Only sailed RCI, considering NCL Pride of America

[graf103]

We've sailed RCI 9 times and are now considering Pride of America, mostly because I like the idea of using the cruise ship as our floating resort as we visit the Hawaiian islands. I don't want to have 5 sea days as I would have on a RCI cruise, and there's the fact that we would have to fly to Honolulu and then fly back from Vancouver. By contrast, POA sails in and out of Honolulu. So, I've got a few questions...

 

1. How does POA compare to other similarly sized RCI ships?

 

2. Price seems high, even for an inside cabin. (Lowest price was well over $1000/ pp). Is this typical of NCL, or is the demand that high.

 

3. Opinions about doing a cruise of Hawaii vs. a land vacation in Hawaii... I'm really torn about this. Would we save any money by cruising? I'm starting to think the answer is no.

 

 

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[cruzperson]

Hi I'm a travel agent. Although NCL cruise line is great, NCL America which sails in Hawaii is a little different. The Pride of America is a ship that flies the American flag and sails only in the US. This means that it is subject to different employment and hiring laws. Most of the crew will be American. Some are from US territories like American Guan. NCL America has had a problem because the work ethics of young Americans is not the same as those on any other ships. So you will not find the International crew that you find on RCCL or even other NCL ships.

 

As long as you understand what you're getting, you can enjoy your cruise. Hawaii is very expensive and this is a cost-effective way to see different Hawaiian Islands. NCL America has tried very hard to address the crew situation, but it is what it is. If you're a 20 year old crew member and decide that you don't want to work so hard, all you have to do is disembark. You're only in another state. When you get many people doing it, the rest of the crew is stressed because they have to pick up the slack, so services are affected. You get the picture.

[Ilovesailing]

The staff situation has cleaned up immensely since 2008. We have done this cruise 3 times all b2b so six weeks total. We were on the very last sailing of Priide of Hawaii (know the Jade and saw but didn't experience the lack of service that others spoke about. Since then we've done this cruise in 2010 and 2012 and will probably do it later part of 2014.

During that time we've seen a great improvement in staffing, NCL has been bringing on foreign staff from other ships with incentives such as shorter contracts etc.

Yes there is still a large % of American unionized staff that are only allowed to work 5 days a week X number of days per week just like in US Canada and are not use to working at the level of foreign ships.

 

This cruise is expensive because there is no casino which cuts hugely into revenue/profits, there is no gambling in the state of Hawaii, no bingo no scratch cards. Also NCL is the only ship that does this itinerary. No other cruise lines spends two nights in Maui and two nights In Kauai.

 

This cruise is the best bang for your buck.

 

Lastly use the ship as your hotel and meals lower your standards 10% and you'll have a great cruise.

Compare the amount of time spent in each port to other lines and you will find that its hard to plan off ship excursions because the tour companies don't want to run the risk of missing the ship that's only in port 4 hours. The island for the most part have one main way in and out so if there is an accident or construction you can be held up for quite some time.

Lastly you can do off ship excursion with reputable tour companies and save at least 40% and there is a dozen or more companies that cater to NCL.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Ilovesailing

[Ilovesailing]

To answer your last question land verses ship. I guess you need to ask yourself if you will ever get back to Hawaii a 2nd 3rd time.

Are you going to Hawaii to see the sites and explore the islands or are you just going to sun at a resort.

This cruise for most people they only get to do it once as it's expensive but so are resorts.

The cruise can be very port intensive, you can be up every morning for 7 am to get going, to get some food into you and then leave the ship for a long but worthwhile excursion and then then you do it again next day.

[graf103]

I never really thought about the casino padding the profits of the cruise line, hence lowering the cost of the cruise. It makes sense.

 

I can't imagine that we will have the chance to revisit Hawaii in another 5-10 years. There's too many other places on my bucket list to visit!

 

More things to consider....

 

 

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[Novastar]

Hi I'm a travel agent. Although NCL cruise line is great, NCL America which sails in Hawaii is a little different. The Pride of America is a ship that flies the American flag and sails only in the US. This means that it is subject to different employment and hiring laws. Most of the crew will be American. Some are from US territories like American Guan. NCL America has had a problem because the work ethics of young Americans is not the same as those on any other ships. So you will not find the International crew that you find on RCCL or even other NCL ships.

 

As long as you understand what you're getting, you can enjoy your cruise. Hawaii is very expensive and this is a cost-effective way to see different Hawaiian Islands. NCL America has tried very hard to address the crew situation, but it is what it is. If you're a 20 year old crew member and decide that you don't want to work so hard, all you have to do is disembark. You're only in another state. When you get many people doing it, the rest of the crew is stressed because they have to pick up the slack, so services are affected. You get the picture.

 

I guess I need to ask you when the last time was that you personally sailed POA. Your description of crew behavior is just not true. The crew is as hard-working and personable as any international crew I have encountered.

