My wife and I booked our cruise on the Pride of America with mixed feelings after reading some negative reviews but are pleased to report that this, our ninth cruise, was the best ever. I would like to use this space not so much to give you a day by day account of what we did and what we saw, but instead to offer some tips for having a really good experience. Most of the complaints I have read concerning Pride of America and the other two NCL ships cruising Hawaii fall into three categories - Cleanliness, Dining, and Service and I will address each one separately.

Cleanliness: We found the ship's public areas and our cabin to be as clean as any ship we've sailed on. NCL has added a new feature which I have never seen on any previous cruise, one which helped me feel better about sanitation. Every time you board the ship you are greeted by a crew member who sprays your hands from a little bottle containing what smells like rubbing alcohol. There are little dispensers by each dining area filled with the same stuff. You just stick your hands under and get a little spritz each time you get around the food. There was no sign of any sickness during our cruise and I'm grateful for the extra precautions taken to eliminate things like that nasty norvo virus!

Dining: Lots of people just can't seem to get a handle on NCL's "freestyle" dining program. The best way I know to deal with it is to readjust your thinking for a few days. Afterall, you are on vacation. You don't have to get up every day at exactly 7:00 A.M., eat lunch at noon, and dinner at six. If you can hold out until eight you can have your run of any dining facility on the ship. I would encourage you to live dangerously for once and try all the different dining experiences. If they don't suit you at least you'll have some good stories to tell the folks back home. Read more