Pride of America Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Pride of America provided a first-class overview of Hawaii with beautiful vistas, luxurious spaces, gourmet food, excellent entertainment, and friendly staff. Although we missed a port due to weather, the captain made up for it by sight seeing. The staff was helpful and nice. Once in a while a brief flicker of American attitude nearly surfaced but was quickly hidden. Few would notice. The entertainment was incredible in the main theater. The bar and lounge areas were not quite as good as on the Epic but that would have been hard to match. We were a bit disappointed with the port location in Maui and the price of the tours in general. As the cruise was far more expensive than most, the tours seemed way too costly to add to the vacation so we had to limit how much we got to see of Hawaii, unfortunately. The cruisetour prior to the cruise was wonderful and well-worth the time and price. I have already highly recommended this cruise to my friends. Thanks to Norwegian for another fantastic cruise. We will return soon, probably Alaska next. 

We were on POA in 2012 - had a good time, ship was ok.  It needed a little bit of upgrading.   This time (2/18/2017) and the ship was SPECTACULAR!!!!!!  NCL completely re-vamped the entire ship!    Looks GREAT!!!!!   They added Deluxe Penthouses to deck 13, replacing what ever they had there that took up space!    This time, the Butler's were FANTASTIC!!!!  Ours was extremely pleasant and PROFESSIONAL!!!!!  We got married in Kauai and 'Peter' took care everything we asked of him!   He even arranged for us to have dinner with the Captain (w/ another couple) as well as setup up a Lava-Flow party that we had planned, and supply enough champagne for our entire group!   Everything was FANTASTIC, as this was my 28th cruise (2nd on POA) and I am telling you - they did a great job!   The ship was in her glory!    The only negative that we have to say about the whole POA experience this time around was- that they put a scale in the bathroom!!!  IN THE BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!   Who wants to see what weight they gained while eating at all the 'Free' premium dining while on board (LOL)!!!!!!!!!!    Great time - POA has resurrected!!!!!!! Thanks NCL!!!!!!!!!!!

I was very disappointed with many things on this cruise, first time I had to pay for Lobster and steak! Prices for shore excursions were very high. Couldn't get into a port that had to be tendered and no compensation for that. Food in the dinning rooms were short on meat and long on pasta or rice. Bartenders didn't know how to mix drinks.

The favorite part of the cruise was to be able to see several islands without having to fly to each one separately.  We did not get to Kona as it is necessary to tender in and the ship docks far from shore and the tenders are small and could not handle the choppy water.  However, better safe than sorry.  Norwegian needs to learn to be much more customer friendly. We missed our connection in LAX, therefore not able to use the hotel in Honolulu the first night which was part of the promotion on our package.  I spoke to Guest Relations on the ship regarding not being able to use the hotel since that was one of the promotional options and requested to us the gratuities as the promotion since that was one of the options when booking out trip.  After several days of waiting for a response from Corporate we were advised that gratuities would not be honored in place of the lost hotel night.  I do not understand the difference between the hotel and gratuities since both had been offered as promotions as part of our cruise package.  Instead they gave us a dinner in one of the specialty restaurants.  No comparison from a cost perspective. .  .

Loved the cruise.  Ship was beautiful and services were handled very timely.  Very organized to get on and off ship.  Best way to see the islands.  Staff was very pleasant and willing to help.  

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this week in Hawaii!  Getting on board Sat. was very easy and we were in our room within and hour of boarding.  The room with a king size bed and balcony was very clean and had lots of storage and closet room.  We loved the freestyle dining and found the service and food to be excellent.  The entertaiment was so good and we thought the shows were just the right length to be fun and uplifting. Loved have music on the pool deck, the musicians were great, some of the singers need a little practice but still fun. Overall I would feel great recommending family and friends to take this cruise. 

Hawaii is great for escaping the cold Chicago winter blues. NCL provides the most efficient way to spend time on islands instead of many sea days. Spending overnight in Maui and Kauai gives time to explore islands and partake in evening and late night activities.

Major improvement is needed in the restaurants service area. The staff seems uncoordinated. Training program or upper management shake-up is needed before things become serious and problematic. Other cruise lines, especially Celebrity excels in restaurant service.

