Pride of Hawaii Cruise 8/7/06

[mandha]

I found that on most of the other ships I have cruised on that the cabin steward introduces himself when you get aboard. Like you I tip him immediately to try and ensure good service. No way to easily locate him on the Pride of Hawaii, no telephone number or other indication of where he was. I was not going out of my way to find him.

[hotspur]

Like you I tip him immediately to try and ensure good service.

Why? Do you not trust him to do his job properly? Do you tip the mechanic who services your car before he begins the job? Do you tip the waiters in restaurants before they take your order? Do you tip the taxi driver when you tell him where you're going?

 

Someone here posted about a crew member who refused to accept such a tip "in advance." There's a person with strong personal integrity, in my opinion. I suspect he/she was simply insulted by the implication of such an act. I know I would be.

[mbmam2]

One other clarification. The lobster on lobster night in the main dining room (and on the buffet as well) is spiney rock lobster. A little tougher if not prepared properly. Cagney's has Maine lobster everynight.

[pkylok]

 

 

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

 

You Go Girl (or Guy)! It's this perspective of life I admire. Life's just too short if you really enjoy it and much too long if you don't!:D

Thanks for the great review and the upbeat attitude about the cruise. I'm looking forward to ours in Sept.

[cruzfiend]

Tiacruise; you have the right attitude. Life is way to short. Enjoy it while you have it.:D

[kydeg]

We were on the POH on 7/31... The ship was very nice, staff was very courteous and responsive to our needs. We had a wonderful time exploring Hawaii for the first time. We had a car in each port and pretty much hit the ground running each morning. We were able to travel at our own pace and to do many things on each island. Because it was our first visit to Hawaii, we probably did way too much... we were exhausted by the end of the week, but had a great time. The only complaint we have is the food situation. Because we returned to the ship at the last minute and rather late on the nights that the ship was in port overnight, we ate dinner on a late schedule... or should I say we tried to eat dinner. Unlike our previous cruises, where the food was considered a highlight of the cruise, it was difficult to find anything to eat on this ship after 9:00 p.m. All of the screens indicate that the dining rooms are closed. The Blue Lagoon opens later in the evening, but serves only hamburgers and turkey club sandwiches... and it is the gathering place for everyone's children in the evening, after their parents have gone to bed (many pre-teens and teens). In addition, there are no late night buffets or opportunities to order food, except through room service, which has the same menu as the Blue Lagoon. There were no special evening events such as midnight buffet or chocolate buffet. Needless to say, we were very disappointed with the lack of availability of food in the evenings. We are used to eating late dinners, due to work schedules, etc., so we simply did without dinner on a few evenings. On Kauai, we were returning to the ship late (9:15 p.m.) so we stopped at Pizza Hut. We were not allowed to board the ship with food, so we ate dinner in the parking lot. I did speak to the Lattitude's representative about the lack of food availability in the evenings and his response was... " you should have used room service" (Hamburgers and Turkey club). The positive side of this situation is that I actually lost about 8 pounds during the cruise... if you can consider that a positive! Overall... I would not hesitate to recommend this cruise to anyone who is making their first trip to the islands. There is no better way to see all of the islands... The ship is a floating hotel... with limited food service. Freestyle means you can eat anytime you want, as long as you eat on their schedule. If we had spent more time on the ship, this may not have been an issue, but like I said, it was our first trip to Hawaii, and we wanted to see and do as much as possible in each port. If you are on an early schedule, lower your expectations and do not compare this with previous cruise experiences, you are less likely to be disappointed with the food situation.

[gillianrose]

Reservations upon boarding a must.

 

Trying out truly "Freestyle Dining" (NO RESERVATIONS and NO ASSIGNED DINING TIME) is the reason I was considering a cruise with NCL.

 

The last thing I want to do is make reservations first thing upon boarding!

I see that as a major downside, and one which negates the "Freestyle Dining" concept NCL advertises.

 

As for CRUISING Hawaii, it sounds less and less attractive, even though I got a very attractive email yesterday (just saw it this a.m.) with an offer of free air from San Francisco and cruise for $799 on the Pride of Aloha, or $899 on the Pride of Hawaii. (Perhaps this is a "California residents only" special).

 

I have already spent quite a bit of time in the islands, although it was 20+ years ago. The outer islands are relaxing (really loved Kauai), and Honolulu night life was exciting. But that's just it: to really experience Honolulu, you need to be on shore at nighttime. The other best time of day on the islands was early morning. Fresh, ripe papaya and Kona coffee for breakfast, along with other local treats, served in an open air restaurant by friendly and professional staff, well, that's just glorious.

