Pride of America

MARCH

This was my first cruise and first trip to Hawaii. It exceeded my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The excursions that I went on were informative, although I felt that the time was too short when going to Volcanoes National Park, Haleakala National Park, and Waimea Canyon. I would have liked to have spent more time at each of these locations.

MARCH

Excursions were good.

MARCH

There is nothing more beautiful than sailing off at sunset from the island of Kauai. Breathtaking.

JANUARY

This was our first cruise ever and we were both very pleased with everything about the cruise. We couldn't dock or unload at the Big Island because of the weather conditions and this is understandable. Norwegian refunded us $150 to compensate for the event which we thought was nice of them.

JANUARY

First time ever on a cruise ship enjoyed most of it the only setback was when I wanted to get a cough drop you couldn't buy one on the ship everybody seemed to be coughing a little bit I heard that the air is recycled 60% which the reason why

OCTOBER

Loved the islands . Each one had its own beauty . The ship was so well organized, loved loved loved I

OCTOBER

You could see being understaffed wore on dome of the crew,

OCTOBER

The ship was beautiful, well cared for and clean. The staff were extremely hardworking and friendly. We did not wait on any lines for restaurants or shows. Great dining options and plenty of food available. Our cabin was clean and comfortable, housekeeping did a great job. The itinerary is fantastic, going to four islands with two overnights. The trip could not have been better, we enjoyed every minute.

OCTOBER

The ship was beautiful, well cared for and clean. The staff were extremely hardworking and friendly. We did not wait on any lines for restaurants or shows. Great dining options and plenty of food available. Our cabin was clean and comfortable, housekeeping did a great job. The itinerary is fantastic, going to four islands with two overnights. The trip could not have been better, we enjoyed every minute.

JULY

Would have liked to understand options for flights, when to book dining (by the time the letter came everything was booked), and excursions were very screwed up (the actual excursions were great). Our room was booked as a KING but set up as 2 twins. Even after we pushed them together, it took 2 days to get it made up as a king. We asked for extra blankets - never received. Had a birthday decorations/cake ordered - never received. Never once had any bartenders walking around at the common areas around the bars or the pool. Had to stand in line at the bar (with limited staff) every time. Two restaurants were closed, and the options left to book were all late. Overall, there was NO entertainment (bands and comedians don't count) as we are used to nice production shows on a cruise.

MAY

Very nice size ship and very clean. The crew was always pleasent and hard working. Food was really good even at the Aloha buffet. Rooms were tidy an clean. The Hawaiian Islands are what your there for, so enjoy them.

APRIL

Cruise was very good. Service excellent, food abundant and good. Service help friendly and helpful. Enjoyed the ride!

FEBRUARY

We were excited to try Norwegian Cruise lines, we have gone on other lines 3 times, this was our 4th cruise. If the islands were not so beautiful this would have been a total bust. (Concurred by several couples on board) Most of the staff continually complained about working double shifts and being so tired. They did not look happy to be there. Guest services were borderline rude with the exception of one lady. Food at most of the places was frozen heat up. Only decent food was in specialty restaurants. Staff excursion member lied to us several times. Once he told us to look for volume button in our room to hear announcements and that "it must be your first cruise". We asked 3 other staff members - there was no volume button in our room. He also said "Arizona Memorial was closed as they were fixing walkway" that is why it was taken off our tour. We went to Pearl Harbor pulled our luggage off tour bus. Checked luggage in for the day ($10) and toured Pearl ourselves. We got right on the Arizona Memorial. There is also a FREE shuttle that takes you around the entire facility. Taxi to airport when we were done was $25.

JANUARY

Great family vacation

JUNE

there were less passengers on board for our cruise which was a positive to offset the restaurants being closed.

APRIL

<div>Great staff. Ethan Ford who was a server in the Samual Adams Bar is friendly, and truly a caring person. The Bartender Kenny was great as well! And I can not say enough about Sue in the Ocean Drive Bar as well. Best cruise we have been on. Loved Hawaii and Loved Pride of America. Keep up the great work!&nbsp;</div>

FEBRUARY

Our first cruise experience was excellent. Great accommodations for my wife who uses a wheelchair.

