Pride of America 6/30-7/7 Review

[ecourtney]

I rated this cruise as a 3 out of 5 based on the ability to see 5 different Hawaiian ports during a 7-night sailing. I will try and remain as objective as possible but this was not the best cruise experience for a first-time Norwegian cruiser ("Loyal to Royal" and Celebrity with 30 sailings between the two cruise lines). We are a group of 5 (grandmother, mother, sister, brother, and myself) who are relatively easy-going and low maintenance. I will group this review into sections and make it as informative as possible.

 

SHIP: We really enjoyed the size of this ship and the decor was tasteful, without being "over the top" like other cruise lines (Carnival, I'm looking at you). It was easy to go from bow to stern on most public decks, however there were certain areas that prevented a seamless flow (i.e. Aloha Cafe was accessible from the starboard side and the stern elevator bank, but La Cucina and the Gold Rush Saloon prevented access from the port side, and you had to go outside on deck 6 to get from the Liberty Restaurant to the Capitol Atrium because Cagney's Steakhouse blocked the starboard side). Not an overall hinderance, just an inconvenience.

 

STATEROOMS: We had two balcony staterooms (#9672 on the port side and #9166 on the starboard side). I was strategic with room placement, as we wanted a great view of the Na Pali coast sail by but we were also rewarded with a view of the volcanic flow from Kilauea as we left Hilo, on our way to Kona. The stateroom cabins are SMALL!! It was extremely tight with three of us in the room (the sofa bed takes up way too much space) and the bathroom was the smallest I have ever seen on a ship. Still, it served its purpose as a "floating hotel" as we explored the different islands.

 

DINING: I know Norwegian prides themselves on their "Freestyle Dining" concept, but it is simply a MESS. Prior to our sailing, I made reservations every night in Skyline, one of the complimentary restaurants. The first evening, I approached the hostess at the stand and told her I made reservations. She had nothing in the system for either of our stateroom numbers. Why even bother making reservations in advance? Nevertheless, it was unnecessary to make reservations because the restaurants were practically empty every night. As I mentioned previously, we are all very low-maintenance and choose to dine at the complimentary venues instead of the specialty dining choices. For me, the food was absolutely inedible on this cruise. I am far from a culinary expert but the food was just bad. Most dishes had no flavor and were extremely bland. I was impressed by the choices, as there were a variety of dishes to choose from each night (9-10 starter and entree choices, as opposed to 4-5 on Royal) and all dishes came out hot (something severely lacking on other cruise lines) but I was not impressed by the dining options on this ship. We dined one night in East Meets West, the complimentary Asian cuisine restaurant, and the food was decent. The menu doesn't change, so one or two visits here is plenty. The Cadillac Diner was alright, better food at breakfast than any other time during the day. Finally, the Aloha Cafe was hit or miss. It was always crowded up there (you could never find a seat) and breakfast was mediocre at best. The highlight of the entire week were the chicken quesadillas they had during snack hours. These were THE. BEST. Make sure to look for them! They were only there one day and then they were gone. They also had a couple poolside BBQs with standard cuisine (hot dogs, hamburgers).

 

ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES: Honestly, we weren't on the ship enough to enjoy the entertainment and activities. We saw one show (Vegas! The Show) and it was absolutely terrible. The cruise director was alright, usually acting desperate to get people to join in the activities. They also had a variety of Hawaiian-themed activities throughout the week (lei making, hula dancing, etc.).

 