 

I never experienced any traffic jams on the outer islands, and just the thought of having to return to a ship through a traffic jam in order to sail away is a very strong negative to me.

 

If NCL decides to do any round trips from San Francisco on any of their newest ships (or the Norwegian Spirit returns to the Bay Area), we'll give them a try, but for now, I think we'll just wait to see if some policies change and service improves before we fly for hours to board an NCL ship.

[tomluvsaida]

Trying out truly "Freestyle Dining" (NO RESERVATIONS and NO ASSIGNED DINING TIME) is the reason I was considering a cruise with NCL.

 

The last thing I want to do is make reservations first thing upon boarding!

I see that as a major downside, and one which negates the "Freestyle Dining" concept NCL advertises.

 

As for CRUISING Hawaii, it sounds less and less attractive, even though I got a very attractive email yesterday (just saw it this a.m.) with an offer of free air from San Francisco and cruise for $799 on the Pride of Aloha, or $899 on the Pride of Hawaii. (Perhaps this is a "California residents only" special).

 

I have already spent quite a bit of time in the islands, although it was 20+ years ago. The outer islands are relaxing (really loved Kauai), and Honolulu night life was exciting. But that's just it: to really experience Honolulu, you need to be on shore at nighttime. The other best time of day on the islands was early morning. Fresh, ripe papaya and Kona coffee for breakfast, along with other local treats, served in an open air restaurant by friendly and professional staff, well, that's just glorious.

 

I never experienced any traffic jams on the outer islands, and just the thought of having to return to a ship through a traffic jam in order to sail away is a very strong negative to me.

 

If NCL decides to do any round trips from San Francisco on any of their newest ships (or the Norwegian Spirit returns to the Bay Area), we'll give them a try, but for now, I think we'll just wait to see if some policies change and service improves before we fly for hours to board an NCL ship.

Making a reservation doesn't mean you don't get to choose when to eat. You just reserve when you want. If that doesn't suit you what's the alternative on ANY cruise ship?:rolleyes:

"As for CRUISING Hawaii, it sounds less and less attractive........" You are the ONLY person I have read that has said anything even close to this!:rolleyes:

Exactly what are you looking for?

[mississauga]

Making a reservation doesn't mean you don't get to choose when to eat. You just reserve when you want. If that doesn't suit you what's the alternative on ANY cruise ship?:rolleyes:

 

On Princess, you do not have to make reservations for Anytime Dining. On 3 cruises, we have never had to wait but I have heard that if there is waiting, it is usually 5 - 20 minutes and you are given a pager so when a table is available, the light comes on to tell you your table is ready. You can go wherever you want to go to wait, no need to stand in line.

[hotspur]

On Princess, you do not have to make reservations for Anytime Dining. On 3 cruises, we have never had to wait but I have heard that if there is waiting, it is usually 5 - 20 minutes and you are given a pager so when a table is available, the light comes on to tell you your table is ready. You can go wherever you want to go to wait, no need to stand in line.

On NCL, you do not have to make reservations for freestyle dining in any of the main dining rooms nor in several of the specialty dining rooms. On three cruises, we have never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a table in either the main dining room or in the Italian restaurant (the only no-charge specialty restaurant on this ship) on on two of our three cruises. On NCL--unlike Princess--you have up to eight other choices for dinner, some of which may require reservations, some not.

[mississauga]

On NCL, you do not have to make reservations for freestyle dining in any of the main dining rooms nor in several of the specialty dining rooms. On three cruises, we have never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a table in either the main dining room or in the Italian restaurant (the only no-charge specialty restaurant on this ship) on on two of our three cruises. On NCL--unlike Princess--you have up to eight other choices for dinner, some of which may require reservations, some not.

 

I will be going on my 1st NCL cruise in Sepember. I am glad to hear that it is not necessary to make reservations for main dining rooms. I was just commenting on "tomlovsaida's" statement on what the alternative was to making reservations on ANY cruise ship.

 

Making a reservation doesn't mean you don't get to choose when to eat. You just reserve when you want. If that doesn't suit you what's the alternative on ANY cruise ship?:rolleyes:

Stataements like that and many others on CC lead newcomers to NCL to think that reservations have to be made in order to get in to eat in all dining rooms.

[Breezey]

On Princess, you do not have to make reservations for Anytime Dining. On 3 cruises, we have never had to wait but I have heard that if there is waiting, it is usually 5 - 20 minutes and you are given a pager so when a table is available, the light comes on to tell you your table is ready. You can go wherever you want to go to wait, no need to stand in line.

 

 

Have been on Princess twice and while you are right you dont have to make reservations for the main dining rooms, you most definitely need to make reservations for the specialty ones. Seems that on POH all but the dining rooms are considered specialty.

