Hawaii

My family would like to go to Hawaii next summer to celebrate my daughter's college graduation. I saw NCL has a Hawaiian cruise on Pride of America, but I haven't seen too many positive reviews. Can anyone who's been on the cruise offer advice on the cruise as well as any excursions? Thank you!

I have not done this cruise yet but we are planning on summer of 2020. We've seen some negative reviews of the ship as well (older, not as much to do, etc.). However, we're booking it anyway because of the stuff we'll get to do on the islands. This is one cruise where I think the ports are the highlight vs. the ship. We've only ever been to Oahu so we're excited to see other islands.

For excursions, I highly recommend a catamaran trip. (Snorkeling or just sight seeing- we've done both) Most offer drinks and lunch and we have always seen dolphins and turtles. To be clear, this was just on a regular trip to Hawaii, not a cruise, but the catamaran tours are all very similar. We are heading back in December and will do some hiking. Happy to report back on that as well!!

Good luck with your decision...I don't think you can go wrong with a Hawaii trip, it's so beautiful, even if the ship is a bit lacking.

I personally believe that the Pride of America receives an unwarranted bad wrap. If you go in by level setting your expectations to the following key points, you are setting yourself up for a fabulous experience:

- It is a port intensive cruise, with over night stops in Maui and Kauai. There are no at sea days, unless weather dictates such with a port closing.

- Because it is a port intensive cruise, the ship will not have some of the recreational amenities found on newer ships that cruise to other parts of the world. There is still enough to keep people occupied when on the ship in the evenings.

- There is no Casino. Because the ship routinely finds itself in US waters or in port.

- There is no unlimited alcohol packages for the same reason.

- The average age of a cruiser is probably a little higher than other itineraries. Don't expect as much to be going on after 11 PM.

But for each of those expectation level sets, there are equally positive aspects:

- Each day of the cruise, you're in Hawaii. Because it's an US registered ship, it doesn't need to visit a foreign port.

- The entire ship was refurbished in 2016 and it was done well, in my opinion.

- It features all of NCL's regular specialty dining options

- It's a smaller, more intimate ship. It meshes very well with an enjoyable Aloha paced cruise around the islands.

- There are two over night stops, that allow you to experience the islands in a more culturally substantial way. Not worrying about making it back to the ship in time to leave definitely opens up your visiting options, making Maui and Kauai perfect options for more customized, private excursions and experiences.

If you approach the cruise with the right attitude, it's next to impossible to not enjoy yourselves. Hawaii is tailor made for variety of recreational options, spanning the entire relaxing/curious/adventure/thrill seeking spectrum.

OP: have you seen this review? I just read through it and it looks amazing. Great photos and should give you an idea of what to expect.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2677591

My family would like to go to Hawaii next summer to celebrate my daughter's college graduation. I saw NCL has a Hawaiian cruise on Pride of America, but I haven't seen too many positive reviews. Can anyone who's been on the cruise offer advice on the cruise as well as any excursions? Thank you!

The Pride of America is the absolute best way to see Hawaii! You are in port EVERY DAY and two over nights. The ship is there as a floating hotel and transportation between islands.

Plan to arrive a couple of days early to enjoy Oahu and get over some of that jet lag (it's a 6 hour time zone difference to Hawaii and 13 hour flight).

It’s a great way to visit all the islands, basically it’s a floating hotel. It’s port intensive cruise

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Absolutely loved our Hawaiian cruise on the POA. Loved the fact that you got to see different islands without wasting time at an airport to island hop because the ship is your floating hotel. Food was good. Excursions were great, especially snorkeling in Molokini crater in Maui and the hiking to hidden waterfalls on Hawaii. The shows on board in 2013 were just okay, but truthfully we did so much during the day that we were tired most nights and went to bed just after the shows. We plan on doing this cruise again in the next few years!

I personally believe that the Pride of America receives an unwarranted bad wrap. If you go in by level setting your expectations to the following key points, you are setting yourself up for a fabulous experience:

 

- It is a port intensive cruise, with over night stops in Maui and Kauai. There are no at sea days, unless weather dictates such with a port closing.

- Because it is a port intensive cruise, the ship will not have some of the recreational amenities found on newer ships that cruise to other parts of the world. There is still enough to keep people occupied when on the ship in the evenings.

- There is no Casino. Because the ship routinely finds itself in US waters or in port.

- There is no unlimited alcohol packages for the same reason.

- The average age of a cruiser is probably a little higher than other itineraries. Don't expect as much to be going on after 11 PM.

 

But for each of those expectation level sets, there are equally positive aspects:

 

- Each day of the cruise, you're in Hawaii. Because it's an US registered ship, it doesn't need to visit a foreign port.

- The entire ship was refurbished in 2016 and it was done well, in my opinion.

- It features all of NCL's regular specialty dining options

- It's a smaller, more intimate ship. It meshes very well with an enjoyable Aloha paced cruise around the islands.

- There are two over night stops, that allow you to experience the islands in a more culturally substantial way. Not worrying about making it back to the ship in time to leave definitely opens up your visiting options, making Maui and Kauai perfect options for more customized, private excursions and experiences.

 

If you approach the cruise with the right attitude, it's next to impossible to not enjoy yourselves. Hawaii is tailor made for variety of recreational options, spanning the entire relaxing/curious/adventure/thrill seeking spectrum.

ITA with this. OP I had the same concerns as you but this poster says it well. Do your research and understand what you are getting into. A little planning will help make the most of your experience. The ship is not the destination on this cruise, Hawaii is and Hawaii will never disappoint! :)

I did this cruise in June, due to the volcano erupting had a modified itinerary but throughly enjoyed the ship, the dining options and the ports.

We went on this cruise on 8th sept this year. Would highly recommend. Fantastic crew never met any crew member that wasn’t happy and they always greet you with Aloha and a smile. Spent most evenings at the Waikiki bar at the back of the ship fantastic bar tenders and servers. The only thing we were not too happy with and it was to be expected was breakfast on the day of disembarkation there were not enough seats for everyone as most passengers wanted to eat early and get off the ship but with a little patience we got a seat after about 15 mins of waiting. All in all would jump at the chance to do it again. Hope this helps. :D

Loved it. And if I ever go back, I would probably do the cruise again (and attach it to some land time next time).

Our favourite excursion was a volcano hike and Akaka (sp?) falls on the Big Island. We hiked down into a volcano, across the amazing landscape and then up again. My husband and I were 53 and 62 at the time and I did it even with my crummy knee. Our young adult kids loved it. I don't know if they still offer it due to all the volcano activity currently on the Big Island. This was only offered through POA but it was a small group so it was well worth it.

We also did the ship's tour to see Haleakala at sunset. Very good excursion. We did a helicopter tour on our own in Kauai. That was awesome and expensive, but well worth the money.

We also did the Chief's Luau before the cruise. We were staying in Waikiki and it was at Sea Life Park. I believe it's moved to the other side of Oahu now, but they do pick-ups.

What the others have said about it are true. The crew was great. The food was good, and other than that, it's all about Hawaii, not the ship. Most evenings we were too exhausted to do anything but go to bed after the show.

You need to do research and set your expectations about the cruise ship.

We have lately been getting unlucky with our NCL experiences. But POA was an exception.

It is your typical below average ship. But you treat it as a budget hotel that serves food and transportation without TSA hassles, you will be happy.

Nice stable ride of Na pali coast, great views of lava, rental car convenient to each port (no need for expensive excursions) are just the additional positives.

I only wish they stayed overnight in Hilo (dock) and skip Kona (tender).

We read the reviews last year and were so nervous. Talked about changing pur plans. Glad we didnt. It was wonderful. The ship has many nice things and the ability to see 4 islands is unbeat. We loved it ao much we booked again for this year!

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Just got back from Pride of America. It was a great intro to the Hawaiian islands for me! I had read some negative reviews as well, but understanding it’s port focused helped - though there was still plenty to do! We even had an unplanned day at sea due to Hurricane Olivia and still had a great time. Crew was great, friendly, and my husband and I enjoyed our vacation!

To answer excursions - we enjoyed snorkeling in Maui although we didn’t see turtles; the waterfalls in Hilo were great; the volcano tour in Kona was neat too! Includes a tour of a coffee farm and seeing turtles on a black sand beach. And Kauai our tour couldn’t be accommodated due to the schedule change - but it was the movie location tour, and we may have to go back to do that one

Not a fan of the POA. The food was meh, the decor was meh, and there was very little to do on the ship itself.

Would I take her again? Heck to the yeah! That is the single best way to see Hawaii. Like others have said, it's a floating hotel. You don't need to deal with airports. You get to see all of the islands and the view when you pass the Napali Coast can't be beat.

For excursions, we booked most of them on our own.

Oahu - came in a couple of days early. We rented a car and went the North Shore and Turtle Bay. We made it our goal to get as much shave ice as we could. We went on a Hawaii 5-0 site visit (fun if you're a fan), we hiked Diamond Head (total cattle call...recommend Koko Crater instead), went to Duke's for the best fish tacos ever...and of course, Pearl Harbor.

Maui - we'd been before so we skipped the Hana Highway. We rented a car and went to Lahaina to go on a whale watching cruise with Trilogy. Highly recommend!! We tried to do sunset on Haleakala, but my son fell and we needed to head down to get bandaids. We ended up watching sunset on a beach down in Waimea. The 2nd day, we took a West Lobe tour with Emily https://epicexperiencemaui.com/guides/ Best day ever!

Hilo - we did a NCL tour to Volcanos National Park. Not impressed. More car time than anything at the park.

Kona - a helicopter tour over the volcanos with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. aaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing (and i'm afraid of heights)

Kauai - we did that big monster 11 hour Journey excursion. HATED it. If i were to go back, I'd rent a car and go to Waimea Canyon and the Luau on our own. The rest was a waste. Spent more time at an orchid store than we did the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

The 2nd day we did another excursion with NCL to the lava tubes. The same tour is available direct with Kauai Back Country, but the timing was a bit too close for my comfort, so i paid extra with NCL to be sure we'd get back on time. Good, but not great. The kids had fun. Water was a lot colder than i expected. The staff was great though.

