Pride of Hawaii Cruise 8/7/06

[mandha]

Based on comments on various forums and from a travel agent I went on this cruise not expecting too much. My expectations were met, unfortunately. NCL America has a long way to go to improve the quality of service and food before it matches NCL International.

 

In talking with several of the ship's crew they were all working on the ship as part of a break from college or to see what working on a cruise ship was like. They were not a professional cruise staff and the service reflected that. Whether in the restaurants or elsewhere on the ship, service was inconsistent and not up too the standards one would expect.

 

The food was generally not too good, with small portions served. If you found something you liked you needed to order a second meal to make a dinner of it. One night we went to the Tapas restaurant but found that it was really a poor quality TexMex restaurant. When I questioned one of the staff about the misrepresenation I got a shrug of the shoulders. I think the best food on the ship was in the buffet.

 

We were upgraded from a balcony cabin on deck nine to a so called mini-suite on deck eleven. A mini-suite it is not, just an enlarged balcony cabin with an extra sitting area. We were on the Jewel this past December and were in a mini-suite that had all the extras that one would expect.

 

In talking with several of the other passengers I found I was not alone in my poor opinion of the ship and it's services. In my opinion you certaintly do not get your money's worth compared to other cruise lines.

[newlywedcruisers]

Based on comments on various forums and from a travel agent I went on this cruise not expecting too much. My expectations were met, unfortunately. NCL America has a long way to go to improve the quality of service and food before it matches NCL International.

 

In talking with several of the ship's crew they were all working on the ship as part of a break from college or to see what working on a cruise ship was like. They were not a professional cruise staff and the service reflected that. Whether in the restaurants or elsewhere on the ship, service was inconsistent and not up too the standards one would expect.

 

The food was generally not too good, with small portions served. If you found something you liked you needed to order a second meal to make a dinner of it. One night we went to the Tapas restaurant but found that it was really a poor quality TexMex restaurant. When I questioned one of the staff about the misrepresenation I got a shrug of the shoulders. I think the best food on the ship was in the buffet.

 

We were upgraded from a balcony cabin on deck nine to a so called mini-suite on deck eleven. A mini-suite it is not, just an enlarged balcony cabin with an extra sitting area. We were on the Jewel this past December and were in a mini-suite that had all the extras that one would expect.

 

In talking with several of the other passengers I found I was not alone in my poor opinion of the ship and it's services. In my opinion you certaintly do not get your money's worth compared to other cruise lines.

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this cruise, were there any high points at all?

[HopkinsCruiser]

I'm sorry, too.

 

Did you do any excursions?

 

Tina :)

POH 3/07

[sunshine 229]

I'm sorry also. Since according to another thread here, NCL(A) just announced that they have finally got the staffing level of their ships( in numbers) up to where it should be I was hoping that we would be getting better reports from returning cruisers. We have had a number of mostly positive reviews but now, hearing what you have to say about the quality of service you received it is disappointing.

 

Still, as we've all said many times before, Hawaii is beautiful.

[tomluvsaida]

Here's another review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=397738

Notice it is on the same ship on exactly the same dates. Your review is very negative and has very little content. The other person's is very positive and full of content. I haven't been on the ship yet so I'm saying anything about who's right and who's wrong. Maybe you're both right. But you definately have completely different opinions about the same exact ship on the same exact dates.:rolleyes:

[mandha]

The high points were not on the ship but were in visiting the beautiful islands. We took shore excursions each day and saw a taste of what Hawaii has to offer. If this had been my first cruise I might of not been as dissappointed with the service as I was, but I've cruised Princess to Alaska, RCI to the Western Caribbean, NCL to the Eastern Caribbean, and even Carnival ( a friends selection) to Canada.

[mandha]

We took excursions on each island. Did Pearl Harbor, the Road to Hana, island tour on Hilo, submarine on Maui, rented a car on Kaui and took a helicopter ride to see Napoli coast.

[mandha]

I can't say I totally agree with this review, but different people percieve things differently. For example, we made dinner reservations when we got on the ship only to find out, when we went to dinner on the first night, that our reservations were non-existent. Apparently the person who took our reservations did not know how to use the computer system properly and they were never confirmed by him after the data entry.