SERVICE: This was the area with the most opportunity. As most cruisers know, the Pride of America is a US-flagged vessel and 70% of the crew must be American citizens. Well, it's clear that most of them do not want to be there and most of them do not know proper cruise standards. One negative experience that left a bad taste in my mouth was one of the female bartenders in the Gold Rush Saloon (Amy). We met her on the first day and I could instantly tell that she put on a fake act for guests because she was underhandedly rude and short. We went back to the Gold Rush Saloon later in the cruise (they have 8 different Kona Brewing Co. brews on tap... so good!) and one her colleagues was tending the bar (Darin, very nice). Unfortunately we arrived right before margarita tasting and sure enough, Amy comes out. At the end of the tasting, she asked us why we didn't participate. I am not a fan of tequila or margaritas and I shared that all of the margaritas were pre-mixed (diluted, overly sweet). She said she made the batch the night before (my point exactly) and that she would make me the perfect margarita. Well, it tasted like juice, to which she responded, "how do you think a margarita should taste?" Hello, if I'm drinking a margarita, I want to taste tequila! She then tried to "school" me and tell me that you should never be able to taste one particular flavor in a "perfect" margarita (what a load of bull). She told me to come back that night and order another margarita and if I didn't like it, she wouldn't charge me (I never went back. Guess I will never know what a "perfect" margarita tastes like!) In an effort to avoid sounding overly negative, I will focus on one extremely positive service experience that we had during the cruise: one night we ate at the Liberty restaurant and were waited on by Hali, a wonderful young lady from Michigan. She shared with us that she just started earlier that month and had already been promoted to waiter. Boy, did she deserve it! She was so attentive and was super sweet and genuine. Service was never slow and it was so unfortunate that we met Hali so late in the cruise (second to last night) because we would have requested to dine in her section every night. If you are going on this cruise, try and request Hali!

 

EMBARKATION & DISEMBARKATION: We chose the pre-cruise hotel stay as one of our perks. Getting to the hotel was an absolute nightmare. We waited over 20 minutes for a large party to get off the plane and collect their luggage before the shuttle left to the hotels. We saw our luggage board the bus with us but because this large group needed to be split up, they ended up doing some shuffling of bags and as we pulled away from the curb, we saw our luggage sitting there. WHAT?! The driver "assured" us that our luggage would be on the next shuttle bus and proceeded to drive like a maniac over to Waikiki (we were staying at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel). We were still concerned about our luggage and the driver said he would stay and wait for the next shuttle to arrive. What happens when we get off the shuttle? The driver says under his breath, "I'm not waiting" and takes off and our luggage is nowhere in sight. It was an absolute mess, trying to contact dispatch and get our bags. We eventually collected everything but from now on, ALWAYS make sure your luggage gets on with you! Thankfully disembarkation was fine, no problems with the shuttle back to the airport.

 

PORTS: Now, the highlight of this review. I will talk about each port and the excursions we took in each one (none of them were ship tours).

 

Honolulu, Oahu - We walked around Waikiki for a bit, enjoyed a delicious meal at the Maui Brewing Co (this is a sister bar and restaurant to their main location on Maui) and went to bed relatively early, as we were exhausted from traveling all day and the shuttle was picking us up early the next day. I woke up super early the next day and hiked up Diamond Head crater (took an Uber roundtrip from the hotel). It was a beautiful day and a fantastic hike! Once we got to the ship, I had plenty of time to walk around and explore Downtown Oahu (Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha statue, Aloha Tower) before we departed.

 

Kahului, Maui - Rented a car for the two days (used Discount Hawaii Car Rental in all ports). Took an Uber roundtrip from the airport, including when I parked the car overnight. I was a little worried about this, as I heard that Maui didn't have the best overnight parking. I thought it was safer to park at the airport, and it was only $15 to park overnight. A couple I met during the sunrise summit bike tour parked in the Whole Foods parking lot (across from the ship) but they knew they were taking a risk. Our first day in Maui was completely devoted to the Road to Hana. I downloaded Shaka Guide Maui and took the "classic" tour. Such a great way to explore on your own! The entire ride took us a little over 8 hours (Shaka Guide provides recommended stops along the route). Let me just say, it is exhausting! I needed to be up early for the sunrise summit bike tour. I booked the Sunrise Special bike tour independently through Bike Maui tours (highly recommend!) Their staff was professional and very informative. The bike tour was fantastic, a wonderful 26-mile downhill course. While it was a relatively clear day at the summit, the sunrise was not the greatest (cloud cover from Kilauea). Make sure to dress warmly. I returned back to the ship, picked up the rest of my party, and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon at the Maui Brewing Co (relatively short drive from the ship).

