We usually cruise the Caribbean because the East Coast ports are close to us. For our 25th anniversary we decided to return to Hawaii where we spent our honeymoon. The last time we were there, we were constantly packing and unpacking for each island, so a cruise was a logical choice to avoid that. The Pride of America is a smaller ship, but we like that. We don't gamble, so no on-board casino doesn't bother us. As non-smokers, we also like the fact that there's only one place on the entire ship for smokers - on the 13th deck all the way aft.

A major storm was passing through the islands, so when we got on board, we were told that the itinerary was reversed and we would go to Kauai first instead of Maui. Any pre-booked Maui tours were automatically refunded, and we were still able to get the same Kauai excursion. After visiting Kauai and the big island, we were still unable to stop at Maui for 2 days due to dangerous wind and waves. The crew apologized many times, and did everything they could to arrange activities for the 2 additional sea days. They even reprinted the Freestyle Daily with new activities and made sure everyone got a copy. Instead of port calls, we sailed along the Molokai sea cliffs, did some whale watching, and cruised around the islands.

We heard some passengers complaining about not getting to see Maui, but it isn't NCL's fault that the weather was bad. After all, February is the coldest and wettest month in the state, so you have to expect something other than sunshine. Read more