Great Cruise on the Pride of America

[JKHawaii]

I just returned from a wonderful cruise on the POA on 11/05/05. I experience a few of the problems mentioned in previous post/reviews, but they were minimal and didn't affect my cruise. Flexibility and prior research is the key for me. I've cruised on 5 Cruise Critic top-10 ships, so I think I know what constitutes a good cruise. First of all, kudos to NCL for taking a chance on a U.S. registered ship. The costs to them are much higher, paying U.S. wages and having no gambling revenue (no, not even bingo). What you get is max port time in the islands. And the freestyle concept allows you to sightsee as long as you like each day and then dine whenever you are ready to. So think of the POA as Hawaii-focused rather than cruise-focused. Yes, cabins are small, yet efficiently designed. But I don't sit around the cabin when there are so many areas on the ship to see. Yes, waits can be a bit long for restaurants if you dine later. And don't rely on the color-coded screens denoting restaurant waits, they are not accurate. On Thursday (lobster night) when the waits were over 30 minutes, we simply took the elevators to the Aloha Cafe on the 11th deck and feasted on crab claws and fresh fish instead. I guess the point I want to make is: Don't let one event or bad experience ruin your cruise. There are always glitches or changes to a cruise; be flexible and go with the flow. The food, which some have described as rather bland, was always fresh and good and varied. It was at least comparable to the food I've had on Royal Caribbean and often better. To avoid disappointment, make your reservations for the specialty restaurants on deck 5 as soon as you embark the ship. They let us make reservations for the whole cruise, whereas if you call the phone number listed, they would only let us make reservations 1 day in advance. I made reservations for evenings we would be departing ports so that we would not be rushed. Little Italy was free (and very nice) and the East vs West and Jefferson's Bistro were half off the first night. My favorite dining venue, however was at the stern of the ship on deck 11 where we ate breakfast under a large canopy in the tropical breezes or in the sunshine. There were stations set up and those wonderful coffee/latte/espresso machines. Fresh pineapple, a loaded omelet, and good coffee, doesn't get any better than that! A really nice setup for Hawaii and plenty of space. And a relative secret for the first few days of the cruise. I've always cruised on fairly new ships and found the POA to be very nice, in the NCL tradition. I thought the red, white, and blue theme might be a bit too much or out of place, but it's only prevalent in the lobby and the Liberty restaurant, so it wasn't overbearing. We didn't book any shore excursions. I prefer to venture out on my own; if I get lost, that's part of the fun, I might see something I never would have otherwise. The ports are set up beautifully for renting cars, as the airport is 5 minutes away at 3 of the ports. Rental car vans continuously ferry passengers to their respective agencies. Be sure to get the local number for your rental company so you can call them if the van isn't at the pier when you disembark. We rented from Hertz, Budget, Thrifty, National, and Enterprise. I also saw vans for Dollar, but never saw a van from Avis. Enterprise is a good choice for Kona, as the airport is some distance from town and Enterprise has an office a mile from the dock. Although I reserved an economy or compact car each time, I was upgraded twice for free and once to a new mustang convertible for $10 extra. Nice ride! And if you don't want to spend money on a given day, there are free shuttles at various ports to merchants like Hilo Hatties, Walmarts, K-marts, and nearby shopping centers. Or you can just sit on the deck in the sun and view the lush green mountains in the distance. Anyway, I've tried to keep this short, yet still make my points. I used this forum rather than the ship review forum so that I could answer any questions because I could have gone on much longer and commented on past post complaints. In conclusion, if you want a Hawaii-centered cruise, this is it! Because we weren't out at sea for 5 or 6 days, we were able to book pre and post-cruise accomodations in Waikiki to enjoy Oahu as well as the other islands and recover from jet lag. I found the crew to be enthusiastic, friendly, and helpful. Perhaps NCL has weeded out any "bad apples". I'm looking forward to the launch of the Pride of Hawaii, which is a sister ship of the Dawn, a ship I enjoyed sailing on and was built for free-style cruising. Enjoy the cruise and your time in the islands. NCL has hung their hat on the free-style cruise concept. Freestyle has it's advantages and disadvantages. NCL is not RCI and RCI is not Princess and Princess is not Celebrity. Each cruise line has its advantages and its quirks. I had a very enjoyable cruise: the ship is lovely, staff is enthusiastic, entertainment was very good, and the food was enjoyable. I heard very few complaints and saw an awful lot of smiling passengers, so I assume I was not alone. Aloha.

