Pride of America Review

The Scenary and Culture of Hawaii Create Wonderful Memories

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Pride of America
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hacrawford
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Value for Money
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Sail Date: May 2014

As the Pride of America is the only ship that can do the Hawaiian Island hop without the hassles associated with an international cruise line, they have the advantage of having no competition. This was the first cruise that my husband and I were on and the experience was amazing - the weather, the scenary, and the hospitality of the Hawaiian Islands were unbeatable. The cruise itself was not what I would consider to be a premium experience. I read the reviews prior to going so was a bit knowledgeable as to what to expect. We did like having the opportunity to eat whenever we felt like eating versus having scheduled dinner times. We did have the opportunity to share tables with others, which we did on a couple of occassions to meet some of the others on the ship. We did not partake of the high end restaurants and ate only at those locations that were complementary. The two main diningrooms made some variations to the menus everyday but they were still a bit repetitive. My husband has a healthy appetitite and he, at times, ordered two of the main dishes (eg. salmon) to ensure that he wouldn't walk away hungry. I like a glass of wine with my dinner, so I purchased a bottle and had them hold it for me under my room number. I would then request it at dinner and have a glass from it for the first four nights in the cruise. In hindsight, I don't believe that I really saved much money and it didn't allow me the opportunity to try other wines on their list. I noticed some cruisers bringing bottle of wine into the dining area. I had heard that people could purchase wine at the island stops and then bring it onto the ship. In these cases, the cruiser would have to pay a $12 corking fee. We did not like the fact that all drinks, outside of iced tea and lemonade, had to be purchased. If anything, it was the constant push for people to purchase things (drinks, pictures, "paintings" from their art gallery, materials to make leis, fitness classes, etc.) that was very annoying. We are used to all-inclusive resorts, so this seemed very instrusive to us. Also, the $12 per day per person charge for gratuities was a bit disconcerting - we have no problem in tipping those that deserve it but a blanket charge is a bit presumptive on Norwegian's part. With respect to the ship itself, the embarkation/disembarkation process went very well, the ship was clean, the rooms small (to be expected) but the beds quite comfortable. Large people should note that the showers are extremely small. I truly do not know how people of any size managed to use them. Also, if you prefer soap over body wash, then make sure to bring some as only the body wash is provided by the cruise line. The entertainment was acceptable with serveral show times offered for peoples' convenience. Please note that those people that are susceptible to motion sickness, for goodness sake, please take medication with them. I had the patch, which worked for 5 days. When I had to remove the patch, I became quite ill - there is quite a lot of movement in the ship as it is going from island to island - so I put on the wrist bands and took gravol. Neither worked. I had to go to the ship's store and purchase dramamine, which did the trick. One other note - the fitness area is fantastic with many cardio and weight machines and, of course, free weights. In summary, I would recommend this cruise for the opportunity to see many of the Hawaiian Islands. While the cruise experience is not the best, the location more than makes up for it.

Cabin Review

Location was terrific. Same floor as the pool and the buffet. Near mid ship elevators. Very convenient was quite in the night. Also great to have the balcony to see the view as the ship arrives each morning in one of the various ports.

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