Ours was a Christmas cruise, leaving Honolulu on Christmas Eve and arriving back there on New Year's Eve. We had read others' reviews of the Pride of America and frankly were not expecting great things; the reason we took this cruise was for the itinerary, not for the ship. Well, were we in for a surprise, right from the moment we boarded. The atrium was festively decorated, and the general decor was pleasantly light and welcoming. In our exploration of the ship over the next few days, we remarked to each other how well it was maintained, spotlessly clean, easy to find our way around.

Although small, our cabin was perfectly adequate for two middle-aged women friends, respectful of each other's space. The old-style TV was the only jarring note. We loved the balcony and the sound of the sea at night we heard by leaving the door open a little.

We did not get to eat in any of the specialty restaurants so can't comment on the food served in those. We would have liked to, but by not making reservations early on in the cruise, we missed the opportunity - the only time available in any of them was 9:30 pm - too late for us. However, the Skyline Dining Room was a delight and we were lucky enough to be always seated next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. In fact we had the same table three nights in a row. We both thought the food was great, with a good selection of dishes. My friend is not a foodie like me, and she has a particular allergy, but was always able to find something she could enjoy. We also ate from the hamburger grill on the deck (great hotdogs!), as well as the Aloha Cafe. We were going to eat in the Cadillac Diner one night just to try it out, but it was full of kids, so we skipped it.The crew we encountered were friendly and helpful, and in fact our cabin steward (Celia) saved us a bunch of money by suggesting we take the $1 each way bus over to Lahaina from Kahului instead of the $29 tour bus. Loved Lahaina, by the way, and had a tasty fish-and-chip lunch in a restaurant right on the beach there. Read more