NCL's Hawaii 7 day - Would you Recommend it...?

[Bay_Breeze]

Looking for some feedback on NCL’s 7 day Hawaii inter-island cruise out of Honolulu on Pride of America in February 2025 for myself (dad) and my teenage daughter.  We did our first NCL cruise March 2024 in the Bahamas on the Sun and really enjoyed it.  We are both pretty relaxed, go-with-the-flow personalities that don’t need fancy perks.  We’re not foodies and I can pass on the drinks.  Neither of us have ever been to Hawaii and I thought this might be a great first trip to see multiple islands.  We are very active and would just try to focus on the excursions to experience as much as we can.

 

I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews on NCL's inter-island cruise on Pride of America.  It’s also a bit on the costly end, especially when you include all the excursions and airfare.  I’m just looking for some feedback on whether this cruise is worth the cost and if people who have done it, would recommend it to others for seeing and experiencing the islands?

 

Or are there other NCL warm climate destinations during the winter months that exceed the experience of the Hawaii cruise at a better price point?

 

Thank you!

[jrt.mom]

I've been on this cruise twice and I can't think of a better way to visit many of the islands. The ship moves at night so consider it a floating hotel that you only have to unpack once for!

Considering how expensive food, hotels and airfare is in Hawaii,  it actually is a very cost-effective way to see the different islands. 

[www3traveler]

I agree--- great cruise.

 

If you can add a day or two to either end of the cruise, especially if you want to go to Pearl Harbor.  Tickets are now required.  Go to the Pearl Harbor's website for current information.

 

Enjoy   The Pride is a great ship with a wonderful staff.

 

Because The Pride is the ONLY NCL ship registered in the United States (versus all the other NCL ships which are registered in the Bahamas), The Pride is required to have the majority of their staff from the US ( hence lots of labor laws and pay scale apply only to The Pride).  This is where a lot of your costs come from.  It is still a better price than if you island-hopped-- individual airfares, hotels, meals and not having to unpack and pack for each island hop. 

 

 

[mcmomny]

We also felt this was the best way for us to see Hawaii and we loved it!

 

We booked excursion from locals, just google search or read port of call reviews from CC or Trip advisor.

 

But beware that if you post questions about the pros and cons of cruising Hawaii on Trip Advisor you will get lots of feedback from those who feel you need to spend two weeks per island and that a cruise is not the way to do it!

 

But who has the time or money to spend two weeks per island! Not me and now I can say I have been to Hawaii 🙂

 

So I ignored those comments but found lots of good info on local tour companies, we also rented a car on each island and just did our own thing which was so wonderful!

 

It is an older ship, older than The Sun I believe but we found it comfortable and yes people complain about the crew but we found them to be happy and funny and really enjoyed our time on the ship.

 

There won't be a lot of on board activities as the main attraction is the Islands!

 

It sounds to me like this would be a great choice for you and your family, and yes go in a few days early to adjust to the time change and to sightsee in Honolulu before boarding the ship

[DorothyB]

Yes, I recommend it

[josephine678]

YES! Sailed on many NCL ships and this one is my favorite. It has an old world feel about it. And I loved the balcony. I believe the only NCL ship registered in the USA.

[philv]

We did this cruise on 2022 and liked it so much we are doing it again this month for our 40th wedding anniversary. Not like other cruises where the ship is the destination. No at sea days. It’s all about the islands. 
 

We are staying pre-cruise at the Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu and spending the day before cruise on Waikiki beach. On Maui and Kauai we are renting cars the first day exploring on our own and doing NCL excursions the second day. In Hilo we are renting a car to go up to Volano National Park. In Kona we are going to take it easy, tender in and get some Dole Whip and coffee, and lounge on ship.

 

For car touring the islands on your own I recommend the phone app GuideAlong. It’s like having a tour guide in you backseat. You get a lot of Hawaiian history along with directions to points of interest.

 

This cruise is really a great way to sample the Hawaiian islands. With a little advance planning you will not be disappointed. 🚢😎

Edited August 2 by philv

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

Yes for all the above reasons.

 

We even did it twice as our Ambassador cruises.

[Bay_Breeze]

5 hours ago, jrt.mom said:

I've been on this cruise twice and I can't think of a better way to visit many of the islands. The ship moves at night so consider it a floating hotel that you only have to unpack once for!

Considering how expensive food, hotels and airfare is in Hawaii,  it actually is a very cost-effective way to see the different islands. 

This pretty much summarizes what my thoughts are... I just wanted to make sure I was thinking clearly.  Thank you!

[Bay_Breeze]

Thank you for all the other replies.  If anybody else has anything else to add, please do!!