 

To the OP - these cruises sail at 100% capacity for the most part and that does its part to keep prices high.

[elhenry]

I sailed POA in July 2013. I am also Emerald on RCCL, having sailed them six times since 1988 (oops, am I that old?)

 

The POA is an excellent introduction to the islands. I also booked the cruise knowing that a return to Hawaiii was not in the cards for me anytime soon, and we found the ease of travelling from island to island on a cruise, where you are eating, sleeping, or enjoying yourself, to be the way to go.

 

I do not understand the comments some make about the POA crew. They could not have been nicer to me, or to my elderly and frail mother, or the rest of the family.

 

The biggest difference from RCCL will be the dining. There is no consistent option in NCL (this was my third NCL cruise) for dining every night, with the same servers, at the same time, and you will not have the same "Oh of course you want Earl Grey tea" service that you get with fixed dining. Freestyle dining has advantages (particularly in Hawaii, where you are docked overnight and may not want to be tied to a dining time), but only you can decide if fixed dining is important to you.

 

From my point of view, the food is similar, the entertainment is similar, and you are in Hawaii: go for it!

 

(p.s. NCL overall is not expensive; the POA is, compared to other NCL cruises and to RCCL)!

 

happy cruising,

 

el henry

[Ilovesailing]

I do not understand the comments some make about the POA crew. They could not have been nicer to me, or to my elderly and frail mother, or the rest of the family.

 

You have to go to pre 2008 when NCL had three ships in Hawaii Pride of Aloha Know the Sky, Pride of Hawaii now the Jade and PAO.

In 2008 we saw a lot of staff giving attitude over the simplest things to passengers fortunately we didn't experience any of it. I would have to say that the cruise we did in 2008 was close if not 100% American crew expect for officers. I also think that NCL Officers really didn't know how to deal with the union issues.

 

As stated above this cruise continues to sell out and we have seen our price increase $500 to $800 pp by booking a year out.

Hawaii really doesn't have a high season and the weather is pretty good for doing this cruise year round. It also is not a business/conference state so tourist industry is their number one for their economy, thus has a steady flow of tourists all year.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Ilovesailing

[ksimpso3]

I have not sailed RCCL yet, but did sail the POA in Nov 2013. The ship was in great shape. We had a 2 BR family aft suite with huge wrap around deck. It was awesome! I know this itinerary is more expensive than most but it is worth it. Read my review in my signature for ideas about rental cars, etc. I think it is the best way to get to see the islands. I will recommend a cheaper room as you are really only in it to shower and sleep. We were off the ship more than on and there are no sea days.

[graf103]

Good points, I think you've convinced me this is the to go. Now I just need to convince DH :)

 

 

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[puddles99]

The biggest difference from RCCL will be the dining. There is no consistent option in NCL (this was my third NCL cruise) for dining every night, with the same servers, at the same time, and you will not have the same "Oh of course you want Earl Grey tea" service that you get with fixed dining. Freestyle dining has advantages (particularly in Hawaii, where you are docked overnight and may not want to be tied to a dining time), but only you can decide if fixed dining is important to you.

 

The best way to get an experience similar to this is by booking a suite and choosing to eat breakfast & lunch in Cagney's. With that said, this is the perk we used the least on board the POA. Why? Because like another poster said, we were up and out exploring the islands and unlike other cruises, did not want to linger over our early meals. If you're interested, you can read more about our experience on board the POA (nearly a year ago now :() via the link in my signature. We had an amazing time and hope to return some day with our daughters.

[ronandannette]

We've sailed RCI 9 times and are now considering Pride of America, mostly because I like the idea of using the cruise ship as our floating resort as we visit the Hawaiian islands. I don't want to have 5 sea days as I would have on a RCI cruise, and there's the fact that we would have to fly to Honolulu and then fly back from Vancouver. By contrast, POA sails in and out of Honolulu. So, I've got a few questions...

 

1. How does POA compare to other similarly sized RCI ships?

 

2. Price seems high, even for an inside cabin. (Lowest price was well over $1000/ pp). Is this typical of NCL, or is the demand that high.

 

3. Opinions about doing a cruise of Hawaii vs. a land vacation in Hawaii... I'm really torn about this. Would we save any money by cruising? I'm starting to think the answer is no.

 

 

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Depending on how "budget-minded" you would plan to be on a land trip I'd say for sure the cruise would be less. Take airfare out of it (you've got that expense either way). Accomodation and food in Hawaii are pretty darned expensive unless you are being very conservative. We spent 5 nights last September on Waikiki Beach in a 3-star hotel with a rental car and 2 modest-to-mid priced meals per day. It cost us over $2,000 and that doesn't take any of our activities into account. Also factor in that the cruise will have you visiting 4 different islands - impossible to do on a budget for a land trip (inter-island flights are at minimum $100/pp each way if you're very lucky).

