Hawaii 2011: NCL Pride of America

We spent 2 nights in Kaanapali, Maui from September 16-17, 2011 before sailing Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America for the second time from September 18-27, 2011. Until I have time to write a full trip report, here is a rundown of what we did:

Friday night (Maui): Costco & Walmart shopping
Saturday (Maui): Kapalua Beach, snorkel Black Rock (Kaanapali Beach), dinner at David Paul’s
Sunday (Maui): Lahaina, checked into POA, unpacked, dinner at Mama’s Fish House
Monday (Maui): Waterfalls & Rainforest Hike with Hike Maui
Tuesday (Hilo): Mauna Loa Mac Nut Factory, Puna area (Lava Tree Park, Champagne Pond, Kapoho Tidepools, Ahalanui Park)
Wednesday (Kona): Snorkel Two Step / Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau (aka Place of Refuse), walk around Snorkel Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau and Kona
Thursday (Kauai): Wailua Falls, Lydgate Beach Park, Poliahu Heiau, ‘Opaeka’a Falls, Queen’s Bath, Hanalei Overlook, Wishing Well Shave Ice, Ha’ena Beach & Dry Cave, Waikanaloa Wet Caves, Ke’e Beach, dinner at Hukilau Lanai
Friday (Kauai): (originally booked Tubing Adventure but it got cancelled) slept in, Anchor Cove Mall shopping, lunch at Cadillac Diner, Napali Coast sailby
Saturday (Oahu): North Shore – LOST Other’s Camp / YMCA Camp, Haleiwa, Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, Papa’iloa Beach (also from LOST), Turtle Beach, Shark’s Cove, Dole Pineapple Plantation, dinner at Sushi Sasabune (DH demanded we go back!)
Sunday (Oahu): Hiked Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor – private tours of Ford Island & Hickman Air Force Base by our friend stationed there, small museum at Pearl Harbor that opened in December

I’ll be uploading photos from the trip and writing a full report later but in the meantime, feel free to comment or contact me if you have specific questions about the trip.

8 Responses to "Hawaii 2011: NCL Pride of America"

Cynthia says:

February 22, 2012 at 3:16 pm

I’m looking forward to your Hawaii 2011 trip report. My husband and I sailed on the POA in May of 2009. We are looking to do the trip again in May of 2013. We are considering staying in Maui prior to the cruise and boarding Sunday morning. Since it appears that you did this on your trip, I’m anxious to hear what your thoughts are about boarding the POA a day late and what hotel you stayed at prior to your cruise. Thank you very much for all of your detailed trip reports. They are so informative and fun to read! We have booked an OK room for this second trip on the POA and your pictures were so very helpful in making that decision.

Reply
1. Rebecca says:
  
  February 28, 2012 at 2:29 am
  
  Hi, Cynthia. We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel in Maui pre-cruise. This was my sister’s choice as she was having her wedding reception in Lahaina but it turned out to be very cute resort. Several 3-story buildings on the property do not have elevators so if you have mobility issues, make sure you request a building with an elevator. We had no issues boarding POA in Maui. Make sure you or your travel agent get clearance from NCL at least 2 weeks prior to sailing. NCL will then get authorization from the Port of Kahului.
  
  Even so, POA crew didn’t seem like they were aware of our plans to board in Maui. Several crew members, assuming our flight was delayed in Honolulu or some other mishap occurred, said they were glad to see us and it must have been a rough trip since we missed the ship. They were very gracious. LOL and we got tired of trying to explain our situation. Either way, everything went smoothly. There are even Unloading Only parking spots right at the pier gate and luggage carts!
  
  Reply
2. Rebecca says:
  
  February 28, 2012 at 2:31 am
  
  Also, the OK room was the first time we didn’t have a balcony on a cruise and it was fine. Got natural light in and was a great deal for a very port intensive cruise!
  
  Reply
Dale Borske says:

February 26, 2012 at 12:50 pm

I am looking forward to your post on this cruise. Just read your whole post from the last Hawai’i cruise you took in 2010 and one of the better and informative reviews we have read with great pictures!

Reply
Cynthia says:

April 14, 2012 at 1:17 pm

Thank you very much for the information Rebecca! How soon can one board the ship on Sunday? Did you have to wait for others to disembark first? Did you just walk on and then hand them your paperwork at the information desk?

Reply
1. Rebecca says:
  
  June 8, 2012 at 3:36 pm
  
  I’m not sure how soon you can board on Sunday but I think it is around noon and the rooms are usually available by 1-2 pm. You definitely have to wait until the previous cruise disembarks and they clean the ship. You don’t just walk on. There is a check-in area at the pier. They will look at your cruise docs, ID, make sure everything is in order, and give you key cards. If the ship is open for boarding, then they will take your photo and then you get to onboard. If it’s not ready yet, you wait in the waiting area. They have some entertainment in the waiting area. I recall hawaiian music and a hulu performance.
  
  Reply
Cynthia says:

July 17, 2012 at 10:14 am

I’m familiar with what happens when you board the POA on Saturday since I’ve sailed her before, but I am curious to know how long it took you to board her on Sunday in Maui. I will have family members who will board at the regular date and time on Saturday who will want to hurry off the ship and rent a jeep for the Road to Hana on Sunday. They want us to join them, however, I don’t want to hold them up if it takes awhile to board as a new passenger in Maui. Do you recall from your second trip how long it took to get on board, get ID’s, get luggage to cabin, etc.?

Reply
1. Rebecca says:
  
  July 17, 2012 at 12:26 pm
  
  It was very fast. There was a little bit of waiting (maybe 5 minutes) at the pier gate for security to notify the ship that we needed to board and a crew member from the ship came down to escort us directly to the ship. There was a table at the boarding area on the ship where they had our cruise cards waiting, took our photo, and checked us off a list. There isn’t a line since you’re the only ones doing this. The crew took our luggage to our room but it was very fast. We probably didn’t spend more than an hour in our room before heading back out for dinner. If you can’t wait for the luggage, I’m sure they can leave it outside your room or your cabin steward can bring it inside for you. We didn’t check into the ship until 4 or 5 pm so checking in later is an option. Maybe after you get back from Sunday sightseeing? Make sure you let NCL know about boarding in Maui though. The crew will still think your flight was delayed though. They kept saying how must have gone through a horrible ordeal and be really stressed. We explained the first couple of times that this was planned but after awhile, it didn’t seem worth explaining! LOL!
  
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