Pride of Hawai'i May 17 - Outstanding

[kabookie]

Thanks for posting the Blue Lagoon menu - is that the "fast food" restaurant? I don't see anything healthy on there. My teens will like the menu but a chicken caesar salad would be nice - looks like a place I will need to stay away from on board.

[zimmerjulie]

kabookie,

It was more like a fast-food restaurant layout on the other ships. You could see the grill area and a main thoroughfare went between the grill/prep area and the seating area. They had the pound cake and banana bread out so that passers-by could grab some. There were stools and a glass doored refrigerator where you could grab your own salad or milk.

 

On the Hawaii, it is set up nicer like a restaurant, but you can still get your chili and hot dog ;) .

[ladyofthecanyon]

Great pictures, Zimmerjulie! Thanks for sharing them. I'm sailing on the POH on July 10. Can anyone recommend shore excursions? There are 25 pages of them listed on the NCL website. What's the best thing to do in each port? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks - :) lotc

[Greg in GA]

Thank you SO much for posting the photos. We are booked on the November 6th sailing and have been waiting forever for some actual photos of the ship.

Now I am really excited to see the ship in person!

 

Thanks again,

Greg

[vickiw0318]

zimmerjulie, thank you so much! I have printed out the teen activity sheets and am taking them to my friends. One of them is very talented and will be thrilled about the teen talent show. (He enters everything like that around here!) Looks like there is good wheel chair accessibility as well.

[zimmerjulie]

ENTERTAINMENT

We really enjoyed the live music all over the ship.

Grooveline was the band that got the party stared on deck for sailaway. I really enjoyed them and the tunes they chose.

 

 

There was an Atrium Duo that provided the music in, where else, the atrium throughout the day and evening. They played beautiful island melodies of Hawaii and also branched off to other genres for the many requests that they took. We really enjoyed relaxing here and listening to this duo.

 

 

Kama'aina was listed as an Hawai'ian trio that played by the pool, but we missed them. Also listed: Aleksander Courtney – cocktail music in Magnum's Champagne Bar, Taylor Kundolf – Piano bar entertainer, and The Zippers, who are fantastic, but will not be continuing on to Hawaii. (sorry).

 

The ship has Karaoke, of course, and even has some private Karaoke rooms looking out onto the dance floor of the Medusa lounge. (Someone tell me the draw of the smaller rooms? Shy Karaoke singers?)

 

 

Shows :

“Soul Rockin' Nights - A musical journey through the 60's and 70's where the scene is set in the bars and nightclubs that have given southern rock, funk and disco, bad biker saloons and a British rock pub its home of choice. Featuring the Pride of Hawai'i Production Cast and Show Band”

 

 

You know how subjective entertainment is, but I did not enjoy this show very much. NCL, for me, has always had excellent shows...usually family friendly without being goody-goody. This one had a preponderance of songs with lines about getting drunk, “getting some”, etc, and not really entertaining, to me, singing and dance routines. It opens with the troupe outfitted as Red booted, white hatted (or was it the other way around?) cowboys to the song “Sweet Home Alabama”. Now maybe I've spent too much time around cowboys and in Alabama to appreciate the “marriage”, when it wouldn't seem odd to most people, but it was a bit of a discordant start, for me.

 

 

I did really enjoy the female brunette singer. Her voice is as beautiful as she is, and that's really saying something. The other female singer was good, too, but either her voice or her microphone would give out, it seemed like. Notes that you knew were coming with force would be strangely muted. There was also a stand-out male dancer who was a treat to watch. Let me know if you can tell which one I am talking about.

 

 

I'll leave it at that, except to say I was embarrassed for them when they wheeled out the “motorcycles”.

 

 

“Elements of Illusion – Earth, Water, Wind and Fire create this stirring concoction of music, dance, and illusion. Starring Las Vegas' very own Scott Alexander as the master illusionist and the Pride of Hawai'i Production cast.”

 

 

This one was better, with amazing costumes and beautiful sets and with dramatic flair added to the illusions. The dancing was lovely and Scott Alexander performed some pretty amazing illusions. Those who enjoy David Copperfield-type shows would probably like this very much.

 

 

The CD is Ray Carr, who came off as a more low-key type and has a nice announcing voice. I only saw him introducing the shows and heard him making the PA announcements.

 

 

Have I left anything out of the Entertainment section?

