Hawaii Cruise Reviews

Ship was clean and crew was courteous and helpful. Variety of dining options was enjoyable. Balcony stateroom quarters were smaller than staterooms on other cruises but that was no big deal. Optional excursions varied from awesome (Maui - Snorkel Cruise, Maui - Haleakala Sunset, Kauai - Smith's Family Luau, Kauai - Journey to Waimea Canyon) to average (Hilo - Volcanoes Natl Park, Rainbow Falls).  Cruising by the active volcano flow at night (Hilo) was fabulous; seeing the red lava glow and plumes of steam was breathtaking. We saw so many interesting and exciting things that it is hard to pinpoint any particular experience as a favorite but the island of Kawaii probably tops of our list of favorite ports ... lush, tropical, and beautiful ... even the ship port was enjoyable (we could see beaches and golf courses across the bay). All in all, a wonderful trip and a great way to experience Hawaii.

You get a lot of time on the islands. Staff is friendly. Good size rooms but...food is limited between 3-6pm when you get back from excursions, generally waaaay too salty, and room service options for breakfast are subpar compared to other lines. Room service comes with a few too unlike a lot of other companies. Decor is nice. Entertainment is ok...probably would be fun if you are drunk but sober the entertainment is just ok. Decor is very nice. Love the hand held shower. 

Took this cruise to see if we would like this many days at sea. Yes we liked it very much. Captain Rick had a great crew on his ship. Capt Rick was a people person and you could tell because his whole staff followed his lead.

Booked 3 back to back cruises while on ship.

My wife and I enjoyed the cruise. Good and plentiful food, excellent excursions, and a great balcony view.

My one complaint is a serious one that might cause me not to sail with NCL again - the outrageous cost of Wi-fi. Wi-fi access is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity. The cost of ship-provided wi-fi was absurdly high. Almost $300 for unlimited wi-fi for the trip, plus a $3.95 activation fee to add insult to injury? Really? I don't see why there should be a charge at all, but if there is one, make it reasonable.

First 3 nights had terrible dinner food service. Server messed up wine order package, had new on board food servers (first cruise), waited 40 plus minutes for salad to arrive. Not a fan of what NCL has done with dining program, I.e. want a nice steak or lobster, pay a 19.95 to 24.95 additional charge in main dining room. However, after complaining, was assigned to table with experienced waitress that made the next four dinners very enjoyable. Food not up to par with Celebrity Aqua class.

Being ripped off as Royal Caribbean sold 1500 tickets at less than 60% of what we paid ruined what was otherwise a wonderful cruise. I was lied to by RC and told prices would be frozen after the final payment date. Once on board, all of us who booked early through an agent, spoke to the many who got the "deal". Take my advice if you can and do not book early through an agent as that is the excuse RC uses to do nothing to correct you being ripped off. It is a circular scam. The dining staff were also rude when we tried to change our dining reservations from 6 PM fixed to "My Time" so we could make the 7 PM show. I had to involve the Captain.

Best part of cruise was drink and food. I would refer to others. There was always something to see and do. Not all servers were friendly but most were great.

The food was plentiful and had great flavor except when I would take something that I expected to be hot it was barely warm.  I missed having hot food.  

The best part of our trip was the location, Hawaii is just beautiful and the islands we went to were lovely.  On the cruise we enjoy wonderful new entertainment, great enrichment lectures, fun activities and great food.

Though the overall service was very good, we thought the Crown Princess was just so so.  The stateroom, even with the balcony, and bathroom, were very small compared to other cruise ships we've used at the same cost level.  We were very glad we purchased the "beverage package" so we didn't need to pay extra for ice cream, good coffee, bottled water, wine, and liquor.  However, paying extra for laundry room machines and detergent as well as specialty restaurants was an unpleasant surprise.  Also, the activities on the ship were mundane and repetitive.  We were only able to see one show during our chosen time because the theater was too small to accommodate all passengers.

The last island we visited was fantastic, Kauia.  The Waimea Canyon (Grand canyon of the Pacific) and the Na Palia coast was spectacular.  Seeing an active Volcano at Hilo was a sight to be remembered.  The Islands were varied in dense vegetation or covered in volcanic rocks.  The topography was so different and interesting.  The  people were all very easy and accommodating.  It was a wonderful trip and all the planning went well, no surprises.

