have been to Oahu twice before and decided to get a brief taste of the other islands so pride of America was the obvious way to go, embarkation was a breeze very helpful desk person on board quite quickly, cabin was not ready so went and had lunch at the aloha café buffet, the ship although looking a bit dated was very clean and well presented. the house keeping did a great job keeping the cabin clean and tidy. all the staff in the bars and public areas gave good service and were friendly, only ate at the aloha café buffet which I found quite good in fact some of the food was quite amazing. entertainment was very good went four shows including music in a couple of the bars. all in all I would recommend this cruise . finally a special word for Tanya who served in the pink champagne bar a credit to the ship and cruise line a very friendly person very good customer service. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we were visiting Oahu anyway and wanted to see more of the islands. The Pride is the only one that tours the islands of Hawaii without a major ocean crossing. Our cabin was very comfortable with a king size bed and enough storage. The balcony was on the small side but had a railing with steel bars that made it easy to see thru when seated. Other ships sometimes have solid steel plates that prevent you from seeing the water when seated. Overall the dining experience was good. The selection at the buffet was good albeit very unusual at times (I've never seen carved duck at a buffet before). The main dining room food and service was excellent. We ate at two of the specialty restaurants, Cagney's is a traditional steakhouse and Moderno is a Brazilian style steakhouse. At Cagney's both my wife and I had steaks that were very tough. A complaint to the manager got us some chocolate covered strawberries delivered to our stateroom. Moderno is an experience worth having in itself. The food was also excellent. Of the two, Moderno is the best choice. We do not travel with children but it didn't appear that there were many activities for kids. The pools were basic and there were no slides or other kid friendly attractions that I could find. Read Less

Loved the Hawaii portion of the itinerary. After a great time in the islands, we headed out for 5 days of cold, cloudy weather. Not the fault of RC, but just the same, plans for swimming and sunning were dead on arrival. All of that aside, no one on board seemed to know the schedule. I asked what night is formal night, no one knew, not even the customer service desk! This was was our first cruise in 30 years and RC didn't win any awards for helping us understand the process. Would we go again? NO WAY. We would fly to Hawaii, do inter-island air and skip the cruise. You are in port for a short time, so it is no way to see Hawaii. Other downers: Constant upselling of drink and internet packages. We figured out that bottles of wine were discounted 40% in the specialty dining venues. So we would buy wine then and have it delivered to the main dining room. The shower in the cabin (balcony) was so tiny and poorly constructed it was a joke. Dining was actually fine. Read Less

We arrived in Honolulu the evening before our cruise and had a hotel a short distance from the cruise port. From the time we check our bags with a porter, through security and check-in, we were on the ship in less than 30 minutes. We have been on the Radiance of the Seas several times before, but found the ship in need of a makeover. The ship looks "tired". Compared to newer, more modern ships, it's furnishings look old and need of replacement. Our balcony cabin (#9208) was clean, but it had torn drapes and sheer panels. The sofa was well worn. While out on the balcony, rust could be seen in several locations. We had My Time Dining in the Cascades Dining Room seven of our 12 nights and found the food to be good. Three nights we went to the Windjammer and enjoyed the buffet. Two of the nights, Prime Rib roast was served. Two nights, Chops was our choice. Chops has never disappointed. The Windjammer breakfast buffet was also good. We chose to only go to the Aurora Theatre twice. I found the entertainment there to be not that rewarding. Throughout the cruise, we enjoyed the various singers, instrumentals and and violinists in the Centrum and Colony Club. This cruise had many Diamond, Diamond + and Pinnacle C&A members. The Concierge Lounge was only for use by Suite guests and Pinnacle level. The Diamond Lounge on the Radiance is small and only holds about 25-30 people. They had to open up the Starquest Lounge next door to accommodate all of the Diamond and Diamond + folks. The nightly happy hour was always crowded. We would wait until after 5:30 (when early dining started) to go there. All crew members we encountered would greet you with a smile and a greeting. Our Cabin Attendant, Lega, would call us by name after meeting us on the first day. Read Less

