We just arrived home from seven day cruise in Hawaii aboard the Pride of America. We were so excited to board as this was to be the trip of a lifetime. Boarding the ship was very easy and within a couple of hours of boarding our stateroom was ready. We had a room with balcony on the 10th floor. Oddly our balcony had walls on each side hindering the view. The room is small but room enough for two. Storage is limited. Drawers difficult to open and shelves dusty. Definitely need some upgrading of the rooms. We had booked adjoining rooms as we were travelling with friends. Thinking our balconies would be adjoining as well but were disappointed to find they were not. Food was mediocre. Both complimentary dining rooms serve the same menu. Aloha cafe is dingy and very crowded. Entertainment was good. We only seen our room Stewart once and that was because I had to contact him with an issue. Often there were odours throughout the ship that I don’t even want to know what it might be. Most ports the ship is docked at cargo units. Not much of a view to enjoy. They seem to like to do repairs and maintenance on the ship when docked in port. Doesn’t make for quiet relaxation on balcony. Always noisy. We received a notice one day they would be painting balconies and workers would be entering through staterooms. They announced on a Tuesday they were skipping our next port call in a Kona due to minor mechanical issue. Not to worry though each stateroom got a $50 credit. Wow! Please do not book this cruise. It just is not worth it. Read Less

NCL Pride of America is an extremely well managed cruise and we loved every moment of this trip. From flight bookings to shore excursions everything was managed by NCL and we did not have any worries about the planning. After we reached Honolulu, NCL check in was simple and the staff helped us with boarding and check in of luggage to the ship. Once we were on the ship, it seemed a little disarray as passengers had all assembled in Deck 5 but things were quickly sorted. The rest of the days we were on different shore excursions but the most fun we had was watching the shows in the evenings. The shows are excellent and have many themes like Polynesian dance forms, Diva show, Vegas, Old Hollywood etc. They were well choreographed and the theatre was amazing. It almost felt like a Vegas Cirque Du Soleil show with great performers and music played. Last but not the least - The food ! They had everything during lunch, breakfast and dinner ( though we would love more Vegan options) and i would suggest if anyone is Vegan just like me then they need to probably have some snacks/light food with them especially if they do not want to have the same food everyday in the buffet. Overall the cruise was beyond our expectations and we would love to try more cruises from Norwegian after our wonderful experience onboard Pride of America. Read Less

Great way to see the Hawaiian Islands. The ship is a nice floating hotel with free food. You travel while you sleep. Friendly crew, very solid entertainment, and well established things to do while at port. Aloha cafe handled the crowds well and the crew kept up with the crowds. Liberty and Skyline restaurants were well managed and food was quite good. La Cucina gets two thumbs up while Moderno gets two thumbs down. Staff was slow and did not give a good representation of that style of dining. Could not compare to the experience we had while on the Pearl last August in Alaska. It would have been nice if the outdoor (key west bar and grill) was open for more hours and had healthy items to snack on while enjoying the views and great Hawaiian climate. On the one day we did not dock on a pier the process was very slow and the lines were too long. Read Less