[VideoTech]

We're heading out on the POA this Saturday, and really looking forward to it. While I can't yet comment on the specifics of the ship, the appeal of the cruise for us is that you get a taste of several of the islands, without having to pack and unpack, and without spending several sea days getting to (and from) Hawaii from the West Coast.

 

It's my opinion that there's really not much difference between the big middle-of-the-road cruise lines. They all have about the same food, the same entertainment, the same cabins, and so on. Between my wife and I, we've been on most of the different lines that fit in this category.

 

A cruise on the POA has to be looked at a little differently, because you're not really doing much on the ship except sleeping and eating one or maybe two meals a day. It truly becomes a floating hotel, and in that function, I'm sure it's fine.

 

As for the crew, knowing NCL as we do I find it hard to believe that they would accept any lower standards just because the crew works on a U.S. flagged ship, under different work rules than the rest of the fleet. Of course, there will be some cultural differences, but NCL wouldn't stay in business in Hawaii long if people were constantly unhappy with the crew and service.

 

Finally, cost: Yes, this is a high-demand cruise, and NCL charges accordingly. But comparing the two forms of vacation in Hawaii (land and cruise) I think the price is very favorable.

[ksimpso3]

We're heading out on the POA this Saturday, and really looking forward to it. While I can't yet comment on the specifics of the ship, the appeal of the cruise for us is that you get a taste of several of the islands, without having to pack and unpack, and without spending several sea days getting to (and from) Hawaii from the West Coast.

 

It's my opinion that there's really not much difference between the big middle-of-the-road cruise lines. They all have about the same food, the same entertainment, the same cabins, and so on. Between my wife and I, we've been on most of the different lines that fit in this category.

 

A cruise on the POA has to be looked at a little differently, because you're not really doing much on the ship except sleeping and eating one or maybe two meals a day. It truly becomes a floating hotel, and in that function, I'm sure it's fine.

 

As for the crew, knowing NCL as we do I find it hard to believe that they would accept any lower standards just because the crew works on a U.S. flagged ship, under different work rules than the rest of the fleet. Of course, there will be some cultural differences, but NCL wouldn't stay in business in Hawaii long if people were constantly unhappy with the crew and service.

 

Finally, cost: Yes, this is a high-demand cruise, and NCL charges accordingly. But comparing the two forms of vacation in Hawaii (land and cruise) I think the price is very favorable.

 

I agree with you about the ship being a floating hotel. We went to breakfast most mornings mainly because we were in a suite so cagneys was included (and we let the girls sleep in a little), but we never had a lunch onboard. We were usually too tired after dinner to bother with a show, plus since there were no sea days, we wanted to get off the boat early in the morning as well, so no late nights for us.

The crew were mostly friendly. We did meet a couple in various bars that were a little unfriendly (but they did their job). Usually everyone was pleasant and smiling. Our room stewart was wonderful. If we do this cruise again I think we would save the money and just book an ocean view or balcony because we were hardly in the room.

 

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Edited March 10, 2014 by ksimpso3

[spurt]

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents worth since I was on the POA on its 2/15 - 2/22/2014 cruise. The crew was consistently helpful and friendly. My wife and I did not encounter any problems with the crew or any other aspect of the ship. You can search my name to see the complete review of this cruise. I would whole heartedly recommend going on this great cruise in paradise.

[spurt]

Sorry. I should have posted the link. Here it is:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1999114

Edited March 11, 2014 by spurt
Forgot the intro

[greatlakesgirl]

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents worth since I was on the POA on its 2/15 - 2/22/2014 cruise. The crew was consistently helpful and friendly. My wife and I did not encounter any problems with the crew or any other aspect of the ship. You can search my name to see the complete review of this cruise. I would whole heartedly recommend going on this great cruise in paradise.

We were on the week right after you, and it was outstanding. There was eight of us in our party and we had the best time ever! :)

[js4rq]

We too cruised on the POA 15-22 February. It was our first Norwegian cruise and thought it was terrific. POA is a great way to get a taste of the Hawaiian islands, which is why we booked the cruise... worth every cent we thought. :D

[azappraiser]

One point that hasn't been mentioned that has a major effect on the cruise fare is the higher cost of resupplying the ship for each cruise... :eek: All goods are purchased in Hawaii.

Edited March 11, 2014 by azappraiser

[Ilovesailing]

One point that hasn't been mentioned that has a major effect on the cruise fare is the higher cost of resupplying the ship for each cruise... :eek: All goods are purchased in Hawaii.

 

 

And all goods are imported to each island.

Thus one of the reasons that SPAM is the number one selling food item in Hawaii and if you get a chance to try it there do so because you will be really surprised, even Mc D sells it.