Pride of America Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I have been on a lot of cruises, royal Caribbean, princess, etc.

First off they need to rename this ship because to call it the pride of america is embarrassing to Americans. The customer service is flat out bad, the people at the customer service desk are rude and it is obvious they could care less about you. We are on this ship from Florida and are celebrating our honeymoon and my wife's birthday. I did request a honeymoon package and a birthday package we didn't get either. This is or second to last day on the ship and we went to customer service to ask about it... there answer was that they had to email "corporate" to see what they can do. Seriously, we get off the ship in less than two days.

Now all ships are a bit pricey on drinks but this ship takes it to a whole new level. They have very cheap alcohol and wine and price gouge the hell out of you. It will cost you about $15 for a glass of crappy wine (which the whole bottle in the supermarket costs less than $6). The big "deal" is a bucket of beer (6, 12oz bottles for $43 dollars... which is the cheapest beer).

The food in the buffet is fine, typical cruise food. The extra restaurants are no bargain at all. One of them cost $25 extra per person, then on top of that once you get into the restaurant, the menu is not free. Ranging anywhere from $5 to $25 for your meal! Ridiculous, really it is.

The ship it self is very small, and if you get sea sick this is not the ship for you. Even sitting in port the shipping is swaying back and forth. The waters around Hawaii are quite a bit rougher in general then other places and this ship is really terrible to be on when it is moving.

There is also very little to do on this ship, a few bars, 3 stores, a tiny library, but that's about it. No casino or anything like that on the ship fyi. There is a theater with a few terrible shows but it is right in the front of the boat so with the boat moving it is very uncomfortable to even sit in that room.

The rooms are really small, we got a balcony and pick the biggest of the balcony rooms. Compared to other ships this is the smallest room I have ever had. Considering they charge $6500 plus for this room the next step up would have $12k.

The pool area is okay, however the 6 hot tubs are not hot. They range from cold to warm at best. We asked if they could make the hot tubs hot? They said no that they were not allowed... what?... so you call them hot tubs but can only have cold water in them? Again, the customer service is really terrible on this ship.

The overall value for this cruise is terrible. Very expensive, terrible customer service, tiny rooms, very small ship, nothing to do on the ship. Save your money and go directly to Hawaii and stay in a few different hotels. You will have a much better Hawaiian experience.

This is my first Norwegian Cruise and me and my wife both agree we will never cruise with this cruise line again. There are so, so, so many other much better options out there to cruise with, especially for the premium they charge on the ship.

Also, room attendant doesn't clean much. We made coffee one day and the coffee pot sat for the rest of the trip with old coffee in the bottom of it. The glasses where not replaced, a new paper cap was just put on the top (with the old water in the bottom of the glass... it was gross) we had wine glasses on the balcony that were never removed (they were empty and ended up falling off the table and breaking... so now there was broken glass all over the floor..never cleaned), we had a empty bucket on the balcony that the beers came in, it just sat out there the whole trip empty. I will say, I do believe we got new towels for showers, so that's a plus...

I can go on and on about this ship, please catch my drift and save your money and time and don't make the same mistake we did. We did meet a lot of other people on this ship and the topic of conversation with them was always about how bad this ship was. Everybody was having the same experience we did, we talked to one couple that ordered flowers and a card for her mothers anniversary and cakes for all the rooms for her family on the trip. The flowers came with no card and the cakes never showed up. Other couple order the honeymoon package like we did that never showed up, and customer service was so rude to them when they asked about it. It was the same story with everybody. They just don't care about you on this ship, and when you ask for something you are truly an inconvenience to the staff on the ship.

A girl friend described a cruise as, "just imagine "You have a wife!" and she was so right.  I'm not used to being waited on, but it was sure nice for a change. The food was wonderful and everyone was there to make our trip the best it could possibly be.  I loved sitting on the balcony at night looking up at a different set of stars and the Moon and the passing waves.  My husband is ready to head out on another cruise, he had a great time also.

It was great way to get to all the islands.   Got to experience each of the four main islands without having to check into different hotels and spend time at airports.  The room and ship were neat and clean and food was good, crew friendly and helpful.  But was very crowded for some of the shipboard activities. And the NCL arranged excursions were good but more expensive than other excursions setup by other companies.

I booked a balcony stateroom and upon arrival on the Pride of America, I was assigned an inside stateroom. Fearing that I would be stuck in this room, I quickly went to the concierge who change my room to a balcony stateroom. The inconvenience and not knowing if there was one available caused some concern. We were moved from 9011 to 10154. The staff (housekeeper, waiters and waitresses) on Pride of America were very helpful and times went beyond their duties to provide excellent service. The entertainment was excellent. The buffet was very good but not excellent. An example of this, there were no lemons for ice tea for two days. I assume they ran out but on the day before conclusion of the cruise, lemons showed up. On the whole, this was a good cruise but I have been on better.

