Pride of Aloha Review

[Snapz]

Well we just got back...What a GREAT time we had. First off I want to say to all the people on the fence about this cruise....GO!!!!!!!!....Absolutely beautiful places we got to see.

 

The Ship...Pride of Aloha:

 

I read the reviews and was going into it as the ship was a "taxi"....let me tell it's WAY MORE than a taxi. My wife and I didn't have ANY complaints...The crew bent over backwards and was extremely friendly. We didn't see one unhappy or disgruntled crew member. The food was fine...everyday was a diffrent style buffet...mexican, cajun, japanese, chinese, BBQ.

Lots and lots of choices, so there's something for everyone at all times...DO NOT MISS the "Waffle Guy"...he's in the Hukilua Lania(back end of deck 11)..He sings all morning...so entertaining...also they make Omelettes...we ate there every morning...great food, people and views. The pools were awesome and clean...SALT WATER...so be prepared. There was ping pong tables, basketball court(full size I think), golf driving nets...even shuffleboard. The Bars are really nice...although I was over the fruity drinks by the 5th day...Vodka and Cranberry broke up the same ole Rum drinks. The room is small just like you'd think but plenty big enough for 2...how long you gonna be in there anyhow? ...huge port hole(oceanview stateroom) cleaned everyday by a nice staff of stewards who will cater to your every need. Niiiiccceeee. Clean, freindly, plenty of "free" food at almost all hours, (free room service anytime) good shows....dont miss the Not so new Newly Wed Game...hilarious!! ..Bring your voice for Karaoke...that how you spell it? :) Blue Hawiian Bar is the main music bar with DJ Mike....great guy. Stardust Theater(stage) in the back end of the ship....huge place with nice shows.

 

Shore Excursions: Now I can't speak for all of the excursions....but there are TONS to do. We took the Circle of Fire helicopter tour in Hilo over the volcano....great views....awesome if you can afford it.

We went on the Captain Zodiac snorkel in Kona....gorgeous cove in Hakelua Bay...nice guides...great sites.

Maui Ocean Center....absolutely a not miss if you dont want to snorkel and would like to see the native fish UP CLOSE....awesome place.

Lahainia On Your Own....wish we did this "on our own"...tour bus didn't give us enough time....great little whaleing village with streets of shops....perfect day if you like to walk and shop...ladies will love it...guys can always rent a Harley and let the ladies shop :)..can also charter Deep Sea fishing boats(hint: get to the town and shop around for diffrent prices on tours) for instance Parasailing: one place was 49 a person...another was 9 a person....so be frugal and look around before jumping on the first one you see.

Now let me talk about Kauai...this was my favorite island...although we didn't book an excursion here....there's plenty to do right off the ship in walking distance(5-10 minute walk)easy. Shops and rentals...scooters, mini cars(we did that and got directions to Kipu Falls) a local swimming hole with a 60 foot waterfall and rope swings...plenty deep enough...fresh water. Had a blast jumping off the waterfall...be brave and try it :)..FREE beach...clean and great sand. plent of stuff to rent right on the beach, snorkel, boogie boards and surf boards....I wish we'd have realized this was the best beach of them all. we figured they would only get better....but THIS is the best place to hangout all day with a Corona and watch the surf. Kanapali beack(right next to Lahaina is great too). Kona has a really nice port of shops also. HOT HOT place...Kona is known as the place of "merciless sun"...watch it you will get burnt if you dont be careful....again it's gonna be HOT outside. This is the only port you have to anchor off shore and take tenders in...hot boat ride...but not to bad.

 

AGAIN....Go on this cruise.....dont let a few bad reviews by people who think a bad day is not getting waited on hand and foot by a butler.

 

 

I'll answer as many questions as I can...so ask away :)

 

Mark and Donna Sullivan

Ontario, NY

cabin 4013

Pride of Aloha

[CRUZIN 4 SUN]

Is the Captain Zodiac snorkel in Kona worth the 100 bucks pp?

 

Can you get there on your own?

 

Glad to see NCL is getting it together

[Beach1]

Snapz: enjoyed the review. I booked the Pride of Aloha for Sept 10-06. After I booked it I read some of the reviews. I was a little disappointed I hadn't read them ahead of time. I have always been of the mind , a cruise is what you personally make it. I was very relieved to read your review. Thanks for making my day a tad better.

[spleen93]

Snapz - thanks for the review!!

 

Spleen

[awm]

I'm trying to decide between these 2 ships. 'America' is a new ship and is $1000 per suite cheaper than 'Aloha'.

Can someone shed some light on this for me please?

Thanks,

[awm]

I'm trying to decide between these 2 ships. 'America' is a new ship and is $1000 per suite cheaper than 'Aloha'.

Can someone shed some light on this for me please?

Thanks,

 

Anyone care to offer their advice on choosing from these two ships?

[Quincella]

Anyone care to offer their advice on choosing from these two ships?

I had the same choice and ultimately chose the Aloha for a couple of reasons. First, timing. We wanted to fly in on a Friday and have a couple of days before boarding the ship. That meant a Sunday departure, and the America departs on Saturday. Also, for the particular week we wanted to go, Aloha was quite a bit less expensive. We decided that we wanted to spend the extra money on shore excursions instead of on a room we wouldn't be in very often. If it were a Caribbean cruise, we may have chosen differently. For a cruise that is so port intensive and that the motivation was the destination and not the cruise itself, it made sense for us.

 

If we had been to Hawaii before, we may have selected the America. From what I understand she is a beautiful ship and I would love to sail her. In our case, it just wasn't worth the extra money.

 

I have no idea why the suites on America are so much cheaper than on the Aloha. Could be a simple case of supply and demand, meaning, the suites could be booking faster on Aloha for some sailings, or America could have more of them (not sure...just throwing out some theories).

 

Hope that adds some food for though.