Cruise itself expensive and so so, paying for the destinations

Pride of America Cruise Review to Hawaii

KermitNC

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 19

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Hawaii (Honolulu Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 12, 2019

Ship: Pride of America

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8148

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Overall NCL experience is average. Service is fine but not spectacular. Ship was in decent shape but not a bit worn in places. Food was very average. Cruise is expensive because there is no competition. And that is before all the nickel and dime NCL imposes. The reason to take this cruise is to go to the islands (hence a higher rating) without packing and unpacking every few days.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Long wait even at 2pm but no problems

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Have to reserve dining room to not have to wait for table, so defeats purpose of "freestyle" dining. Only ate there once and food was fair. Specialty restaurants expensive so didn't go. Buffet food average.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Decent amount of activities. We did not participate much because we spent a lot of time on shore (and there was no day at sea)

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Did not go to many. Average compared to other ships.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Most were good. Some were grumpy. Better on other cruise lines.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Ship layout and design were good. Clean. Seemed reasonably maintained, although hull paint was fading

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Cabins size good enough for 2 people. Was clean. Bathroom only had a shower and it was small. Balcony banister needed new coat of paint.

Ship tip

Get a PORT side cabin to see the Na'Pali coast from your room the last day

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Honolulu, Oahu Did not visit port

Visited on our own, not part of the cruise

Thumbs Up 0

Kahului, Maui

4 out of 5

Did the Road to Hana excursion. Spent a lot of time on the bus and not enough time to really explore some area, including Hana itself. Better to do on your own if you are staying on the island. Haleaka crater is a must.

Thumbs Up 0

Hilo, Hawaii

4 out of 5

Volcanoes National Park nice to visit. Would have loved more time to hike a bit. Downtown Hilo nice to walk around, but nothing spectacular.

Thumbs Up 4

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

4 out of 5

Zodiac snorkeling was a lot of fun.

Thumbs Up 0

Nawiliwili, Kauai

5 out of 5

Waimea Canyon is nice to see. Fern grotto was so so. Kayaking was fun.