 

We took advantage of the Easy Fly option going home so we would not have to drag our luggage to the airport. Again, an unskilled staff, had a problem generating the paperwork need to use this option, and we did not get the boarding passes and luggage tags we needed until late on the night of disembarkcation. This was a problem for most of the Easy Fly users.

 

As I previously stated the bad food did not help the situation. The buffet should not be the best food on the ship.

 

I spoke with several other cruisers who basically thought the same of the ship that I did, and were not pleased with their cruise experience. My wife and I enjoyed our vacation because we had a good time together, but a properly run ship would have made it just that much better.

[tomluvsaida]

Here's another review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=397738

Notice it is on the same ship on exactly the same dates. Your review is very negative and has very little content. The other person's is very positive and full of content. I haven't been on the ship yet so I'm saying anything about who's right and who's wrong. Maybe you're both right. But you definately have completely different opinions about the same exact ship on the same exact dates.:rolleyes:

Here's another review that is on the same ship just before your cruise. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=399164

[mandha]

I'm sorry but the comments of other cruisers does not change my opinion of NCL America. I never met my cabin steward and found it impossible to get a hold of him. I could never get a hold of the concerige since his phone was always busy. The desparity in cruisers comments just underlines the inconsistancy of service on the Pride of Hawaii. My opinion of a second quality cruise line stands.

[mbmam2]

Mandha, I wrote the first review Tom mentions. Unfortunately, we did talk to several other people while on the cruise that feel as you do. Also, if mine is read carefully, especially with the added comment about the Grand Pacific, we saw some of the same things. We also believe they still have a way to go to have consistent, good service for everyone.

 

I wrote my review because I felt that one of the main differences in the experience on POH was whether or not a passenger was able to make reservations in the good restaurants for the week. If that happened, then the situation was tolerable, and in some instances excellent, though even then service was spotty. If you had no reservations, or only in the main dining rooms, you were really in for a bad cruise.

 

We had a wonderful vacation in spite of the service issues, but it did take away from the experience. Let's hope NCLA continues to improve, because Hawaii is a great itinerary.

 

My $.02.

[Califonria cruiser]

Thank you for sharing your experience. All information is helpful!

 

Jenn

[tomluvsaida]

Mandha, I wrote the first review Tom mentions. Unfortunately, we did talk to several other people while on the cruise that feel as you do. Also, if mine is read carefully, especially with the added comment about the Grand Pacific, we saw some of the same things. We also believe they still have a way to go to have consistent, good service for everyone.

 

I wrote my review because I felt that one of the main differences in the experience on POH was whether or not a passenger was able to make reservations in the good restaurants for the week. If that happened, then the situation was tolerable, and in some instances excellent, though even then service was spotty. If you had no reservations, or only in the main dining rooms, you were really in for a bad cruise.

 

We had a wonderful vacation in spite of the service issues, but it did take away from the experience. Let's hope NCLA continues to improve, because Hawaii is a great itinerary.

 

My $.02.

 

Thanks for clearing that up. Ya, although you both had different experiences I feel both are valid. The one thing that is coming through loud and clear from just about everybody on this board is the need to make reservations. Except for lobster night in the main dinning room we plan on either eating in the specialty restaurants or the buffet the entire trip. The problems really seem to be centered on the main dinning rooms.

The only other issue I'm likely to care about will be getting our room cleaned. I plan on finding our room steward and tipping him/her to have it cleaned and our bed made before we come back from our excursions. I'll let him or her know that if they do the same each day they will get the same $20 tip each day as well as a good written recommendation on the comments card about their service. It will be our honeymoon so spending an extra $120 to get things done right doesn't bother me.

[Renija]

The only other issue I'm likely to care about will be getting our room cleaned. I plan on finding our room steward and tipping him/her to have it cleaned and our bed made before we come back from our excursions. I'll let him or her know that if they do the same each day they will get the same $20 tip each day as well as a good written recommendation on the comments card about their service. It will be our honeymoon so spending an extra $120 to get things done right doesn't bother me.

 

I'm just thinking how messed up this all becomes with the very idea of a tip. I still feel tip should be something for an excellent service, otherwise it should be included in the price up front. Now, on ships run poorly servicewise, people will have to start tipping not for exceptional quality of service (which is the very idea of a tip in my opinion), but for getting the service you have paid for at all. In a way, it's bad motivation for NCLA, they provide lousy service, but charge the cruise fee + service fee + people start giving additional tips just to get the job done at all :(

I fully understand your point about wanting to have a decent honeymoon, though, it's just sad how it all turns out.

