We took a family cruise (7 adults, 1 nine-year-old) on the Pride of America. After reading some of these reviews, I was somewhat apprehensive, but we all ended up having a great time.

Arrived in Honolulu on Friday and stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Didn't book the hotel through the cruise because we had enough points for a free stay. The hotel was great and we had an ocean front room. Got up on Saturday, checked out and took a 15 minute cab ride to the pier. It wasn't that far, but there was a lot of traffic.

As everyone mentions, embarkation was a breeze. We got there a little before noon. They started boarding soon after and we were on the ship within 10 minutes. Because our cabins weren't ready yet, we went to the buffet (Aloha Cafe) and ate lunch. There was something for everyone and the quality of the food, while not spectacular, was satisfactory. The pizza was very good and fresh made. By the time we finished, our cabins were ready. Read more