acted like it was a huge deal. In the end, we just focused on eating nice meals on island and skipped a big dinner on the boat a few nights.

Maui
The next two days were spent in Maui and we really fell in love with the island. What a gorgeous place! We hired a private guide on day one to take us down the Road to Hana. What a good decision. It was nice to talk with a Hawaiian resident and visit the less touristy areas. I’d highly recommend him: Steve Sargenti of Maui Custom Tours (www.mauicustomtours.com).

After a day in Hana, Len and I celebrated our 14th anniversary at the Feast at Lele in Lahaina. It was terrific! We had a front row table with a beautiful view of the sunset. The food was very good, a small intimate crowd, and the show was excellent. They also had professional photographers on hand and I’m so glad we had our photos taken since it looks like these may be the only photos of Hawaii we’ll have to cherish.

The next day we visited Haleakala Crater and then went to Mama’s Fish House for lunch for Len’s birthday. This was another wonderful experience! We had a table right by the window overlooking the beach. The service was excellent and the food was delectable. We ate way too much but it was the best meal of the trip and I’m glad we splurged.

Kona, The Big Island
Several people predicted that Kona would be our favorite port of call. While it was nice, I didn’t see the allure that so many people talked about. We drove up to Waikola Beach (I think that’s the correct spelling) and while the sand is very rough and rocky, we did see a lot of sea turtles so I was happy.

It was really hot on this particular day and we had burned the candle at both ends in Maui so we decided to have a quick lunch at a Vietnamese place and then go back to the ship a bit early to enjoy our cabin. We had been told by our butler that we could purchase wine on the island and bring it on the boat for a $15 corkage fee. Len decided to do that since the wine selections on the ship weren’t really to his liking.

We bought the wine, paid the corkage fee at the tender and went back to the ship. The clerk had given us a claim check and said to go to the front desk to pick up the wine after the last tender of the day returned to the ship. No problem. When we went to pick up the wine, we were told it would take 24 hours for delivery. That just wasn’t acceptable and we asked why this policy existed. We were basically told they were short staffed. Then why not let each guest hand carry their bottle of wine back to the boat itself?

The front desk clerk was not being help so we asked to speak with the manager. We were told to wait at the side of the desk and he’d get to us “in a minute”. Twenty minutes later we were still waiting there while he ignored us and chatted with other guests. Luckily, the front desk manager that had helped us with the hot tub problem walked by so I snagged him. He went down to pick up the wine himself. At least there’s one problem-solver on the ship!

The thing that really bothered us is that you really can’t get a good bottle of wine on the ship until after 5pm. We had tried to order a bottle of wine earlier in the cruise and our butler said “the cage is locked until 5”. Basically, you can only get their house wine during the day and once the evening bars open your butler then has access to the “cage” for the better bottles. Why don’t they just give the butler staff a key to this “cage” of wine? Another service issue that we found confounding and irritating.

Kauai
Our final two days were spent on Kauai. We again rented a car and did all the touristy things. I was over the moon because we saw two monk seals as Poipu Beach! Yeah!! Spouting Horn was also very cool. We did Fern Grotto and weren’t impressed. It looked very dated and the upkeep wasn’t great. We basically drove everywhere and spent time just enjoying the scenery.

On the morning of our second day in Kauai, I realized that I had to go to the bank machine and therefore didn’t leave our butler his usual tip. Well, wouldn’t you know we didn’t see him again after that!

We got back in the early afternoon and had lunch in the room (from the pool deck buffet). I left a note and tip on the table and figured the butler would pick it up shortly since he made a point of telling us many times that he comes into the room several times a day to “freshen it up.” Well, when we returned to the room later that evening, the dirty plates were still there and so was the tip. Oh well. His loss.

Oahu
On disembarkment day we went back to the Aloha Tower Marketplace to order a ukelele for a friend and then headed to The Kahala. When we arrived we thought we were in for a treat…right up until they gave our carry-on bags to someone else who left with them to go back to the airport.

We were beside ourselves because our whole lives were in those bags but what could we do but wait and hope that The Kahala tracked them down before we had to leave later that evening. (We were just using the hotel as a day room.)

We did end up doing Dolphin Quest and it was wonderful. While we were interacting with the dolphins, we didn’t think about our problem at all. I recommend this activity and give it two flippers up!

Of course, after we got out of the water we had to file the police report and spent the next hour in the security director’s office. What a fun way to end a vacation. Hey, this stuff happens and it just stinks that it happened to us but we just need to focus on how great the rest of the trip was.

