Your NCL Hawaiian Islands Cruise Questions
We enjoyed a fantastic trip to Hawaii including visiting several islands on an NCL Pride of America cruise. After sharing our cruise experience, tips, and excursion information, we got a lot of Hawaiian islands cruise questions. Whether you are planning a trip or have already gone, we’d love to hear your top questions and tips. We really appreciate it. We’ll try to answer the questions we received.
When Did You Visit Hawaii?
Many people wanted to know when we visited Hawaii and if the weather was good. Our trip to Hawaii was in October and we had great weather. It might be that the weather is good the whole year – but we can only speak to the time of our visit.
We wore shorts or light pants and t-shirts or polo shirts which was perfect. The only real exception was when we took a sunset excursion to Haleakala. At altitude, it was a bit chilly. We were glad to have jackets and hats for that visit.
How Long Was Your Trip?
We added three nights in Waikiki before the cruise and 2 nights at Aulani in Ko Olina after the cruise for a total of 12 nights in Hawaii. We highly recommend arriving a bit early both to help ensure you arrive in time for your cruise and to give you time to adjust to the time difference. The post-cruise stay was a nice addition and gave us a chance to see a different part of the island. However, if we had to pick, we’d arrive early.
What Stateroom Were You In?
We had never had a balcony stateroom before. However, for Hawaii, the balcony seemed to be worth the splurge.
We were on deck nine on the port side. 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.
As for port vs starboard, either way, you’ll have a great view. We entered ports early in the morning and the balcony enabled us to enjoy watching the view of the islands and port before heading to breakfast.
One thing to note, the ports in Hawaii are working ports. You’ll often have a view of containers and shipping activity. The one place where the Port side definitely seemed better was in Kuai.
People also wondered about the stateroom. Rooms do have all the basics like a bed, refrigerator, coach, and their own bathroom. Our room had a small couch. The best feature was the balcony. While it wasn’t large, it was big enough for two chairs.
If you’d like to learn more about our room, check out our NCL Pride of America Balcony Stateroom Tour on YouTube.
Did You Encounter Rough Seas?
The weather on our visit to Hawaii was fantastic. The cruise visited several islands which gave us a nice sample of these distinct places. For us, we had smooth seas.
However, your experience may be different. Be prepared in case you do encounter swells or waves. We have also heard that cruises from California that have several sea days are likely to encounter a bit more motion. Since the Pride of America is local to Hawaii, it is a different experience.
If you are concerned about being on a cruise, it is often suggested to pick a stateroom in the middle of the ship and on a lower deck. That way, you’ll be less likely to feel motion. We are also fans of Dramamine and ginger candy to help with symptoms of motion sickness.
Is it Better to Cruise or Stay at a Resort?
People asked if it would be better just to go to one of the Hawaiian Islands or use the cruise to visit several. Since we were new to Hawaii, we didn’t really know which island to visit. The approach we used was to visit two parts of Oahu; Waikiki and Ko Olina. The cruise enabled us to see several other islands. Each was different and we appreciated getting a chance to see more than one.
If you know which island you want to visit, going there and spending more time in one place might be a great choice. All of the islands were great. However, if we had to pick just one to return to, it might be Kauai. We’d love to spend more time exploring the Waimea Canyon area and see more of the island.
If you aren’t sure, maybe take the cruise and get an island sampler.
Are There Excursions You Would Do On Your Own?
When we stayed in Waikiki, we toured Pearl Harbor including the museum and a boat ride to visit the Arizona memorial. That is one we probably could have done on our own. You can book Pearl Harbor tours in advance on recreation.gov. Transportation to Pearl should be pretty easy to arrange.
We did the sunset at Haleakala. It was fantastic and we were glad not to drive down the mountain after dark. However, if we were going to visit Haleakala in the daytime, we might opt to do this on our own.
We also did a luau on Kauai as an excursion. It was in the evening. For us, having transportation and the event arranged was convenient. However, we have heard from others that this would be an easy one to do if you have a rental car. Or, you could opt to do one of the many other luaus available in Hawaii.
We rented a car one day on Kauai. It was easy to pick up from the airport that is pretty close to the cruise port. We rented using Costco Travel and there were several rental companies available. We had a great time exploring Waimea Canyon and touring Kauai Coffee. Others have recommended this approach and rent a car for each day of the cruise.
One that we are glad we didn’t try to drive was the Road to Hana. It was great to leave the driving to our guide. This was on a smaller bus with about twenty other people. We were asked if this excursion could be done on the second day in Maui. This is possible and it is what we did. One thing to consider is that booking excursions through the cruise line is supposed to have a guarantee that the ship won’t leave if you are late back to port. After a long day of adventure, we were back to the port by 4:30, an hour before the all aboard time of 5:30.
When Did You Book Excursions?
We did a lot of research to identify the excursions we wanted. To ensure we were able to reserve the ones we wanted, we booked them several months in advance.
You may want to consider watching prices. We aren’t sure if all cruise lines do this or if it will work for this itinerary. However, we have noticed that some occasionally put excursions on sale. For example, you may want to check Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Travel Tuesday to see if you can get a discount.
Was Lunch Provided on Excursions?
People wondered if the excursions included meals. Several of our excursions included a box lunch which typically consisted of a sandwich, chips, and a drink. These were provided as part of the excursion. The tour guide had them and provided them to us at the right point during the day. We often had access to picnic tables and sometimes had an amazing view.
