Pride of America

[Retiring cajun]

I would appreciate any tips or info on this ship. First time on NCL, Hawaiian cruise. Port side balcony room. Thanks:)

[Solararc]

No casino is a good start, do you have any specific points of interest

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[Retiring cajun]

Solararc, thx. I won't mind not having a casino. what about smoking areas? on balcony? we are non-smokers!!! what about food? adult pool? entertainment?

[Solararc]

Balcony smoking should not be happening, I smoke but will choose to use the proper area, food was great when we were in the PofA also do check out the luau kalamaku it is a great show with amazing food it was a great value from the shorex desk.. Not sure about an adult only pool and the entertainment has probably changed since I was last there.

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[greatlakesgirl]

Solararc, thx. I won't mind not having a casino. what about smoking areas? on balcony? we are non-smokers!!! what about food? adult pool? entertainment?

Can't help you with the smoking question, but hope you don't have any problems with it on your balcony. Glad you booked a port side one, as you can enjoy the NaPali coast sail-by from there instead of the top decks with 1000 of your closest friends. ;)

 

As to entertainment, we didn't see any. This cruise is port intensive; we were off the ship every day with our rental cars and were too wiped out at the end of the day to see any shows.

 

The pools: There's the main pool and a smaller one at the stern of the ship. None are "adults only". I think there were maybe 10 or 12 kids, including ours, on the cruise, so no issue with kids taking over.

 

We were too busy to waste time in the main dining rooms and just ate our meals in the Aloha Cafe, which is the buffet. There's outdoor seating if you go all the way to rear and exit through the sliding doors. Also, they set up Moderno with a smaller version of the main buffet and that is open to everyone. At least it was when were there last year.

 

Hope you have a great time on your cruise. There's a review of ours in my signature if you're interested at all. :)

Edited March 20, 2015 by greatlakesgirl

[azappraiser]

Solararc, thx. I won't mind not having a casino. what about smoking areas? on balcony? we are non-smokers!!! what about food? adult pool? entertainment?

 

Smoking was allowed at the Waikiki Bar, deck 13 Aft. The adult pool is one deck below and the adjacent hot tub on the starboard side was hardly ever occupied. It was a great place to soak & relax after our days in port.

 

We ate in the MDR most nights, with the exception of our anniversary... had to have dinner in Moderno. We thought both the food & service was better than average. One night in particular, the service was exceptional... but we were invited to dine with the Captain, so that probably had something to do with it. Moderno did not disappoint either... we left stuffed and extremely satisfied.

 

We had breakfast each day in the buffet. Great made-to-order omelets, plenty of fresh fruit and those to-die-for chocolate-hazelnut breakfast rolls.

 

We went to see the welcome aboard show, which had a little of everything and "Oh What a Night", which we had seen before on the Pearl. We also checked out the comedian/magician.

 

I recommend taking a few days either pre or post cruise in Honolulu. Lots to see, and so little time to do so. We went to Germaine's Luau the night before boarding the POA... great food and excellent show.

 

For the ports, we rented a car on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. In Hilo, we hooked up with Ricky's Tours... $65.00 per person. There were 9 of us in the van and everyone felt we got our monies' worth. In Kailua-Kona, we booked NCL's excursion to the Seahorse Farm... also worth every penny.

 

Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.

Edited March 20, 2015 by azappraiser

[greatlakesgirl]

Smoking was allowed at the Waikiki Bar, deck 13 Aft. The adult pool is one deck below and the adjacent hot tub on the starboard side was hardly ever occupied.

Was there a sign labeling this pool as adults only? I don't recall seeing one.

[punkincc]

I would appreciate any tips or info on this ship. First time on NCL, Hawaiian cruise. Port side balcony room. Thanks:)

 

Check out the Hawaii Board in the Ports of Call section here on Cruise Critic. Lots of POA cruisers post there with cruise and tour related questions and reviews of their POA cruises.

[Budget Queen]

For me, the priority of doing this itinerary is for Hawaii, which is just superb. It's an easy travel area with rental cars, that allow all day adventures for really low costs. :)

 

The ship had good meals, I didn't go to any on ship entertainment. I've sailed this itinerary over 10 times- it's a winner. :)

[April29]

Here's a link to a recent review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2135010

This woman & her mother spent 1 week in Honolulu before their cruise.

They were also booked in a 2 bedroom suite.

Here are the picture links to just the cruise:

 

Hawaii 2014 10-04-14 Day 1

Hawaii 2014 10-05-14 Day 2

Hawaii 2014 10-06-14 Day 3

Hawaii 2014 10-07-14 Day 4

Hawaii 2014 10-08-14 Day 5

Hawaii 2014 10-09-14 Day 6

Hawaii 2014 10-10-14 Day 7

Hawaii 2014 10-11-14 Day 8

Hawaii 2014 10-12-14 Day 9

Hawaii 2014 10-13-14 Day 10

Hawaii 2014 10-14-14 Day 11

She gives lots of practical tips.

[kgymn]

Hi there! I'm going on POA is 2 weeks in a port side large balcony. When do you go? I can let you know about our experience afterwards if you'd like. Also, I live on Oahu so can help with info if you will be staying here before/after.

 

~Katy

[azappraiser]

Was there a sign labeling this pool as adults only? I don't recall seeing one.

 

There wasn't a sign, but with the proximity to the spa and the smoking area, not to mention being at the aft of the ship... it's pretty much assumed that the pool is primarily for adult guests. I'm not insinuating that kids wouldn't be allowed, but the pool is very small and probably wouldn't interest the young'uns.

Edited March 22, 2015 by azappraiser

[greatlakesgirl]

There wasn't a sign, but with the proximity to the spa and the smoking area, not to mention being at the aft of the ship... it's pretty much assumed that the pool is primarily for adult guests. I'm not insinuating that kids wouldn't be allowed, but the pool is very small and probably wouldn't interest the young'uns.

Ah, gotcha. The size of the pool was exactly the reason our kids weren't interested in it.

[Retiring cajun]

great lakeshore, I loved your review & photos too[emoji4] going in 8 days!!!

[Retiring cajun]

oops, darn auto correct! greatlakesgirl