The bad reviews that the POA gets ASTOUNDS me. The only explanation I have for the reviews is that perhaps Hawaii is such a magical destination, a trip of a lifetime for some, that there's no way that the actual experience could ever come close the build up of years of fantasy and anticipation about the islands. With all honesty, the service of the American crew just doesn't match NCL's foreign flagged ships. American's just don't kiss butt well. They're more of a kiss MY butt than kiss yours - you know what I mean? With that being said, the majority of the service we received was just fine with us with a few exceptions. But you don't do this cruise for the cruise - you do it for Hawaii! And there is no better way to see the islands than the Pride of America. In fact, we loved our 2003 Hawaiian cruise on the Star (two days in Maui & no Fanning Island because one of her engines failed - woohooo!!!) we brought our daughters back with us this time. Arrival: We flew in a day before to try and get adjusted to the 5 hour time difference. And one day should be the bare minimum - the earlier you can arrive the better! And you don't get "lei'd" for free in Hawaii ... if a flower lei is part of your dream, make arrangements in advance so you're not disappointed. (ABC Limo is about $80 for a Waikiki destination w/ 2 leis, chocolate covered macadamia nuts - YUM - and beverages. Highly recommended.) We stayed at the Hyatt Waikiki and were upgraded to an ocean view room w/ a balcony just for asking the front desk. Jet-laggy, but happy to be in Hawaii, we made our way over to the pier around noon the next day ... it was busy, there was a line in the regular pax line, but not crowded. We're Lattitudes members so we headed to the vacant Lattitudes line and were signing in fairly quickly. (We were also suite guests - but we noticed that there were no signs for suite passengers to bypass the regular lines. If you're staying in a suite, I would head to the Lattitudes line,) We were escorted onto the ship by a butler (but not our butler) and we headed to a cocktail lounge to meet the concierge, James Lines, learn about the ship and have a chance to make specialty restaurant reservations. After lunch at Lazy Js (the POA's answer to Cagney's) we headed to our cabin (9500) AND HOLY COW! What a room! Large, spacious, separate bedroom for the girls, 2 bathrooms and the best bed ever! Tom was our butler. And that's all I have to say about our butler. Ports: Get the Hawaii Revealed series of books. You'll learn more about visiting the islands, what to see & what not to see, than I could ever explain here. Restaurants: First, let me say that I am not a foodie. We're a simple midwestern family and, for the most part, enjoy simple food. I think it's unreasonable to think that any cruise line is going to serve mouthwatering, delectable food at every turn, 24 hrs a day for 2000+ passengers. Your palate won't be challenged on NCL, but you won't go hungry either. Aloha Cafe: Pizza, calzones, hamburgers, steaks, Chinese, Mexican, sub sandwiches - I think I saw just about everything in the buffet. There's even a kids buffet with very kid friendly food. Main restaurants - Liberty & Skyline: (We didn't eat at Liberty). There are other reviews that say it took forever to get seated - I NEVER saw this. We were always seated immediately. Cadillac Diner: Decent diner food. Killer brownie sundae. Very relaxed atmosphere. I heard all the teens hang out here at night. Lazy J's: Breakfast for suite guests - FANTASTIC. The very best perk of them all. Buffet with meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, juices, muffins, cold cereals. And then the yummy menu - Pancakes w/ banana walnut sauce, Crab cakes benedict (omg!), Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream ... and on and on. My littlest requested chocolate chip pancakes every day (not on the menu) and they made it happen. We went there for lunch once - when the kids really wanted Cadillac Diner so we left without ordering. One of the waiters caught us the next day and told us they would've brought us Cadillac Diner food. :-) DH & I had an adults only dinner there one night ($20 pp) and it was just as good. Teppanyaki ($25 pp): Next to Lazy Js breakfast, the best meal experience of our cruise. Entertaining, great food, great atmosphere ... and they gave me a fork. Key West Bar & Grill: Typical out door grill food. Of course, there's more restaurants, but we didn't visit them all. I cannot stress enough that Hawaii is the destination NOT the cruise ship. If you want the cruise experience, sail a different ship. If you want to see multiple islands with a superior floating hotel at your service, sail Pride of America.