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Norwegian Cruise Line

MV Pride of America

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Ken Brand
# previous cruises: 5
Date of Trip: January 31, 2009
Itinerary: Hawaii

This was my first NCL cruise and first visit to Hawaii. Overall the experience on the P of A was very good. It exceeded my expectations that were based on previous reviews/forums. I am a HAL fan and was pleasantly surprised with NCL's performance on this cruise. It was informal but still classy in many ways. The staff were very good and I enjoyed the American crew who were for the most part very open and jovial whenever you met them. Good job by our stateroom attendant and bar staff. I would recommend this cruise to Hawaii to anyone. The itinerary is excellent and cruising to the 4 main islands is an excellent primer for the Hawaiian islands. I now want to return to Maui and Kauai for a land vacation. Thank you to NCL for a very good time!

The P of A is a very unique ship. One of a kind design with an Americana theme. It is really quite well done and feels warm and inviting with a little whimsy thrown in here and there and a little tropical decor to set the mood. Even her exterior profile kind of grew on me after a while. I loved the walk-around promenade on Deck 6 and the open decks on 12-14. I did miss a forward facing lounge like HAL's Crows Nest though. The conference room takes up the forward space. The SS America library was a cozy escape with interesting artifacts on display and a reasonable book selection.

First experience with Freestyle dining. Opinion: grade B. Nice to be able to dine when I wanted but missed the assigned table and same waiter in traditional dining. You could request this though. The Liberty and Skyline main dining rooms are nicely decorated and well located. The service was a bit rushed at peak times and wasn't quite like HAL has been..less polish. The staff do try very hard even in the rushed periods though. The Aloha Cafe buffet restaurant was very good. Nice selection of items at separate stations. Enjoyed the made to order items offered daily. Good variety appealing to N American, and Asian tastes.

Aft balcony cabin 8706. Smallish cabin but huge balcony. Storage is good despite the small size. Lots of drawers and shelves. Fridge (stocked), safe, coffee maker. Comfy beds but kind of short. Small hide-a-bed sofa. Would not recommend for more than two adults. A couple of small kids and two adults would be tight as well. They have several Family suites. Good sound insulation. Small shower but good water temp.

Entertainment was ok but not outstanding. Comedian, magician, vocal group, crew show etc. A few Hawaiian themed performances as well. Cruise director Doug was very professional and a good entertainer himself on the piano.

The usual cruise activities were offered but the Hawaiian itinerary being very port intensive didn't allow as much time to participate in onboard activities. Two pools and 4 hot tubs. Spa and fitness centre and walking deck. No casino. Ports were Honolulu, Maui, Hilo, Kona and Kauai. NCL shore excursions were excellent. Lots of on shore companies to choose from as well. The islands are the stars of this cruise. Excellent sight seeing and water activities and the modern road systems and drinkable water make them even more attractive and safe destinations. There is a good kids club program and I saw the small group of kids enjoying their club staff around the ship keeping them well behaved and under control.

This cruise attracts a wide variety of passengers. Good mixture of ages. Tour groups, couples, family groups and singles. Canadians, Americans, Japanese, Aussies and Brits aboard. Quite a few local Hawaiians also aboard enjoying a nice week break. We met some nice people and everyone seemed in a good mood the whole cruise. Very few complainers which was a surprise. I would recommend NCL and the Pride of America if you are looking for a great itinerary and a good cruise experience.