This was our first trip to Hawaii. We thought the cruise stopping at 4 Hawaiian islands would be a good way to get an initial taste for the islands. We opted for the three days in Honolulu prior to the start of the cruise itself. While it was tough getting around Honolulu with the traffic, the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Waikiki beach did not disappoint. From Booking our cruise and selecting activities through meeting us at our flight, transporting us to our hotel, taking us on excursions, to the ship, embarking, ship board and port activities at the various islands, disembarking and transport from the ship back to the airport, Norwegian had their act together. The only delays we experienced were due to things like traffic and late cruise passengers. Norwegian and contracted support personnel were professional, competent, patient and upbeat. The ship was medium sized by current standards. It was clean and well maintained. Everything seemed to be working. It seemed like the ship sailed at much less than full capacity. This made getting services easy with minimal waiting - except for perhaps the breakfast buffet. It seemed like the average age of passengers on board was 65+. This obviously impacted activities on board the ship during the cruise. Our cabin was somewhat small but standard fare on cruise ships these days. The bathroom was small but functional. There was ample storage space. Everything in our cabin worked. The balcony was smaller than what we have seen on other cruise ships and had too much furniture on it for its size. I would rate our dining experience as good but not great. Overall the service in the dining facilities was excellent. Overall the food as good but not great. We had several meals that were warm (not hot) when they were served. Wait time for our entree in Le Cucina was and hour and a half. We had the meal package at three specialty restaurants which the restaurant greeter's seemed to point out in each case. If Norwegian provides these packages as an incentive to cruise with them they should not make customers feel like second class citizens for having them. Rank order from best to worst for dining experiences would be Le Bistro, Cagney's, Skylight, Liberty Dining Room, La Cucina, Cadillac Diner, Aloha Grill. As far as ship board entertainment was concerned, it was a surprise to us that there was no gambling. I must have missed that in the Norwegian Info provided about this cruise. We sailed on the Epic last year and were spoiled but the variety and quality of the entertainment provided on that ship. Compared to the Epic we felt the entertainment was limited. With very few exceptions, service on the ship was excellent and probably the strongest feature on the cruise. Staff was cordial, efficient and extremely helpful. Norwegian was well organized at each of our ports of call. Getting on and off the ship was straight forward. The port facilities were basic but adequate. The shore excursions were well done. Our bus driver was a pro. I had been looking forward to visiting Pearl Harbor for some time and it was clearly a highlight. Wish we had more time at the Battleship Missouri. The Polynesian Cultural Center was interesting and a learning experience. The trip to the ranch was limited by weather so we weren't able to experience all it normally had to offer. The ship used its own life boats to tender us to Kona on the big island (the ship had to anchor off shore). This was handled expertly. We did not travel with children. I think the cruise was more geared toward mature passengers. The excursions were geared toward older people with perhaps limited physical capabilities. We rented cars and did our own thing on Maui, the Big Island and Kawaii. This allowed us to focus on sites we were most interested in and spend our time as we saw fit. This allowed us to do, for example, more hiking than would probably been possible with excursion groups. Small cars were also able to access places large tour buses could not. I can see us visiting the islands again on the future. Not on a cruise but rather focusing on specific islands and points of interest. Read Less

My husband and I wanted to do Hawaii for our 20th wedding anniversary. This trip (NCL part of it) was recommended by my husband's parents. We flew into Honolulu on 5/1 and stayed until 5/4, where we boarded the Pride of America for a 7 night/8 day cruise. We selected several excursions through the ship. I also purchased a Happy Anniversary room decorating package and a Romance Package, which were both very nice and a really good deal. Before we embarked, we were offered the chance to improve our stateroom by bidding on two larger (upscale) rooms, as we were in the basic cheapest room. We won the bid, and wound up with a large room with balcony! Only cost me $100 more total! The excursions we picked (four of them) were amazing and we had so much fun. We had dinner in La Cucina one night, and the food and service was phenom! We tried the sushi bar one night as an appetizer to our main dining room, and we enjoyed that as well. All in all, we had a great time, the staff was very nice, the ship was clean and easy to navigate inside and out. The entertainment was really good too. Those kids dance their hearts out and they are very talented! Read Less

We just arrived home from seven day cruise in Hawaii aboard the Pride of America. We were so excited to board as this was to be the trip of a lifetime. Boarding the ship was very easy and within a couple of hours of boarding our stateroom was ready. We had a room with balcony on the 10th floor. Oddly our balcony had walls on each side hindering the view. The room is small but room enough for two. Storage is limited. Drawers difficult to open and shelves dusty. Definitely need some upgrading of the rooms. We had booked adjoining rooms as we were travelling with friends. Thinking our balconies would be adjoining as well but were disappointed to find they were not. Food was mediocre. Both complimentary dining rooms serve the same menu. Aloha cafe is dingy and very crowded. Entertainment was good. We only seen our room Stewart once and that was because I had to contact him with an issue. Often there were odours throughout the ship that I don’t even want to know what it might be. Most ports the ship is docked at cargo units. Not much of a view to enjoy. They seem to like to do repairs and maintenance on the ship when docked in port. Doesn’t make for quiet relaxation on balcony. Always noisy. We received a notice one day they would be painting balconies and workers would be entering through staterooms. They announced on a Tuesday they were skipping our next port call in a Kona due to minor mechanical issue. Not to worry though each stateroom got a $50 credit. Wow! Please do not book this cruise. It just is not worth it. Read Less

Not an all inclusive trip. Extra for internet, tipping, bottled water, photos, etc .you think you have everything paid for but then they tack on an extra charge everyday for each person. I expected the excursions to be a little bit more considering the price. But most were just a bus ride to a free admission park. Very disappointed in most of them. Occasionally they would include a box lunch with one bottle of water. Weather was terrible one day but because they did not cancel we would have lost our money had be not gone. Couldn’t see anything but rain and clouds for the sunset at Haleakalā. Glassbottom boat in Kona was a joke - only saw a few yellow fish and only got about 10 feet from shore. They booked our flights but failed to tell us that we would be dropped off st the airport at 9:30 and the American Airlines gate would not open until 11:15 so we had to stand in line waiting to check our bags for almost 2 hrs. Read Less