The Islands were beautiful, and the excursions were great. The ship should have stayed in dry dock. For the amount of money that we spent I would have expected that the ship would have been in tip-top shape. On the day we arrived in the lobby it smelled of sewage, apparently that is a normal thing, because the crew did not seem to notice it. The smell lasted the whole week. Mostly of the 5th floor, occasionally in our room and from our balcony. Speaking of our balcony, there were paint chips on the floor and it was dirty, no going out there barefoot. We had no hot showers for three days. The decks were closed for walking around the ship because it was still being cleaned and painted. Sometimes the smell of chemicals and varnish was overwhelming. Bathrooms were closed, deck doors were locked or taped shut. The best food we had was at the Luau and the barbecue on the last day. While dining in the Skyline the windows were dirty. Sometimes the utensils were dirty. We received a $200 dollar shipboard credit, but it did not nearly make up for what went on. This should have been a vacation of a lifetime, but it was terrible. I would never recommend this trip to any of my friends

We did a repositioning cruise out of San Francisco. Four days across the Pacific and then the tour around the islands absolutely enjoyable one of the best cruises with ever done.

Five years ago we did the cruise sailing from and returning to Honolulu.  This time we opted to take the cruise from San Francisco.  Some hiccups this time. One day delay in departure which required a late afternoon scramble for lodging in San Francisco. Pricy but pleasant time in the city unexpectedly.  NCL said we could make claims for costs due to the delay.  We shall see how that comes out. The officers and crew bent over backwards to make the cruise as comfortable as possible despite areas still inaccessible due to contractors still working on the ship as it crossed to Hawaii. Someone must have complained loudly about that and the noise from the work because we were informed that we have 50% of what we paid this time towards a future cruise on the line.  Not a refund but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Lots of elderly aboard getting the most out of life, some with one foot in the grave. They didn't look as old since the last time :)

NCL and its ship board staff are not guest friendly. They do not correct problems and because they consider this a captive market do not care about their guests once you are on the cruise.  My husband and I enjoy balconies so we always book them. We have booked ocean views a couple when cruising with other people. Those views were ocean views exceed what we had on POA's balcony view. For 2 of the 7 days cruise had smelly crane structures inches from our balcony cabin with no access to our balcony. I asked to be moved. It took six hours for guest services to escalate it to the Guest Services Manager who took another 24 hours to escalate it to the Miami office. In the interim I wrote to the Captain and met with him and the senior staff and got no results. Told that Miami office denied my request. When I got back from the cruise I called the Guest Services and was on hold for approximately three hours and finally made contact through a chat consultant who connected me to Miami guest services only to be finally be told by a rude, uncooperative guest services agent that complaints are handled via email. When I asked to speak to her manager, she refused to let me speak to management.  So be very careful when you choose NCL. I am getting ready to write a more detailed letter to the Board of Directors of NCL.  I found that NCLhas no urgency to resolve issues or to accommodate guests when things go wrong. 

I have cruised on many cruise lines, none so arrogant. 

The Pride of America is beautiful with lots to do on board and on shore. The staff on this cruise vessel are just the best. The food choices at the various restaurants are great. I would be very picky and say that the Asian cuisine was not the greatest, but my wife is of Chinese descent and we have the best Asian food in Vancouver and so we are spoiled. The entertainment is the best America including Hawaii has to offer with various acts, singers and a comedian as well.

If you have never visited any of the Hawaiian Islands or only one and would like to experience at least 4 with their own unique flavour the Pride Of America cruise would be an excellent start.

We had a wonderful time while cruising around the four large Hawaiian islands; however, dealing with NCL after the cruise ended was a nightmare. We had approximately $50 in refundable credit left in our account when the cruise ended.  We were told before we disembarked the cruise that the check for the credit would be sent to our home within two weeks.  When we hadn't gotten the check after two MONTHS, I called 1-866-625-1164 to inquire about the refund.  I was put on hold for 30 minutes while I waited to speak to someone.  I was told the check had been processed that day and it would be at my house the following week. The check did not arrive, so I waited for three more weeks, before calling again.  I was put on hold for 45 minutes before I was able to speak to anyone.  I was told the check would arrive in my mailbox within a week of my current phone call.  After waiting a total of three months since the end of our cruise, I called 1-866-625-9177 and waited on hold for 55 minutes before anyone answered my call.  I was told the check had been mailed to me, and I'd need to wait 30 more days.  If the check hasn't arrived within 30 days, I need to call again to NCL.  This is totally unacceptable public relations on the part of NCL.  They need to hire more customer service people to answer their phone calls immediately, and they need to be able to handle their credit refunds in a more efficient manner.  I won't book another cruise with NCL due to this problem.

Overall the best ship, for cleanliness, most staff cheerful & helpful, and really a good room porter.  We have been on eight ships, and the others do not match up. BTW, the Captain is a squared away, competent, and decent man. 

I will recommend this ship, and destinations to others. 

The biggest complaint was the food. General dining area was the worst food ever and would be the primary reason for not booking with Norwegian Cruise Lines again.    

This is my 2nd cruise on Norwegian and although it was a different ship, the food then was not that good and this time even worse.

I do have to give high ratings on the food a Cagney's, one of the specialty restaurant. Best lobster ever.