[Oppgaard]

If I am reading between the lines correctly, you are being very nice to the people who are serving you and in return they are being very nice to you. I have always felt that if you are upbeat, personable and outgoing, those around you will also be that way. The staff must have really enjoyed having you onboard.

 

We are doing the Pride of America in a couple of weeks after our May 17 cruise on the Pride of Aloha was cancelled. After reading your reviews, I am confident we are going to have a great cruise. When we have been on NCL before, we were in a suite and really enjoyed the extra attention from the concierge and the butler and have another suite booked for next year but on the Hawaii cruise we will be in a balcony cabin since it is so port intensive. From your reports, it really won't matter because the service will be good nonetheless. We like interacting with the crew and joking around with them and would rather have slow, relaxing and congenial service than more hurried and formal service.

 

Thanks for all your great reviews and pictures.

[zimmerjulie]

The staff must have really enjoyed having you onboard.

Oppgaard,

thank you for your kind comments! You made my day :)

 

 

We like interacting with the crew and joking around with them and would rather have slow, relaxing and congenial service than more hurried and formal service.

Sounds like you will have a great time with the American crew. I was lucky enough to spend one night on the POAmerica before she headed to Hawaii and the service was similar. Very friendly and caring. They really want you to be there and let you know it!

Have a GREAT CRUISE!

[monkeygirl55]

Thanks for the pictures!! We are booked to go on the 5/7/07 cruise!! I can't wait!!!!! The ship looks beautiful!

[beachchick]

zimmerjulie: Quick questions about the accessible cabins. When you say the bathrooms have "lowered" washbasins, does that mean that they are all a wheelchair height? Or are there two, with one at regular height (say for a non-HC spouse who is 6-ft tall and has difficulty/pain bending down to a sink that low)? Toilet seat heights--higher as with many hc facilities? What about furniture? Is there a sofa, loveseat, or a couple of padded club chairs?

 

This would be very helpful to know because NCLA already assigned our fall balcony guarantee into an HC cabin. Now, technically we do qualify as we are disabled and would find some of the safety measures in the bathroom very useful. But neither one of us is in a wheelchair at this point; I've been using a cane for some time, DH probably will start soon, but that's not the same need. (Just so everyone knows, we did not tell our TA that we are disabled or ask for an HC cabin. I don't have any idea why NCL seems to assign early guarantee bookings into HC cabins. That seems really odd and somehow wrong, but several other CC members have mentioned the same thing. But please know that we did not ask for this assignment. I suspect we may be moved, no problem; although I do like the location of this cabin and hope that if we get moved it's not to a location that we loathe.)

 

Anyway, I would appreciate any feedback you could give me about the HC cabins. Please (if/when you get a chance) post some pix of more of the common areas and venues around the ship, as well as some of the various cabin types. (As much as I loved drooling over the GV, I have no realistic expectation of booking it. Ah, well.) And thanks so much for all your information and pix so far.

 

Hope you continue to have a lovely time.

 

beachchick

[zimmerjulie]

The two HC cabins that I viewed had only one sink, the large, lowered variety. There was a sleeper sofa in them. These two cabins each had the icon "+" on the deck plans, designating 3rd and/or 4th occupancy available. It looks like the balcony ones only have 3rd occupancy, so they could have just the pullman upper, with no sleeper sofa. There was a regular, non-padded chair for the vanity or desk, but I didn't see any other furniture. It was mostly uncluttered open space and large walkways for ease of wheelchair use.

 

These , as you might expect, are VERY large compared to the standard cabins in the same category. I also think it is strange to be assigned to one of these on a regular guarantee, but I would be VERY happy to be in one of these, as long as a wheelchair user was not excluded. I would agree with you that your cabin will likely be changed if someone called with wheelchair requirements between now and cruise time. If so, I hope you like the location. That's the down side of booking a guarantee and getting the news of what your tentative assignment is. Uncertainty isn't my strong suit:D .

 

As to pics of more "practical" digs, I found after 2 hours onboard, largely in the villas & outside, that my camera battery was 1/2 empty with no way of re-charging (new camera and first experience with battery life). Therefore I had to cut back. I have posted all of my pictures.

 

The camera crew for the virtual tour was onboard and shooting everything, so I didn't take shots of the public rooms, knowing that they would be on the tour. Hopefully it won't be long before they have that up for everyone!

[Cruisecontroler]

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;)

 

Finally, I was able to see real images of the ship...it's been driving me nuts waiting for NCL to get actual images to the public.

