Out and About in Maui

Road to Hana

For the road to Hana I reserved a Mustang convertible through Thrifty Rental Car.  The rate wasn’t bad at all, even with an underage driver fee.  Thrifty provided a free shuttle from the cruise port to the rental car location, which was about 5 minutes away, and the whole process was quick and easy.

This ended up being one of the most breathtaking activities I have ever experienced.  The road is very, very windy-they don’t exaggerate in its description, but the views are unlike anything I had ever seen before.  I was with two other people, and we ended up stopping when we would see other cars parked, hopping out and exploring.  I suppose I wasn’t prepared for what the day would actually be like, because I chose to wear dressy sandals and a maxi dress, under the assumption that I would take a pretty picture here and there while we were driving.  Please note, this isn’t exactly the best hiking wear, which is what we ended up doing.  There are tiny paths to follow, waterfalls to climb, and plenty of walking to be done; you’re much better off wearing shorts and sneakers than I was in my misguided apparel.

We didn’t end up doing the whole trip because of time constraints, but should I ever make my way back to Maui it will be the first thing I do, and this time spending an entire day. 

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Feast at Lele

The luaus offered as excursions through NCL got horrible reviews, so we booked a luau on our own and drove there with our rental car.  The Feast at Lele is one of the two most popular luaus in Maui, and for good reason-we booked it directly through their website, and it was about $115 per person, without gratuity.  We were seated in the second row of the outdoor “theater”, with our table for 6 sitting directly on the beach.  Upon entering the luau we were all given fresh orchid leis and tropical drinks.  The way the luau is organized focuses on four different sets of Polynesian islands, and the specific dances that each island produces; all this is done at sunset so the show progresses from day to night as the dances intensify.  The food itself is pulled from each island, so you are served four different courses family style, and there is an open bar to go along with the meal.  Attending a luau is a wonderful experience, and the show culminated with fire dancers, something the other popular luau on Maui does not have.

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Beach

About a five minute walk from the ship there is a private, secluded beach-one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever been to, with turquoise blue water, soft khaki sand and shade from ancient gnarled trees.  For the few hours I was there, there was literally nobody else there, so I had a small cove of a beach to myself, and it was incredible.  To get there, you walk from the cruise ship to the stone wall, and walk along the wall until you reach the beach.  It was perfect, because I got to come back to the ship for lunch, and then return to the beach. 

Cruising Hawaii

Norwegian Pride of America

Ah Hawaii.  Paradise.  This particular trip began with my grandmother's dream of going to paradise-and evolved into a girls trip with 3 generations of sisters.  With such a large group, and with dreams of seeing as much of Hawaii as possible, we decided to take a cruise around the islands; four islands in eight days, with a decent price.  All aboard!

We booked the cruise through Liberty Travel, and although I've used them in the past I don't think I'll be using them any more; the last two trips have had small issues, but issues that should have been resolved by a travel agent-and they were not.  There's so many websites out there for traveling on a cruise, and I have booked myself multiple times in the past, so it just seems as if that is what I will be doing from now on. 

The Pride of America is a nice ship, although it definitely is not my favorite and it is somewhat small. This was my second cruise on NCL, and I have to say that I really do prefer Royal Caribbean-I feel as if their ships are more geared towards adults, and have a “higher” level of service and ambiance.  Our room was one of the smallest I’ve had on a cruise ship, and it was slightly dirty-there was mold and the bathroom looked very worn.  The food was good, but I found that they went very heavy on the sauces for the entrees, almost drowning the food to give it flavor.  That being said, the Pride of America is the only ship that does a Hawaiian cruise with no days at sea, which is why we booked the cruise in the first place.  There were also some cute aspects of the ship-in the main buffet they have a children’s section, which I found to be adorable.  The service was also good, and all of the crew members were friendly and responsive.  When you board the ship you are also given a fresh orchid lei, which really allowed us to get into the mindset of the islands.

While on board, we ate at the following restaurants:
Aloha Café

This is the main buffet, and we only ate here for breakfast.  They had a good selection of fruits and hot items, and we were always able to find a seat even for our party of 6.

Liberty Restaurant

Liberty Restaurant is the main formal dining room.  The views are beautiful, especially when you’re sailing.  NCL has “My Time Dining”, so you don’t need reservations.  Although I was nervous about having to possibly wait with our large party, we never had to.  Our food came quickly, and there was a huge selection each night.  Service was good and friendly, and the crew had great suggestions about what to do in town while we were docked.

East Meets West

East Meets West is one of the cover charge ($15) restaurants aboard the ship.  After paying the cover charge though you get unlimited food; and we tried a lot.  The restaurant itself is similar to PF Chengs, so they offer comparable appetizers and entrees, but the food is really delicious.  It’s also a smaller setting, and would be perfect if you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion.