Pride of America

We are HAL cruisers but like the Hawaiian itinerary - any thing we need to know - major differences? We like that its a smaller ship.

I can't offer any first-hand knowledge as we are still counting down to our sailing on POA in June. However, from what I've learned in our pre-cruise planning, major differences would be:

- primarily American staff/crew due to no foreign ports being visited

- no casino on board

- the typical NCL drink package is not offered on POA due to local laws

- less emphasis on onboard entertainment/activities as it is a port-intensive itinerary and there are no sea days

But what I'm expecting to GET in return is a fabulous way to visit all 4 major islands, see incredible views from my balcony, and enjoy some wonderful meals that I don't in any way have to prepare. ;-)

I should also add that I have not traveled on HAL since my 2nd cruise waaaaaay back in 1988 ... so I can't really give you a great picture of differences between the two lines at this point. I can, however, tell you as a frequent NCL cruiser that there are likely to be plenty of families on a trip like this, especially if you go when schools are not in session. That may or may not be an issue for you, but my impression from HAL is that younger kids are not the norm, or at least not in the quantity they are on some NCL cruises. Dining may be another area where you will note differences from HAL ... but note I say differences, I don't know what the current quality of HAL food is. I expect that it is quite good. With the rare exception, I have almost always been happy with my meals on NCL, particularly in the specialty restaurants.

We are HAL cruisers but like the Hawaiian itinerary - any thing we need to know - major differences? We like that its a smaller ship.

Because you have longer times in port plus overnights I would look into renting cars and doing things on your own. The islands are very easy to get around and the highlights are easy to find as long as you do your homework.

The 2nd poster pretty much hit the major differences of the POA from other NCL ships.

Pretty much everything else is the same though like types/names of restaurants and menus.

We were on for our 2nd time in 2016 and we had a great time.

We are HAL cruisers but like the Hawaiian itinerary - any thing we need to know - major differences? We like that its a smaller ship.

I can't give you a direct comparison with HAL as I've never sailed that line. However, I will tell you that the POA Hawaii cruise is, IMO, fantastic. It's a great way to see several different islands, with a comfortable hotel moving along with you so you never have to pack up between islands.

The cruise experience on the POA is a little different, mostly because it's really a very port intensive cruise and you likely won't spend much time on the ship. We rented a car on every island we went to, and did our own thing. No ship's excursions at all, and we never lacked for something we wanted to do or see. We were off the ship after breakfast every day, and usually came back to the ship as late as we could, to grab dinner and crash. On the two overnight port stops, you can come and go as you please, at any time.

I will say that the service style on POA is little different from all the other NCL ships. I believe this is due to the fact that a major percentage of the crew must be U.S. nationals or have valid U.S. green cards, due to the regulations for a U.S. flagged ship. This results in more of the kind of attitude you'd get in any good U.S. restaurant or hotel...it's more like "good buddy" than "at your service." Some people don't like that, but we didn't find it to be a problem..the service was still excellent.

As mentioned elsewhere, there is no casino, and there are no drink packages, so you buy all your drinks. But again, you're off the ship so much that this really isn't a huge issue.

Once you've done the POA cruise, you're only problem will be figuring out which island you want to go back to on a future land vacation!

Good afternoon everyone!

In reading the 2nd post (and the rest), what can one expect for nightly entertainment? Shows, trivia etc? This is coming from Royal Caribbean last month (and 3 priors on Royal) and 6 others cruises....... the family we're traveling with were huge

fans of the nightly entertainment and trivia games....... What is the night life like on Pride?

Cheers

Vijay

Is this ship one of the prior American Hawaii Cruises ships?

Is this ship one of the prior American Hawaii Cruises ships?

It was one of two ships originally ordered by a company called American Classic Voyages. Construction first began in 2000 at a shipyard in Mississippi but production was halted when the cruise line went bankrupt in 2001. Norwegian purchased the unfinished ship and sent it to Germany for completion. Christened in 2005 it’s the only ship registered under the Norwegian subsidiary NCL America. Presently it’s also the only US registered cruise ship serving the Hawaiian market.

We were on the Pride of America last April. We attended the theatre shows every night. The theater entertainment included Polynesian/Hawaiian shows, a magician, a comedian, and musical shows with the production cast.

I recommend going to the theater show on the first night as it will probably be a variety show where you can get a taste of what is going to be presented during the rest of the cruise.

You do not need to reserve seating but should show up 15 minutes early if you want a good seat.

Many posters have provided excellent answers!

We went on POA in Jan 2017. Here is my review if you'd like to read.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/show...ht=willowvacay

Restaurants are NCL staples and the food was the NCL norm which is good IMHO.

I loved the port time. It gave us time to do whatever we wanted, and the fact that we could rent cars and easily drive around made the trip awesome. We didn't rent a car on Maui and that wasnt the best decision, so I recommend renting one.

We went to the variety show the first night and as a PP said, it gave us a good idea of what to expect. "Oh What a night" was the best show on board and we loved it. There was also a comedian and they were good too. One night the entertainment we went to was the sail-by of the lava flow which was awesome!

American crew do have an effect on service as others mentioned. We noticed the biggest amount of difference in places like guest services and the excursions desk as these people tend to provide great service on other ships and "meh" service on POA.

We had a fantastic time on POA.

Because you have longer times in port plus overnights I would look into renting cars and doing things on your own. The islands are very easy to get around and the highlights are easy to find as long as you do your homework.

Any information you can give us on your experience of renting cars would be appreciated. Pick up, drop off, any particular company. Thanks so much, Vivien

Any information you can give us on your experience of renting cars would be appreciated. Pick up, drop off, any particular company. Thanks so much, Vivien

I used this site to book and found them cheaper than directly with the company.

https://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/

Once booked, check regularly for price changes. Prices go up and down like the stock market. If it’s cheaper just rebook and then cancel the original. Costco is also a place many recommend.

All ports have the rental companies pick up at the port. In Kona you can save time by booking from Dollar across the street at the Marriott King Kam hotel.

Any information you can give us on your experience of renting cars would be appreciated. Pick up, drop off, any particular company. Thanks so much, Vivien

Also be sure and check the CC Hawaii forum as well as the CC roll call for your cruise for information too.