My initial understanding (which was proven incorrect after following these boards once we booked our cruise) was that each night you can decide where you want to eat by looking at the boards and seeing which restaurants weren't busy and just deciding accordingly. The thought of having to decide pre-cruise where we want to eat and at what time so we can get on the ship and run to the reservation desks is definitely not my idea of free-style dining either. Sure I dont have to but I dont want to be disappointed . So I have my restaurant list, plan on boarding early and following everyone's good advice to reserve for the week. And think we will pass on the dining rooms.

[hotspur]

So I have my restaurant list, plan on boarding early and following everyone's good advice to reserve for the week. And think we will pass on the dining rooms.

You, of course, may do as you wish. But if YOU decide to "pass" on the main dining rooms--where you may eat at any time you wish without a reservation, unlike all but one mass-market cruise line (and then it's only for a subset of passengers)--then please don't come back here and say "freestyle is no good because I had to make reservations on day one in order to eat dinner every night." If YOU choose to avoid the main dining room--a decision which makes little sense to me--then YOU are deciding not to have a freestyle experience.

[Breezey]

You, of course, may do as you wish. But if YOU decide to "pass" on the main dining rooms--where you may eat at any time you wish without a reservation, unlike all but one mass-market cruise line (and then it's only for a subset of passengers)--then please don't come back here and say "freestyle is no good because I had to make reservations on day one in order to eat dinner every night." If YOU choose to avoid the main dining room--a decision which makes little sense to me--then YOU are deciding not to have a freestyle experience.

 

since you are quoting me, for the record:

Never suggested "freestyle is no good" but not what I had expected and definitely not how it is marketed, that's all. Guess ME and some others will have decided the same based on several posts and recommendations made here on the boards. And yes of course this is MY decision. Don't want to get into a match here, but are you suggesting that you were able to get into the specialty restaurants without reservations or that you ate in the dining room each night?

[tomluvsaida]

We were on the POH on 7/31... The ship was very nice, staff was very courteous and responsive to our needs. We had a wonderful time exploring Hawaii for the first time. We had a car in each port and pretty much hit the ground running each morning. We were able to travel at our own pace and to do many things on each island. Because it was our first visit to Hawaii, we probably did way too much... we were exhausted by the end of the week, but had a great time. The only complaint we have is the food situation. Because we returned to the ship at the last minute and rather late on the nights that the ship was in port overnight, we ate dinner on a late schedule... or should I say we tried to eat dinner. Unlike our previous cruises, where the food was considered a highlight of the cruise, it was difficult to find anything to eat on this ship after 9:00 p.m. All of the screens indicate that the dining rooms are closed. The Blue Lagoon opens later in the evening, but serves only hamburgers and turkey club sandwiches... and it is the gathering place for everyone's children in the evening, after their parents have gone to bed (many pre-teens and teens). In addition, there are no late night buffets or opportunities to order food, except through room service, which has the same menu as the Blue Lagoon. There were no special evening events such as midnight buffet or chocolate buffet. Needless to say, we were very disappointed with the lack of availability of food in the evenings. We are used to eating late dinners, due to work schedules, etc., so we simply did without dinner on a few evenings. On Kauai, we were returning to the ship late (9:15 p.m.) so we stopped at Pizza Hut. We were not allowed to board the ship with food, so we ate dinner in the parking lot. I did speak to the Lattitude's representative about the lack of food availability in the evenings and his response was... " you should have used room service" (Hamburgers and Turkey club). The positive side of this situation is that I actually lost about 8 pounds during the cruise... if you can consider that a positive! Overall... I would not hesitate to recommend this cruise to anyone who is making their first trip to the islands. There is no better way to see all of the islands... The ship is a floating hotel... with limited food service. Freestyle means you can eat anytime you want, as long as you eat on their schedule. If we had spent more time on the ship, this may not have been an issue, but like I said, it was our first trip to Hawaii, and we wanted to see and do as much as possible in each port. If you are on an early schedule, lower your expectations and do not compare this with previous cruise experiences, you are less likely to be disappointed with the food situation.

Did you ever make reservations for dinner? Almost without exception I find those that hated the cruise and those that loved it fall into one of two categories: those that made reservations and those that didn't. I've read all over these boards where people ate after 9:00pm (mostly in specialty restaurants) that had no problems because they had reservations.

[hotspur]

Don't want to get into a match here, but are you suggesting that you were able to get into the specialty restaurants without reservations or that you ate in the dining room each night?