JANUARY

Loved the whole trip

JANUARY

This was my 2nd cruise on Pride of America. The overall experience was very good, but the ship needs help. It’s really showing it’s age. I think NCL needs to look into maybe retiring this ship and replace it with a more modern vessel. Maybe I’m just use to the newer ships on NCL but going backwards isn’t my cup of tea.

JANUARY

I would not recommend going to Hawaii in January because of it’s very rainy and some of our excursions had to be cancelled. The ship is not luxurious, but a good value for the money for a first time visitor who wants to visit all of the Hawaiian Islands. You can only get views of the NaPali coastline from the air or water, so the cruise itinerary was perfect.

JANUARY

This is the worst ship we have ever cruised on due to the poor food quality, the design of the ship, the overpriced excursions and the cost to eat at the specialty restaurants

DECEMBER

Embarkation and disembarkation was unbelievably smooth.

NOVEMBER

It was amazing! Had the best time ever! The staff was awesome! The shows and activities were great! ??

OCTOBER

We enjoyed our time on this ship. It is basically a floating hotel-restaurant since the destination is the prize. This is the best way to get an overview of more than one Island. I did think that the cost was a little bit much for the age of the vessel and the service they rendered.

JULY

Service was wonderful. We were truly treated like Ohana

JULY

<div>Everything was great. Our family really enjoyed the entertainment, the cabins, and the positive atmosphere... except for the couple of instances in the buffet area. Maybe they were short handed, but they didn&#39;t like for the waiters to be friendly and talk to patrons. Told them to stop and keep working. One person told the man in white outfit he was wrong to do that! Otherwise it was a wonderful experience! And would definitely recommend to others, especially families.. Enjoyed so much..</div>

JULY

Great cruise. Very different from a Caribbean cruise. The actual ports are very industrial.. You must plan your excursions in advance. It would be very difficult to get off the ship and just find something to do. No vendors waiting for you at the port like in the Caribbean. The only port with shopping right off the ship is Kona. Nice little beach at Kona right off the ship as well. All of the ports of call were great. Road to Hana tour in Maui was breathtaking. Snorkeling at the Molokini crater in Maui was amazing. The Volcano Park tour in Hilo was very interesting and provided great views. The Captain Zodiac Snorkel trip in Kona left us speechless from the fun boat ride to the school of dolphins and snorkeling the reef full of fish. The trip would not have been complete without the Smith’s luau. A helicopter ride in Kauai is a must and well worth the price. We really liked the ship. It is much smaller than the new mega ships but the layout is great and it was very easy to get around. Our cabin was 10172. We loved the location. The ship had lots to areas on the upper decks for viewing. Lots of different types to lounging area. There must be very few smoking areas. I did not see one smoker on the ship. Good if you are a non smoker. It was great to have a smaller crowd on the ship. No big lines or wait times for shows or restaurants. Lots of availability at the pools for deck chairs. Entertainment was good as well as the entertainment staff/cruise director and staff. There was an officer vs. guest pool volleyball game which was fun. Most of the staff were excellent. Our room steward was outstanding. All of the staff were friendly. The buffet was good. We were able to find seating for our large party without much problem. I highly recommend the outside seating at the back of the ship. There were a couple of trips to the dining room which took a really long time to get through the dining service (2 to 3 hours). Not sure if it was the wait staff or the kitchen. The food was good in all of the dining rooms that we went to. I did like that the ship had a more causal feel; very few people dressed up. Some of the bar staff were a little slow but others were outstanding. It was nice that most were American and spoke English. It was great that the Captain was American so you could understand him when he made the morning announcements.

JUNE

Good staff and great food. Bathrooms a little tight but useable. Itinerary was very fun off ship.

MAY

Great vacation. Would do again. We only rented a car on Maui but wished we had rented on all the island and not booked excursions through the cruise ship. Great ship with great services and great evening entertainment.

MAY

The best way to see the islands. If I ever win the lottery I would do this again only for two weeks in a row (in the same room). NCL might consider putting a package together...buy one and get the second week for 1/2 price.