This cruise is the best way to see the Hawaiian Islands (4) without spending 6 to 12 days at sea. Would recommend this cruise if you want to avoid sea days. Embarkation and disembarkation were both very efficient. The Waimea Canyon on Kawaii was the highlight of the cruise for us. The wine tastings on this cruise were well worth the cost . Very entertaining and informative. The Teppanyaki Restaurant was great, good food the preparation at the table was very entertaining. Our room steward - Rey - was fantastic. Room was well maintained and we always had ice in our ice bucket. Restaurant and bar staff were not that great. Some staff did not seem like they really wanted to serve guests. In all our meals at the main dining room, except breakfast, we were never once asked if we wanted coffee/tea. Even when the staff came around to get the dessert orders. We were aware of this issue prior to booking the cruise, a NCL agent had advised us that the service levels on the Pride of America did not meet the service levels throughout the rest of the NCL fleet. There were no issues with the food provided in the various dining rooms. One suggestion for NCL is to reduce portions in some cases. It seemed that there was a lot of waste as people did eat all of the food on their plates. The ship itself is quite beautiful. Lots of art and well laid out public areas. The main stair case leading from deck 5 to deck 6 is a wonderful spot to have pictures taken. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I wanted to cruise the Hawaiian Islands. NCL was the only cruise line that offered what I wanted. It looked amazing on paper and it was more than amazing to actually be a passenger on the ship. We started with 3 fantastic days touring Oahu with Polynesian Adventures, a tour company contracted by NCL. Our driver/guide, Kimo was the cream of the crop. We spent one day at the Polynesian Cultural Center, one at the Pearl Harbor (USS Arizona) Memorial and several museums associated with this including the USS Missouri which was a historical adventure all on its own. The third day we were at Kualoa Ranch where many movies of renown were filmed. Then we were dropped at the pier to board the Pride of America. The ship was beautiful and clean, the crew and service were quite extraordinary. The ship was very easy to navigate. The food in the Skyline and the Aloha Cafe' was delicious and especially the Skyline offered many choices to try new things. It did not disappoint. There was a wide variety of shore excursions and every single one of them was interesting and fantastic in it's own way. I had many new experiences and felt awed to be in such beauty. As always, on a programed tour, we always felt we could have had more time at each destination, but adequate time was provided for shopping on shore if the excursion got back soon enough. Our cabin was an outside balcony and it was perfect, especially for the day we sailed past the Na Pali Coast in Kauai. It was our last activity and it was stunningly beautiful to sit on our balcony and view the lovely scenery. I would travel Norwegian again and would definitely go to Hawaii again. Norwegian has the embarkation and disembarkation processes down to a science, everything went very smoothly and did not take much time at all. Read Less

