Cruise Critic Sailing Aboard Pride of America 4/9 - Ask Us Your Questions

[firstimer2009]

Thank you for doing this.  I am following the ship on Marine Traffic.  We will be sailing this for our anniversary next year.  My husband loves a good Mai Tai so which bar would be the best to go to as soon as we are on board?  Also interested in everything else!

 

[CruiseDealSweeper]

Thanks for posting this and keep the updates coming! My wife and I will be on the May 28th sailing.  I'm curious how long they will keep capacity at 50%...

 

I have already run into a few shore excursions that we were interested in being sold out prior to me booking. We also booked our Airfare through NCL but have still not received any flight details. 

[janice2348]

So happy to hear the POA is sailing again!  My husband and I sailed on her in 2016 and hope to again soon.  I hope everyone has a wonderful cruise, and please have a Mai tai for us!

[Silver Sweethearts]

6 hours ago, CruiseDealSweeper said:

I have already run into a few shore excursions that we were interested in being sold out prior to me booking. 

 

Maui is an easy island to navigate by car and a less expensive, more personally tailored way to see the sights here.  If you haven't done so already you might think about renting a car.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

17 hours ago, Magnetchief said:

I'm hearing wait times of 1 1/2 hours to be seated for dinner. Is this correct?

 

That hasn't been my experience so far -- but I have to admit I've only eaten at the Aloha Cafe and Cadillac Diner so far. I'm testing out the Skyline Restaurant in the coming days.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

16 hours ago, Gracelyn said:

Are the cabins updated? Colour, furniture. We are booked in an aft cabin in the fall. 
gracelyn 

Carpeting is new, and the old porthole-style bed lamps have been replaced with newer, modern ones with USB ports. Otherwise, they're the same as before -- but I have to admit I like these, as there's a ton of storage space and I always thought the cabinetry on these mid-2000's Norwegian ships was charming and has aged well.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

14 hours ago, da1425 said:

 

Can you attach a picture of the cabin balconies if you get a chance?  Thanks!

Absolutely! I have a deeper, recessed balcony near the bow, but others will look similar in terms of configuration.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

12 hours ago, The Shrike said:

Wouldn't surprise me.  We did POA in 2017 and it had by far the worst staff of any NCL ship I've been on.  And that's when they had a full staff, so I can't imagine it when they're shorthanded.

I've actually found the staff to be gracious and hardworking. The line has definitely had issues in the past, but every staff member I've encountered has been nothing but lovely, even if they are still learning the ropes.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

12 hours ago, oteixeira said:

@CruiseCriticAaron Did they replace the fish on the carpets in room hallways?  This is something I have started noticing that makes me a little sad.  

Yes - no more fish. I kind of miss them too, but when I see how much more elegant this new pattern looks, I suddenly don't!

[CruiseCriticAaron]

A few more photos from around Pride of America over the last two days:

 

[The Shrike]

5 hours ago, CruiseCriticAaron said:

I've actually found the staff to be gracious and hardworking. The line has definitely had issues in the past, but every staff member I've encountered has been nothing but lovely, even if they are still learning the ropes.

That is good to hear!

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Hi all, jumping into this thread to post Aaron's first dispatch from PoA. So glad to see this unique ship back out there sailing! 

 

 

[Cris2castle]

Can you post copies of the Freestyle Daily? Thanks! 

[mfon1]

On 4/11/2022 at 4:17 PM, CruiseDealSweeper said:

Thanks for posting this and keep the updates coming! My wife and I will be on the May 28th sailing.  I'm curious how long they will keep capacity at 50%...

 

I have already run into a few shore excursions that we were interested in being sold out prior to me booking. We also booked our Airfare through NCL but have still not received any flight details. 

Yes, we sail on June 4th and are anxiously awaiting our flights booked through NCL. I guess if you haven't received yours yet, I won't get mine soon either. We are hoping to go to Pearl Harbor on debarkation day. This Saturday is the first day we can book on the national parks site, so we'll go ahead and book a morning time and hope our flight home allows us time to do so.

Edited April 12, 2022 by mfon1

[mfon1]

14 hours ago, CruiseCriticAaron said:

That hasn't been my experience so far -- but I have to admit I've only eaten at the Aloha Cafe and Cadillac Diner so far. I'm testing out the Skyline Restaurant in the coming days.

Were you able to book reservations for dinner before the cruise? We have dining reservations (for Liberty and Skyline) made for each night and are hoping they don't cancel them. I've heard the Moderna and Teppanyaki restaurants are not open yet.

