Thank you for providing an up-to-date experience on the PoA. The two of you are in the same age bracket as my wife and I so we should have the same ideas about the cruise which we head off to at the end of October. I was stationed there for 4 years so we are going to be doing a bit more off-the-cuff voyaging. This will be our 6th cruise. Thank you again.
Thank you for your thoughts on pride of America We are Coming from Australia and booked for the 1st Sep After watching I’m not as concerned as I was because of some of the other reviews I’ve seen so thank you😊
Good introduction to this cruise. We have a cruise tour booked in December which starts with 3 days in Waikiki before the cruise. At the moment I’m researching the excursions but they are soooo expensive! We’re considering booking excursions with a third party or renting a car in overnight ports. Looking forward to your experience and suggestions in your series. We went on this cruise in 2006 on the NCL Pride of Hawaii and it was great but the cost has quadrupled at least! It was a brand new ship, but NCL moved it elsewhere eventually and now it’s called the Jade.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad this was helpful. We also did 3 days in Waikiki before the cruise, just like you are planning to do. That worked great. If you haven't yet watched it, we shared the highlights of our time in Waikiki at: ua-cam.com/video/9fZNcIsRjgA/v-deo.html We found the shore excursions to be a good way to see some of the best parts of Hawaii. However, as you mentioned, they are expensive. We did do one day of exploring on our own in Kauai which we really enjoyed. We rented a car and headed to Waimea Canyon and visited Kauai Coffee. We'll share our experiences soon.
I cruised in 1982, long before PoA was made. In factthe ship I was on was the ship that Grace Kelly took from New York to Monaco to marry the Prince. Even in '82 thatb was an old ship. She cruised into the '90's. Solo cruiser I took all ship excursions as I didn't want to get lost. Best I took was the Helicopter tour on Kauai from the airport. It was 60 minutes long and cost 100 dollars in "82. At lest 3 times more than any other tour that went multiple hours and included lunch. I am so glad I did it. Pictures were great, views were great tour guide was great. looked up price diference. 100 in '82 is equal to 325 today.
This is the only NCL ship I would want to go on, because she is flagged in the USA!! Their other ships are Flag of Convenience. Good to support all those American jobs, since the requirements to be US Flag are that the entire crew has to be US citizens. 😃 Hawaii is generally too hot for me; I have been to Pearl Harbor a couple times, on the submarine USS Florida SSBN-728....I would do a Hawaii cruise during their colder months, though. 🙂 I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so it wouldn't be too long of a flight. I haven't been out there since I got out in 2003. Maybe I will return some day 🙂
Thank you for the video review. My wife and I will be taking this cruise in October this year.....and based on the thoughts that you shared, I'm assuming there was no "formal night" designation during one of the dinners?
Appreciate the feedback. I bet you are counting down the days until October. We didn't see an announced 'formal night'. A few people did dress up for dinner but generally people were dressed very casually. It did seem like people dressed up a bit more for specialty dining like Cagney's but it was still mostly Hawaiian shirts or polos for men. I hope that helps.
I’m sailing on her July 12 2025. I like that it starts and ends in Hawaii. I normally sail on Carnival. But their Hawaii cruise leaves from LA. I don’t want to spend extra sea days, when I can’t be in Hawaii.
Sounds like you are getting a great trip planned. We hope you have a great time! Maybe someday we'll do a cruise from the West Coast to Hawaii but this one from NCL that focused on just Hawaii was great.
We were on deck nine. Toward the aft (rear) of the ship, there are a group of rooms that are shifted out a bit from the middle rooms. They are 9666-9696. These rooms have easy access to stairs and elevators. In addition to a great view, these rooms seemed pretty quiet. On deck 9, you have staterooms above and below. Since they are aft of the stairs you are less likely to have people walking in the hallway outside your room. Hope that helps.
I bet you are getting excited for your upcoming cruise. We are currently working to complete the video showing our shore excursions. Such great memories and we are really looking forward to sharing it. It should be posted within the next two weeks. Thanks for your patience.
