Getting on ship was easy. Room was ready by 4pm. First night was rough night at sea. I have CPAP, be sure to bring extension cord. No cords plug ins by bed. Next morning took shower in smallest shower ever. Good luck on washing feet and legs. Went to buffet, it was great. Good selection. We rented a car for road to Hana. Great decision. Pay $6 download Gypsy guide to Hana, gave very detailed info on hole trip. We did drive backside of island, it is a white knuckler not for faint of heart, but very beautiful. When we got back to dock no place to park rental. Either park at the mall (no security) or the airport (10 mins). Next day we played golf at the dunes $95 great value (bring plenty of balls), really nice course and yes greens were good. Wife’s and kids were suppose to do a zip line way up mountain called Flying Hawaiin but it was cancelled when they couldn’t get 4 wheeler up sloop due to recent rains (A for effort they tried). After a day of shopping took rental back we ate at buffet again that evening. Once again food was good. However this is when we started noticing few problems. That had two ice cream machines for everyone only one worked entire trip. There was only 1 milk machine and no tea just coffee and juice. I did buy coke package for $55 and 24 500ml bottle water for 29.95. Our friend went for ice that night and could not find working ice machine. He went to a bar to get a bucket of ice and they told him it was for bar only. First sign of poor service. That night we went to Hilo had 9 mile hike scheduled we left ship at 8am got to tour guide and we were told lava was not flowing so they were changing the hike to a 15 person passenger van ride tour with lunch, no hike. Was able to get my son on zip line excursion with my wife. (They hated it, very unsafe, no railings on platforms and too many people on excursion). I went to town to explore. Hilo is very ugly. Looks like third world country. Homeless, just nasty. Don’t go downtown in Hilo. French restaurant night. This was the best. Had mushroom soup and steak. Soooo good. Apple tart was not good however (oh well). Everyone’s food was delicious. That night we went around island to Kona. On way around island our ship slowed so we could see lava flowing (see why my excursion was cancelled no lava flow). Bring binoculars to see lava. Worth it. Kona is next stop and is great. Went snorkeling. Can’t go wrong on this island. This night we ate at main dining. Service was horrible, rude and slow. Food was slow and not good. Heard same complaint from others on the cruise. We are going to shows each night. They are usually too crowded and not that good. Standing room only. Also tried pool and hot tubs on several occasions. The pool was extremely cold and the hot tubs were Luke warm, not hot. Next day we went to Kauai. This is so beautiful. Only 3 percent of island is inhabited. We did the Kayak and waterfall. What a fun and challenging excursion. 2 and1/2 mile kayak and 300 foot down trail to waterfall. Wear shoes and shirts that you toss. The mud is hard to get out. I wore flip flops with straps worked fine. That night there was a Hawaiin Luau that 700 people went. They said it was great presentation. Worth it if you have never been to a luau. Since ship was deserted until 930. We decided to eat at East West restaurant. It was awful. Worse food of entire trip. I like oriential food as does my family. We all hated it. We went to buffet to eat something else. Afterwards we went around ship to do something and everything was shut down. Couldn’t believe it. Even deck chairs around pool had been taken up. Next morning we ate at Cadillac diner and it is a plus. Left ship and went to beach half mile if you walk. Nice beach. Good waves. Lots to do. You have to be back on ship by 130. Ship goes around coast for best view of Kauai over next 3 hours. Well worth it on Port side. Then you head to Honolulu We left boat at 730. Got to airport to drop off luggage (American doesn’t open till 9). We rented a car to few island. Went to Dole Pineapple plantation (really good stop) and to north shore (overrated) but huge waves. We read that they had just redid Pride of America. They might have put in new carpet, TV and paint but not up to date. This is not a new boat. We thought in general service on this cruise was poor. We have cruised on NCL before and Royal Carribean. Prepaying for tips and service at $204 per room is not worth it. We had three rooms so $612 in prepaid tips. Don’t feel they earned it. Hey but it was Hawaii. Read Less