Don't bother going on this cruise liner...…...staff were very good on the whole but nothing else was!!!!! FOOD - no diabetic or low calorie choices, even the packet breakfast cereal was high sugar. Bread was stale, fruit and vegetables not ripe. We arrived at 6pm for dinner and they had just opened the casual dining café....the food was cold!!!! even the French fries were cold?????!!! PAID FOR DRINKS PACKAGE - but each drink was taxed so even if you chose a drink below the stated $15.00 limit once they added tax and service charges you ended up with a charge on your account. SMOKING AREA- only one for the whole ship....and it is a big ship! The area allocated was small, hard to get to for older passengers or those with disabilities or those not good climbing two lots of stairs with buffeting winds as it was aft and on deck 13, totally unprotected from the elements!!! CABIN- LAYOUT & SIZE OK. Rooms were not ready till approx 4.30pm. Our balcony door could not be locked and on one night because of rough seas I had to get up 6 times/ grab the curtain pull it back inside the cabin and shut the door. I was travelling with my elderly mother who attempted to do this when it first happened and she fell and could have SUSTAINED A SERIOUS INJURY AT 87 YEARS OF AGE! When I rang guest services there was no answer although I tried several times to report the faulty door. The next morning I went to guest services and complained....late that afternoon a workman came to replace the locks and stated he had been VERY BUSY AS MANY DOORS HAD TO BE FIXED!!! Towels and sheets were not changed throughout the 7 days. Toilet broke down on the second day and was not fixed till late that afternoon approx 4pm so had to access the public toilets all day!!!! Hand basin plug not functioning and could not drain the water out of handbasin. Again was not fixed till late that afternoon. LIBRARY - unable to get library books out on weekends and only after 5pm weekdays....what? most people want to sit on deck , relax, lap up what little sunshine we got and read a book IN THE DAY TIME??????? And as we were stuck at sea it would have been nice to get a book and read for the day as there was nothing else to do!!! ENTERTAINMENT - very poor, stuck at sea for two full days, unable to dock anywhere and no extra entertainment organised to help pass the time. The shows we did see were amaturish and short (one only just over half an hour). No movie theater or big screen. PORT & SHORE EXCURSIONS - We were suppose to dock in six ports and got to call into two apart from Honalulu were we joined the cruise........ Read Less

We wanted to have a chance to see the greatest number of islands without the headache of transportation. The cruise was the answer... Simply unpack once and you are shown all the sites. Food was the highlight.... and when you want it. The open dining was a real treat in the Liberty Dining room and not treated like a bunch of cattle in a buffet. That's right real waiters and a menu. Open seating. We never had to wait. Then when was considered too habitual, not often, we went to the 50's diner for a quick snack.. Of course the buffet was still there with all the ice cream and deserts as needed !. The aft deck was a treat for viewing... especially during departure from Honolulu. Night with city scape. ooooh!! Don't miss the Na Pali Coast cruise by on the last day. The views are amazing Shops ok. but who really wants to go shopping on the ship We spent some time getting the games from the Library and going to the game room to challenge the couple we were traveling with. . Dancing available in the Pink Champaign room but limited dance floor to many different types of music. We went on 4 paid shore excursions and enjoyed every one of them. Cruise staff all VERY nice and friendly. STAY away from the margarita tasting event. BAD, BAD, BAD. Read Less

I was a bit leery after reading negative reviews of this cruise, especially in regards to the food and the service. We found that to be not true at all. The food was fresh, hot, and tasty in the buffet and especially in the specialty restaurants. The specialty restaurants arem a separate fee, but a package price is available. We found that the staff went out of their way to assist, and interact. The entertainment was good but not great, but they had many extra activities like dance classes and lei making. The shore excursions seemed overpriced, so we just rented a car in each port and that worked very smoothly. We were able to see the things that we were most interested in. The price was more than your ordinary cruise elsewhere, so it scored lower on the value area. We are glad we took this cruise and would highly recommend it. Read Less

Our travel agent recommended it to us. My husband really doesn't like big ships and lots of people but his cruise did not feel over populated. Dining in the Skyline restaurant was excellent as opposed to La Cucina which cost extra and was no means worth the extra cost. We enjoyed the shore excursions but didn't like the "cattle herding" on the bigger ones especially in Kauai which we were upsold by shore excursion desk! Cabin was great, good use of space. Toilet was fixed promptly when it wouldn't flush. Loved the towel animals and the steward did a great job. The entertainment was first rate, the magician and the comedian were excellent as were the other entertainers. Television programming was lacking. Wi Fi was free and good. All the staff were friendly and polite and we received good service. On the whole though we had a great time and would choose NCL again when we go to the Caribbean next year. Read Less

