Norwegian Sky Review

Pride of Aloha - Hawaii

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Norwegian Sky

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Sail Date: Jun 2007

This was my third NCL cruise so I knew what I wanted in advance with free style dining. Our main goal was to experience a taste of the Islands in one trip without the hassle of making our own inter-Island arrangements and attempt to stay within our budget. We knew in advance that the Pride of Aloha wasn't top of the line.

We arrived one day early and stayed at the Marriott Waikiki and enjoyed the Pearl Harbor and city tour on Sunday before going to the ship. This was offered at a decent discount when we checked in at the hotel's NCL office. The tour was great and we let NCL handle all the details. The price was only a few dollars more if we had rented a car and did the same thing ourselves. We arrived at 1:00 PM and our room was ready at 1:30 PM. We had an inside room on the 10th deck. It was actually roomy and suited us fine. NOTE: There was little room for belongings and we did ask for an extra comforter on the bed because the bed was very hard; however, they accommodated us and were really nice about it. Our room was kept tidy and fresh all week. Great job! Most of our meals were at the buffet. It was ok and there were some items that were very good. We tried the Crossing main dining restaurant one time but it was not good - Wait staff was excellent but the food was not worth the 40 minutes we waited for a table in a half filled dining room. This was our biggest disappointment. We ate in the Bistro one evening and it was excellent. If you go after 9:00 PM the additional service charge is 50% off. I had the best steak I have had in a very long time and the wait staff was very professional. I enjoyed an 80-minute lomi-lomi massage in the spa. Ask for Shelby if you go. She was excellent and even provided an eye treatment. It was much better than I anticipated, as the reviews for their spa had not been good. But I found it to be better than my last year's experience on the Norwegian Wind. We enjoyed the Luau that was advertised by the ship on Monday evening. Food was good, the show was exceptional, but it was in a crowded setting that took away from the authenticity. Next time I would try something smaller.

We took several excursions offered by NCL (beach day in Maui, fern grotto and boat ride and the eco safari) and were happy with them. My spouse has a heart condition so we had to do some of the tamer excursions. The eco safari was very good and we were able to swim in a natural geo-thermal pool right on the ocean. It was pretty nice. We were going to rent our own car and do things on our own but the lines were long waiting for rental cars and we didn't want to lose time during the day standing in a line or trying to figure out a map. We basically got what we were looking for - relaxation, no time table (none of the clocks worked on ship), wearing our bathing suit or shorts all week, and have a taste of Hawaii. The crewmembers were all very good-natured and willing to help if we had any problems. Which is better than some of the more pricey ships I've sailed on! We had a pleasant time.

Cabin Review

Cabin 8
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