[mfon1]

Aaron thank you so much for the beautiful pictures and updates. Just reading and seeing this gets me so excited to sail on the POA. This is a dream vacation for us and the most we have ever spent on one too! 🤣 It's good to see you are having a great time on the ship. 

[deladypilot]

So excited to read this thread.  We dont sail until Oct 28, 2023 so this gives me something to look forward to.  

[Paula_MacFan]

6 hours ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Hi all, jumping into this thread to post Aaron's first dispatch from PoA. So glad to see this unique ship back out there sailing! 

 

 

Thanks for sharing!  The article was very informative.  We are booked on the POA for January 2023 so this just adds to our excitement and anticipation!

[CruiseDealSweeper]

2 hours ago, mfon1 said:

Yes, we sail on June 4th and are anxiously awaiting our flights booked through NCL. I guess if you haven't received yours yet, I won't get mine soon either. We are hoping to go to Pearl Harbor on debarkation day. This Saturday is the first day we can book on the national parks site, so we'll go ahead and book a morning time and hope our flight home allows us time to do so.

We are also planning to go to Pearl Harbor on debarkation day assuming our flight allows for it.. I booked the Pearl Harbor & USS Missouri (airport drop-off) shore excursion through the cruise in hopes it would push the flight later. They emailed me in the last few days saying the excursion will no longer include the Arizona Memorial which is a bummer so may end up canceling through the cruise. 

[Cruise144]

We are sailing 30 Apr cruise.  Welcome any tips, reviews, etc from earlier cruisers.  Thanks in advance for your comments.  Great cruising.

[JBethM]

Are there shuttles at port to take you to airport to get rentals? If not, are there taxis or Uber? 

[CruiseCriticAaron]

5 hours ago, mfon1 said:

Were you able to book reservations for dinner before the cruise? We have dining reservations (for Liberty and Skyline) made for each night and are hoping they don't cancel them. I've heard the Moderna and Teppanyaki restaurants are not open yet.

I was not able to make reservations pre-cruise for this particular voyage. Right now, Moderno Churrascaria, East Meets West and La Cucina are currently closed.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

29 minutes ago, JBethM said:

Are there shuttles at port to take you to airport to get rentals? If not, are there taxis or Uber? 

Great question -- and the answer varies by port.

 

In Kahului, I took both taxis and Ubers -- and taxis were the easiest by far as they're allowed into the Port area, whereas Ubers seem to pick up about a half-mile away at Long's Drugs. My taxi ride was also cheaper -- about $11 to the airport each direction, not including tip. Bring cash; drivers are really reluctant to take credit cards for the short trip.

 

Here in Hilo, there is a free shuttle to car rental agencies, presumably at Hilo Airport, which is just a stone's throw away. Naturally, I didn't rent a car today!

 

Both Hilo and Kahului are industrial ports; I definitely recommend taking a shore excursion or renting a car. We walked around today and found a nice place to eat lunch, but probably should have taken a tour.

 

Here's a sign today in Hilo advertising the rental car shuttle:

 

[CruiseCriticAaron]

6 hours ago, Cris2castle said:

Can you post copies of the Freestyle Daily? Thanks! 

Here's today's Freestyle Daily, using my very unscientific method of placing it on my stateroom carpeting and photographing it with my iPhone.

 

 

[Cindy]

23 minutes ago, CruiseCriticAaron said:

Great question -- and the answer varies by port.

 

In Kahului, I took both taxis and Ubers -- and taxis were the easiest by far as they're allowed into the Port area, whereas Ubers seem to pick up about a half-mile away at Long's Drugs. My taxi ride was also cheaper -- about $11 to the airport each direction, not including tip. Bring cash; drivers are really reluctant to take credit cards for the short trip.

 

Here in Hilo, there is a free shuttle to car rental agencies, presumably at Hilo Airport, which is just a stone's throw away. Naturally, I didn't rent a car today!

 

Both Hilo and Kahului are industrial ports; I definitely recommend taking a shore excursion or renting a car. We walked around today and found a nice place to eat lunch, but probably should have taken a tour.

 

Here's a sign today in Hilo advertising the rental car shuttle:

 

Where did you eat lunch? Is it easy to walk out of the port area to get an Uber or taxi?

 

We’re on the October 1st cruise that is staying overnight in Hilo and skipping Kona. We’re thinking about having dinner off the ship that night.

Edited April 13, 2022 by Cindy