Pride of America reviews

[MudbugsTherapist]

On 7/22/2023 at 5:40 PM, Crown Vic said:

Any word on the whereabouts of Kaj Turunen who was, until a few months ago, GM on the PoA? Thanks…

Kaj works for Viking now.

[Crown Vic]

17 hours ago, MudbugsTherapist said:

Kaj works for Viking now.

Thanks for the info. Viking’s gain is definitely NCL’s loss. Kaj was top notch, perhaps the best. Kaj could be outspoken and honest. Heard that there had been a “falling” out at NCL. He will do well at Viking. Kaikkea hyvaa ja onnea, Kaj…

[mac66]

Did the POA in 2009 and again in 2018.  The first time we stayed a week before getting on the ship. Great trip. The second time we went with friends and stayed a week before and 5 days after the ship. Absolutely the best way to see the islands.  Would do it again in a heartbeat.   The ship was kinda run down the second trip but you are pretty much on board just to eat dinner and sleep.  It's been refurbished since we were last on it.

[Ellis1138]

I just sailed on the PoA February 24 through March 2nd, 2024. Take the negative reviews with a grain of salt and the idea that each person's expectations are subjective. It was kind of funny, but halfway through the cruise, I noted with amusement that this was, indeed, the worst cruise I've been on. Mainly because the other 4 cruises were amazing. This one was just "good".

 

The Pride of America is okay. It's acceptable. Most of the food was fine (but I advise against ordering the NY Strip off the classics). The rooms were small and the ship was old and some fixtures need replacing but on the whole, it did what it was supposed to. Ferry us around the islands.

 

The staff did their best and when something was wrong, they worked to rectify it. Just about all the staff I encountered were pleasant. 

 

It was a good way to see 3 islands in 6 days without needing to pack, unpack, check in, check out and TSA.

 

[Panhandle Couple]

We are on POA right now. I will give a full review of the ship (NCL board) and the Hawaii experience (Hawaii board) in 10 days or so.

 

Short version: Ship is OK. Hawaii is simply amazing. It is like parts of Florida, Colorado, Arizona, and Tennessee all mixed into one.

 

[dexddd]

On 3/6/2024 at 8:28 PM, MudbugsTherapist said:

Kaj works for Viking now.

What a nice guy.  Felt bad at first meeting I pronounced his name wrong. 

[sargemrs]

On 7/21/2023 at 4:20 PM, BirdTravels said:

First and foremost, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It is a lot of complaining,,, by people who have never sailed on the POA. 

 

The POA is the absolute best way to see Hawaii. And you save the time and expense of having to sail from the west coast on other lines. 
 

You are in port every day. You have two overnight port calls that enable you to maximize the Hawaii experience, if you choose. A luau at night, sunrise from the top of a volcano and a bike ride down, if you choose. 

 

Have they changed the itinerary,,, sure have. And a lot of people who have never been on the POA and never will be on the POA slam NCL for something irrelevant to them. Whatever. Just Fake News. 
 

Have they had a hard time getting US crew members after the pandemic. Sure have,,, to the point of having to reduce passenger load and reduce service for a while. But the goal was to provide a service, even if slightly diminished. But if you look at the US travel industry in general, that is true. We stay at upper-middle class hotels 3-4 times a month… and there is insufficient staff to clean the rooms and serve the food. 
 

Things are getting better. POA is your floating hotel. Use her. Enjoy her. It is the only way the cruise Hawaii!  

 

Attached is a post from last week asking a question a couple of weeks ago. 

 

Bird Travels,  wondering if you have current info on the Pride of America?  We sailed on her several years ago, (before her refurb) and wondering how she's faring now.  Our group is sailing in August and hopeful that it's really redone well.

[Panhandle Couple]

8 minutes ago, sargemrs said:

Bird Travels,  wondering if you have current info on the Pride of America?  We sailed on her several years ago, (before her refurb) and wondering how she's faring now.  Our group is sailing in August and hopeful that it's really redone well.

We got off her Saturday.

Overall still very viable ship. I saw there will be a quick dry dock in June, so hopefully a few things we noticed get fixed.

A full review later this week, I'm flying back tonight.

