Pride of America vs RCCL

[DT1304]

Hi folks,

 

I have previously been on two cruises, both on RCCL.

 

I would now like to go to Hawaii, and am considering Pride of America.

 

Although I loved my cruises with RCCL, I donot want to spend extra days getting to the Islands. I will either spend a week in Honolulu and then a week cruise, or do a back to back. (Still in early stages of investigations)

 

Can any of you give me any advise in terms of the differences between the two cruise lines. I will post this also on the Royal Carib forum so I get opinions from people that are loyal to both cruise lines.

 

Oh, there will be my wife and kids (13, 11, 7) and I want AT LEAST one balcony room. Possibly two balconies, possibly one balcony and one interior, all depends on costs as it is pretty expensive just getting there from Australia to begin with.

[chengkp75]

Hi folks,

 

I have previously been on two cruises, both on RCCL.

 

I would now like to go to Hawaii, and am considering Pride of America.

 

Although I loved my cruises with RCCL, I donot want to spend extra days getting to the Islands. I will either spend a week in Honolulu and then a week cruise, or do a back to back. (Still in early stages of investigations)

 

Can any of you give me any advise in terms of the differences between the two cruise lines. I will post this also on the Royal Carib forum so I get opinions from people that are loyal to both cruise lines.

 

Oh, there will be my wife and kids (13, 11, 7) and I want AT LEAST one balcony room. Possibly two balconies, possibly one balcony and one interior, all depends on costs as it is pretty expensive just getting there from Australia to begin with.

 

Let me start by saying that I haven't sailed on RCI, and I hold the POA in a fond regard as the only US flag cruise ship, and having worked for NCL in Hawaii on the Pride of Aloha.

 

I tend to agree with you about the sea days on RCI or any other line from the West Coast, as I assume your goal is to see Hawaii. The POA should be considered your movable hotel rather than a cruise, as the islands are the attraction. I personally could think of no better way to see the islands than doing a B2B on POA. There is so much to see and do on each island, that I feel spending a week on Oahu would be a shame. With a B2B, you can do some things on an island, and then decide on the second trip to try something else, or go back to what you really enjoyed last week. Of course, cost is a major factor, but hotels on Oahu are not cheap either.

 

I started a thread here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1798201, to highlight some of the differences between the POA and other cruise ships, and why. I also wanted feed back from some past guests who had both positive and negative feedback, that maybe I could explain, or at least provide a forum that NCL could use for improvement, as I know they read these threads. I also wanted to hear if POA's reputation had improved since I left NCL in 2008, and it appears that for many it has.

 

Definitely look at any POA threads here, and member reviews, all of which are a great resource for your cruise. Hope you have a great time.

[spacepotatoes]

I haven't sailed RCI either but did want point out that the POA is pretty unique. It's hard to compare to other lines, or even to the rest of the NCL fleet because this particular cruise is not typical.

 

The biggest difference is that the itinerary is very port intensive. You really only sail every other evening, and the last afternoon. The majority of the time, the ship functions as a floating hotel. There are evening shows but the ship isn't as active at night because most people are tired from a long day in port.

 

Other differences stem from the fact that this is a US flagged ship sailing US waters. There is no casino onboard. Also no duty free. The majority of the crew is American, which is not a bad thing but there are noticeable differences in the service/atmosphere.

 

Finally, if you're new to NCL, Freestyle cruising will be different. Somewhat similar to the anytime dining on other lines, but (IMO) NCL does it better. There are no set dining times. You go to each venue when you like and sit with whomever you like. There is a good variety of specialty options to choose from, some cost extra while others do not.

 

We did this cruise for our honeymoon in 2009 and it still ranks as our favourite. You can't beat the itinerary. It is pricey, yes, but totally worth it.

[spacepotatoes]

Just wanted to add that you may want to price out a suite for your family of 5. Sometimes it can be a better deal than getting two separate cabins, especially when you factor in the suite perks.

[Lexi731]

I can give my opinion of RCCL versus POA in about 2 weeks - unless you are going to book before that. :)

 

Karen

[Trillian]

I have to laugh at all the people who say "I haven't been on this ship/cruise/excursion/port, but I'll give you my opinion'." Ummm, yeah.

 

That being said, I have cruised RCI (many times) and the Pride of America. I was hesitant to go on NCL, but I had a wonderful time.

 

I found that the POA is a smaller ship than most of the RCI ships. I think the food on RCI was better in the dining room, but was comparable in the specialty restaurants. I know that food is a subjective thing, so that's my take. I also did not care for freestyle dining. The rooms were well appointed and the staff was always friendly on both lines. I can't tell you about the entertainment - we didn't go to any shows on the POA.

 

We were also hesitant about so many sea days on RCI. Come on - there's only so much you can do on a ship. On the POA, we went to four different islands which we wouldn't be able to do on a land vacation. The POA is a very port intensive cruise. We had something to do each day and were too tired to whoop it up afterwards. On the flip side - there were no sea days on the POA.

