We just returned from a 10 day cruise on the Pride of Aloha which stood out as one of best cruises we have ever taken. We travelled with a group of 17 friends aging from 50 - 60. This was our 7th cruise and first with NCL. We chose this cruise because of it's itinerary and the 3 overnight stops in Honolulu, Kauai and Maui. We arrived 2 days early which I would recommend if you are travelling any distance to give you a chance to get rested before getting on the ship. We stayed at the Resort Quest Waikiki beach which is a nice hotel and good location at the far end of Waikiki beach near Diamond Head.

2 days before we boarded the ship for our vacation the crew were told this ship was leaving Hawaii and they were given layoff notices so whether or not that had something to do with the service I am not sure but the ship seemed to be under staffed and a lot of them seemed to be doing jobs they had not done before.

DINING EXPERIENCE I am going to start with the not so great about the ship. The dining on board definitely leaves a lot to be desired. Service was very inconsistent and dependant upon the server. A couple of nights we had great service and it felt like we were on a typical cruise ship. The other nights unfortunately were not good. Most nights the dinner experience was very slow, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. There were typically 8 of us dining together.Other than being slow our frustrations came from silly mistakes that would typically not happen in any restaurant like tea but no hot water, drinks that were ordered before dinner would arrive just before dessert, salt and pepper shakers not filled, butter for the lobster arrived after we had eaten. Incorrect orders. We ate in both the Palace and Crossings and had 1 good experience in each.(Coincidence or not both those nights the wait staff were not American) We ate one evening in Pacific Heights to celebrate one of the girls birthdays and service there was excellent. We ate in Longboards. They serve roadhouse style food and it was good. Might want to go get your own drink at the bar outside though if you are thirsty. I must say we didn't have any complaints about food quality in the restaurants. It was always good. Food at the Buffet was good but nothing special. On the pool deck if you can find Danielle she gave us great service. Read more