We won this cruise and were only required to pay for our on ship charges. I am so glad i didn't pay for this cruise out of my own pocket. Our first time eating in the dining room was horrible. The food was cold and the entree was so small. We never went back to the dining room and ate the rest of our meals at the asian restaurant which most of their items were complimentary. drinks were outrageously expensive and on top of the drink charge were added charges for service and tip. They even had the audacity to add a line for an extra tip amount (probably hoping people wouldn't notice the already built in charge). My husband and i would buy a bucket of beer for the deal of buy 5 and get one free. We would then store anything we didn't drink for the day in the mini bar fridge. we moved what was in there to the back to make room. The night before debarkation i paid my ship bill in full. When my credit card bill arrived 2 weeks later there was a $100 charge from the cruise line. When i called to ask what the charge was the agent kept saying it was a pre charge that would be reversed within 3 business days after the cruise. HELLOOOO!! Anyhow i finally made her tell what exactly the charge was for and she said it was for the mini bar use. I was LIVID. I said we only moved stuff and she said that is why we got charges. So beware because they never said the mini bar is equipped to charge if something is moved and obviously don't check if it required a restock. I will never use Norwegian again. Read Less

Okay, this is my first review, so go easy on me - A little background on us. This is our tenth cruise, one with Holland America and nine with NCL, three of which were on the POA. We are 62 and 65 years old. Celebrating our 25th anniversary, we decided to go all out and get a suite. We selected room 11500, port side Owners Suite with Large Balcony. We wanted the port side so we could enjoy our private hot tub on our deck during the NaPali sail by, but more on this later. We flew in on Friday with the NCL/Marriott free room program. This was a very good idea as the long flight and time difference was very tiring. The Marriott staff was friendly and helpful. Check in was quick and easy. We were in our room within half hour of arrival. The excursion area was busy, but the attendant quickly took our name and brought our packet. It had our transfer time listed, luggage tags if we needed, and full instructions. The next morning we left our luggage in our room and it was transferred to the ship for us. Bus transfer of us with our carry-on bag was organized and easy. Check in at the pier was also quick and easy, partially because we had a suite. Rooms were ready by about 3:30 PM The room was beautiful ! Nice flower arrangement on the table, a small bowl of fruit, 3 bottles of wine (selected on the first day), and a bottle of Champaign. Plenty of room in the living area, and a very comfortable king size bed. There was a walk-in closet between the bedroom and the bathroom. The jetted tub in the bathroom was nice, but we mostly used the shower. Our deck was kind of crowded, with the hot tub taking up most of the room, then two chase loungers and a small table. The tub on the deck was one of the best we have ever been in. Jets were strong. With the room being right under the bridge, it was always quiet. The butler had ginger ale and plenty of bottled water set up for us. Our room steward was Conrado Domingo, and he was fabulous! Room was always cleaned and supplied. Ice bucket was always full. Towel animals every night. We would let him know our plans for the day, and he worked around them. I posted a video of the room on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oh8II92Jjl8 Or search for: POA Room 11500. Excursions – Being our third time on the POA, we pretty much knew what we wanted to see and do. First day in Maui. The ships Deluxe Hana tour was already full three weeks before we sailed, so we went with Roberts on the Heavenly Hana tour. Same tour, same stops. Cheaper than the ship. The Road to Hana is one of those tours you do once. I can’t even imagine why anyone would repeat. Some beautiful scenery, but not so comfortable. And quite tense. Rain on and off didn’t help. (I thought the roads in Michigan were bad.) Not sure why they call it the Hana “Highway”. LOL Second day in Maui we did the Whale Watch and Lahaina through the ship. Being overcast, the whale activity was limited, but we did see mom and her baby, and a few more. Afterwards, a nice lunch in an open-air café and a stroll through the Banyan tree area and it was time to return. In Hilo we went with Rickys Tours. This was the best tours on the trip. (2nd time with Ricky, and would do it again). 12 passenger van with 10 on board, very comfortable. Visited most of the highlights of Hilo: Volcano National Park, Thurston lava tube, the steam vents, Jaggar Museum, Banyan Drive, Liliuokalani Garden, Rainbow Falls (Wailuku River), Macadamia Nut Co., Akatsuka Orchid Garden, and Richardson Ocean Beach Park (black sand beach). He would alter his itinerary so we wouldn’t be at each place the same time as the group of busses that did similar tours. In Kona we went with the Big Island Snorkel through the ship. The Body Glove catamaran is a nice comfortable narrated ride to the snorkel site. They provide 2-3 hours of water time, be it snorkeling, swimming, or just playing on the slide, tubes, or rafts. A nice continental breakfast and a BBQ lunch are also provided. They had a full bar that opens at lunch time. This was a very nice tour, we would do it again. In Kauai, we didn’t schedule anything. We did take the shuttles to K-Mart and Anchor Cove. Had an awesome Roast Port Saimin lunch at the Bamboo Grill at Anchor Cove. Spent most of our time enjoying our room and the almost empty ship. I asked our butler (Patricia Conaster) about a Behind the Scenes tour, and about ship pins. She said they do not do ship tours because of safety reasons, and she would get back with me if pins were available. I assume they weren’t, as I never heard back on them. Kind of disappointed about the ship tour. Our last cruise on Holland America, they had an actual excursion that took us everywhere on the ship. Pictures on the bridge with the captain, and (I hope I don’t get anyone in trouble), we actually toured the engine room, all while the ship was underway. We never even met the captain on this trip. Dining – being our 3rd time on this ship, this is kind of a comparison between this time, and 8 years ago. One of the suite perks was breakfast and lunch at Cagneys. Very nice perk, quiet, and good food. A couple mornings we made a plate in the buffet, and went to the back of the ship. We remembered this from our last time, it was just as nice. We had a couple dinners at the buffet and the Main Dining Room. Both were crowded and unorganized, but food was okay. Cagneys for dinner a couple times was very nice. Food was great. Modernos had an awesome salad bar, and a large variety of selections brought to our table. Decent quality. Teppanyaki was a disappointment. Of all the times we ate there on all the NCL ships, this was the worst. Our “chef” must have been new, as the “show” wasn’t as good as the rest of the tables in the room, and the food was under-cooked. I just don’t eat raw scallops. By the time I discovered, the grill was being cleaned. We also didn’t appreciate the street talk and swearing by our chef. Didn’t feel it was appropriate with women at the table. Wanted to try East meets West, but they were always busy. Overall, except for Teppanyaki, the food was as good as every other time on NCL. Overall, the ship was clean and in great shape. The crew wasn’t as friendly or outgoing as other ships, even as friendly as it was the last time we were aboard. They really didn’t go out of their way to make guests feel welcome. Entertainment on the ship was nothing to write home about. Most shows there was plenty of open seating. We only saw our Concierge a couple times in Cagneys in the morning, as was with our butler (Patricia Conaster). I imagine she would have been more available if we needed. The only time we really used her was to schedule our 3 specialties dinners. Totally my mistake, but I scheduled Teppanyaki on our last night of the cruise. I wish she would have asked if we were sure and reminded us that this was the NaPali sail-by time. I got the feeling she was more concerned with filling the restaurant at a normally slow time. We had a good time, after all, it is Hawaii. But for what we paid, next time it will be on another line, like Disney or ??? Happy Cruising ! Read Less

