Pride of America - demographics ?

[anchorsaway_cs]

Hi All,

 

My fiance and I are looking at booking Pride of America in 2017 for our Honeymoon.

 

Has anyone done this cruise for a Honeymoon before, and would you recommend it?

 

We are both in our late 20's. What are the demographics of the ship? A lot of families, couples, ages, ect.?

 

Thanks everyone, any insight is much appreciated!!!! :D:D

[barbeaujo]

We cruised POA twice with our 2 kids. First time was during winter, in march. Dont remember being lots of kids and families at that time.

 

2nd time was summer time, July, and ship was probably about 80% families.

 

You are almost never on the ship on that itinerary. We had breakfast and then left to come back for dinner. At least that is what we did.

 

We had dinner in specialty restaurant almost every night as we didn't enjoy the MDR the first time we sailed her. I would say about 40% of tables were family tables.

 

Hope this help.

[punkincc]

Hi All,

 

My fiance and I are looking at booking Pride of America in 2017 for our Honeymoon.

 

Has anyone done this cruise for a Honeymoon before, and would you recommend it?

 

We are both in our late 20's. What are the demographics of the ship? A lot of families, couples, ages, ect.?

 

Thanks everyone, any insight is much appreciated!!!! :D:D

 

 

Probably not the same demographics as you would find on a typical Caribbean cruise with departure ports within a short flight of many US cities. On those, you will find lots of families, couples and singles. The POA probably tends to skew a little more toward older active people with a mixture of families and younger couples, some of them probably on their honeymoons. We always seem to run into one or two honeymooners each time we do the POA.

 

That said, the demographics really won't make that much difference if you are doing this cruise to see Hawaii, and I highly recommend it for that. You've got two overnights, great for romantic oceanfront sunset dinners ashore, and you are in port every single day. Lots of time to explore the islands and do fun things. Really not that much time on the ship, but they do have nightly shows, activities and parties.

Edited October 5, 2016 by punkincc

[anchorsaway_cs]

we cruised poa twice with our 2 kids. First time was during winter, in march. Dont remember being lots of kids and families at that time.

 

2nd time was summer time, july, and ship was probably about 80% families.

 

You are almost never on the ship on that itinerary. We had breakfast and then left to come back for dinner. At least that is what we did.

 

We had dinner in specialty restaurant almost every night as we didn't enjoy the mdr the first time we sailed her. I would say about 40% of tables were family tables.

 

Hope this help.

 

probably not the same demographics as you would find on a typical caribbean cruise with departure ports within a short flight of many us cities. On those, you will find lots of families, couples and singles. The poa probably tends to skew a little more toward older active people with a mixture of families and younger couples, some of them probably on their honeymoons. We always seem to run into one or two honeymooners each time we do the poa.

 

That said, the demographics really won't make that much difference if you are doing this cruise to see hawaii, and i highly recommend it for that. You've got two overnights, great for romantic oceanfront sunset dinners ashore, and you are in port every single day. Lots of time to explore the islands and do fun things. Really not that much time on the ship, but they do have nightly shows, activities and parties.

 

 

thank you for your insights and for the helpful information! Really really appreciate it!

Edited October 17, 2016 by anchorsaway_cs

[habliker]

Not sure if this helps, but my wife and I (both late 20's) just booked this cruise for Sept 30, 2017.

[ryarger]

PoA is more diverse than most standard cruises because it is a unique itinerary - in terms of age range, it's all over the map. The one group you won't see as much of is the early 20s party hounds. This is the most expensive itinerary of the fleet, you have some alcohol restrictions due to Hawaii law (no UBP) and no casino. That tends to ensure that everyone there is there to see Hawaii, not just to party.

 

 

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[sak0309]

We just finished the Oct 29 POA cruise. We are in our fifties and felt much younger than the average cruiser! I would say the average age was mid-upper 60's. There were very few kids ... probably due to the time of year when most kids would be back in school. Not too many young couples on this cruise.

[fdpevey]

30+ years ago my husband and I took our first cruise together around the Hawaiian Islands for OUR honeymoon.

