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NCL - Norwegian Cruise Line
Pride of America Cruise Review
Hawaii

Carolyn Anderson
Age: 55
Occupation: Administrative Assistant
Number of Cruises: 8
Sailing Date: April 8th, 2006

Pride of America is a beautiful ship that is still working out some problems. Our first night onboard we did not have a room steward because they were on vacation and had not been replaced for that day. We were so tired from our 8-hour flight that we barely noticed that our beds were not turned down. We had a nice room with a large balcony, however, there was a bad stain on the sofa that had not been cleaned. We got a beach towel and used it as a cover on the sofa the rest of our cruise. The shower curtain had mildew on the bottom and that should have been cleaned.

Three mornings our toilet would not flush. It was a problem with their vacuum system but it was very inconvenient. My husband said we had to leave our room to go to an outhouse. The first 2 nights we dined in the main dining rooms and the service was not good at all. On the 3rd day we found a very experienced waiter (25 years) and he was very helpful. Ask for George if you are in a party of 2 or 4. That night we were lucky enough to find 2 more waiters that did a good job and we booked their table the rest of the cruise. We were not able to make reservations at any of the reservation only restaurants but we did eat at the Cadillac Diner and found that to be quite good for breakfast.

The food in the main dining rooms was very good but not extremly varied. Our main purpose in taking this cruise was to see the Hawaiian Islands and we were not disappointed with the ship's itinerary. We took a tour in Hilo of the gardens and waterfalls and it was very good. In Maui we rented a car for 2 days. Rental agents will pick you up at the pier and there is space at the pier to park the car overnight. We rented from Thrifty and it was a good experience. We drove to Hana because we had heard so much about it. It was beautiful but I wish we had not gone all the way because

I got motion sickness on the return. The second day we drove to LaHaina which is beautiful. In Kona we did not take a tour but there is shopping and a beach within easy walking distance. In Kauai we rented a car and drove to the North Shore and to Waimea Canyon. It was very beautiful and well worth the trip.

We talked with the cruise director on Pride of America and he knows there are problems to be worked out. Hopefully this will be accomplished soon so that all aspects of this cruise are commendable.