I'm fairly new to cruising (but this isn't my first rodeo). I went on my honeymoon to POA — more so to see a bunch of islands without having to go through more than one TSA line. I, of course, saw the negative reviews and like my french fries, took them with a grain of salt. But after having a pretty lovely vacation, I want to discuss some things: This is a floating hotel without the bells and whistles. It is clean, has pretty good food, fairly decent to excellent service, smaller cabins that are still serviceable and tidy, and a really nice pool deck. There are not a ton of pool games. A lot of the activities were cancelled because of disinterest. There's not a lively night life. If you cruise because you love the activities and the hustle and bustle of the ship, and prefer to spend a lot of time on a ship trying all different kinds of drinks and meals and experiences — this is not the ship for you! If you are, instead, looking to get all you can out of a variety of islands and want a nice, clean place to call home every night, I think you'd enjoy it. If you're looking for a new adventure while still having some familiar comforts of a standard cruise (a great breakfast buffet, nice variety of restaurants, a fun cruise director, nightly shows, etc), than I REALLY think you'd enjoy it. DEPARTURE CITY: Spent 4 days in Waikiki Beach at the Outrigger beforehand. Would definitely recommend it for a few reasons: beautiful beaches, nice walkable city with sights like Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head, Dole Whip, Loco Moco, and catching up to jet lag. I didn't do it with the ship, I preferred to do my own thing. EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION: Truly easy as pie. Probably 20 minutes from shore to ship both ways. We chose to walk off with our bags, and if you can swing it, do it. SHIP: Clean, except for the 6th floor hallway (by the library) that smells like sewage. I quickly walked through it, but I live in NYC so this is fairly normal for me. Otherwise, felt like the theme was a little antiquated but really kept very sparkling and nice. CABIN: Clean, fit a whole week's worth of clothing for two people no problem, had a nice couch, the balcony was small but offered beautiful views of the Na Pali Coast and was great to sit and drink champagne on. Bathroom offered soap, shampoo, and body wash but we brought our own. Shower curtain was a little finicky. Soft bed. DINING: We got the Ultimate Dining Plan because it was our honeymoon and there would be no more pictures of me in white so I wanted to gorge myself up like a tick. MDR: was nice and the Liberty Dining Room had the best, best service of the whole trip. Really friendly waiters ready with recommendations and customizations. Food was pretty good, but there were some misses, so don't be afraid to order a few extra dishes. BUFFET: Always busy and hard to get seating, and the variety wasn't that strong (typically pizza, American station, fruit/cheese/cold cuts, one specialty section, Asian, and Indian/veg section), but the breakfast was fantasticccccc and the ice cream machine always worked well. If you were looking to get snacks on off hours, the choices were limited, but who can resist mac and cheese? SPECIALITY: Moderno was our least favorite — the salad bar was amazing but there was too much food cooked either wildly over- or underdone. That being said, if you want to load up on meats, go for it. Cagney's was the best. The sides were fantastic (mash! creamed corn!) and the meat was cooked exactly as requested. Felt like something you'd find onshore. La Cucina was also pretty great. A ton of food that was very rich, so come hungry and don't be scared of butter or cream. Finally, Teppanyaki was a must-do. Really fun show and the food was quite tasty. If I could do it again, I would have just done a 3-meal package because the MDR was better than I expected and would have loved to try it one more time. DRINKS: The bartenders were the high point if they liked you! Some of the best drinks were made by some of the friendliest people, which is good because you're paying a ton for them. Other bartenders were a little bit ornery, but in a fun gruff way that you can at least expect in NYC. Be prepared to wait for drinks for a bit at the pool bar, but idk man! It's the pool! It's relaxing! I wouldn't get the unlimited package. You'd have to drink more than 8 drinks a day for it to be worth it, and this is not a late night ship. We are not afraid of a few drinks on vacation, and we still came in almost 500 under what the total price would have been. I suggest ordering champagne to the room. Best bars were the pool bar and the Gold Rush Saloon. ENTERTAINMENT/ACTIVITIES: Not the ship for it. Went to see the magician and did the '70's dance party, and found that we much preferred loafing on our bed watching movies. It gets quiet and they cancel a ton of stuff (trivia and Mr Sexy Legs at least) because nobody shows up. I didn't mind that because I was getting up early and am not really an activities girl, but if this is big for you I don't recommend this ship. Clay was a fun cruise director though! SERVICE: Sometimes good, sometimes meh. Never horrible. Mostly just slow, but again, you could probably pour a beer on my head and I wouldn't complain to the manager. I mean, I would, but quietly. I wasn't offended by the service in the slightest, and there were some great shining stars throughout the trip. PORTS/EXCURSIONS: The best part!!! Did a few with the ship and one on my own: 1. Maui Day One — did Molokini Turtle Snorkel with the Pacific Whale Foundation. My goodness, do this one if you're even slightly interested! Swam right next to a turtle, saw a ton of fish, met really smart, informative guides, had the time of my life. Water was blue and beautiful and lovely. 2. Maui Day Two — did Atlantis Submarine/Lahaina. I MIGHT do this separate from the ship next time because it's really just a disorganized bus ride to a town where there's plenty of amazing things to see and do, but the Submarine was really cool and we saw sharks and fish. You could definitely sign up right in town. The town was great and had lots of fun shops. I wonder if you could take a cab there (or arrange for your own transportation) and skip the bus ride, but because the ship leaves on day 2 I'd recommend trying that on the overnight stay (day 1) so you don't need to worry. 3. Hilo — we did the black sand beach tour, went to the waterfalls and visited some of the steam vents from the recent eruption there. Very cool. Also visited the mac nut factory. Our tour guide Traven was so interesting and fun. It was a great reminder that Hawaii isn't just all beaches, it's got gorgeous, lush, Jurassic Park land. 4. Kona — Just tendered. Easy tender process but get a ticket early. I'd say try to get back to the boat by 2pm — no lines then. We just went to Kona Brewery and enjoyed a walk through town. Absolutely beautiful water, so I almost regret not booking a snorkel. There IS a public beach right by the tender boats though. 5. Kaui — Did the Smith's Family Luau with bus transportation independent of the ship. Life changing. DO IT. The food was incredible, as was the show. Really authentic, family oriented, and gorgeous. The grounds were amazing and we saw tons of animals, too. Listen, we had an amazing honeymoon. Hawaii is a gorgeous island. WHEN we come back, we'd probably just stay in Maui a few days as it was our favorite island. But if you want a once-in-a-lifetime look at a bunch of islands, please push some of the negative reviews aside, come with an open mind, and enjoy the beauty of this state. If you LOVE cruising and mostly cruise just to be on the ship, though, I'd stay away from this trip. Otherwise, you'll have a great time! :) Read Less

