Pride of America Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My hubby and I decided to go to Hawaii for our 35th wedding anniversary, and for him to have achieved his 50th state. We wanted to see the islands so decided on the Pride of America cruise since we didn't want to cruise from California. We arrived 3 days early and toured around Oahu before boarding the ship.
From other reviews, my expectations of the Pride of America were rather low. I was very pleased that it was better than I thought it would be. First of all, I read a lot of reviews indicating the staff was rude, not friendly, and not at the same level as other cruises. We did not find this to be the case, and in fact, found the staff on the POA to be much friendlier and chattier and more helpful than staff on other ships.
Food at the Skyline was sub par. We ate there three nights and each night was worse than the previous night. We gave up eating there and ate at the Aloha Cafe buffet three other nights. It had much better food than the Skyline. We ate at Teppanaki for our anniversary. It was incredible. The chef (Ryan) was incredible. Best show at a hibachi style restaurant that we have ever seen. The staff also treated us well for our 35th anniversary serenading us and providing us with a cake. It was all very nice.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Balcony
The cabin was SMALL. The smallest balcony cabin we've had on any ship. There was very little room between the bed and we kept having to step aside to let the other person pass. The balcony was also very small. To use the foot stools which only worked if the chairs were at an angle, it still meant having your feet sticking through the railing.
Port Reviews
Honolulu
We rented a car and drove up the west shore on our own as well as Pearl Harbor, and then used Shaka guide phone app for the Circle Island and South Shore tours. Both excellent. Make sure you go to Giovanni's Shrimp Truck on the North Shore. Awesome!
Maui
Used the Shaka Guide to do the Road to Hana and the Halekala National Park tours. They were both great although it was cloudy for Halekala so we didn't get a good look at the crater. The Road to Hana was great but you have to be OK with a very windy (600+ sharp curves each way), narrow road. Not for the faint of heart, but also much more fun in a rental car than on a bus.
Kona (Kailua Bay)
Met a cousin who lives in Kona and we sent to a coffee farm and then to Kona Brewery. It was fun to be with her and getting a local's perspective.
Kauai
Again, we rented a car and then took the Shaka Guide tour of Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali coast. It was awesome. So beautiful. We treated the 2nd day in Kauai as a "day at sea" just to relax before the trip home.