We chose the Pride of America ship because we wanted to cruise around the Hawaiian Islands since we were going to be visiting my sister-in-law in Oahu. We especially enjoyed the evening entertainments of musical shows, a magician and a comedian. The Aloha Cafe and the formal dining rooms had excellent food (we especially enjoyed the breakfasts). Also would have to say that all the cruise staff did an excellent job of being sure that everyone had the best trip possible. Norwegian offers many shore excursions for all kinds of experiences. We chose to do an excursion on Hilo and another one on Kona. We thought about doing the Luau on Kauai, but it was a rainy day. Overall, the tour directors do a good job about telling you about history and personal experiences. You can tell that the cruise director and her assistant really enjoy their jobs because they try to be very upbeat and personable with people. We have never sailed Norwegian before but would definitely do so again. Read Less

We wanted to see the islands and this was the only one that started and finished in Hawaii. Embarkation and Disembarkation was a very good. The cabin was nice except we has a room and an adjoining door which I would not recommend. The room steward was exceptional. Complimentary Dining was very good and the service was excellent except for one evening meal. We only attended a couple of shows while on the ship and they were good. Service was very good, but our room steward and one waiter were excellent hosts. We went on shore excursions every day and they rated from good to excellent. The weather was not the best as there was rain and clouds half the time. We did not have any idea what to expect since this was our first time sailing, but the next time we would probably not do so many all day excursions. Before we boarded ship we did a three day tour in Oaho and Leo our tour bus driver was excellent. Read Less

