Pride of America Review

Around the Hawaiian Islands on NCL

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Pride of America
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Gustavius
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

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Sail Date: Jun 2009
Cabin: Balcony
Traveled with children

We flew into Honolulu and stayed at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach for 3 nights before the cruise.  It was a great way to start our vacation because we were able to adapt to much of the 5 hour time difference before the cruise.  We took the Roberts shuttle from the airport to the hotel ($9 one way). The hotel was great: right on the beach, partial ocean view, nice beach bar, right across the street from various shops, nice in-hotel shops as well.  The pool and beach were well kept, hotel personnel were helpful, rooms were good.  We were very close to the Cheesecake Factory but found that getting there early was essential or the wait was long.  About 2 blocks away was a Chili's that was not nearly as crowded and a good quick meal.  We took a cab from the hotel to the pier, about $38.Boarding was very easy.  There was even entertainment in the terminal.  People checking us in were efficient and knew what they were doing.  It took a long time for our bags to get to our rooms (about 8 hours) which would not have been a problem except that we wanted to eat in the main dining room and were told that we couldn't go in shorts.  Since we had nothing to change into, we waited and waited for the bags, only to learn at the dining room that there is no enforcement of the dress code on the first night.  We would have liked to have known that.  At the Key West bar, the servers were curt not only with us when we ordered but also with others we observed as they ordered.  We wondered whether the automatic 15% added to the bar bill meant that they didn't think they had to be nice since the tip was already added on.  However, as the cruise progressed, we had great service with very attentive and polite servers at the Pink Champagne and Cigar bar (where you can get half-price martinis from 5:30-6:30) and at the Gold Rush Saloon (half-price beer and some cocktails from 4:30-5:30).Many reviewers have commented on the food, and they are right: the food on this ship does not compare favorably with that on others we have cruised (including Holland Am., Celebrity, Carnival, Royal Car.).  The Aloha buffet on the first day was really substandard with many mixed dishes that were impossible to identify.  The area was crowded, possibly because much space has been allotted on this ship for specialty dining rooms that charge an extra fee.  We ate breakfast every day at the Aloha, and it was generally very good.  We ate all other meals in the main dining room, and while some dishes were pretty good, some were very mediocre. The strawberry souffle is a real exception: outstanding!  On other ships, our experience has been that almost everything is terrific in the main dining room.  The fruit everywhere on the ship was always superb; I can't say enough about the pineapple!! The rooms were fine, though our drain in the shower occasionally clogged, spilling water into the bathroom area.  Other than that, the room was comfortable, the bed was great, and the balcony was very nice.  We were traveling with friends and their teenager loved the teen club and its activities.  Shops on board are limited but all right.One major faux-pas during de-boarding: NCL says you can take your time de-boarding, and indeed, you get to choose your deboarding time, a really nice feature.  Since we were returning for one night to the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, we chose 9:30 a.m., the last deboarding time offered.  At about 8:00 a.m., someone knock on the door and then just walked in before we could answer the door.  She left when she saw we were there. At about 8:30 a.m., with our bags ready to go, we and our friends decided to take a final walk while we waited for our turn to de-board.  We placed the "Do Not Disturb" signs on the doors of our rooms and went up to one of the other decks.  When we returned, about a half hour later, and still well before our time to de-board, we found that the cleaning crew had been in both rooms to strip the beds.  We would have no problem at all vacating the rooms earlier if we'd been asked to do so, but it seemed to us that this was very inappropriate since it was still before our scheduled de-boarding time.  We realize that the turn-around is very quick, and if they can't do it in the time allotted, we would suggest that they ask people to vacate their rooms sooner rather than strip the room around our belongings.  It seemed a tacky way to end the trip.  That said, the deboarding process itself and retrieval of bags was probably the best we have ever experienced on any ship.  It really was efficient and quick.Overall, we had a wonderful, wonderful time.  The complaints would not in any way have stopped us from taking this beautiful trip.  It is very port intensive, and we were really tired when we got back, but it was our choice to do something in each place, and we were really glad we did.  Maui isn't listed under ports of call... We rented a car for 2 days. First day we drove to Hilo with many stops for excellent photos of beautiful waterfalls, a black sand beach with a lava tunnel, and much more. Second day went to Haleakala crater, truly amazing to be above the clouds. On the way back stopped at small town of Makawao where there is a wonderful glass blower called Hot Island Glass.

Cabin Review

Balcony

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