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Blessed to cruise since 1971 and born and raised in Manhattan but now divide our time between NY and Honolulu. We have taken the cruise for fun and also on the Pride of Aloha in 2004. It is different from other cruises but a great way to sample the islands and avoid wasting time flying around. You can then decide which islands to stay longer in the future. Definitely consider if you can staying pre and post cruise but is definitely a relaxing way to see the the islands. Keep us posted please and enjoy!!!

[TeresaJ]

We sailed in February and it was mine and my husband's first visit to Hawaii and we loved it! We would do it again in a heartbeat.  It is great that you get to see essentially four of the islands and have plenty of time to explore!  I highly recommend going a few days ahead of time to explore Honolulu/Oahu before you leave on the cruise.  It is very different than a relaxing Caribbean cruise however going to Hawaii, there is so much beauty on the islands and so many things to see.  The sailaway's each evening are breathtaking.  

[Dodgers671]

We just got off the Pride of America this past May. The service was amazing 

I would highly recommend only booking an inside cabin. Nothing to see at night when the ship sails. All port are industrial.

[omahabob]

The people who say you should spend two weeks on each island have a valid point. You can't really see what you really should see in the short time a cruise ship allows you ashore. But it depends on what you want. If you can't do extended stays, a cruise is a great way to see all the islands. It also helps prioritize what things you may want to see later on a more extended stay. So, for a one time trip or a 'fact finding' tour, a cruise is a great idea.

 

From personal experience though, I would not recommend two weeks on Lanai or the Big Island. You don't really need that much time to see them. Lanai would only take two or three days. There isn't much there. Maybe a week for the Big Island. Two weeks would apply for Maui, Oahu and Kauai.

 

As a general rule, the islands get more tropical as you head west, and more barren as you head east. The Big Island is largely barren, and Kauai is largely tropical forest, though both islands do have little pieces of the other topography. I very highly recommend the volcanoes on the Big Island, Pearl Harbor on Oahu, and the Na Pali coast on Kauai. The Na Pali coast is unlike anything else you've ever seen, and should be mandatory in my book, by helicopter or boat.

 

Oh yeah, and it's hard to beat being on a cruise ship.

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, Bay_Breeze said:

Looking for some feedback on NCL’s 7 day Hawaii inter-island cruise out of Honolulu on Pride of America in February 2025 for myself (dad) and my teenage daughter.  We did our first NCL cruise March 2024 in the Bahamas on the Sun and really enjoyed it.  We are both pretty relaxed, go-with-the-flow personalities that don’t need fancy perks.  We’re not foodies and I can pass on the drinks.  Neither of us have ever been to Hawaii and I thought this might be a great first trip to see multiple islands.  We are very active and would just try to focus on the excursions to experience as much as we can.

 

I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews on NCL's inter-island cruise on Pride of America.  It’s also a bit on the costly end, especially when you include all the excursions and airfare.  I’m just looking for some feedback on whether this cruise is worth the cost and if people who have done it, would recommend it to others for seeing and experiencing the islands?

 

Or are there other NCL warm climate destinations during the winter months that exceed the experience of the Hawaii cruise at a better price point?

 

Thank you!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

The Pride of America is absolutely the best way to sail Hawaii. You don't waste time sailing from the West Coast, making an international stop. It is 7 days in Hawaii. You are in port every day. You get two overnight stops to go to a Luau or ride a bike down the volcano at sunrise. 

 

 

[Panhandle Couple]

We did this cruise in March this year.

We rented a car at every port, and used Guidealong as our tour guide. (free app download, $60 for all the islands).  Hawaii has much larger costs for most things, except for....rental cars.  They are about the same as mainland, and much cheaper than mainland big city rental prices.

We stuck with Jeeps and had a great time.  They provide the best views, and you can easily remove the hard top above your head.

 

Use the Hawaii section in the port of call here on CC for lots of info on what to do on each island.

It is very helpful.  Specific questions on any sight on each island are better handled there, and probably already has been asked and answered if you search.

[bonvoyagie]

We did this back in 2005 when the POA was brand new. It is newer than the Sun by several years but both have had many refurbishments since. We found that this was a great way to tour the islands like a floating hotel. We spent two days in most ports and full days in the other two ports on the big island. We opted to do ship tours, but if I were to do it again I would probably do a rental car, or try a taxi style tours. Snorkeling is a must do on this trip.