 

It looks like we've got a great trip ahead of us in September:D ...hoping it will take the sting out of turning 50:o

 

[Ilovefuncruises]

I sailed on the May 20th sailing out of Los Angeles, with 2 other agents from my office and my wife. Unfortunately we didn't have as good of an experience.

 

First the positive things;

1. Ship looks fantastic, all the public areas are very well done.

2. Rooms are well done and bedding is extremely comfortable. Courtyard villas are amazing but pricey.

3. Gift shop is large and well done.

4. Ship is extremely smooth in the water.

5. You can't even feel the elevators move from floor to floor.

 

Now the bad;

1. Restaurant service was horrible. Bistro, Cagney's & Jasmine are an additional $10-$20 to dine at, although free for us on this sailing. We managed to visit Cagney's and the Bistro for dinners. Cagney's was mediocre at best. We only saw our waiter once at the beginning of dinner and never again. Couldn't get water or wine refilled. Food orders were incorrect, cooked improperly and just plain average. Cagney's was also very loud. Bistro was a big improvement, although for the hype the service was better but mediocre, food was better than average, but very small portions. We also ate at the buffet and Blue Lagoon for lunch. The experience at the Blue Lagoon was enough to make me want to walk out. We waited out and realize that we had a bad server, but the food was awful (and I only ordered a burger & fries). We had appetizers but they didn't come out together or before our main dish. I won't go into detail because I realize they are working out some new employees, but needless to say we had one of the worst waitresses ever. Our lunch took 2 hours, and over an hour of that was waiting for our first bowl of soup. Buffet was average. There were other issues too with waiting for dinner but those should be resolved once they get the pager system in place. We made reservations at the Bistro around 5:30 and at at 8:30, that's a bit long to be waiting around for a let down.

 

2. Room was small, we were in an inside but it was way small. Bathroom looked nice but the stool was in a bad location, you couldn't sit on it without hitting your knees on the wall. Cabin steward never made up our room.

 

3. Bar staff was very friendly but inconsistent. My wife would order a salted rim never to receive it. I would order a beer would get a different brand and told that they were out, but another waitress (Cathy was great) would bring me my drink every time from the same bar. Because the ship was new, anything out of the bar guns tasted like plastic also, but this should go away.

 

In general, we had a great time. We entertain ourselves and others always. Medusa's was great and has private karoke rooms that are a blast for embarassing yourself and friends. The entertainment was fun and it was a good time, but the bad dining experiences were very disappointing.

 

One of the things we were not aware of was the tipping policy also. Apparently on NCL when you order a drink from the bar they do not include the tip as other cruise lines do. So if you aren't paying close attention when you sign, your servers end up getting stiffed on tips. This could account for some of the issues on the NCL America ships. In fact we were told that only 9 of the 12 original pool waitresses were left as the others had walked off already.

 

The $10 per day per person "service charge" that NCL requires goes to cabin stewards & restaurant staff. Waitresses don't get anything unless you tip them.

[zimmerjulie]

Thanks for the added info & opinions, ilovefuncruises.

 

On NCL they do add the 15% gratuities to bar bills, but I have read that they do not on the NCLA ships. That is a good thing to point out.

 

I didn't have the bar gun plastic aftertaste problem. Was this in a certain bar/lounge? I guess the only place I had a drink with a fountain product was in the Spinnaker and it tasted normal.

 

I, also, was impressed with the gift shops, especially the large galleria. They had all sorts of Hawaiian-themed products, from instructional hula dancing CD's to grass skirt kits for the kids to muumuus and Hawaiian shirts. They also had quite a selection of golf gear, in support of their "Golf Hawaii" program. The jewelry area was expansive too, with very nice displays. I saw a ring that I liked and thought, "Maybe I'll take a look at that". When I got to the sales lady, Veronica, she was just mentioning to some other passengers that they had a $17,000 diamond ring in the shop. I had an inkling.....and sure enough, it was the one that I had noticed. Veronica was another stand out nice person who made us feel very welcome. If I were ever going to buy a $17K ring:p , I can't think of anyone I'd rather buy it from.

 

They do not have duty free shops on the ship, as there will be no duty free shopping on the Hawai'i itineraries. It was strange not to have the booze shop and the perfume/potions/lotions store. :) They did have a wall of spa-type products in the regular gift shop and you could also buy beauty supplies in the spa, but no Lancome, & walls of perfumes.