First time cruiser, so much of the information below was gleaned from that perspective. I'm a planner, and want to have information before a trip begins... We chose this cruise because my mother (Deaf, senior citizen, mobility impaired) wanted to see "all" of the islands, for the last state on her list of visiting all of the United States. Of course, seeing ALL of the islands isn't possible, and inter-island transfers are prohibitively expensive, so we chose to do the NCL cruise. My parents have been on an NCL Alaskan cruise, and were happy to go again. My husband and I have never wanted to do a cruise, and this experience cemented that opinion. Yes, it was handy to unpack once, have food available when wanted, and to be moved from island to island. However, there were well over 2,000 guests onboard, and there are ALWAYS people EVERYWHERE. Getting on and off the ship was quite time consuming, and the tendering in Kona caused my mobility impaired mother to have to stay on the ship (and this tendering was NOT advertised in the materials, nor was it included in the 'before you sail' documents). We had a few other suggestions for improvements, but the cruise did the job of getting us to 4 separate islands. On the flip side, the times when I interpreted (sign language) for my parents, the staff were very accommodating and welcoming. This included the mandatory drill, shopping, disembarkation, embarkation, and dining. The cabin they were in was for disability, but not for Deaf/Hard of Hearing. The ship provided a mobile door unit (lights up when the door is knocked upon), and our steward changed the batteries on the second day. It worked well after that. Because the excursions through NCL were crazy marked up, especially for a group of 4, we rented a car in each port, except for Honolulu. That process also took upwards of two hours for waiting for/riding the shuttle, rental, gassing up, and the return shuttle. Even so, getting a car was the best choice. We got to do what we wanted, when we wanted, without being with a crowd of co-passengers. Even with the car rental fee, we saved money over paying NCL prices for tour tickets. Parking overnight was explained by shuttle drivers...obviously much more up to date than comments online. No problems with that in the 2 locations that were overnight in port. (Maui was overnight parking at/by the airport, use the shuttle to get to/from the ship; Kauai was at the ABC store just down the street ($20) or on that street (free)--a walk of 2-3 blocks. Easy. We booked a Maui Gold Pineapple tour (excellent), and were able to bring our complimentary pineapples onboard. Hawaii has a contract with airlines so that they can be carried on a flight with no extra charge. Our steward "G," was AMAZING, and helped to redeem the onboard experience. I'd hire him in a heartbeat for ANY job. We were aware that cruise lines are all about entertainment, including programs for kids, programs/shows for adults, and shopping. There are a variety of shops onboard, and similar shops at ports. I know that in Juneau, the cruise line owns many/most of the shops at the port...so am suspecting that may be true on Hawaii, as well. Go away from the port to shop, or to get a true Hawaiian experience. We met many amazing locals by exploring. The shows were really geared toward people who enjoy the Vegas-type experience...or summer camp on steroids. We went to one, and that was enough. With a full day and a good dinner, we just had quiet evenings in our cabins. My parents got a balcony cabin, so we all enjoyed the views. We chose a Luau at Lahaina, and it was wonderful! I looked at the pictures from the cruise-sanctioned event on Kauai, and it didn't come close to the excellence level of the Old Lahaina Luau. Again, a car is necessary to do most activities not provided by NCL. The end of the cruise included a swing by the Napali coast. Fortunately, my parents' balcony room was on the port side, as that's the side that saw the coast (luck of the draw, as that information is not provided ahead of time). The coast is beautiful...we left port at about 2:00, arrived there at about 5:15. We wish we'd had that time frame, as we had dinner reservations at 5:30. It was nice that the windows at La Cucina are on the port side, as well, so we could continue to view the spectacular scenery. If you are at all sensitive to wave motion, do NOT book a cruise. It wasn't stormy, but MANY guests were seasick the first couple of nights (staff, too). The seas weren't flat, just had swells. The movement of such a big boat was amazing! Passengers were laughing down the hallways, because we all looked like drunkards. This made it difficult for my mother, who uses a cane for stability. She had to hold on to the railings, or to us. Hand rails are missing across doorways, so when the ship is really rolling she held onto us. The 2 nights sleeping in port were lovely, no movement. Food: There is a staff member standing at the doorway of the buffet to squirt sanitizer into everyone's hands. There are stations as well, but many passengers go right on by. And then you see the people who sneeze all over their hands and touch things. Sigh. The buffet food was ample and had many choices. The burger buns were amazing, and the rest of the food was chain hotel average to above average. Breakfast pastries and soft serve ice cream only offered on one side. LOTS of people, and many don't seem to understand that there are LOTS of people, and so should be not standing stock still in the middle of everything, looking at what to eat next (or shouldn't just push in to the front of a line). Or standing in a group, having a conversation. Watch out for people who allow their children to run. Be prepared. Don't expect to be able to get through quickly. We ate Friday night at La Cucina ($$ on top of the "complimentary" dining), and it was worth it. Not excellent, but very good, and the windows provide great views. The setting was much more intimate than the buffet area, and the service was stellar. Beverages: Only water, coffee, tea, orange/cranberry/apple juice, milk and lemonade were available with the cost of the cruise. All alcohol is extra, as is pop/soda/coke. I can understand the alcohol, but soda? That's cheaper than juice and milk! It's $7.95 per person, per day for soda! The alcohol is priced at hotel bar levels. The drink of the day is $8.95, about a dollar less than the regular price, and each day's offering is listed in the newsletter. They aren't stiff drinks, but not watery, either. There was a whiskey tasting "class," which turned out to be all Jack Daniels products. The lecturer passed along misinformation, but overall a nice hour. $19, and totaled about 2 shots. If you desire to drink, do it onshore. Or, buy wine at the market and pay the $15 corking fee, it will save you big bucks. Wine: A bottle that I know is under $10 at the grocery store was on offer for almost $50. Glasses start at about $8. 2 days after the cruise was underway, a "Vino" package was mentioned in the newsletter (not online prior to cruising), which turned out to be a choice of 4, 6, or 8 bottles for a flat price (tiered for expensiveness of the wines). I don't know if it was available from the beginning; talk to a bartender or server for information. All of the above said, we're glad we chose to do the cruise, because it enabled us to see 4 of the Hawaiian islands. It was very much like being in a huge, all-inclusive resort. Not our cup of tea, but it served its purpose, and I know that there are (obviously) people who desire that type of vacation. We loved seeing Hawaii, and had a great time with my parents. Read Less