There's some other US Flag ships! Just not the same size 🙂 Linblad Expeditions/National Geographic has the Sea Bird, Sea Lion, Venture, and Quest, and then American Cruise Lines is all US Flag. 🙂
Thanks for the questions. I bet you are looking forward to October. We hope you have a great cruise! We empathize with everyone impacted by the wildfires. Our cruise was several weeks after the fires. Our itinerary was not adjusted. We did not visit Lahaina which was the area most impacted. However, on the drive to Haleakala, our guide pointed out some areas that had been damaged by the fires. We are hoping for safety for everyone impacted and a good recovery for the area. Your second question is around bar closing times. They vary. Here are the times as listed in the Freestyle Daily from our cruise. Aloha Lanai Bar 7:00am-9:00am, noon-2:00pm, and 4:00-9:30pm Gold Rush Saloon 7:00am-11:00pm John Adams Coffee Bar 6:00am-10:00pm Key West Bar 1:00-6:30pm Mardi Gras Lounge 7:00pm-close (doesn't specify when close is) Napa Wine Bar 4:00-10:00pm Ocean Drive Bar 8:00am-7:00pm Pink's Champaign Bar 5:00-midnight Waikiki Bar 10:00am-11:00pm
Can I get off the ship in Maui at 2:30am? We have 4 people that want to go to Haleakala for sunrise on our own. I called NCL and I have had 3 different answers!
I wish I had a clear answer for you. We didn't leave the ship at night. However, I'm pretty sure I have heard that you can come and go from the ship anytime during the two overnight port stays in Maui and Kauai. Unfortunately, like you, I wasn't able to find an official confirmation. I checked through out Freestyle Daily's, too, but they didn't provide anything specific. We hope you enjoy your cruise.
I'm, 62, divorced, no children and a first-time solo cruiser, any suggestions what I can do when I first get on board? Since we're stopping at a different port everyday, how will I know how to get to various excursions off the ship? In your video, you said you had some issues with the wifi package, can you be more specific of what you didn't like about the wifi package because I already pre- purchased my wifi package? I'm going on the Pride of America June 22-29, 2024. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks
Bet you are looking forward to your upcoming cruise. We hope it is a good one. Thanks for the questions. We'll try to answer them. What can I do when I first get on board? There are so many options and it really depends on what you enjoy doing. You'll likely have a few hours before your stateroom is available. You could head to the pool. If you want shade, be sure to head there early. If you prefer some quiet time, there is a large library. We saw a few people enjoying a book in the library after boarding the ship. If you are eager to try out the drink package included with Free at Sea, you might had to Pink's Champaign Bar. If you are hungry, maybe check out the main dining room which is open and available to serve a full three-course meal. At around 5:30, you'll be able to enjoy the sail away celebration with musicians and hula dancing. It was a nice show. For solo travelers, they do offer solo traveler meet-ups. On our cruise, that was offered at 7:00. According to NCL "this is the best chance to connect with like-minded individuals who are also exploring the vessel on their own". When in port, you'll exit the ship on deck 3. Once off the ship, you'll walk to an area where the excursions start. There will be ship staff available to provide directions. In Kona, rather than walking off the ship, you'll have to take a tender boat to the excursion area. You may be directed to gather in a waiting area designated for your excursion. Excursions are often on small or large busses. Each should have a sign indicating the excursion. The driver or guide for your excursion will greet you and get you checked in. As for wi-fi, we had the basic package included with Free at Sea. The package provides a number of minutes of wi-fi for you to use. Each time you want to access wi-fi, you'll need to sign in. After you are done, you'll need to remember to sign out. We had a bit if difficulty with the technology used for that sign-in and sign-out process. In the end, we didn't use the wi-fi much on this cruise. Instead, we just used our phones with cell service on land for our communication needs. However, there is a person available at the internet cafe on deck 6 who can assist you with wi-fi if needed. Hope that answers your questions. Looking forward to hearing about your cruise.
Pride of America is a US-based cruise visiting only islands within the state of Hawaii. If you are a US resident and stay within the US, you would not need a passport. Residents of other countries need a passport. Be sure to follow the latest guidelines for travel. It sounds like starting in May of 2025, the requirement to have a Real ID drivers license or passport for air travel will go into effect. Hope that helps.
You love eachother, i love it!
This video is extremely helpful. I'll be on this ship for my 21st solo cruise. Thank you!
Thanks. Glad you found it useful. Safe travels and hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise.
I sure enjoyed your video. Very informative and you both are Great !!!
Thank you so much. We are glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for providing an up-to-date experience on the PoA. The two of you are in the same age bracket as my wife and I so we should have the same ideas about the cruise which we head off to at the end of October. I was stationed there for 4 years so we are going to be doing a bit more off-the-cuff voyaging. This will be our 6th cruise. Thank you again.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise and visit to Hawaii!
I'm fixing to aboard the pride as a food and beverage steward as a job I can't wait
Good luck. Hope your job on the Pride of America is fantastic.
Thank you for your thoughts on pride of America We are Coming from Australia and booked for the 1st Sep After watching I’m not as concerned as I was because of some of the other reviews I’ve seen so thank you😊
Thanks for the feedback. We hope you enjoy your cruise and visit to Hawaii.
