This was my second cruise on Pride of America, but it was a first for my sister and mom. I began planning the trip from east Tennessee to Hawaii in January 2009, and the cruise was in April. I had arranged to fly to Houston, then non-stop to Honolulu, only to discover at 3:00 am (the morning of the flight AND cruise), that our flight had been cancelled due to Houston airport being closed because of bad storms! Fortunately, Continental Airlines made other arrangements for us, using Delta. If there is a next time, I will make plans to arrive a day early to Honolulu. I had called the cruise line and found out that they did not provide a "lei" greeting, so I had made arrangements with "VIP tours" not only for a "lei" greeting, but also for transportation to the port. The lei was $16.00 each, and the transport was $6.00 each. At the port, we were able to check in using the "Lattitudes" line, as I had cruised with NCL before, and had my card. There was no wait in this line. We took our bags to our room, and ate at the Aloha cafe. Afterward, we settled into our room, and went to bed promtly at 7:00pm (it was 1:00 am eastern time!). The room was nice and clean. We had a wonderful room steward named Catalina. She always took very good care of us and our rooms. The room had hangers and plently of drawer space for the three of us. There was a safe, and a small fridge full of drinks you can purchase. We took them all out and put our drinks in (much cheaper if you bring or buy your own off of the ship).
Our cabin was near the center of the ship and close to elevators. It was quiet and convenient. Room steward, Catilina, was WONDERFUL!!! We really enjoyed the balcony, and wouldn't consider a cruise without one now that we have been spoiled!