We had a lot of magical moments and were SO relaxed and happy. That’s the important thing.

Now it’s time to start thinking about our next vacation spot…

Andrea

Andrea what a wonderful trip review! :) The Hawaiian islands sound so magical, but the ship and the negativity it seems you encountered everywhere sure don't sound appealing. It is a good thing you went in with your eyes wide open and realized it would not be like Regent. :eek:

Again, I hope somehow they are able to recover your lost goods.

Andrea, thank you for your fantastic trip review. I am so happy you enjoyed the Feast at Lele - it was one of the highlights of our trip to Maui. You were right to have a private guide for the Road to Hana - my husband calls it the Road to Divorce! If you go back to Maui one of these days try and see the sunrise at Haleakala.

I too am so sorry about the loss of your carry-on bags. Hopefully whoever ended up with them will do the right thing and return them to you.

As for your next vacation spot, you know we're always here to help you plan and spend your money!

Andrea:

Welcome home!

First of all, sorry to read about the luggage problem. What a bummer!

Secondly, I enjoyed your style of writing. Your keen wit sure flows.

Thirdly, two things struck home with me. We, too, loved Hawaii and didn't want to leave. I mean we REALLY didn't want to leave. Also, we never became close with any cruiser we met.

However, after thinking about it, I realized that
we were never able to contact any Pride cruiser prior to our sailing via CC and there was no gathering of CC people organized by the ship.

Since 2003 we have only sailed with Regent and have come to know ton of good people first thru CC and then L.C.T. So, now, getting on a cruise ship is like entering the Cheers Bar in Boston. There will always be someone you know there or want to know.

Good luck and don't make yourself scarce.

Cheers! Ray

Andrea, so sorry to hear about the luggage fiasco at the Kahala. I hope they do right by you.
Thanks for your review! It's always fun to read what other people think of our home state!

Thanks SO much for taking the time to write such a comprehensive review, Andrea! This is VERY helpful to us - it gives us a much better idea of what to expect.

Please do keep us posted on the luggage issue. It's just such a shame that happened.

Hi Everyone,

Please see and respond to the following thread:
http://www.luxurycruisetalk.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=14&t=002404

The hotel has asked us what we think fair compensation would be for our lost photos and we're not really sure. Any advice would be helpful!

Andrea & Leonard

Hi Andrea,
Thought I'd just say hello. We are doing the Cordon Bleu class again on CROSS on the Voyager. It will bring back good memories of our class together last fall on the Mariner!

When I was on Maui in late August with my niece, we had lunch at Mama's Fish House. I think it is one of the TOP restaurants anywhere! And then add in the view.

Perhaps one of these days we'll sail together again.

Jan

I haven't joined LCT in a long time-so long that I had to reregister-but, when I read the Hawaii "tips" I had to reply with, what I think, the booking from Hell. I hope the trip won't be the same.

A year ago August, through a friend who is a Virtuoso agent, I booked a trip on NCL around the Hawaiian islands for this mas for me and my entire family-15 in all, ranging from ageless(my husband and me) to a toddler grandchild. We were booked on the Pride of Aloha, leaving on a Sunday, so that the college kids from Boston area could get there in time after exams. We got a FANTASTIC deal on business air through the ship(Would you believe less thatn$900 from Boston and the midwest to Oahu?) and booked 6 cabins, all on 1 deck, including 2 suites-for my husband and me and for a family of 5.
In February I noticed that they had mixed-up 1 return flight, having the wrong people going home at the wrong time. his just needed a name change and we were 10 months out. This was a lucky mistake because we then found out that in January, NCL had changed the itinerary and "bumped" us off the ship. Supposedly they contacted the travel agent by e-mail and, when there was no response, just moved all 15 of us to an other sailing, of course, leaving the air on the wrong dates. I understand that they had the right to change the sailing, but we should have been notified in a proper manner, given a chance to take the new itinerary, and, if not, moved to a sailing of our choice with comparable flights and cabins. It took several months, several phone calls and emails, to rectify the sutuation somewhat. We were moved to the Pride of America and put in cabins on several decks, spliting up families with children. It finally took a wonderful agent who actually moved people out of their cabins in order to get us together. I'm sure they were not compensated for the change. By the way, at one time we were actually offered $25 shipboard credit for 2 people out of the 15 for compensation. I contrast this with the wonderful treatment my husband and I got when we were booked on the Regent Diamond, subsequently sold. We got a great deasl on another cruise of our choosing that year and they paid for penalties in airfare we encurred.
Speaking of air, needless to say we lost our deals. It was too late to try for FF miles, and it was now more important to take NCL air since the sailing was a day earlier and the college students( one of them autistic which is why the business air) and to leave Boston the morning of the sailing, regardless of weather. With the new air, the trip is costing about 20% more than the original. We finally did get 1 base cabin paid for and the 25 has extended to all, very reluctantly on the part of NCL. I'm not even going to mention how frustrating it has been all along the way to get the proper paperwork and how many long phone holds, dropped calls and just plain nasty people my agent had to deal with.
Now the latest, We have been told that we have to make the final payment almost a month ahead of the original payment date even though our confirmations have that original date on them. We were told that, since it is the busiest week and, since we have 6 cabins, if we do not pay by the new date they will give our cabins away. Obviously we will comply.

