whos been on the pride of america?

[tinky2009]

We are thinking of going on this cruise in july and would love to hear everyones experiences.

[mummsie]

We are thinking of going on this cruise in july and would love to hear everyones experiences.

 

I haven't been on it myself but it doesn't get very good reviews. We have been on 2 NCL ships and loved them both. Enjoy the freestyle experience. :D mummsie

[happycruiser3]

We are thinking of going on this cruise in july and would love to hear everyones experiences.

 

Friends have been on it and loved it, they were very happy with the ship, cabin comfort, food etc.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Best wishes :)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I have heard its best if you tie it in with a pre or post cruise stay .

[subaru94]

My son and wife just came back from their honeymoon of which part of it was the cruise on Pride of America, they loved it and are looking at going with same company next year.

[leashyloo69]

I was planning a cruise on this ship about 18 months ago ..

In my investigations I found a blog created by a POA crew member named James. He has posted heaps of info on his sites. Below I have cut and pasted what I found on one of his youtube video blogs. Check his stuff out...He started out working in the buffet for a couple of contracts and now it seems that he has made receptionist..He will respond to any of your questions if he gets time ..drop him a line..be sure to check his other videos first though as he may have already answered some of your questions

 

hope this helps ...:)

 

 

Follow me on twitter! http://www.twitter.com/cruiseshipcrew Read my blog about working on a cruise ship http://www.shipblogger.com My name is James and I work on NCL America's cruise ship the Pride Of America...

 

Follow me on twitter! http://www.twitter.com/cruiseshipcrew

Read my blog about working on a cruise ship http://www.shipblogger.com

 

My name is James and I work on NCL America's cruise ship the Pride Of America. I'm a receptionist at the front desk in the hotel department. The ship does 7 day cruises around the Hawaiian Islands with ports of call in Honolulu, Maui, Kona, Hilo and Kauai Hawaii.

 

Before I worked in the front office I was a waiter working on the ship. Over the past two years I went to the F3's (Norwegian Epic) keel laying at the ship yard, Aker Yards, and on a cruise on the Norwegian Jade.

 

The Pride Of America is the first US flagged ship in several decades. It's past sister ships were the Pride Of Aloha and Pride Of Hawaii.

 

The other ships in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet are the Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Majesty, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Pearl and the Norwegian Gem. The next generation of Freestyle cruising kicks off with the Norwegian Epic in 2010.

[GypRasc]

We're going on it next year and my decision was made after searching through the CC boards and realizing how many people loved it. They did make the point though to not expect it to be like other cruises, more like a 4 star hotel on water. Gets you to each of the islands, gives you your meals and a place to sleep, nightly entertainment. No dragging luggage from hotel to hotel. Very comfortable and convenient. We can't wait.

[comfortguard]

We went in April 2009 and it was very nice. We can't wait to go back. Balcony on the right side of the ship is a must.

[Tedirene]

Tinky2009,

 

We did the last cruise of the Pride of Aloha in May 2008 which was then replaced with the POA. It was a really great cruise, weather was great, facilities great, but I agree with Kiwicruizer, it goes better with a before and after stay.

 

Ted

[subaru94]

My son and his new wife went on the Pride of America for their honeymoon and loved it, staff were friendly and plenty to do.

[StevenW]

I was on the Pride of America in Sep 2005. It was great. I'd do it again tomorrow, and I intend to do it again in a few years.

[lolanm9]

I cruised POA last May (2009). I was very worried given all the negative reviews. They could not have been more wrong. I had a terrific time. Setting aside as a given the great itinerary and beauty of Hawaii, let me share my thoughts on the cruise itself. I will caveat that I stayed in an AD cabin, but I plan to return in future, so kept eye out for the other areas of ship.

 

Cleanliness: extremely clean. Housekeeping did a thorough job every day. Just as good of service as I experienced on Celebrity. At one point, a bit of stripping on shower came loose and water got on floor - we called housekeeping and it was repaired within hours. You always saw the housekeeping staff actively working on all floors.

 

Staff: heard a lot of pros and cons about the mainly American staff. I was worried and again, was pleasantly surprised. In the main dining room, waiters were engaging - just beyond pleasant. We had senior waiters and restaurant managers from Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Connecticut. They were seasoned cruise professionals. The rest of staff was lively and positive. Only exception was a snippy concierge (sigh ....). The 2 ladies who were the local experts were clearly passionate about their state and ensuring we learned about Hawaii while visiting it. They truly conveyed the sense of "O'hana" (family).

 

Enrichment: lots of fun activities, surprisingly some were provided at no charge - orchid leis, ribbon leis, etc. I missed some of the enrichment session I experienced on my Celebrity cruise to Alaska (Chinese medicine, city overviews, etc) - but most people were there to relax.

 

Entertainment: it wasn't until the end of the cruise that I decided to take a break from rushing from one incredible destination to another, and just relax on the deck. Surprise, surprise - there was an awesome band, and people just chilling out on the very crowded deck. If/when I go back, I will do more of that. Evening shows were great - very funny comedian, the polynesian revue actually spoiled me as I felt it was better and more educational than the one at the fancy luau I attended. Before the "main show", there was a really great couple (Toby Beau & wife) who did these terrific cover shows where you learned about the band they were covering as well as all the best songs (Eagles, Beatles, etc). It was enjoyable. I did not love the "White Hot Party" night. People tended to turn in early and the dance floor was a bit .... sad. The trivia contests seemed less lively than the ones on Celebrity. The entertainment director was solid ... and a bit cheesy.

 

Dining: this was terrific. My family and I dined at the formal dining room (the one on the 2nd floor) every night and because we were suite guests, we were able to get fixed seating & time. They were very patient with us as we moved around the dining room looking for the "perfect" table. Found it! Food was probably a notch below Celebrity, but honestly, every night there was something delicous, we never had a bad meal, and it was still very creative food. Because we were suite guests, we were able to have breakfast and lunch at the premium diner (the TX themed one). I never had lunch there, but my parents raved about the meals. The breakfasts were to die for. Super attentive service. THe few times we went to the buffet, it was well stocked, clean, and had an wide array of menu options. Room service was fast and tasty.

 

Getting on an off ship: embarkation & debarkation, great. Process went smoothly for port visits.

 

Gym/Spa: very nice. Not huge, but had everything you needed. Not very full. Immaculately clean. Sauna/steam room - can't remember which there was (am thinking both) was totally fine.

 

Tours: wish they had had more brochures or details for the excursions, the focus was to make you talk to a live person.

 

Decor: I figured the Ameriana theme would be cheesy, but it actually looks classier than the pictures convey. It was nice and the Hawaiian history "museum" was interesting. This ship can't compete with a ship like Celebrity for sheer glitziness, but it did not feel like a dump.

 

Guests: all ages, everyone was polite. Most people were quite fit and it was funny how you could spot the uber-atheletes who would be up at 6am for their extreme-adventure excursions. Never saw anyone overly boozed up or loud.

 

Dress: it's Hawaii baby! Lots of aloha-wear, but in general, everyone was casual. Dinners in the formal room had people wearing some form of dockers/dresses. I frankly appreciated not having the drama i had on previous cruises of busting out the fancy dress, jewels, etc.

 

People came on the cruise to have a good time ... and it appeared they did! I will definitely take this cruise again.