MAY

<div>We had a wonderful time on the ship in Hawaii. It was so convenient to have the ship as our home base, while we explored 4 Hawaii islands. This really is the best way to see Hawaii when you have limited time and on a budget, it&#39;s a very good value...not to say it&#39;s cheap, but if you were to visit all these islands on your own it would be more costly ,take more time and you would have to haul all of your stuff around with you. We enjoyed the shows, dining and found the staff to be very helpful and friendly. I would definitely recommend this cruise to other 1st time HA. visitors. This was our 1st NCL cruise and based on this experience we would go another with right itinerary.</div>

APRIL

Don’t have much negative to say about Norwegian’s 7 day Hawaiian cruise. If they would just start offering incentives for solo travelers, I would do it again in a heartbeat!

APRIL

Very disappointed in the quality of the food compared to the same cruise I took 9 years ago.

MARCH

We loved our cruise on POA. I had a 9 year old and 15 year old and they loved the kids club activities. This ship is about the ports. But it’s well decorated and clean. The food was good not over the top 5star but it was good. We had a lot of choices for restaurants. We did a lot of excursions a through NCL and it made things very easy for our trip to have it all organized. It’s a great way to really get a taste for all of the Hawaiian Islands. The shows were ok...I liked the Hawaiian Show the best. We had a balcony room for the three of us and that worked great. This exceeded my expectations.

FEBRUARY

<div>Overall a good experience. Off boat excursions were great to very good. enjoyed the tour guides very much. Rey and Denardi were the absolute best. some of your other employees would do well to take note from these individuals.</div>

FEBRUARY

<div>It was hard to find your way on the ship. Decks were all split up.</div>

NOVEMBER

I fully enjoyed my cruise of Hawaii. The Pride of America is a lovely ship. I liked that you had so many places to eat. I was disappointed in the Dining Rooms meals but otherwise the other places I ate I loved. Staff and Crew were very friendly and helpful. When we weren't on a Excursion we went to a few of the activities and the Entertainment were both Top-notch. Our Stateroom was a Balcony room and was very nice. I will use Norwegian cruise lines again!!

OCTOBER

The Napali Coast was incredibly beautiful. On Friday evening be ready with the camera in hand. This cruise was a great way to see the islands. We took shuttles, rented a car, and even a Harley. All very fun and beautiful. When you leave the ship, either grab some fruit or sandwich to take along. Often it's awhile before you get time to eat when out sight seeing. We basically missed 7 lunchtimes times four of us or 28 meals, yet Norwegian wanted to charge for bottled water in the room! Insane! Looked cheap!

OCTOBER

Cruising around Hawaii is definitely the way to explore each of Hawaii's islands. With stops at each of the islands it s a wonderful way to explore each island without having to worry about flights, hotels and meals at each island. Would definitely recommend cruising around Hawaii to get the most out of a weeks vacation in Hawaii. The NCL Pride of America offers all the convenience of a home way from home. Shore excursions are a perfect way to enhance your vacation and see highlights of each island. Definitely do the helicopter tour (Maui) and luau along with the Stars and Stripes tour of Pearl Harbor and the might Mo battleship.

MARCH

The staff of Cagney's is the best service I could have ever received. Keep them all happy and you will have happy customers for life. Peter Kandi is just great - very attentive, fun and just a great person. All the staff seemed to be top notch on the Pride of America, but as always some just stand out more than others. Our Suite was so comfortable, I look forward to traveling with NCL again.

DECEMBER

Been on many cruises, have never had my luggage searched

NOVEMBER

We were disappointed that bottle water is not provided for free as being hydrated is very important to health and safety. The casual dinning at the buffet is crowded and the selection is fair.

NOVEMBER

Everyone on the ship went out of there way to make our cruise a great experience.

OCTOBER

Ship needs a casino and the Hawaii laws need to be changed to allow the casino to operate while at sea. There isn't much to do at night except the shows and everyone goes to that making seating limited.

OCTOBER

This was a great way to visit Hawaii. I can not beleive we were male to see lava flowing into the sea.

MAY

If you plan on going to Hawaii, I recommend you do the 3 day tour and the 7 night cruise.

