My sister and I cruised the Hawaiian Islands on NCL's Pride of America 16 - 23 December 2006. We had a balcony room on the port side which was important while cruising past Kauai's Na Pali Coast. This was our third cruise but our first on NCL. This is a rather long review so I am going to put my best tip up front. Get a copy of Andrew Doughty's The Ultimate Maui Guidebook Maui Revealed, and his guidebooks for the other island as well,l to make the most of your time. I live in Oahu but even the locals weren't as informative as he is. He also uses mile markers to get you to the hidden waterfalls along the road to Hana and the best beaches and snorkeling on all the islands.

We had read some negative reviews regarding service prior to selecting our cruise and also heard a bit of criticism around the ship while cruising. However we had overwhelming positive service experiences. We ate in one of the main dining rooms (Skyline) only once since we made reservations at the restaurants, most of which have a $10.00 per person fee, immediately upon arriving onboard. I strongly recommend making your reservations as soon as you arrive to ensure you get the restaurant and times you want. The service at all the restaurants and the dining room for that matter was excellent and all the restaurant crew went out of their way to be helpful, friendly and courteous.

The Lazy J Steakhouse was good but my personal favorite was Jefferson's the French Bistro. The mushroom pastry was so good our last night we gave up reservations at the Lazy J to go back to the Bistro. Attire appeared to only matter at Jefferson's and reservation were a must at all restaurants if you want to eat before 8:30. We saw shorts and jeans at East Meets West, which offers a variety of Asian cuisines including sushi and Shogun style dinners, the Lazy J, and the Italian restaurant which does not charge a fee. So if you want do not want to wear slacks or better during your cruise do not book dinner the Bistro. Read more