working on the POam for 1 month now..my views

[ohioNCLcruiser]

First of all let me say 99 percent of these negative reviews are just . Yes the ship has some problems from time to time is true, but let's not blow it up.

 

FOOD:

 

The food on the ship is just as good as any other. Fresh fruit (canned fruit for one or two, but those don't go into anything that's just fruit unless you ask for it). The main dining rooms are gorgeous. Very nice and I have been on many ships with different companies. Liberty is my favorite.

 

 

CREW: there might be a few crew who are looking forward to getting off, but most are happy and very polite. Most people actually ENJOY the change that our crew brings.

 

And last the America is a gorgeous ship. Anyone who says its in bad shape is just full of it. And this is coming from someone who walks 20 miles a day around her.

 

 

Anyone booked on a cruise with us you will have a wonderful cruise and I look forward to serving you.

 

 

Mahalo

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Please click one of the Quick Reply icons in the posts above to activate Quick Reply.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Sorry for spelling mistakes. I'm writing this from my cell phone.

[Us2inFL]

Dear Ohio,

 

I appreciate your comments, and for the most part I agree with you. The ship is well laid out, and spacious. We were on PofAm from 10/7 to 10/14, and had two aft staterooms on deck 9. Both cabins had uncorrected sewage odor for five days before they figured out what it was. The maintenance staff tried to eventually correct a no hot water situation by turning off the cold water, which left us toilet-less. The reception desk was contacted four times over two hours, and no assistance came. I finally insisted on another cabin so we could shower on the morning of disembarkation.

 

We went to the buffet for dinner the first night, and all the steamer dishes were almost empty. There was no coordination between kitchen and service. Clusters of buffet workers chatted with eachother while now unoccupied tables were left stuffed with used dishes. Workers walked around the buffet in slow motion, not to mention the woman who fixed her hair and then continued to replenish the ice cream cone dispenser. And the woman who sneezed into her sleeve, and continued pouring beverages without ever washing was sickening. At the salad bar, the counter woman went off for over 5 minutes, only to come back with one small tub of olives (or something like that.)

 

The first morning breakfast in the dining room resulted in us leaving because the waiter just vanished, and after a 30 minute wait for an egg white omlette, it was just easier to bolt.

 

We ate in the specialty restaurants for the other six nights so I can't comment on that, although on Sunday night (lobster) the wait was 90 minutes. That's a bit rough, and it was because of slow service somewhere along the food chain.

 

Listen the bottom line was that these things are fleeting and since we had not set our expectations too high, everything was fine. We used the ship just as it was meant to be used, as a floating hotel and restaurant. Since there are no "at sea days" the entire feel of NCLA is different than all the other NCL cruises we've been on.

 

We cruise the Pearl in March and look forward to the NCL we know and love.

[missjanet]

Dear Ohio,

 

We sailed the Pride of America last fall & just loved the whole experience. We met such wonderful staff onboard, especially in the dining rooms - my favorites were Charles & Allegra (who worked as a team) and Leon. Shirley was a cabin attendant (not mine though) who I made a point of speaking with to tell her of all the glowing reviews she'd received on Cruise Critic. She just hugged me & told me I made her day.

 

I loved the ship & thought it was beautiful. The itinerary was perfect for seeing the Hawaiian Islands on a cruise ship - we loved those overnight stays in port.

 

We took a number of excursions through NCL & thought they were top notch - my favorites were the Captain Zodiac snorkel trip in Kona and the Princeville Waterfalls Hike in Kauai. The people running those trips knew what they were doing & gave us many awe-inspiring memories filled with sights of nature we'd never experienced before.

 

Good luck, Ohio. Working on a cruise ship is probably one of the hardest jobs out there. I work in the world of customer service, too, so I know how your job can be totally dependent upon the people you serve. Sometimes things are totally beyond your control, yet you're the one who has to deal with the fallout when things go wrong.

 

Keep up the good work!!

[emalemi]

Greetings from Pennsylvania...your neighbor! Looking forward to meeting you on board in just a few weeks...YIPPEE!!

 

If I see someone with a name tag showing they are from Ohio...I'll ask if it's you and say hi. (Do they still do this?) Thanks for the POSITIVE info. We are not letting the bad comments/reviews get us down. We are very excited about this trip!