Our flight back home on the last day ended up being delayed 11 hours. We spent the afternoon at ziplining at Kualoa Ranch on Oahu. Super fun, but very expensive

Overall, it was the best vacation we have ever taken. We were on POA for dinner and sleeping. Don't let the reviews stop you from taking the trip. Aloha!!

My family would like to go to Hawaii next summer to celebrate my daughter's college graduation. I saw NCL has a Hawaiian cruise on Pride of America, but I haven't seen too many positive reviews. Can anyone who's been on the cruise offer advice on the cruise as well as any excursions? Thank you!

We went on the POA in July 2017. It was my family's favorite cruise. It was their favorite cruise because Hawaii is amazing destination and the POA has the best Hawaiian itinerary of any mainstream cruiseline. The ship lacks many of the bells and whistles of the newer ships but it is well maintained. The food was ok. We liked the diner and the Brazilian Churrascaria specialty restaurant. Don't listen to the naysayers.

We did this cruise a few years back. We loved that it was a floating hotel and we were able to see so much. We highly recommend renting a car and doing Maui and Kauai on your own at your own pace.

The only negative and it was a very small negative was that we felt at the time due to the requirement of more American staff the service while good was not as great as other ships. Now this was a few years ago so things might have changed.

If you’re looking for a true Cruise then Pride of America may not be your best choice. This ship is best thought of as a Hotel that brings you around the Hawaiian Islands without having to fly island to island or unpack multiple times. The ship doesn’t have a great deal of activities on the ship as compared with many of the newer ships or a big night life because most people spend their days seeing Hawaii. By the time everyone gets back each evening many are tired and want to just rest for the next day’s adventure. Bottom line, if you go on Pride of America with the expectation of seeing as much of Hawaii as you can in a week you will not be disappointed, you’ll have a great time. If your expectation is to compare it to other Cruise ships only and are looking for lots of night life and other shipboard activities then you will be disappointed.

Hope this helps.

Have fun!

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My family would like to go to Hawaii next summer to celebrate my daughter's college graduation. I saw NCL has a Hawaiian cruise on Pride of America, but I haven't seen too many positive reviews. Can anyone who's been on the cruise offer advice on the cruise as well as any excursions? Thank you!

We did this cruise a few years ago and had a great time. Here is the link to my review. You do this cruise for the ports. Definitely do the lava tubing tour from NCL. We had the best time!

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2362915

My DD, GD, and I sailed this cruise in June. We had a great time and decided before we sailed to keep our expectations low. We stayed in Honolulu for three days prior to the cruise and we had a great time even with the constant news of ship stop changes. We had the excitement of learning the day before that we would be the first cruise sailing all the islands. We booked excursions on our own and had a great time. We took the bus on Maui and also used Lyft. This was a great floating hotel! Everyone on the ship was nice and helpful except for one person which was handled immediately. My DGD loved the kids club. For what this cruise offers as a place to lay your head while enjoying the islands it is fantastic. We did not mind not having an adult beverage package as I brought bottles of wine on board and my DD does not really drink. We ate in Cagney's and La Cucina using Platinum perks and the steak in Cagney's was no kidding the best I have had on NCL. Breakfast was great in the restaurant and the buffet. My DGD loved Cadillac Diner and also dinner in the main dining room. Good value for your money.

We were on POA last year. Chose the POA because we wanted to fly to Honolulu and get on the ship. I think you have to view it as a floating hotel. Food was okay....not great. Cagneys was excellent. Not impressed with Jefferson's Bistro. The Brazilian style specialty restaurant was ok. There is a free Asian restaurant called East Meets West that was really good. Definitely needed reservations. Girl at reservations desk told me not needed, just show up. When we did that the next night we were told nothing available till 9pm. Threw a missy fit because this was the very same lady I had spoken to the day before. They quickly found us a table. Breakfast buffet was average. Seemed to be the same choices every day. Main dining room was good for dinner, especi6 empty on I think Thursday night. Seems NCL has an optional luau and our waiter said several hundred passengers go. Room with balcony was fine. We did private excursions each day. Cheaper than NCL and much smaller group. Tender for Kona mobbed. Loved biking down volcano crater. Definitely the way to go on a first Hawaii trip.

We did this cruise in 2011. There were plenty of negative reviews back then, too. They were unwarranted in my opinion. It was an awesome cruise!

We did this cruise in 2011. There were plenty of negative reviews back then, too. They were unwarranted in my opinion. It was an awesome cruise!

My opinion only but I think some think this cruise is going to like other cruises. It is not as there are a few things such as unlimited beverage package, the casino, and more entertainment not the one show a night. It was fine for us as we just used the ship as a hotel that moved from place to place and we only had to unpack once. It was definitely not anything like the Hawaii cruise the DH and I took on the Wind but then I went on the cruise not expecting anything except free food and a nice floating hotel.