Pride of Hawai'i May 17 - Outstanding

[zimmerjulie]

I am fresh off the May 17th two night inaugural cruise from San Francisco aboard the Pride of Hawai'i. This ship is beautiful and her crew is the friendliest and most hospitable I have ever encountered. I hope you have a chance to experience an Hawaii cruise aboard this vessel. I know I will be doing so myself, as soon as possible.

 

 

I have pictures, menus, and memories to share with you and will be working on getting them into this review over the next few days. The short version is that the ship is vibrant and beautiful, with artwork and décor to match and reflect the natural, colorful beauty of Hawaii. The onboard experience was excellent and I am having the hardest time coming back to reality...I am homesick for this ship.

[spec411]

wow i never even heard of this 2 night cruise, was it from SF to LA? I thiught the May 22 sailing was its first!

[zimmerjulie]

Well, let's start with the pictures!!!

These took me 5 hours to upload, so I'll have to save more reviewing for tomorrow. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I guess I've been pretty wordy for today;)

 

Pride of Hawai'i Photos

[zimmerjulie]

Hi spec411,

 

This was not a cruise marketed to the general public, but one of two events designed to introduce the ship to travel professionals, the media, and other invited guests of the line. It was a chance for camera crews to take pictures for the virtual tour, for travel agents to see the ship first-hand, and a chance for the line to showcase and test their operations before the ship heads to Hawaii.

 

It was a 2 night cruise to nowhere from San Francisco.

 

I am good naturedly (kind of;) ) envious of those who get to head out on the 22nd for the repo cruise!!!

[calmac]

Thanks for taking the 5 hours to upload your photos - loved looking at them. Now all I have to do is save up to be able to afford to sail on her!

[Hikini]

Hey! Thanks for posting these great pictures. I love the decor of the ship - looks like they got it just right for Hawaii!

 

Hikini:D

[holomuku]

I note that the mini-suite info shows 339 sq ft including balcony. I could swear I saw somewhere (??) that they were only 231 + 56 balcony. That's a big difference! If that's correct- (339 incl bal) I'm really happy I upgraded to one! The cabin in the picture is, I believe, a connecting cabin. I'm hoping the others (non-connecting) are as large.

[Zeno]

thanks for the great pictures!

[spec411]

Hi spec411,

 

This was not a cruise marketed to the general public, but one of two events designed to introduce the ship to travel professionals, the media, and other invited guests of the line.

 

so the question then is, how do WE get to be one of the "invited guests"?? Would lots of past NCL cruises make the cut , or travel pros only?

 

Any easy way to be considered a travel professional to get into these kind of events?

[Nitra]

I like to read the reviews of people that sail on these ships. My hubby works on this ship and his review as a crew member is totally different. He was trying earlier today to get transferred back to POA. It is interesting to read how different the perspective is from a crew member to a passenger.

[zimmerjulie]

It is interesting to read how different the perspective is from a crew member to a passenger.

Or even from passenger to passenger!

 

When speaking to members of the crew, although I had excellent service, it seemed that THEY felt that there were definitely things that could be improved upon and they were serious about making swift progress toward optimum service. I was told that roughly half of the crew was from either the America or the Aloha, and the other half were new out of the training program in Maryland. So I imagine there will be some improvements as these new people get some experience with real cruise operations. It sounds like that is exactly what happened on the POAmerica. Best of luck to your husband!

 

holomuku,

I didn't bring my tape measure this time :) (seriously, I did last time), so I couldn't swear to the exact size. I'm rooting for the 339 for you!

 

spec411,

the vast majority of guests were travel agents. One of the invited guests that I spoke to was the president of a shipping company out of Seattle, along with his wife. Another lady, who was featured in the comedy show, said she wasn't a travel agent. When asked what she did, she said, "nothing". The ongoing implication was that she married a rich guy. So, from my body of data, you could look into becoming a travel agent, a president of a shipping company, or someone kept by a rich guy.:D

 

calmac, good luck with the saving....I'm in the same boat:D

 

zeno & hikini,

I thought of you guys, along with a bunch of my other Cruise Critic buddies, while onboard. I thought about how much fun we "gruntled" NCL cruisers would have on this ship together:D

[betsey]

so the question then is, how do WE get to be one of the "invited guests"?? Would lots of past NCL cruises make the cut , or travel pros only?

 

Any easy way to be considered a travel professional to get into these kind of events?

 

No easy way. Travel agents for these events were selected based on their sales revenue to NCL. Top producing agents were invited for this.

[Mr_Cruise]

Thanks for the pics!

 

I have a client booked (many months ago) in one of the GV's this summer and was really keen on seeing some pics of her.

