Pride of America Review for 08/27/05 Sailing

[SBChamps96]

Just off the boat and found our vacation to be a lot of fun off the boat!!!! When we first arrived our cabin was a mess!!! Hair was all over the bathroom floor and cabin floor. When we asked the house keeper if your room was clean he stated he had just finished. Also, we found about 20 cigarette butts in the trash can as well. My wife was upset she would not even stay in the cabin until the situation was addressed. 8 hours later the cabin was cleaned for the 2nd time and was statisfactory until we turned down our bed and found hair through out the entire bed. Sheets were never changed and it took another 2 hours to have that addressed. Finally, around midnight we were able to get to bed.

 

Resaurants and pay restaurants. It was not uncommon to wait over 2 hours for dinner service. Some waiter gave great service and others not so great. Make sure you book reservations immediately for specialty restaurants when you board the ship. The spots book up very quickly!!! I ate that Lazy J ( Great food ) and the tepanakki room ( also great ). Liberty and Skyline were fair. Breakfast was the same every day and was good. Aloha Cafe was decent at time and bland at other times as well.

 

Days in port. Rent cars at every port and set up your own excursions!!! I went through activity world ( http://www.hawaiiactivityworld.com/ ) and saved boat loads of money over the ships costs. I did the sub and luaus on maui and helipcopter on Kuai. Both I would highly recommend. At Hilo you can do the volcano on your own and I higly recommend doing it. In Kona you time is short and just renting a vehicle and driving around is great!!!!

 

Due to enigine on boat not operating, we did not see the lava flow!!! Also time in Kuai was cut short. Left port at 2 pm on Friday. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

[sunshine 229]

Thanks for your review.

 

It seems the service and food continues to be spotty with some reporting excellent cabin stewards and some not having a very good experience in that area.

 

At least you and everyone else whose eview I've seen has enjoyed the locale.

 

Sorry you missed the lava flow.

[bankofdad]

Thanks for the review SBChamps96!

 

Can you tell me what cabin you were in? Just curious to see if it's a trend in certain areas of the ship. How was your cabin steward the rest of the week after the problems were fixed?

 

Regarding specialty restaurant reservations, were you able to make reservations for the entire week right after boarding on embarkation day? Can you please detail when/where you were able to do this?

 

I'm also curious if you tried out the Gold Rush saloon. This seemed to be a hot spot for socializing on the initial repo cruises, but I haven't heard anything about it since then.

 

I really hope they get the engine problems fixed. I enjoyed the lava flow viewing on our POAloha cruise, and was really looking forward to that again.

 

Thanks again for positing your review! It's really appreciated.

[gjboett]

Not very encuraging abut the ship. I thought they would have ironed out those issues by now. We would also beinterested in knowing your cabin to see if we are going to be near there. Thanks so much about the other info on the locale. We sail 1-14-06 so hopefully things will be better!

Hawaii Bound!:)

[SBChamps96]

I was able to make dates for the entire week as soon as I got on board for the specialty restaurants. I was on deck 7 in the aft (7152 ). Balcony was the great and save thed trip since the rooms are tight. House keeping was horrible the rest of the week. It is hit or miss on board. After speaking with other passengers, I would say it is 50/50 shot.

[Tom1234]

Was hoping by now we would be reading some improvement in the house keeping on board and food service. If you review my review for the August 13 sailing nothing has changed. We were on deck 9 balcony cabins.

Talking to some crew members on POAM I understand they have a five month contract which started in May of 2005 in Germany. This being September and five months later, are we seeing an I don't care attitude, a couple more weeks and I am done. Would be curious how many crew actually come back for another contract. If this ship can't keep experienced workers how can it improve? Until things improved NCL would be wise to issue some type on board credit per cabin until they get their act together on this ship. Ports of call are great, Hawaii is great.

Engine trouble has been used as an excuse for late port arrival, missed viewing of lava flow, and Napali coast viewing the past month. Is this really the problem? If so, is dry dock in the future for repair? Some questions NCL needs to answer for future passengers.

