Pride of America Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I have been to the islands several times, but my girlfriend had never been to Hawaii. In 2003, my first trip to Hawaii had been to take a transition cruise through the islands, and back to the mainland. I found this to be a great way to sample the islands, and learn what you want to do when you return (and you will return). I had had some reservations about the cruise with NCL after reading some previous reviews, but my brother and sister-in-law had taken the cruise in 2009, and said it was good. So, we made the cruise part of a two-week stay in Hawaii.
We first stayed two days in Waikiki, and took a taxi to the pier. I would great recommend this method compared to the "group buses straight from the airport and wait in line with 60 to 120 other new friends" experience. The embarkation process was the easiest I have ever experienced in all my cruises. We boarded about 2:30 p.m., and it took longer for to fill out the medical forms that to get through the embarkation process. There was virtually no line and less than 2 minutes waiting. Five stars to NCL for the quick and efficient work.
Public Spaces
Cabin Review
Obstructed Oceanview
Clean but smaller than the normal outside cabin. The effort to open and close the door was close to excessive. My girlfriend had to fight to open and close it (I don't know how an older, smaller would cope with the effort.) Closet space was adequate, but shelves and drawers helped with storage. Bathroom was small but adequate for one person at a time (no sharing!). The design was attractive and functional. Appreciated the 3 electrical outlets in the main cabin. Television was smaller old CRT-style and had a very limited choice of programming (we were on the cruise during the Super Bowl, and they didn't even have the Super Bowl on the television!) Location was fairly convenient (mid-aft Deck 7). One note: One of the tenders used for tendering passengers at the Kona stop is taken from its davits right outside your window early in the morning. It might startle people who aren't don't know this could happen.