 

C U Soon!

[Host CMLA]

OhioNCLcruiser...please refrain from using profanity in your posts. If you're uncertain about what's allowed, please refer to the community guidelines. I edited your post for profanity in lieu of removing the whole thread.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

OhioNCLcruiser...please refrain from using profanity in your posts. If you're uncertain about what's allowed, please refer to the community guidelines. I edited your post for profanity in lieu of removing the whole thread.

 

Thank you even though I didn't use any.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Greetings from Pennsylvania...your neighbor! Looking forward to meeting you on board in just a few weeks...YIPPEE!!

 

If I see someone with a name tag showing they are from Ohio...I'll ask if it's you and say hi. (Do they still do this?) Thanks for the POSITIVE info. We are not letting the bad comments/reviews get us down. We are very excited about this trip!

 

C U Soon!

 

 

Yup our name tags say our city. I'm in one of the big cities. See you soon!

[Host CMLA]

Thank you even though I didn't use any.

You used an acronym. Acronyms for profanity are not allowed.

 

User Names, Profanity and Vulgar Language

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The use of profanity and foul or vulgar language is not acceptable. Keep in mind that members come in all ages and all have access to our Cruise Boards. Using asterisks to blank out several letters of a word is *still* considered a violation if the vulgarity is discernible, as are acronyms for a series of vulgar words. There are far more powerful ways to get a point across. Discussions of any nature that Cruise Critic staff feels inappropriate for the Cruise Boards will be removed

[lambs2]

Best of everything to you, Ohio! We had our dream-come-true Hawaiian vacation this past June, and a good part of it was our wonderful time on the Pride of America! We truly enjoyed the beautiful ship and the friendly young (mostly) American crew mmbers. Our balcony stateroom was kept in spotless condition by our room stewardess, Joy, who was brand new to NCLA when we sailed. I just can't say enough good things about our week on the PoAm! It was our first experiience with free-style dining and we enjoyed the variety and choices available to us. We only had to wait for dinner one night, lobster night, and that was about a 90 minute wait but we were prepared for it. Got our beeper and went and had a pre-dinner cocktail. You have joined a terrific crew and I wish you all the best!

[karfest]

OhioNCLcruiser...please refrain from using profanity in your posts. If you're uncertain about what's allowed, please refer to the community guidelines. I edited your post for profanity in lieu of removing the whole thread.

__________________

Cecilia

 

Thank you even though I didn't use any.

 

This response from a crew member to Cecilias post really explains what makes the PoA different from foreign staffed ships.

 

I liked the American staff, much more relaxed, easy to talk to, etc. But then, I have kids who are in their 20's and also work with many in that age group so I know how they are. The old school cruisers who are used to being waited on without question have a very difficult time with this "flip" attitude.

 

I think the foreign (non-native English speakers) workers are fortunate that they can't understand most of what the cruisers are saying to them and just respond with a polite yes, ma'am or no ma'am! The PoAm crew certainly stood up for themselves, which gives them some bad reviews. This is not a ship to go on if you like to be pampered and have your bottom kissed.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

The only reason why I said that to host celia is I have seen her speak poorly about NCLA and almost tries to change the subject etc when its something good. I have talked about this with several peope. There are 2 families on the cruise right now who have been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean and this is their 3rd NCLA cruise. They wouldn't be coming back if they didn't like it. Im a very polite person but I will defend myself or my ship when I hear unfair things said. Yes there are some problems, but in the "pride of america NOT" forum, 75% of that is just false. I was on these boards long before I worked here and now that I know whats going on with these ships I now understand that they are fine cruise ships.

[hello]

Thank you for your positive remarks on the ship -- we'll see you in March!

[Oppgaard]

We cruise 4-5 times per year and went on the P of Am in June. Yes, I was a little skeptical as what to expect but I had done my homework and read all the posts regarding the ship and the service.

 

I went with the attitude that we would enjoy the cruise and we definetely did. So much in fact, we booked Hawaii again next year only on the 11 night Sun cruise.