Entertainment was acceptable to excellent; especially comedians with non-offensive and relatable humor.    

Was not our best cruise.  Food was just mediocre -- seemed like the same things every day.  Desserts are usually very extravagant but on NCL they were rather plain and blah.  We saw spills on the floor that several staff members would look at but walk right over and not clean up.  We had a problem with the toilet that took many hours, several phone calls, and an upset husband to get fixed.  The first time they never came till after 10 PM to fix it and had been told in the morning.  The fix only lasted a short time and we had to call again.  We were given another room but packing up and having to move was not something we appreciated doing in the middle of our vacation.  Sorry but I can not recommend NCL cruise.  Seeing Hawaii is fantastic--but maybe renting a car and doing it on your own is the best way to see it.  There are many really nice tours to go on and much cheaper than the cruise line tours.

This cruise gave us an overview of Hawaii.  We started our trip with a six day on our own stay on the big island of Hawaii.  We loved our stay there but would not have had any idea about the other islands.  Now we know that while the other islands we visited on the cruise each have great points about them, our heart is with the big island and we will return there for future trips to Hawaii next winter.  We had a veranda and it was worth the extra cost because this ship is crowded especially for lounging around the pool.  Our best excursions were to the seahorse farm in Kona and the gardens in Kauai.  As far as the food was concerned it was great with especially good pineapple.  Their coffee is so so and it isn't the good Hawaiian coffee we had on land.  Their workout area does not allow for stretching or floor work at all.  The large area that is used for classes could be left for people to use when class isn't in session.  But it is locked up and there is no room anywhere else.  There were also a lot of complaints about their "water policy".  The security people as you boarded back after a day ashore made you either drink or pour out all liquids.  They said it was not their policy but the ships. We felt this to be abuse especially since we had bought our water on the ship for our excursion. Be prepared for this to either chug or pour out.  Some people had bought some type of plan to use the SPA area during the cruise and I can see that might be an advantage since the showers while good are tiny.   All in all we enjoyed our introduction to Hawaii on this cruise.

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The best part of the cruise was it's fee style! We had a much better control of how we wanted to spend our time on the cruise or dining options to choose from compared to the other cruise lines! The tours were excellent in most part. There were good free shuttle services on the shore that were never advertised by NCL but are available. The service on the cruise was just right! The food was fine. Entertainment on the ship was poor, but we did not need it. The best entertainment was visiting the islands with the many activities offered there. Embarkation and Disembarkation  was very well organized! I would definitely recommend this cruise for families with kids and for those who like to explore new places.

The cruise was well done & I can see why Pride of America is the best to see the Hawaiian Islands.  I was bummed my Sister & Brother-in-Law were not placed next to our cabin or vice versa, even though I emphasized I wanted that from the start and I bought the tickets 4.5 months in advance.  I also bought their tickets and they were placed higher & on a better side (Starboard) than my wife & I.  I'm glad for them but feel my wife & I were slighted since we paid for their trip. I loved the friendliness and attitude of the crew.  I only had one Bartender and one waiter on the last night that were not very pleasant.  Considering how many crewmembers you meet, that should not be held against NCL at all.  everyone else was excellent.

The food was fabulous most of the time but I did have to send a Porterhouse Steak back it was so full of gristle.  A first ever in my life.  Other items were just okay & others, fabulous, so it varied.  Not like the food you used to get on cruises 30 years ago. The Hollandaise Sauce for the Eggs Benedict was always perfect. 

More honest information about the various options for excursions would have been nice.  There are trade-offs in using the NCL excursions and 3rd-party tours, such as  the Hoppa On Hoppa Off shuttle, which the crew gets to use for free onshore, so hearing both sides & letting me decide which to choose would have been nice.

Our Porter only made us a towel animal twice the entire cruise though my sister & husband and friends we met had one made every day by their Porter.  Pretty small detail but it would have been nice since my wife had never been to Hawaii & it would have made it more fun for her.

So yes, overall, a great cruise and acceded my expectations since the last Norwegian Caribbean cruise and Freestyle Dining experience I had was not very good.  I would recommend this trip & the Pride of America but would fill in my friends with the added "Good to Know's" before they sail.