 

The little shop in the atrium had some glass sculptures (sea turtles & dolphins), some less-precious jewelry, Hawai'ian dolls, nut lei's and other Hawai'i souvenirs. Just to ally any fears, I think your shopping needs will be covered.:D

 

I noticed on the mini-brochure deck plans that they had the Galleria shopping area slated for a business center and meeting rooms. Interesting change of plan. I know the POAmerica had extensive facilities for business incentive and/or meeting groups, as these would be tax deductible for companies conducting them on the American flagged vessels only.

 

I guess I zeroed in on your #3 positive thing for this installment:) .

Sorry your dining experiences were so disappointing!

[zimmerjulie]

More pictures of the interiors:

http://www.cruiseship-gallery.de/thumbnails.php?album=26

[zimmerjulie]

I guess a little background here in the middle might be helpful. I have enjoyed 16 cruises on 6 different lines, my most recent ones being on NCL, Carnival, Princess, and Holland America.

 

I have enjoyed the food on all lines, although Holland America was my least favorite, as I found it to be too bland for my preference.

 

 

DINING:

 

 

I REALLY enjoyed the food. I wrote a long review (below), but wanted to summarize for those who don't want the blow-by blow. One thing I noticed was that the specialty restaurant menus were quite a bit different than they had been last August on the N. Spirit. I posted them on my photo page, so you can take a look if you are interested.

 

 

Highlights:

Swordfish with Avocado & Macadamia nut in Alizar – a "10" definitely recommended

Butter Lettuce salad, French Onion Soup, and Crème Brulee in Le Bistro YUM

Filet Mignon w/ Bearnaise sauce, Cheesecake (OMG) and Bananas Foster in Cagney's

Fruit Empenadas in the pastry case at the Aloha Atrium

 

 

Lowlight:

Scalloped potatoes in Cagney's

 

 

For the first lunch, we ate in the ALIZAR main restaurant. We showed up right in the middle of the dining time and were informed that there would be about a 10 minute wait. They gave me a pager and my cousin and I headed upstairs a deck to check out the atrium area. About 10 minutes later, our pager activated and we headed back to the restaurant. There were 3 main courses that interested me, each with an Hawai'ian “flavor” featured. I went with my standard rule that, if there is anything with macadamia nuts involved, order it! In this case it was swordfish with an avocado & macadamia nut (& cilantro & spices) topping. This was the best main-course of the trip, and I am not even a “fish” person. It is now on my top 10 dishes of all time list. My compliments to the chef! I also had mushroom & sun dried tomato roll, curried carrot & coconut soup (yummy, I love curry) and a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. The cake was fine, chocolate isn't my favorite, but all the other choices were ice cream or sorbet.

 

 

Our waiter, Lafayette, was a lot of fun, teasing us a bit, so we gave it right back. Our meal took about an hour. Our water glasses were always full and we were asked at the outset if we wanted any bar service, etc. Courses came out in good time and we were perfectly content with the experience.

 

 

LeBISTRO: We ate dinner the first night in Le Bistro and had a lovely meal. Our first course was the Butter Lettuce Salad with Candied Walnuts, Apples, Baked Brie in Phyllo, and Pear Vinegrette. Yum. I loved this salad. My cousin and I both did.

 

 

I wasn't much hungry, but remembered how good the French Onion soup was at Le Bistro on the Spirit and decided to go for it again. It was just as excellent. It was super hot and took quite awhile to cool, so I felt a little bad slowing up the meal, as my cousin had not ordered a soup course. However, she was in no hurry, and we were celebrating the anniversary of our mutual very first cruise together all those years ago in the same week of May.

 

 

For the main course, I ordered the Mille-Feulle of Forest Mushrooms (Saute of Wild Mushrooms, Shallots, Cream Sherry, Thyme Buerre Blanc, in a Puff Pastry) and Karen ordered the Pan Roasted Breast of Corn-Fed Chicken (Bacon Braised Field Greens, Caramelized Pearl Onions, Porcini Mushroom Cream). I'd probably choose something else for my main course next time. I didn't find the mushroom dish to be anything super-special for me. Karen liked her chicken, but I was too full from all the soup to try it. That was a LOT of soup.

 

 

Our original plan had been to order all 3 of the featured desserts and share them. We just couldn't do it and settled on the Crème Brulee and the Fresh Berry Vacherin (Classic French Baked Meringue Shell Filled with Fresh Berries and Crème Chantilly.) The crème brulee was eye-rollingly good and the berry vacherin also a definite winner. More compliments to the chefs.