 

Hilo, Hawaii - Rented a car again and planned on using Shaka Guide Big Isle but unfortunately Volcanoes National Park is closed due to activity from Kilauea. We drove around and checked out a few tourist spots (Mauna Loa Factory, Akaka Falls, Boiling Pots, Rainbow Falls). Unfortunately the self-guided factory tour was closed due to annual maintenance, but we picked up a bunch of gifts before returning the car and heading back to the ship. We were underwhelmed by Hilo, but the highlight of this port was the unexpected sail by of the volcanic activity on the south shore of the island. This was incredible! Truly stunning, especially when you think about the destructive and creative forces of volcanoes. We watched from our starboard stateroom balcony as China, the Hawaiian ambassador on the ship, narrated on the TV.

 

Kona, Hawaii - The tender ride is not pleasant, so be prepared. We had nothing planned this day expect a visit to Kona Brewing Co (notice a theme?) We stopped at Hilo Hattie's and Scandinavian Shaved Ice before heading to the brewery. Before heading back to the ship, I trekked over to Target for a few small things. Overall it was a lovely, laid-back kind of day.

 

Nawiliwili, Kauai - They definitely saved the best for last! This was our favorite port on the entire itinerary. We rented a car once again and downloaded Shaka Guide Kauai. We drove up to Waimea Canyon and went up to the Na Pali coast overlook but unfortunately the clouds blocked our view of the coast. The canyon was breathtaking and majestic. That night I had booked an independent tour to Smith Family Garden Luau. The gardens, dinner, and show were all fantastic! I highly recommend booking a private reservation. The ship promotes Luau Kalamaku but we saw about 800 guests board the tour buses. No thanks! We were very happy with our choice of luau (free-flowing mai tais? Yes please!) The next day was relatively short, with an all-aboard time of 1:30. I had read reviews of the Kauai Backcountry Adventures Mountain Tubing excursion, so I booked us on the first tour of the morning. Once again, another solid recommendation! Think about cruising in an inner tube on a lazy river, going through a variety of tunnels and over a small waterfall. Super fun! All of the guides were extremely knowledgeable and professional. Returned the car, headed back to the ship, and got ready for the Na Pali coast sail by (around 5:15). This was surreal. Since we couldn't see the coast from above, the sail by was well worth it. China once again narrated on the TV and within an hour we were sailing away back to Oahu.

 

There was just not enough time to see everything! We tried to accomplish as much as we could, but I guess we just need to take another trip to Hawaii to see the rest! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on this trip but it was mainly about the destination and not about the cruise experience. We missed the small things, like a beverage package and a standard dining room table, but we were happy to check another destination off our bucket list. Mahalo!

[Czmzlz]

Nice review! We're renting a car on Kauai too - how long did it take to get from the ship to the Waimea canyon overlook? On Maui we're planning on driving the RTH on the 2nd day but only going partway so we can eat a late lunch at Mama's Fish House. Any suggestions on where we should turn around and head back? I'm getting the Shaka guides too. Thanks for posting your review!

[ecourtney]

Nice review! We're renting a car on Kauai too - how long did it take to get from the ship to the Waimea canyon overlook? On Maui we're planning on driving the RTH on the 2nd day but only going partway so we can eat a late lunch at Mama's Fish House. Any suggestions on where we should turn around and head back? I'm getting the Shaka guides too. Thanks for posting your review!

 

Thanks for reading! I highly recommend allowing yourself about 4-5 hours for a visit to Waimea Canyon. The drive from the ship to where Shaka Guide starts is about 20-30 minutes. It’s an amazing view and drive. On Maui, it’s tough to say where you should turn around on the Road to Hana drive. I would recommend driving to the black sand beach (Waianapanapa State Park) and then turn around. Enjoy your trip!!

[Mr.N]

I rated this cruise as a 3 out of 5 based on the ability to see 5 different Hawaiian ports during a 7-night sailing. I will try and remain as objective as possible but this was not the best cruise experience for a first-time Norwegian cruiser ("Loyal to Royal" and Celebrity with 30 sailings between the two cruise lines). We are a group of 5 (grandmother, mother, sister, brother, and myself) who are relatively easy-going and low maintenance. I will group this review into sections and make it as informative as possible.

