Pride of America 5/5/07 Positive Review

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

We returned from an excellent cruise aboard the Pride of America this morning. After reading the mixed reviews concerning this ship, we were pleasantly surprised. We experienced the cruise fully: we did a shore excursion each day and tried every restaurant aboard the ship.

 

Cruise history: This was my 50th cruise. I am in my early 40’s and usually take two or three cruises each year. I have cruised with most of the major cruise lines: Celebrity, Costa, Crystal, Cunard, Holland America, NCL, Royal Caribbean and Princess. This was the first time that I have cruised with NCL since it switched to Freestyle.

 

Dining: We had dinner in East Meets West, Lazy J’s Steakhouse, Little Italy, Liberty Restaurant, Skyline Restaurant (one night in each restaurant) and Jefferson’s Bistro (two nights). The main restaurants were okay, but I highly recommend the specialty restaurants (particular Jefferson’s Bistro). We were allowed to make reservations for the entire week as soon as we boarded the ship. There were some pricing specials for the specialty restaurants (half price the first night and for reservations between 8:30 and 9:30 the other nights). However, I have a feeling that this may vary by cruise. Freestyle dining worked very week for us. It was fun trying the different restaurants.

 

During the day, we dined in the Aloha Café, Key West Bar & Grill, Cadillac Diner and Skyline Restaurant. These meals were fine, but not particularly memorable. The Aloha Café was hectic (but this is true on most ships).

 

Entertainment: We were disappointed that there were not any production shows during the cruise. We went to most of the shows and were not particularly impressed. This is definitely not one of this ship’s strong points.

 

Stateroom: We had a balcony cabin on Deck 8. The cabin was a little worn and small, but fairly clean. We really enjoyed the balcony. This was particularly nice for viewing the Na Pali coastline on Friday afternoon (on the port side of the ship).

 

Public areas: The public areas are a little worn considering the ship’s age (it is less than two years old). However, the ship was clean and fairly well maintained. I think some of the public areas (the Napa Wine Bar, Jefferson’s Bistro and Liberty Restaurant) are very attractive. Other public areas (elevators, outdoor decks and Hollywood Theater) seem a little cheap (like NCL was trying to save money during the ship’s construction).

 

Crew: The crew members were friendly and seemed to have a good attitude.

 

Shore excursions: We booked the following shore excursions with NCL prior to the cruise: Hilo, Valcanoes National Park; Maui, Ocean Center & Iao Valley (first day) and Road to Hana (second day); Kona, Historic Kona; Kauai, Hollywood in Hawaii & Falls (first day) and Mokihana Helicopter Tour (second day). All of the tours were excellent and well organized. Our favorite tours were the Road to Hana and the Mokihana Helicopter Tour. Aboard the ship, we booked the Pearl Harbor and Honolulu City Tour for after the cruise (available to people with flights departing after 4:00). This was our least favorite tour (but better than spending the day waiting in the airport).

 

The tendering operation in Kona was efficient.

 

Flight connections: We booked our air through NCL and used their “Easy Fly” program at the end of the cruise. The transfers were very smooth.

 

Summary: Although we have cruised aboard better ships, the Pride of America is fine and an excellent way to see Hawaii. We certainly had a great week!

 

Please let me know if you have any questions. I saved the Freestyle Daily from each day.

 

Chuck

[Bettyboop66]

Thanks for the review, I'm glad to see that the reviews have been getting better and better. I've read conflicting onformation on these boards about whether or not you can buy liquor by the bottle for in your cabin. Did you happen to read anything in the dalies about that? Also, I have seen that there are early bird specials for the specialty rest. do they still have them? ANd one more question....did you hear any comments on the new luau that they have? Thanks so much for the help. We are sailing on 5/26 and I can't wait.

Betty

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Im glad you had a good time. I agree the Liberty restaurant is very nice. Its one of my fav dining rooms of all the ships I have been on so far.

