We just got back from the 7 day Pride of Aloha cruise and I feel compelled to post this message for the benefit of future travelers, as well as the crew on the Pride Of Aloha. Before leaving on our trip I did a lot of research, including reading a whole bunch of negative reviews about the POA here on Cruise Critic. We took off for Honolulu half joking but a little concerned about the horrible service and second rate ship we fully expected to find. But since this was a pre-booked group trip we were going in any case, and since we were both looking forward to seeing Hawaii again (we've both been there before) we figured we'd could put up with whatever ship-related problems we encountered.
But a funny thing happened...all the way through the trip we kept saying "This is nothing at all like what we read" and by the end of the trip I decided I needed to write this review.
First of all, let me say that we're both seasoned cruisers and we are used to very nice trips. Our last cruise was this February on the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti, considered to be one of the best cruises in the world. I only mention this because some first time cruisers think everything is just great because it's all new to them and they have nothing to compare it to, and that is reflected in their reviews. Not so in our case, we know good cruises from bad and I can say with experience and sincerity that the Pride of Aloha is a GREAT TRIP for the money. It's the best way to see the Hawaiian Islands, just long enough at each port to get to know each place. In my opinion, this is the secret to having a good trip. Get off the boat and go have fun! The shore excursions are fantastic (take a helicopter ride), and only a little more than you'd pay if you did it on your own...and this includes transportation and ensuring that you'll get back to the ship in time and that the ship won't leave without you.