Pride of America Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My husband and I both turned 50 this year, and he picked Hawaii to celebrate. We booked the trip as a package a year earlier but cancelled and re-booked everything separately 4 months ago to take advantage of better rates. Initially we booked a balcony guarantee, but a few days before sailing we got a great up-sell to a penthouse suite, 13510. We were able to keep our Ultimate Dining Plan (UDP) and OBC. I was contacted a few times before sailing offering us to switch our UDP for other amenities such as picture packages and excursion credits, but we kept what we had.
We stayed at the Aston Waikiki Beach pre-cruise for 2 nights. This is shown as a 3.5 star, and I'd say that's accurate. Loved their "breakfast on the beach" that's part of the room rate as well as their attached Tiki Restaurant. After a 6-hour delay in Phoenix, we didn't arrive until 11:45 PM. You know what they say...the best laid plans!
Spent a great day on Waikiki Beach, nice lunch at Tiki's, then off to our Germaine's Luau with pick-up at the hotel. Very fun evening. Good entertainment and food. The next morning we walked to Diamond Head from the hotel and hiked to the top. Gorgeous views. The hike itself took about 25 minutes from the path at the bottom to the top. We took the bus back to the hotel, since I acquired some huge blisters on my heels which would pose a problem with footwear for the cruise.
Cabin Review
Penthouse with Large Balcony
It can be tricky finding your way to the cabins on deck 13, since it doesn't extend across the ship. It took us a few days to figure it out. Looking at the deck plans, this suite appeared to be the smallest on Deck 13. But it had a balcony that was much larger the length of the cabin. The bathroom had one sink and a combination jetted tub/shower along with the upgraded Elemis products, which were replaced upon request. The bed was probably the most comfortable bed we've had on any of our cruises.