Thread: Pride Of America!!??

1. Hi All
2. First time in cruise line fans, first time in cruise, and first time in Hawaii.
3. We did our homework; select the cruise , the line and the ship; everyting was ok; until I google for shore excrusions tips; it was so frustrated and we was shocked, as most of the reviews were so negative in almost every aspect; dining, staff, cabins, shows ..etc and words like we never sail with them again, understaffed & unexperienced, cold meals, not enough ..etc we are NOT expecting a luxury cruise, but at least, we would like to enjoy Hawaii; especially, this will be most probaly, the first and last visit!
4. Should we proceed with our plan and go for the cruise???

Need help and advice.

Thanks

Well I'm going to be honest!! Those who Love NCL do so with a passion, every ship and everything, and that happens with a lot of lines!!, Those that do not, do the same!! There will always be reviews that are nasty cause you couldn't please some if they ate on a plate of Gold!! So If I were you, look at all the reviews you can find and look at them as if you were bying a home or car!! You are spending some pretty good money here, and if Hawaii maybe a once in a lifetime, see how important each of these are to you for money spent!! If you are not happy ask your TA to help you look for other options, different line and ship, or possibly a land vacation, but a cruise is the best vacation on earth!! If it will work, have a wonderful cruise

I agree with Sue. Our first trip was on NCL and set the tone for what we expected afterward. Maybe we just lucked out, but I doubt it. If NCL was so bad, nobody would be cruising on it. However, that being said, they have experienced some problems with their American flagged ships that sail Hawaiian waters. Because they are American flagged, they must have American crews, and up until now very few Americans have worked the cruise ships. Inexperience is part of the problem, but from what I've read there's an attitude problem in some cases too. North American folks, in many cases, don't feel they should have to work that hard. Those from other countries are used to working hard and the difference shows.

My suggestion is this. Check out the other cruises available to and around Hawaii. Princess, RCI, HAL all go there. Compare prices, and reviews, and make your decision. As Sue said, a land vacation in Hawaii isn't too shabby either. Whatever your decision, committ to it and enjoy. There are always things that aren't perfect, but if you can look by them, you'll have a great experience.

NCL is a good cruise line, but it really does depend on the ship - some are better than others. And I recommend NCL, but not NCLA (the Hawaiian cruises).

I offer warnings to anyone wanting to do the 7-day Hawaiian cruises. If you choose one of these, you are doing so only for the itinerary and a chance to cruise around to the various islands. You are not going on this cruise for the ship, the food, or the service. If you expect the ship, food, and service to be what you've come to expect in a cruise, you will sorely disappointed. Plus, you will pay a premium for these cruises since the all-American crews are unionized and make more money than their counterparts and NCLA has the only game in town.

I could spend a great deal of time giving you specific reasons and examples, but of all the clients I've sold this product to, everyone has provided the same information.

Unfortunately, NCLA is the only one that offers the 7-night itinerary. All the others offer one-way cruises to or from the West Coast or roundtrip from the West Coast. There are some very nice ships offering these itineraries, but obviously they are longer cruises and not everyone can afford the extra time.

If you go on one of the NCLA cruises and know ahead of time what to expect, you will do okay. But your expectations must be realistic, so do your homework ahead of time.

As for shore excursions, I had one client that reserved a rental car at every port and did their own thing. He said after talking to alot of people who signed up for the pre-packaged shore excursions, he felt he definitely had the right idea and enjoyed the ports more than most. So you might check out this possibility.

As for me, I think if I could rent a motorcycle in each port, I'd be a very happy traveler.

Pete

I agree with the above....the Pride of America doesn't get good reviews...they have had staffing problems, as they started originally with American staff...and it apparantly didn't work out.

Read reviews with a grain of salt...

These ships are mainly for people that want to see Hawaii....not so much the ship.

Last fall, I was talking to a family friend at a party who has gone on maybe four or five cruises and was about to go on another. She did one of the Pride of cruises and thought it was okay. I can't remember all the details, either the food was great or it wasn't, etc. She was a few days away from going on another NCL ship but a Caribbean cruise so I guess I find out about it at this year's Halloween party. As Sue and Joe pointed out, read the reviews but take everything with a grain of salt. Often someone will complain about a cruise to the nth degree while others from the same cruise had a blast.

My last cruise was the RT from LA to Hawaii, which isn't for everyone. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for a first time cruiser as there can be rough seas crossing this one current. Someone who hasn't experienced being on even rolling seas may get unnerved, if not terribly seasick. It has a lot of sea days, which is great for my family as we love them, but not for someone who prefers a port-intensive itiinerary. It leaves from our nearest port, so we can avoid flying (a plus for someone who hates flying as I do).

Often people who want a cruise, but also wants to see Hawaii, will praise the NCL America cruises as the way to go. It's nice that they have this choice. And if the Pride of Aloha and the Pride of Hawaii were a complete bust, NCL America wouldn't have commissioned the Pride of America (unless I have the order wrong ),

It is true, cruises are what you make of it. The thing with NCL is that it is not a favorite line among most cruisers. Conversations with people on cruises all mention other cruise lines when asked what their favorite line is. My experience with NCL is that it is OK and will only book with them if one of the other lines does not have the same destination. If you want a cruise that starts and ends in Hawaii, then your only choose is NCL. We did that cruise and had a great time.

Originally Posted by sherif

1. Hi All
2. First time in cruise line fans, first time in cruise, and first time in Hawaii.
3. We did our homework; select the cruise , the line and the ship; everyting was ok; until I google for shore excrusions tips; it was so frustrated and we was shocked, as most of the reviews were so negative in almost every aspect; dining, staff, cabins, shows ..etc and words like we never sail with them again, understaffed & unexperienced, cold meals, not enough ..etc we are NOT expecting a luxury cruise, but at least, we would like to enjoy Hawaii; especially, this will be most probaly, the first and last visit!
4. Should we proceed with our plan and go for the cruise???

Need help and advice.

Thanks

1) Hi Sherif!
2) First time never means last or only time.
3) You did your homework very well. Now comes the test phase. Only, it's the trip that gets graded; not you.
4) Of course go. Just remember to have your expectations about the ship in proportion to what you've read and learned. You have your answer in your statement--it's about HAWAII. Concentrate your efforts and energies to the islands. Truly one of the gems among the fifty states, one you'll want to visit again and again. Enjoy the people on board. Your table mates, someone you meet by the pool, a simple acquaintance in a buffet line. You'll have more opportunities to enjoy the experience than reasons to be apprehensive.
When are you going? I look forward to your reviews about the great time you will have had.

The one thing that NCL has going for it is Hawaii!!!

I would imagine that the people who are disappointed in NCL are the people who choose a cruise mainly for the cruise experience, and not so much the destination. I fall into the cruise experience category, and the destination is just icing on the cake, however, I can tell you that Hawaii is so incredibly beautiful, that you really need to go with an open mind and make the most of the situation.

My favorite days on a cruise are days at sea, so because I really enjoy the over all experience of a cruise, but if those sea days weren't so important to me, NCL might be a good choice. I also like the traditional cruise experience with set dining times and assigned table, so again, NCL wouldn't be my first choice, but I am not one to think that my choice would be everyone's choice.

Go, have fun, enjoy Hawaii, and then let us know if you liked it.