 

Tom

[beachin']

bankofdad-

Regarding where/when to make restaurant reservations upon embarkation, if you walk a few steps to the right when you get on the ship, you will probably see a line already for restaurant reservations at the front desk (right side of front desk). I believe the reservation line closed at 4pm. Regarding Gold Rush Saloon, it was a typical bar atmosphere, dark, somewhat younger crowd. They had a few TVs, usually showing music videos or sports. They also have some food items - menu consisted of appetizers, sandwiches, etc.

[Lightbulb03]

Was hoping by now we would be reading some improvement in the house keeping on board and food service. If you review my review for the August 13 sailing nothing has changed. We were on deck 9 balcony cabins.

Talking to some crew members on POAM I understand they have a five month contract which started in May of 2005 in Germany. This being September and five months later, are we seeing an I don't care attitude, a couple more weeks and I am done. Would be curious how many crew actually come back for another contract. If this ship can't keep experienced workers how can it improve? Until things improved NCL would be wise to issue some type on board credit per cabin until they get their act together on this ship. Ports of call are great, Hawaii is great.

Engine trouble has been used as an excuse for late port arrival, missed viewing of lava flow, and Napali coast viewing the past month. Is this really the problem? If so, is dry dock in the future for repair? Some questions NCL needs to answer for future passengers.

 

Tom

 

Our butler, Joshua, and Al, the concierge, both went out on vacation as of Saturday after the 8/27 cruise. Even though Al had to brief his replacement, he was very attentive to our needs on our last night on the ship. I don't think you are seeing an "I don't care" attitude from some. Our server in Lazy J had been with the ship since Germany and on the Pride of Aloha before that. She was due for vacation as well but gave it her all in the dining room.

All of our cabin requests were taken care of promptly and politely, from replacement pillows (ours were down filled and we need the hypo-allergenic polyfill) to ventillation problems on the last night. All of our dining requests were honored, from additional appetizers during the main course (these came quickly) to a vanilla shake in Lazy J when my DH didn't find anything interesting on the dessert menu.

[rozmat]

I have 3 family suites booked for March, 2006, but no way am I going to take my grown children and grandsons on a ship that doesn't change bedding from the previous cruise. My grandsons are not sleeping in a bed with someone else's DNA. I've been on the old SS Independence which was over 50 years old, and had a wonderful time because the crew was great, and the staterooms though small, were kept clean. Learned so much about Hawaii and the history. I wanted my family to enjoy the same experience, but this is too yucky. Used glasses, dirty sheets, smelly sewer odors, no way! I can't understand why anyone would put up with all that and then state as long as you go with a good attitude, it's all good. Yes, the islands are wonderful, but I can't sleep on some stranger's used sheets. And I can't expect the younger kids to stay up until 12:00 AM until the situation is corrected. I've cruised RCL 7 times, Carnival 2 times, American Hawaiian once, Princess once, Celebrity once, NCL twice. and Disney once. Never had a dirty cabin, and don't intend to start now. I will be calling my travel agent in the morning to find what this is all about. I guess if passengers accept this because going to Hawaii is all that's important, then it'll will never improve.

Really, I just can't believe that anyone would find this acceptable.

[IBEW1]

Sounds just like our 8/20 cruise.

Engine problems for 14+ days?

I'm telling you, they don't want to spend the money on fuel for the lava viewing.

I've just sent a letter to NCL asking for a refund. I'll be holding my breath in wait for a response :eek:

 

Bob

[beachin']

I don't think anyone who has experienced dirty, used sheets has said it's all good, as long as you go with a good attitude. Hopefully, that was a rarity. As I stated in a previous POAm post/thread, it's been my experience that cleaning and service quirks are an across the board issue, not exclusive to NCL or POAm. On a recent RCL cruise, upon arriving in our cabin, I went to drink a glass of water from a supposedly clean glass (that had the paper lid on it), and right before I took a swig, I noticed a pair of stud earrings, from previous occupants, floating in my glass. You wouldn't believe all the "goodies" I've found in cabins on various cruiselines.

[eroller]

I've cruised RCL 7 times, Carnival 2 times, American Hawaiian once, Princess once, Celebrity once, NCL twice. and Disney once. Never had a dirty cabin, and don't intend to start now. I will be calling my travel agent in the morning to find what this is all about. I guess if passengers accept this because going to Hawaii is all that's important, then it'll will never improve.

