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

[Candy Apple 12]

16 hours ago, mfon1 said:

Thank you. That’s what I figured would be the case which is fine with me. Then we could enjoy the day in Honolulu and hopefully sleep on the way home. I’ve been checking out google flights to see what the possibilities are. Let’s see which one we get. We may wind up booking a tour through NCL anyway because of the luggage situation. I wouldn’t know what else to do with them while we take a taxi/Uber to Pearl Harbor. 

Pre-COVID there was luggage storage at the port of Honolulu that you could use when you disembarked. 

[CruiseCriticAaron]

19 hours ago, tinmanp7 said:

Could you please check the taxi situation for us tomorrow in Kaua’i? We are going to need to get a taxi for our private excursion when we are there. Thanks in advance.

Hello from Kauai! So far, I don't see any taxi's, and Uber availability is very limited -- none are currently shown as available. I have a Lyft scheduled for an hour from now, so we'll see how that pans out. I'll keep you updated.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

15 hours ago, Gracelyn said:

 

Hmmm it doesn’t show up anywhere on mine. Really odd 

I'll let our Boards team know. Thanks so much!

[Cindy]

13 minutes ago, CruiseCriticAaron said:

I'll let our Boards team know. Thanks so much!

I followed the original post, so I get a notification when there are new posts, but the thread itself isn’t visible on the main board. I hope that makes sense!

Edited April 14, 2022 by Cindy

[CruiseCriticAaron]

6 hours ago, alisonalm said:

Is it cold on board?

I find Pink's Champagne Bar on Deck 6 to be pretty chilly in the evenings. Otherwise, I'm happy with the temperature onboard - but fair disclosure, I always run hot and prefer my rooms on the cold side!

[CruiseCriticAaron]

A few notes from Kona yesterday:

 

This is easily the most accessible port for those looking to explore independently. A nice beach right off the left side of the tender pier where you can rent chairs and an umbrella for $29. Lots of local restaurants and bars nearby, and you can even go to Kona Brewing, though it's a bit of a hike. Weather was hot and sunny in the AM, cloudy and humid in the PM.

 

Dined at the Skyline Dining Room on Deck 5 aft last evening at 7:30. No wait to get in, and service was prompt. Food was also very good as well.

 

I do notice nightlife ends rather early onboard -- the last scheduled activities are around 9:15pm on some evenings. But most passengers seem keen to turn in early, though bars and lounges remain open until between 10pm and Midnight.

 

 

[CruiseCriticAaron]

12 minutes ago, Cindy said:

I followed the original post, so new posts show up on notifications, but the thread itself isn’t visible on the main board. I hope that makes sense!

Makes complete sense to me -- I've let our team know, so they'll look into what's going on. It appears at the very top of the Norwegian boards page for me (in the section of threads that are pinned there).

[Cindy]

16 minutes ago, CruiseCriticAaron said:

Makes complete sense to me -- I've let our team know, so they'll look into what's going on. It appears at the very top of the Norwegian boards page for me (in the section of threads that are pinned there).

It is in the pinned section! I just hadn’t looked there.

[Sunny G]

Do you have a copy of the menu from Jefferson Bistro? And do they have a place to get pizza?

thanks

[zounds]

Specialty menus are on NCL.com

[Go2SeaTheWorld]

On 4/13/2022 at 2:21 PM, zounds said:

Thanks very much, Aaron for the info and lovely photos !  We're really looking forward to our May 28th sailing and expect the bugs will be worked out by then.

I echo this sentiment. We're also on the May 28th cruise and are very pleasantly surprised with the pics of the ship. This will be just our 2nd cruise ever, the 1st being a West. Med out of Venice in 2017. 

[lgdesign]

2 hours ago, Go2SeaTheWorld said:

I echo this sentiment. We're also on the May 28th cruise and are very pleasantly surprised with the pics of the ship. This will be just our 2nd cruise ever, the 1st being a West. Med out of Venice in 2017. 

Great second choice for a cruise... we will be sailing on her (hopefully in Jan 2023) and appreciate all the info this thread is providing.  

 

Sidebar: While I applaud Venice's choice on one level to deny large cruise ships departing from her waters, I was very thrilled to have had the experience of sailing out of her back in 2010.  It was epic and wonderful yet also shocking to see how close we were to St Marks, etc as we departed.  Not surprised to see them stop it.  Venice is such a unique and special place (yet so fraught with seemingly unsolvable issues). While I loved sailing out off her, I can't blame them for taking the actions they did.

[opshannon]

Can you talk about testing procedures and mask wearing in Hawaii as of now?

 

[CruiseCriticAaron]

15 hours ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

Pre-COVID there was luggage storage at the port of Honolulu that you could use when you disembarked. 

Apparently there still is. According to the disembarkation leaflet in the cabins this evening, its $5 per piece to store bags at the cruise terminal.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

6 hours ago, Sunny G said:

Do you have a copy of the menu from Jefferson Bistro? And do they have a place to get pizza?

thanks

Pizza is available in the Aloha Cafe on Deck 11; it's decently good. I'll try to take a few pics of the Jefferson's Bistro menu tomorrow.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

4 hours ago, Go2SeaTheWorld said:

I echo this sentiment. We're also on the May 28th cruise and are very pleasantly surprised with the pics of the ship. This will be just our 2nd cruise ever, the 1st being a West. Med out of Venice in 2017. 