 

Quite frankly, I don't remember who else was on the ship - probably pretty self-centered, but it was all about us. I remember the beauty of the islands, our helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, the whale watching trip, renting the convertible to go to Volcano National Park ... but not much about the other people on our ship. And we were on an old American Hawaii Cruise Lines ship that is no way as nice as what's sailing now.

 

Go! It is a great first experience to have together as a married couple.

[jbklyn88]

Thanks for the candid responses everyone! (I'm the fiance lol)

 

Also, is it a big culture shock between being seasoned Royal Caribbean/Disney cruisers? We only are looking at NCL for the itinerary, which looks awesome!

[Sauer-kraut]

 

Also, is it a big culture shock between being seasoned Royal Caribbean/Disney cruisers? We only are looking at NCL for the itinerary, which looks awesome!

 

If you are going in with an open mind you'll be fine, NCL is not Disney nor Royal. Things will be much less formal, you can wear shorts in the dining rooms (except for the aft MDR and the French restaurant). There is no assigned dining times, and you will most likely be seated at a table just for the two of you. Different servers every meal and so they won't get to know what your "usual" requests will be.

 

The crew is all American or work permitted allowed, so service will be a bit different, but there will be no language barrier. :D

 

Go and have a fantastic time, this is the oly line that can do Hawaiian cruises without having to go to a distant foreign port making it 7 days instead of a 15 day cruise.

[DaisyGoldberg]

I went in May, I think, and it was a pretty good mix (I'd say it skewed younger than other NCL cruises I've done). However, as others have said, the ports were so intensive that there really wasn't much nightlife. For most folks coming from the mainland, it's not the kind of cruise where you sit some ports out and sleep in, so people were off the ship early and arrived back in time for departure, had dinner, saw the show (or not) and went to bed.

 

So if you want a honeymoon cruise where you party all night and doze on a lounge chair by the pool, it's probably not the cruise for you. (Or may be ideal if you don't mind being the only ones dancing!) But if you're going to get off the ship and go exploring and want a fun way to take the hassle out of moving from island to island, it's a fun trip.

 

Best buffet on any NCL ship I've been on, for some reason. Maybe unique/better suppliers? We didn't even bother with the dining room, it was so good. A couple of specialties and the buffet and we were happy.

[maja651]

Our very first cruise was on the POA back in 2007. LOVED that itinerary, but honestly I don't remember hardly anything about the ship! If you truly do that cruise right, as earlier posters have mentioned, you are hardly on the ship at all. We rented a car in every port and bought the "Revealed" books (Maui Revealed, Kauai Revealed and Hawaii Revealed) for each island and researched a LOT before the cruise. As a result, we saw SOOOO many things in such a short amount of time, and much cheaper than cruise excursions. For example:

 

Oahu - we arrived a couple of days early. We went to Waikiki beach, rented a sail boat and went snorkeling, and hired a limo driver for the day who took us all over the island.

Hilo - we went to the waterfall (sorry, can't remember the name), we went to the lave tube, we went to the black sand beach, and walked on solid lava in one area.

Kona - we snorkeled at the beach close to the port (forgot the name), and walked on the boardwalk area, eating lunch there with a great view of the ocean and the ship.

Kauai - we went all of the way to Princeville and saw the lighthouse in that area. We also stopped along the way and saw many beautiful places. We also rode a helicopter to see the island. On the second day, we did do a ship excursion, which was to kayak down a river and then hike down to a waterfall.

Maui - we went to the IO Valley (not sure if this is the exact name), Maui Botanical gardens, Old Lahaina Luau, and Kaanapoli beach (stayed over night there at the Marriott so we could imbibe at the OLL).

 

There is also SO MUCH MORE to do on each of these islands! We enjoyed what we did, but as you can see, there was not much time to be on the ship. As much as I love the suite life with NCL, this is one itinerary where I would not splurge on it. Balcony, yes, because when you ARE on the ship, it is nice to have, but suite, nope.

 

Enjoy your honeymoon!