 

 

 

SHIP: We really enjoyed the size of this ship and the decor was tasteful, without being "over the top" like other cruise lines (Carnival, I'm looking at you). It was easy to go from bow to stern on most public decks, however there were certain areas that prevented a seamless flow (i.e. Aloha Cafe was accessible from the starboard side and the stern elevator bank, but La Cucina and the Gold Rush Saloon prevented access from the port side, and you had to go outside on deck 6 to get from the Liberty Restaurant to the Capitol Atrium because Cagney's Steakhouse blocked the starboard side). Not an overall hinderance, just an inconvenience.

 

 

 

STATEROOMS: We had two balcony staterooms (#9672 on the port side and #9166 on the starboard side). I was strategic with room placement, as we wanted a great view of the Na Pali coast sail by but we were also rewarded with a view of the volcanic flow from Kilauea as we left Hilo, on our way to Kona. The stateroom cabins are SMALL!! It was extremely tight with three of us in the room (the sofa bed takes up way too much space) and the bathroom was the smallest I have ever seen on a ship. Still, it served its purpose as a "floating hotel" as we explored the different islands.

 

 

 

DINING: I know Norwegian prides themselves on their "Freestyle Dining" concept, but it is simply a MESS. Prior to our sailing, I made reservations every night in Skyline, one of the complimentary restaurants. The first evening, I approached the hostess at the stand and told her I made reservations. She had nothing in the system for either of our stateroom numbers. Why even bother making reservations in advance? Nevertheless, it was unnecessary to make reservations because the restaurants were practically empty every night. As I mentioned previously, we are all very low-maintenance and choose to dine at the complimentary venues instead of the specialty dining choices. For me, the food was absolutely inedible on this cruise. I am far from a culinary expert but the food was just bad. Most dishes had no flavor and were extremely bland. I was impressed by the choices, as there were a variety of dishes to choose from each night (9-10 starter and entree choices, as opposed to 4-5 on Royal) and all dishes came out hot (something severely lacking on other cruise lines) but I was not impressed by the dining options on this ship. We dined one night in East Meets West, the complimentary Asian cuisine restaurant, and the food was decent. The menu doesn't change, so one or two visits here is plenty. The Cadillac Diner was alright, better food at breakfast than any other time during the day. Finally, the Aloha Cafe was hit or miss. It was always crowded up there (you could never find a seat) and breakfast was mediocre at best. The highlight of the entire week were the chicken quesadillas they had during snack hours. These were THE. BEST. Make sure to look for them! They were only there one day and then they were gone. They also had a couple poolside BBQs with standard cuisine (hot dogs, hamburgers).

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES: Honestly, we weren't on the ship enough to enjoy the entertainment and activities. We saw one show (Vegas! The Show) and it was absolutely terrible. The cruise director was alright, usually acting desperate to get people to join in the activities. They also had a variety of Hawaiian-themed activities throughout the week (lei making, hula dancing, etc.).

 

 

 

SERVICE: This was the area with the most opportunity. As most cruisers know, the Pride of America is a US-flagged vessel and 70% of the crew must be American citizens. Well, it's clear that most of them do not want to be there and most of them do not know proper cruise standards. One negative experience that left a bad taste in my mouth was one of the female bartenders in the Gold Rush Saloon (Amy). We met her on the first day and I could instantly tell that she put on a fake act for guests because she was underhandedly rude and short. We went back to the Gold Rush Saloon later in the cruise (they have 8 different Kona Brewing Co. brews on tap... so good!) and one her colleagues was tending the bar (Darin, very nice). Unfortunately we arrived right before margarita tasting and sure enough, Amy comes out. At the end of the tasting, she asked us why we didn't participate. I am not a fan of tequila or margaritas and I shared that all of the margaritas were pre-mixed (diluted, overly sweet). She said she made the batch the night before (my point exactly) and that she would make me the perfect margarita. Well, it tasted like juice, to which she responded, "how do you think a margarita should taste?" Hello, if I'm drinking a margarita, I want to taste tequila! She then tried to "school" me and tell me that you should never be able to taste one particular flavor in a "perfect" margarita (what a load of bull). She told me to come back that night and order another margarita and if I didn't like it, she wouldn't charge me (I never went back. Guess I will never know what a "perfect" margarita tastes like!) In an effort to avoid sounding overly negative, I will focus on one extremely positive service experience that we had during the cruise: one night we ate at the Liberty restaurant and were waited on by Hali, a wonderful young lady from Michigan. She shared with us that she just started earlier that month and had already been promoted to waiter. Boy, did she deserve it! She was so attentive and was super sweet and genuine. Service was never slow and it was so unfortunate that we met Hali so late in the cruise (second to last night) because we would have requested to dine in her section every night. If you are going on this cruise, try and request Hali!