We choose this cruise because our son is in the Army stationed on Schofield Barracks in Oahu. We have cruised many times on Carnival, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. This was our first and probably last on Norwegian. It seemed perfect for us, a seven day Island tour round trip from Honolulu. We stared out quite impressed with the ship and food. But from day one it went down hill! Our travel agent suggested we let the ship pick our ocean view room. We were quite happy to see the ocean side of our smaller room was all window, but when we opened the curtain we had a view of a lifeboat! From day one our toilet did not work. I called and complained immediately, but only got lip service that people flushed things they should not. I expressed that on all the other cruise lines we have been on have the same systems and if there was ever a problem, it was fixed. On day six of a seven day cruise the worked on it and it operated for a few hours. Not only could we not use our bathroom, many times we could not stay in the room because the toilet was full and would not flush! After day two we noticed the food was never hot, warm at best! We went to the formal dinning rooms and the buffet with the same results. How likes cold eggs? The food was good when warm. The shows were good for the most part. The crew was very friendly and accommodating. The upgraded state room view of a lifeboat, non working toilet and cold food has made us say never again on Norwegian. Read Less

My wife bought this cruise to Hawaii for my 60th birthday. The one thing we loved was there was never anyone in your face at dinner,lunch,ect taking pictures of you. We love the freestyle dinning. I cant complain,because there was no gambling on this cruise,so I saved money ! I miss the fact that on carnival I could buy any bottle of liquer and have it brought to the room. Not this one. The bartenders especially( Alonso ?) from texas. He was very informative, friendly and fun to talk to. He would be at the pool bar in the morning. As for excursions , we booked all through ncl.Patrick at the excursion desk was very friendly and helped us with any changes we wanted to make. The helicopter and pinnaple tour with pig roast was well worth it. I even managed to get the saints vs dallas game on the boat. I am seriously considering taking another ncl cruise soon. Read Less

We enjoyed our trip to the various islands. Disappointed that we did not get to see the Na Pali Coast; they did give us each $100 for on ship credit. The food was good, I was hoping for a variety of horderves to try. The coffee in the Gold Rush lounge was always barely warm. The staff was very nice and helpful. Laundry service was more expensive than other cruise lines but they did do a good job. We played checkers and shuffle board on deck, that was fun. The pools were nice, one hot tub never worked and several of them worked to well, pushed water into your face. They had nice shows for entertainment, the show on the last night was amazing. Having more options for when your on the ship at night would have been nice, like cooking classes, etc. I liked the ability to store luggage under the bed and there were a few drawers which limited how much we had to access the suitcase. Read Less

