This cruise was relatively disappointing in terms of the ship and the staff, because we had been on NCL's Breakaway and Getaway before. Pride of America can't hold a candle to the newer ships Breakaway and Getaway, and yet Pride of America was more expensive. The ship was older and offered less, the pool was tiny, and the cabins were small and not kept very clean. We had the 2-bedroom family suite (room 8202), and we couldn't believe how tiny the bathroom was (far smaller than a balcony cabin bathroom on one of the newer ships). I wish the suite was cleaner and service was better (we didn't get the newsletters daily or correct room service orders, etc.).

Since we had a suite, I expected a better experience, but it seemed like the whole ship and all of its staff was disorganized. This was especially shown in how our account was messed up. BRING CONFIRMATION EMAILS OF YOUR PURCHASED PACKAGE ON BOARD. Guest Services was trying to tell us that we didn't have many of the amenities that were included in the package that we purchased (Ultimate Dining Plan, included gratuities, onboard credit, etc.), and they were only crediting our account with part of what we were told we would get in in our package. Thankfully I had printed confirmation e-mails listing all of the amenities we were due with the package that we paid for, but it took a lot of back-and-forth, and 6 days for us to see everything finally credited to our account. Such an unnecessary and stressful hassle!

All of that aside, we did enjoy the cruise, our favorite parts being the ports and the specialty restaurants. The specialty restaurants are more expensive on the Pride of America than other NCL ships, so thankfully we had the Ultimate Dining Package. We enjoyed the delicious food and wonderful service at Moderno, Cagney's, La Cucina, and Jefferson's Bistro. The included restaurant, Skyline, was good as well. Since we were staying in a suite, we were able to eat breakfast and lunch at Cagney's. That was a very nice surprise amenity for staying in a suite. Another nice amenity for staying in a suite was that we got preferred check-in, and were escorted onto the ship by a concierge, provided glasses of champagne, and then taken to Cagney's for lunch. Arrive before 2pm on embarkation day to enjoy these nice perks if you have a suite. Read more