Wonderful Hawaii Cruise
Pride of America Cruise Review to Hawaii
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 102
7 Night Hawaii (Honolulu Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 14, 2017
Ship: Pride of America
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 8202
Traveled as: Singles/Friends
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
Although we did not have time to really tour and see Oahu, I appreciate history so for me, going to Pearl Harbor was a must see. Just walking around grounds sent chills up my body. I stood in awe as I looked at the names of those who lost their lives on that day in December. We saw a film of the bombing before we could board the boat out to the memorial for the USS Arizona. There were other memorials as well, but based on the film we watched, the other ships were repaired. It was very solemn and sobering to see the names of all of the individuals who lost their lives that day. There were numerous monuments to their courage. As I walked around the grounds and looked at the various warheads, the Bowfin submarine and the other instruments of war, I felt a great sadness for those individuals who died, but also very proud and humble to be an American. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Hawaii and feel very blessed that we were able to take this trip. It was wonderful and for me, a trip of a lifetime!Embarkation
I was surprise to see no porters outside of the terminal. The process at the beginning seemed a little backwards. We arrived inside the terminal with two large suitcases. My sister has mobility problems so after we carried (there is carpet in this area) our bags to be weighed, I had to pushed/pulled the two suitcases (two separate trips) down quite a long hallway to the baggage room. Upon arriving there were several men there standing around. Even when I came in with the bag(s) I had to pull it over to the machine where someone finally took it. I left out and went back to retrieve my suitcase and did the same thing. At the other cruise terminals I have sailed from, there have been people there to assist with putting luggage tags on and taking the bags before you even entered the terminal. Once that process was over, everything else went smoothly. We were in a suite, so someone took us into a separate room, offered us refreshments, went over the amenities, etc. and then had someone to escort us up to the main deck. Our cabin was not ready when we boarded, but we were able to go up and get something to eat and drink.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The Aloha dining room was very good. There was always plenty of food and it was very good. The employees were generally very friendly and helpful (providing advice regarding the islands, etc.). We ate at the Cagney and Moderno restaurant. Breakfast at Cagney's is okay. Although crowded, the Ahola is great for breakfast. Dinner at both Cagney's and Moderno was great. I've been to a steakhouse restaurant before, so Cagney's was on par with those (Longhorn, Outback). The Moderno was a new experience. They had a large salad bar, your sides were brought to your table, and staff walked around with over six different meats to your table for you to sample. There was pork, beef, lamp, and chicken cooked different ways, Delicious! The specialty restaurants were very stylish and beautiful. We also ate in the Cadillac restaurant. Food there (burgers, hotdogs, fries, wingettes, etc.) was ok if you like that kind of food. Of course, drinks are very expensive as is soft drinks. Breakfast at Cagney's was for suite guests and one of our amenities was dinner at three of the specialty restaurants so I don't know what they charge for dinners there.
Onboard Activities
I did not participate in any of the activities aboard ship so I cannot provide feedback.
Entertainment
The few things I attended were entertaining. A magic show, a couple of movies; a newly wed game and dance competition. I enjoyed them all.
Children's Programs
There were no children on this trip.
Service and Staff
Great. A special thank you to Guy, our room butler for all of his assistance and information. And, to Lyn our room steward. The cabin was always very neat and clean, and the beds turned down for the night. We especially looked forward to the towel animals left for us each evening and the snacks left by Guy.
Ship Quality
The common areas were clean and well-maintained. My only concern was with the bed in my cabin. The head of the bed was facing away from the front of the ship. I love to cruise. I encounter the same motion sickness when riding in cars or boarding any vehicle where I cannot face the direction we are heading. But, when at sea, I just slept at the foot of the bed so my body was in the same direction the ship was heading. If beds could face neither the forward or aft of ship that would be great!
Cabin / Stateroom
The overall size of the cabin was good. My sister had a quite large scooter and the only small problem we had when returning to the cabin or leaving was getting it inside the doorway. It took some maneuvering and lifting the back of the scooter to get it in sometimes. Once inside the cabin though, there was an area to store it out of the way. My sister's bedroom was a little small and she said the twin bed was not very comfortable, even with the mattress Lyn had taken from under the sofa to put on it. But, she made due. See my earlier comment regarding the placement of my bed in the larger bedroom. The sofa in the sitting area was quite comfortable and the refrigerator though small accommodated up to four bottles of water (which we pre-bought). We shouldn't have because we left most of them on the last day.
Ship tip
Enjoy as much of the ship as you can, but get off at every port and see all of the islands.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
I wished we had more time. It was a very long flight so we saw none of Oahu when we arrived the evening before the cruise, and the next morning we only saw the area near the hotel where we stayed. Buy the Go Oahu card (it's $69.00 for one day). You can see 30 different attractions. We stayed a day after the cruise, but only got to visit Pearl Harbor, and the Arizona Memorial. We also went to Hanauma Bay. It was beautiful.
We went on the Maui Sugar Planation tour. We toured the Sugar Museum and the history of the sugar industry was very interesting to me. We also toured a coffee field and heard how pineapples are harvested and saw various other plants and trees. We also heard about the different stages of a coconut and saw one being opened. The Island of Maui is beautiful.
Hilo was nice. We did not plan any excursions because we did not want to go on any of the tours to the volcanos. However, we got off of the ship and took a tour from one of the vendors standing outside of the terminal. We heard about the houses that can be rented for one dollar ($1.00) for a hundred years and that it could be willed to family members to live there for the remainder of the time. It was $45.00 per person. We saw lava rocks and heard how this island was formed by a volcano. We were able to walk down to the black sand beach and see the lava rocks up close. We saw historic buildings that had withstood a tsunami and we went to the Rainbow Falls Lookout which we read creates rainbows. This was a beautiful site. We also went to a chocolate candy factory and got to sample some of the chocolates. I truly enjoyed this island.
You will have to board a tender boat to get to the island. You may have to navigate some steps to get down to the boats and be prepared for long lines waiting to get off. But, it is worth getting off the ship. As soon as you got to the dock, there was a beach. There were several large turtles that you could see swimming in the beautiful blue water. It is also a beautiful island. There were several vendors near the dock where you could buy things. The person we had planned to take a tour with never returned so we boarded an open bus and rode around for $2.00. We were dropped off at mall and then caught a free shuttle to Walmart. It was nice sitting down and still be able to see some of the island.
This was my favorite island. We attended the Smith Family luau. Juan, our tour operator from Gray Line was great! We rode in an air conditioned motor coach bus. The ride up to the Luau was great. Juan gave us a short lesson in the Hawaiian language, the history of Hawaii and he shared many of his childhood experiences growing up on the island with us. We also saw "the Sleeping Giant" and saw wind surfers. It was great! The Luau and show was great and very entertaining. Although I did not watch the unearthing of the pig, I saw where it was buried and saw it being unearthed from a distance. It was served at dinner, and my sister and others said it was delicious. We saw the beautiful grounds while riding on a tram. The grounds are beautiful! Service before, during and after dinner was wonderful. This was one of the best tours I have ever been on.
Disembarkation
Disembarkation went very smoothly. We put out luggage out the night before, and it was very easy to retrieve it. Unlike when we arrived, there were plenty of porters to help with the luggage, and our shuttle was very close and we did not have to do a lot of walking and pulling of luggage.