Be sure to check the excursion description which should indicate if lunch is provided.
How Did You Handle Tipping the Guides?
The amount people tip for excursions varies. Some things to consider are how many hours was the tour, how much did it cost, did the guide provide good information and a great experience, and was there a separate guide and driver?
A general rule of thumb we have heard is $10 per person for a half day and $20 per person for a full day. If you have both a driver and guide, be sure to provide something to each. It is recommended to bring some cash along for tipping. If you have some various bills like 5, 10, & 20, you will have some flexibility.
Was There a Formal Night on the Pride of America?
People dressed casually on the Pride of America. A few dressed up for dinner, especially in the specialty restaurants. Men mostly wore polo or Hawaiian shirts while women wore sundresses or a nice blouse and pants.
What Is the Nightlife on the Pride of America Like?
There is entertainment and food on board. The big theater had a performer such as a comedian or showed a movie. The cruise director staff led some fun shows like you’d find on most ships. Note that there is no casino on board.
Throughout the bars on the ship, you’ll find musicians including solo performers or duets. However, most venues close relatively early which ranged from 10 pm to midnight.
These were the times 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 You Leave the Ship at Night?
People asked if they could leave the ship at night. There are two nights when the Pride of America stays in port over night. While it wasn’t clearly communicated, our understanding is that security is open and you are able to leave or return to the ship.
For example, you may want to head out early in the morning to catch a sunrise. Or, you might be interested in dining at a local restaurant. While it seems like this is possible, you may want to confirm before you finalize your plans.
Can You Use Uber or Lyft?
We got asked this question two ways. First, can you use a ride sharing service to get to the cruise? Yes. We opted to use Lyft, similar to Uber, after our cruise to get to Aulani for our post-cruise stay. It worked well. Uber has an article on transportation in Honolulu.
At other ports, you may be able to use a ride share. Keep in mind that these are working ports so you may have to walk a bit to get to the pick up spot. And, you may want to do some research to understand how far you may need to travel to the attractions you are interested in. We did find this blog post showing the locations for ride share pick up spots for each port: CruiseHI Uber and Lyft Locations
What Should I Do When I 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, 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.
After the sail away, we headed to the aft deck to enjoy the sunset. The sunset was amazing and it was fun watching the ship sail away from Honolulu.
A few asked about what to do if you are traveling alone. 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”.
How Was the Wi-Fi?
Wi-Fi on board this ship was a bit challenging. We had a basic Wi-Fi package which provided a number of minutes. Each time you want to access it, we had 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. We even tried to get help from the tech support person available at the internet café. 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 to keep in touch with family & friends.
How Much Did it Cost?
One of our most frequent questions was regarding the cost of an NCL Hawaiian cruise vacation. This really is a dream bucket list vacation for many. Hawaii is probably not the least expensive destination you could choose. In short, it was expensive. But it was also worth it.
As prices are always changing, it might be more helpful to give you a set of parameters to consider as you plan and price your dream trip to Hawaii. There are several major factors to consider.
- Cruise
- Air
- Pre-cruise and post-cruise stays
- Excursions
For the cost of the cruise there are a few things to consider. You’ll likely save if you can book early. The farther out you can book, the more likely you are to get a good deal. If the price of the cruise goes up, you price is locked in. If it goes down, you can request a discount.
Your choice of stateroom also pays a big factor. An inside room is usually less than a balcony room. How important is the balcony to you? Use the NCL website or your favorite travel site to compare prices for different times of the year and different room types.
The cost of air travel will also vary based on where you are flying from and when you are traveling. You can use a tool like Kayak or Google Flights to identify if there are better times to travel. The flight to Hawaii can be a long one. Many people prefer to have extra room in business or first class. However, if you fly coach, you may be able to save a bit of money.
We highly recommend arriving at least two days before your NCL Hawaiian Islands cruise. You want to ensure you arrive in time and there may be travel disruptions. Arriving early also gives you time to adjust to time zone differences. If you are able, adding a few days at a resort after your cruise can be nice, too. Where you choose to stay can make a big differences in the price of your trip. Again, we recommend doing a bit of research and using a travel search tool to get an idea of how much this part of your adventure will cost.
You’ll likely want to do some sightseeing at each cruise port. We booked excursions through NCL and had a great experience. You can also opt to rent a car and explore on your own. We did that for one day and it also worked. You can look up the price of excursions for your cruise on the NCL website. If you are considering renting cars, you can use your favorite rental car company or travel planning site to price that option. To get a fair price comparison, be sure to include the cost of transportation to pick up and drop off your rental, parking fees, admission to attractions, and gas for the rental.
Of course, there are other items to consider, like dining, onboard packages, and souvenirs. You know best your spending habits and can estimate how much any additional items may be.
Our NCL Hawaiian Cruise Questions Video
Check out our NCL Hawaiian Islands Cruise Questions YouTube video where we share our top tips to help you plan your trip to Hawaii.
Thanks for the Questions
We really appreciate that so many people shared their experiences and asked great questions. For example, one person reminded us of a tip we should have shared in our top tips video. That is, get trip insurance – you just never now what can happen so it is good to be covered.
If you have other tips or questions, we’d love to know. Please leave us a comment.
Be sure to check out the rest of our Hawaiian Islands Adventure series.
NCL Pride of America Cruise Excursions
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