[Ellis1138]

We did the Feb 24 through March 2 sailing this year (2024). My husband doesn't get many vacation days and this was the way we figured to give him a taster of the main islands in a short span of time. I had read the reviews and so many were negative "worst cruise ever" stuff, but I pored through those and went into the cruise with the idea: This is not a cruise ship. It's a ferry I sleep on. We'll eat breakfast on the ship and only eat dinner when we're not on an island.

 

I'd been to Hawaii twice before and this was my husband's first time. We'd also saved up enough miled for round trip flights in United Polaris nonstop NYC to HNL. Also enough points to stay 2 nights ahead at the Ritz Carlton in Waikiki.

 

Ok, so the Pride of America. It's the only US flagged ship in NCL's fleet, so it does have a different vibe. It's also an old ship and many places it does show its age. The staff were fine and the food was okay. Halfway through the cruise, I noted with amusement that yes, it was the worst cruise I've been on. Not because it's bad, but because all my other ones were amazing. 🙂

They still did a very good job with my food allergies and other medical needs. 

 

Because I had experience, we rented a car at each port and did an itinerary I had put together. We already had the Annual National Parks Pass, so getting into Haleakala, Volcanoes and Pu'uhonua O Honaunau was free. The downside is having so little time on the Big Island; I wish the ship simply overnighted in Hilo. We were lucky with good weather and no skipped ports.

 

If you want to do this cruise and have a short amount of vacation time, keep an eye on the pricing or watch for specials like double loyalty points. Do the cruise, but keep expectations low and you'll be happier.

 

My advice: If you have 2 weeks available for vacation time, don't do the cruise. Do island hopping, with 3-4 days on each island.

[Crazy planning mom]

We sailed this back in 2017 and my family still talks about it.  It was my husband's favorite trip of all time.  We didn't do an excursion in every port but reserved a car rental in advance for some ports.

[TeresaJ]

The ship is in great shape for its age and they keep it really clean. Service was good too. It is a smaller, older ship but you are in Hawaii going from island to island, you don't need a monster ship for this one.

[wncretired]

I have been thinking about doing a B2B 14 day trip on the POA. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but you’re only paying for one RT flight. Might as well double the fun while there. On the second trip around, we would see some of the sights we missed on the first 7 days. 
 

Would also fly in a few days early for the sights on Honolulu. 
 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

[jrt.mom]

1 hour ago, wncretired said:

I have been thinking about doing a B2B 14 day trip on the POA. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but you’re only paying for one RT flight. Might as well double the fun while there. On the second trip around, we would see some of the sights we missed on the first 7 days. 
 

Would also fly in a few days early for the sights on Honolulu. 
 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

Not just the fact of airfare savings but,  depending on where you're from, also enduring a rather lengthy flight with several time zones worth of jet lag to deal with...sounds like a dream come true!

Edited August 3 by jrt.mom

[ryarger]

5 hours ago, wncretired said:

I have been thinking about doing a B2B 14 day trip on the POA.

We did three weeks in Hawaii in ‘14 - the first week on the PoA, the second week on the Big Island (half on a coffee farm in Kona and half on a rental on the Hilo side) and the final week in Oahu.

 

A B2B would be great but I’d consider taking the second week and doing a deeper dive into one of the islands that interests you. We immensely enjoyed our approach.

[Panhandle Couple]

8 hours ago, wncretired said:

I have been thinking about doing a B2B 14 day trip on the POA. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but you’re only paying for one RT flight. Might as well double the fun while there. On the second trip around, we would see some of the sights we missed on the first 7 days. 
 

Would also fly in a few days early for the sights on Honolulu. 
 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

Is this your first time to Hawaii?

If so, having a B2B could really work, as it is hard to determine hotels locations vs what you want to do from a long distance away, on a land vaca.  

The first time around, you can see the main attractions, the 2nd time, look for more out of the way places, or simply chill on a beach.  We only sat on a beach (Maui) for a couple of hours, and spent the rest driving for scenery with stops in some small parks, small towns and brew pubs. (Note we live very close to great beaches, so that is not as high on our list)

If you really want beach time, a 2nd week land vaca may be the better option.  Unfortunately Waikiki is not a great beach, despite the reputation.  It is way too crowded, expensive and has lots of crushed coral vs sand. (It was originally a mangrove swamp).  The better beaches on Oahu are in other areas, that you need to drive to. 

[zqvol]

11 hours ago, wncretired said:

I have been thinking about doing a B2B 14 day trip on the POA. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but you’re only paying for one RT flight. Might as well double the fun while there. On the second trip around, we would see some of the sights we missed on the first 7 days. 
 

Would also fly in a few days early for the sights on Honolulu. 
 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

If you are going to spend two weeks in Hawaii forget the cruise and island hop. You will have a much nicer experience and really get to see the important things.