 

Someone mentioned that you should look for a suite for 4 people. Please do! We sail with 3 people, and most times it is cheaper to book a suite than to book 2 rooms. And the suite amenities are, well, sweet. Kudos to NCL! We had private dining for breakfast and lunch, and the concierge service was just wonderful.

 

IMHO if you went RCI, you would have to fly from Melbourne to Cali, then cruise to Hawaii. If you went NCL, you would halve your flying time, have a week on a cruise, and another week on the islands - and you could choose your own days to do as little or as much as you want.

[spacepotatoes]

I have to laugh at all the people who say "I haven't been on this ship/cruise/excursion/port, but I'll give you my opinion'." Ummm, yeah.

 

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that my lack of experience on RCI completely negates my experience on the POA. I may not have sailed Royal Caribbean but I have sailed other lines besides NCL and the point I was trying to make in my post still stands: it's difficult to compare the POA to the others, and even to the rest of NCL, because it is such a different experience. And despite my never sailing on RCI, my comments weren't really all that different from yours, were they? Yeah. :rolleyes:

[Bulldog Cruiser]

I have been on 17 RCI cruises. This was my 6th Norwegian Cruise.

 

I was a huge fan of the old Norway and sailed on it four times. I would be still be a passenger if it was still in service. It was a great ship with wonderful ambiance and a crew that really took care of it's passengers. It's very hard to find that these days.

 

As stated, the Pride of America (henceforth POA) is not a very large ship. It is, however, easy to figure out and get around. There are plenty of elevators and stairways and the layout is plainly marked on diagrams near the stairways. Our stateroom was small but well organized. We had a balcony which made the room seem bigger. We enjoyed the balcony at night quite a bit and I enjoyed my morning coffee there. An expensive option but worth it if you use it.

 

Dining was hit and miss. Let me say right off the bat that we are not fans of free style dining. One of the things I most enjoy is the experience of formal dining. Unfortunately it is not to be had on POA. Despite the rules regarding what can and cannot be worn in the dinning rooms, some passengers look and act like they are going shopping at Wal-Mart. (The specialty restaurants are better. I guess Maw and Paw Kettle are afraid of the cover charge! I thought the Italian was very good.) Service in the Liberty Dining room was slow. One night our entrees were very late and cold. We sent them back and endured another 15 minute wait. I spoke with our waiter and she told me that they were short staffed and she had 5 tables. We did not have an assistant waiter that night. That is unacceptable. There was not a wine steward in either dining room and we were not offered bar service. Overall the selection and variety of food offered was good. Service at dinner was poor but surprisingly good to excellent in mid morning.

 

The Buffet or "hog trough" as my wife refers to it, was good. I did not see kids with dirty hands coughing and sneezing while serving themselves which is a constant problem on many of the Caribbean cruises (of all lines). The selection was good and hot foods were served that way. Taste was very good. The staff was kept busy cleaning tables and seeing that people were comfortable. Frankly I was impressed with the Buffet and I didn't expect to be.

 

The halls and staterooms on POA are kept spotlessly clean. The room stewards are excellent. Everyone in our group bragged about the efficiency and professionalism of the room stewards/housekeeping. POA is probably the cleanest ship overall we have sailed on in the last 3 years.

 

We saw all of the shows and enjoyed them. Particularly good was the Four Seasons Tribute group "Oh what a night". I met and talked with one of the dancers during one of our trips ashore. She was a delightful young lady and represented POA well. She also was very talented as we watched her performance the following night.

 

Having been to the islands and cruising (another line) several years ago, we opted to do our own iteniary on each island and planned well in advance for it. On two occasions we encountered people that we recognized from POA who were on ship excursions. We hired our own guides on Maui and both ports on the Big Island. We got to see some things that most people don't get to see because of our planning and the guide's knowledge.

 

Overall POA is a great way to see the islands. I may do it again next year or the one following.

[Caroldoll]

I would not spend the days necessary to sail to Hawaii and then only 4 or 5 in the islands. What a waste. RCI has huge fancy ships. That being said POA has just been completely redone and they have a family suite on Deck 13. I would check and see if you can have four children with you in that suite though as when we took my son and his wife the last time, I had to take one of the four kids with me.

 

The Pride of America is a very personal ship, two nights in Kauai and Maui and then two other stops. Hilo and Kona. If you want to see Honolulu, do it before or after the cruise.

 

I believe their prices are good and we are going again in October and will have four suites. You are treated exceptionally well if you have a suite.

[northwestbear]

The POA itinerary is amazing. We have done this cruise twice and I would not hesitate to do it again. The ship is not my favorite, but it is nice enough. The crew is great and we never had any complaints about the food. The long port times give you the chance to really enjoy being in Hawaii. We rented cars in most of the ports (Do not book cars through NCL -We made this mistake on one cruise and wound up waiting literally for hours in line to get a car.) the sail by of the volcano and Napali coast are amazing. We booked a Pre cruise through NCL on one cruise and on our own on the other... Either was great, just see who can give you the best hotel deal. If you book through NCL they will transport you from the hotel to the ship, but it is a very short cab ride to the pier from Waikiki if you book on your own.

 

 

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