Norwegian Pride of America

[leafy98]

Hello all,

 

I am trying to find a review for Norwegian Pride of America. So far the cruise ship doesn't seem appealing to me. I'm looking for a more modern ship with waterslides/fun activities and this ship looks small. With that said, has anyone had a very positive experience on this ship and think it's worth trying?

 

I should preface that I am looking to cruise in late May/June 2019 for a special once-in-a-lifetime trip for no more than $2500 pp. Unfortunately, all cruiselines seem to be pointing to Russia/Balactics, Alaska, and basic Caribbean cruises. I have never tried Hawaii which is why I'm looking into this cruise.

[ColinIllinois]

Welcome to the forum. Have you looked in the Cruise Critic review section yet? At the top of the page, click "Research".

[chengkp75]

POA was not designed to be the "destination", like the newer, larger ships are. The islands of Hawaii are the destination, and the cruise is designed so that you spend the majority of your time on the islands, not on the ship. Think of the POA as your movable hotel. Instead of packing an unpacking in 4 hotels on 4 islands, and having to arrange transport to the airport and flying between islands, you unpack once, and when you go to sleep at night the "hotel" moves to a new island. The two overnights give you opportunities to explore the islands and experience attractions not available to other cruise lines who only have a daytime port stop.

 

Due to the unique nature of the POA cruise, it is US flagged, with a predominately (75+%) US crew, so the cruise is appreciably more expensive than foreign flag cruises, even 14 day Hawaii cruises from the West Coast.

[leafy98]

POA was not designed to be the "destination", like the newer, larger ships are. The islands of Hawaii are the destination, and the cruise is designed so that you spend the majority of your time on the islands, not on the ship. Think of the POA as your movable hotel. Instead of packing an unpacking in 4 hotels on 4 islands, and having to arrange transport to the airport and flying between islands, you unpack once, and when you go to sleep at night the "hotel" moves to a new island. The two overnights give you opportunities to explore the islands and experience attractions not available to other cruise lines who only have a daytime port stop.

 

Due to the unique nature of the POA cruise, it is US flagged, with a predominately (75+%) US crew, so the cruise is appreciably more expensive than foreign flag cruises, even 14 day Hawaii cruises from the West Coast.

 

 

Thank you! This is very helpful!

[fridaythe13th]

If you like to gamble, just know there is no casino on the POA.

[BostonGal35]

we want to see Hawaii, but the lack of a casino AND the ultimate beverage package are two major downsides for us.

 

i will say that i sailed the Baltics and it is amazing! I highly recommend.

[BirdTravels]

Hello all,

 

I am trying to find a review for Norwegian Pride of America. So far the cruise ship doesn't seem appealing to me. I'm looking for a more modern ship with waterslides/fun activities and this ship looks small. With that said, has anyone had a very positive experience on this ship and think it's worth trying?

 

I should preface that I am looking to cruise in late May/June 2019 for a special once-in-a-lifetime trip for no more than $2500 pp. Unfortunately, all cruiselines seem to be pointing to Russia/Balactics, Alaska, and basic Caribbean cruises. I have never tried Hawaii which is why I'm looking into this cruise.

So,,, most people pic a cruise for the itinerary. And the POA has a great itinerary, stripping at the major Hawaiian islands with over 100 hours in port. Since you are in port every day (and some nights) you won’t miss the water slide,,,, you can be surfing, snorkeling, and swimming at a real beach with beautiful sand and waters.

[Linda the Book Lover]

So,,, most people pic a cruise for the itinerary. And the POA has a great itinerary, stripping at the major Hawaiian islands with over 100 hours in port. Since you are in port every day (and some nights) you won’t miss the water slide,,,, you can be surfing, snorkeling, and swimming at a real beach with beautiful sand and waters.

 

That is why my DD picked this cruise for us so my DGD could see as much of Hawaii as possible in 10 days. And boy are we packing it in between pre-cruise, cruise, and post-cruise! I am glad I am retired so I can sleep for a week after we return!

[mcmomny]

We picked this cruise for the Islands and not the ship, as others have said you are way too busy to take advantage of the ship activities.

I considered it my floating hotel and a place for breakfast and not much else. We never even had time to swim or soak in the hot tubs!

We had no trouble with the staff, we found most very fun and friendly

We would do this cruise again and look at it every year, yes it is expensive but we have also priced out the alternative of staying on an island for a week and that ends up being just as expensive or even more

[LadyLion_AP]

We picked this cruise for the Islands and not the ship, as others have said you are way too busy to take advantage of the ship activities.