[mbmam2]

[quote=tomluvsaida]Thanks for clearing that up. Ya, although you both had different experiences I feel both are valid. The one thing that is coming through loud and clear from just about everybody on this board is the need to make reservations. Except for lobster night in the main dinning room we plan on either eating in the specialty restaurants or the buffet the entire trip. The problems really seem to be centered on the main dinning rooms.

The only other issue I'm likely to care about will be getting our room cleaned. I plan on finding our room steward and tipping him/her to have it cleaned and our bed made before we come back from our excursions. I'll let him or her know that if they do the same each day they will get the same $20 tip each day as well as a good written recommendation on the comments card about their service. It will be our honeymoon so spending an extra $120 to get things done right doesn't bother me.

Tom, did you see the other thread about reservations and my addition on the food and service in the Grand Pacific on lobster night? That was actually our worst experience, so my recommendation would be to skip it and just get good lobster for the extra $25 in Cagney's.

 

Also, I know the stewards have been reportedly uneven as well, but we received exceptional service in both rooms without the up front deal. I did give him $140 upon debarkation, because we had heard they may not get alll of the service charge back to them. He was very appreciative. Try to get Edwin on deck 11.

 

We made friends with a couple of honeymooners (young enough to be our kids!) and they had a great time. The key will be to relax and not sweat the small stuff. Oh yeah, and board early and make reservations first thing!

 

Have a great trip.

 

MBMAM

[mississauga]

The one thing that is coming through loud and clear from just about everybody on this board is the need to make reservations. Except for lobster night in the main dinning room we plan on either eating in the specialty restaurants or the buffet the entire trip. The problems really seem to be centered on the main dinning rooms.

 

I'm just thinking how messed up this all becomes with the very idea of a tip. I still feel tip should be something for an excellent service, otherwise it should be included in the price up front. Now, on ships run poorly servicewise, people will have to start tipping not for exceptional quality of service (which is the very idea of a tip in my opinion), but for getting the service you have paid for at all. In a way, it's bad motivation for NCLA, they provide lousy service, but charge the cruise fee + service fee + people start giving additional tips just to get the job done at all :(

 

 

I agree that it is sad that you have to either pay extra to get decent food in the specialty restaurants and/or tip extra just to get the quality of service you expect and do get on other cruiselines.

I could not believe it when I started reading about the problems NCLA passengers were having on their cruises. When we cruised on American Lines ( I think that was the name of the cruiseline) the m.s. Patroit in 2001 for our 25th wedding anniversary, we had a wonderful time. Our waiter was ok but our assistant waiter ( we gave him the same tip as the waiter ....waiters are suppose to get about 50% more than assistants) was wonderful and made up for the just ok waiter. The food was excellent. ( no specialty restaurants back then). The only negative was that they only had dried out sandwiches if you wanted something to munch on after the dining rooms were closed....no midnight buffet or 24 hr. buffets. Our room steward was also very nice...a quiet Hawaiian lady who kept our cabin very clean. Service was good to excellent, the food was excellent but the best part was the quality of the entertainment. Wow, what talented performers they had! Not only did they put on excellent production shows but each performer had their own show in the nightclubs on different evenings of the cruise. All staff on board worked 12 weeks on and 6 weeks off and were paid for the 6 weeks. I understand that NCLA took over after 2001 but what happened to all the staff and programs that were working so well under American Lines? NCLA needs to find out how come it worked so well for American Lines and try to pattern their program so that NCLA passengers can enjoy their cruises.

We would love to return to Hawaii for another cruise but perhaps on another cruiseline unless we hear more positive reviews about NCLA.

[mississauga]

BTW: The m.s. Patroit was an older ship ( ready to be replaced in 2002)and I hear the NCLA ships are beautiful and quite new, I know. However, service, food and entertainment are much more important, IMHO. That is what makes a cruise!