Now that I've vented, I am looking forward to this trip since it may be the last time that I can get all my clan together for a fun holiday with something for everyone. I know it isn't Regent or Silversea, and my husband & I are trying Seabourn for a Baltic cruise next year-sans kids, but, like you all, if we want Hawaii by water, we have to take NCL. Thank you for all your tips. I'll let you know how it works out.

Donna - oh my .. distressing and aggravating to say the least! Keeping my fingers crossed all goes well. Enjoy your time together and don't let the *****s get you down.

My mother and sister have booked one of these cruise departures later this year. I hope it goes well for them, but I admit I have been holding my breath.

Let us know how it goes. Hawaii is such a special destination we hope it exceeds your collective expectations.

Safe journey, Anne

DonnaG:

Argh, what a trail of tears NCL put you thru.

Since you will be with extended family on this cruise, I have no doubt that you will have a good time.

We chatted up the American crew frequently and found them pleasant and helpful. As far as the officers, concierge and butler are concerned, well........

For the adults, it really won't be a cruising experience as such but if you think of the ship as a very convenient vehicle to get from port-to-port, you will do just fine.

Penny and I would do this cruise again. We'd just roll with the punches while on the ship and fall in love with Hawaii all over again.

Cheers! Ray

DonnaG - so sorry to hear about this - NCL customer service really does leave something to be desired. I couldn't agree with Ray's comments more though we actually loved our butler.

Masaki

I really feel that most of the lack of customer courtesy with this trip is because NCL knows that, if you want to cruise Hawaii, you have to do it their way. It's their ballgame and they have all the balls.
DonnaG

DonnaG:

How right you are. That's why I don't like mergers...."to better serve the customer" Baloney!

There's nothing like having companies compete for your money!

Cheers! Ray

How long did it take NCL to get everyone off the ship in each ports? They are telling us to allow 2 hours. Was this the case and did the ship arrive on time?
DonnaG

Hi Donna,

The ship was on time at each port except Maui. We arrived about 40 minutes late which was a drag and NCL never did announce what caused the delay.

Getting on and off the ship was fairly painless. Of course, we are early risers so we were out of our stateroom very early each morning and in line to leave the ship at the earliest possible moment. I do think if you're not in line early, it might take some time to get off the ship but I'm not sure if 2 hours is accurate. We certainly didn't hear anyone talking about abnormally long wait times.

The only port that was a tender for us was Kona. NCL makes a big deal about one of the perks of being a suite passenger being VIP tender tickets. Well, yes, that's true. However, since there are absolutely no NCL crew members overseeing the embarkation process each morning, the ticket is a bit useless. We just got in line and no one ever asked to see our VIP tender ticket. Evidently, everyone else is supposed to go to the Mardi Gras Theater to get a ticket and wait until their number is called. From what I saw, no one was following that procedure.

Good luck with the cruise!

Andrea

Hmmm...Andrea, I was under the impression that suite guests got led to the front of the line when disembarking to a dock and tendering, both. Doesn't sound like the case - bummer! It may not matter for us, as we are kind of late risers.

Please be sure to keep us updated regarding your luggage snafu. It just broke my heart to hear about that happening. :(

Hi Kristin,

It could be that we were just in line before any NCL crew members arrived for duty! You will receive VIP vouchers so hopefully it won't be a problem if you leave the ship a bit later in the morning.

Also, I just posted an update about our lugguage situation here:
http://www.luxurycruisetalk.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=002429

Basically, the hotel's insurance agent got back to us tonight. They will reimburse us for our physcial loss and they are also reimbursing us for our entire trip.

We're still depressed that this happened in the first place but the hotel has gone out of its way to resolve this matter quickly. (The hotel director kept in contact with us, as did their insurance agent.)

We're pleased with the outcome and this experience hasn't soured us on Hawaii. We still want to go back very soon!

Andrea