I considered it my floating hotel and a place for breakfast and not much else. We never even had time to swim or soak in the hot tubs!

We had no trouble with the staff, we found most very fun and friendly

We would do this cruise again and look at it every year, yes it is expensive but we have also priced out the alternative of staying on an island for a week and that ends up being just as expensive or even more

 

 

 

We are doing this cruise in July 2018 to visit multiple islands. We took a family vacation (8 days) to Oahu a few years back and you would not believe the price tag! A day trip to Maui for 4 was also unbelievably expensive. We certainly enjoyed our land vacation but this seems to be the most cost efficient way to see pretty much all of Hawaii.

 

 

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[Zeno]

As others have basically said - in the case of POA, the ship is not your vacation, Hawaii is.

We did this cruise a number of years ago (and are doing it again in 2018) but for us the point of the vacation is not the cruise but rather to see as much of Hawaii as we can get in a relatively short period of time. We found cruising from island to island MUCH less stress free than flying between the islands. We did not use the ship's facilities much except to eat and sleep and catch the occasional bit of entertainment - we were too busy out on the islands every day. Yes it's expensive but that is the cost of being an American flagged cruise ship in Hawaii . With POA you are paying for convenience not facilities. If cruise ship amenities are really important to you, then it is probably NOT the right cruise for you BUT if you want to see a lot of Hawaii in a limited time frame, I think it's a great choice.

[mking8288]

Luckily, 6 of us sailed the POA when it was newer then, in 2009. Ship is NOT small, not at the 90,000 tonnage class - it is perfectly sized to tour 4 islands with 2 overnight stops over 7 beautiful days, as our floating 4 stars hotel, unpack once - and, we had a steal then with cruise fares & airfares. We booked only oceanviews - yes, the rooms were small but still bigger than today's *Away class ships - it's a place to crash a/k/a sleep, shower, change & eat in-between hitting scenic islands to sightsee, which we did on our own. Rented a minivan in all of the ports & with a Garmin GPS, never got lost ... Road to Hanna, sunset at 10,000 ft. etc. plus we stay in a deluxe 2 BR hotel/condo unit - 1,200 sq. ft. with a real balcony that sat 6 for breakfast, full kitchen & in-unit laundry/dryer ... post-cruise for 3 days in Waikiki + luau, only wished we stayed longer (and, we flew in a day early from the East Coast to ease jet-lag)

 

Now, imagine - flying to 4 different islands, car rental, lodging, food & incidentals ... although, sightseeing are largely free. Admission are largely for park entrance fees and/or parking. As for the POA, the American crew was just fine.

 

You will be kept busy & won't miss the overpriced "bingo" actions and/or casino bandits with sub-par paytables compared to Vegas - and, you can always do a layover en route or on the way back, depending on your hometown.

 

As others said, feel free to search for a Hawaii cruise on Carnival, Royal, Princess or Celebrity, etc. etc. and compare the ship, itinerary and what they have to offer ... and priced it to come up with your total costs. Mahalo !

 

OP, describe your expectations for a once-in-a-lifetime cruise/trip for $2,500 p/p next year - honestly, you will have to be frugal to do Hawaii on a budget. It's very much possible - there is no magical wand. Airfares to Aloha are more expensive than flying to Asia these days. Happy planning ... I suggest doing more research.

Edited December 28, 2017 by mking8288

[trish1c]

POA is lodging & transportation. It is not a cruise in the sense that the ships with all the bells & whistles are.

 

We were rarely on board & awake. If over the course of 1 week I spent a total of 6 hours in a sun lounger, that was a lot. Some days I had no time on deck. I was in a hot tub once for about 1/2 hour & in the pool for maybe 20 minutes.

 

If you want your ship to be your destination, POA is not for you.

 

That said, being able to see many islands & have overnights in some ports was a fantastic overview of some islands. I learned that I would be willing to return to Oahu & Maui but the other islands didn't hold more than a port's worth of interest for me.

 

I enjoyed it but I'd never do it again.

[dixielandings]

I will join in with the very positive reviews. We wanted to see Hawai’i and as much of it as possible. We saved a ton by choosing to cruise the islands. This is not a Caribbean trip - the islands are the show. Take it, put your focus on Polynesia, and enjoy!

 

 

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