I have never done a cruise before. I don't know that I ever will again. I went on this cruise to accompany my 86 year old father and spend some times with friends from Australia. We had a mid-ship cabin with a full view balcony that had a bit of rust. There was plenty of closet space and ample room under the bed. I don't know if this is normal, but the shower was extremely small, making it impossible to wash your legs. The service on the ship was excellent, which surprised me given some reviews I had read. The buffet was edible, and the specialty restaurants have some pretty good food, but don't go on this cruise for the cuisine. The steak at Cagney's was very good, and the Teppanyaki was good and fun. The service in the bars, especially Pink's was excellent. The singers and dancers in the cabaret type shows were extremely good. We did not take any tours offered by the ship, opting for renting a car in Maui and Kauai and taking some smaller private tours in Kona and Hilo. Have a car in Maui was nice, but the logistics are pretty much a nightmare. It is a long walk through the terminal, and security at the port is very officious. Despite my begging and throwing out the Americans with Disabilities Act, they would not let me pick up my dad and other elderly people at the entrance to the terminal, making them walk about another 100 yards passed the security gate. Finally we had to spend 20 bucks to take a taxi the 100 yards to get them to the rental car. I had a Budget car, and the only overnight parking offered was to park at the airport, paying $15, taking the shuttle to Budget, and then taking another shuttle to the ship. Needless to say, we just sent the elderly back to the ship on another taxi. We did not take the road to Hana in the Suburban I rented. I download the Gypsy app, which cost about $10 bucks for Maui and another $8 for Kauai. The data is downloaded on your phone and narration is triggered by GPS location. We got a big kick out of the app, so it is worth using, although it was useful having a passenger using Google maps to get us going in the right direction. We explored the far western coast up to Kaanapali one day and the southern western coast down to Wailea the second day, stopping to snorkel on a nice beach at the southern end of Kihei. We stopped in Kihei at the Paia Fish Market, a place with walk up service and some of the best fresh fish I have ever had along with some local brew. Rental in Kauai was much better. The terminal is smaller and security lets you pull up your car pretty close. You can buy a parking pass at JJ's Broiler in Anchor Cove Shopping center to park your car, and the shopping center runs a continuous shuttle back and forth to the ship. We again used our Gypsy app and drove in the morning to Waimea Canyon, exploring the beaches at Poipu and the blow hole at Spouting Horn Park and the way. This was only about a three hour jaunt and very nice. We drop our friend back on the ship for a Luau her family had booked, and my dad and I drove through Kapaa and up the east coast to Kilauea lighthouse. It was closed when we got there, but the view was worth the trip. The next day we back to Kapaa and got some Hawaiian shave ice the gypsy app talked about every time we passed. OMG, this stuff is to die for. I had locally made soursop combined with an organic ginger syrup with mochi balls added. My friend got ginger, mochi balls and some coconut ice cream. We both made moaning noises. My dad didn't, but he ate the whole huge thing. We then went back to Poipu beach park, parked dad in a picnic area, and had some great snorkeling. This beach is very nice, but it is pretty much solid rock in the water, so bring some aqua shoes if you go there. We managed without them, but we were the only ones there without them. For tours on the big Island, we took a local company right off the ship. I'm not sure they were supposed to be soliciting there, but it was excellent. For Kona, we had booked MaryLou's, which was excellent. I would recommend them for the two days on the big island. In Hilo, terminal was not too big, and security was not officious, so it was pretty easy to get off the ship. For Kona, we had tenders, which are little boats that take you to the harbor. The process went pretty much as smoothly as it could, and I give commendations to the ship's crew for executing such a difficult task. I'm not sure it wouldn't be better to say in Hilo for two days and just drive or take tours to Kona. We did the standard tour stuff. We saw some beautiful Japanese gardens, farms, bees, etc., but I would have liked to have spent a few hours in the water at some of those beaches. Even though they were black rock, the water was blue, calm and inviting. Rainbow falls is a must see. It is worth going to Pu'uhonau O Nonaunau, which is a national park and sacred Hawaiian spot. If I were doing it over again, I would book a private tour with Marylou's and have them combine some sightseeing with a snorkel tour. We stayed on Waikiki after we got off the boat, but had been to the island a couple of times before. You have to get off the boat so early in the morning that there is no reason to stay there the night after unless you want to explore Oahu. I would recommend going there long enough before the ship embarks to make it worthwhile renting a car and skip the stay afterward. Anyway, I scoped out lots of places I would like to go back to. I am probably not a cruise person, and my wife definitely is not, so she stayed home, but I had a great time beside myself and can recommend this cruise even if you think it is not your sort of thing. Read Less

We had a great experience with our first time on NCL. We chose this cruise to maximize our time in Hawaii by seeing as many islands as possible. Before cruising, we spent 4 nights in Kauai (which I would highly recommend!) and after the cruise another 3 days on Oahu. For our first time in Hawaii, we feel we covered quite a bit in the two weeks we were there. The staff was amazing on this ship. The Hotel Director and his assistant were particularly very welcoming and made our stay extra special. Although the ship is smaller and older than the ships we have cruised lately, it was clean and updated as much as possible. The cabin was the same as others we've had and there were plenty of dining options. We did find the Liberty dining room to be a more quiet dining experience then the Skyline so we enjoyed it most evenings. We received excellent service everywhere on the ship. The Luau (in Kauai) excursion was amazing. Even though there were over 700 people (all from the ship), the plantation was well equip to handle that many for dinner/show. Enjoyed the food and the show very much. We would recommend renting a car in Maui. The ship docks overnight and gives you plenty of time to explore the island. The car rentals are a short walk from the port and there is a hotel at the port that will allow you to park the car overnight for $5. We would definitely take this cruise again if we ever get the chance. We had an amazing time! Read Less