[rho88]

I'm very glad to read the positive review. I'll be on the POAm on the Nov.3 2007 trip and was getting a little worried reading all the negative feedbacks. :)

 

Any recommendation on what to do on some of the islands? My travel agent told me that for whatever reason the A/C onboard the ship is very cold, is that true?

[mdandrh]

Have just printed out your message for reading, but wanted to say that we had two cabins on POA for the April 6th, 2007 cruise and kept remarking to each other that we thought that the ship looked brand-new in all public areas as well as in the cabins -- with the exception of a little rust on one of the rails on our balcony.

Having only been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, we were not looking forward to the Pride of America because of negative reviews we had read on this website and similar ones, but we were very pleasantly surprised and loved the cruise so much that we have booked a repeat for next year.

We especially loved Jefferson's Bistro, dining there two nights and rating the chateaubriand and rack of lamb "excellent".

The young staff members were a little amateurish at times but very enthusiastic, friendly and most eager to please.

We were sad to hear that Pride of Hawaii is being "repositioned" to Europe and renamed. Our cruise booking agent on the ship said that Pride of America is scheduled for dry-dock next year, so we were anxious to book before they took it out of service. My impression is that Pride of Aloha doesn't measure up.

[mdandrh]

Betty, we gave mixed reviews to the Luau on Kauai on the Thursday night of our April 6th cruise departure.

 

I'd have to refer to my notes for the name of the venue, a restaurant-plantation, but while the grounds and the main building were expansive and lovely, they put the luau in a large building that seemed to be in the middle of renovation with plastic sheeting hanging down in some areas and plywood sheets laid out over walkways.

 

The open bar featured very cheap brands, e.g. Popov vodka, and disinterested bartenders.

 

The food was forgettable, tasteless and uninteresting. The presentation was high-school cafeteria. We just picked at our plates and ate again when we returned to the ship. We told our server on the ship how bad the food was at the luau, and she said that they had similar complaints about the food when the luau was staged in Maui.

 

The show, which we were told was the first performance of a new edition, was excellent, and we wished that we had seats closer to the center stage. Nonetheless, considering the entire evening, we did not think it worth the $95 per person.

 

Once again, however, we loved the Pride of America and everything about it: staff, accommodations, restaurants, bars,cabins, etc. I really envy you your upcoming cruise!

[mdandrh]

The air conditioning aboard the Pride of America is indeed very strong. I would recommend that sweaters and jackets be kept at hand!

 

The only NCL excursion that we joined was the Laua, and I've posted previously our impression of that experience.

 

For the most part, since there were four of us, and my brother-in-law doesn't mind driving, we rented a car and directed our own sightseeing.

 

My sister and her husband had been on the Road to Hana when they visited the islands some-20-years ago, and told us it was going to be a must-see. After about three hours of driving, mainly through roads with tropical vegetation blocking any view, we turned around and returned to the ship, before even reaching Hana. My sister said that it seemed to be much more beautiful 20 years ago! The one-lane bridges along with one-lane sections of the roadway made me a little nervous!

 

We enjoyed Lahaina and the amazing Banyan tree in the central square. We also enjoyed Kona, the only port where we had to "tender" into shore. Having "tendered" into ports on the Mexican Riviera, I can tell you that this was a piece of cake even for a wheelchair passenger on my tender.

We loved every bit of Kauai, especially the extraordinary Waiemia (sp?)Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Islands. There is no way to describe your surprise, when you trudge up the little walkway and suddenly -- surprisingly -- there is this magnificent splendor laid out before you. Exceptional! The island is relatively small, so you can experience a couple of waterfalls, the canyons and beaches all in one four or five hour period.

[seacruise9]

Bettyboop66,

 

I am not sure about buying liquor by the bottle. I did not see anything in the daily programs regarding this.

 

They did not offer early bird specials in the speciality restaurants during our cruise but did offer specials for late dining. I have a feeling that this may vary by the cruise (they may look to see how the restaurants are booking during each cruise).

 

We did not attend the luau. However, I overheard some people saying that they enjoyed it. A lot of people attended the luau. I saw many buses being loaded.

 

Rho86,

 

We were not cold aboard the ship. Of course, people are cold at different temperatures. I saw some people with sweaters.

