BACKGROUND:  My partner and I are in our mid-50's and live in Palm Springs, CA.  This was my fourth trip to the islands and our second cruise around Hawai'i having sailed aboard the Norwegian Star in 2002.  This time we sailed with friends from Michigan who had never been, one of whom was celebrating a 50th birthday.  We booked our airline tickets aboard Continental from LAX for $289 round trip.  The cost of our taxi from the pier to our hotels in Waikiki was $40.  We spent three days pre- and post cruise in Waikiki.  While we used Hilton points to stay at the Hilton Hawai'ian Village, our friends stayed directly across the street at Aqua Palms (www.aquapalms.com).  They had a suite on the top floor for $140 per night and they were very pleased with their accommodations.EMBARKATION:  We arranged with the concierge for a van to pick us up at 11:00 am on Saturday morning and arrived at the port about 11:30 am.  Check-in was a breeze and we were aboard ship by noon.  We had checked all of our luggage and carry-on bags and just hung out poolside for the afternoon enjoying the most delicious pina coladas.  Around 2:30-3:00 pm it was announced that our cabins were ready.  On the way I spotted our luggage piled in the hallway along with many others.  We grabbed ours and took them with us to our cabin.  Hours later we were still missing one bag.  A trip back down the hallway found the missing bag exactly where we had found our bags earlier.  None were ever delivered to our staterooms.STATEROOMS:  Our quarters were tight but comfortable with plenty of storage.  The bed was comfortable.  Being in a fore cabin, the balcony was larger, but was in fact too large for our needs.  We never saw our cabin steward.  After three days we left our beach towels on the floor expecting them to be replaced the next day.  Instead, they just disappeared.  A note left on the bed resulted in 3 or 4 beach towels being left for us the next day. SAIL AWAY:  I remember arriving at the Honolulu airport in 1973: we were each greeted with a kiss and a flower lei.  Those days were gone when we sailed aboard the Star in 2002, but even then we received a lei upon boarding the ship.  The memory of the sail away that evening remains one of the most romantic and beautiful of memories that will last my entire lifetime. There was a group of Hawaiians on the end of the pier that evening singing the loveliest of old Hawaiian songs that carried across the water even as the ship drifted far out to sea.  My partner and I took off our leis and threw them into the water signifying the vintage custom that by doing so would someday ensure our return to the islands.  (It worked!)  Unfortunately, this time there was no Hawaiian music on the pier.  We had bought our own flower leis but the crew expressly forbid us from throwing even those from the ship.THE SHIP:  The Pride of America is a beautiful ship if a little difficult to find your way around.  Being in a fore cabin, we had to traverse the length of the vessel to access the buffet, dining rooms and the Waikiki Bar aft.  The surest and most direct route is via the pool on deck 11.  Other passageways end in dead-ends at a specialty restaurant or the exercise room with no way out that I could find.  Several times I found myself in the kid's game room.  Some elevators go to deck 3 where the gangway is located.  Some elevators only go to deck 4.  The lobby is not nearly as grand as other ships and there is a lot of wasted space in the lobby between the staircase and the elevators.  Our favorite spot was the Waikiki Bar aft.  Although outside, you can get out of the sun and the wind.  And it is one of the few social spaces where smoking is permitted.DINING:  The Aloha Buffet features a surprising array of good food.  Sliced turkey, ham, roast beef for lunches and dinners.  The pizza is outstanding.  My only complaint here is that the food stations, while there are several, are arranged in such a way that creates utter chaos.  The dEcor looks like it was designed by committee and the scrambled eggs were always cold.  No crew members come around to refill coffee or iced tea which can mean leaving your table and your food for a long trek back to the beverage station.  We dined one night in the Lazy J Steakhouse, a specialty restaurant with a $25 per person surcharge.  I ordered prime rib.  It was the worst prime rib I have ever had in my life.  Dinner plates were not served in front of you, instead were handed to you across the table.  Definitely was not worth the extra cost.HILO:  We had reserved a rental car and drove to Volcanoes National Park.  The big crater of Muana Loa was steaming so the roads closest to that were closed, but we explored the Thurston Lave Tube and drove the Chain of Craters road to the coast.  That evening the ship sailed past the coast where we could see the red-hot lava from Kilauea.  That was unforgettable.KONA:  After talking with crew members, we cancelled our car rental in Kona.  We had lunch seaside a restaurant called "On the Rocks."  Although we did not buy coffee in Kona, it was the only port where I saw lined shopping bags made from burlap Kona coffee bags.  At $20 each I hesitated in buying one but now wish that I had as this was the only place I found them.  On the other hand, I did find my favorite buy of the trip at an open air market in a parking lot in Kona.  Artist Teva Revanui has a booth there and I fell in love with his art prints: a modern take on vintage travel posters.  