Pride of America Cruise Reviews - Reviews

One thing to consider on this cruise. It's all about the islands not the ship. That being said, PoA is not a bad looking ship. She was built in 2005 and refurbished in 2016. There are no casinos on board. Because, gambling is illegal in the Hawaiian Islands. All of the ports, except Kona, are in industrial areas. And, they had shuttle access to all major car rental companies. Kona is accessed by tendering using the life boats. The ship is really a moving hotel with meals included. The crew were wonderful. Activities on the ship were limited. Again, this cruise is about the islands. So, if you would enjoy visiting four island and five cities in Hawaii, then this cruise is for you. If you want the glitz and glamour of other cruise ships, then sail on those ships.

The biggest problem is that NCL has no competition for this cruise. The only other choice is leaving or returning to a non US port, involving more costs, more time and spending several days at sea. But if you enjoy sailing the open sea, you may wish to consider the alternatives.

Seemed like we did not spend much time on ship. Only for quick breakfast, dinner and sleeping. Most time spent exploring the islands. Wish there was a least one sea day. But a great way to see all the islands and spend some time there. Unfortunately, I felt that the only port with easy walking access to a town was Kona.

Our room was smaller than on other cruise lines like Princess and Celebrity. There were no classes in the gym, yoga, Zumba, etc. Very disappointing. There was no champagne cocktail party with the captain for return guests. The casino was closed, the towels were rough, and the trout was dry. The staff was very accommodating and efficient,

Everything went great. We love it. Would do it again.

We had group of 10 so excursions were too expensive. We chose to pre reserve rental cars and do our own thing on each island. Pre-reserve rental cars with no cash or credit card. None of the ports offer free overnight parking for rental cars. Therefore if you keep a rental car overnight you either have to take it back to airport long term parking or pay for other parking closer if available. Some rental car companies offer ship to car rental shuttles. Some don't. Taxi's are available.

Next time make sure someone covers Bill W. Meetings. I was willing to volunteer but I was turned down because I'm not am employee. Well your employee didn't show up.

The summary is: walked into my room one day to find a rusty razor blade (a utility knife scraper blade) face up in the narrow entryway to my room. I alerted staff who seemed genuinely concerned yet somewhat nonchalant... I was asked repeatedly if there was maintenance done in my room (I’m on vacation, not running the ship) and told “no one was supposed to be in here with a razor blade”. So... watch out for stray razor blades on floors. I did this same route 12 years ago on Pride of Aloha. Certain items on the Pride Of America seem like they haven’t been cleaned in 12 years. Moldy, mildowy bathroom fixtures, balcony doors that are on quasi transparent through the grime and filth. Most public areas are quite clean (some amazingly so) but my room ... not so much. I’ve alerted staff 5 times now to no avail. Speaking of public areas, if the thought of a hot tub drenched in beer and sweat is not your style, then don’t plan on hot tubbing it here. Bartenders serve beer after beer to passengers sitting directly underneath signage stating that beverages are not allowed. And if you point this out to the staff or passengers (not to be a jerk, but because you frankly are concerned for the health of people baking for hours in he sun and hot water, too inebriated to feel the consequences) be prepared to get talked down to. FYI - I’m a drinker, but not a drunk. Keep in mind that you’ll spend $100+ at the upcharged restaurants if you have a normal meal and a drink. But don’t expect a $100 meal - consider it “fancy buffet fare” at best overall. Jefferson’s Bistro (billed as a French Restaurant) was a joke: duck was served shredded and literally as the bottom meat to a Shepard’s pie (not French, but also dry and flavorless). Their version of fruits de mer (as an appetizer) was dry, flavorless and sad. My fish was seriously no better than a McDonalds fillet-o-fish. The good? Overall the staff is excellent, albeit they seem incapable of getting a room cleaned properly. And the buffet is generally decent (don’t expect gourmet, but there are solid options). Moderno is promising, just expect to chuckle a bit at the “portioning” and flavoring of the meats (but they have a great “salad bar” with a ton of great options). I hope NCL does something to up their game on this ship. The destinations are must-see but for a “nickel-and-dime” pricing structure food should be far better. And dirty rooms with razor blades on the floor... those are always a no-no.

We had a wonderful trip on POA! The staff were great, the food was very good and the vacation memories are priceless! The only negative is the ship is small and does not have the options all the other NCL ships offer, such as the spa . Our balcony room was much smaller than the other balcony rooms we have been in on our previous NCL cruises.

This was so much fun. We made some wonderful memories. We enjoyed all the islands. Our favorite island was the big island of Hawaii, Kona. The ship did a great job of making turns to show all of us the beautiful scenery, when applicable.