 

 

For breakfast, we ate at the ALOHA NUI CAFE. I had a made-to order omelet, bacon, seasoned fried potato rounds, and fresh fruit. All of it was very good.

 

 

Lunch the 2nd day was in the JASMINE GARDEN ASIAN RESTAURANT. This restaurant area has a very expansive menu! The fresh orchid on the table was a beautiful touch.

 

 

They bring the Edamame to the table for everyone at the outset. I ordered the Oriental Chicken Salad, Macadamia Kung Pao Chicken (per my earlier-mentioned rule), and the Frozen Pineapple Souffle. The chicken salad was good, with tender pieces of white meat in a creamy-type dressing. The Macadamia Kung Pao chicken is spicy. It has the red chiles right in there with the onions & green peppers. The pieces of chicken were covered in what was like a dry spice rub, as opposed to a gooey Kung Pao sauce. I do like things a little spicy, so this was a treat, but I wouldn't have wanted to go any hotter! The frozen pineapple souffle was just okay, imho.

 

 

Our final meal was dinner at CAGNEY'S. (I have shots of this meal in my aforementioned albums). This restaurant is divided into two distinct, separated areas. We were pleased to be seated in the more forward section, which seemed to be a bit quieter than the other.

 

 

Here is what I ordered:

*Spinach, Garlic and Artichoke Dip: pretty good.

*“The Wedge” salad: A simple wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing tomatoes and crumbled bacon. I eat a lot of salad in “real life”, so it was a treat to have this very fresh, good salad.

*Filet Mignon, petite cut, with sauce Bearnaise: Excellent, tender, flavorful, a winner

*Sides of steamed asparagus and scalloped potatoes. The sides are served “family style” for two. They bring the dish for two to the table and you serve the amount that you desire. The asparagus was perfect, young & tender & delicious. The scalloped potatoes, as you know if you read the summary at the top, were disappointing. They were undercooked and pretty plain. I guess I was expecting the thick, cheddary variety that we mix up around these parts.

 

 

Now we come to dessert(s), which deserve a narrative. This time we saved enough room to split 3 of the desserts, we thought. Little did we know that the dessert portions in this restaurant were quite LARGE.

 

 

We tried the Mocha crème Brulee. It was good, but not as good as the regular crème brulee in Le Bistro and no competition for the cheesecake and bananas Foster, imho.

 

 

The cheesecake...In-credible. I am a cheesecake enthusiast and THIS was SOME awesome cheesecake. Being a purist when it comes to this particular dessert, I usually like it plain, without the heavy, syrupy things that sometimes appear on top. This time, they had a delicious, fresh tasting strawberry compote on top. Perfect, a perfect dessert.

 

 

The Bananas Foster Flambe was on the same scale. Amazing. Huge. Delicious.

They do not do the flambe-ing table-side, but in the galley area.

 

 

WHAT A MEAL.

[zimmerjulie]

Please feel free to ask any questions!:)

[kabookie]

Please feel free to ask any questions!:)

 

Just one question - did you bring us a doggie-bag? :D

It all sounds delicious!

[beachchick]

zimmerjulie: Aloha and mahalo for all your wonderful posts. Could you describe the layout of an HC balcony cabin (including balcony) if you can see one? I'm especially interested in the balcony layout (how much space does the ramp take up), the furniture (sofa or chairs), the shower (does the chair fold down or is it always in the way), and the toilet/sink heights.

 

DH and I have a guarantee for this fall and have already been assigned into an HC balcony. (Don't know why on earth NCL seems to do this so often, as several others on the boards have mentioned the same thing. It seems very strange.) I realize we may be moved again, which is of course fine. Even though, technically, we qualify for the cabin, I didn't tell our TA that we're disabled and the fact is that we don't require it (although certain features would be helpful). (We're hoping that the whole issue will become moot, as we want to upsell if there is availability and the price is decent...until then, I thought we'd best find out about the cabin if possible.) If you have any pix that you could post some time down the line, I would love to see them.

 

Enjoy the beautiful islands and the lovely new ship.

 

beachchick

[janniebabe]

I guess a little background here in the middle might be helpful. I have enjoyed 16 cruises on 6 different lines, my most recent ones being on NCL, Carnival, Princess, and Holland America.

 

I have enjoyed the food on all lines, although Holland America was my least favorite, as I found it to be too bland for my preference.

