Pride of America - Bad Reviews

[ABoatNerd]

A good morning sailors:

 

I was considering this cruise to supplement my planned land based trip to Hawaii.

 

Why are the reviews so consistently bad?

 

Does this ship deviate in the product offering and quality standards from other Carnival ships?

 

It would appear that the reviews when combined with the very expensive pricing makes this cruise a non starter.

 

Thanks to all

 

ABoatNerd

[EmmasNana]

This was my very first cruise in 2007. It could be we had no expectations but we loved it. We really didn't spend much time on the ship except to sleep because the itinerary is so busy.

 

Being in a port every day we would be up early and exhausted by the time we got back on the ship. We did not see any entertainment. We would eat dinner and then just spend time on the balcony until we went to bed.

 

We thought the food was good and I had no problem with the room steward. If you want to gamble, there is no casino but we don't gamble anyway.

 

I think I would do the cruise and then follow with the land vacation. You will need to relax if you do everything we did.

 

If I ever did a Hawaiian cruise again, it would be on this ship.

[ndabunka]

#1 - Pride of America is not a Carnival ship

#2 - Onboard entertainment may not be the best but this is primarily a port-intensive cruise with 2 over nights (Maui & Kauai) so many don't even bother with the evening shows.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The following recent reviews were all what I would call glowing:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2198531

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2216714

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2196172

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2223335

[Budget Queen]

In my opinion, this itinerary is an absolute winner. I've always gotten great service, but I use this ship more like a hotel, as my priority is Hawaii.

 

I have taken NCL in Hawaii over 10 times. I think they do a great job.

[SwissLe]

A review is always subjective, the car I drive at the moment is plauded with 5 star reviews but I like it as much as my previous 3 star one.

 

POA has small cabins, isn't the newest or flashiest in the fleet but it does offer a completely unique and port intensive experience that more than makes up for it.

[neonbear]

I was just on this ship back in March for my honeymoon. It was my first NCL cruise. I loved the ship. I also really loved the crew. I thought they were awesome.

 

I had also seen negative reviews on this ship and was a bit leery, but I found the total opposite to be true. I really, really want to go back on this ship again.

[mel-b]

This was my very first cruise in 2007. It could be we had no expectations but we loved it. We really didn't spend much time on the ship except to sleep because the itinerary is so busy.

 

Being in a port every day we would be up early and exhausted by the time we got back on the ship. We did not see any entertainment. We would eat dinner and then just spend time on the balcony until we went to bed.

 

We thought the food was good and I had no problem with the room steward. If you want to gamble, there is no casino but we don't gamble anyway.

 

I think I would do the cruise and then follow with the land vacation. You will need to relax if you do everything we did.

 

If I ever did a Hawaiian cruise again, it would be on this ship.

 

I completely agree. And proper expectations are key. I would venture to claim a majority of those who submitted bad reviews didn't have their expectations aligned properly to begin with. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise the POA again in a heartbeat.

Edited July 22, 2015 by mel-b

[azappraiser]

A good morning sailors:

 

I was considering this cruise to supplement my planned land based trip to Hawaii.

 

Why are the reviews so consistently bad?

 

Does this ship deviate in the product offering and quality standards from other Carnival ships?

 

It would appear that the reviews when combined with the very expensive pricing makes this cruise a non starter.

 

Thanks to all

 

ABoatNerd

 

I too had seen the bad reviews... and taken them with a grain of salt. I also spent time checking out the good reviews. To be honest, neither good nor bad influenced me against taking this cruise.

 

As many others have said, this is a unique cruise and it's not about the ship... it's about the ports. Yes, it's different than a Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise, but it's not better or worse; it's just different.

 

Are you visiting 4 islands during your land-based vacation? If so, how much are you spending on inter-island airfare or hotels? How much time are you wasting in the security lines at the various airports, not to mention the wait time before each flight. The POA is the perfect way to get a taste of what the different islands have to offer.

 

Personally, I think the majority of the people that write the negative reviews wouldn't be satisfied no matter what ship they were on... they just want to anonymously complain about anything & everything.

 

On our trip last year, we had a cancelled flight on the way to Hawaii that caused us to miss a day on Oahu and a rental car that broke down on the Road to Hana. Although I was upset at the time, I certainly didn't let either snafu ruin my vacation. I had a great time on board.

 

Do some more research... find the positive reviews & check them out as well. Then, go on the trip with an open mind and form your own opinion.

Edited July 22, 2015 by azappraiser

[Kattus]

A review is always subjective, the car I drive at the moment is plauded with 5 star reviews but I like it as much as my previous 3 star one.

 

POA has small cabins, isn't the newest or flashiest in the fleet but it does offer a completely unique and port intensive experience that more than makes up for it.

 

I'm sailing next spring, and the negative reviews have me really, really nervous, especially since we're in an inside cabin and I tend to get claustrophobic. Just how much smaller are the cabins, and should I just spend the extra $1,000 and upgrade to a balcony, or it isn't a big deal?

[DwayneG]

As others have said, this is a great cruise if you know what to expect. It's not a "traditional" cruise, where it's all about the ship. It's a great floating hotel and restaurant that lets you walk out the door to wonderful places each day. If you plan to enjoy activity-filled days aboard ship, go to the Caribbean or do a trans-Atlantic because this just isn't the right cruise for you. You'll notice fewer restaurants open during the day, fewer bingos and trivia meets, even smaller crowds for theater entertainment, because everybody's out on the island all day and comes back worn out. True, the cabins are on the small side, but we probably spent less than a half hour a day awake in the room. Food and service were generally as good as other cruises. Staff was friendly and evoked an OHANA (family) spirit. We just got back last Saturday and had a fantastic time, but it's probably a one-time thing for us. Now that we were able to sample four islands we can drill down to what we want in a land vacation next timr we come to Hawaii.