Really, I just can't believe that anyone would find this acceptable.

 

 

rozmat,

I agree 100%. No one should "accept" a dirty cabin. Not having sheets changed, dirty bathrooms, etc. are just unacceptable. Even at a Motel 6 you can expect a basic clean room and bath. These are *basic* requirements ... and on a luxury cruise where you are paying a fair bit more than a Motel 6 you should expect even more.

 

I've sailed on 60+ cruises and never had a cabin as dirty as what I experienced on POAM. The worst I ever experienced on other cruises was some excess dust and maybe a few items left from previous occupants. Nothing serious. When I sailed on a short 2-night preview cruise on POAM I tossed up the cabin condition to a new crew. Even so I complained and the cabin was re-cleaned, but still not to the standards of every other cruise line I have sailed. Even so, I loved the POAM and I thought the crew were fantastic so I booked a 7-day cruise leaving in a few weeks. I will go with an open mind and I'm sure I will have a great time, but I do expect a clean cabin. I can deal with waiting for food and slow service .... but not a dirty cabin. A simple solution is to have a quality control inspection by a senior officer everyday until standards are met. Basically, the cabins would not be released to passengers until the quality standards have been met and/or corrected. This should be the job of the Chief Housekeeper, but apparently they are not doing their job, just are many of the individual cabin stewards/stewardesses are not either.

 

There is obviously a serious problem with crew training and morale in the housekeeping department. I was hoping by October it would be corrected, but unfortunately when each new cruise ends we get another onslaught of negative reviews .... and the SAME problems still exists. NCL America are you listening???? These cruises are too expensive for second rate service. If NCL American doesn't take action soon, word will quickly spread and the entire US venture will become a failure .... just like American Hawaii and United States Lines beforehand.

 

Ernie - who is having regrets about booking this cruise.

[SBChamps96]

Oh and not to upset anyone here the smell of sewage was still very present in certain area of the boat as well on the 08/27/05 curise. Don't get me wrong, there are peole that attempt to please, but the bad one really do stick out. The house keeping on deck 7 aft is horrible. Move if you can at this time. Another problem was that a supposedly a couple of laundry machines were down on our curise and towles were hard to come by. I really hope all the bugs do get worked out for you all, but don't hold your breath. I am currently writting a letter to NCL at this time and will keep you posted!!!

[sunshine 229]

Originally posted by Rozmat:

Used glasses, dirty sheets, smelly sewer odors, no way! I can't understand why anyone would put up with all that and then state as long as you go with a good attitude, it's all good.

 

 

Problem is, what exactly do you do about it? It is not as if you can leave and go to another hotel. If you do get off at the next port and decide not to reboard you can be sure that NCL will keep your money.

 

Sounds as if the OP did complain and point out the shortcomings,but even then things weren't 'right' for the rest of the cruise.

 

I do agree, I wouldn't come back and say that going with a good attitude would make everything okay, but that seems to be a common sentiment expressed on this board. Anyone who has a bad experience just went with a bad attitude:rolleyes:

[bankofdad]

Ernie - who is having regrets about booking this cruise.

 

Hi Ernie! I agree, there's definitely room for improvement, and I hope they get there soon:eek: . However, I read a lot of encouraging things in your initial review that impressed me, and obviously impressed you.

 

I don't know if you were watching the NCL board this time last year with POAloha. Talk about major panic! This doesn't even come close by comparison. They'll get it fixed, keep the faith and a positive outlook! Focus on all of the good things you had experienced during your short stint on POAm am prepare for the others! Don't regret your booking, go and have a great trip.

 

Again, I want to thank you for all of the feedback you had provided on your initial POAm mini-cruise.:D It was very helpful.

[ErinFl2003]

SBChamps96--thanks for taking the time to post a review. Just when I think things are getting better on POAm, along comes another a somewhat poor review of the ship. I agree with several others who have posted that the service seems a hit or miss proposition. I was very disturbed about the condition of your room when you arrived. This is totally unacceptable. I am curious if you had your $10 per day service charge removed? I have read that several others refused to pay the service charges and they were removed from their final bills. I would hope that if this repeatedly happened, NCL would certainly make some changes.