We heard good stories about the cleanliness & service on this ship and they were true for our Cruise in Hawaii in Oct 2018. The positives 1 The staff were all friendly and a very clean ship. 2. Speciality dining areas (the 3 we visited Steak house, French & Brazilian) were first class, but very little attendances maybe because of their speciality prices. 3. Liberty & Skyline dining (no extra charges) were much more supported and the décor was both pleasant and nice & quite so you can talk to friends/passengers. 4. The loading and unloading of passengers at Honolulu was good after our 12 other cruises. 5. The night time floor shows were (I feel) above average but their volume was very loud 6. No real need to book/pay of on-shore excursions as lots of good private tour operators near or on the docks. 7. The biggest volume of passengers were 50+ age 8. Wifi is better to find on-shore if you search for them but on board ship too costly. The negatives or Thumbs Down A. You were not allowed to take on board one (1) bottle of wine per person like other cruises, so this gets the thumbs down for me. B. The price of drinks were all too high and being Australians we are not used to tipping, especially 20% as standard plus they ask for more. C. The prices offered to on-shore excursions were "way too expensive" and I put this down to GREET by this Shipping Company Pride of America. D. The sail away we were really looking forward to, but the music volume was just so high that it drove us and many other seniors away to other locations away from the noise. E. This ships Internet packages were way too expensive so we avoided them F. The buffet dining area was (I feel just average) with most food just warm Read Less

We chose this cruise as we had never been to Hawaii and wanted to see several island without having to pack and unpack our luggage all week. I was concerned after reading some reviews of the Pride of America but was extremely happy that I only have great things to say about our experience. The embarkation and disembarkation process was extremely smooth. We took an early morning Pearl Harbor tour after the cruise and it was great to take the tour and then transported to The Honolulu Airport. Sheldon, our room attendant did an amazing job keeping our balcony room clean and well equipped. We enjoyed our tours; however the lunches served on the were not very good. We also loved our breakfasts at Skyline restaurant and enjoyed all of our dinners at La Cucina, Moderno, Teppanaki, and a Liberty. We like that the serving sizes at the restaurants were a nice size and. Did not lead to overeating. The ship was very clean. We also enjoyed listening to a piano playing singer in Pinks Lounge. Although the balcony room was smaller than other cruise lines we have been on, we got used to the size. I would not hesitate to tell people to take this cruise. We had great customer service, excursions, and dining experiences and fulfilled my dream of seeing several islands of Hawaii. Read Less

The Hawaiian cruise was always on our bucket list.Celebrating our 25th Wedding anniversary and my wife’s 59th Birthday,we were treated with beautiful suite decorations and champagne plus excellent service from our concierge and butler.Our cabin steward kept our suite in perfect shape and she was always friendly.This vacation was every thing I expected.We did take alot of excursions and they were excellent.Helicopter tour over Kauai was best plus deep sea trolling meeting good people along the way.You got to enjoy the restaurants (fantastic).Cagneys,Jefferson Bistro,& LaCucina had very friendly waitors and did have you take your time enjoying your meal which were cooked to perfection.Alot of fun with entertaining shows and crafts. Never thought I would make 3 lei ( orchid,kukui nut,& ribbon). Visited Dole pineapple plantation with train ride ( definitely try the pineapple ice cream) then off to Pearl Harbor to pay homage to our soldiers who sacrificed for us. Very touching to see the sunken ships plus very educational. We were able to go on Ford Island to see the sunken Utah.All the beauty of Hawaii was well worth the travel and expense. Read Less

We chose this cruise because we wanted a cruise that stopped at several HWaiian islands in a week instead of island hopping and spending days in airports. It was very relaxing to be able to have one room for the whole week to unpack in and then have all your meals and a variety of entertainment choices available all day as well. The stafff truly pampers you. The ship is spacious and clean. There are plenty of free activities and food available to keep you busy and well fed. Embarkation and debarkation are organized and well executed. We rented cars at several ports and only had a bad experience in Kauai with Thrifty never sending a shuttle to the pier to pick up several passengers waiting to pick up their reserved vehicles. After an hour of standing in the hot sun and watching several other rental companies stop by 2-3 times most of us rebooked with Budget online and were picked up and transported there quickly. We wasted an hour of our day standing at the port waiting in vain for Thrifty. None of the port workers had phones or walkie talkies to contact these companies to see what the problem was. So I would discourage using Thrifty in Kauai port. We took the Body Glove. snorkeling excursion that included breakfast and lunch and several hours is swimming and snorkeling. People of all ages were able to partipate. The crew as very helpful and explained rules and tips to keep you safe. There were many older folks attempting to snorkel using life jackets and pool noodles to help float. Would give this excursion a 5/5 rating. Laid back and lots of fun. The ship food was average. The food service staff was exceptional. Every wait person was extremely gracious, kind, and polite. The Liberty Dining room serves the same menu as the Skyline dining room each evening. The only difference is you must dress up more for the Librrty Room. The Aloha buffet had a great salad bar and was much better option for those interested in a decent salad than getting one in the dining rooms. We started walking through the Aloha each evening to check out their selections each evening and then deciding which restaurant to actually eat at based on the nights selections. You can alwYs get a strip steak in the Skyline if nothing else appeals to you. We did find that taking sandwich plastic baggies to breakfast in the Aloha buffet allowed us to make sandwiches to pack for lunch later in the day. It was quite handy to have lunch ready to eat along the road or beach instead of trying to find a spot to eat out while exploring. We rented our own car each 3 ports and drove to tourist attractions on our own each day. Definitely need GPS to find things as streets and locations being marked clearly is hit or miss. We ran into many locals totally willing to bend over backwards to be helpful. We never were treated rude or nasty. They treat you better than family. On and off the ship. The entertainment varied. The comedian and the magician were very enjoyable. The dance group had great costumes and choreography but their execution was a little high school or amusement park level, lacking in arm extensions and precision. A few performers appeared to have had private dance lessons but most seemed to have learned on the job. Disembarkation was efficient and the lines moved quick enough. As we exited the terminal, there was a steady stream of taxis pulling in to pick up passengers. We were able to get a taxi to the airport right away and saw many people waiting in line for group shuttles. The set up to catch a cab was easy and painless. Cab cost the two of us around $30 plus tip to the airport. All in all it is definitely the way to see several Hawaiian islands in one week and get the most out of your visits to the islands. Next cruise for us is Alaska! Read Less