We were invited to cruise with a couple celebrating their 40th anniversary. The Hawaiian islands are beautiful and the intinerary allowed us to get a good feel for many of the key islands. Service and friendliness of staff was top notch. Ala crate drinks are ridiculously expensive in in attempt to get passengers to buy the unlimited drink package which is also very expensive. The dining experience was fine but not top notch. NCL passengers wanting an upgraded dining experience must pay for it by dining in specialty restaurants. Make no mistake: this is a very expensive cruise but many things in Hawaii are more expensive since many items must be shipped in. Entertainment was acceptable. The Divas3 were very good. We were blessed with great weather. Most sailings occur in the evening which might offer a better visual experience during the months with more daylight hours. Overall, this was a good experience. Read Less

The destinations we visited was AMAZING! To be able to spend 1-2 days on 4 of the Hawaiian Islands was perfect! I really enjoyed the layout and the activities on the ship. The entertainment was GREAT! However, most of the "customer service" we received was substandard compared to other ships. The quality of food and service in the formal dining room was also lacking. All of the cruises I have been on in my life have always been staffed nearly 100% by International Employees. The Pride of America is an exception. Apparently they must staff 75% with Americans. As an American myself, it embarrasses me to say that I believe this is what was lacking on this ship. The level of service received in all of the Bars dining room and buffet staff was sub-standard compared to other ships. Also the food offered in the dining room was disappointing. We could have spent a lot more in these areas, if someone would have actually "served us." In past years I have heard really good things about Norwegian Cruise Lines, so I am believing that this particular ship is an exception......based on the employment percentage of Americans. Read Less

After several couples mentioned how much they loved this cruise, we decided, along with 2 other couples, to take it and were absolutely delighted we did! It turned out to be above and beyond our expectations in every respect. Embarkation was a breeze as was disembarkation. The service was extraordinary and the staff bent over backwards to accommodate your every need. Loved the ship, cabin, staff, food, activities, etc. So much to do on the days at sea that they flew by as we enjoyed participating in whatever we could manage to fit into our very busy schedule!! All the ports we visited were wonderful and we were most fortunate in having calm seas and beautiful weather throughout the trip. The entertainment was exceptional-especially the production shows along with all the other performers who took center stage as well as in the explorers lounge. Overall, just had a fantastic time and would definitely recommend it and most likely will do it again. Read Less

This was a fifteen day cruise. There were many days at sea.The ports in Hawaii are all beautiful. I did grow weary of the days at sea on the way over. We had a two bedroom suite, not as spacious as it has been on the other cruise lines. The ship itself is starting to show a little bit of age but is still in good condition. The theater was always crowded and if you arrived less than half an hour before the performance it was nearly impossible to get a seat. I believe this was true for both shows. For suite guests they have a new program, at least a new program to me, called Club Class. Part of the da Vinci dining room is set aside for suite guests, the service was very good some of the best I've ever had. The ports were all good and I even enjoyed Ensenada. I think that Princess is the only cruise line to offer selling form LA to Hawaii and back. Read Less