[bankofdad]

bankofdad-

Regarding where/when to make restaurant reservations upon embarkation' date=' if you walk a few steps to the right when you get on the ship, you will probably see a line already for restaurant reservations at the front desk (right side of front desk). I believe the reservation line closed at 4pm. Regarding Gold Rush Saloon, it was a typical bar atmosphere, dark, somewhat younger crowd. They had a few TVs, usually showing music videos or sports. They also have some food items - menu consisted of appetizers, sandwiches, etc.[/quote']

 

Thanks Beachin'!

[GoHuskies!]

But apparently you folks and I were on not only different cruises, different ships, and different viewpoints, I also think we were on different PLANETS!

 

In synopsis, we had an absolutely wonderful time on the Pride of America, sailing August 27, 2005, NCL company in case we somehow are not talking about the same cruise. Our room could not have been better in many respects. (I know the regular rooms are very cramped, but ours was a handicap-accessible room with about 50% more room, which also gave us a large bathroom and a large balcony. Nevertheless, space is not the issue here.) Our room steward, Shirley, was clearly a gem. Other stewards that we saw on our part of the ship were also very hard-working, very careful, and very PRESENT. The food was quite good in the main restaurants, and in the Aloha Cafe buffet it was so varied that I don't know how anyone could not find many tasty dishes somewhere in it. Restaurant service was top-notch in the Liberty, OK in the Skyline, middling (and inexperienced) in Little Italy. We did a lot of looking around the ship and spending time in many of its various public spaces, and it was consistently enjoyable. We were forward on deck 9, in room 9556, up and down the stairs everywhere, sometimes on elevators, and found very little to complain about.

 

I know this synopsis doesn't do justice to the issue, so I am about to publish here a more lengthy review over the entire trip. I just had to respond immediately to what appears to me to be very one-sided opinions which skew the overall picture of this ship. Now, that said, I would really be concerned if I had the kind of room cleaning that we read about here, with clearly unclean sheets, floors, glasses, etc.; that would have sure set me off too. I am pretty fastidious myself, and I wouldn't put up with anything like that, even some towel or sheet lint on the floor. But I don't think it's as widespread as I read about here. I'll be back later with a review.

[bankofdad]

Thanks for all of the posted reviews and comments!

 

One thing I'm wondering about, very trivial actually. When was formal night on your sailing?

[fyrmand]

Thanks alot for the reassurance. We sail 10/22 and I am looking forward to my first Hawaii experience. Can't wait for the review...

[eroller]

Hi Ernie! I agree, there's definitely room for improvement, and I hope they get there soon:eek: . However, I read a lot of encouraging things in your initial review that impressed me, and obviously impressed you.

 

 

 

Thanks for all the good wishes. Like you say, there are so many wonderful things about POAM which I why I booked the cruise in the first place. It's easy to forget though when you read one bad review after another. My one issue with the entire ship was the housekeeping of my cabin. It really surprises me that two months later the same issue creeps up over and over again in almost every review. This issue should have been addressed long ago by NCL America, and action taken to correct it.

 

I know I will have a good time .... but I am more concerned about my partner. He is not big on cruises to begin with, and would have much rather stayed in hotel on Maui for the week. I talked him into the cruise and I don't want him to be disappointed. He works very hard and basically this is his vacation for the entire year ... I want it to be great!

 

Ernie

[Zeno]

Thanks for all the good wishes. Like you say, there are so many wonderful things about POAM which I why I booked the cruise in the first place. It's easy to forget though when you read one bad review after another. My one issue with the entire ship was the housekeeping of my cabin. It really surprises me that two months later the same issue creeps up over and over again in almost every review. This issue should have been addressed long ago by NCL America, and action taken to correct it.

 

I know I will have a good time .... but I am more concerned about my partner. He is not big on cruises to begin with, and would have much rather stayed in hotel on Maui for the week. I talked him into the cruise and I don't want him to be disappointed. He works very hard and basically this is his vacation for the entire year ... I want it to be great!