[sargemrs]

Slightly off topic but thought someone might have a few good tips for us.  We're booked on Pride of America in August.  I've been looking for decent plane fares for a month.  We can't do the Frontier/Spirit/Jet Blue route, they're too uncomfortable for us oldsters!  I've checked all the usual websites, Expedia, Booking.com, Kayak, Orbitz, etc. to no avail.  We could go Southwest but they don't have a flight late enough to ensure we get to airport in time.  May have to do 2 one ways, but though you experienced travelers might have a hint for us.  TIA

 

[Panhandle Couple]

21 minutes ago, sargemrs said:

Slightly off topic but thought someone might have a few good tips for us.  We're booked on Pride of America in August.  I've been looking for decent plane fares for a month.  We can't do the Frontier/Spirit/Jet Blue route, they're too uncomfortable for us oldsters!  I've checked all the usual websites, Expedia, Booking.com, Kayak, Orbitz, etc. to no avail.  We could go Southwest but they don't have a flight late enough to ensure we get to airport in time.  May have to do 2 one ways, but though you experienced travelers might have a hint for us.  TIA

 

Unfortunately, Hawaii is Hawaii, and travel demand is consistently high, and airport slots are limited, and the type of jet required to get there is limited.  Hence, bookings are full, and prices will be high.

 

We cashed in FF miles for our trip.  Even then it was a lot of miles, but saved us the cash.

 

My only advice is to book airline soon, or cancel the cruise.  Inside the 6 week window of your trip, the prices will only get worse.

 

And always book for arrival the day before.  That way you have better airline options. 

 

For the way home, there are redeyes available from most airlines.  Yes it means hanging out somewhere for 5 or more hours, or getting an Oahu tour. 

[sargemrs]

Panhandle Couple,

We're daily looking for a good rate but it's not getting cheaper I know!!  Found some at Hawaiian for $1,200 so that may be the best. Thanks for replying!!

[Broccan]

3 hours ago, sargemrs said:

Slightly off topic but thought someone might have a few good tips for us.  We're booked on Pride of America in August.  I've been looking for decent plane fares for a month.  We can't do the Frontier/Spirit/Jet Blue route, they're too uncomfortable for us oldsters!  I've checked all the usual websites, Expedia, Booking.com, Kayak, Orbitz, etc. to no avail.  We could go Southwest but they don't have a flight late enough to ensure we get to airport in time.  May have to do 2 one ways, but though you experienced travelers might have a hint for us.  TIA

 

Agree with the last person. We will be on the Pride of America cruise at the end of October but I reserved our flight in February, and the return flight Norwegian is taking care of. My advice is to get a hotel room in Honolulu for a few days before the sailing and then it will not matter what time the flight arrives you will be there for the sailing. And the bonus is that you get to bum around Honolulu for those days. Honolulu is a wonderful city to see.

[Ellis1138]

On 3/30/2024 at 5:40 PM, sargemrs said:

Slightly off topic but thought someone might have a few good tips for us.  We're booked on Pride of America in August.  I've been looking for decent plane fares for a month.  We can't do the Frontier/Spirit/Jet Blue route, they're too uncomfortable for us oldsters!  I've checked all the usual websites, Expedia, Booking.com, Kayak, Orbitz, etc. to no avail.  We could go Southwest but they don't have a flight late enough to ensure we get to airport in time.  May have to do 2 one ways, but though you experienced travelers might have a hint for us.  TIA

 

 

I don't do third party anymore. They're great when everything goes to plan, but when it doesn't, the third party (in my case, Orbitz) turn it into a total disaster. If you do go with a CheapFlights kind of place, definitely get travel insurance for sure.

 

For us, we saved up United miles for a decade to be able to do nonstop from NYC to HNL in Polaris seats, which lie flat. 

It also might be cheaper to break up the flight (and easier on jet lag). Look for cheap flights from your home to SFO or LAX and then see if Hawaiian airlines has any specials from SFO or LAX to HNL the following day.

 

I don't know if you have any loyalties or frequent flyer accounts, but for an upcoming cruise on the Prima, I found it was half the price to buy enough United miles (during their bonus sale) to top off what we had to get tickets from NYC to London and then Keflavik to NYC. So, buying miles if you have almost enough would make sense there.

[MudbugsTherapist]

I also recommend breaking up the flights.  Long Beach airport flies to Honolulu direct, and you can avoid the LAX nightmare.  It is a fantastic little airport.  Parking/Drop off to the TSA is about 40 feet, and there are only 10-12 gates.  Sometimes you only have a couple of Hawaii flights each day to choose from, but it is nice to break up the flight to Hawaii.  Stay in Long Beach, see the Queen Mary, etc., and then fly out to HNL the next morning. 🙂

[DCwom]

We found the mid-week slots (Thur to Thur) gave us the best fares, we are on United booked directly through their website. You didn't say where you're flying from, but check alternate airports if they are viable. For our trip the airfare is about 25% of the total trip cost.

