Great Cruise….Do your homework!
Pride of America Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 30
7 Night Hawaii (Honolulu Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 08, 2023
Ship: Pride of America
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 9620
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
The Pride of America is a floating hotel. The trip is the stops on the islands. You can stay on the ship but most of the ports are not in tourist areas with shops, etc. We found this as a great way to see the islands and determine where we would spend the most time on a return trip.Embarkation
Simple! Arrived around 2:30pm. Was on ship by 3:00pm. Be prepared! Do your online check-in, have your documents ready on your phone or printed off. Keep your passport or driver license in accessible place. The process is simple if the cruiser is prepared.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We ate in all the complimentary restaurants. We had breakfast in the buffet, Skyline and Cadillac Diner. Skyline provided better quality but the options are limited. The Aloha Buffet was good and had great variety. It does get busy around 7:30.
For dinner we did the prime rib night in the Aloha Buffett. It was very good and fast. We ate dinner in Skyline and Liberty the rest of the week with Liberty being our top choice. We liked Liberty because the simple dress code made it less busy than Skyline. Throw on a pair of khaki pants and polo and head on in. We had great service each night. We also never had a complaint with the food. We both got a rib eye from Cagney for a $25 up charge one night. It was great. Other nights we had fish, pork belly, lots of appetizers and salads. We waited about 10 minutes one evening.
Onboard Activities
We were off the ship everyday from about 8am-6pm so ship activities did not really impact us.
Entertainment
Not a ship setup for large performances. The musicians and DJs onboard were fine. The comedian was good. If you are expecting Broadway level shows this cruise is not for you. The show is the 4 islands you get to see. Plan, get off the boat and enjoy the islands. You should be tired upon return that nighttime entertainment is not a huge deal.
Service and Staff
We never ran into a rude or unhappy employee. We had a different wait staff each night in the main dining rooms and all were good. We waited 15 min one evening to be seated.
We did not meet out room steward until Thursday morning which was fine as we were off the ship early and back later. Our room was cleaned daily and we had towel animals left each day. We were typically gone by 8am each day and didn’t return until after 5pm most days.
Ship Quality
Again, if your are prepared and do your research you will not be shocked. This is a clean, well kept 2005 cruise ship. It is not the new mega ships built for multiple sea days with elaborate entertainment. Ship is classy and decor is appropriate for the itinerary it serves. The Pacific Ocean is a lot harsher on cruise ships than the Atlantic thus upkeep is a lot more.
Cabin / Stateroom
Cabins are small. Again, this was not a surprise to us due to our research. The cabin was clean and attended to daily. Bed was firmer than what we like but hey we were exhausted every night so it didn’t matter. Balcony was small but very usable. This ship was built in 2005, it is not a mega ship!
Ship tip
Plan, plan, plan!! Do your homework and be prepared. Don’t expect someone to do it for you or fix your problem due to lack of planning. NCL set this itinerary to see the islands and get a taste of Hawaii.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
We arrived 3 days before and stayed at Wyndham Waikiki Beach. Great location. Rented a car and drove around the island making multiple stops at various points of interest. Make sure you make Diamond Head reservations. Next day we did the beach and Experience Nutridge Luau. Great time at small event. About 60-70 attendees. On the day of cruise we did Pearl Harbor. Get tickets early and pick and early time to the Arizona Memorial. We had 3 busy days, but I will say it and say it a lot. Do your homework well before your trip and plan accordingly.
Gave Maui 4 stars because day 1, touring on our own was not the best in a rental car. We planned it well but lots of the places were not accessible. Lahaina was more a strip of commercialized stores than a historic district in our opinion. The huge Banyan Tree in the park was awesome. Day 2 we did the Road to Hana with Matias from Keep Simple Hawaii. Top notch and highly recommended. We initially were going to drive on our own, so glad we did not. Not only would the driver miss a lot but those in rentals, driving the road for the 1st time can cause lots of frustration for the locals. If you do decide to drive on your own, do your homework ahead of time and be courteous. If you have a car or 2 behind you, pull over and let them by. Be courteous to the locals. You are touring, they may be on the way to work.
Rented a car for 2 days. Did a Napoli Coast Sunset Cruise with Blue Dolphins Adventures, it was great. Also, swung by Wailua Falls and saw the Fantasy Island waterfall, drove through the Tunnel of Tress and saw Spouting Horn. On day 2 we drove to Waimea Canyon and made a few other stops. We really enjoyed this island.
Did a Viator tour of Rainbow Falls and Volcano National Park. Solid tour overall. Driver was knowledgeable but talked for 6-7 hrs straight. That got old!! Tour went and hour longer than scheduled, which was ok; however, I think everyone had heard enough stories. The sights on the tour were fabulous.
We took an Lyft to Mountain Thunder Coffee. Good time and fun info. Coffee is outstanding. Had lunch at Kona Brewing, very good. This was our slow day where just hung around the port. Lots to do and see.
Disembarkation
Easy as getting on. We kept our luggage and walked right off at 8:50am.