[WSABE]

Our 5 cents worth" My wife and I were also on the Pride of Hawaii 8-7-06 cruise. Deck 11. Did NOT do the easy fly. Comments: 1)Cabin was very nice. One of the best we have enjoyed. Had the most storage space, large closet, shower & tub. Larger balcony. Steward was attentive and professional. 2) Ship is designed for a youger/at heart crowd. Not stuffy. Lots to do. Bright, eclectic decoration througout. No casino. Shows pretty good but not eye popping. 3) Stops were fine. Interesting. One tender stop in Kona. Pretty quick. 4) Excursions were numerous. We did 4. Beaches were wonderful. 5) FOOD/DINING. Needs work. Food was just ok but Cagney's and Le Bistro were better. 6) Freestyle: Needs work. Never did this. Reservations upon boarding a must. Confusing. Avoid the "tex-mex" venue (bad). 7) Food service: Unimpressive but adequate. 8) Pool grill (best cheeseburgers I've had); buffet was ok. Don't do this cruise yet if you expect haute cuisine and food service to match. 9) Overall: We had a great time. I expect they will improve the Freestyle approach over time. Even so we'd do it again tomorrow. We have done many cruises on top flight lines. This is a bit different. If you are a bit forgiving on the food and food service the rest is just fine. Aloha!

[hotspur]

Don't do this cruise yet if you expect haute cuisine and food service to match.

Don't do ANY mass-market cruise (and that includes Celebrity and HAL) "if you expect haute cuisine and food service to match." You're not going to find it, and don't let the tuxedos and ball gowns :rolleyes: fool you.

[ce2000]

Are you going to tell me that the food and service is better on POH than on Celebrity or HAL?

[hotspur]

Are you going to tell me that the food and service is better on POH than on Celebrity or HAL?

I suggest you re-read what I wrote above.

[ce2000]

I know you didn't say that the food and service was better on POH than on Celebrity or HAL, did you not see the smiley face. Relax, take a vacation, book an NCL cruise you will have a very good time, I know I did. It's Saturday night, let's have some fun. How much NCL Stock do you own?

[tomluvsaida]

[quote=tomluvsaida]Thanks for clearing that up. Ya, although you both had different experiences I feel both are valid. The one thing that is coming through loud and clear from just about everybody on this board is the need to make reservations. Except for lobster night in the main dinning room we plan on either eating in the specialty restaurants or the buffet the entire trip. The problems really seem to be centered on the main dinning rooms.

The only other issue I'm likely to care about will be getting our room cleaned. I plan on finding our room steward and tipping him/her to have it cleaned and our bed made before we come back from our excursions. I'll let him or her know that if they do the same each day they will get the same $20 tip each day as well as a good written recommendation on the comments card about their service. It will be our honeymoon so spending an extra $120 to get things done right doesn't bother me.

 

Tom, did you see the other thread about reservations and my addition on the food and service in the Grand Pacific on lobster night? That was actually our worst experience, so my recommendation would be to skip it and just get good lobster for the extra $25 in Cagney's.

 

Also, I know the stewards have been reportedly uneven as well, but we received exceptional service in both rooms without the up front deal. I did give him $140 upon debarkation, because we had heard they may not get alll of the service charge back to them. He was very appreciative. Try to get Edwin on deck 11.

 

We made friends with a couple of honeymooners (young enough to be our kids!) and they had a great time. The key will be to relax and not sweat the small stuff. Oh yeah, and board early and make reservations first thing!

 

Have a great trip.

 

MBMAM

Thanks for that good advice! I think I'll hold off on the extra tip until they have actually earned it. Thanks for the tip about Edwin on deck 11!:) I think that is where we will be! We will be in room 11090, a mini-suite. We plan on making reservations for Cagney's, Le Bistro, Jasmine and Papa's. Someone said on lobster night lobster is served in the buffet as well! If that is the case....All you can eat lobster!!!???:D I'm not sure how one screws up a lobster. You just boil it or broil it.

[tiacruise]

Aloha Tom,

 

My family group (six adults) from Honolulu were on the August 7 cruise and we absolutely loved it. The prepared list of reservations we wanted to request, placed by my son who boarded as soon as he could, was no doubt a huge plus.

 

Our steward was delightful and very thorough. The balcony rooms were just fine, with the gaudy (my opinion) bedspread replaced by a comfy white duvet. The bathroom layout was excellent and offered far more stowing space than those of the other two cruises we've taken (NCL Int. & Celebrity) although the separate toilet was miniscule.