[Sea Going Fool]

Perfectly said - we're set to sail for Dec 3rd and very excited to not only see Hawaii but POA. This will be our 8th cruise - HAL, RCI, Princess, Celebrity and past NCLs. They're are all different, if I could only take my favorite from each ship and combine them into one, then I would have the perfect cruise.

 

Thanks for your input

[rozmat]

Thanks so much for your review.

 

Our final payment is due next month so I have been watching all reviews carefully.

 

Not that concerned about the dinning problems. We don't mind a leisurely dinner, but have been very worried about the cleanliness of the cabins.

 

I'm traveling with my whole family including my young grandsons, and don't want them sleeping in a bed that still has the previous occupants hair in it, or bathrooms that are filthy. Just think of the health risks.

 

Those comments from other reviews have me very upset.

 

What shape was your cabin in? What time could you get into your cabin?

 

What were the few problems that you mentioned?

 

Thanks again for giving information on this ship.

[ndamro]

Thanks for posting your review! We're set to sail on Dec 17 and although I am trying to stay positive a lot of the negative reviews that are still appearing about the cabins were making me nervous again :)

 

This will be our first cruise and over Christmas (sort of!) no less, so we're hoping for a very special vacation :) We learnt to go with the flow and be patient on our Honeymoon in Cuba where they want to please you but always forget what you asked for until about the 3rd or 4th try ;) If I can wait in line for a restaurant at home I can certainly manage on my vacation!;)

 

I too would love to hear how your cabin was, and if you experienced any of that sewer smell that some people refer to.

 

Glad to hear about the good rental car experience! I was online last night trying to find rates and make a decision for bookings. It seems that every day/port has a different company with the best rate, although Enterprise is completely sold out for Kona so we will have to take the long route I guess!

[oregongirl]

My husband and I sailed on the 10/15 cruise and our experience was very similar to yours. I was very concerned about the cabin clenliness so I brought along a small package of disinfectant wipes and diposable gloves to wipe out any drawers and bathroom counters. We were in cabin 4600. It turned out to be in a great location, nearly midship in our own hallway with nothing above us. Our bed was made up queen-sized as requested and our room was ready for us upon arrival at 3:00. The first thing I did was pull back the covers and was greeted with clean sheets that had that fresh smell to them. The drawers did have some crumbs and lint, the counters in the bathroom had some soap spots but the rest was clean. It took me all of 5 minutes to wipe off a few things. Our steward showed up twice daily without being asked or bribed with a tip. He told us they have about 2 hours after the end of each cruise to get 15 rooms prepared. I asked for a second duvet cover so we slept on one and used the other as our top sheet. It realy helped to know ahead what to expect and this is about enjoying HAWAII rather than the pampered cruise experience with many days at sea. Anyone with questions please feel free to e-mail me paulettegino@hotmail.com

[CruisinMK]

I also had a good 10/15 cruise. Agree on the great itinerary, nice specialty restaurants and breakfasts. I had a totally clean room, but I have read some reviews saying they didn't.

 

If your group are good walkers, you might consider skipping the rental car. I think Kona is a good place to just stroll around on foot.

[ejnsb]

We're a week away from our poa cruise so this review is very comforting. You mentioned good entertainment at the end of your review and that hit home as our son is in the production shows! We have a family group of 14 going and the comments and reviews on this web site have helped our planning immensely. What kind of cabin were you in?

[jame_g]

My cruise is just 8 weeks away and I am looking forward to it, so it is nice to hear some positive reviews coming in. It's also been great hearing some of the hints, and feedback on some of the excursions in other threads as well. Thanks for the review!

[lhall85917]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I enjoy reading about everyone's trip, but especially enjoying reading that it was a wonderful trip!!

[flyingpirate]

I'm so glad to hear a nice review.