What would make you think I was suggesting the former? I said quite precisely that it was the main dining rooms--which have very large capacity and are where most people eat on any given night--where I was able to eat with minimal or no wait, as well as--on two Dream cruises--in the specialty Italian restaurant, which is also quite large on that ship. When we ate in Le Bistro, we made reservations, which is what you'd expect in a restaurant that seats less than 100 on a ship that carries 1700 or 1800 passengers, any or all of whom might decide they want the Bistro experience on a given evening.

 

The point is that specialty restaurants are typically small, and you simply can't expect them to handle crowds without reservations in an environment where there are two-to-three thousand people intending to have dinner in one of the restaurants on every night. So by deciding not ever to eat in the main dining rooms, YOU are putting yourself in a position where you will of necessity need to reserve a place every night. What I said was please don't come back and blame freestyle for the fact that you had to make reservations for every evening--as I suspect some people come here and do--if it is your choice to dine only in the specialty restaurants where reservations are nearly always required.

[tomluvsaida]

I will be going on my 1st NCL cruise in Sepember. I am glad to hear that it is not necessary to make reservations for main dining rooms. I was just commenting on "tomlovsaida's" statement on what the alternative was to making reservations on ANY cruise ship.

 

 

 

Stataements like that and many others on CC lead newcomers to NCL to think that reservations have to be made in order to get in to eat in all dining rooms.

Ya, Hotspur is right. The main dining rooms don't require reservations and neither does the buffet. However I have read many statements on this board about problems with the main dining rooms, waiting to get in and then waiting and waiting for service once they were in. For us it's going to be either reservations in the specialty restaurants or the buffet. I really don't see why it is such a big deal to make reservations. I do however see numerous commets from people saying how awful the cruise was mainly because they did not make reservations. You are right in that I'm a newby that hasn't been on a cruise yet but "my opinion" is based on comments from many others that have.

[kydeg]

No... we did not make reservations... BECAUSE... Freestyle is supposed to mean that you can eat dinner anytime you like. We were told to check the tv screens to determine availability. Unfortunately, the screens always show the rooms are either full or closed. We were not told to ignore the screens and go begging at each restaurant to see if we could find a place that would still let us have dinner, in the late evening. However, we were pretty much pushed out of the buffet as they put away the food, shut down the drink machines as well as the ice cream machine, and stood beside our table to pick up our dirty plates and utensils... while we were trying to eat. The idea behind freestyle, is that you do not have to be there on a set schedule. If you have a reservation, then you are expected to be there at that time. Sounds like a schedule to me! As I stated previously, we spent as much time as possible onshore at each port. In addition, We are used to having dinner later in the evening due to work schedules, etc. Our previous experiences have all been on NCL ships, and included more food than you could imagine. We always laughed at the constant availability of food, buffets, etc., and we have never had a bad cruise experience. Overall, we still had a good time and enjoyed the time we spent on each of the islands. I would recommend this trip for anyone that is visiting the islands for the first time. It is a great way to see all of the the sights and get some exposure to the culture on each island. Having said that, we were still quite disappointed with the food situation on this ship. I remember the good old days, when food was a highlight of the cruise and you pretty much stuffed yourself with as much as you wanted... and if you missed your early or late seating, you had nothing to fear because it was only a matter of time until the MIDNIGHT BUFFET! Oh my... those were the good old days! Enjoy your cruise... I am certain you will not experience the same concerns... just remember... Freestyle does NOT mean you can eat ANYTIME you wish... If the restaurants are closed!

[hotspur]

... Freestyle is supposed to mean that you can eat dinner anytime you like....just remember... Freestyle does NOT mean you can eat ANYTIME you wish... If the restaurants are closed

And you are surprised by this?

 

Freestyle means you aren't restricted to the same early or late seating time every night as you are on so-called "traditional-dining" cruise lines. It means you have a wide choice of restaurants to pick from. It means you can choose when you'd like to eat--within the hours the different restaurants are open, which are published daily. (Where can you eat when the restaurant is closed?) It means you can eat with whom you'd like, not with whom you are permanently assigned. It means you do not have to wear a different specified-by-the-cruise-line costume each night, whether you think it's warranted by what the cruise line is offering you or not. Bottom line, freestyle offers you an extraordinary amount of flexibility not found on any other mass-market cruise line.

 

It does NOT mean you can eat anywhere you'd like 24 hours a day, and you won't find that claim made anywhere. But it doesn't surprise me that someone would come here to complain about it.