[carohs]

We flew Hawaiian air there, and SW back. Between the two, the Hawaiian was the better flight. Check RT fares from any of their west coast nonstop routes (Seattle, Portland, SF, LAX, Long Beach, San Diego), and if you're coming from the East Coast RT fares from your city to the west coast. You may need to break up the days and stay an overnight but it makes sense given the time change anyway.

[WillCruiseForMoney]

If you are checking flights to the west coast, both SW and Hawaiian also fly direct to San Jose and Oakland

[sargemrs]

Thanks all for the good tips!  I did have to do 2 one ways to get a decent fare and schedule.  We paid final payment so guess we're going for sure!  Time to get excited now!!!  I read that POA is having a spruce up in June and we're going the end of August so hopefully it is freshened up!

Thanks again!

[JB61]

Does anyone have any advice regarding the cruise spa packages? Specifically the hot stone and aroma massage?

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

Bumping this as I may give POA a 2nd chance for a last minute summer booking...and who knows, this may help people. 

 

To answer OP's question, the POA is probably the most "floating hotel" cruise that I have ever been on (to me more like floating motel) HOWEVER, if you have never been to Hawaii (if if you get some really cheap rate), it's a good starting point to explore Hawaii to decide your next trip using a hotel. 

 

I used to live in Hawaii and have made multiple land visits to Hawaii as well. The Big Island is my favorite followed by Maui. While Kauai is the most visually stunning, it's just not my favorite for what I want to do which is just not have to go far for some excellent snorkeling right off the beach and cheap eats. 

 

I found the food overall was just okay if you didn't do the speciality dining compared to other NCL ships I've taken (none of them were the mega ships though). I'm a frugal person and this was the first time that I had more than 1 dinner at a specialty restaurant over dining room and buffet and the quality was day and night with taste. I only ate at the MDR I think 2x for breakfast and it was nothing to write home about. This is the first cruise where I know I will spend extra money on the specialty restaurants and I'm not a "foodie". The buffets at b/l/d had probably the least variety of food of all the NCL cruises that I have been on. Believe it or not, the small "snack" buffet that's near the pool wasn't that bad considering how small it was. Never went to the American Diner. Something about it was just off putting with the ambiance. Although not food, the champagne bar oddly enough was my favorite bar out of all the bars that I have ever been on from all the NCL cruises that I have sailed. 

 

Customer service...The employees are largely American and turnover rate is high. While most of the people were friendly, it was clear when I went on that people weren't knowledgeable when asked questions (if you asked 2 different people a question, you'll get 2 different answers). The staff I would see at the buffet cleaning looked like they hated life. 

 

Entertainment...Aside from the comedians, the acts were skippable but this is subjective as I am not into acrobats, magicians, Elton John, newlywed shows, Bingo, etc. 

 

I booked a guaranteed inside cabin (I always booked guaranteed cabins and have never had a bad experience with them but then again my expectation with the cabin itself were always low). The room itself was fine however the shower wasn't very good (and yes I let them cabin attendant know). The pressure was bad and the water was just either cold or lukewarm regardless of the time of day that you showered. I also found that when you flushed the toilet, it may take a few minutes to 10 minutes to actually flushed so it was delayed. Luckily I'm an unlikable person so travel alone so no one had to be surprised by any fudge dragons left by me. 

[DCwom]

We were on the POA in May and @UnbridledEnthusiasm assessment is pretty accurate. It was our 1st NCL cruise but not our 1st cruise, so its tough to judge NCL by this one ship/itinerary, but I will say it didn't make us want to run and book another NCL cruise.

 

We chose the POA to "see it all" as we're unlikely to go to Hawaii again, we flew in a couple days prior to departure (Thursday) and stayed post cruise until Wednesday on Oahu. We, like @UnbridledEnthusiasm , used the POA as a hotel. Given our east coast jet lag and full day excursions we pretty much just ate and slept for the 1st 4 days, finally taking a day off on the Kona port stop to sit around the pool on the empty ship. The food was, eh, food, the best part was not having to decide where to eat, just head to the MDR, my biggest complaint was the lack of selection. We went to one show, no bars, we were in bed by 9:00, we were power touring!

