Grading the Pride of America

[sailboy]

Since there appears to be so many negative reviews here about the Pride of America I decided to analyze the 42 CC reviews to date. These go back to May 5. Here is the summary:

 

OVERALL 55%

 

EMBARKATION 74%

PUBLIC ROOMS 72%

FITNESS 71%

EXCURSIONS 68%

CABIN 59%

ENTERTAINMENT 58%

VALUE 53%

SERVICE 50%

DINING 48%

 

These results seem to dovetail pretty well with the reviewers' comments. If I were NCL I think I would want to address some of the more serious areas - 2 of which appear to be service and dining.

[johnql]

Out of curiosity, can you explain how you came up with the percentages?

[sailboy]

CC assigns a scale of 1 to 6 for each criterion. I averaged each of the criterion and the percentage was the average divided by 6.

[Don Haynes]

It appears NCL America needs to double their crew's pay and quadruple the prices of the cruises. Can't keep crew, passengers who can't read what to flush, obviously there needs to be an upgrade in employees and passengers....

 

You would think if the cruise lines can get the smoke smell out of the cabins pronto, they could get the stink of the plumbing out too.....

[shoreguy]

CC assigns a scale of 1 to 6 for each criterion. I averaged each of the criterion and the percentage was the average divided by 6.

 

 

Still don't understand - If you took the average rating ie dinning 2.5 that might make more sense

[Glendamcd]

Just got back from sailing on Pride of America

 

Food 3

Balcony room 5

Fitness room 4

Food Servers 4

Room attendant 4

Shows 3

Decor 6

Excursions 4

Activities 3

 

The issues we found on the ship were smells from diesel or ship fuel and also

near the theater the bathrooms had terrible sewer odors. Also they had the

chocolate buffet at 2:30 in the day when most everyone was off the ship

on excursions. They should have had this atleast when most were back on ship since this was the only formal buffet they had.

 

The Italian restaurant was one of our worst experiences. The Bistro was one of the nicest. The Japanese Steak house was good. The Liberty dining room was lovely and the food was okay

 

We felt the rooms were large enough. After hearing complaints about the size of the rooms and balconies we were expecting a lot worse and were very happy with the rooms once we got there.

 

Used a private tour in Hilo and loved it. Got a lot better personal view of the Volcano and Craters from our tour guide. Green Travel Tours, our guide was a retired military gentleman and he gave us Banana Apples off of his own tree

Really enjoyed his personal touches to his island. Met us at the ship, we were worried because they changed the time the ship arrived to 10:00 Am instead of 8:00 AM but he was there waiting for us.

 

NCL booked us at the Prince Kuhio Radisson. This was an okay hotel with about 3 blocks walk to Waikiki Beach. Lovely lobby but the rooms were in need of some work and the elevators were down all but two. (31 floors)

 

Mr. Hys Steak house just two blocks from Raddison on Kuhio was fantastic. If you want a special treat, make arrangements to eat at this restaurant. A little hard to find but look for a small sign that says HYs

 

Best place to have lunch in Honolulu was the Royal Hawaiin Hotel on the patio. "Big Pink" Hotel. We had wonderful drinks and a great lunch.

 

Hope this helps someone

GM

[nicknack]

Was the 10:00 arrival in Hilo a permanent change from now on, or just your cruise, and what reason did they give (this time)?

[penorment]

Thanks for your concise review. I am glad you enjoyed some things at least. Too bad about the smell that lingers. I hope they work that out soon!!! I was excited to hear about the Royal Hawaiian because I am lucky enough to stay there for a few days following my cruise in December. It seems they are making some progress with the cleanliness of the cabins.

[honestguy]

pride of aloha's approval rating was around 75% while i was on board some weeks were better then others. We hit 80 one time and the hotel director made a big deal out of it. that was nice. There are far more happy people than upset but the fact remains the ships get way lower marks then the international ships. Point is as I have stated you can have a great time on board

[Retired not Expired]

pride of aloha's approval rating was around 75% while i was on board some weeks were better then others. We hit 80 one time and the hotel director made a big deal out of it. that was nice. There are far more happy people than upset but the fact remains the ships get way lower marks then the international ships. Point is as I have stated you can have a great time on board

 

Thanks, Honestguy. Since what you quoted comes from comes from a wider ship survey, it would be a much more accurate indication of the ships than ranking the relative few who come to the CC site.

 

I believe there are still many things that need to improve, just don't believe it is as bad as some on here wants us to believe. I was on the Aloha and had a wonderful time.

