Pride of America

Fantastic from start to finish!

This cruise was top notch all around. I have been on nineteen cruises around the world, and this is one of the best yet. Embarkation in Honolulu was smooth and had absolutely no lines when we arrive around 12:30 PM. STATEROOM: Cabin Balcony The room was in a very convenient location right by the elevators. Despite being close the all the amenities, the room was very quiet. The room was clean but could use an update within the next few years. The balcony had nice views. DINING: As always, NCL provides good dining throughout the ship. We only used the buffet one time and it was acceptable. The main dining room and all the specialty restaurants were high quality and delicious. I have seen a lot of reviews talking about downgraded food on NCL but we have yet to see it. Everything was near perfect. SERVICE: The Pride of America is mostly an American staff. Everyone from start to finish were very helpful and provided excellent service. ENTERTAINMENT: This ship does not have a production cast so there are no production shows like on other NCL ships. With that being said there are shows every night in the theater. The first show is the welcome aboard show that lays out what to expect. Throughout the week there was a Polynesian show, multiple magicians and a comedian. The entertainment was wonderful and it is what I have come to expect on NCL. SHIP: The ship is one of the oldest in the fleet but it does seem to be in great shape. It has been refurbished recently and did not show its age. If you enjoy NCLs smaller ships like the PEARL, JEWEL, JADE, GEM, etc. you will enjoy The Pride of America. ITINERARY: The Hawaiian Islands are extraordinary. MAUI: In Maui we took a bus to the Haleakala National Park summit. This ride to 10000' is not for someone that can't handle motion or heights. It is multiple hours of hairpin turns. If you can handle the ride the summit is spectacular. We also did Turtles and Tacos. This was an excursion on a catamaran to a snorkeling spot that has turtles that frequent the area. We did see multiple turtles and the area is very nice for snorkeling. On the way back we saw multiple Humpback whales and had tacos. These excursions pick up right at the cruise terminal. Very little walking necessary. HILO: This is one of two stops on the big island that you can visit Volcanoes National Park. We took a bus to the park and had around an hour to visit. The volcano is currently active and we saw some lava. This excursion picks up right at the cruise terminal. Very little walking necessary. KONA: We did the Zodiac Whale Watch. We have been whale watching many times, but this is the first time taking a Zodiac boat. We saw many whales and had a great time. It is around three hours long and your back and butt get pretty uncomfortable by the end. It picks up right where the tender boats from the ship drop you off. Very little walking necessary. KAUAI: We did the journey to Waimea Canyon. This excursion also involves a good amount of motion in a bus to the top. They call this the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and it was stunning. Highly recommend a visit. This excursion picks up right at the port and does not involve a lot of walking. We will definitely do this cruise again in the future and recommend it to anyone that is looking to see the Hawaii islands.

Highly recommend for visiting Hawaii.

I am astounded at all the negative reviews. This is our 2nd cruise on the POA and third on NCL. Service was outstanding and as good or better than any other cruise I have ever been on. This is unique cruise and is unlike most others. No Big shows, no casino, minimum cruise staff interaction. This is on purpose. Plenty of food options, all good to excellent. Best way to visit many of the islands. Hawaii is very expensive, so this type of cruise warrants the higher prices. Value is excellent for what it is and cannot be compared to traditional Caribbean cruises. Would definitely recommend but not necessarily for 1st time cruisers. With proper research, you would find this cruise to be an excellent way to visit Hawaii. Also, this is an older ship but well maintained. Large seating areas for all restaurants, and not that much oa a wait at any times.

Great time had by all!

I had a great time on this cruise. I read a lot of negative reviews and wanted to write a good one so that people looking at reviews see something positive. The room was a balcony starboard side. The room steward was very visible and friendly and the couple times I needed help with something he got right on it. The toilet had a little leak and it was fixed that first day. The bed was comfortable. Our party had the drink package (there were 12 family/friends on the cruise) and we all got excellent service at the bars. Very little waiting. The food buffet was good and I enjoyed a made to order omelette every morning. There were several omelette stations and i waited maybe 5 minutes at most for my omelette. There were plenty of options. The people attending the buffet were really hustling to keep up with things. The dining room food was very good and the wait staff friendly and quick. We had two specialty dinners that were excellent (Cagney steak house and the Italian restaurant). We did only two excursions and they were fine (on and off the bus a lot, a fair amount of driving around) but the days I liked best were when we just went to a local beach and rented a boogie board or snorkel gear. The little beach at the port where we tendered had surprisingly good snorkeling. Saw lots of colorful fish. I did enjoy the hike into the crater on the big island and it was a good cardio workout climbing out. Another thing I enjoyed on the cruise was the spa thermal package. It’s just a sauna; steam room, and a relaxation room with heated lounge chairs and meditation music but I love that kinds of thing. They provide a nice robe and big towels and a locker for your stuff. Also two big showers are available which was nice to use instead of the cabin shower which is tight. I used the spa package every day. They only sell a limited number of passes so it doesn’t get crowded. I used the gym once and walked on deck six for exercise most days. Everyone our group had a fabulous time. For the entertainment I enjoyed the comedian and the Polynesian show the most.

Golf Cruise Hawaii on Pride of America

We booked a Penthouse Suite for our 7-day Hawaii golf cruise on Pride of America through GolfAhoy.com NCL and GolfAhoy were offering a 50% discount on Suites and a Penthouse with the discount cost just a few hundred dollars more than a Large Balcony Cabin. Penthouse Suite perks included a personal Butler and Concierge. Another rewarding perk from our perspective included priority VIP embarkation and disembarkation privileges in all ports, valuable on golf days. Advice. Tip your Butler to porterage your golf bags from your Suite to the gang plank. GolfAhoy private chauffeurs met us at each port for transfers to golf courses, always all on time and knowledgeable tour guides. The GolfAhoy package pre-paid our green fees and cart rentals and booked preferred pre-reserved tee times. We played thrilling Hawaii Championship courses we’d seen before only on TV; the Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui and the Wailea Emerald course also on Maui, in Kona we played Mauna Kea, Poipu Bay on Kauai and the fabulous Ocean Course at Hōkūala. Our Butler, Anthony, and Concierge Chris, flawlessly executed every request. They were particularly adept in getting us tables in so called “fully booked” Specialty Restaurants. Butlers unpack your suitcases and set up your walk-in closet. They’ll also pack your bags at the end of the cruise while you relax over dinner the last night. Another of several Suite guest Perks is a VIP invitation to breakfast and lunch daily in Cagney's Steakhouse. I am fond of large deep-sea scallops. One afternoon I reviewed every dining venue menu looking for scallops. Nothing nowhere. I phoned my Butler, Anthony. He said he would do some research himself. Twelve minutes later he knocked on my door with the delightful news that the Teppanyaki restaurant had a ‘Scallops and Prawn’ item on the menu, and he had made us a 7PM reservation. The scallops were the tastiest thing I ate on the cruise. Anthony deserved his tip at the end of the cruise. Advice. Cadillac Diner is open 24 hours a day and if you have an early morning tee time it’s a solution for early risers.