More than we hoped for!
Pride of Aloha Cruise Review to Hawaii
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 27
7 Night Hawaii (Maui Roundtrip)
Sail date: June 09, 2006
Ship: Pride of Aloha
Cabin type: Inside
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
This was our first cruise and my first trip to Hawaii, for our 30th wedding anniversary. We did a lot of research before we cruised so we were prepared for a small inside cabin, and weren't disappointed or surprised by it. (Who really goes on a Hawaiian cruise to stay in the room, anyway?!) The room was comfortable and met our needs. We pre-booked all of our shore excursions on the internet even though some of our friends said it would be cheaper to just get off the ship in each port and find a tour to buy. I didn't want the hassle or worry that we might not be able to see what we wanted so I booked everything through the cruise line. I couldn't have made a better choice. No worries and no hassles. It was so worry free and relaxing on this cruise that we even forgot what day it was at one point. The tours were wonderful, and checking a few prices onshore were a great price for the quality of the tours and the tour guide/bus drivers. Every one of our drivers was entertaining, interesting, and very knowledgeable about the island we were on that day. They also told us many interesting things about the history and peoples of Hawaii, things that I didn't expect on a tour. (Usually it's, "There's this sight, there's that sight, you have 10 minutes.") Instead the background information made each island come alive for us. We started with an amazing sunrise at Haleakala Crater on Maui! What a way to start the first day of our second honeymoon. And it just continued on from there. There was one "little" problem on the ship. A large number of passengers in the prior two weeks had become sick during their cruise. Because of this, the cruise line and ships staff implemented stringent controls for infection control and prevention. None of the buffets during the cruise were self serve. Everything was served by a crew member. This really slowed down service in the buffets which especially put pressure on our time in the mornings that we had an early tour. We just adjusted our wake up time earlier and never had a problem. There were, however, several times that the staff serving at the buffet lines seemed very un-attentive and disinterested in the passengers in line, making the lines go VERY slow. This was a bit frustrating and some passengers became angry and very rude to the staff. The food on the buffets was generally good but not up to what I expected based on friends prior cruise experiences. The "sit-down" restaurants were another story altogether. The food was excellent, the wait staff very friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable. There were two main restaurants fully included in the cruise fare, and three "premium" restaurants available for a minimal cover charge. We ate at two of the premium restaurants and were so pleased we went back to one of them a second night and would have gone back to the other if we had had more days on the ship. Service at these two restaurants was exceptional and the food was excellent and delicious. I would gladly take another cruise on "The Pride of Aloha", and wish I could afford to do so again this summer! The Maui to Maui itinerary was perfect for my wife and I and we can both truly say this was the best vacation we have ever had in our lives. THANK YOU NCL!Ports of call
Make sure you get on the right tour. We had the all day Pearl Harbor tour but some folks who booked the half day tour got on our bus by mistake. They weren't very happy and let us ALL know it. A special treat was that our tour was on June 11th, the birthday of King Kameamea. His statue in downtown Honolulu was covered with thirty foot long leis of all colors!
Thumbs Up
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Don't Miss: The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
We went on the all day Volcano National Park/Rainbow falls tour. Rainbow falls was pretty but running low due to no rain during the previous several days, a bit of a disappointment. Volcano National Park, especially the Kilauea Cauldron (where the fire goddess Pele lives!) was very enjoyable and interesting. Walking through an extinct lava tube was fun!
Don't Miss: Volcano National Park and sailing at night past the fresh lava flowing into the ocean.
We went on the all day Volcano National Park/Rainbow falls tour. Rainbow falls was pretty but running low due to no rain during the previous several days, a bit of a disappointment. Volcano National Park, especially the Kilauea Cauldron (where the fire goddess Pele lives!) was very enjoyable and interesting. Walking through an extinct lava tube was fun!
Don't Miss: Volcano National Park and sailing at night past the fresh lava flowing into the ocean.
We spent the last day in Lahaina since our flight home was at 9:00 at night. It was a good way to spend the day.
Don't Miss: Haleakala at Sunrise! What an amazing experience! But dress warmly.
This was our favorite island. It's not nearly as busy as the other islands. Our tour driver, Hilary, was the best of the whole trip. He made Kauai, it's people, it's past and it's present come to life for us.
Don't Miss: The
I wish we had more days here!
Don't Miss: Snorkeling! We went on the
Make sure you get on the right tour. We had the all day Pearl Harbor tour but some folks who booked the half day tour got on our bus by mistake. They weren't very happy and let us ALL know it. A special treat was that our tour was on June 11th, the birthday of King Kameamea. His statue in downtown Honolulu was covered with thirty foot long leis of all colors!
Don't Miss: The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
We spent the last day in Lahaina since our flight home was at 9:00 at night. It was a good way to spend the day.
Don't Miss: Haleakala at Sunrise! What an amazing experience! But dress warmly.
I wish we had more days here!
Don't Miss: Snorkeling! We went on the
This was our favorite island. It's not nearly as busy as the other islands. Our tour driver, Hilary, was the best of the whole trip. He made Kauai, it's people, it's past and it's present come to life for us.
Don't Miss: The
Pros: Onshore tours
Cons: Less food service due to sickness on ship during prior weeks.
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