 

 

 

EMBARKATION & DISEMBARKATION: We chose the pre-cruise hotel stay as one of our perks. Getting to the hotel was an absolute nightmare. We waited over 20 minutes for a large party to get off the plane and collect their luggage before the shuttle left to the hotels. We saw our luggage board the bus with us but because this large group needed to be split up, they ended up doing some shuffling of bags and as we pulled away from the curb, we saw our luggage sitting there. WHAT?! The driver "assured" us that our luggage would be on the next shuttle bus and proceeded to drive like a maniac over to Waikiki (we were staying at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel). We were still concerned about our luggage and the driver said he would stay and wait for the next shuttle to arrive. What happens when we get off the shuttle? The driver says under his breath, "I'm not waiting" and takes off and our luggage is nowhere in sight. It was an absolute mess, trying to contact dispatch and get our bags. We eventually collected everything but from now on, ALWAYS make sure your luggage gets on with you! Thankfully disembarkation was fine, no problems with the shuttle back to the airport.

 

 

 

PORTS: Now, the highlight of this review. I will talk about each port and the excursions we took in each one (none of them were ship tours).

 

 

 

Honolulu, Oahu - We walked around Waikiki for a bit, enjoyed a delicious meal at the Maui Brewing Co (this is a sister bar and restaurant to their main location on Maui) and went to bed relatively early, as we were exhausted from traveling all day and the shuttle was picking us up early the next day. I woke up super early the next day and hiked up Diamond Head crater (took an Uber roundtrip from the hotel). It was a beautiful day and a fantastic hike! Once we got to the ship, I had plenty of time to walk around and explore Downtown Oahu (Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha statue, Aloha Tower) before we departed.

 

 

 

Kahului, Maui - Rented a car for the two days (used Discount Hawaii Car Rental in all ports). Took an Uber roundtrip from the airport, including when I parked the car overnight. I was a little worried about this, as I heard that Maui didn't have the best overnight parking. I thought it was safer to park at the airport, and it was only $15 to park overnight. A couple I met during the sunrise summit bike tour parked in the Whole Foods parking lot (across from the ship) but they knew they were taking a risk. Our first day in Maui was completely devoted to the Road to Hana. I downloaded Shaka Guide Maui and took the "classic" tour. Such a great way to explore on your own! The entire ride took us a little over 8 hours (Shaka Guide provides recommended stops along the route). Let me just say, it is exhausting! I needed to be up early for the sunrise summit bike tour. I booked the Sunrise Special bike tour independently through Bike Maui tours (highly recommend!) Their staff was professional and very informative. The bike tour was fantastic, a wonderful 26-mile downhill course. While it was a relatively clear day at the summit, the sunrise was not the greatest (cloud cover from Kilauea). Make sure to dress warmly. I returned back to the ship, picked up the rest of my party, and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon at the Maui Brewing Co (relatively short drive from the ship).