APRIL

<div>Loved every minute of this trip!!!! Food, entertainment, staff, accommodations were all very excellent.</div>

APRIL

Food was very good. Room was a little small. Had a minor problem with an excursion but was rectified. Activities were limited.

MARCH

Great ship. Clean and refurbished. I loved the decor. Great entertainment. Friendliest crew I have ever had on a cruise ship. Offered really good shore excursions.

FEBRUARY

I was a little worried about past reviews of the Pride of America. Read poor reviews about ship condition and the friendliness of staff. Never an issue. Everything in state room was top notch and never met a nicer group of young people while traveling. Very friendly.

JANUARY

All in all we enjoyed the islands we visited and the ship itself.. But more has to be done about the low quality of free food. The charged specialty food was fantastic and suite 9198 was really nice. But its not really a 2 bedroom suite, more like one bedroom and 2 pull out sofas. In your brochure you say 2 bedrooms which we thought we would get two full size beds. but not the case. The show are not what I was expecting disappointed. But the staff on the ship was AMAZING!!!

DECEMBER

Needed more variety of food on Deck 11. The menu was boring. The head waiters were rude, not considerate. The matirde, the main man over the dining room was very considerate when I was seasick.

OCTOBER

Everything went very well all week! Transportation, communications, services, etc. Had a wonderful time!

JULY

Overall, we enjoy this trip very much. The staffs are very nice and work very hard. Foods are good. The entertainment at Hollywood theater are generally entertaining. Gym is also nice. I used the facilities 3 times during this cruise.

JUNE

Had a great time aboard. Everyone seemed to enjoy their job and serving you. Everything was taken care of for you. Real vacation atmosphere.

JUNE

The only complaint was picking up the health issues, but there's no evidence that is attributed to the ship - just bad luck!

MAY

The crew was especially accommodating. The food was great. Really liked the fact we could eat in any of the dining rooms or restaurants any time we wanted. We were impressed with all our shore excursions, they were well planned and the guides were well informed and willing to answer any questions.

MAY

Highly recommended!

APRIL

Norwegian is an excellent cruise line with only two exceptions, their arrival and processing for arrivals the first day of the cruise at port does not flow well, people are waiting for extremely long periods of time. Some of the port service windows were not open during the embarkment process. Second the quality and cost of drinks are way over priced.

APRIL

Overall it was a very good trip. First trip to Hawaii. Taking the cruise so you could hit all of the Hawaiian Islands was the way to go. Stayed 1 add'l day on the Big Island after cruise. Would recommend staying at least 2 or more

JANUARY

We enjoyed the cruise very much, and it certainly met, and in some cases, exceeded expectations. The shows were a lot of fun, and we participated in a number of activities such as the games and craft sessions. Probably not for folks expecting a quiet, secluded getaway (although that would work if you stayed in the stateroom), but certainly a good fit for those looking for a lot to see and do!

DECEMBER

Staff was friendly, outgoing, full of Aloha, and very CS oriented. Penthouse Suite was nice, about the size of Grand Suite on RCI, with a mini bar and Lavazza coffee/espresso machine. Lanai was huge, 200+ sqft. Steward and a butler, both excellent. Butler overcame any obstacle, including dinner reservations in a specialty restaurant on the last night. Food in MDR was better than most, an accomplishment with Freestyle dining. Specialty restaurants were excellent, La Cucina (Italian) was Sarento's like, Teppanyaki was as good as Musashi in the Hyatt (my fave) with the best teppan chef I have ever observed. Cagney's Steakhouse, where suite guests get made-to-order breakfast and lunch complimentary (sesame seed crusted swordfish sandwich with ginger wasabi aioli was to die for, had it 3 times), was the only loser when it came to dinner. Great service, bad steaks, small cold baked potato. Didn't try the French restaurant Jefferson's Bistro but heard it was killer. Entertainment included "Oh what a Night" (Four Seasons with Frankie Valli cover band) was good, as was "FAbba", an Abba cover. Toby Beau, husband and wife team were good musically and nationally known, classic rock. Comedian was better in the adult show than the family show. Wine pricing was not exorbitant, and they did have a wine package not listed online, 25% off six bottle purchase. Excursions were pricey compared to what we see in the Caribbean. Overall I would recommend this, saw many kama'aina on the cruise. Will want to try NCL again.