 

mdandrh,

 

We noticed things like the ship's large logo was cracked and pealing off the side of the stack, the blue plastic on the decks was covered with scratches, many of the outdoor tables were very weathered, the hull needed painted along the waterline, and the fabric on the sofa in our cabin was worn and stained. Our last cruise was aboard the Queen Mary 2 in September 2006. The QM2 was in much better condition and is more than a year older than the Pride of America. The condition of the Pride of America is not bad, but it could be better.

 

Chuck

[Bettyboop66]

Thanks for the quick reply. We are so excited to go. We are going to stick with the luau and hope for the best.

Betty

[megessey]

Chuck,

 

We were on the same cruise, and probably on the same flight back to chicago! I'm hoping to post my own review, but I also want to express that my experience was positive with very few complaints. My husband and I frequently said "I don't understand wht so many people are jabberin' about" :rolleyes: :p

[Droopy_Sails]

Betty, we gave mixed reviews to the Luau on Kauai on the Thursday night of our April 6th cruise departure.

 

I'd have to refer to my notes for the name of the venue, a restaurant-plantation, but while the grounds and the main building were expansive and lovely, they put the luau in a large building that seemed to be in the middle of renovation with plastic sheeting hanging down in some areas and plywood sheets laid out over walkways.

 

The open bar featured very cheap brands, e.g. Popov vodka, and disinterested bartenders.

 

The food was forgettable, tasteless and uninteresting. The presentation was high-school cafeteria. We just picked at our plates and ate again when we returned to the ship. We told our server on the ship how bad the food was at the luau, and she said that they had similar complaints about the food when the luau was staged in Maui.

 

The show, which we were told was the first performance of a new edition, was excellent, and we wished that we had seats closer to the center stage. Nonetheless, considering the entire evening, we did not think it worth the $95 per person.

 

Once again, however, we loved the Pride of America and everything about it: staff, accommodations, restaurants, bars,cabins, etc. I really envy you your upcoming cruise!

 

If it was a restaurant-plantation on Kauai, it was probably the Kiahuna Plantation, which has a very nice couple of restaurants apart from the luau.

 

Glad to get this review, as we're sailing on the Pride of Aloha next February and plan to do the Old Lahaina Luau independently and skip the ship-sponsored luaus. The Old Lahaina Luau always seems to get great reviews.

[CruiserJen]

Thanks for the positive and informative review... we leave Friday for HNL for the 5/19 cruise. We opted to attend Germaines Luau in Oahu on Friday night pre-cruise. It sounds like we made a good decision based on recent reviews of the NCL sponsored Luau on Kauai.

 

Jen

[CruiserJen]

How many formal nights & did most people dress up for both?

 

Jen

[megessey]

How many formal nights & did most people dress up for both?

 

Jen

 

One formal night "or not", on Tuesday.... I saw a few lovely women dressed to the nines, but didn't notice men in tuxes. There might have been a few, but we didn't see them..... we also never ate in the main dining rooms, so that's where they might have been.

[AussieKathy]

I went on the Pride of America in September 2006 and we had a fanastic trip. Nothing but praise for the ship. We did the Captain Zodiac trip in Kona it was excellent and also the helicopter flight over Kauai which was also excellent. We hired a car in all the other ports make sure you book them in advance. Most of the hire companies pick you up at the ship. We went through Thrifty but they had long lines would book with Dollar if I did it again.

 

Didn't notice the air conditioner being cold. Jefferson was our favourite theme restaurant.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

I was on this cruise also. (Hi Chuck! Never did see you in your blue wrist cast. :() I was also pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the crew was. There wasn't enough they could do for you. If you ask for butter or juice or whatever in the Aloha Cafe they will walk you over to it, chatting and smiling all the way. I once got turned around and asked for directions to the midship elevators and was walked all the way to them by a very handsome gentleman! I must have given my bio to at least 8 crew members who asked for it! It really seems like they have been given a pep talk or something. I didn't see more than three or four that looked tired and disinterested and that was on the final full day in Kauai. (I think a lot of them got shore leave that day).

