Just returned from the Pride of America 9/21 to 9/28

[margaretmerrill]

My sister and I went on this cruise because we liked the itenerary. We were sick of the cold and snow. I had read negative reviews, but still wanted to try it for myself as I knew my sister really wanted to see Hawaii. We aren`t much into sea days, so this was perfect for us. I have been on about 15 cruises, mostly Princess and Celebrity, so NCL was new to us. First of all the ship is really beautiful. We were stunned to get on and see the atrium, and we both said wow! Our cabin was 10648 and we had a nice balcony. Our room was bright and cheerful, but small and well laid out. I even asked if I could buy the bedspread! The beds were quite comfortable, and had a mattress pad under the sheets. We had a wonderful cabin attendent, named Teddy. He is Filipino but is an american citizen. He worked really hard for us. My sister, of course, wanted to take him home.

Now for the bad part. I have never had bad food before on a cruise. I wasn`t the only one who said that. I heard it repeatedly. Even after we got off, we met some people who had been on the Pride of Aloha, and they said the food and the service was bad.

The first night I had prime rib. It was almost raw and didn`t have much flavor. The second night I had lobster. It was 2 tiny tails, and tasted old and strong. I had creme brulee, but it wasn`t creamy and smooth like I have had before. The people who had steak said it was dry and tough. The baked alaska was a joke. They put a pancake on a plate, put on a scoop of icecream and topped it with whip cream. We finally gave up and started eating at the buffet, which was pretty good, and also, the Cadallac diner, which we liked too, especially their hamburgers. I think we went there 3 times. We didn`t sign up for any specialty restaurants, as I had wanted to see what the dining room served. By then it was too late. I think people who had been on before and knew about the food, jumped right in and signed up for the specialty restaurants. I heard nothing but good things about the specialty restaurants. We usually ate early in the skyline dining room, and didn`t have too much trouble with service in the dining room, although we heard other people saying they waited forever to be served. Breakfast was good, no matter where you ate on the ship. Our last night we went back and ate in the Slyline dining room again, and the service was terrible. I also heard that housekeeping didn`t always do their job in a timely fashion. We were just lucky to get Teddy. The entertainment was pretty mediocre, but they did have one comedian/juggler, who was very funny. His name was Barry John, just in case you are going. I doubt we will go on Norwegian again, which is a shame because the ship was so pretty. I can`t understand why they don`t improve the food in the dining room. They must hear the same comments over and over again.

[lhall85917]

Thanks for the review, too bad the food wasn't better. We continue to watch all reviews closely and hope to see more improvements in service and food.