NOVEMBER

Like the idea of cruising from Honolulu instead of from California.

OCTOBER

The daily "newsletter" was extremely helpful. It is delivered the night before so you know what's going on and can plan your day. The crew could not have been better. We had been upgraded to the specialty restaurant plan, but we only made use of one of those restaurants because we did not book ahead. So if you plan on upgrading - make reservations before boarding. I did not realize that on one of our stops we were gong to have to use small boats to get into the dock. When I found out about this, I was a little worried because I had a bad experience in the past with this. The Pride of America did and excellent job of fairing us back and forth to the dock. Plenty of boats, not overcrowded, everyone had a seat and they came about every 15 min. My husband and I would recommend this ship to all. We had a wonderful trip that we will remember forever.

OCTOBER

The entry was very fast and complete and friendly. Each of the outside tours were very well organized and easy to do. and we had a lot of fun in each of islands - we saw 5 Hawaii ports in 7 days.. Great excitement.

SEPTEMBER

Butlers, security, staff were beyond wonderful. Kids had a great time and were treated exceptionally well.

SEPTEMBER

We had a great trip. The cruise was very well organized with many daily activities available. We went on several shore excursions which were wonderful. The tour guide on the rain forest hike was 5 stars!

AUGUST

<div>The weather in Hawaii was very nice but the docks the ship stopped at was not as nice as other places I have been but overall think it is a great way to see all the islands and get a taste for what each one has to offer.</div>

MAY

Enjoyed cruise but the smell of varnish and noise of electric tools while I tried to relax and read on deck or in the lounge was annoying. Also, the toilet flushing was very loud and could be heard from other cabins.

MAY

The food on the ship was outstanding. We ate at several venues on the ship and found them all quite excellent. The entertainment was equally as good with a nice variety. The variety of excursions sponsored by Norwegian was excellent and were designed to meet the adventure needs of all passengers. I found the Hawaiian people very friendly and truly are proud of their state and diverse culture. I would say experiencing the culture was very much a learning experience and highlight. Spending three days prior to the cruise itself, allowed us to visit Pearl Harbor and the cultural center, which were definitely highlights. I can say that every day brought a new adventure, natures beauty and a new learning experience. The Grayline tour directors were especially informative and provided a great overview of the Hawaiian Islands and Hawaiian historical culture and language.

MARCH

I don't like that cleaning and cabin supplies are left out. Ship is aging, some rust and looking a bit long in the tooth. I also didn't like that you had to pay in Maui to get into town!

JANUARY

We chose this cruise bc it offered stops on all 4 Hawaiian islands. It's a great way to see it all. The cabins are small but there is a lot of storage room, big closet, lots of drawers. The ship is well maintained. Easy to embark and disembark in all ports, very easy. Never any lines at the restaurants. It was Christmas week, there were some nice extra added holiday touches on board.

DECEMBER

All of our tours were booked through NCL except the "Circle Tour of Oahu", which was through E Noa tours and the "Old Lahaina Luau" which we booked ourselves. All tours were very well run with very good to excellent guides. The two highlights of the trip were the "Old Lahaina Luau" and the Helicopter tour of Kaua'i. Our other tours were "Pearl Harbor and Honolulu", "the Secrets of Puna", "The Best of Maui" and "The Secret Waterfalls of Kona". The Ship activities and staff were excellent, but the food was only good. We especially enjoyed the group "Oh What a Night" who sang songs from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Being in our 70's, we usually were tired from our daily tours and probably didn't take full advantage of the ships activities. This trip gave us an excellent overview of the state of Hawaii and we definitely would recommend it.

NOVEMBER

We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise ;we were impressed by the variety and quality of the entertainment. The embarkation process was first rate,fast and efficient--much better than we have experience in earlier cruises The stateroom was starting "to show its age",eg the soap dispenser was rusting and the mirror was permanently streaked.