 

 

DINING:

 

 

I REALLY enjoyed the food. I wrote a long review (below), but wanted to summarize for those who don't want the blow-by blow. One thing I noticed was that the specialty restaurant menus were quite a bit different than they had been last August on the N. Spirit. I posted them on my photo page, so you can take a look if you are interested.

 

 

Highlights:

Swordfish with Avocado & Macadamia nut in Alizar – a "10" definitely recommended

Butter Lettuce salad, French Onion Soup, and Crème Brulee in Le Bistro YUM

Filet Mignon w/ Bearnaise sauce, Cheesecake (OMG) and Bananas Foster in Cagney's

Fruit Empenadas in the pastry case at the Aloha Atrium

 

 

Lowlight:

Scalloped potatoes in Cagney's

 

 

For the first lunch, we ate in the ALIZAR main restaurant. We showed up right in the middle of the dining time and were informed that there would be about a 10 minute wait. They gave me a pager and my cousin and I headed upstairs a deck to check out the atrium area. About 10 minutes later, our pager activated and we headed back to the restaurant. There were 3 main courses that interested me, each with an Hawai'ian “flavor” featured. I went with my standard rule that, if there is anything with macadamia nuts involved, order it! In this case it was swordfish with an avocado & macadamia nut (& cilantro & spices) topping. This was the best main-course of the trip, and I am not even a “fish” person. It is now on my top 10 dishes of all time list. My compliments to the chef! I also had mushroom & sun dried tomato roll, curried carrot & coconut soup (yummy, I love curry) and a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. The cake was fine, chocolate isn't my favorite, but all the other choices were ice cream or sorbet.

 

 

Our waiter, Lafayette, was a lot of fun, teasing us a bit, so we gave it right back. Our meal took about an hour. Our water glasses were always full and we were asked at the outset if we wanted any bar service, etc. Courses came out in good time and we were perfectly content with the experience.

 

 

LeBISTRO: We ate dinner the first night in Le Bistro and had a lovely meal. Our first course was the Butter Lettuce Salad with Candied Walnuts, Apples, Baked Brie in Phyllo, and Pear Vinegrette. Yum. I loved this salad. My cousin and I both did.

 

 

I wasn't much hungry, but remembered how good the French Onion soup was at Le Bistro on the Spirit and decided to go for it again. It was just as excellent. It was super hot and took quite awhile to cool, so I felt a little bad slowing up the meal, as my cousin had not ordered a soup course. However, she was in no hurry, and we were celebrating the anniversary of our mutual very first cruise together all those years ago in the same week of May.

 

 

For the main course, I ordered the Mille-Feulle of Forest Mushrooms (Saute of Wild Mushrooms, Shallots, Cream Sherry, Thyme Buerre Blanc, in a Puff Pastry) and Karen ordered the Pan Roasted Breast of Corn-Fed Chicken (Bacon Braised Field Greens, Caramelized Pearl Onions, Porcini Mushroom Cream). I'd probably choose something else for my main course next time. I didn't find the mushroom dish to be anything super-special for me. Karen liked her chicken, but I was too full from all the soup to try it. That was a LOT of soup.

 

 

Our original plan had been to order all 3 of the featured desserts and share them. We just couldn't do it and settled on the Crème Brulee and the Fresh Berry Vacherin (Classic French Baked Meringue Shell Filled with Fresh Berries and Crème Chantilly.) The crème brulee was eye-rollingly good and the berry vacherin also a definite winner. More compliments to the chefs.

 

 

For breakfast, we ate at the ALOHA NUI CAFE. I had a made-to order omelet, bacon, seasoned fried potato rounds, and fresh fruit. All of it was very good.

 

 

Lunch the 2nd day was in the JASMINE GARDEN ASIAN RESTAURANT. This restaurant area has a very expansive menu! The fresh orchid on the table was a beautiful touch.

 

 

They bring the Edamame to the table for everyone at the outset. I ordered the Oriental Chicken Salad, Macadamia Kung Pao Chicken (per my earlier-mentioned rule), and the Frozen Pineapple Souffle. The chicken salad was good, with tender pieces of white meat in a creamy-type dressing. The Macadamia Kung Pao chicken is spicy. It has the red chiles right in there with the onions & green peppers. The pieces of chicken were covered in what was like a dry spice rub, as opposed to a gooey Kung Pao sauce. I do like things a little spicy, so this was a treat, but I wouldn't have wanted to go any hotter! The frozen pineapple souffle was just okay, imho.

