Pride of America 10/28-11/4

[chrisnkat]

My DH and I returned this morning from the 10/28 sailing of the Pride of America preceded by a three night stay at the Marriott Waikiki. A great deal of planning was done prior to the trip and a special thank you goes to everyone who posted reviews and recommendation on these boards. Hawaii is absolutely beautiful and each island has a character of its own.

This was the perfect way to see the Hawaiian Islands. We rented a car in all ports except Kona where we took the Captain Zodiac excursion booked through the ship. We used Hertz for car rental in Waikiki since they have an office in the lobby of the Marriott. In all other ports we used Thrifty for car rentals and became Blue Chip members to speed the process. Driving on all the islands is very easy since the number of highways is limited. I will post a day by day review when my body has adjusted to the time change.

Our experience on the ship was very positive. Many of the comments I read about lack of cleanliness and maintenance were not observed. Our balcony cabin on deck 11 was well maintained throughout the trip and the ship itself was clean and well maintained. The crew cleared tables in the buffet area in a timely manner and daily cleaning was on-going every morning throughout the ship.

I highly recommend a helicopter flight on Kauai. We made our own arrangements through Blue Hawaii for the first day in Kauai. The passengers I spoke were pleased with the ship and the service.

If anyone has specific questions, I will be happy to answer them if I can.

[Queensland Girl]

What were the shows like, and did you have to rush dinner to see them??

Which restaurants did you eat at, and what was your favourite????????

Which night was Lobster night and what night was the formal night?????

Do you remember what time the shows were at night and was there more than one each night. If you have the times it would help us plan dinner reservations. What did you in Kona??????????? Thanks for your help.

[LinP]

I'm on POH 11 Dec and was planning on booking through Blue Hawaii on the helicopter too on Kauai. Do they pick you up at the ship? Was it worth the money?

 

Mahalo

[chrisnkat]

What were the shows like, and did you have to rush dinner to see them??

Which restaurants did you eat at, and what was your favourite????????

Which night was Lobster night and what night was the formal night?????

Do you remember what time the shows were at night and was there more than one each night. If you have the times it would help us plan dinner reservations. What did you in Kona??????????? Thanks for your help.

Queensland Girl,

We ate at Lazy J Steakhouse twice, Little Italy, Skyline and Liberty restaurants. We made reservations when we arrived on the ship (2PM). We had a reservation for Jefferson's Bistro but cancelled it when my DH decided it was "too french" for him. Lazy J had excellent filet mignon. I had the blackened ribeye but found it a little too spicy for my liking. It was good but not what I expected. Little Italy had excellent chicken cutlet parmesan. Skyline & Liberty have the same menus but we preferred the Liberty Restaurant decor. Skyline is art deco - similar to the Chrysler building in New York City.

Since we did so much touring during the day we were really wiped out by 9 or 10 PM. The shows we did go to were enjoyable. The schedule for the week was as follows:

Saturday: 8:45 Comedy Game Show

9:30 Crazy Cruise Staff "Gong Show" karaoke

Sunday

[chrisnkat]

Queensland Girl,

I am having some computer issues. I will finish my reply as soon as possible.

[maja651]

Hi there! We have a balcony cabin on deck 11 reserved for next April. I am wondering which cabin you were in amd if you have any pictures? We have one of the BA cabins that have the larger balconies, and I would love to see a picture of one of those balconies.

 

Michelle

[chrisnkat]

Queensland Girl,

To continue

Sunday 6:45 & 8:45 Spotlight Showcase & Comedy show

Monday 9 PM Pride of America Crew Show (one show only)

Tuesday 7 PM & 9 PM Spotlight Production: On the Radio (very good show)

Wednesday 7PM & 9PM Action Comedy Showtime

Thursday 9 PM Comedy Variety Showtime (one show only)

Friday 7 PM & 9 PM Spotlight Showtime: America's Beat (very good show)

The comedians and juggler were entertaining but nothing to "wow" you.

Monday & Thursday are overnights in port (Maui & Kauai) so there is olny one show. Many people eat off the ship or go to the buffet.

 

Sunday night was 50% off the cover charge in the Specialty resaturants and I believe it was also lobster night. We ate at Lazy J's that night. Every night had 50% off for reservations between 5:30 & 6 PM.

 

Tuesday was optional formal night. I would estimate that no more than 20--30% were really dressed up. The majority of the passengers were dressed resort casual every night. Long pants and aloha shirts for the men and skirts, dresses or pants for the women. It is a very laid back cruise compared to others I have been on.

 

We ate dinner at 7 PM or 7:30 every night and were finished in time for 9 PM activities.

 

In Kona we did the Captain Zodiac ship excursion in the morning and shopping in the afternoon. It was Wednesday and a nice mid-week relaxation day. The Captain Zodiac is a raft and snorkeling excursion. We had a great time and even got to see 2 pods of spinner dolphins within a few feet of the raft.

 

LinP

Blue Hawaii does not pick up at the dock. You are directed to the Harbor MAll (about a 10-15 minute walk up the hill from the dock). We had to be at the mall at 9:15. The mall is on the left side of the road beyond the mall that provides overnight parking for $10 if you have a rental car. A van then took us to the airport for our 10 AM flight. It was breathtaking and well worth the money. We bought the DVD of our actual flight after we returned to the mall. We found out after the fact that there is a shuttle that runs to the mall every 15 minutes. We took it back to the ship. I don't know what time it starts from the pier but I am sure Blue Hawaii could let you know. Kauai is beautiful and I would highly recommend taking a helicopter ride on this island. All of the islands are beautiful but Kauai is exceptional.