[johnlatte]

This was my very first cruise in 2007. It could be we had no expectations but we loved it. We really didn't spend much time on the ship except to sleep because the itinerary is so busy.

 

Being in a port every day we would be up early and exhausted by the time we got back on the ship. We did not see any entertainment. We would eat dinner and then just spend time on the balcony until we went to bed.

 

We thought the food was good and I had no problem with the room steward. If you want to gamble, there is no casino but we don't gamble anyway.

 

I think I would do the cruise and then follow with the land vacation. You will need to relax if you do everything we did.

 

If I ever did a Hawaiian cruise again, it would be on this ship.

 

This is absolutely the best summation of the POA. We sailed in 2008 (our second ever cruise). We were the first off and last on every day. Had enough time to shower, get dinner and crash out for the next day. I don't think we ever saw one show (if there were any). We did have problems with the room steward and had to get the hotel director involved, but after that it was fine. We flew back to Kauai afterwards for another week. I'd go again, especially now that I have more cruises under my belt.

Edited July 23, 2015 by johnlatte

[mugtech]

I'm sailing next spring, and the negative reviews have me really, really nervous, especially since we're in an inside cabin and I tend to get claustrophobic. Just how much smaller are the cabins, and should I just spend the extra $1,000 and upgrade to a balcony, or it isn't a big deal?

 

We had an inside cabin and the size was the usual, a bit smaller than other ships, but on a port intensive cruise it does not matter, we only showered and slept there.

[Zbayette]

We took this cruise in 2007 and LOVED it. It was our only NCL cruise but we are doing NCL again in January. We have taken many many cruises in our lives and on multiple lines. I am always amazed of the differing reviews, but then again any product I buy, when I check reviews there are as many excellent reviews as horrible reviews; I can never understand how they can differ so much. It's the same as on trips, hotels, etc. Everyone has different past experiences, expectations and satisfaction levels. You can't beat this itinerary for Hawaii. BTW, if you haven't seen it on another thread; check out "Roberts Tours"; they are terrific and much cheaper than any ship offers and exactly the same!

[rigs32]

As for the price point, the ship must be flagged in the USA since they do not stop at any foreign ports. Therefore, they must follow US labor laws. I imagine it's still cheaper than 7 nights of hotel in Hawaii.

[bonvoyagie]

I know that a lot of the recent negative posts revolve around things out of NCL's control such as no casino and lack of UBP - all due to Hawaiian laws

 

I know that back in 05-06 when NCL was first entering this market - with three ships :) they had lots of problems with crews. Being mostly American college age kids they tended to be a bit less attentive to detail than their counterparts on the other ships. They would even jump ship mid cruise :eek:

 

NCL fixed this with a training center on the mainland that prepared the kids for what they would be expected to do - that washed out most of the bad apples.

 

I cruised on her in 06 and had a great time - again my expectations were to see Hawaii on a floating hotel - as with many others here - we were up early and back late - did not do any shows - did very little fancy dining. - I think we ate Italian one night - the rest of the time it was either the buffet or the diner.

 

I think that people who cruise for the cruise and the ship will be disappointed - those who cruise for the destination will love it.

[Seanote]

Out of 20+ cruises, the POA was in my top 3.

 

The American crew throws some people off. They do not have that subservient attitude that the international crews have (ma'am/sir, washy washy, etc.) It's more like being in an American resort with 2000 people.

 

Reiterating what others have said, it is about the ports more than the ship. The four islands in seven days plus the sail by of the Na Pali Coast makes this a trip like no other.

[chengkp75]

I know that a lot of the recent negative posts revolve around things out of NCL's control such as no casino and lack of UBP - all due to Hawaiian laws

 

I know that back in 05-06 when NCL was first entering this market - with three ships :) they had lots of problems with crews. Being mostly American college age kids they tended to be a bit less attentive to detail than their counterparts on the other ships. They would even jump ship mid cruise :eek:

 

NCL fixed this with a training center on the mainland that prepared the kids for what they would be expected to do - that washed out most of the bad apples.

 

I cruised on her in 06 and had a great time - again my expectations were to see Hawaii on a floating hotel - as with many others here - we were up early and back late - did not do any shows - did very little fancy dining. - I think we ate Italian one night - the rest of the time it was either the buffet or the diner.

 

I think that people who cruise for the cruise and the ship will be disappointed - those who cruise for the destination will love it.

 

I agree with just about everything you say, and am heartened by the compliments people pay to the POA crew these days.

 

Actually, that training center, in Piney Point, MD, was in service in 2005 when we first started out with just the Aloha. It didn't help much then, nor for the first 4 years. Now that POA is there alone, this may be a better resource. However, with the required documentation (all US crew must be documented merchant mariners, unlike the international crew where only the deck and engine departments require this), the Homeland Security documentation (full FBI background check), and the training in Basic Safety and NCL operations, it costs the company over $8000 just to get a prospective crewmember to the ship before his/her first day of work. And, unlike international crew, despite the "employment contract" the crew signs, they are still US citizens, on a US vessel, in a US port, and can quit and walk off the ship at any time. This leads to short staffing, since there is no available pool of documented cruise ship workers in the US.