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NCL, Norwegian Cruise Line
Pride of America Cruise Review
Hawaii

Eileen
Age: 53
Occupation: Homemaker
Number of Cruises: 7
Sailing Date: September 24th, 2005

The Pride of America was a disappointment to us. First of all, our cabin wasn't clean. We had to take our carry on's to a lounge to be held until we could get into our cabin. We stopped to ask a couple different staff questions that we felt they should have know the answers to and they just smiled and said they didn't know. They didn't bother directing us to someone who could answer our questions just...we don't know! When our cabin was finally ready it wasn't clean. The carpet hadn't been swept, balcony windows was very dirty, toothpaste splatters on the mirror and cup holder in the bathroom, hair in the shower to name a few things. I had disinfectant wipes and thoroughly cleaned the place myself. Don't take too many clothes as the hanging closet space is minimal compared to Princess and Carnival. We did like the Duvet Covers on the beds. That was very comfortable. Cabins are a good bit smaller than other ships we've sailed.

The food and service were very disappointing on this ship. The buffet in the Aloha Cafe was descent the day we boarded the ship. Breakfast there was pretty good most days. We had dinner there a few nights because the food in the dining rooms and other restaurants wasn't very good. I had to send my entree back and get a steak. I saw two or three others around me having the same experience. The service was very slow in the dining rooms. We ate one night in the Cadillac Cafe and to get soup and sandwich we waited 45 minutes. There were about 8 waiters in there and only 7 people dining. They stood around talking to one another and one was hustling. This seemed to be the mindset of most of the crew. We did go to Jefferson's Bistro one evening. We sat at our table for over 15 minutes before a server ever acknowledged we were there. It was late in the evening and the place was not busy. Food in there was superior to what we got in the dining room.

The entertainment was ok. The magician was very good.

The excursions were very pricey so we opted to do our own. We got a Tour Book on every Island and did it ourselves. We called ahead to every island and rented a car. none of which was over $39 for the day. They picked us up from the pier and we did each island on our own. Pride of America wanted $140pp to do the Road to Hana. We rented a car for $24, spent $15 on gas and did the same route and more, stopping when we pleased and for as long as we wanted. We did the whole circle continuing the loop past Hana. We stopped at the Seven Pools and asked the Park Ranger if the road was passable or if we should turn back. He told us that absolutely we could go on. It was a bumpy road for a while but it was paved. That's where the most beautiful scenery was. Those little tour books have maps and points of interests in them to guide you. You can't get lost. Consider the do it yourself tours if you take this cruise. You won't be sorry. We booked our own helicopter tour with Will Squires on Kauai. Save a lot there too. They picked us up at the pier and took use to the heliport. Great trip. You can find his number in the Kauai Guide book or on-line.

The Pride of America got us from island to island and our bed was comfortable but much beyond that we were very disappointed. The service was really very poor. We definitely will not sail with NCL again. Carnival and Princess are much superior in every way.