My daughter booked us on this cruise for a mother /daughter vacation. What a great place to get together and relax and catch up on the last year. We enjoyed all our excursions and doing fitness together. We relaxed in the dining room at night and we’re served delicious meals with a glass of wine. We especially enjoyed the Hawaiian themed events and learning about the history and culture of Hawaii. The night view of the lava was great, The luau show was exceptional and very exciting! Wish We would have had more time to explore Honolulu and the surrounding area. Diamond head will be on my next wish list, Can’t wait to do our next mother/daughter cruise! What would be a great cruise to pick? South America? Asia? The Baltic? The Mediterranean? So many to pick from . I’ll let my daughter choose again as she is a more seasoned traveller. Read Less

Have been on a royal c. Cruise before. the ship and amenities were much better. and royal c seemed to know what they were doing. ncl started off by having their safety briefing before we even got on the ship (we arrived on time). we never received that. getting normal temp water from the bathroom sink was nearly impossible (usually scalding hot no matter what). getting coffee from the coffee bar was an exercise in futility every day. my wife tried three different times and eventually just gave up each time (she was 2nd in line each time!!!! 15 / 20 minutes later - walked away - super understaffed). and the food was terrible. i have nothing good to say about the food. the worst. and didn't matter if buffet or sit-down. buffet was actually better.... the pay for the food place we went to on the last day was very good. but had to pay for that. the drink prices are outrageous. $27 every time i wanted a drink (2 shots of bourbon + splash of coke). this included 20% gratuity whether i thought it was warranted or not. $5 for a small coke which also included the 20% gratuity.... For somebody to splash it into a glass.... insane. the only good thing i could say is that the people (workers) were friendly and helpful, generally. hawaii and the ports of call were great. loved the excursions but will never us ncl again in the future. Read Less

What an experience. This was our anniversary cruise. 52 WONDERFUL YEARS. My wife and I have been on many cruises but not one could compare to our Cruise to Hawaii. The ship was very clean. we stayed on the 9th deck with a balcony. we were close to the elevators so it was like clock work to get to the other parts of the ship. The food was immaculate. We dined in most of the restaurants. The head chef made us a anniversary cake. My favorite. pineapple and coconut Entertainment was very good.We saw the band of Toby Beau Twice. He and his wife are very talented. My wife took hula classes for four days and received a diploma. I was very surprised at how good she got. And by the way! She's 71 years young. We both went to lei classes and made our own leis. Every one treated you as if you were very important. Our cabin steward was fantastic. All the restaurant staffs were very skilled. We went on shore three times. Went to a luau in Kalamaku And whale watching in Maui, Went shopping on one island. We are saving up now to go on another cruise. I think Alaska would be fun. We felt like a King and a Queen on board. Read Less

Cruise the Hawaiian islands, NCL placed fees and charges at every turn. Daily service charge was 40% higher than other cruises. There was a “corking fee” for the one bottle of wine packed for use in the stateroom. No other cruise line has done this in the past. Fees plus tips were added to bar orders. Stateroom and balcony were very small.Cabin steward was attentive and friendly. Food at the buffet (especially for breakfast) was better than the dining room. However, guests had to get their own coffee, juice, and water. The ports of call were interesting and shore excursions were expensive, but usually worthwhile, Helicopter ride was cancelled due to weather, so we were taken on a very long van ride and charged $100. We were unable to cancel this part of the tour. Much rain in the month of March. Would recommend a drier month. Their daily newspaper was minimally informative. Didn’t have information about a special dress night until it was over, I would not recommend NCL. Read Less

We chose it for the itinerary (overnight on Maui and Kauai). They did a dry dock surprise on us so it turned out to be a 6 night instead of a 7 night cruise which made us lose a day on Maui. They wouldn't let me take my allowed 1 bottle of wine on board unless I paid a corkage fee of $15. The service in the main dining rooms and some of the lounges was awful! We felt invisible. The drinks were pretty expensive for what you got. The service in the specialty restaurants was pretty good however. It was raining pretty hard the 1 day we had in Maui so we decided to stay onboard. There was nothing to do onboard unless you wanted to pay to learn how to make leis. The movies offered were geared for children. All in all I was really disappointed in this cruise. Read Less