 

 

 

Hilo, Hawaii - Rented a car again and planned on using Shaka Guide Big Isle but unfortunately Volcanoes National Park is closed due to activity from Kilauea. We drove around and checked out a few tourist spots (Mauna Loa Factory, Akaka Falls, Boiling Pots, Rainbow Falls). Unfortunately the self-guided factory tour was closed due to annual maintenance, but we picked up a bunch of gifts before returning the car and heading back to the ship. We were underwhelmed by Hilo, but the highlight of this port was the unexpected sail by of the volcanic activity on the south shore of the island. This was incredible! Truly stunning, especially when you think about the destructive and creative forces of volcanoes. We watched from our starboard stateroom balcony as China, the Hawaiian ambassador on the ship, narrated on the TV.

 

 

 

Kona, Hawaii - The tender ride is not pleasant, so be prepared. We had nothing planned this day expect a visit to Kona Brewing Co (notice a theme?) We stopped at Hilo Hattie's and Scandinavian Shaved Ice before heading to the brewery. Before heading back to the ship, I trekked over to Target for a few small things. Overall it was a lovely, laid-back kind of day.

 

 

 

Nawiliwili, Kauai - They definitely saved the best for last! This was our favorite port on the entire itinerary. We rented a car once again and downloaded Shaka Guide Kauai. We drove up to Waimea Canyon and went up to the Na Pali coast overlook but unfortunately the clouds blocked our view of the coast. The canyon was breathtaking and majestic. That night I had booked an independent tour to Smith Family Garden Luau. The gardens, dinner, and show were all fantastic! I highly recommend booking a private reservation. The ship promotes Luau Kalamaku but we saw about 800 guests board the tour buses. No thanks! We were very happy with our choice of luau (free-flowing mai tais? Yes please!) The next day was relatively short, with an all-aboard time of 1:30. I had read reviews of the Kauai Backcountry Adventures Mountain Tubing excursion, so I booked us on the first tour of the morning. Once again, another solid recommendation! Think about cruising in an inner tube on a lazy river, going through a variety of tunnels and over a small waterfall. Super fun! All of the guides were extremely knowledgeable and professional. Returned the car, headed back to the ship, and got ready for the Na Pali coast sail by (around 5:15). This was surreal. Since we couldn't see the coast from above, the sail by was well worth it. China once again narrated on the TV and within an hour we were sailing away back to Oahu.

 

 

 

There was just not enough time to see everything! We tried to accomplish as much as we could, but I guess we just need to take another trip to Hawaii to see the rest! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on this trip but it was mainly about the destination and not about the cruise experience. We missed the small things, like a beverage package and a standard dining room table, but we were happy to check another destination off our bucket list. Mahalo!

 

 

 

What an excellent, detailed and informative review! We have reservations on a June 2019 sailing and are having reservations/concerns about going because of the recent flooding, volcanic activity and reports of the food and service on NCL. Having sailed with NCL three times previously, we have noticed the food quality declining. Recently we have been surprised by the lack of return phone calls from the NCL personal cruise consultant to address our concerns and perhaps book a different cruise.

Once again, thanks for your great review, because you answered many of the questions we had, and your 3 out of 5 Star rating is very helpful.

 

 

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[Sauer-kraut]

Thank you for your balanced review. :)

[ABoatNerd]

If you wish to see Hawaii - do not cruise. Spend the sea days actually on Hawaii - fly and see.

 

This is one destination that is not well served by a cruise. Pick 2 islands and fly - the inter island air travel is great - efficient and cost effective.

 

Go to Kauai - take a plane flight around the island - see the beyond words Napali coast.

 

A cruise does not allow you to see and experience Hawaii.

 

The Pride of America has a long history of mediocre product.

[Silver Sweethearts]

We have reservations on a June 2019 sailing and are having reservations/concerns about going because of the recent flooding, volcanic activity and reports of the food and service on NCL. Having sailed with NCL three times previously, we have noticed the food quality declining. Recently we have been surprised by the lack of return phone calls from the NCL personal cruise consultant to address our concerns and perhaps book a different cruise.

 

Your concerns are all well founded but things are not about to change. Flooding and volcanic activity are just an unfortunate part of life in the islands and something you do the best you can with when they happen.

 

The POA is the only ship of its kind here, and they aren't about to change either because they have no direct competition. NCL has no need to improve anything.