Good introduction to this cruise. We have a cruise tour booked in December which starts with 3 days in Waikiki before the cruise. At the moment I’m researching the excursions but they are soooo expensive! We’re considering booking excursions with a third party or renting a car in overnight ports. Looking forward to your experience and suggestions in your series. We went on this cruise in 2006 on the NCL Pride of Hawaii and it was great but the cost has quadrupled at least! It was a brand new ship, but NCL moved it elsewhere eventually and now it’s called the Jade.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad this was helpful. We also did 3 days in Waikiki before the cruise, just like you are planning to do. That worked great. If you haven't yet watched it, we shared the highlights of our time in Waikiki at: ua-cam.com/video/9fZNcIsRjgA/v-deo.html
We found the shore excursions to be a good way to see some of the best parts of Hawaii. However, as you mentioned, they are expensive. We did do one day of exploring on our own in Kauai which we really enjoyed. We rented a car and headed to Waimea Canyon and visited Kauai Coffee. We'll share our experiences soon.
I cruised in 1982, long before PoA was made. In factthe ship I was on was the ship that Grace Kelly took from New York to Monaco to marry the Prince. Even in '82 thatb was an old ship. She cruised into the '90's. Solo cruiser I took all ship excursions as I didn't want to get lost. Best I took was the Helicopter tour on Kauai from the airport. It was 60 minutes long and cost 100 dollars in "82. At lest 3 times more than any other tour that went multiple hours and included lunch. I am so glad I did it. Pictures were great, views were great tour guide was great. looked up price diference. 100 in '82 is equal to 325 today.
This is the only NCL ship I would want to go on, because she is flagged in the USA!! Their other ships are Flag of Convenience. Good to support all those American jobs, since the requirements to be US Flag are that the entire crew has to be US citizens. 😃 Hawaii is generally too hot for me; I have been to Pearl Harbor a couple times, on the submarine USS Florida SSBN-728....I would do a Hawaii cruise during their colder months, though. 🙂 I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so it wouldn't be too long of a flight. I haven't been out there since I got out in 2003. Maybe I will return some day 🙂
small world the comedian Nathan is one of my buddies in comedy I'll actually be performing on this ship in 2 weeks so thanks for the video
That is really cool. Glad you enjoyed the video. Wishing you a great adventure and that your upcoming performances go well.
Thank you for the video review. My wife and I will be taking this cruise in October this year.....and based on the thoughts that you shared, I'm assuming there was no "formal night" designation during one of the dinners?
Appreciate the feedback. I bet you are counting down the days until October.
We didn't see an announced 'formal night'. A few people did dress up for dinner but generally people were dressed very casually. It did seem like people dressed up a bit more for specialty dining like Cagney's but it was still mostly Hawaiian shirts or polos for men. I hope that helps.
I’m sailing on her July 12 2025. I like that it starts and ends in Hawaii. I normally sail on Carnival. But their Hawaii cruise leaves from LA. I don’t want to spend extra sea days, when I can’t be in Hawaii.
Sounds like you are getting a great trip planned. We hope you have a great time! Maybe someday we'll do a cruise from the West Coast to Hawaii but this one from NCL that focused on just Hawaii was great.
Thank you both for your video. It was very informative and we’re going on our first trip to Hawaii soon so thanks for the upbeat review.😎🌞🌹🥰🛳️⚓️🦩🛟
Gad it was helpful. We hope you have a great trip to Hawaii!
what cabin did you all sail in? you had a great view
We were on deck nine. Toward the aft (rear) of the ship, there are a group of rooms that are shifted out a bit from the middle rooms. They are 9666-9696. These rooms have easy access to stairs and elevators. In addition to a great view, these rooms seemed pretty quiet. On deck 9, you have staterooms above and below. Since they are aft of the stairs you are less likely to have people walking in the hallway outside your room. Hope that helps.
@@traveltrailsail great. Im booked in this same block of rooms. EXCITED!
We are booked for June 1. How do I find the video on the excursions you chose?
I bet you are getting excited for your upcoming cruise. We are currently working to complete the video showing our shore excursions. Such great memories and we are really looking forward to sharing it. It should be posted within the next two weeks. Thanks for your patience.
Thank you so much! We are planning our first trip to Hawaii for our 40th Anniversary and trying to decide if this would be a good option.
There's some other US Flag ships! Just not the same size 🙂 Linblad Expeditions/National Geographic has the Sea Bird, Sea Lion, Venture, and Quest, and then American Cruise Lines is all US Flag. 🙂
Thanks. Good call out. Nice to see those lines also fly the US flag. Maybe we'll have to try a cruise on one of them someday.