 

We loved the service in the restaurants, although we only dined in the main dining room once. The waitstaffs were great fun. On my husband's 65th birthday Le Bistro maitre d' and waitstaff REALLY went the extra mile. (Can't explain or everyone will ask for the same special treatment!)

 

We're casual folks, not interested in formal night, so when we were told that both main restaurants were formal on Tuesday night, we took a chance on the Aloha Nui Cafe (buffet) where we were told lobster was offered. Yes, it was, all the lobster you can eat, as some very fine prime rib as well. The buffet was consistently very good for breakfast and lunch, as well. (We were told later that the main restaurants were really "formal optional.")

 

We had the free room service breakfast on our balconies the first two days and were told by the crew that this was a good idea as the main dining rooms were a madhouse the first two days.

 

I agree the tapas restaurant was not good, although our server was very pleasant. The Italian restaurant was good, with wonderful osso bucco, and the multi-culture Asian cuisine at Jasmine Garden was very, very good, along with their service. We know sushi, and the Sushi Bar was very good.

 

In talking with folks on board, they seemed to be in one of two camps: Those who were having a great time and enjoyed communicating with the crew, and those who seemed to be looking for five-star dining and service and were disappointed in most everything.

 

I'm sure part of our very positive view is attributable to Lowered Expectations because of the many negative reviews on this board.

 

We'd do it again in a heartbeat. We're off diving again in October, this time on the Tahiti Princess through Tahiti and the Cook Islands with 35 friends. I hope the positive reviews of this ship don't put our expectations up so high that we have a less than satisfying experience.

 

Cruise Critic has been a godsend to us on our cruises, especially with inside information on the ships and ports of call.

 

We're doing all this cruising because of a cancer diagnosis and it's just part of the treatment. :) Life is good.

[tomluvsaida]

Aloha Tom,

 

My family group (six adults) from Honolulu were on the August 7 cruise and we absolutely loved it. The prepared list of reservations we wanted to request, placed by my son who boarded as soon as he could, was no doubt a huge plus.

 

Our steward was delightful and very thorough. The balcony rooms were just fine, with the gaudy (my opinion) bedspread replaced by a comfy white duvet. The bathroom layout was excellent and offered far more stowing space than those of the other two cruises we've taken (NCL Int. & Celebrity) although the separate toilet was miniscule.

 

We loved the service in the restaurants, although we only dined in the main dining room once. The waitstaffs were great fun. On my husband's 65th birthday Le Bistro maitre d' and waitstaff REALLY went the extra mile. (Can't explain or everyone will ask for the same special treatment!)

 

We're casual folks, not interested in formal night, so when we were told that both main restaurants were formal on Tuesday night, we took a chance on the Aloha Nui Cafe (buffet) where we were told lobster was offered. Yes, it was, all the lobster you can eat, as some very fine prime rib as well. The buffet was consistently very good for breakfast and lunch, as well. (We were told later that the main restaurants were really "formal optional.")

 

We had the free room service breakfast on our balconies the first two days and were told by the crew that this was a good idea as the main dining rooms were a madhouse the first two days.

 

I agree the tapas restaurant was not good, although our server was very pleasant. The Italian restaurant was good, with wonderful osso bucco, and the multi-culture Asian cuisine at Jasmine Garden was very, very good, along with their service. We know sushi, and the Sushi Bar was very good.

 

In talking with folks on board, they seemed to be in one of two camps: Those who were having a great time and enjoyed communicating with the crew, and those who seemed to be looking for five-star dining and service and were disappointed in most everything.

 

I'm sure part of our very positive view is attributable to Lowered Expectations because of the many negative reviews on this board.

 

We'd do it again in a heartbeat. We're off diving again in October, this time on the Tahiti Princess through Tahiti and the Cook Islands with 35 friends. I hope the positive reviews of this ship don't put our expectations up so high that we have a less than satisfying experience.

 

Cruise Critic has been a godsend to us on our cruises, especially with inside information on the ships and ports of call.

 

We're doing all this cruising because of a cancer diagnosis and it's just part of the treatment. :) Life is good.

Thankyou very much for that review!:) I'm sorry to hear about the cancer:( , hope the cruises help. I think to a large extent the people that post positve reviews got reservations, primarily in the specialty restaurants. Those that gave negative reviews either didn't make reservations or somehow got lost in a computer glitch. I think mdha would have had a much different review if they had only gotten their reservations done right.