 

I'm going TOMORROW!!!!!!!! :D:D:D

[penorment]

Thank you for your positive review. You have made a lot of people happy. I hope we all have as an enjoyable cruise as you but lets face it ...we will be in Hawaii!!! Were you able to make reservations for the regular restaurants or just the specialty ones upon embarkation? We will be on a crowded ship for Christmas week so I want to try to make dining with children as painless as possible for all of us.

[JKHawaii]

Whew! Lots of questions. That's OK, I'll try to address them. If I miss any, let me know.

 

First of all, Laela, take me with you, I miss Hawaii already! (But not if you're going to fly over to Hawaii in that little airplane, I don't think it'll make it!)

 

I forgot to thank all the people who have previously taken the time to post their reviews: it was a tremendous help to me when planning my cruise.

 

As for the cabins, it boils down to people. I had a cabin steward on a Celebrity cruise who never filled the shampoo dispenser and was seldom seen except for the last day when she appeared asking for the tip envelope. On the POA cruise, my cabin was clean with fresh linens. Even when I left towels on the rack to indicate I would reuse them, they were always replaced with fresh ones. I did find 3 sodas (2 unopened and 1 opened) in the fridge on the first day. So I dumped the opened one and drank the other two. I would recommend establishing rapport with your cabin steward. In compliance with U.S. labor laws, they work an 8-hour shift, typically 5 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening. They don't have time to make animals out of towels, but if you approach them in a friendly manner, I think most will be open to reasonable requests. My cabin steward, Christina, was always smiling and very helpful. If you are really concerned about cleanliness, I think Oregon Girl had some good ideas. In any case, it's always a good idea to wash your hands frequently and make use of the hand sanitizers placed in strategic locations.

 

For this cruise, I chose an inside cabin on the 10th deck. For 2 people, it was fine, plenty of storage space and room for the suitcases and shoes under the bed. Like I said, I don't spend much time in the cabin except for cleaning up and sleeping. There are too many other places on the ship to sit and enjoy the scenery. And I'm cheap! I get the same food and entertainment for a lower price.

 

Yes, I enjoyed the entertainment. The 2nd production show was very well done, different from the same old Broadway type shows.............it even had some gospel music in it. The juggler, Barry John, was talented and humorous. The comedian, Chris Alpine, picked on passengers in the audience instead of the usual set routine. He was hilarious. The pool entertainment and pianist/vocalist in Pink's champagne bar were very talented. They use some of the talent that works the Waikiki hotels, so the lineup will be changing often, I assume.

 

Don't worry about lines, Ndamro, they give you beepers if there will be a wait. We only waited once, for about 10 minutes. Having reservations helped a lot. And we are early eaters, usually sitting down by 7PM. One other time when they were busy, the hostess asked if we minded sharing a table. Of course, we didn't, and were seated with 2 other couples and had a nice time chatting about this cruise and other, a la traditonal cruising. And again, the Aloha Cafe always awaits you on the 11th deck with a nice spread and no waiting.

 

Ah, the sewer smell! I actually tracked it down. Way up on the outside walkway on I think deck 14 or 15 towards the aft end of the ship is an exhaust vent for what must be the waste treatment machine. This exhaust exhibits the sewer smell. Normally the exhaust air goes up into the atmosphere and is dispersed. But I suspect that if the wind is blowing a certain way, especially if the ship is stationary, that exahust may somehow end up finding its way into the "supposedly" fresh air intake of the HVAC system. It's a design problem and I don't know if it can be rectified or not. On my cruise, I didn't encounter the odor inside or outside the ship other than right by the exhaust vent. Thank goodness!

[swkittrell]

JKHawaii thank you for a great review. I have a question for you. Did you notice if there was a color coded system on the ship? We were on the Star for an Alaska cruise this past July and the carpet had a color coded system that helped to keep me from getting lost. Do you remember if the Pride of America had such a system?

[Ptown]

Thanks for a great review. :) My DW and I will be sailing Feb. 18th. Also thanks for the tips about rental cars. Most of our past cruises have been more "cruise" focused rather than "destination" focused. That is why we are really looking forward to this vacation. Glad to see that you enjoyed the free style dining. P.S. Rozmat ... Our final payment is due next month also so we must be sailing about the same time.

Dave