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We needed a little warming up after experiencing a rather cold period here in AZ, so we decided to take a nice cruise around the Hawaiian islands.
We chose the NCL ship Pride of America. We got a great deal for the week...$480 pp, inside cabin. We also got a $40 onboard credit.
We got a great rate with Hawaiian airlines for a direct flight out of PHX to HNL for $325 pp....so the trip was good on our budget.
The flight left on time from PHX, was smooth, and arrived in HNL ahead of schedule. We got our luggage quickly, grabbed a shuttle out of HNL and arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel, where we stayed the night before the cruise.
We arrived at the Pier easily, taking a taxi from the hotel and being in the early group for boarding.
We are previous cruisers with NCL and are Latitudes members, so there are a few perks that come to us as repeat customers. We were promptly greeted, our paperwork and c/c were processed and in less than a half hour we boarded the ship.
The ship is very large...but it is so well planned that you just don't get any sense of "crowd" or being lost in a maze or anything like that. Each public area is well designed for its intended use. With many seating areas, cozy corners, couches, or walkways that keep people comfortable.
There are 3 or 4 pools (cannot quite remember that)....with one pool called the Oasis (small, aft, and mostly adult). The main pools had quite a few activities. There were two bars and a hamburger buffet nearby that many folks enjoyed. There was plenty of space to amble, and many lounges and towels always available.
Aft had an outside buffet and bar on one deck, an upper deck had another bar.
The buffet area flowed from inside to the outside smoothly, and there were plenty of tables available at all times.
Freestyling means you can eat at the time and place of your own choosing. They have tables for 2 to 10. You do not have an assigned seating time, you choose. There are specialty restaurants as well as main dining areas, buffet and "diner" spots. Freestyle also means choice of dress (with few restrictions....like no tank tops in dining room, optional formal night, etc).
The cabin was a small inside cabin, but for the price we paid, we were quite content with it. It was comfy and had plenty of storage. The teak color of the woods, the white duvet, and the tropical print carpet blended well.
The cruise was perfect for us because it was dedicated to seeing the islands. Saturday we sailed from HNL to arrive in Hilo port (Big Island) Sunday morning. Saturday night we ate at one of the specialty restaurants called Jefferson's Bistro and enjoyed terrific food and service. There is a cover of $15 pp but it was well worth it.
We had reserved a rental car and it was a very clear day (a rare event during other trips to Hilo), so we grabbed the car, and raced up to Volcanoes National Park. Got some fantastic viewing in, spent the afternoon, had a picnic, and returned in plenty of time before the ship left port.
That night we ate in the main dining room, The Liberty. We had a terrific duo who served us, made the evening a lot of fun, and whenever we returned to that dining room, we made sure to ask to sit in their service area.
On the sail out of port, around 9 PM, we sailed by the lava flow...our first viewing of lava into the ocean! It was exciting to see. The weather was balmy, the wind was brisk, but we could see the flows so clearly! I couldn't get over how amazing to see the fire hit the water, steam and dissolve into the ocean!
Monday morning we arrived in Maui, where we had an overnight stay and departed on Tuesday evening. Again, having a rental car, we went off to explore Iao valley, and had a picnic and enjoyed the afternoon there.
Monday night we ate once again in the Liberty.
Tuesday we decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the amenities and the scenery of Maui and the ocean. It was picture perfect weather for this.
We set sail around 5:30 and headed back to Big Island, arriving on Wednesday in Kona port, where we had to tender to the island. Tendering took less than 10 minutes. Kona offers so many opportunites to amble about and enjoy surfers, picnics, shopping...the time seemed to fly by. It was sunny and beautiful!
That night we had dinner at Lazy J's Texas Steakhouse, another specialty restaurant....the cover here was $20 pp. But wow! It lived up to the Texas part of its name...servers dressed in western hats, and portions that filled the plate! We enjoyed colossal shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, and mushrooms and scalloped potatoes, followed by bananas flambe!
That night we set sail to Kauai, and arrived around 7 AM. We watched the ship sail into port, enjoying the most beautiful sunrise, and soaking up the profile of one of our most loved islands. We have friends who live in Kauai and they met us for lunch at Duke's at the Marriott. We had a great afternoon, and returned to the ship, having our final dinner with our friends at the Liberty restaurant.
Friday, at around 2, the ship set sail, and around 5:15 we sailed by the Na Pali coast....awesome! We have never been able to see the coast before, as the seas were always too rough to take a tour. This was a beautiful clear day, and the cliffs were just inspiring!
Friday night we enjoyed our last dinner on the cruise at the Bistro once again, having chateaubriand and toasting to our beautiful memories and the Hawaiian spirit of Aloha!
Saturday, refreshed, relaxed, and after enjoying a leisurely breakfast we grabbed a taxi, got to the airport, and had a smooth trip back home.
All in all this was a wonderful way to see the islands for a brief period, reconnect with its spirit and enjoy some romantic time together.
I should add that we saw the shows, whenever possible, and were thoroughly entertained! The many activities onboard were well attended, from hula lessons to art auctions. There is no casino on the ship, as it is a ship that never leaves the Hawaiian islands, and no gambling in Hawaii. There are many bars around the ship, and a champagne and cigar bar, as well as a specialty coffee pastry bar.