[detroitlions]

PoA is more diverse than most standard cruises because it is a unique itinerary - in terms of age range, it's all over the map. The one group you won't see as much of is the early 20s party hounds. This is the most expensive itinerary of the fleet, you have some alcohol restrictions due to Hawaii law (no UBP) and no casino. That tends to ensure that everyone there is there to see Hawaii, not just to party.

 

 

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Your saying all age groups but your also calling 20 something party hounds.

Well all in all NCL is friendly to all age groups that is why most folks like it.

It stinks being stuck on a ship that caters to one group and not the other like HAL for instance or Disney.

I personally would not cruise for this trip I would do a land based trip.

And all the restrictions on the ship make me not want to ever book it anyhow.

[punkincc]

Your saying all age groups but your also calling 20 something party hounds.

Well all in all NCL is friendly to all age groups that is why most folks like it.

It stinks being stuck on a ship that caters to one group and not the other like HAL for instance or Disney.

I personally would not cruise for this trip I would do a land based trip.

And all the restrictions on the ship make me not want to ever book it anyhow.

 

 

We are all just responding to a 20 something honeymoon couple who asked about the ship's demographics. We don't know anything about them, but in general, 20 somethings like the nightlife a bit more than the average 60 or 70 something. Just reading between the lines in their post, I am sure they are wondering if they will be the only young people in a sea of walkers and scooters.

 

They have been reassured that NCL does cater to all ages, as you stated, and there will a mix of ages on board. There will be plenty of activities, entertainment and parties for anyone of any age. But the ship probably does skew a little more toward the older crowd because it takes some cash to get to Hawaii, it's an expensive cruise for a family with kids, and it works best if you have more than 7 days off, something some young people, or people with kids can't do easily.

 

But it is a great cruise for a honeymoon couple, or anyone else, who wants to spend maximum time seeing the islands rather than wasting time on inter island flights, check in and check out of hotels, instead simply walk off the ship.

I don't care if I don't have a drinks package, or a casino, because all my time is spent seeing Hawaii, not spending time on the ship. I can book a Caribbean cruise for that!

[mugtech]

PoA is more diverse than most standard cruises because it is a unique itinerary - in terms of age range, it's all over the map. The one group you won't see as much of is the early 20s party hounds. This is the most expensive itinerary of the fleet, you have some alcohol restrictions due to Hawaii law (no UBP) and no casino. That tends to ensure that everyone there is there to see Hawaii, not just to party.

 

 

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This was also our impression, with many on board as a retirement and/or bucket list event.

[cruzin Phillis]

We are all just responding to a 20 something honeymoon couple who asked about the ship's demographics. We don't know anything about them, but in general, 20 somethings like the nightlife a bit more than the average 60 or 70 something. Just reading between the lines in their post, I am sure they are wondering if they will be the only young people in a sea of walkers and scooters.

 

They have been reassured that NCL does cater to all ages, as you stated, and there will a mix of ages on board. There will be plenty of activities, entertainment and parties for anyone of any age. But the ship probably does skew a little more toward the older crowd because it takes some cash to get to Hawaii, it's an expensive cruise for a family with kids, and it works best if you have more than 7 days off, something some young people, or people with kids can't do easily.

 

But it is a great cruise for a honeymoon couple, or anyone else, who wants to spend maximum time seeing the islands rather than wasting time on inter island flights, check in and check out of hotels, instead simply walk off the ship.

I don't care if I don't have a drinks package, or a casino, because all my time is spent seeing Hawaii, not spending time on the ship. I can book a Caribbean cruise for that!

I wanted to chime in on your statement. I think you are spot in when it comes to younger adults and families.

 

I am eyeing this itinerary for April of 2018 for my DH 40 birthday and I eye gouged at the prices. We will have to take DS who will be 4 at that time. I plan on doing an inside cabin with pre and post stays in Honolulu. I am going to try to make this as reasonable as possible.

 

You are so correct as I do not want to spend so many days at sea just to get to see 2-3 islands. POA is perfect, we will have to make sure we plan correctly.

[Kattus]

When my husband and I went in May (we're 32 and 34) it was a very diverse mix of ages and nationalities, especially the Aussies and Kiwis (who are by far some of the friendliest people in the world).

 

Do the cruise!:)