He is just the nicest guy and will sign each (reasonably priced) print for you.  (www.TevasArt.com)   MAUI:  With another rental car reserved, we took off in the morning for Little Mekena Beach.  (www.littlebeachmaui.com)  While nudity on Hawaiian beaches is technically against the law, Little Mekena Beach remains the only unofficial, un-hassled nude beach in all of the islands.  I hesitate to mention it here as it is such a special, out-of-the-way place, but it remains one of the highlights of our trip.  It is so comfortable, so relaxing, and so perfectly peaceful.  Probably at least 100 other folks were enjoying the beach and the roaring surf the morning we visited.  I can't wait to go back.  But we had to leave about 1:00 pm to get back to the ship, shower and change for our drive to Lahaina, a whaling village from the 1850's.  We wanted to have time to walk around before attending the Old Lahaina Luau that evening.  (www.oldlahainaluau.com) The luau had been highly recommended and we all enjoyed ourselves.  If you plan to attend make reservations well in advance.  Also, be advised that parking for rental cars at the harbor is extremely limited.  We returned from Lahaina about 9:00 pm and got the very last parking space.  The next day we drove the road to Hana.  It was six hours round trip.  It is a lovely drive through a tropical rain forest but ultimately anticlimactic.  Knowing that now, I would not have spent the time doing so.KAUI'I:  We had reserved a morning helicopter tour of the island through Blue Hawaiian.  (www.bluehawaiian.com) Their office is in the Harbor Mall a few blocks from the port.  It is within walking distance or accessible via a free trolley shuttle from the ship.  Blue Hawaiian has five and six star ratings from tour and safety groups, Frommer's and National Geographic.  The flight was great.  We saw the Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali coast.  We flew over the ship in the harbor and sights used in the filming of Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, South Pacific and Fantasy Island.  Even if you do not do the helicopter tour, be sure to visit the Harbor Mall for the magnificent toy store there.  They have every Lionel Train imaginable and a very friendly and helpful proprietor.  He has a box at the check-out counter for mailing your last minute postcards.  In the afternoon we took the advice of the ship's crew and took the free shuttle to K-Mart to buy 100% Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, postcards and souvenirs at greatly reduced prices.  We used the rest of our time In Kaui'i to relax and finish writing postcards.  We watched the sail-by of the Na Pali coast from our perch at the Waikiki Bar, our favorite place on the ship.DISEMBARKATION:  We took the advice of some fellow cruisers we had met onboard and did not set our luggage out in the hallway Friday night.  Instead, we went to breakfast at the buffet, came back to our rooms for our luggage, took it and walked right down and off the ship.  We hailed a cab to the airport where we picked-up our rental car for the weekend, drove to our hotels and dropped our bags.OAHU:  We drove east on H1, up along the eastern coast of the island to the North Shore.  Had lunch at Jameson's By-The-Sea (www.jamesonshawaii.com) and spent time watching the surfing on Sunset Beach.  Then we headed back to Waikiki via 99.  We passed the Dole Pineapple Plantation but had been told that it was not worth a visit so we did not stop.  On Sunday, my three compadres wanted to visit Pearl Harbor.  I had them drop me off outside the entrance and I walked down the street to the swap meet at the stadium.  The admission is $1 and this is where the bargains are: Hawaiian shirts for $10, board shorts, t-shirts, sarongs, swimwear and souvenirs for a fraction of the cost in Waikiki.  It wasn't long before the rest of my company joined me as they were not willing to abide the three hour wait they had encountered at Pearl Harbor.  Monday was our final chance to do any last minute shopping and we had heard all about the Ala Moana mall.  It is the most confusing, bizarre property I have ever encountered.  And a total waste of what otherwise would have been perfectly good beach time. ISLAND DINING:  We have wonderful memories of dining at Mama's Fish House on Maui (www.mamasfishhouse.com) on our last cruise in Hawaii.  But we made some excellent finds this time as well.  The best hot dogs in the world at hank's haute dogs with two locations:  International Market Place in Waikiki or the original location at 324 Coral Street.  Jameson's by-the-sea with locations on the North Shore of Oahu and in Kona.  (www.jamesonshawaii.com).  Probably the best meal we had was at Uncle Bo's in Honolulu (www.unclebosrestaurant.com).  Small space, big portions of wonderful food but  reservations are a must. HINTS AND TIPS:   Liquor bottles and a can of soda in the mini fridge of the cabin are somewhat less expensive than the over-priced cocktails served on deck.  A highlighter for use with the daily schedule.  A few post-it notes to communicate with cabin steward or fellow cruisers.  A hat and sunscreen.  A sweater or sweatshirt AND a jacket; late afternoons can be windy and chilly.  Some gentlemen need to be reminded that trucker hats, tank tops and cut-off jeans do not constitute appropriate evening wear even aboard NCL.