I’ve read so many bad reviews about the ship and to a certain degree I agree, if you are looking to go on a cruise with all the standard amenities associated with a cruise these days then this is not for you. HOWEVER, if you’re on the ship to see as much of Hawaii as you can, while spending as little time traveling between the islands as possible, then this is exactly the ship you want to be on. We stayed in an Oceanview cabin to keep the cost down knowing we were going to spend very little time on the ship during the day. We ate at the buffet as well as both main dining rooms along with the Cadillac grill. The food was not bad, not great, but not bad and I did find the breakfast to be very good at the buffet. The state rooms seem smaller than other ships. We spoke with many other couples on the cruise who had read negative reviews and some even said they thought of canceling, however, once they got on board they were glad they did as they got to see much more of Hawaii than they had expected in the week they were onboard. Why spend time in airports going island to island while also having to change hotel rooms? Almost to a person the people we spoke with didn’t understand how people could look at this cruise with everything written and think people would review it based on other cruises when in fact it is not a cruise, it’s a mobil hotel. Now that we’ve had the opportunity to visit a significant portion of Hawaii, the four main Islands, when we return and we plan to, we will probably stay at one location on Kauai or Maui for the entire time. But for our first trip together to Hawaii this, in our opinion, was the only way to go. Bottom Line: If you’re interested in seeing as much of Hawaii as possible then do not let all the negative reviews turn you away from taking Pride of America. Just remember you’re there to see Hawaii not to go on a cruise!

Disappointed in much if it. I thought I would be able to see more of the islands. But since the ship docks at basically a shipping ports, there is nowhere to go. Unless you have planned excursions, you are stuck on the boat. The ship itself could use the windows cleaned. It is actually difficult to see out of some of them. Several of the rest rooms I visited had facilities that were out of order. Deck six around the Pink Lounge had an odor that smelled like a portable toilet. The staff were all friendly and do what they can to ensure you have a nice time. All in all I would not do this again. If I ever return to Hawaii, I will spend a few days on each island and explore them on my own. If they post this review I will be surprised...

The cruise was perfect for our large group of ten (5 couples) which consisted of family and friends. I highly recommend it. Plan 1 year in advance to get the cabin you wish.

Just returned from a 7 day cruise on Pride of America celebrating my birthday in Hawaii.. To be able to see Oahu, Hilo, Kona, Maui and Kauai in a week was amazing. The ship itself is dated but the friendly staff and customer service was outstanding! The flaws I have to say is in the Aloha Cafe some plates and silverware were not properly cleaned. And this happened everyday. They are very big with sanitizer on your hands "the washy washy" staff were there to greet you everyday to spray your hands. No casino were on this ship due to state law regulations no alcohol drink packages available either. TIP try to utilize the Hop on Hop off tours available off the ship it'll cost u roughly $20-25 bucks and u get a full day of things to see or do around the islands.. Overall great trip pricey but with good planning u won't break the bank!! PS KONA beers are delicious 😋!!!

A great way to see the 4 largest of the Hawaiian islands, but make sure that you add a stay in Honolulu before or after the cruise, as there is so much to see, and do, that will add to the experience. We were very fortunate that the Hawaii Volcano Park had reopened 2 days before we arrived at Hilo, so we got to see the huge hole that is now the empty caldera.

This was our 7 th trip to Hawaii and maybe or last as we our in our 70s. We use to family and couples vacation here decades ago. We chose POA to revisit places we had mainly been and it was a great experience , weather aside. We had never been previously without the cooling Tradewinds that usually always blow except in Summer. We had read some bad reviews but either Norwegian has listened and improved or some people cannot find fun in paradise. We stayed 5 nights @ the HHV for $800 everything included with luau, $100 dining credit: just listen to a two hour time share presentation

We stayed in one of the Penthouse Suites with Large Balcony. We needed the space, but not necessarily the "Butler" service that comes along with it and we didn't really use the Butler. However, we still provided him with a decent tip at the end of the cruise. The ship is old, but well maintained and was kept clean. We saw only a few areas that needed improvement such as worn carpet on stairs, etc. The food was good and the ship's staff were generally very polite and helpful. The "Aloha Cafe" buffet area did get very crowded during the typical rush before and after port visits, etc. We visited the Skyline dining room one night and found the food was good, but the service seemed a little slow. The only complaint (only an irritation really) was when we tendered back to the ship in one of the ports, the ship decided to use the same tender to carry a large stack of beer back to the ship. As a result, we stood in line in the sun on the pier while half of the cases were loaded, then waited inside the hot enclosed tender while the remaining cases were loaded after the passengers were onboard. Overall, it was a good cruise and I recommend it.

Cancelled this cruise due to Hurricane Lane. Norwegian would not accept rebooking this trip to a safer date. The Hawaiian islands had flooding of 3 to 4 feet in many businesses and homes after Hurricane Lane. Great time to visit Hawaii, immediately after their worst natural disaster since 1992. Someone in Norwegian management should watch the Weather Channel.

The cruise experience was only fair, but this was definitely a great way to see Hawaii. We considered the ship as our overnight stays in between all the beautiful sights.

This was our first and last cruise. Hawaii was beautiful but for the cost of the suite etc in my Opinion was too much. The food being gross is just the beginning. The ship has a smell and it needs a complete renovation. For the money we spent we could’ve gotten a five star hotel and island hopped.