 

I had a BA balcony cabin on the 11th deck that I shared with my mother. We had twin beds that were a little difficult to maneuver around but there was plenty of storage. Just be sure to bring extra hangers. Our room was very clean and we received turndown service every night and ice twice a day without asking. We also got towel animals. :p

 

There is one small souvenir shop, (like you would find in a hotel), a small clothing store that carries mostly Hawaiian wear, a fine jewelry and perfume shop, and a men's golfwear shop. No liquor stores.

 

The port security in Hilo was extremely thorough so don't try to smuggle booze there. Maui, Kona, and Kauai are much more relaxed and I did smuggle while coming aboard in Maui after transferring to plastic bottles. ;)

 

The ship is very cold indoors. In fact there was hardly anyone ever in the Gold Rush Saloon because it was so cold. I would guess it was about 60 degrees and blowing cold air pretty strongly.

 

We dined at East Meets West at the Teppanyaki Grill and were disappointed. Pretty darn average. In fact, the most reliable foods we found on the ship were the omelets cooked-to-order in the Aloha Buffet, (which was never too crowded), and the hamburgers cooked-to-order either in the Aloha Cafe or the Key West Bar & Grill. The main restaurants are okay, nothing special. And sorry kids, lobster night was also just average. We did dress for formal night and dined at the Skyline Main Restaurant. If you decide to go here I recommend you ask for a waiter named Ben. He's the cutie that walked me to the elevator and he's an excellent waiter. (Tell him Alison says "Hi!".)

 

I'm jealous of all of you who are preparing to cruise on the Pride Of America and wish I were going with you. Have fun!

 

Ali

[MommyJamiex4]

I'm very glad to read the positive review. I'll be on the POAm on the Nov.3 2007 trip and was getting a little worried reading all the negative feedbacks. :)

 

Any recommendation on what to do on some of the islands? My travel agent told me that for whatever reason the A/C onboard the ship is very cold, is that true?

 

My husband and I will aboard this cruise. Come and join us on the roll call board!

[MommyJamiex4]

What about laundry? LOL I know it's vacation.... I have already read that there is no public laundry, but do they offer any "deals" throughout the week on sending your laundry out. On some past cruises (other lines) they had midweek specials that were a great deal.

 

Also a question about smoking. Being that I quit last year and this will be my first vacation smoke free I have to ask. Are people smoking everywhere? Or are there seperate areas for the smokers? I live in NJ and you can't smoke ANYWHERE here. It helps with those post smoker cravings :rolleyes: .

 

Thanks in advance! I am sure that I will have more questions for you.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

I don't recall any laundry specials. I'll check my Freestyle Dailys and get back to you. I never sent any laundry out because it takes almost 2 days to get it back. They have the clothes drying line in the shower so you can do hand laundry and hang it up to dry. I actually hung a tee shirt out to dry on the light fixture on my balcony- it was dry the next morning! :D

 

The bars have designated areas for smoking and I only smelled smoke once during the cruise while passing through one of these areas. There just aren't that many people smoking anymore, thank God. :rolleyes:

[mdandrh]

"I was also pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the crew was. There wasn't enough they could do for you. If you ask for butter or juice or whatever in the Aloha Cafe they will walk you over to it, chatting and smiling all the way. I once got turned around and asked for directions to the midship elevators and was walked all the way to them by a very handsome gentleman!"

 

You know, I had forgotten this --- we experienced exactly the same level of attention and service on the April 6th cruise. Thanks for reminding me!

[ohioNCLcruiser]

"I was also pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the crew was. There wasn't enough they could do for you. If you ask for butter or juice or whatever in the Aloha Cafe they will walk you over to it, chatting and smiling all the way. I once got turned around and asked for directions to the midship elevators and was walked all the way to them by a very handsome gentleman!"

 

You know, I had forgotten this --- we experienced exactly the same level of attention and service on the April 6th cruise. Thanks for reminding me!

 

The Aloha cafe crew is just a great group of people.