We wanted to see as much of Hawaii as possible. Having done cruises before, the idea of taking our bed with us appeals. Starline restaurant. Service most nights was very slow. Passengers are encouraged to table share but conversation was difficult due to the loudness of the musical group. I complained about several meals - spicy crab cake was so spicy I could not confirm it was crab; lamb was overcooked and one slice was just fat; I ordered a banana split and it came covered in nuts; another day I ordered swordfish and it was covered in nuts; in neither case was there any reference to nuts on the menu; both were sent back and replacements provided; English cherry trifle was a total misnomer being just jelly with a single item of fruit topped with artificial cream, I would not serve such rubbish at a school lunch; the Wiener Schnitzel had obviously been prepared some time earlier and was served on cold plates.

One pays extra to extra to eat in the speciality restaurants. Nobody told anyone in our travel party that the code 3UDP on your key card meant you can eat the meal free on three occasions during the cruise. We realised this on our last night. Fortunately we used it twice but no-one else in the travel group had used it. Our meal in La Cucina Italian restaurant was very nice and tasty. Our last night meal was in Moderno Churrascaria Brazilian restaurant which was interesting as the waiting staff come round every few minutes offering a slice of yet another very tender cut of meat.

Whilst one could have breakfast with waiter service in several of the speciality restaurants that was not much use if one had an early departure on a trip. Most people had breakfast in The Aloha Café where there was a wide international choice. Aloha was also open for lunch and dinner and it was obvious that some people ate there all the time. Lipman’s tea was available at the refreshment station but twice I had to ask for Earl Grey as there was none in the box, Another time I had to point out that there were no cups and on another occasion that the hot water was not working. The staff did not seem to care about service or hygiene. Take for example hand spraying to reduce risk of infection. Whilst there were auto sprays at the entrance to each restaurant many passengers ignored them So there were staff on duty to spray your hands. There was one female member who was presumably more senior as she had a smarter uniform who stood daily slouched with one hand in a pocket, never smiled and did not accost passengers to spray them but rather waited until someone put their hand out to be sprayed. She should be demoted. Unlike most ships that travel from port to port and may not return to the same port for several weeks, the Pride of America sails the same route every week - if it’s Tuesday it’s Hilo. When asked, one server told us she was looking forward to next week as it would be her last after 5 months aboard and she would be returning to the mainland for a 5 week break with family members. No wonder the staff are bored! Read more