[kydeg]

Relax and take a deep breath... obviously one cannot eat at any restaurant when it is closed. "Where can you eat when the restaurant is closed?" Answer... at another restaurant which is open. My point... It would have been nice if there were some options for those of us who prefer to have a late dinner, or those who were unable to make it to dinner during the regular restaurant hours.. which for many restarants are listed in the dailies as "5:30pm-close" or "6:00pm-close"... and are routinely listed as closed on the tv screens in the hallways. We never worried about missing dinner on previous cruises, because we could always go to midnight buffet... instead of settling for a turkey club sandwich. There were approximately 2500 guests on the ship, I am sure that we were not the only ones who would like to have had some late evening options. I did not come here to complain... overall I have described our cruise experience as very positive, both enjoyable and educational. The ship was very nice & clean, and contrary to what many others have reported, we had excellent service from the housekeeping staff as well as from the dining room staff... when we did make it to dinner (twice). Everyone has different experiences on a cruise... I am only relating our experience in hopes that it is helpful to someone else. OK.. so I am not crazy about our first experience with freestyle, but maybe we can get the cruise line to consider making some changes... such as keeping one dining area open until 11:30 or even midnight... or bringing back a smaller version of the midnight buffet for us late nighters. I did speak to the Lattitudes representative onboard about our experiences and he indicated that they had recently stopped doing the midnight buffet. If no one mentions things that were disappointing to them, there will never be any changes. Then again... maybe we were the only ones who enjoyed the midnight buffets and chocolate buffet on our previous cruises. Based on the number of people and the long lines, I'm guessing that others enjoyed it as well. My point again... it is just different from what we have experienced in the past. There is no such thing as a bad cruise... we still had a great time and plan to cruise again soon... We have always sailed on NCL and have never had bad experience... the food situation was simply unexpected and somewhat disappointing because of previous experiences. We all survived and even lost a few lbs during the cruise. Have a nice day!

[mandha]

The one thing that must not be forgotten is that NCL America is not the same as NCL International. They appear to have a different sense of what customer service is or isn't. When we were on the Jewel last December, there was a chocolate buffet and a midnight buffet, neither of which I attended. The mini bar was also stocked; not so on the Pride of Hawaii. A mini-suite on the Jewel was a mini-suite with the amenities, not a larger balcony cabin. It appears to me that NCL America has chosen to cut corners where ever possible to minimize their costs, whether or not it impacts the guests cruise experience.

[hotspur]

Been cruising NCL since 2002, and never seen a midnight buffet. Chocoholic buffets were held in the evenings once per cruise.

 

Celebrity, by the way, not only has no midnight buffet, there's no dinner buffet, either. On Galaxy, you ate at your assigned seating in the main dining room or in a sit-down, reservations-only alternative dining area located in a small corner of the buffet area with very limited menu. Or else room service. Tablemates of ours at the early seating were an hour or so late getting back from a ship's excursion and were told they were too late for their first seating, they couldn't go to the second seating, and, since they hadn't made a reservation for alternative dining, their only option was room service.

[Breezey]

Been cruising NCL since 2002, and never seen a midnight buffet. Chocoholic buffets were held in the evenings once per cruise.

 

Celebrity, by the way, not only has no midnight buffet, there's no dinner buffet, either. On Galaxy, you ate at your assigned seating in the main dining room or in a sit-down, reservations-only alternative dining area located in a small corner of the buffet area with very limited menu. Or else room service. Tablemates of ours at the early seating were an hour or so late getting back from a ship's excursion and were told they were too late for their first seating, they couldn't go to the second seating, and, since they hadn't made a reservation for alternative dining, their only option was room service.

 

 

Sorry that is incorrect to generalize about Celebrity. We were on Mercury 2 years ago and they most definitely had an incredible midnight buffet and a chocolate buffet at the pool one night. The casual dining option (a buffet) was available most of the time including late afternoon tea offerings and late night snacks after dinner.

[travelchick79]

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.

 

I don't mean to sound stupid, but what is Easy Fly?

[hotspur]

Sorry that is incorrect to generalize about Celebrity. We were on Mercury 2 years ago and they most definitely had an incredible midnight buffet and a chocolate buffet at the pool one night. The casual dining option (a buffet) was available most of the time including late afternoon tea offerings and late night snacks after dinner.

Sorry, but my posting is 100% dead accurate regarding our cruise on Celebrity's Galaxy two years ago. The only late evening food available was something called "gourmet bites" in the casino. And there was no chocolate buffet anywhere. And, absurd as it may seem, men had to wear jackets to the formal afternoon tea. Lastly, the casual dining option was NOT a buffet, it was a sitdown meal with two or three choices of entree, and was limited to a very small number of passengers.

 

Got that, Breezey? I didn't "generalize." I told you what it was like on our Galaxy cruise. You weren't there, so don't tell me differently.