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My husband & I recently returned from a NCL Pride of America cruise. We sailed from Honolulu on 9/5/09 to 9/12/09. We loved it. The scenery was spectacular. The tours were well run. The ship met our expectations: it was immaculate, service was perfect, and the food was plentiful.
Read on if you want more particulars. We flew into Honolulu 2 days before embarkation. We stayed at the Marriott in Waikiki Beach. If you booked this hotel with NCL, you could pre-register for the cruise and not have to wait on a line to board the ship. We did not book through NCL. We spent Friday touring Pearl Harbor. Saturday, we arrived at the ship's pier at noon. We waited on lines, chatting with people while we waited. After boarding by around 1:30, we ate lunch and then explored the ship, going from deck to deck while we waited for our cabin to be ready. Our cabin was on the 9th deck toward the middle of the ship. It had a balcony which we enjoyed using- for scenery watching, reading, and drying our bathing suits.
Our cabin was small, but certainly adequate. We never felt as if we lacked anything. We didn't need a hanging toiletry case (which we did bring with us). There was enough space to store whatever we brought. The bathroom counter held our lotions and toothpaste. There was a shelf just beneath it. The shower was small, but had 3 corner spaces for our soap, shampoo and conditioner. The shower had dispensers filled with liquid soap and shampoo. We brought our own soap and shampoo. NCL provided a shower cap, moisturizer and shoe mitt.
We each took a 29 in. suitcase and had plenty of room to unpack all that we brought.
We paid the $12 a day per person surcharge, but we also tipped our cabin steward $3 a day, because the room was immaculate and she always accommodated our requests for fresh towels, plastic bags or more of anything we needed.
Food: We did not try any of the restaurants that required a surcharge. We come from New York where good restaurants are abundant. We heard good things about the special restaurants, but we only ate in the Liberty Dining Room and the Aloha Cafe. The Aloha Cafe had a buffet for every meal. There were a variety of foods that changed daily. The food was presented nicely. The service was cheerful and helpful.
Our favorite spot for breakfast and lunch, when we ate at the Aloha Cafe, was on the outside deck.
We thank Angela at NCL for helping us find a quiet room in a good location, and for responding to all of our questions. We also thank Terry at NCL Tour Excursions for helping us choose the best tours for us. From the helicopter over Kauaii, the sunset at Haleakala Crater, the beach at Kona, and the tours in Hilo and Maui - we enjoyed it all.
We can't imagine a better way to see Hawaii!
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