Wanted to see as many of the Hawaiian Islands as we could since this was a once in a lifetime experience for us. We are in our 70’s. Choose the 11 day Oahu experience which included 4 days in Waikiki with 3 tours of the island prior to boarding the ship. Couldn’t have been any better. Tour guide Kimo was perfect. No issues embarking. Our luggage was outside our stateroom upon arrival. We stayed in aft room 10684 with a large balcony. Room was excellent and comfortable. We ate most of our meals in the Skylight restaurant which had a varied excellent menu. We also ate at Cagneys a steakhouse and are still raving about our steaks. The onboard entertainment was excellent. We choose 5 shore excursions. Loved the “Land of the Frozen Fire”, Directors Tour, Maui Beach and Luau. No issues. All the tour guides went out of their way to ensure a fun day. Weather was perfect! We traveled the week after hurricane Lane and had perfect weather on every island. We highly recommend the Pride of America. Also note the age group on this ship varied from babies to seniors. Perfect for anyone. Read Less

We book the POA as a way to see 4 Hawaiian Islands in one trip. The cruise offers the convenience of a floating hotel. However, the cruise is not on par with other NCL ships. If you don’t have reservations at a sit down restaurant don’t expect a plentiful buffet after 9pm. This was very disappointing since the ship stays in port overnight a few times and we would rather stay on shore as much a possible. Lunch doesn’t open until 12pm on the dot. Turnover is a complete shut down. Late night cookies were very cold no effort to even make the room temperature. The East meets West, Liberty and Skyline restaurants were great. Cadillac Diner was good for breakfast but had a limited menu for the rest of day. Showcased milkshakes for an upcharge. Entire ship is asleep by 8:30 also, so don’t expect a lively night out unless you go off the ship. If you need a floating hotel, this is your ship! Talked with ship staff and they mentioned the cruise was more older folks and geared that direction for activities and food offerings. Read Less

Only cruise to visit all the Hawaiian Islands. We did the extended cruise with three days at The Marriott Waikiki with excursions every day. We went to the North Shore and to the Polynesian Cultural Centre that was excellent. All day at Pearl Harbour and the the next day with lunch provided at the Kaolua Ranch. Our tour guide Keou kept us all on our toes and nothing was too much for him. We especially enjoyed his singing! We really miss him. We really enjoyed our stay on board and the staff went out of their way to keep everyone happy. I cannot understand why everyone complains about this ship. It was spotless, our balcony cabin was more than adequate for my husband and myself. There was plenty of storage for all our clothes and the suitcases went under the bed. The bed was extremely comfortable. The bathroom was big enough for us, but Incan understand some larger people would find the shower a little tight. We only encountered staff who went out of their way to please us. Always cheerful and more than obliging. Of course we were disappointed when some of our shore excursions were cancelled due to Hurricane Lane. I missed the helicopter flight over Kawaii on my birthday. We mentioned this in passing to reception and when we went back to the cabin that night I found a lovely birthday card, bottle of wine, flowers and chocolate covered strawberries. We hadn't intended going to any shows but we ended up going to three, and they were fabulous! What great dancers and musicians! The last night was an absolute scream, a quickly put together dance off on the extra night of the cruise. We ate at four speciality restaurants. The food was very good at all of them but unfortunately for me a bit salty. The food was fine in the Buffet, a lot of choices and they catered for all tastes. Breakfast was especially good, though I heard people complaining it was a bit dry. Drinks were expensive but we bought the buckets of beer and the wine package. We just handed over the slips to get our wine and we were able to rake it to our cabin, unopened. I enjoyed the cocktails of the day but they definitely weren't full strength. The staff made this cruise for us. I am sorry for the people on the next cruise who will only have four days. I hope they will be refunded accordingly. I would go on this cruise again. Read Less