We chose the NCL ship Pride of America. We got a great deal for the week...$480 pp, inside cabin. We also got a $40 onboard credit.
We got a great rate with Hawaiian airlines for a direct flight out of PHX to HNL for $325 pp....so the trip was good on our budget.
The flight left on time from PHX, was smooth, and arrived in HNL ahead of schedule. We got our luggage quickly, grabbed a shuttle out of HNL and arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel, where we stayed the night before the cruise.
We arrived at the Pier easily, taking a taxi from the hotel and being in the early group for boarding.
We are previous cruisers with NCL and are Latitudes members, so there are a few perks that come to us as repeat customers. We were promptly greeted, our paperwork and c/c were processed and in less than a half hour we boarded the ship.
The ship is very large...but it is so well planned that you just don't get any sense of "crowd" or being lost in a maze or anything like that. Each public area is well designed for its intended use. With many seating areas, cozy corners, couches, or walkways that keep people comfortable.
There are 3 or 4 pools (cannot quite remember that)....with one pool called the Oasis (small, aft, and mostly adult). The main pools had quite a few activities. There were two bars and a hamburger buffet nearby that many folks enjoyed. There was plenty of space to amble, and many lounges and towels always available.
Aft had an outside buffet and bar on one deck, an upper deck had another bar.
The buffet area flowed from inside to the outside smoothly, and there were plenty of tables available at all times.
Freestyling means you can eat at the time and place of your own choosing. They have tables for 2 to 10. You do not have an assigned seating time, you choose. There are specialty restaurants as well as main dining areas, buffet and "diner" spots. Freestyle also means choice of dress (with few restrictions....like no tank tops in dining room, optional formal night, etc).
The cabin was a small inside cabin, but for the price we paid, we were quite content with it. It was comfy and had plenty of storage. The teak color of the woods, the white duvet, and the tropical print carpet blended well.
The cruise was perfect for us because it was dedicated to seeing the islands. Saturday we sailed from HNL to arrive in Hilo port (Big Island) Sunday morning. Saturday night we ate at one of the specialty restaurants called Jefferson's Bistro and enjoyed terrific food and service. There is a cover of $15 pp but it was well worth it.
We had reserved a rental car and it was a very clear day (a rare event during other trips to Hilo), so we grabbed the car, and raced up to Volcanoes National Park. Got some fantastic viewing in, spent the afternoon, had a picnic, and returned in plenty of time before the ship left port.
That night we ate in the main dining room, The Liberty. We had a terrific duo who served us, made the evening a lot of fun, and whenever we returned to that dining room, we made sure to ask to sit in their service area.
On the sail out of port, around 9 PM, we sailed by the lava flow...our first viewing of lava into the ocean! It was exciting to see. The weather was balmy, the wind was brisk, but we could see the flows so clearly! I couldn't get over how amazing to see the fire hit the water, steam and dissolve into the ocean!
Monday morning we arrived in Maui, where we had an overnight stay and departed on Tuesday evening. Again, having a rental car, we went off to explore Iao valley, and had a picnic and enjoyed the afternoon there.
Monday night we ate once again in the Liberty.
Tuesday we decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the amenities and the scenery of Maui and the ocean. It was picture perfect weather for this.
We set sail around 5:30 and headed back to Big Island, arriving on Wednesday in Kona port, where we had to tender to the island. Tendering took less than 10 minutes. Kona offers so many opportunites to amble about and enjoy surfers, picnics, shopping...the time seemed to fly by. It was sunny and beautiful!
That night we had dinner at Lazy J's Texas Steakhouse, another specialty restaurant....the cover here was $20 pp. But wow! It lived up to the Texas part of its name...servers dressed in western hats, and portions that filled the plate! We enjoyed colossal shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, and mushrooms and scalloped potatoes, followed by bananas flambe!
That night we set sail to Kauai, and arrived around 7 AM. We watched the ship sail into port, enjoying the most beautiful sunrise, and soaking up the profile of one of our most loved islands. We have friends who live in Kauai and they met us for lunch at Duke's at the Marriott. We had a great afternoon, and returned to the ship, having our final dinner with our friends at the Liberty restaurant.
Friday, at around 2, the ship set sail, and around 5:15 we sailed by the Na Pali coast....awesome! We have never been able to see the coast before, as the seas were always too rough to take a tour. This was a beautiful clear day, and the cliffs were just inspiring!
Friday night we enjoyed our last dinner on the cruise at the Bistro once again, having chateaubriand and toasting to our beautiful memories and the Hawaiian spirit of Aloha!
Saturday, refreshed, relaxed, and after enjoying a leisurely breakfast we grabbed a taxi, got to the airport, and had a smooth trip back home.
All in all this was a wonderful way to see the islands for a brief period, reconnect with its spirit and enjoy some romantic time together.
I should add that we saw the shows, whenever possible, and were thoroughly entertained! The many activities onboard were well attended, from hula lessons to art auctions. There is no casino on the ship, as it is a ship that never leaves the Hawaiian islands, and no gambling in Hawaii. There are many bars around the ship, and a champagne and cigar bar, as well as a specialty coffee pastry bar.
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