This was our first trip to Hawaii, so we felt that cruising would allow us to get a sampling of all of the islands while avoiding moving from hotels and waiting at airports.

We really enjoyed the cruise! Our only other cruise was with Regent Seven Seas, so don't feel it is fair to "compare" with their 5-star services. But most aspects of the Pride of America were very enjoyable. The food was very good - we did not enjoy the Aloha Cafe as much as the other locations, because it was quite busy and crowded. We preferred to take the extra time to sit down and enjoy our meals. We never chose a "premium" restaurant (extra charges) as the food was so good in the complementary restaurants.

We had only good experiences with the staff. Again, we did not expect "5-star" treatment, but felt it was very good. We purchased the wine package on board (we got 4 bottles from the top tier selections which cost about $200 after taxes and gratuities), which gave about 25% discount over the menu prices. We concluded that it would have been better and more cost effective to bring our own and pay the $15 corking fee. Other drinks purchased were normally around $10, which we thought was comparable to most other prices at resorts we have gone to in the past. Some small things we thought could be improved - extra charges for gelato and specialty coffees should be eliminated - it couldn't be that much more than other ice creams and coffees! It would be nice to have cruise details/activities lists prior to sailing. Once onboard, we were so busy we missed a few things we would have taken advantage of. Read more