Pride of America (POA) - So much food so little time

[junebugcomputer]

After just getting back from the Pride of America, I would like to share my food experience. As many has stated, if you are looking for fine dining or excellent food, you may not be impressed but I will say it met all of my expectations.

 

First I will start with the buffet review.

The buffet had plenty of options for each meal and offered 5 distinct eating times breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, late snack. Like any buffet there would be a carving station, multiple meat options, a vegetarian option, fish option, vegetable, potato, and fresh fruit sides, assorted breads. Depending on the meal, there would be a made to order option (omelets for breakfast and pasta or stir fry for lunch and dinner). The omelets were good (and you could do egg whites if you prefer) pasta was okay. During lunch I really liked the pre-made sandwiches and sometimes I would add the condiments from burger station to add more flavor to my sandwich (precooked bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms). The sliced roast beef or grilled steak was usually not that good and I would say to avoid. On the Luau night (Thursday) and the following night, the carving station may have a whole roasted suckling pig. I would suggest giving that a try but if the buffet is too busy, try either one of the main dining rooms (Liberty or Skyline) or East Meets West. Now on sail away party and the sail back party, they will have the grill going pool side with various sides, fruits and deserts, so if you want to grab a quick burger without going in to the Aloha Cafe. The Key West Bar and Grill will also have grilled burgers, chicken, hot dogs and french fries mid afternoon (4-6pm every day) served buffet style if you want to have a bite and a drink (drink is optional).

 

Now on to the Free dining options

The Cadillac Diner - It's typical diner fare. The best thing to eat is the chicken wings and the grilled chicken sandwich. If you really want a milkshake, it's okay but it $4.95 + tax and gratuity. This is great when you want to eat at 3am (like I did the first night because I was still on Eastern time) or want something other than the offerings of the buffet during the snack hours. I would not eat here for general dinner or lunch unless you want burgers, wings, fries, but you can grab that at the buffet or Key West Bar.

 

East Meets West - The food served seemed on par with a neighborhood Chinese restaurant but with a nice dine in feel. We ended ordering 4 entrees because each entree came as is (i.e. Kung Pao chicken was just the chicken and Orange Beef was just the beef). I would recommend eating here if you have already had one or two nights eating in the main dining rooms and want a change. Avoid the deserts here but if you ever had green tea ice cream or 5 spiced chocolate cake or deserts made with miso, you may want to give it a try.

 

Skyline/Liberty main dining rooms - Both dining rooms offer the same menu and the food comes out of the same kitchen. The stairs inside the Skyline lead to the Liberty host station. The food on the standards side seemed a little bland and when I ordered the New York strip steak, I was definitely disappointed especially after I went to Cagney's later in the week. Stick to the nightly specials and I think you will do okay. Also many people will tend to dress up to eat in Skyline and Liberty but it is definitely not a requirement because I saw people in shorts and t-shirts dining at dinner time. I would say put on a polo shirt and a pair of shorts that don't look like swimwear along with shoes that are not flip flops and you will be fine. I really enjoyed eating lunch in the main dining room (Skyline, since Liberty is only open for dinner), they offer a Philly cheese steak and a club sandwich that is really great.

 

Up-charge dining - For anyone who want to buy the Ultimate Dining Package (UDP) don't unless you really want to eat steakhouse all week. At $129/person for 7 nights, you need to dine at Cagney's at least 3 times with a mix of the other restaurants to make it worth the price. On my trip I did not try Jefferson's Bistro (french inspired food) or the Teppanyaki.

 

Cagney's - I wanted to do this on 06/21 which was Father's day but the dining window stated it was full but when I looked inside there were many open tables which had me confused. They stated we could wait till 9:30pm which was the next available spot, so we decided to check out Moderno on that day. Two days later after booking a reservation, we sat down and had dinner at Cagney's. The meal was excellent. Based on all the other food I had on the cruise, it was definitely the best. I would say give this place a try once during your cruise and make sure you get reservations 24 hours or more in advance. Try the Kobe Sliders and the Chicken Drumsticks definitely. Our steaks were cooked to our liking and definitely try one of the steak toppings (crusted or topped). The truffle fries are a definite as well. By the time desert came, I stomach was too full but I manage to get the Oreo cheesecake down, and it tasted good!

 

Moderno - If you have ever eaten at a Brazilian style steakhouse, this gives you the same feel. All the meet choices were great. I'm glad I went skimpy on the salad bar before the meal started. If you can fit desert in, ask for a slice of the grilled pineapple with your desert. It comes around during the meal but ask for it with your desert especially if you are getting ice cream.

 

La Cuchina - The food here was okay. I had the Caprese salad which was okay but the presentation looked awesome. I had the Osso Buco which was not exceptional but my wife loved the lobster fettuccine. I would say to avoid unless you really want to have some Italian themed food.

 

Overall: I definitely enjoyed and the options. I understand that you won't be impressed with every food offering but there were many options for being included and for upcharge.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Molokai-Chuck]

Great food review, Mahalo!

[greatlakesgirl]

Thanks for sharing!:)

[Retiring cajun]

thanks for good food review! headed there mid august. how was the A/C working in room?

[junebugcomputer]

thanks for good food review! headed there mid august. how was the A/C working in room?

We stayed in room 10057. The A/C was nice and cold. We ended up keeping it at its lowest setting.

[Imalismom]

15 more days for us, we have the UDP, so have reservations all nights for one of the upcharge places to eat. Thanks for your review!!

[CruisingSince2012]

Thanks for posting a food review! I am more concerned about the food than the American crew, so this is exactly what I needed.