 

 

Our final meal was dinner at CAGNEY'S. (I have shots of this meal in my aforementioned albums). This restaurant is divided into two distinct, separated areas. We were pleased to be seated in the more forward section, which seemed to be a bit quieter than the other.

 

 

Here is what I ordered:

*Spinach, Garlic and Artichoke Dip: pretty good.

*“The Wedge” salad: A simple wedge of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing tomatoes and crumbled bacon. I eat a lot of salad in “real life”, so it was a treat to have this very fresh, good salad.

*Filet Mignon, petite cut, with sauce Bearnaise: Excellent, tender, flavorful, a winner

*Sides of steamed asparagus and scalloped potatoes. The sides are served “family style” for two. They bring the dish for two to the table and you serve the amount that you desire. The asparagus was perfect, young & tender & delicious. The scalloped potatoes, as you know if you read the summary at the top, were disappointing. They were undercooked and pretty plain. I guess I was expecting the thick, cheddary variety that we mix up around these parts.

 

 

Now we come to dessert(s), which deserve a narrative. This time we saved enough room to split 3 of the desserts, we thought. Little did we know that the dessert portions in this restaurant were quite LARGE.

 

 

We tried the Mocha crème Brulee. It was good, but not as good as the regular crème brulee in Le Bistro and no competition for the cheesecake and bananas Foster, imho.

 

 

The cheesecake...In-credible. I am a cheesecake enthusiast and THIS was SOME awesome cheesecake. Being a purist when it comes to this particular dessert, I usually like it plain, without the heavy, syrupy things that sometimes appear on top. This time, they had a delicious, fresh tasting strawberry compote on top. Perfect, a perfect dessert.

 

 

The Bananas Foster Flambe was on the same scale. Amazing. Huge. Delicious.

They do not do the flambe-ing table-side, but in the galley area.

 

 

WHAT A MEAL.

 

What a fantastic review of these wonderful foods! As I am sitting here eating my breakfast I am craving Banana's Foster Flambe!! Thank you for the great review!

[mikefast]

Thanks for the review and the pix. We were on the Pride of Aloha, and in spite of all the bad reviews we loved it. We are thinking about bookin the Pride of Hawaii for this fall, and your pix just about did it for us. Thanks again.

[hansolo]

Looking forward to sailing the POH on July 2007. Thanks for all the great review. What a fantastic looking ship.

[zimmerjulie]

Beachchick,

thank you for the kind words!

 

Unfortunately I did not get to see one of the balcony HC cabins. We had access to an inside and a mini suite. It seems like the ramp didn't take up much balcony room, but I don't have a picture to verify. Dang that low battery!

 

Like you said, there are some features that would be VERY nice to have and, hopefully, they will outweigh any negatives if you do remain in this cabin. Hopefully someone returning from the ship and actually having used one of these cabins will chime in with more info for you!!

[zimmerjulie]

kabookie,

the upside of a relaxing, unrushed meal: time and stomach space to enjoy every bite. The downside: nothing left over for a doggie bag.;)

[beachchick]

zimmerjulie: Thanks so much for your reply and info on the mini-suite HC. From a couple of descriptions I've read, it sounded like the ramp takes up half the balcony to the point where only one chair would fit, or at least be on a level surface. Hm, I wonder if the ramps can be removed?

 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I'm not sure we'd really even like an HC layout, but I'm kind of afraid to say, "Hey, you put us in an HC cabin on a guarantee 6 months from the cruise date and we're not listed as disabled, what gives?" and have them respond by moving us into a balcony in the worst possible location of the ship. We really, really don't like to be forward, and we far prefer to have cabins above and below, so there are a number of cabin locations that make me cringe. (In fact, this is the first time we've ever done a guarantee; the price was too good to ignore--and I know that we'll be in at least a balcony cabin and in Hawaii. Who could complain about that?)

 

Anyway, I'm going to keep thinking good thoughts that we'll be able to upsell or maybe even get a visit (for the first time ever) by the upgrade fairy.

 

Hope your cruise continues to be wonderful. It's so great to hear all about it as it happens (well, almost). And the food--now I'm getting hungry. (Appreciate the warning about the scalloped potatoes too. They're usually a fave of mine, but I think I'll pass when we're at Cagney's, at least twice, this fall.)

 

Aloha to all our CC members onboard.

 

beachchick