 

When we first boarded we were a little ruffled that when we got to our cabin, the balcony was full of sand and dirt. We called to have someone clean it and the cabin stewardess showed up, went into the bathroom, filled the wastecan with water, went out and poured it over the balcony, repeated this two times, told us that is all she could do and left. Quite taken aback I asked her if she would be our cabin attendant for the entire cruise she replied that she didn't think so. For some reason they were switching her to something else. I wonder why?

 

A little later, a cabin steward stopped by and introduced himself and he was our new steward and he was GREAT the entire cruise. No complaints whatsover. He did his job well and was outgoing and had a great personality.

 

I have to say that 99% of all the personnel aboard the ship were extremely friendly and went out of their way to say hello and be pleasant. I enjoyed interacting with them. I will admit that their service was not quite as polished as on some other cruises, but they more than made up for it in attitude. This was one cruise out of many that we were not in a suite but I did not find the service even lacking because of it.

 

I thought the food on the buffet was about average for any cruise line but the dining room food was considerably poorer than any other. The food was execptionally good in the specialty restaurants. Our service in the steakhouse was great although in the French restaurant it was quite sub par. The young girls working there just couldn't pull it off but we still enjoyed our meal.

 

Perhaps this was not our greatest cruise, certainly not the food or the rather small balcony cabin, but we had a great time and really appreciated the ambiance created by the most friendly crew. They more than made up for any other of the little problems. Due to everything I mentioned, we had a fantastic time and can only recommend that you try it for yourself but go with the right attitude and prepare to rock a little with the boat.

[Host CMLA]

The only reason why I said that to host celia is I have seen her speak poorly about NCLA and almost tries to change the subject etc when its something good.

First of all...this is a lie and I challenge you to find where I've spoken negatively about NCLA. I'm booked on an NCLA ship next summer. So unless you can produce a single post where I've slammed NCLA, you should refrain from pointing the finger at me and saying lies. Second, your use of profanity has nothing to do with how I feel or don't feel about NCLA. It has to do with you breaking the community guidelines and how I could have removed your whole thread but as a courtesy to you I edited it and told you why. It seems you're the one trying to change the subject. :mad:

[ssatterly]

Ohio please tell me about working on the ship...tell me everything from how you are treated to how you live...Is the pay pretty good as well. I am thinking about trying to work on the ship myself.NCL is having a job fair here in my town next week.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Sure! give me your email and I will email you. or any instant messenger info.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Also, the past two weeks were the first two cruises that not a single person took off their auto tipping! This is the only NCLA ship that has done that!

[GMCOLT]

Ohiocruiser. I was on for the christening and presented models of the Pride of America and United States. I heard they were on display at the shore excursion desk. Are they still there?

You may contact me at my email norwaycolt@AOL.com.

I feel the crew is working hard and the big problem is people are used to international crews. It is diferent. I was on an NCL cruise on the Dawn where our cabin was not made up one day. On another popular line the cabin steward entered the bathroon while my wife was showering at 7am the last day and told her we had to leave the cabin. This happened on a VIP pre inuagural cruise. Things happen on international crewed ships also. I think you guys are bringing back our US falg to Ocean going vessels. Keep up the good work.

[ssatterly]

Ohio,

 

My e-mail address is ssatterly2000@yahoo.com I will be waiting for all your info you may want to share with me. Thanks

[jealdaka]

Ohio Cruiser,

 

Maybe you can answer some of the things I've wondered about former crew members. Who is CD now and assistant? Who is the host? Is Shona still on POA? There was a terrific piano player in the centrum but I can't remember his name....initials I think. Is he still there?

[newlywedcruisers]

Also, the past two weeks were the first two cruises that not a single person took off their auto tipping! This is the only NCLA ship that has done that!

Thats actually pretty impressive to me, I bet even NCL ships have a problem w/ that.

[emalemi]

Sure! give me your email and I will email you. or any instant messenger info.

 

Hello again ohioNCLcruiser! Remember me...your Pennsylvania neighbor?

 

I hope you are still on the ship. WE board on the 25th and hope to meet you to say hello. If you get this message here is my email address:

emalemi@comcast.net

 

I have a question for you if you get this in time....Thanks!!

[IndyBoy46202]

Ohio-

 

I was hoping to possibly shoot you an email or something re: some questions I have. I have added you to my AIM list. Is there a best day/time to reach you?

 

Thanks! :)