[ecourtney]

Your concerns are all well founded but things are not about to change. Flooding and volcanic activity are just an unfortunate part of life in the islands and something you do the best you can with when they happen.

 

The POA is the only ship of its kind here, and they aren't about to change either because they have no direct competition. NCL has no need to improve anything.

 

I couldn't agree more. We were completely enamored by the destructive yet creative force behind the Kilauea eruptions, but that should not stop you from enjoying your vacation. On Kauai, our tour guides mentioned the excessive flooding that occurred a few months prior but we didn't notice any difference. Mother Nature will continue on whether or not we keep vacationing and living our lives. While PoA and NCL are not the most ideal options for cruising around the Hawaiian islands, they are all that's available for the foreseeable future. While not the most ideal cruise vacation, it is a great way to sample the islands and give you a taste of what to expect when you plan a longer trip.

[Mr.N]

Your concerns are all well founded but things are not about to change. Flooding and volcanic activity are just an unfortunate part of life in the islands and something you do the best you can with when they happen.

 

 

 

The POA is the only ship of its kind here, and they aren't about to change either because they have no direct competition. NCL has no need to improve anything.

 

 

 

What a wonderful website! Such wonderful insight and advice, I cannot thank you enough.

While it is “just” a vacation for us, we cannot lose sight of the impact Mother Nature is having on the residents. Not acknowledging that would be very selfish on my part.

My biggest concern is that my wife has severe asthma, and air quality trumps seemingly trivial concerns over my perception Norwegian’s meals.

Perhaps there is a Hawaiian based website that I can monitor, since my “cruise consultant” has been A.W.O.L.

 

 

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[cruz_happy]

What a wonderful website! Such wonderful insight and advice, I cannot thank you enough.

While it is “just” a vacation for us, we cannot lose sight of the impact Mother Nature is having on the residents. Not acknowledging that would be very selfish on my part.

My biggest concern is that my wife has severe asthma, and air quality trumps seemingly trivial concerns over my perception Norwegian’s meals.

Perhaps there is a Hawaiian based website that I can monitor, since my “cruise consultant” has been A.W.O.L.

 

 

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This is our first NCL cruise and truly lucked out with our NCL cruise consultant who was phenomenal. We have sailed several RCCL and Celebrity (Carnival too)and our consultant has outshined any we’ve ever had; he was amazing. I wish I could get him every time we call RCCL. I don’t know if he can help you but you could try. Am I allowed to post his name here? Do you know?

 

 

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[cruz_happy]

Courtney, very nice review. We are sailing July 14th. Did I understand correctly that the ship sails by the volcanic activity that you can see the flowing lava?

 

 

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[Mr.N]

This is our first NCL cruise and truly lucked out with our NCL cruise consultant who was phenomenal. We have sailed several RCCL and Celebrity (Carnival too)and our consultant has outshined any we’ve ever had; he was amazing. I wish I could get him every time we call RCCL. I don’t know if he can help you but you could try. Am I allowed to post his name here? Do you know?

 

 

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I’m not sure of the protocol of posting a cruise consultants name, it’s my first day as a member. We used to have an excellent one, but he got promoted. I’m happy for you that you have an excellent consultant, but I wouldn’t want you trying to be nice and violate the TOS (terms of service) of the site. Thanks for your help!

 

 

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[Silver Sweethearts]

Perhaps there is a Hawaiian based website that I can monitor, since my “cruise consultant” has been A.W.O.L.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic, by the way. Just Google "Cruise Critic Hawaii" and you will find a group of contributors there who have literally been there and done that as far as Hawaii and cruising around Hawaii and the Pacific are concerned - and with recent information. Aloha!

[jigger]

great review !!

[ecourtney]

Courtney, very nice review. We are sailing July 14th. Did I understand correctly that the ship sails by the volcanic activity that you can see the flowing lava?

 

 

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Yes, you are correct. The ship sails by the volcanic activity after you leave Hilo, on the way to Kona. Based on comments from crew members, this "doesn't always happen" but I take their information with a grain of salt.

 

I have a coworker on your sailing :) Enjoy your trip!