If you want a floating hotel around the Hawaiian islands, Pride of America is great. If you are looking for an amazing ship and cruising experience, look elsewhere. My family has been on many cruises over the years, but this is the first one we picked for the destination. For reasons I don’t quite understand, it was cheaper for us to get a family suite than it was for any two other rooms on the ship. It was our first time with a suite and it will be hard to go back as the benefits were pretty sweet, pun intended.

The ship:

After reading some reviews I thought it would be a floating trash can. Not the case. It’s an older ship but in good shape. She does show her age with some broken public bathroom fixtures and beat up corners, nothing I haven’t seen at a hotel or restaurant on land either. Many places were closed, but the ship was half full. Were there plenty of places to eat? Yes. Plenty of places to drink? Yes. Plenty of things to do when you on the ship? Yes. The best part was the ship didn’t feel crowded. The ship did rock and roll a bit when we traveled at sea. Unlike Caribbean based cruises, this is a smaller ship, and you are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so keep that in mind. My family does get seasick, so they took the appropriate drugs to help them stay seaworthy. Do not take this cruise because of the ship. Read more