The cruise on Pride of America was the last leg of our trip to USA, having visited friends in Mineral, Virginia, Las Vegas and Seattle. Flight from Seattle to Honolulu on Alaskan Airlines. What a wonderful city Seattle is!

Our 7 day cruise was a great way to unwind before heading back to work. We were impressed at how smoothly embarkation happen. Standing in line wasn't a hassle as it gave an opportunity to meet our fellow travellers. Two things that we did on boarding was to buy the soda sticker (which was convenient but don't think that we came anywhere near using the amount spent)and to pay for the Wine Club. The Wine Club allowed us to dine in the Speciality Restaurants which would normally have a cover charge and to have an "expensive" bottle of wine with our meal. I had booked our excursions via NCL, mainly as I wasn't familiar with the local tour companies. I know that we paid extra but I was very happy with how the pickups for the excursions were organised at each port. Before our next cruise, I hope to have more time to investigate the "local" situations more thoroughly. I ended up succumbing and buying photographs but should have made the decision on the Fri as they were available for a discounted rate. The photos are very pricey but they are the memories down the track. We felt that overall the staff were very courteous and willing to chat and answer questions. There is always one to spoil the atmosphere but once we left his restaurant we didn't see him again. Our cabin was quite spacious despite the first impression. Very pleased that we had a stateroom with balcony. It eased the claustrophobic feeling on occasions. We were on starboard side so had some magic views. If you rise a little earlier, you will see some gorgeous scenery as you come into the ports. The daily newsletter provides a wealth of information and being distributed the evening before allows the next day's planning to be done. Our first taste of the cruising life but I can see why many people go back time and time again.