[still a jersey girl]

I was on the PoAm on the 10th. As I've said here on other posts, it wasn't perfect but we had a great time. We found the crew friendly and helpful and not as lazy as everyone has said. Our steward was responsive and kept everything in good shape. The bathroom was always clean and we had NO problems with toilets. While the food wasn't always the finest I've ever eaten, I can't say that I didn't always find something. We enjoyed Little Italy and the Bistro. Only ate in Skyline once, but it was fine and the service was acceptable. Enjoyed the activities and the shows. We knew going in that this would not be a typical cruise as there were so many land activitiies. We saw many things, in fact everything we had hoped to see,plus a little more.

 

For the amount we paid, we feel we got good value. We also were at Prince Kuhio. The walk to the beach was short. We were lucky because we were on the 10th floor so could use any elevator. It was fine because we were only there to sleep and were out almost the whole time before boarding ship.

 

A good attitude always helps you find the best in life.

[alinnj]

Maybe the German shipyard was trying to tell us something??? :)

SEWAGE SMELL:rolleyes: LOL

One of many different tiles found aboard the ship in the mens room.

[nicknack]

NickNack - Just wanted to let you know that you have made it quite apparent that you are terribly disappointed with your Pride of America cruise. Every post that I've read of yours is dripping w/ sarcasm and discontent over your cruise. I have to tell you, missing lava, lazy stewards, late arrivals/departures, fuel conspiracies, bland food, decreased coastal cruising - none of these have decreased my excitement for my upcoming Pride of America cruise. I just wanted to tell you that I think you've made your point loud and clear.

Some people feel such need to reassure themselves that they have made the right decision to sail on a ship that has been the subject of so much negative comment that they lash out at even simple questions. I hope such attempts to stifle open conversation and requests for information do not dissuade the other members of this forum from pursing information about both the good and the bad of those cruiseships in which you have interests and need for information. Amy, I hope you have a great cruise and come back respecting the rights of others to have full and open discussion.

[Lightbulb03]

We cruised 8/27 and had a great time. Great Food, Great excursions, great crew, great cabin. Everything was fantastic. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We loved Hawaii so much we might go back in February 2006.

 

NCL and the Prides are tops with us. If you are on the fence after reading all these reviews, if you are doubting your plans that have already been made, I'm telling you you won't regret a thing if and when you sail on the Prides.

 

The itinerary was perfect. Where or how else can you see Hawaii from this perspective. It was the experience of a lifetime. We were able to experience the different terrains, personalities and climates of each individual island as well as the people, history and behind-the-scenes stories and tips.

 

I'm getting all jazzed up again just writing about it. It's been almost a month since we sailed and I'll never be the same again.

 

Go for IT!:p :p :p

[travelling mom]

We cruised 8/27 and had a great time. Great Food, Great excursions, great crew, great cabin. Everything was fantastic. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We loved Hawaii so much we might go back in February 2006.

 

NCL and the Prides are tops with us. If you are on the fence after reading all these reviews, if you are doubting your plans that have already been made, I'm telling you you won't regret a thing if and when you sail on the Prides.

 

The itinerary was perfect. Where or how else can you see Hawaii from this perspective. It was the experience of a lifetime. We were able to experience the different terrains, personalities and climates of each individual island as well as the people, history and behind-the-scenes stories and tips.

 

I'm getting all jazzed up again just writing about it. It's been almost a month since we sailed and I'll never be the same again.

 

Go for IT!:p :p :p

 

I'm with you Lightbulb03. We were on the 8/13 sailing and we're still thinking about it. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would love to do it again. As mentioned, not everything went according to plan, and I wasn't going to let small things ruin my trip. To all the people booked on Pride of America, you will have a great time, with that itinerary, you can't go wrong.

[gzyteck]

I checked with an ship's officer as soon as we boarded on 9/17 about the arrival time in Hilo and was told it would be 10 am. Since we had booked with Tony at Green Travel and Tours for 8 am, I contacted the tour company and told them of our change. Guess what, we arrived in Hilo at 8 am, so I had to call the tour company again. All worked out and our tour was great! The people on the dock told me POAM is always late and they weren't ready for our 8 am arrival, even the POAM excursion buses weren't there.

[CruisinMK]

I just booked this cruise today, for Oct 15th.

I live in Hawaii and this will be my 4th Hawaii cruise.

This is my 11th cruise overall, first time in a penthouse suite.

 

I have noticed I often am much happier than most of the passengers on cruises.