 

Ernie

I must admit I agree with you eroller. NCLA has improved BUT they really need to handle housekeeping inconsistencies. I keep getting the impression that it is a matter of luck whether one gets a good or bad cabin steward. I know NCLA has some unique challenges but cabin cleanliness is so important.

On my 2 cruises with NCL our cabins were spotless and I really expect a clean cabin.

[bankofdad]

NCLA has improved BUT they really need to handle housekeeping inconsistencies.

 

I agree, too! No debate from me on that one.

[wilsonrob]

We were also on the 27th cruise. Cabin 7588. I was actually surprised at how spacious the room was. I have certainly been in smaller rooms. Our cabin was actually clean but we had a continual battle to try to get glasses and cups. We resorted to "borrowing" from the aloha cafe.

 

We most often ate in the Skyline restaurant. We had no problems with getting a table if we arrived before 7PM (which since we were from the Eastern Time zone was no problem for us). I think we adjusted to the 6 hour time difference just in time to come home.

 

Service was at some times humourous. There was the constant accompaniment of dropping dishes with supper.

 

One waiter poured the wine on top of water for one person at our table.

 

The worst story I heard was of a waiter tripping and spilling two glasses of Merlot all over a pair of guests. Apparently NCL resisted not charging for the wine that the guests wore, wnd insisted on charging for cleaning the clothes (which because they delayed picking them up were uncleanable). How much of this is absolutely true I can not judge. This is definately not the Four Seasons in terms of service, food or attitude.

 

If you can get Jorge as a waiter, hang on to him, he is wonderfull and was one of teh contingent that picked up the ship in Germany.

 

We ate in Jeffersons, Little Italy and East meets west.

 

Ignore East meets west. These people have no idea how to do Asian food. My wife ordered Chicken Tikka, which is supposed to be marinated in yogurt and spices and then baked in a tandoor. Instead we goyt dried out chicken breast which had not been marinated and had a few bits of spice shaken on it before baking in a regular oven. To say the least yeuch.

 

We enjoyed littele italy.

 

The night we were in Jefferson's the Maitre D' appeared to have come from central casting for pretentious French waiters. The food however was quite nice.

 

We found skyline to be a pretty decent restaurant for most purposes. I would suggest lunch in Aloha rather than in the main restaurants. Breakfast and dinner are better in the main restauraunts.

 

The wine prices are ridiculously high and the selection could be better.

 

One treat was the Goldrush bar. 35 different types of beer, many of them boutique producers from Oregon, Arizona and Californis. Highly recommended. My favorite was the Mill Pond pale ale from Oregon.

 

NCL has bought the tour company that they use for most of their excursions. This company seems to have a habit of stopping at one or two totally unneccessary clip joints on each tour.

 

The tour we took on the "Road to Hana" was superb. The guide we hade was Merle, and he seemed to know every flower, plant outcropping, and owner of each property on the island. Highly enjoyable. Far too often the guides did not add much.

 

This is intended as a critique. Both my wife and I enjoyed the

[flyingpirate]

It seems that a lot of folks have equated the bad housekeeping with the fact that the staff is not getting a good wage and has no incentive to work harder. Therein may lie a kernal of truth.

 

A possible solution...sit your steward down at the beginning of the trip, cross his or her palm and tell them exactly what you expect. Let him or her know, in no uncertain terms, that if your simple wishes for a clean cabin, fresh towels, ice, etc. are fulfilled, there will be an additional amount at the end of the trip. If it doesn't work, you're only out a few bucks. If it does, it will have been well worth it.

 

And remember, the service charge isn't only for the room service folk, it's also for the restaurant staff, so if your cabin is messy and you cancel out your service charge, you might be depriving other, possibly more deserving crew members of their gratuity.

 

Many of them are just kids, with no real hospitality experience, let's lead them by the nose, kicking and screaming into responsible adulthood. :eek:

 

Squeaky wheels DO get oil, so squeak loud and long while on board, not afterward, you'll get what you want. And it's amazing how loud the voice of money is to the ears of American youth :(

 

Hoping I haven't stepped on any toes,

 

Laurel