Hawaii was wonderful; Ship wasn't

Pride of Aloha Cruise Review to Hawaii

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 31

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Pride of Aloha

10 Night Hawaiian Escape (Honolulu To San Francisco)

Sail date: April 23, 2006

Ship: Pride of Aloha

Cabin type: Oceanview

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 14 years ago

Review summary

We had never been to Hawaii and thought this was a good way to see the islands in a short period of time (and it was!). However the experiences on the ship continually fell short of our expectations. We have cruised 7 other times before (including two other times on NCL International) and don't expect everything to be "perfect". Almost every day we encountered "short comings" that took away from the cruising experience. The "Kid's Korner" was closed more often than it was open, the fitness center cancelled classes almost every day. The instructor deemed that she did not have to teach a class if less than 4 people showed up. I have NEVER heard of such a policy! What difference did it make to her how many people were in the class?!?! The hosts in the restaurants were rude and had an attitude. We complained to management about this on three separate occasions. The Pride of Aloha is a beautiful ship with great ports of call as long as you are not expecting your usual "international" cruise experience. Most of the staff were on the last leg of their contract and were not coming back. The ship has an 80% turnover rate in staff. No way to run a business.

Ports of call

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

5 out of 5
We did not take a tour today but walked around the port area. A visit to the "Queens Place" was worth the $6.00 admission fee to see the furniture and artifacts (if you like that sort of thing). The beach near the ship is okay for little ones. (we have a 5 yearold). But next time I would take the shuttle to Turtle Beach as some folks suggested.

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

5 out of 5
We did not take a tour today but walked around the port area. A visit to the "Queens Place" was worth the $6.00 admission fee to see the furniture and artifacts (if you like that sort of thing). The beach near the ship is okay for little ones. (we have a 5 yearold). But next time I would take the shuttle to Turtle Beach as some folks suggested.

Hilo, Hawaii

5 out of 5
We took a "Best of Hilo" tour offered by a vendor as we exited the ship. This was great! Much better than the Kauai tour the day before (see above). This tour did it all: waterfalls, the zoo, observing surfers at a private beach, the Mauna Loa nut factory, and an opportunity to walk on a "black sand" beach among other highlights. Definitely not to be missed.

Kahului, Maui

5 out of 5
We visited the Aquarium for a few hours and felt we got our money's worth. Also drove up to the top of the volcano and were thrilled that the sun was out at the top. the drive is not for the faint of heart as there are hairpin turns and the weather is constantly changing. The other couple we met took beatuiful pictures at the top and let us download them onto our computer. Definitely worth the 2+ hours it takes to drive to the top.
Don't Miss: Rent a car and drive around. You won't be dissappointed!

Kahului, Maui

5 out of 5
We visited the Aquarium for a few hours and felt we got our money's worth. Also drove up to the top of the volcano and were thrilled that the sun was out at the top. the drive is not for the faint of heart as there are hairpin turns and the weather is constantly changing. The other couple we met took beatuiful pictures at the top and let us download them onto our computer. Definitely worth the 2+ hours it takes to drive to the top.
Don't Miss: Rent a car and drive around. You won't be dissappointed!

Nawiliwili, Kauai

3 out of 5
Do not do the "Fern Grotto" tour as the county does not allow hiking in the area due to "repairs". So basically we received a boat ride with some Hawaiian music on board which was nice but not worth the $$$ in my opinion.

Nawiliwili, Kauai

3 out of 5
Do not do the "Fern Grotto" tour as the county does not allow hiking in the area due to "repairs". So basically we received a boat ride with some Hawaiian music on board which was nice but not worth the $$$ in my opinion.

Hilo, Hawaii

5 out of 5
We took a "Best of Hilo" tour offered by a vendor as we exited the ship. This was great! Much better than the Kauai tour the day before (see above). This tour did it all: waterfalls, the zoo, observing surfers at a private beach, the Mauna Loa nut factory, and an opportunity to walk on a "black sand" beach among other highlights. Definitely not to be missed.

Pros: Ports of call

Cons: The ship's staff

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