This is our honeymood trip. I have never imagined to take a cruise, because we don't earn much money actually. Fortunately, we found this is a smart choice to take this cruise. Food, entertainment, services, all are great. It really helps us save a lot of money, and really enjoyed this trip.

Our overall cruise experience was very good. We thoroughly enjoyed the freestyle dining. This allowed us to decide when, where and what type of food we chose to eat each meal. I was disappointed that NCL thinks they need to recover additional monies from cruisers by charging for soft drinks. I agree with the policy of charging for alcoholic beverages, but I think charging exorbitant rates for soft drinks is a bit excessive. I think it sends the message that NCL is looking to make additional money from the cruisers in any way possible.

Hawai'i is the most naturally beautiful place I have ever seen!  This cruise stopped for a day and a half at each of the 4 major islands.  We very much felt we were able to get a feel for the individuality of each of the islands.  The cruise staff also went out of their way to bring us closer to the beautiful parts of some of the islands that can only be seen from the water.

Truly unforgettable!!  Balcony highly recommended.  Sailing into each port was breathtaking!

This was my first cruise on Norwegian and it was quite good.  As a graduation present to my granddaughter, it met the bill for visiting the majority of the islands and giving us sufficient time to do so.  The check in and out was outstanding. The wait was not long and getting off with their easy off by taking your own bags was perfect for us.  Getting on and off the ship at the ports was very good.  Food was good and the ship is not so big that you find it overwhelming.  Shore excursions were reasonable even though I had booked through another company, when I compared their prices to Norwegian, they were competitive.  Staff friendly and service good.  They had a program for 18-20 year olds which was perfect for our granddaughter as she connected with others her age and I knew she was safe as she stayed out way after our bedtime!  On the flip side, they need to speed up their service in the main dining rooms.  Main courses came in a timely manner, but the wait for desserts were at times excessive.  Hours at the buffet could be extended especially for breakfast.  All in all a wonderful experience for my granddaughter and a lovely time for us to make memories. 

I can't think of a better way to see Hawaii.  It was our first trip to Hawaii and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip.  I must say the waters were pretty rough at times, more rough than our Caribbean cruises but for me, I push through and try to savor every minutes.  The shows were outstanding!  We loved the piano bar and ended most of our evenings there.  The food was okay, not the best I've had on a cruise.  The place where the service was the best was at the Liberty Restaurant (upstairs from the Skyline as I remember).  The service at Skyline was slow and the wait staff was not very friendly.  Liberty was just the opposite.  There was not much variety at the Aloha Cafe.  Our steward was very sweet and always attentive.  Overall, our cruise experience was very good.

This was the perfect way to see Hawaii, on the Norwegian, Pride of America cruise ship! My husband and I are die hard cruisers with another company and were pleasantly surprised that anyone could impress us as much. Norwegian did just that. It was well organized, our room was perfect, even with what they called limited view, the food delicious, the employees took great pride in making our first cruise with Norwegian fabulous. As for Hawaii, wow, Norwegian had it perfectly timed out with the Port of Calls, the excursions available, the time exploring the islands, and the extra things the Captain did to be sure we saw the live Volcano and the beautiful Napoli coastline.

Excellent stateroom attendant. Excursion not what advertised. Book excursion for tour of pineapple plantation. Told night before excursion that road to facility was washed out 4 months prior to cruise, too late to cancel. Alternative site was a trip to surfacing site. Poor substitution. NCL should have advise of change prior to cruise date. I would have cancelled excursion if advised of change. Feel NCL took advance of passenger, and should refund part OD excursion fee.

The onboard ship activities, entertainment/food was outstanding.  Our cabin steward was the best, attending to every detail.  The service in the main dining room Liberty could use a little upgrade but it obviously was too busy of a night that we chose.  We loved the freedom and efficiency of the Aloha Cafe for most meals, especially breakfast.  We booked our excursions prior to sailing and was just enough for 5 days.  Be careful to leave yourself some down time to rest and relax.  We stayed in Oahu through Tues late afternoon to get R/R after busy cruise.