Pride of America Review

Could be excellent but...

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Pride of America
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Doc P
10+ Cruises • Age 80s

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Sail Date: May 2015
Cabin: 2-Bedroom Family Suite with Large Balcony
Traveled with children

This was the third NCL cruise in three years, the itinerary is great, the size of the ship is manageable and the staff's performance was wildly uneven. We arrived two days earlier so were able to get to the ship right around noon so embarkation was a breeze. I guess the trick to an easy embarkation is either to arrive early or late. There was a special line for Latitudes members but there really was no line for non-Latitude. Being in a suite and adjoining balcony cabin gave us more attention on the the Gem and the Jade so immediately I am wondering if this ship is as well run as those were. Luggage arrived quickly and we were given a short orientation by the concierge and even a lunch at Cagney's. If there is any way to move up to a suite to get this perk, you will find it highly enjoyable.

The suite was a 2 bedroom family suite with large balcony with an adjoining balcony stateroom. Both rooms seemed a little smaller than other big cruise line staterooms and the balcony stateroom really did not have as much storage as I had hoped. The next disappointment was that we could have the door between the rooms unlocked but not the panel separating the balconies. I know that there was mumbling of fire restrictions but I have a feeling "safety issues" are sometimes thrown in but really don't apply. Even so, I think the answer was given in a way that made me think this is really a bother. AND THAT IS THE DOWNFALL OF THE PRIDE OF AMERICA, i. e. too many staff seemed discontented with their jobs, appeared sullen or desultory or just did not care. Editorial statement -- when people have to travel a long distance to Hawaii and spend the same amount of money as they would on any other NCL ship they should not feel as if they have disccomoded the staff. A good cruise ship, hotel or vacation activity should understand that the experience may be the only vacation for the year.

That being said, there was some wonderful staff members but I think a safe statement would be that the higher the level of responsibility the better the level of service. For example, in Cagney's, Jefferson's Bistro, Teppinyaki and La Cucina the wait staff was wonderful and professional. the same could be said for the main dining rooms, especially the Liberty. The Liberty and the Bistro descriptions say there is a dress code for them but when a man walked in wearing shorts, tank top and sandals to the Bistro, no one turned him away. If you have a rule, enforce it or get rid of it. By the way, those two venues were truly a pleasure to eat in, maybe because the dress code was followed by the rest of the passengers. As an aside, I saw more poorly dressed people on this cruise than any other. Folks if you want to be casual, that's OK but how about neat and clean. Jeans and hoodies just don't belong at a dining venue on an Hawaiian cruise. The captain and his staff were wonderful.

Cabin Review

2-Bedroom Family Suite with Large Balcony

Cabin SI

The suite was fine, the balcony was huge.

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