Just arrived home from our 11-night Cruise to Hawaii / Fanning Island aboard the Pride of Aloha.

First things first - I am well aware of all of the negative things that have been said / written about this ship regarding service levels, etc. and let me say this - while they were not as high as you may find on an international cruise, the crew on board this ship were as helpful, friendly and willing to go above and beyond whenever needed as much as any cruise I've ever been on.

We (my wife, myself, my in-laws and extended family - 9 in all) arrived in Honolulu 1 day prior to embarkation. We lucked out in our home airport (Providence, RI) as it was a very rainy day up and down the east coast and there were delays everywhere. We were originally booked to go through Newark and LAX, but when we arrived at the Continental desk in Providence the agent was beyond helpful. She told us about the potential delays (especially in the New York area) and proceeded to rebook us on a direct flight from Newark to Honolulu. Not only did this eliminate the worry of catching our connection in LA - which we would have missed - but it also got us in 3 hours earlier than originally scheduled! Even though the flight was nearly 11 straight hours it was worth it knowing that our luggage would be greeting us in Honolulu and we wouldn't have to worry about racing through LAX to get our connection. Read more