                                   Best regards:  J  &  J

Would have liked to learn more about the Polynesians.

What a way to visit all of the islands while on a budget.

Everything you need right on the ship. Do as much as you want or as little as you want. Ha a top Vegas style performance from a tribute to the four seasons as well as tribute to the Eagles. Both shows were great and had good crowds at both performances. Entertainment for all age groups.

The staff was the best part of the cruise.  I had read some nasty reviews on the staff's attitude prior to booking but I thought I would chance it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  My husband and I were met with smiling faces and they could not do enough for us.  We mentioned that we were celebrating a birthday and an anniversary to Kelani Cing (special mention) and we received chocolate covered strawberries in our stateroom.  In another instance, I mentioned that I deleted my pictures by mistake to a bar tender.  He sent chocolate covered pineapple to our stateroom.  That is what I call going the extra mile to make the passengers happy.  Never had this type of service on any previous cruises.  Our stateroom was always exceptionally clean but the commom area restrooms always needed attention.  The entertainment was terrific every night.

Food was good. Service was poor one night (2 hours to eat dinner due to slow service). Restaurant hours of operation were not clear (daily brochure of activities & ship's TV channel had different times compared to the actual hours of operation). Some of the crew was fantastic, while others seemed "burned out."

The cruise was what I expected. Very nice and clean ship, recently renovated. Staff was very accommodating.Crusie ship entertainment was of a caliber that you would expect on a ship. There was plenty of nightly entertainment and activities to choose from. We ate only in the restaurants included in the price, the food was average to good, plenty of selections..Cruising to all the islands made it easy to see them all without constant flying and packing and unpacking. Embarkation and debarkation went smoothly. They employees of 'this cruise ship made all things easy and organized. We booked our excursions through United vacations rather then the cruise ship. This meant our tour groups were smaller and the lines less then the crusie ship excursions. Plenty of excursions to meet everyone's likes. All in all I would recommend this ship as a good way to enjoy the Hawaiian Islands. 

Fantastic trip to the Hawaiian Islands. The Pride of America crew and staff were super. It was a fantastic way to see four of the more popular islands. Plenty of daily excursions to choose from.

Enjoyed this cruise. Saw four major islands. Extra days in Oahu before the cruise is a plus. I know this cruise got mixed reviews. I found the staff very attentive, the food good, the large balcony stateroom clean and enough room. The entertainment was top rate as were the activities. You basically are on the ship only at night. There are several dining options. We ate mostly in Skyline dining room. Men can wear shorts and same menu as Liberty dining room. Buffet was good but I would rather sit down and be served. You can order double entree or appetizers if you want. There was enough choice. East meets west dining room needs reservation and I would suggest making one. 

We have just returned from our 15 day cruise to Hawaii on the Princess Star and had a fantastic time!  Our room was very spacious with a very large closet and great balcony, it was clean and inviting.   We have consistently found the food on Princess superb, far exceeding what we've had on other cruise lines. The entertainment throughput the ship was excellent, everything from the main show to all of the lounge entertainers.  We always felt that Princess was going the extra step to make our cruise memorable, all of the staff were friendly and accommodating.  We highly recommend Princess cruise line to anyone searching for a great vacation.  

You can't change the weather!  We only had two days that were mostly sunny and I am saying this loosely on the ship.  Was it rainy season? I really do not know.  We thought it would be bright and sunny in Hawai'i but only one day out of the 4 ports we toured.  Very little rain but over overcast days. Talked to lots and lots of folks that take this cruise over and over again. But of course, they are from British Columbia and it is easy for them. No air fair. Would I take this cruise again? Well, maybe but out of San Francisco not Vancouver.  Never had meal problems as we like Anytime Dinning except we had to wait twice to be seated and another to wait as we do not like tables of 10.  Food was very good to serve this many folks.  Good choices most of the days.  What we liked was going to see the two National Parks which was on my "bucket list".  The staff on the ship were very friendly and the "Captain" was delightful. Never had such a entertaining and people person captain in the cruises we have been on.   

Great Cruise, trip of a lifetime.  Learned a lot of the Hawaiian history and saw lots of things on each island. Excursions we chose were great.  Would recommend to friends and family.  Cruise ship was great, good food.  Alcohol a little bit to expensive.