This may be because I like cruising more than others, it may be because I tend to overlook problems. Most likely, I am simply easy to please and not very discriminating.

 

I really enjoyed the Norwegian Star for example, but most of the ship was seasick from the open sea trek to fanning island. My family never gets seasick, luckily.

 

Once I found the "good" dining room on the back of the ship, service and meals were great. We once tried eating at the specialty restaurant, which was so bad as to be comedic. The CDC was inspecting the kitchen in that particular restaurant that night, since it was the ships maiden voyage. While the CDC was investigating this kitchen, they served me a Steak which was raw. The CDC is watching them like a hawk, and they are on their best behavior, and I get a biohazard raw steak. Not medium like I ordered, not rare, I'm talking raw. I sent it back, and they send it to me again so undercooked I would not brave eating it. So I asked for a different entree and it was ok. Anyway, it didn't make me grumpy about the rest of the cruise.

 

I was blown away by the quality of the entertainment, usually entertainment on ships doesn't often impress me. Perhaps they had a special setup for the maiden voyage, to impress all the travel agents onboard. It was broadway quality, no kidding.

 

The main reason I'm doing the Pride of America is the itinerary. Going to kiribati is simply a waste, not only the stop itself, but the days lost going there and back, which could be far better spent in the hawaiian islands. Since the pride of America is able to skip this stop, you have more time in the islands, and most importantly, more time at each port. Having substantially more time at port as this ship does, is a really big deal in my opinion.

 

Anyway I guess this is offtopic since it's another ship I'm talking about, just felt like sharing. I'm looking forward to my Pride of America cruise, and appreciate all the reviews here.

[doncolleen]

We are also on the POam on 10/15 in a penthouse suite. We are so excited, we are counting the days. Since you are from the Islands, do you have any suggestions for various ports. We have a car rental in each port so we are open to any ideas.

[penorment]

Please let us know how you enjoy your suites since we will be in one in December and I would love to hear about your experiences.

[sunshine 229]

I just booked this cruise today, for Oct 15th.

I live in Hawaii and this will be my 4th Hawaii cruise.

This is my 11th cruise overall, first time in a penthouse suite.

 

I have noticed I often am much happier than most of the passengers on cruises.

This may be because I like cruising more than others, it may be because I tend to overlook problems. Most likely, I am simply easy to please and not very discriminating.

 

I really enjoyed the Norwegian Star for example, but most of the ship was seasick from the open sea trek to fanning island. My family never gets seasick, luckily.

 

Once I found the "good" dining room on the back of the ship, service and meals were great. We once tried eating at the specialty restaurant, which was so bad as to be comedic. The CDC was inspecting the kitchen in that particular restaurant that night, since it was the ships maiden voyage. While the CDC was investigating this kitchen, they served me a Steak which was raw. The CDC is watching them like a hawk, and they are on their best behavior, and I get a biohazard raw steak. Not medium like I ordered, not rare, I'm talking raw. I sent it back, and they send it to me again so undercooked I would not brave eating it. So I asked for a different entree and it was ok. Anyway, it didn't make me grumpy about the rest of the cruise.

 

I was blown away by the quality of the entertainment, usually entertainment on ships doesn't often impress me. Perhaps they had a special setup for the maiden voyage, to impress all the travel agents onboard. It was broadway quality, no kidding.

 

The main reason I'm doing the Pride of America is the itinerary. Going to kiribati is simply a waste, not only the stop itself, but the days lost going there and back, which could be far better spent in the hawaiian islands. Since the pride of America is able to skip this stop, you have more time in the islands, and most importantly, more time at each port. Having substantially more time at port as this ship does, is a really big deal in my opinion.

 

Anyway I guess this is offtopic since it's another ship I'm talking about, just felt like sharing. I'm looking forward to my Pride of America cruise, and appreciate all the reviews here.

 

It is nice to hear from someone who is so excited about going on their cruise! I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

At least you seem to be someone who has the ability to overlook small glitches and move beyond them to have a good time, so I expect you will enjoy this a lot.

 

I'll be anxious to read your impressions of this ship once you return.

[hot cookie]

Just returned from the 9/17 sailing, and I have to say there were no noticable odors detected anywhere......

 

Please go and have a great time like we did! It's a fun cruise with an excellent itinerary........ shame on you if you can't have a good time in Hawaii!!!! :)

 

The crew go out of their way to be helpful, the scenery is beautiful, and the ship is brand-new...........what else needs to be said??