 

Hope this information is helpful.

[Zeno]

Thx for giving us some up-to-date info re: cleanliness etc.

I look forward to your day-to day review.

[chrisnkat]

Maja 651,

We were in cabin 11536. It had a regular size balcony - 2 chairs and a small table.

[LinP]

Thank you for the info on Blue Hawaii. I'm really looking forward to the trip.

[maja651]

chrisnkat - thanks for the info.

 

I have another question for you regarding the Captain Zodiak tour. We are considering this tour, but I am concerned it may be too intense for us (my back can act up sometimes). Could you provide any more details on this tour?

 

Michelle

[chrisnkat]

Maja651,

The Captain Zodiac tour is not recommended for anyone who is pregnant or has back problems. The waters were very calm the day we went on the excursion but when the raft traveled at high speeds it was pretty bumpy at times. Our "captain" told us we had one of the calmest days in weeks. I can't imagine what it must be like when the surf is choppy. You basically sit on the side of a large rubber raft with your foot under a "toe rope" and hold on to a rope along the side. To snorkle you slide off the side of the raft into the water and climb a ladder to get back into the raft. There is quite alot of bouncing. You don't want to spoil your vacation for one experience. There are other things you can do.

[warriorgal]

We had hoped to do the Old Lahaina Luau in Maui, but I am not clear on when we need to be back on the ship that first day. Is it a true overnight, giving us the evening to spend at the luau, or do we need to be back on the ship earlier? Thanks for your help!

[nanaguz]

Warriorgal - I just got back from the Pride of Aloha 10-29 to 11-5 sailing. We did the Royal Lahaina Luau. We booked this through Activity Wholesalers. Cost was less than $50.00 per person and kids are free. The whole luau lasted from 6pm to 815pm. We werent worried about time since we did it the first night we were in Maui.

[maja651]

chrisnkat - thanks for your explanation of the Captain Zodiak tour. It is clear it is not for me, which is good to know ahead of time!

 

Michelle

[chrisnkat]

Warriorgal,

When the ship is docked overnight in Maui and Kauai you are free to come and go as you please. There is no pressure to get back to the ship at any specific time. On days when the ship is leaving port, you will be instructed to be onboard at least one-half hour before sailing. You will have a great time.

[Grandpp]

We were on the Oct. 28 sailing as well. Had a balcony stateroom 9138. It was smaller than other cabins we have had but perfectly adequate for 2 people. I didn't experience any problems with service myself. I enjoyed the comedian's show but generally couldn't stay awake late enough to enjoy most of the shows due to my jetlag. We were a little disappointed that we couldn't find much in the way of "sunset or cocktail hour" entertainment. Also, we loved Hawaiian music but had too much of it on this trip. Food was pretty good (except they ran out of all forms of milk on the last morning). Especially enjoyed Lazy J's and the dining rooms. We only ate at buffet a couple of times for breakfast/lunch. Little Italy had good service but food was disappointing.

 

We took NCL tours: Hilo-waves & waterfall; Maui-Pacific Paradise Luau; Maui-Kaalapoli (sp?) Beach break at the Sheraton; and Oahu (Grand Circle Is. with lunch at Turtle Beach Resort). We felt that we experienced enough of the scenery and also had lots of hot tub and rest time on the other port days.

 

Hope this will be helpful to some of you. I certainly gained a lot of information from Cruise Critic boards. I made my restaurant reservations as soon as I got on board (not sure if this was necessary or not). The employee said "you are certainly well informed." I gave credit to you guys (of which she had never heard of before).

 

Theresa

[joanskid]

The favorite part of our September Hawaii cruise was the helicopter tour we took in Kauai.

 

We also did it the first morning on the island.

 

We used Jack Harter, and they do pick up from the ship.

 

This is not a cheap excursion, but in our opinion was WELL worth it! I think most of the companies charge similar prices for the same length tour. Make sure you get at least a 60 minute tour, to get a good overall experience.

[cruisinwith rob]

[uote=chrisnkat]My DH and I returned this morning from the 10/28 sailing of the Pride of America preceded by a three night stay at the Marriott Waikiki. A great deal of planning was done prior to the trip and a special thank you goes to everyone who posted reviews and recommendation on these boards. Hawaii is absolutely beautiful and each island has a character of its own.

 

This was the perfect way to see the Hawaiian Islands. We rented a car in all ports except Kona where we took the Captain Zodiac excursion booked through the ship. We used Hertz for car rental in Waikiki since they have an office in the lobby of the Marriott. In all other ports we used Thrifty for car rentals and became Blue Chip members to speed the process. Driving on all the islands is very easy since the number of highways is limited. I will post a day by day review when my body has adjusted to the time change.

 

Our experience on the ship was very positive. Many of the comments I read about lack of cleanliness and maintenance were not observed. Our balcony cabin on deck 11 was well maintained throughout the trip and the ship itself was clean and well maintained. The crew cleared tables in the buffet area in a timely manner and daily cleaning was on-going every morning throughout the ship.

 

I highly recommend a helicopter flight on Kauai. We made our own arrangements through Blue Hawaii for the first day in Kauai. The passengers I spoke were pleased with the ship and the service.

 

If anyone has specific questions, I will be happy to answer them if I can.

We are going on POA on Mar.3,07. We are planning to get a rental car in most ports. We are looking for advice for a zipline in Kauai, which Molokini snorkel trip to book,... thanks for your help.