Pride of America Review

Pride of America - Hawaii

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Pride of America
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Gon2hwe
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jun 2007
Cabin: Large Balcony

We are a retired US Navy couple and decided to take our first cruise together in Hawaii. We were able to book our cruise through a military travel agency online. It was very simple to do and received an excellent rate. We flew into Honolulu on Thursday May 31st for a pre cruise stay at The Hale Koa resort owned and operated by the military. This is a beautiful resort, not at all what we expected. The rooms are nice and the grounds are beautiful. That night we attended a luau on the property. The food was excellent and the entertainment was good but my husband especially enjoyed the solute to the military and veterans. This hotel offers several restaurants and a mini Exchange. There were better souvenirs here than at the Exchange at Pearl Harbor. If you are military or retired try to make a trip there too. It's the largest exchange in the world. This hotel is directly on Waikiki next to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. If you are military or retired military take advantage of this beautiful hotel.

Friday morning my husband went to play golf at Ko'Olau Golf Club. It was his dream to play all the Hawaiian islands. We booked this ourselves from home but the other courses he played were booked through NCL. He said it was very challenging but beautiful. I got some sun time by the pool at the beach. We booked a car through Budget upon our arrival at the airport, so when he returned we did a short car tour. On our way to the Pali Lookout we saw signs to the Punchbowl Cemetery and decided to check it out. This is a Veterans cemetery on top of a hill above Honolulu. The views of the city from here were stunning all the way to Diamondhead. From here we traveled up to the Pali Lookout. This is a historical place but the views from here are fantastic, you can see all the way to the water. Upon returning to our room we were called with bad news about my nephew being seriously injured in an accident so we had to stay there for quite awhile waiting to hear that he would be okay. We had planned to meet with other CC members at Bubba Gumps but evidently they were gone when we finally arrived. We had dinner at Bubba Gumps but after a long day we called it a night. Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel early and went to the USS Arizona Memorial. We arrived there at 7:30 and left about 10:00. Everyone should try to visit here. It is so moving and makes you realize what so many have sacrificed for us all. My husband got the Audio tour they offer and enjoyed the narration as he went around the memorial. At 12:30 we drove over to the pier to drop off our luggage. There were people there waiting to load it and take it to the ship. Make sure they have on an NCL tag though. We had attached our tags before we left home. I found that covering them with clear packing tape made them more sturdy. We returned our car to Budget and took the shuttle back to the airport where we found shuttles back to the pier. Look for girls with yellow shirts or ask the shuttle driver. They only charge $5 to ride back to the pier. Upon arriving at the pier we were in line only a short time, went through security and were on the ship in 30 minutes or less. We were directed to the Aloha Cafe for lunch. Before we finished eating they called that we could go to our room. Our baggage wasn't there yet but arrived in plenty of time to dress for dinner. The Pride of America is a beautiful ship. Her decor tells a story of all that we love and hold dear in The USA. Walking onboard into the reception area is arriving into the White House, with her colonial staircase and the Great Seal on the marble floor. Every corridor or staircase reveals murals or restaurants and shops dedicated to different areas of our country. The cute lilypad carpet in the hallways to your cabin makes the long walks enjoyable. We found all the restaurants enjoyable. The food was very good in all the main restaurants with new menu items offered each night. We ate one night at Lazy J's and found the steak to actually be better in the main restaurants Liberty and Skyline. Teppenyaki's was good with professional chefs entertaining throughout the meal. Little Italy's was good but not as good as Olive Garden. We did not eat a meal at the Cadillac Diner but my husband made several trips during the week for their Hot Fudge Brownie sundae. The Aloha was very good for breakfast. The food was always hot and plentiful. It was always busy in the mornings but we never had to wait for a table. Try the omelet stations, You may have to wait a little here but my husband said it was worth it. I found all areas of the ship to be clean, and our room attendant was excellent and kept our room exceptional clean and supplied with fresh towels, coffee, and cream. She was very pleasant and kept our cabin spotless. The little dial on the outside of the room is very handy. My husband loved the turndown at night. She would also resupply whatever you needed then also. The Pool area seemed to need a good scrubdown and walking on the Aloha Cafe floor was irritating because you stuck to it. The only problems we had all week were my husbands room key not working, which took several tries to get right and a sewage smell one night but overall none of these problems were enough to ruin a great cruise. The entertainment was good but not great but a good way to unwind after a long day onshore. Do attend the debarkation talk first night in Kauai. The easy fly program was great not having to deal with your luggage.

Our excursions were all with NCL. Hilo: Volcano and Rainbow Falls. Loved the driver Cousin Larry. Great tour. Maui: Road to Hana beautiful scenery with great picture moments. Needs to be shortened though. Maui: Beach Day in Maui skip this one. Kauai: Heaven And Earth Quest. This was fantastic. My husband played Golf in every port and loved it. Sailing by the Lava flow at night was wonderful and the Napali Coast was something you'll always remember.. Our hats off to NCL and The Pride of America for a fantastic cruise. Tips: Take your own drinks on Board. Most ports have free shuttles to WalMart for drinks or supplies.

Cabin Review

Large Balcony

Cabin B7
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