Pride of America Review
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My fiance and I booked this cruise because we had never been to Hawaii before and we wanted to have the chance to experience all of the islands in one vacation. It turned out to be a great decision -- having so much time in port helped us fall in love with all of Hawaii, not just the touristy stuff! Our experience on the cruise itself was pretty good, too. We wouldn't do it again, but that's only because we know enough about Hawaii now to pick future vacation destinations on our own. Also, the waves are rough in winter, and many times we could feel the ship pitching and rolling as it traveled between ports. I had to buy a 12-pack of diet ginger ale our first night in Maui because I was so sick, but we both ended up getting used to it.
An excellent local shuttle company, GO808Express, dropped us off at the Honolulu port not long after embarkation began and were on the ship in about 30-40 minutes, even though it was crowded. We checked all bags that we didn't want to lug around the ship for a few hours, which turned out to be a good thing (if you want to swim or tan on deck, keep your swimsuit with you). Our room was not ready for at least another hour, so we ate a simple lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers at the pool bar to avoid the craziness of the buffet (Aloha Cafe), lazed around on the deck then wandered around the ship. Our luggage was not delivered to the room right away, but we received it in two separate deliveries before the ship left the harbor.
Our stateroom and cabin steward were both fantastic -- we were never bothered by noise outside our cabin, as it's tucked into a corner by some suites. Our steward, Gene, was very helpful and efficient. We opted to only have him clean the room once; any more was unnecessary and I think it allowed us more flexibility. I would say the inside rooms are your best bet on this ship. NEVER spend more money on buying an oceanview or higher room on this cruise, as you should be spending every moment you can off the ship or in public areas where you can see the sunrise and sunset (the Na Pali coast cruiseby is easily viewed from public decks, as well).