Did the fires affect any of the cruise itennerarry? What time do the bars close. My wife and I are booked for this October
Thanks for the questions. I bet you are looking forward to October. We hope you have a great cruise!
We empathize with everyone impacted by the wildfires. Our cruise was several weeks after the fires. Our itinerary was not adjusted. We did not visit Lahaina which was the area most impacted. However, on the drive to Haleakala, our guide pointed out some areas that had been damaged by the fires. We are hoping for safety for everyone impacted and a good recovery for the area.
Your second question is around bar closing times. They vary. Here are the times as listed in the Freestyle Daily from our cruise.
Aloha Lanai Bar 7:00am-9:00am, noon-2:00pm, and 4:00-9:30pm
Gold Rush Saloon 7:00am-11:00pm
John Adams Coffee Bar 6:00am-10:00pm
Key West Bar 1:00-6:30pm
Mardi Gras Lounge 7:00pm-close (doesn't specify when close is)
Napa Wine Bar 4:00-10:00pm
Ocean Drive Bar 8:00am-7:00pm
Pink's Champaign Bar 5:00-midnight
Waikiki Bar 10:00am-11:00pm
@@traveltrailsail thank you so much. I really appreciate your response
Can I get off the ship in Maui at 2:30am? We have 4 people that want to go to Haleakala for sunrise on our own. I called NCL and I have had 3 different answers!
I wish I had a clear answer for you. We didn't leave the ship at night. However, I'm pretty sure I have heard that you can come and go from the ship anytime during the two overnight port stays in Maui and Kauai. Unfortunately, like you, I wasn't able to find an official confirmation. I checked through out Freestyle Daily's, too, but they didn't provide anything specific. We hope you enjoy your cruise.
@@traveltrailsail I have totally enjoyed you videos. Booked a car and we are going for sunrise! Mahalo
Good luck with the sunrise. Sounds great! We'd love to hear how it goes.
I'm, 62, divorced, no children and a first-time solo cruiser, any suggestions what I can do when I first get on board? Since we're stopping at a different port everyday, how will I know how to get to various excursions off the ship? In your video, you said you had some issues with the wifi package, can you be more specific of what you didn't like about the wifi package because I already pre- purchased my wifi package? I'm going on the Pride of America June 22-29, 2024. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks
Bet you are looking forward to your upcoming cruise. We hope it is a good one. Thanks for the questions. We'll try to answer them.
What can I do when I first get on board? There are so many options and it really depends on what you enjoy doing. You'll likely have a few hours before your stateroom is available. You could head to the pool. If you want shade, be sure to head there early. If you prefer some quiet time, there is a large library. We saw a few people enjoying a book in the library after boarding the ship. If you are eager to try out the drink package included with Free at Sea, you might had to Pink's Champaign Bar. If you are hungry, maybe check out the main dining room which is open and available to serve a full three-course meal.
At around 5:30, you'll be able to enjoy the sail away celebration with musicians and hula dancing. It was a nice show.
For solo travelers, they do offer solo traveler meet-ups. On our cruise, that was offered at 7:00. According to NCL "this is the best chance to connect with like-minded individuals who are also exploring the vessel on their own".
When in port, you'll exit the ship on deck 3. Once off the ship, you'll walk to an area where the excursions start. There will be ship staff available to provide directions. In Kona, rather than walking off the ship, you'll have to take a tender boat to the excursion area. You may be directed to gather in a waiting area designated for your excursion. Excursions are often on small or large busses. Each should have a sign indicating the excursion. The driver or guide for your excursion will greet you and get you checked in.
As for wi-fi, we had the basic package included with Free at Sea. The package provides a number of minutes of wi-fi for you to use. Each time you want to access wi-fi, you'll need to sign in. After you are done, you'll need to remember to sign out. We had a bit if difficulty with the technology used for that sign-in and sign-out process. In the end, we didn't use the wi-fi much on this cruise. Instead, we just used our phones with cell service on land for our communication needs. However, there is a person available at the internet cafe on deck 6 who can assist you with wi-fi if needed.
Hope that answers your questions. Looking forward to hearing about your cruise.
Did you need passports?
Pride of America is a US-based cruise visiting only islands within the state of Hawaii. If you are a US resident and stay within the US, you would not need a passport. Residents of other countries need a passport. Be sure to follow the latest guidelines for travel. It sounds like starting in May of 2025, the requirement to have a Real ID drivers license or passport for air travel will go into effect. Hope that helps.
@@traveltrailsail Awesome! Thank you.