We enjoyed our cruise through the Hawaiian islands very much !   It was an awesome way to visit multiple islands and share the experiences and excursion opportunities each island had to offer.

We went on the Pride of America cruise of the Hawaiian Islands in September.  We had a great time.  The buy-up restaurants were 'pricey' but worth the investment.  Food was great.  We didn't love the buffet, and avoided it at all cost.  The crew was relatively friendly and helpful.  The entertainment was better than any other cruises we have been on -- really great magician, singers, etc.  Loved that the ship stayed overnight at the ports to allow you to spend a whole lot of time on the island.  Really loved that they ship went around to the other side of Kawaii to give us a great view of the cliffs.  The excursions, while very costly, were top-notch.  Recommend that if you take the Kayak and hike tour on Kauai, that you do it the first day you arrive there so you can clean up your stuff and have it dry before packing.  It is very muddy.  Would recommend this cruise to anyone -- Hawaii was absolutely beautiful.  

My wife and I took the Hawaii trip. It was very nice trip when off the ship. However when on the ship the staff was friendly mostly, but they seemed to have there own thing going. The lady who worked our muster station was busy talking to her male friend over doing the drill. We felt if the ship had a real emergency that she would not know what to do. 

Some of the service was great, over all the service was very poor, drinks were mixed light. 

When off the ship the staff seemed very rude and not polite. 

One staff member alway smiles Shannon, just was never on top of a thing, she did put on a go show, one day she served us and was slow spent more time talking to crew guys. Another day she was making drinks at the bar they were horrible. She need to be retrained on how to serve and make drinks.

My wife and I do not recommend this cruise at all.

Enjoy your trip.

Our expectations were framed by our travel agent as this was our first cruise with an American crew. He wanted us to be prepared for a lower level of service. In some ways, he was correct but for the most part, we were pleasantly surprised. It was our first NCL cruise and that in itself was a change to much more casual cruise experience. We are "old school" and probably will go back to our previous favorite Celebrity but wanted the itinerary this cruises offered. We found the crew to be exceptionally friendly, much more interactive with us (language was not a barrier) and chatty with one another. There was not one instance of lowered service levels and we enjoyed our dining and bar experiences across the entire week. This is a great way to see the variety of the islands and we felt that it allowed us to experience all aspects of the beauty and international aspects of Hawaii. We took about  4 NCL excursions and booked 3 through (tours by Roberts Hawaii) and all were very enjoyable. The ship itself is older and doesn't "wow" you but was small enough to take advantage of everything it offered. We did think the shows were some of the best we've ever seen. The Four Seasons mimics "Oh What a Night" were extremely entertaining as was the magician (did a Houdini type escape at the pool one day) and the comedian. Was not crazy about the Cruise Director (Jazz I think?). Would recommend this cruise to everyone!

The rooms were slightly nicer than average which is good.  The crew went out of their way!  Crystal, a cruise director was incredible at always telling us what's next and making us feel important.  Ethan was a great entertainer!  The shows were INCREDIBLE!  Hollywood, The Four Seasons, Broadway reviews all great.  Make it a point to buy ultimate dining and experience Tepinyaki, Cagneys for Steak and the Bistro for a genuine fantastic French experience.  I would recommend a few shore excursions, but take a day or two to enjoy sunning and working out on the ship or just simple shore excursions such as beaching and/or snorkeling or you'll truly tire of busses.  My favorite time was sailing past the Napoli Coast, beautiful from our balcony!  By the way, loved the $19.99 per bag laundry special towards the end.  It comes in handy when your running low on clothes!  Bought fantastic swimsuits and T-shirts in Kai Gift Shop for incredible prices.  Emma, you were a great cocktail waitress on the deck.  Ethan, you were wonderful as Willie Wonka and in the Broadway review.  Thank you everyone on board for making our experience so wonderful.  

The Pride of America is a well maintained and very clean vessel. For it's age, and by today's ship standards, the vessel is fairly current with other ships of it's class. The staff was attentive and courteous.

The ship and cruise are fine, but when I started the cruise I planned to sign up for an Alaskan cruise to get some on board discounts.  During the cruise I had some issues which now has me rethinking if I want to continue with Norwegian cruise lines.  Briefly, some of the issues were:

1.  Their android app did not work on my smartphone.

2.  My cruise history was lost (?) so I was treated as a first time guest (no discounts, robes, invitations to member only events.  This issues was resolved early on during the trip, but detracted from the fun of the trip.

3.  Credits for some prepaid items did not show on my on board account. Lucky for me I had printed receipts.

This may be corporate issues not ship issues.

My wife and I did this cruise as a retirement celebration. The cruise advisor highly recommended deck 7, which we later discovered was directly above the night club where we enjoyed loud music every night. The room was nice with a large verandah. We did the ultimate dining package but still had trouble getting reservations some nights, and we weren't told that you had to have nice clothes to dine in the French restaurant, and a couple times we stood in line outside the door on a waiting list, and never got called...would've been nice if they had just told us. Be prepared to pay for everything from shakes to beer. We enjoyed the stops thoroughly, but were not impressed with Norwegian at all.