 

Great work! Thanks again.

[cruzegirl]

Thanks for posting your photos.... Lovely to see the inside.... I got to see the outside for the Christening ceremony.... But from a "distance"..... lol..... Very cool:p

[kapoho2]

WOW...thanks so much for all the pics. I want whoever did the interior design to come and do my house! I love the colors and all the textures.

 

I am so glad you and other travel professionals got to enjoy the 2-day cruise. I worked for years as a travel agent and I know that seeing and experiencing something really helps when it comes to selling. Looks like this ship will be fun and easy to sell. It is just beautiful and with Hawaii as a backdrop....NCL has the perfect combination.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to post the pictures. Can't wait for your review.

[stormy67]

Thanks so much for the pics! We're on the 6/5 sailing, so it's really getting close, and seeing the pictures just adds to the excitement! Also glad to hear all the positive comments about the ship, service, etc.

[HumanCookie]

Thanks for the great photos Julie. Looking forward for your review.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Glad to see your pics and hear your take on the ship. I was supposed to go to the LA preview sailing, but couldn't get away. Another TA friend of mine did the SFO one and had a very similar positive experience.

 

The only downside she had was terribly slow service in the dining rooms. Hopefully, they'll improve on this soon.

 

According to her, NCL is purposely not sailing at full capacity for June so that the staff can work it's way up to having a full ship in July. She said the crew was very happy to do their best for everyone and realized their short comings in the dining rooms.

 

Thanks for posting the pics because she forgot to bring her camera! :eek:

[Casshew]

Wow that Black Diamond suite is really funky! Great photos, thanks

[zimmerjulie]

I'll start with service, as that was the thing that impressed me most about Pride of Hawai'i. I was made to feel more welcome than on any other ship ever, even Pride of America, which was hard to beat in that department. EVERY crewmember that we passed, and I am not even exaggerating, met us with a smile and a greeting. Even those who were working away from where we were or with their backs turned would stop what they were doing to say, “Aloha” with warmth and talk to us for a bit.

 

Our servers for meals in the various venues were friendly and sometimes joking, a repartee that I enjoy much more than the detached subservience that I have experienced elsewhere, and something that I really enjoy about NCL and NCLA.

 

I will say that, upon speaking with some of the crew including our waitstaff and various supervisors, I found that they are focusing intently on the areas they feel need to be improved. When I told them what they were doing right and how much I enjoyed everything, they came back with something like, “Well, we're not there yet.” “We need to do this, we need to do that”. Except the V.P. of Marketing. He agreed with me that they were doing great.

 

Bar service was hectic at the topsiders bar poolside at sailaway. My cousin & I ordered a drink at the Aloha atrium first, so by the time we got to topsiders, we weren't dying of thirst or alcohol deprivation like a few at the bar seemed to be. A lady next to me said, “What is the big hurry” when an especially irritated man huffed off with his drink. In contrast, in the evenings/nights at the Spinnaker Lounge service was excellent for everyone I saw and I was there for about 9.5 hours or so over the two nights (hey, I take my CC research seriously ; ). When your drink got low, there was someone there to ask you if you wanted another. Special requests were remembered for the next round. If you preferred to stretch your legs, you could walk up to the bar and order directly from there with no problem and a negligible wait. All of the waiters and waitresses were engaging and friendly (there goes that word again) and really helped make it a party. Tony (Antonio) from MN was the best of the best. These were, by far, the most fun "dance party" nights I have ever had on any cruise. It was a blast. Coka, I thought of you, you shoulda been there.

 

 

In response to some comments that I read, I mean no offense, but I can verify first hand that “All of the crew” is not sick. I met at least a couple hundred healthy, clean, well groomed young and middle aged people in sharp uniforms who were very gracious to us at every turn.

 

Room steward service was great. The cabin was clean, the beds were turned down and made up, and all of the stewards that we met in the hall seemed confident at their jobs. You already know they greeted us with a smile and some nice words. One hipped us to the carpet clue of “The dolphins leap toward the front of the ship”, so you always know which direction is which.

 

Random service thoughts:

*When I was doing my run around the jogging track at 2am, there were still folks working in Cagney's. No passengers in there, of course, but they were making preparations or having a meeting, etc.

*15 minutes before everyone was supposed to be off the ship, I stopped by the Aloha atrium bar to ask if I could get a two croissants that I could take with me. The young woman there said, “Sure. We don't have bags, but would you like me to wrap them in Saran Wrap for you?” She packed me up a 5-pastry kit which was much more than I expected.

The staff at the Aloha bar any time we stopped by there was so very nice.

*Shopping gallery staff – You guessed it, very nice, one and all.