I was pleasantly surprised, too. I toured Pride of America way back in 2011, and found the ship to be not really to my liking in terms of decor. Now, the ship has a uniform look and feel that is sophisticated while still paying tribute to all things Americana and Hawaiian. It's actually become one of my favorite ships, and I've been surprised what a comfortable, quiet ship it is.

[CruiseCriticAaron]

Here are a few more photos of Pride of America, as it exists this voyage. Have to say I've been very surprised I've enjoyed the Cadillac Diner as much as I have; it's a great place for a nice, sit-down breakfast, and there's outdoor seating on the Promenade Deck should you prefer that. Plus, it's complimentary.

 

 

[CruiseCriticAaron]

A few notes on Nawiliwili:

 

There are indeed taxi's here, though they're definitely not waiting outside at the pier, and only accept cash. Uber and Lyft are terrifically hard to come by -- though I had luck pre-scheduling two Lyft rides, which I recommend doing in advance of your call here.

 

A sign says there is a shuttle to rental car locations, presumable at Lihue Airport. I never saw the shuttle, but it's a moot point as there is nearly zero availability on the island. Again, book a rental car well in advance (we're talking weeks, if not months, prior to your arrival).

 

The Port security officials (who are unusually cranky right across the board here in Hawaii) will not allow any rideshare cars into the Port. They'll make you hike half a mile up the road to a nondescript brown industrial building, with no crosswalk, in order to board your Lyft/Uber.

 

Taxis are allowed into the port, however. Make of that what you will.

 

Despite the challenges getting around if you're not on an official shore excursion, I did enjoy my time here today. We spent the day up at the Kilohana Plantation, which offers a family-friendly plantation train, numerous shops, a Koloa Rum tasting facility, and the excellent Gaylord's Restaurant and the adjacent Mahiko Lounge. Norwegian uses the Plantation as the setting of its evening Luau excursion, and it's definitely worth the visit.

Edited April 15, 2022 by CruiseCriticAaron
Spelling

[CruiseCriticAaron]

2 hours ago, opshannon said:

Can you talk about testing procedures and mask wearing in Hawaii as of now?

 

So to embark Pride of America, like any other cruise right now, all passengers need proof of a negative antigen test taken no more than two calendar days in advance of sailing.

 

Masks are optional onboard, though crew are all still wearing masks at this time. A handful of guests, including myself, still mask unless seated. It's a personal choice.

 

Masks are required, however, at embarkation and disembarkation, and in all terminal facilities, airports, and most cabs/Ubers/Lyfts at this time. Some local shops still require masks, as do most grocery stores I've been into. Most shops in Hawaii and Honolulu had optional masking rules.

[cruisewiththekids]

Regarding taxis, do you think you have to reserve one in advance?    You mentioned you didn't see any but that they were allowed into the port.     Also, in regard to rental cars, did you notice if Anchor Cove Shopping Center is once again allowing overnight parking, and if so, what the fee is?    Thanks.

[zounds]

Thank you, Aaron for the testing/mask info.  I just got the letter from NCL saying that testing is available at the port  for a fee.  Can you confirm and what is the cost ?

[CruiseDealSweeper]

On 4/13/2022 at 5:34 PM, mfon1 said:

Thank you. That’s what I figured would be the case which is fine with me. Then we could enjoy the day in Honolulu and hopefully sleep on the way home. I’ve been checking out google flights to see what the possibilities are. Let’s see which one we get. We may wind up booking a tour through NCL anyway because of the luggage situation. I wouldn’t know what else to do with them while we take a taxi/Uber to Pearl Harbor. 

I was hoping for a late flight home (as in 6PM or later) and instead we leave Hawaii at 3:00PM. We now have to cancel our Shore Excursion we booked that went to Pearl Harbor. NCL will not change the flights.

[Go2SeaTheWorld]

18 hours ago, lgdesign said:

Great second choice for a cruise... we will be sailing on her (hopefully in Jan 2023) and appreciate all the info this thread is providing.  

 

Sidebar: While I applaud Venice's choice on one level to deny large cruise ships departing from her waters, I was very thrilled to have had the experience of sailing out of her back in 2010.  It was epic and wonderful yet also shocking to see how close we were to St Marks, etc as we departed.  Not surprised to see them stop it.  Venice is such a unique and special place (yet so fraught with seemingly unsolvable issues). While I loved sailing out off her, I can't blame them for taking the actions they did.

It couldn’t have been a more wonderful intro to cruising for us! We were on the Star & agree with all you said above. One of the funniest things ever was seeing a converted Delorean leaving a strong wake behind it along the coastline on our way out of Venice harbor with St Marks towering behind it. The doubletakes people have done when showing them this picture over the years-priceless!

[mfon1]

4 hours ago, CruiseDealSweeper said:

I was hoping for a late flight home (as in 6PM or later) and instead we leave Hawaii at 3:00PM. We now have to cancel our Shore Excursion we booked that went to Pearl Harbor. NCL will not change the flights.

Oh man! Sorry to hear. Still waiting for flight info. I’m going to try and book the earliest Pearl Harbor tour through the National park site tomorrow. Even if we get an early flight home like you did, hopefully that will give us a couple of hours to see some of the memorial. 

[NCL4EVER]

12 hours ago, cruisewiththekids said:

Regarding taxis, do you think you have to reserve one in advance?    You mentioned you didn't see any but that they were allowed into the port.     Also, in regard to rental cars, did you notice if Anchor Cove Shopping Center is once again allowing overnight parking, and if so, what the fee is?    Thanks.

Also interested in more taxi info for this port