 

We found the crew to generally be friendly, but you can tell there is a different vibe, our room steward told us she didn't care, really she said those words. @UnbridledEnthusiasm comment about the pool snack buffet is true it looked pretty good, I'm not sure if that means it was good or that the main buffet was really bad.We had a balcony, its true you can probably have an inside room since there isn't much to see since the ship travels at night, but after having COVID on our previous Princess cruise we realized the value of having the open private space when you're stuck inside for 2 days.

 

With all that has been said about the POA we're very happy with our choice, we maximized the 3 islands we stopped at, renting cars at each, there's no way to have done this all in 2 weeks island hopping on planes. I believe it all comes down to your vacation style, are you a tourist or a lounger.

 

BTW we stayed at the Beachcomber in Waikiki post cruise and kept up the power touring on Oahu, never a beach day for us.

 

P.S. The embarkation process on the POA was amazing, we walked from the curb right onto the boat, no lines! Ok, we did check in, but no lines, so different from FL departures.

 

 

@UnbridledEnthusiasm

 

7 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

Bumping this as I may give POA a 2nd chance for a last minute summer booking...and who knows, this may help people. 

 

To answer OP's question, the POA is probably the most "floating hotel" cruise that I have ever been on (to me more like floating motel) HOWEVER, if you have never been to Hawaii (if if you get some really cheap rate), it's a good starting point to explore Hawaii to decide your next trip using a hotel. 

 

I used to live in Hawaii and have made multiple land visits to Hawaii as well. The Big Island is my favorite followed by Maui. While Kauai is the most visually stunning, it's just not my favorite for what I want to do which is just not have to go far for some excellent snorkeling right off the beach and cheap eats. 

 

I found the food overall was just okay if you didn't do the speciality dining compared to other NCL ships I've taken (none of them were the mega ships though). I'm a frugal person and this was the first time that I had more than 1 dinner at a specialty restaurant over dining room and buffet and the quality was day and night with taste. I only ate at the MDR I think 2x for breakfast and it was nothing to write home about. This is the first cruise where I know I will spend extra money on the specialty restaurants and I'm not a "foodie". The buffets at b/l/d had probably the least variety of food of all the NCL cruises that I have been on. Believe it or not, the small "snack" buffet that's near the pool wasn't that bad considering how small it was. Never went to the American Diner. Something about it was just off putting with the ambiance. Although not food, the champagne bar oddly enough was my favorite bar out of all the bars that I have ever been on from all the NCL cruises that I have sailed. 

 

Customer service...The employees are largely American and turnover rate is high. While most of the people were friendly, it was clear when I went on that people weren't knowledgeable when asked questions (if you asked 2 different people a question, you'll get 2 different answers). The staff I would see at the buffet cleaning looked like they hated life. 

 

Entertainment...Aside from the comedians, the acts were skippable but this is subjective as I am not into acrobats, magicians, Elton John, newlywed shows, Bingo, etc. 

 

I booked a guaranteed inside cabin (I always booked guaranteed cabins and have never had a bad experience with them but then again my expectation with the cabin itself were always low). The room itself was fine however the shower wasn't very good (and yes I let them cabin attendant know). The pressure was bad and the water was just either cold or lukewarm regardless of the time of day that you showered. I also found that when you flushed the toilet, it may take a few minutes to 10 minutes to actually flushed so it was delayed. Luckily I'm an unlikable person so travel alone so no one had to be surprised by any fudge dragons left by me. 

 

Edited July 17 by DCwom

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

9 minutes ago, DCwom said:

@UnbridledEnthusiasm comment about the pool snack buffet is true it looked pretty good, I'm not sure if that means it was good or that the main buffet was really bad.

 

 

@UnbridledEnthusiasm

 

 

I don't know what I meant to say either lol! The little pool snack bar had some of the most random  stuff that didn't go together but was all good! Scones and clotted cream were excellent, there were sandwiches, fries, burgers, and some vegetables (I think). Underutilized. 

[hotweathergirl]

Do they have room service for just coffee in the morning? Is there a fee?

[Ellis1138]

2 hours ago, hotweathergirl said:

Do they have room service for just coffee in the morning? Is there a fee?

I think it's $4.95 fee for coffee delivered to your room, if you have a normal room and not a suite. 

[pppjjjccc]

since the excursions on POA are is expensive, has anyone rented a car to see the islands?  any rentals available at the ports?