*Meal lengths

Lunch in Alizar- 1 hour

 

Dinner in Le Bistro- 2 hours, which was ideal for us. We enjoyed our waiter, Jesse, and his assistant. They seemed concerned with the length of time it was taking to get us our courses, but we were really content. We didn't need the apologies for the delay and, after a time, they stopped trying to make amends for something that didn't bother us a bit.

 

Lunch at Jasmine- 2 hours. A bit long for lunch, but we were in no hurry and were enjoying the company. I was disappointed to see that a nice couple that we had talked with while waiting to be seated had just been seated at the sushi bar as we left Jasmine after our 2 hour lunch. There were a few failures, so I hope they can improve upon that.

 

Dinner at Cagney's – 1.5 hours. Average service. It seemed that the focus was to get meals out quickly, so I felt a bit less relaxed and spoiled than one might expect to be in the premium restaurant. There were also a few minor omissions to our meals (like I ordered Bernaise AND blue cheese crumbles and only got the Bernaise. Also our table mate ordered an extra Bernaise after his main course arrived. He was brought a boat of white stuff that turned out to be rouquefort. When returned it for exchange, the waitress did not remember to bring the correct sauce. He used my extra, but an opportunity was missed there. Minor things and very good, I thought for the very first set of passengers that they served.

 

I wanted to mention something about tipping for our 2 night cruise and the 2 night cruise following it. The travel agents were sent a letter including a statement that service charges would not be applied and the service would be complimentary. I brought tips anyway, as I always leave a gratuity. When I tried to give them to the servers, I was met with one refusal and one look that a friend might give you if they served you a special dinner, then you tried to pay them for it. After that, I would tuck the tip under a plate so that I wouldn't have to have an awkward moment. I really felt like I was going against the norm, so that was the climate for these inaugural events.

 

So you can see that I really enjoyed the service.

Any questions, feel free to ask. I'll write on another subject tomorrow. Which one would you like?

[janniebabe]

I note that the mini-suite info shows 339 sq ft including balcony. I could swear I saw somewhere (??) that they were only 231 + 56 balcony. That's a big difference! If that's correct- (339 incl bal) I'm really happy I upgraded to one! The cabin in the picture is, I believe, a connecting cabin. I'm hoping the others (non-connecting) are as large.

 

That sounds like a really nice sized cabin! We are also booked into a mini suite but not until next year :(. Any reviews you can give us, or pictures would be very much appreciated! Have a wonderful time on your trip...

[karfest]

Hi Julie!!

 

Why did you have to post those pictures:confused:

I wasn't planning to go back to Hawaii any time soon and now you are tempting me!!

 

We enjoyed the PoAM but th POH looks fantastic. Maybe next time we can cruise together:D

[zimmerjulie]

karfest,

I thought of you several times and about how you would have appreciated whatever situation I was in at the time. What a blast we would have:D ! I've got the wheels turning for next year, so lets keep in touch! Actually, several times while onboard, I thought what fun it would be to have a Cruise Critic/NCL Board PARTY on this ship.

 

It's amazing what spending most every day checking in with you folks has done for (to?) me:D . When I looked out and saw all the "gruntled" cruisers, I thought of Monte. When I saw people boogie-ing (how do you spell that?) till the wee hours, I thought of Coka, of course. I thought of Cruise_More_Often often. Every time something cracked me up, I'd think of karfest. And Cosmo and Hikini and Waldospepper and johnql--we often think alike. When I went to the Garden Villa, I thought, "Hey, shoreguy would like this:p ".

 

I guess you all have grown on me.

[vickiw0318]

Did they give you any idea about any planned activities for teens? I have friends sailing on 6/19. There will be atleast 3 in their party. One of the teens is in a wheelchair. Did you happen to notice if anyone on your cruise was wheelchair confined? How was accessibility?

 

Thanks so much.

[zimmerjulie]

vickiw0318,

I just added the information regarding teen activities and special needs to my photo page. There is an album for Kids Club and one for Ship info. If you have any trouble accessing it, let me know and I can send you a copy.

 

Pride of Hawai'i Photos

 

I didn't see anyone in a wheelchair, but we did get a look at two of the Accessible cabins, which were very nice.

 

Some of the highlights: 24 wheelchair accessible cabins, including suites. All feature collapsible shower stools mounted on shower walls; all toilets feature collapsible arm guards and lowered wash basin. There are dedicated wheelchair positions in the Stardust Theater on Deck 5

 

Eleve wheelchair-accessible public toilets are located throughout the ship, and the ship has an electrical hoist for access to the pools and hot tubs.

 

(actually this is everything about wheelchair info from the sheet that I posted on the webshots album linked above.)